《Deaths chosen》 Chapter 1: I鈥檓 a necromancer? Chapter 1: I¡¯m a necromancer? Nate was an ordinary man, and he was late for work. He looks at himself in the mirror as he puts on his tie. His mom got it for him last Christmas. It was dark blue with light blue vines and purple flowers. Nate works at a funeral home, surrounded by bodies and death all the time. After working on his tie for a bit, he remembered that it¡¯s his day to prepare some bodies for some funerals. ¡°Fuck, I should have put on my black button-up shirt today,¡° Nate said. On his way to work, Nate tries to call his wife for the fourth time, but no call would go through. ¡°That¡¯s weird. I am going to have to talk to my phone provider again!¡± Nate said Nate walks to the prep room, where the bodies are kept and prepared, and starts to pull a few people out of the big industrial fridge. As he is getting one of them named Mr. Westcut dressed, he passes out. It is time for the human race to join the game. Nate wakes up, but he can¡¯t see anything but black, and then
Error Error Error DNA was not found. Error Error Error Solution eradicating
¡°Hold on, I can¡¯t die." Nate said, ¡°AND YOU WON¡¯T¡± A disembodied voice said.
Error, Error, Err... Divine intervention The death touch has been bestowed upon you. A level breaker has been bestowed upon you. You are Death''s necromancer. You are level 5 xp 1670.
Nate¡¯s eyes open quickly, and he¡¯s still in the prep room. ¡°What was that? Did I breathe in some chemicals or something?¡±
new system message new mission is available, ¡°The Beginning," kill 10 level 5 monsters. optional kill 5 level 6 monsters. new system message One armor loot box was added to inventory. One weapon loot box was added to inventory. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.One item loot box added to inventory.
¡°I have an inventory." Nate said. Right when he said inventory, a floating screen popped up with a list of items: ¡±armor loot box?¡± Nate said. ¡°I¡¯m going crazy. I hit my head when I passed out. I can¡¯t be in a video game!¡± Nate said, ¡°Ok, Nate, you¡¯re ok. You are not crazy. You just hit your head, and you need to get some help." Nate said frantically. Right after saying that, Nate began to notice something was off, and the body he was working on was no longer on the table. As Nate got off the ground, he was tapped on the shoulder, and he turned to see Mr. Westcut. ¡°Hello sir¡± Mr. Westcut said. ¡°What the fuck?" Nate said, ¡°How are you alive?" Nate stuttered. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but what I do know is that I was chosen to be your guide in this new world you are in, so if you have any questions, please let me know." Westcut said. "Ok, what is going on?¡± "Well, that¡¯s an easy one. You and everyone else that is human have been chosen by the gods to join the game,¡± said Westcut. "Ok, so what is the game?¡± asked Nate. "Well, that¡¯s a little harder to answer, but to put it in a way for you to understand, it¡¯s for the gods'' entertainment. They take a race at the pinnacle point and give them the power to join in the Great War,¡± said Westcut. ¡°We are going to fight a war?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Oh no, no one on this planet is close to the level to fight in the war; you guys don¡¯t even have any factions yet,¡° said Westcut. "Ok, so what am I?¡± Nate asked. "You, well, you are definitely different, but because I am here in the way I am, I would say you were chosen by Death himself to bring forth his will in the war, and on this planet, you are lucky. He has never chosen a champion,¡± said Westcut. ¡°So I¡¯m the grim reaper in a way?¡± Nate asked. ¡°In a way, I guess you are right,¡± said Westcut. ¡°So what powers do I have?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Have you not looked over your statistics and powers yet? I would give that a look,¡± said Westcut. As soon as Nate thought about stats and powers, two screens popped up.
Powers Death¡¯s grasp: using your hand or a weapon, when you make contact with a target, you will take life force and heal yourself. The voice of the dead: you may command five undead to fight for you, but they will be two levels below yourself. Stats Strength: 150 Dexterity: 150 Agility: 150 Intelligents: 150 Perception: 150
Now that Nate thinks about it, he has gotten taller and more muscular. ¡°Am I really a magic death guy now?¡± said Nate in his head. "Now that you are the highest level on earth as of right now, at this point in time, it¡¯s your job to become stronger and start a faction,¡± said Westcut. ¡°Hold on, I can¡¯t do that, and how am I at the highest level?¡± asked Nate. "Well, you wouldn¡¯t be, but because the god of death wanted you, you got a head start. "If you want to live a long life and keep family and loved ones alive, the best way is to stay the strongest, and become the most powerful faction in your world,¡± said Westcut. ¡°The strongest must be the strongest. Chapter 2: The Reaper Chapter 2: The Strongest Man Nate contemplates what Westcut was saying, repeating the words ¡°I must become the strongest.¡± As he thinks this Westcut changes from a funeral-style suit to a more traditional Butler style. ¡°How did you do that?¡± asked Nate. "Well, it would seem I have my own inventory, which is not as good as yours. I can only hold 10 items as of now. You should really go through yours so you can get ready for your first mission." said Westcut. As soon as Nate started thinking about his inventory again, it appeared with three items in it.
Inventory One armor loot box. One weapon loot box. One-item loot box.
Nate tapped his finger on the armor loot box, and it appeared in his hand; a small wooden crate. He tapped the box, and it opened with a glowing purple light. Slowly, leather chest armor would rise from the box and disappear as if nothing happened. Nate had a set of black and brown Leather armor covering him from the neck down.
System message You have been given the armor of the dead, You hold authority over the undead and wont be considered an enemy.
Nate goes to find the closest mirror to give himself a look. ¡±Wow, I look pretty cool,¡± said Nate. He then looks back at the other loot boxes and decided to pick up the Item box ¡°I want to save my weapon for last so I can have the most time with it, Nate thought. Nate opened the box, and a hooded cloak appeared before him. It then wrapped itself around him and rested on his shoulders.
System message The Cloak of the Dead Emperor gives off an aura of fear. This aura can make humans of a lower level submit to you.
Nate looks at his new cloak, a simple gray cloak with black lining That contained so much power. "Westcut, what do you think? Do I look too edgy?¡± asked Nate. "No, sir, I think you look strong. You will make a great emperor of this planet,¡± answered Westcut. ¡°Hold on, emperor of the planet, does that mean Death gave me this cloak on purpose, the cloak of the dead emperor?¡± asked Nate. ¡°That could be why, but I don¡¯t have all the answers to what Death wants from you or what his end goal is. I just know he wants you for a reason. I don¡¯t know the reason, but I do know he let me come back from the land of the dead so that I may help you in this world and maybe help with other things in the future,¡± answered Westcut. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Nate took a bit to think about what Westcut had said and how he looked. Nate then brought out the weapon box, and when he opened it, a sword came out. It grew bigger, about the size of a short sword with a worn red guard, pommel, and black handle. The blade was so black it was like a black hole. I would get in trouble with the gods if I were to look at it for too long.
System message Death bringer: the sword made by Death himself out of a piece of his own scythe. This sword has the ability to bring permanent death to anyone killed by it; nothing can bring them back, not even Death himself.
Nate picks up the sword, and as soon as it¡¯s in his hand, he could feel the power flowing through his body like an adrenaline rush, or like the best drugs he''d ever had. "Oh, fuck Westcut, what is happening to me right now?¡± "Well, sir, your new powers and items are working together. Your currently feeling the energy from this combination, You''ll be fine for minute or two. While your body''s Adjusting, we should talk about your future plans ¡± ¡°What plans are you talking about?¡± asked Nate. "Well, sir, you have your first mission and you have a mission you don¡¯t know about yet, but first, let¡¯s talk about the monster killing mission. You have to kill 10 level 5 monsters, and you have the optional mission to kill 5 level 6 monsters, which is possible, but the problem is you have no training in a fighting style, so I am going to have to run you through it quickly,¡± explained Westcut. Westcut then Materialized a sword behind his back. ¡°Okay sir, mirror me.¡± Now after a couple hours of training, Nate Begun looking around Himself and realized he was still at his workplace. "Westcut, can you help me with a few of the people here? Because if I am really the one Death has in charge of the dead, I need to do my job right.¡± Nate would then begin to pick up the bodies and bring them outside, lay them out, and then bury them one by one. "Westcut, is there a prayer that Death would like me to say for them?¡± asked Nate. "No, as there are so many plants of different races that all say different prayers, it is up to you to make the decision on what to say since you are the first real chosen of death.¡± "Ok, here it goes.¡± Nate puts one hand out as if he were going to cast a spell on the bodies: ¡°I am the death chosen, so it is I who led you to him. I, the reaper, give you to my Lord Death.¡± In that moment, Death himself made himself known: ¡°I DEATH, AM CALLED TO BRING THE SOULS OF THE DEAD TO THE WORLD BEYOND.¡± ¡°Lord Death, I think we chose the right person here,¡± said Westcut. "Ok sir, I think it''s time we get on with ourselves, we have some monsters to kill." "No Westcut, I have a different mission, I need to find my wife and family!" Chapter 3: The Open Road Chapter 3: The Open Road As Nate gathered a few things for the road, he began to think about where he would look first. In his mind, the best place to look would be his home he shares with his wife Ashlyn, or as he likes to call her, Ash. Nate would get some things together and start to put things in a bag he found, but was stopped. "Sir, you can put things in your inventory. I don¡¯t understand the need for this bag.¡± ¡°Well Westcut I kind of forgot about all that. I have had magic in my world for only about 8 hours, but thanks for reminding me of that. But how do I put my stuff in my inventory?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not hard; just take what you want to have in it and then shove it on the screen.¡± Nate then took out a roll of tape and shoved it into the screen, and it disappeared. He then put everything else in. "Well, Let¡¯s get on the open road," said Nate. Nate and Westcut began to walk to his car. When Nate got in the car, it would not start. After a bit of hitting the car and kind of hating all the gods, they decided to walk. After walking for 30 minutes, Nate began to realize the city is very empty. Maybe a lot of people are hidden, but where are the monsters? Nate had a mission to kill monsters, but there was nothing in sight, and then as if he had summoned one, something hit Nate into the road. Nate looked up to see a giant dog-like creature.
System message Level 5 Hellhound.
"Wow, that¡¯s a big dog,¡± said Nate. Nate liked to avoid fights and ultimately if he had to, he would have his older brother fight for him. Not because Nate was scared. In fact, it was the opposite. Nate was not a person who would be scared easily, it was that he lacked strength and fighting ability. But now it¡¯s different; now he has the power to overcome everything, to overcome this. ¡°I am Death¡¯s hand. I shall die when he chooses for me to die.¡± Nate got to his feet, pulled his sword out of his inventory, and walked towards the hound. He then started running to the hound, and it started running towards him. When they met, Nate went under, slicing the back of his front paw. The hound fell on its face, giving Nate the opportunity to climb onto its back and stab down on its head before jumping off its back. Nate thought he had gotten the victory in the battle, but the hellhound was not finished; he got up still injured, so Nate studied himself, thinking about his next move. The hound had started running towards Nate, and when it got to him, it went to bite, but Nate thrust his sword in an upward motion, finishing the fight. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
System message Hellhound defeated. 220 xp rewarded. 300 gold coins are rewarded. Head of first kill rewarded.
Nate fell to his knees. Though his body went through massive changes, he was not ready for a battle like that. He only got his powers a couple hours ago, but he had a mission to find his wife. After walking for a couple more hours, Nate couldn¡¯t help but think about how he had seen no life until his fight with the dog. ¡°Maybe everyone got to a safe place when I was at work, or maybe something came through the city and killed a lot of people,¡± Nate said out loud. ¡°What was that, sir?¡± ¡°Oh Westcut, I kind of forgot you were there. Sorry, hold on. I¡¯m not sorry. Why did you not help me fight back there?¡± "Well, sir, I would have, but to be honest, you need the experience of fighting for your own life.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense, but how was I able to fight so well?¡± "Because, sir, you have a higher intelligence now, and that helps you learn faster and retain more knowledge.¡± "Oh, I guess that makes sense, but what doesn¡¯t make sense is why I have not seen anyone or seen any more monsters.¡± "Well, I have two answers to that. Most people are probably in the learning phase, but you did not get chosen by the system to be allowed into it, so you are here alone for now. As for the monsters, well, we aren¡¯t in a monster-filled area, so you are probably just going to find some small monsters here and there.¡± ¡°Small, are you joking right now? That dog was the size of a truck, and what do you mean learning phase?¡± ¡°How do I put this? When the gods remake the world, everyone is put in a different world. They are taught by the messengers how the new world they will be apart of will work, so what I am doing but.. nicer. To be honest, what you are going through will give you the power to come out on top of everyone else. They are going to do that for about 2 months, and they will probably only make it to level 5, but you got a boost in power, so you can probably make it to level 10 by the time they are done.¡± ¡°So for my wife?¡± ¡°Most likely she is not in the world for now. Tell me what she did here in this world.¡± ¡°My wife is or.. was a doctor.¡± "Oh, she is a doctor, so she will probably get some type of healing class.¡± ¡°So you are telling me she is safe?¡± "Yes, most likely learning how to help people. When she gets back, you will have the resources to find her, so don¡¯t worry too much about her and worry about getting stronger.¡± ¡°Where will she appear?¡± "Well, she should appear back where she was when she left.¡± ¡°That would be at our house; she was still in bed. It¡¯s a Saturday, so her day off. My home is kind of far from everything, so maybe we could set up our headquarters and hunt for monsters around there.¡± "Yes, sir, that would do very nicely, and if anyone else was left behind by the gods, then maybe we can find a way to help them, sir Nate.¡± "Well, then we have a plan; let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 4: A Great Idea Chapter 4: A Great Idea Nate and Westcut had been on the road for some time when they finally came to a stop. ¡°Westcut, are those horses?¡± "Well, sir, I believe so. That would make sense. The gods would have taken the humans but not the other animals of this world.¡± "West, you just gave me a great idea.¡± Westcut gave Nate a look like a mom, knowing her kid was going to do something stupid. Nate walked up to the horse, and to Westcut¡¯s surprise, Nate started petting the creature. ¡°So that was your plan the whole time, to tame the horse.¡± ¡°I mean, the horse has been tamed already, it was just a matter of approaching it the right way.¡± "Well, sir, that was very smart, but what do we do now?¡± ¡°We ride,¡± said Nate, giving a cowboy pose. After a full day of fighting and horseback riding, Nate finally made it home. Nate didn¡¯t say anything; he just walked into his house and breathed a sigh of relief. "West, if you don¡¯t mind, I need sleep. I don¡¯t know if you sleep, so I guess make yourself at home. Just please don¡¯t come into my room.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Nate walked up the stairs to his room, looking at the pictures of his wife and him. Nate believed that his wife was out of his league. She had beautiful brown eyes like a baby deer, black hair, and a touch of red and olive skin. Then you have Nate who has brown hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Nate loves Ash, and thinking of her not even being on earth right now scares him. Nate made it to his room, where he finally let down his guard and cried. He couldn''t believe what happened in that short period of time, and all he could do was cry. ¡°My love, I promise I will be stronger, so when you are back, I can protect you from this world,¡± said Nate with tears in his eyes. He would cry a little more before finally climbing into his bed and falling asleep with his wife¡¯s pillow in his arms. Nate would awaken with a new wave of emotions but mostly a newfound desire for power, so he got out of bed to work out. Nate didn¡¯t need to work out when he was non-magical, but now he feels if he is to become the strongest, he must start working on his body. He would start with something basic: push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and a 50-mile run. As soon as Nate got back to his home and went inside, Westcut was there waiting for him. ¡°Good morning, my lord. I have made breakfast for you, and as soon as you are done, we can talk about a game plan about how we will make you the strongest?¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Thank you, West. I will eat after a short shower, and West, why are you calling me Lord now?¡± "Well, my lord, you have land now, so your title should match what you have.¡± ¡°That makes sense to me.¡± After Nate had his shower and breakfast, he would find Westcut in the living room, making a map. "Wow, West, were you a map maker when you were alive?¡± "No, I don¡¯t know what this person¡¯s job was when I took over the body, just the most basic information about this world and what I knew before.¡± ¡°Hold on, you¡¯re not Westcut?¡± asked Nate. "No, I am not. I kind of forgot to tell you that, and I liked the name, so I didn¡¯t correct you when saying it..but I can tell you Westcut is happy. He joined his wife in the afterlife.¡± "Ok, so my next question is, how were you able to do this map so well?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sleep, so I have been going around the city, putting together a map of the area, and then I will be putting together monster zones so that we can get a good start on taking more land and leveling you up.¡± "Wow, West, you have been doing an amazing job.¡± ¡°I try, sir.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the first step?¡± ¡°I found a zone of mutated bugs that is the closest monster zone to us, and after we take care of that, we can go to the surrounding farmland and collect cattle for the start of your future kingdom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s smart, I didn''t think about food. Maybe tomorrow we can start on farm land, but how are we going to get all the cattle from a to b?¡± "Well, I was thinking when you go out to fight, I will try to get this train working,¡± said Westcut, pointing out the train tracks he made on the map. ¡°The tracks are not far from here; I found the train itself on the tracks, and the tracks are really close to most of the cattle.¡± "Ok then, we have a plan. I will get ready to head to the monster zone,¡± said Nate. Nate was just in shorts and a shirt, so he would go to his room where he had his armor, cloak, and sword on the floor. He put on his armor and cloak, then grabbed his sword. It was just like last time when energy surged through his body, but not as intense as last time. He would then start his way to the monster zone. ¡°Time to do some pest control,¡± said Nate. When he arrived at the zone, not much was happening. He was in a forested area trying to find some monster bugs, but nothing was around. Then he saw a giant spider nest; and the biggest spider he had ever seen, about the size of a dog. Nate didn¡¯t move, not out of fear, but to see what the spider would do. It didn¡¯t notice him, but he noticed it.
System message Level 3 spider.
Nate took a second to prepare and then went for the kill, and in a flash, the spider was dead. "Wow, that was easy.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, he heard a noise like a fork scraping a plate and turned to see the mother of what he just killed.
System message Level 6 spider.
Chapter 5: GET UP! Chapter 5: GET UP! Nate was staring at a monster spider the size of a bus. It had a red symbol on the abdomen. Is this spider a black widow? The spider went for the kill, being just a bit faster than him. He almost couldn¡¯t dodge in time. The spider lunged at Nate, and again he fell to the ground just in time. Now the spider is on top of him. The spider slams his legs down. One hits Nate in the side, and another hits him in the leg. He screams out in pain.
System message Poison inflicted on you.
¡°This isn¡¯t good. How can I get out of this?" Nate said in his head. Suddenly Nate got an adrenaline rush, and the pain went away for now. Nate was able to calm his mind to focus on the fight. Looking around, seeing he still had his sword in, he then looked for any weak points on the spider. Nate doesn¡¯t know much about spiders, but Nate was able to remember a day he had in class back in preschool about spiders. Using that knowledge, Nate would start by taking his sword and slicing at the spider''s pedipalps, the little leg closer to the mouth. The spider reacts to the pain by letting Nate go. Nate scrambles to his feet.
System Message Poison damage.
Nate can¡¯t feel the pain, but hearing the message and his blurred eyesight tells him all he needs to know. He needs to finish the fight fast. Nate focused himself and raised his sword, ready to kill this son of a bitch. He rushed to the spider, striking its most front leg, not doing much damage. Nate thrusts his sword in an upward motion straight into the mouth of the spider, yanks his sword back out and slides under the spider to stab in between the abdomen. He then rips the sword out of the spider, ending its life. Nate lays there in pain. With blurry eyes, he tries to push his body up, but nothing. Even with his bad eyes, Nate was able to notice motion. When he focused on it, he saw more baby spiders; at least a dozen. Nate couldn¡¯t get up. ¡°I can¡¯t die.¡± At that moment, Nate saw a figure as clear as day: a man in black armor, long hair, purple eyes, and scars everywhere. ¡°Don¡¯t stop fighting, Nate. Get up. GET UP FOR ASH. GET UP NOW!¡±
Error Error Error System message Poison cleansed The will of the emperor has been used on you.
Nate gets to his feet and one by one, cuts down every spider in his path like a savage animal. He killed everything he could find, and then nothing, no more bugs, just nothing, and then.. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
System Message 300 xp 20 xp x13 1500 gold LEVEL UP You are now at level 6. +10 to all stats +50 to the sword +50 to cloak +50 to armor
Nate passed out. Nate woke up in a cave on a bed of leaves, grass, and sticks. He looked around, seeing a fire, crude cooking tools, and other crude devices. ¡°I didn¡¯t think we had caves in this area,¡± said Nate. ¡°We don''t think this is new,¡± said a disembodied voice. Nate looked around, not seeing much, but he focused, and his eyes adjusted to the dark cave. Looking around more, he saw a man, or what he thought was a man covered in fur. His fur was brown, he had yellow glowing eyes, big feet, long claws, and kind of a snout. "Ok, so what are you?¡± "Wow, so you don¡¯t even ask my name.¡± "Ok, what¡¯s your name?¡± "William, but you can call me Will, and I am a werewolf,¡± answered Will. ¡°A werewolf.. I would like to say I¡¯m surprised, but I just killed a bunch of mutated spiders.¡± ¡°I saw the end of that when you passed out, so I helped you out. You are the only person I have seen for two days now.¡± ¡°Same here, so you weren¡¯t chosen to do the tutorial?¡± ¡°Tutorial?¡± "Ok, so you don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m talking about. Most of the human race was taken to a place to do a tutorial. You and I and probably a lot of other people got to stay here.¡± ¡°But why us, and what made me this?¡± ¡°Maybe I was chosen by death.¡± ¡°I understand. Is that why you were trying to die?" said Will jokingly. Nate lets out a laugh. ¡°Well, no, I am a bringer of death." Nate lifts his body up a little. ¡°Take it slow. I patched you up a little, but it¡¯s not amazing.¡± Nate looks down to see moss leaves and tree sap, making bandages on his wounds. "Wow, this is nice. How did you know how to do this?" asked Nate. "Well, I was a survivalist. I learned a lot from the years I spent in the forest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Maybe that¡¯s why you are the way you are.¡± ¡°Maybe. You should be good to go in a couple hours. You should try to stay more safe out there, friend,¡± said Will. ¡°Friend, hah, I have been feeling very alone for the last couple days. By any chance, would you like to join me? I have a place, and maybe you can help me in becoming stronger.¡± ¡°You mean making a team?¡± "Yeah, it would be nice to have someone watching my back, and I can watch yours.¡± ¡°But are you sure? I mean, look at me.¡± "Yeah, you helped me when you didn¡¯t need to do it. You are good in my book, and trust me, I have a zombie Butler, so you won¡¯t stand out.¡± ¡°Zombie Butler?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Chapter 6: Apex Predator Chapter 6: Apex Predator ¡°Oh my god, we are the monster squad." said Nate Nate was looking at himself, Westcut, and Will and thinking about the 1978 movie ¡°The Monster Squad¡±. He is Dracula. West is Frankenstein, and Will is the Wolfman. ¡°What is Monster Squad?¡± asked Westcut. ¡°It¡¯s an older movie that came out in 1978; it was okay, but the acting could have been better,¡± answered Will. ¡°Hold on, I know you are not talking badly about Monster Squad." said Nate "No, it was a pretty good movie, but let''s be honest, the acting wasn¡¯t the best." said Will ¡°May we get back on track, my lord?¡± asked Westcut. ¡°Sorry West¡± Nate and Will just got to Nate¡¯s house. Nate was supposed to be there yesterday, but he was injured, but now he is here and with a new friend. "West, this is Will. He¡¯s a werewolf. He helped me after being injured in the monster zone. He is not a guest; he is a friend, so he is to be treated with respect.¡± "Yes, my lord, I will get some food ready for you both, then we can go do what was meant to be done yesterday.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we need to get food resources. You know what? I have a good idea. How about Will here? I can help you out, and I can go to all the grocery stores in the area and get food that won¡¯t spoil.¡± ¡°Good idea, but I heard he was going to make food first, so yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± Some time would pass. Nate would get ready to hit all the stores, and West and Will would get ready for what they have been calling the cattle project. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª It has been 9 hours, and Nate has hit 5 stores. He is at his next target. Nate would have gone through the store the same as all the others, but he was stopped when he saw nine other humans go in the store. Nate climbed to the top of the building, finding a skylight and climbing into the store. Nate, doing his best Batman pose, crouched in the rafters of the store, looking for the men. Nate found them, all 10? The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hold on can''t be 10 men¡­ 9 men, and 1 woman in chains.¡± Nate could barely hold back his anger. The woman he was looking at was at least the age of 19, and being pulled around like a dog, Nate put on his hood and activated his fear aura, but not all the way. Nate jumped down, picked up a can of corn, and threw it. ¡°What was that?¡± said the oldest of the group. ¡±I don¡¯t know, sir,¡± said a skinny younger man . ¡°Split up and go look for our next victim,¡± said the old man. Nate would take to the rafters looking for his first kill, finding it easy to drop from above and behind him, putting his sword through his chest, then on to the next, simply running so fast they couldn''t keep up. Cutting the neck of one, taking the head off of another, and one by one until he is in front of the leader. ¡°What are you?¡± said the old man. Nate is looking through his hood and says, ¡°I am the monster who will give your soul to my god.¡± Nate went for him, and before the final blow, he looked at the man, who grabbed his neck to bring him in for a slow kill. Nate walked over to the girl. She had on rags. When Nate walked up, she backed away in fear. Nate did not have his power going. This was real fear. Nate took off his hood. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you. I have a place where you can live. Be safe.¡± ¡°They killed my mother and father.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I hope they didn¡¯t suffer.¡± ¡°Like you made them,¡± replied the girl. "Yes,¡± said Nate. ¡°I will find you some clothes here, and before that, let me get you out of those chains.¡± Nate broke her free, then found the best clothing for her, picked her up, and went back home. ¡°You can sleep here. My room is down the hall. I will have someone leave food for you outside the door and more clothes. You also have your own bathroom. The showers are still working. I have my own system, so feel free to wash up if you need anything else.¡± "No, sir, you have been very kind. I think I just need time to myself for now.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± said Nate. Nate closed the door, and after a bit of crying, he slowly moved away to his room. When he got there, he didn¡¯t know how to feel; he was looking down at his hands with blood on them. ¡°What did I do?¡± said Nate, dropping to his knees. ¡°What you had to my Lord, this is your land; those men had no right to do what they did to that poor woman, so you killed them and gave them to our God. Now he will do what he must with them,¡± said Westcut. "West, I took a life. I know it was for a good reason, but look at me. I killed and had no problem doing it.¡± ¡°My Lord, if you wish to stay alive, let alone become emperor, you must kill, you must be on top, and you must become the apex predator.¡± Nate looks down at his hands. He grabs his sword and gets to his feet. "West, from the day you will keep an eye on me so that if I ever get out of hand, you remind me of this day; don¡¯t let me forget it; don¡¯t let me forget my emotions.¡± Westcut bowed to Nate. ¡°I am yours from here, and to the day you die, I am your loyal servant, my lord.¡± ¡°So am I,¡± said Will. ¡°I see what you have done; you are a good man, and I want to fight along with you until the day I die, my lord.¡± "Rise, we have a world to take in my name." said Nate Chapter 7: Completely Normal Chapter 7: Completely Normal It has been five weeks since Nate killed those men. Over that time, Nate and Westcut were able to find more people; some with powers and some without. Most of the people they found with powers were either level 1, didn¡¯t have the ability to fight to level up, or simply didn¡¯t want to level up, so most became farmers. Nate was lucky enough to find 3 real farmers to teach the people who wished to farm. He also had more people working with the cattle, and Westcut helping them. West took a liking to the animals. Nate and Will started the day with training. They would start with combat, then go on to a workout, and then ending the training with breakfast. ¡°My lord, what is your surname?¡± asked Westcut. ¡°That¡¯s an out of nowhere question,¡± replied Nate. ¡°Well to be fair, most lords would be called lord, followed by their surname,¡± said Will. ¡°Exactly my point Will. You get extra breakfast,¡± said Westcut. ¡°Yes!¡± Will exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re right my friends. How am I to lead you if you don¡¯t even know my last name? It¡¯s Ward.¡± ¡°Ward as in guard or protect. I like it. Lord, Ward. It fits you perfectly,¡± said Westcut. ¡°Speaking of, we need to talk about the expansion project. We need land, but not just that.. We need to keep it when everyone comes back. I will be the strongest, people will support me, but a lot will oppose me. So I think it¡¯s time to talk to the people who don¡¯t have jobs, and try to train them to be the first of our fighters.¡± ¡°Yes lord, I can find the people who want to fight and start the training for them,¡± said Westcut. ¡°Good then, we know what we are going to do. Will, I am going to need you. We have a monster zone to take care of,¡± said Nate. Will didn¡¯t say anything, and instead got straight to putting on his new armor. It was a breastplate with armor going down his arm and legs, and stopped at the hands and knees. Both Nate and Will have leveled up from where they started. Nate now being level 8, and Will now being level 6. They are both becoming very strong, and are ready for the monster zone that Westcut does not want them venturing into. The monster zone is a group of baboons. They are level 5 with the top baboon being level 7. Nate grabbed his armor and sword, grabbed 2 horses from a freshly built stable and started their way to the zone. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°My horse always has a problem with me,¡± said Will. ¡°To be fair, you are a 6¡¯5¡± werewolf. I don¡¯t think the horse would be that happy,¡± replied Nate. ¡°Trust me, I didn¡¯t ask to be this way, I mean who would wan..¡± Nate cut Will off with a shhh. Will had a face that said ¡°did you just shh me like a mom?¡± Nate made a face back saying ¡°I did because we are here.¡± Will nodded his head in acknowledgment. Nate and Will got off the horses, making their way to the edge of a cliff. ¡°I count 60, 61 if you count the big one,¡± said Will. ¡°Yeah, 10 more than what Westcut saw yesterday.. I think we can do it, but this battle will be tough. They are smart but we are smarter,¡± replied Nate. ¡°Do you have what you sent me for yesterday?¡± asked Will. ¡°I do,¡± replied Nate. Nate took a couple bones from his inventory and put them on the ground. He then got in a criss cross sitting position and started speaking a spell. ¡°I summon the spirits. Come now to fight for me.¡± The bones radiated a purple light before turning into a black cloud of smoke. From that smoke came out 2 undead civil war soldiers. They were Union of course, with cavalry sabers in hand.
System message Power summon undead: once per day you can summon 2 undead to fight by your side. The undead will be two levels below your level, and have no powers of their own.
Nate had gotten a new power in the last week. He suspected in the early levels he would get powers, but in the high levels he will instead upgrade his powers. Nate had one more thing up his sleeve. He had Will stop by a police station and grab flash bangs and tear gas. Nate stood up and looked down at the baboons. They looked as if they were in a meeting of some kind. Nate took two of the tear gas cans, pulled the pins, and threw them down. The monkeys started screaming and freaking out. He then threw the flash bangs. ¡°You two get down there and take them out,¡± Nate said to the undead. The Union soldiers jumped down with no hesitation to fight the baboons. ¡°Wow. Not something I thought I would ever see,¡± said Nate. ¡°What do you mean, a werewolf, a necromancer, and two union soldiers fighting mutated baboons? This is completely normal!¡± said Will. Nate gives a look to show it¡¯s time for them to join the battle. Nate and Will jump into the fight. Nate carves through 5 of the baboons like butter, then chops down another 4. Will was fighting like he was a boxer but with claws. Upper cut to one baboon, taking his jaw clean off, 3 body shots to another. He was going through baboons like a comet travels through outer space. The union soldiers die 30 minutes into the fight; but between them, the flash bangs, and tear gas, this fight only took 50 minutes. Nate and Will killed the last baboons together. Will kicked the baboon, setting up Nate to jump and cut its head off. Nate landed next to Will, then took a moment to look up and find the leader.
System message Level 10 baboon Leader
¡°What the fuck,¡± said Nate and Will in unison. Chapter 8: Stupid Monkey Chapter 8: Stupid Monkey Nate and Will were standing in front of a mutated level 10 baboon the size of a building. Nate was trying to figure out how he was going to take this thing down. ¡°Why is he a higher level than what West told us?¡± asked Will. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe it leveled up,¡± replied Nate. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± asked Will. ¡°Maybe.. I have no clue if I¡¯m being honest,¡± replied Nate. Nate got himself and his sword ready for action. The baboon was looking right at Nate like he was studying him. The baboon finally made a move and started standing up. ¡°Will, go for his legs, I got his head,¡± said Nate. As soon as the words left his mouth, Nate and Will moved in unison. Will went for its leg, clawing at it while Nate went for his face. The baboon swung at him, forcing Nate to dodge and reposition. Nate began looking the baboon up and down, trying to find a weak point and then it hit him. Will was still going for the legs, stopping for a moment to jump up behind the baboon¡¯s neck, which he couldn¡¯t reach due to his mutations. Will landed on the ground, and Nate watched as the baboon¡¯s hand headed straight for Will. Nate jumped, hitting Will out of the way, then getting hit by the car size hand. Nate went flying, blood coming out of his mouth. Nate was on the ground when he remembered the moment with the spider, and the moment in the store with the men he killed. ¡°YOU STUPID MONKEY, YOU CAN¡¯T KILL ME!¡± yelled Nate. Nate picked himself up and grabbed his sword off the ground. Nate prepared himself, then took off towards the baboon. It swung at him, which Nate dodged by jumping and landing on the baboon¡¯s hand. Nate ran up the arm, grabbing a hair and swinging to the neck. Nate took a quick look then stabbed into the neck of the baboon. At the same time, Will hit the heel and the baboon came down with a crash. Nate dropped to his knees, taking deep breaths.
System Message Level 10 king baboon defeated 850 xp rewarded 1,500 gold rewarded 60 low level baboons defeated 1,000 xp rewarded 900 gold rewarded Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. System Message Level up You are now level 9 +10 to all stats +50 to armor armor level up +50 to sword sword level up +50 to cloak cloak level up
Nate took a moment to think about what just occurred. ¡°Did West give bad info or did that thing level up?¡± Nate wondered, making his way over to Will. ¡°Ok, so that was a battle but hey! I leveled up,¡± said Will with a tired smile. ¡°Same here, I¡¯m going to be level 10 soon. Or at least I think..¡± said Nate. ¡°Nate, why is it that we can see how much xp we have?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe because we weren¡¯t supposed to level up, that¡¯s what me and West think.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me he doesn¡¯t even know?¡± asked Will ¡°West doesn¡¯t know everything. He was supposed to be a trainer. They¡¯re an entity that teaches people in the training phase but death took West for itself, so now West is here. The problem with the events that happened is now he is learning with us,¡± replied Nate. ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Speaking of, we need to get back to headquarters. West should have the fighters selected, so let¡¯s get going, Will.¡± Some time has passed, and Nate and Will have arrived on his land. The farming was starting to look good, and his once home is now starting to look like a little village. The main house wasn¡¯t able to fit everyone. Nate¡¯s little kingdom was starting with a population of 63 people, ranging from children to elderly. Nate would die for all of them. Nate finally arrived to his house, finding the 15 new recruits including the girl he rescued in the store. West had everyone lined up in rows of 5. ¡°I am Westcut. I have been instructed that I need to start putting together an army for my Lord Ward and his soon to be kingdom. Lord Ward is offering you food and a place to live, and all you have to do is be ready to defend him and your home.¡± Nate watched, looking at the first of his army and for the first time in his life he is feeling powerful and confident that he can take on this world. ¡°I will transform you into warriors worthy enough to serve under Lord Ward. Your training starts today.¡± Nate went inside his home to lie down and drifted off to sleep. Nate found himself in his house cooking dinner, with Ash in the room talking about the new nurses at work. ¡°God Nate, you don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t even know the first thing about medical care. How did they even pass their classes?¡± said Ash. ¡°Maybe they did a little favor for the teacher,¡± Nate teased. ¡°Wow Mr. Ward, what would you know about favors?¡± ¡°Well Mrs. Ward, if you get over here I could show you a thing or two.¡± Ash walked over to Nate and embraced him in a hug, and Nate gave her a lasting kiss. ¡°Nate.. I think I¡¯m ready for kids.¡± ¡°You mean you want to have a baby? A real human baby?¡± ¡°Yes babe. We aren¡¯t getting younger here so why not?¡± ¡°I mean we are doing pretty good.. we have the money¡­¡± ¡°Sooo.. is that a yes?¡± ¡°Yeah.. I guess I am ready to be a dad!¡± ¡°Yay! Oh my god, I am so excited!¡± Nate turned back to the food he was making. ¡°If we have a son we can name him after your dad! He would love that, right Ash?¡± ¡°Ash?¡± Nate called for Ash some more but she wouldn¡¯t answer. He turned around to look at her and she was just standing there, her back to him. Nate walked up and tapped her shoulder. She slowly turned around, revealing it wasn¡¯t Ash anymore. Instead it was a disgusting decayed zombie, its putrid skin hanging off of its bones. It lunged at him, and Nate awoke in full armor in his bed. ¡°Fuck! What was that?!¡± Nate exclaimed in terror. Chapter 9: Fight For You Chapter 9: Fight For You Nate walked to the kitchen to grab a drink. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and took a couple sips. Nate walked to his window and noticed Westcut was still working with the new recruits but 8 of them were missing. ¡°What time is it?¡± asked Nate. Nate took a few more sips then went outside. He walked up to Westcut. ¡°Do you think they have what it takes?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Well lord Ward, I think so but the next couple weeks will really test them.¡± replied Westcut. ¡°Very well. Can I have a talk with her?¡± asked Nate, pointing to the girl he saved, ¡°Of course lord Ward, you do not need my permission.¡± Nate walked up to the girl with black hair, brown eyes, and caramel skin. ¡°Come with me,¡± said Nate. She didn¡¯t hesitate but just walked with Nate. They walked to the back of the house, getting away from all other people. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Autumn¡± said the girl. ¡°Autumn, do you believe in god?¡± ¡°No sir,¡± said Autumn. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me sir, just call me Nate.¡± ¡°Nate, why are you talking about god?¡± ¡°Because no one here knows what is really going on with the world. I do, and I was chosen by a god.¡± ¡°A god? And what is really going on?¡± asked Autumn. ¡°Why do you want to fight in my army?¡± ¡°Because I am weak. I don¡¯t want to be the girl that was rescued by you, I want to fight with you.¡± ¡°I was weak once, but I was chosen to be what I am now, to become something different so I guess I''m giving you that opportunity too.¡± ¡°What do you want from me?¡± asked Autumn. ¡°You will serve under me and train with me. But if you take this path you will have to do things that will change you.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes I am. I can see it in your eyes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. Give me results. I am going to take earth, the entire planet will be my kingdom and you and Will and more people like you guys will be my sword.¡± ¡°I will do what is necessary, my lord.¡± For the first time the title of lord felt right, it felt real. Nate has changed. He is no longer just a man working for a funeral home, but the hand of death. ¡°Good, Autumn. I want to see you in the morning at 4:00 am. That¡¯s when me and Will start training, then we workout, then breakfast, and after all that Will and I can take you to your first monster zone.¡± ¡°Monster zone?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you level up, well the most important way to level up. Will and I discovered that we can get xp through working out and fight training but it¡¯s not very good xp.¡± ¡°I understand. Thanks Nate, thanks for taking this chance on me.¡± ¡°Go Autumn, get some rest. See you in the morning.¡± Westcut was finally finished with the recruits. Nate walked up to who was left, looking at all of them. They looked dirty, beat up, and all around a mess. ¡°Do you all know who I am?¡± yelled Nate. No one answered. ¡°I am Nate Ward. I am the champion of the god of death. You are going to fight for me and for the lives of the people who can¡¯t fight. You will also be fighting in monster zones and looking for more civilians. Do you have any questions?¡± ¡°Yeah. Why should we fight for you?¡± asked a man who seems to be in his late twenties. ¡°Because I have seen what¡¯s out there. I have killed monsters and I have killed humans who are worse than the monsters. For the last month I have done what I can, but I need help and that help will be from all of you.¡± ¡°Lord Ward, I have training set up for them. It will take about a week but by the end I will have a 5 man squad to raid a military base. I will also have 2 more squads set up to look for civilians, and most importantly possible builders to start making houses for the people here.¡± said Westcut. ¡°Good. Autumn will be in my unit. I want you to pick 3 more from this group to join me.¡± said Nate. ¡°Yes lord Ward, it will be done,¡± replied Westcut. ¡°West, get some help from your men. I have an old barn outback, get it cleaned out. They can use that as a sleeping area until we get something better for them. Oh, and please get them something to eat. They must be starving.¡± ¡°Of course sir, I will have a meal ready for them after they get the barn cleaned.¡± ¡°No, have food for them even if it¡¯s not clean. They are not animals.¡± ¡°Yes lord, sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, West.¡± The men and women headed toward the barn. Nate walked to a shed and opened it to find sleeping bags, battery powered, lamps, and solar powered heaters. He added all of it to his inventory and dropped it all off at the barn. ¡°This should help for tonight. I will go out tomorrow. There¡¯s a military supply store with cots and a few other supplies that will help. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m putting all of you in a broken down barn but hey, at least the animals aren¡¯t here so you¡¯re not sleeping in shit.¡± ¡°Lord Ward, some of us lost family or were barely surviving before you found us so this is better than what we had. We thank you and we will make you proud,¡± said the same young man from before. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Andrew Thompson, sir.¡± ¡°Well Andrew, West is going to push your men, so don¡¯t let them go down.. and if they do, don¡¯t let them go down easy, you lead them to be stronger.¡± ¡°I will sir,¡± said Andrew. Chapter 10: Thanatos Chapter 10: Thanatos It¡¯s been a week and a half since Nate and Autumn had their talk. Since then, Autumn has improved a lot faster than Nate and Will in the beginning of the takeover, but with them finding ways to improve faster, that means even Nate and Will were improving nicely. Nate is now level 11 and Will is now level 9. Then you have Autumn, who with Nate¡¯s and Will¡¯s help, made it to level 6. With that she got her class at level 5. Autumn mostly liked to fight up close with a dagger, so she got an assassin based class, and Nate finally learned through her what a level breaker was. ¡°So you''re telling me you and I are this level breaker thing?¡± asked Will. ¡°Yes, I think somehow we¡¯re not just humans. Were you adopted or did one of your parents leave?¡± replied Nate ¡°My dad left when I was a kid.¡± ¡°Me too, but it was my mom.¡± Nate never knew his mom she left when he was 2 years old but he always heard stories from his father, like how she had blue eyes like the ocean. That¡¯s where Nate got his from. ¡°I think the reason why we are so powerful is because our stats all of them go up but Autumn only has stats that match her class,¡± explained Nate. ¡°But how did this happen to us, and why us?¡± asked Will. ¡°Well, from what I¡¯ve gathered, we were picked for what we were doing at the time, picked by one of the gods. I was chosen by death, you most likely were chosen by a nature or animal type of god and we should be happy because if we weren¡¯t chosen we would probably be dead right now.¡± ¡°That makes sense to me, but the question I now have is, what are we?¡± ¡°Well we are still human but just half.¡± ¡°Well half what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡± Nate got up from the table he was talking at, forgetting that Autumn was there with them the entire time. ¡°Oh Autumn, I forgot you were here. Sorry.¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought we were coming up with a plan for the raid on the military base,¡± said Autumn. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not for another 30 minutes.¡± ¡°So I could have slept in today.¡± ¡°No, me and Will are still going to train today and that means you are going to participate.¡± Nate went to what they now call the circle. It was an area close to the barn. Every morning without fail the Man and Woman of the new army would stop what they are doing to watch Nate, Will and Autumn fight. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Hey Autumn, are you going to win today?¡± Asked Andrew as Autumn walked by. ¡°We¡¯ll see, Drew.¡± ¡°Drew is not my name.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s funny to see the face you make when I call you Drew,¡± said Autumn with a little laugh. Autumn walked to the circle with a knife in hand. Nate was already waiting for her in his armor with his sword in hand. Nate got in a fighting position and so did Autumn. Autumn attacked Nate but Nate countered with his sword, then tripped her. Instead of hitting the ground Autumn was able to catch herself and get up fast. Autumn was fast, faster than Nate but had better perception so he was able to just barely keep up with her attacks. Autumn and Nate were going back and forth but Nate saw what he always had seen. Autumn¡¯s bad footing. Nate forced her backwards almost out of the circle. Autumn went in for another attack but Nate sidestepped her and when she tried to recover he had his sword to her neck. ¡°I give up, lord Ward.¡± ¡°You almost had me that time, Autumn. Keep getting better, you''re making me proud.¡± ¡°I bet I can take him no problem,¡± mumbled one of the young men. ¡°What was that?¡± yelled Westcut. ¡°Nothing sir,¡± said the young man. ¡°Oh really, so you insult lord Ward and then try to hide? At least try to be a man!¡± shouted Westcut. ¡°Westcut, it¡¯s ok. I understand that some here may not believe in me, but that¡¯s ok. I want to show you that you can believe in me well this week. I will show you I am a leader, that you can trust and serve. West I think it¡¯s time to tell them the mission for tomorrow,¡± said Nate. ¡°Are you sure sir?¡± ¡°Yes I am. Men, we have had Westcut scouting a group of raiders and one of them may be as powerful as I am. They have people locked up, so we have to save them. I will be taking care of the leader, you all will be taking the raiders. There¡¯s a lot of them, but you¡¯re more trained and Will and Autumn will be backing you all up.¡± ¡°I Will also be in the field to help. We are hoping after the raid on the military base, we can get uniforms and a radio system,¡± said Westcut. ¡°I know some of you served in the uniform before but you must understand this is not the USA anymore. We are the kingdom of Thanatos. WE FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT!¡± yelled Nate. Nate could see in time he will win them over, he just needs to show what he can do. Nate walked back to the house to start planning the raid and Westcut walked with him. ¡°Lord Ward, what is the name Thanatos?¡± Asked Westcut. ¡°Well I didn¡¯t want people fighting in the name of death. They may not like that so I went with Thanatos, he or it was the personification of death. So my god that I serve, I didn¡¯t think he would mind too much.¡± ¡°Smart, lord Ward.¡± ¡°I know, but moving on. Let¡¯s get to the planning of the raid.¡± Nate walked into the kitchen of his house where most of the planning took place. It was smart as Will and Autumn loved to eat and West loved to cook. It was just an easy way to get them all together to talk about missions and planning things¡­ and talk about what anime was the best. ¡°No no no you¡¯re wrong, dragon ball is not a part of the big 3. The big 3 is Naruto, bleach, and one piece¡± said Will. ¡°But why is that?¡± Autumn asked. ¡°Because dragon ball came out before the big 3 and the big 3 came out around the same time so if anything dragon ball is more like the grandpa of the big 3.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense..¡± ¡°I guess I am going to have to find a way for you guys to watch anime so you will stop talking about it¡± said Nate. ¡°Oh don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t like it too,¡± said Will. ¡°Well yeah but I don¡¯t talk about it as much as you guys,¡± said Nate. ¡°Lord Ward, I think we should stop talking about anime,¡± said West. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get to work lady and gentlemen.¡± Chapter 11: We Are Going To War Chapter 11: We Are Going To War ¡°Men and women, today we make history. Today we raid a military base. We will start with team 1, myself and Alpha squad. We¡¯ll move in and eliminate any and all hostile forces. Then team 2 will move in and find anything useful to build up our army. Once all is done, both teams will join together to get everything loaded. We hope to have no hostile forces, but you never know. I have faith in all of us. NOW LET''S MOVE OUT!¡± Nate and his team were the first ones to start moving. Nate was so fast his team almost couldn¡¯t keep up with him, he had to slow down. There¡¯s one man on Nate¡¯s team that he has been working with named Andrew Thompson. He is a dark skinned man with a clean, classic hairstyle. Nate wonders how he keeps his hair so nice. His own hair was very long, like Anakin Skywalker pretty messy.. Nate stops thinking of his hair and continues moving. Nate didn¡¯t realize how fast they were going as they were approaching the base. ¡°Andrew, take your men to the right side, I will go left.¡± ¡°Yes, lord Ward.¡± Nate¡¯s team broke off from him, now he didn¡¯t need to hold back. He ran at his full speed, covering the rest of the distance in a matter of seconds. He arrived at the entrance of the base and took a quick deep breath, getting into a running position and taking off. With Nate¡¯s dexterity and perception being at the same level, Nate was able to clear his side of the base with speed and precision. It took him about 4 minutes at his top speed. Nate met with his team. ¡°Lord Ward, nothing was found.¡± ¡°Good. Have your men spread out, wait and defend until the others get here.¡± ¡°Right away, Lord Ward.¡± It took 40 minutes for the rest of the teams to make it to the base. They wasted no time and started clearing out the base. Nate walked into one of the first buildings to find his men looking through uniforms. Nate looked at the camo and thought of his dad. He served in the military and this was the uniform he wore. Nate was proud to put his men in a uniform that a good man once wore. Nate had all his men and women put on a uniform. He was very proud of them, and tomorrow they will fight their own kind. Nate continues to watch them, he was going to let his guard down but something was wrong. He could feel something in the back of his head. He looked around and then stopped on Andrew. He didn¡¯t understand and then something appeared out of nowhere, a scorpion, stabbing Andrew in the chest. ¡°NOOO!¡± Yelled Nate. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Nate was just out of reach of Andrew. When he got there, Nate cut off the tail of the scorpion and then stabbed it in the head. Nate looked up, letting go of the sword, and dropped to Andrew. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t get to you in time,¡± Nate said with hurt in his voice. ¡°Lord War..¡± Andrew stuttered in pain. ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯m right here Andrew,¡± said Nate. Autumn came quickly to see what happened. ¡°What happened to him? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!¡± yelled Autumn. ¡°Lord Ward, don¡¯t stop fighting.. I believe in you.. I believe in this kingdom, so please don¡¯t let this stupid death be for nothing,¡± stuttered Andrew, ¡°You can help him, right Nate?¡± Autumn asked. ¡°I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t have the power to help him..¡± ¡°My lord, please find my brother.. tell him what happened, please.. for me.¡± Those were his last words to Nate. He went to find a sheet to wrap Andrew in and picked up his body. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure everything is packed up and everyone is safe. I am going to take Andrew back home.¡± Nate began to walk and he didn¡¯t miss a step. He walked perfectly to show respect to the man in his arms. When he got to the house, Nate started digging a hole. He laid down the body and began to cover it. ¡°My lord death, this man gave his life to you and to me. I pray that you give him the best afterlife you can.¡± Nate stood there for a bit. He could feel a certain warmth encasing him. Nate didn¡¯t need to see him, but he knew death was with him, and that Andrew was on his way to see his parents again. Nate was walking away from the grave when he heard a car engine. How, a car engine? Nate thought back to the time he tried to start his car and it didn¡¯t work, so how is Westcut coming up the driveway in a humvee? Not just 1, but 5 of them, plus 3 transportation vehicles. Westcut pulled up and stepped out of the vehicle. ¡°Lord Ward, they would like to know where he is,¡± said Westcut. ¡°Of course.¡± Nate leads his people to Andrew''s grave. ¡°The god death has already taken him. He will be happy.¡± Nate walked away to let Andrew¡¯s brothers and sisters be with him. He found himself in the driveway looking at the military vehicles he now owns. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard to get them working,¡± said Westcut. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that,¡± said Nate with anger in his voice. ¡°Lord Ward, it came out of nowhere and just one of them.. that was a planned attack. I will spend the rest of the day and night tracking where it came from.¡± ¡°Good, because whoever sent that thing will die by my hand,¡± said Nate. ¡°I think I already have a working theory. Maybe the raiders. Maybe they had something to do with it.. maybe they are more powerful than we thought,¡± said Westcut. ¡°Well, good thing we planned on paying them a visit. Tomorrow, tell Will and Autumn to get the men ready. We are going to war.¡± Chapter 12: You Bastard Chapter 12: You Bastard Nate and his team were on a cliff, watching over a junkyard made into a base full of gross garbage bags of men. Nate was looking at one of them who was the leader. He was a tall man with no shirt, pants, and boots. His body was full of tattoos, one being a scorpion with no tail he had to fix it after Nate killed his pet. ¡°West was right,¡± said Nate. Nate turned on the radio on his shoulder. ¡°I see the leader, he''s the killer. I will take him, the others are yours. Show them no mercy.¡± Nate jumped down and ran to the base. His men radioed in that the mission was a go. Nate slid over the hood of a car and found himself in front of 3 men. They were in his way. He activated his cloak''s power and the men fell to their knees in fear. Nate killed them one by one. Nate¡¯s power was still going, but when he approached the big tattooed man, he was not scared. He must be Nate¡¯s level or above. ¡°Why did you kill my man?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Why did you kill mine?¡± the man asked in response. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I found them in a store, so I had men go around looking for more people, and they found you. I know you are the one who did it, and I know you are very powerful.¡± ¡°So you know I¡¯m going to kill you?¡± Nate responded. ¡°Hahah, if that¡¯s what you think, then be my guest.¡± The man took out a hammer that had dry blood on it. Nate readied himself and his sword and moved in to attack. ¡°Men, don¡¯t stop fighting!¡± Autumn yelled. Autumn took a second to look around and saw Nate fighting a big tattooed man. She knew that was the one who killed Andrew. She wanted to kill that disgusting man herself, but Nate said to let him handle him. She didn¡¯t understand why until she saw them fighting. Nate and the man were going back and forth. The big man was as fast as Nate, even with his big hammer. Nate was trying to find a weakness when the man backs up. ¡°I¡¯m having a great time, what about you?¡± yelled the man. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, you bastard!¡± The man was going to say something else but Nate cut him off by rushing up to him, jumping up and stabbing down at him. The man attempted to block Nate, but not in time. Nate was able to hit his shoulder, causing damage and forcing him to use his hammer with one arm. It made him swing slower, giving Nate what he needed. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Nate didn¡¯t want to straight up kill him, he wanted to make him hurt, so Nate chose death by a thousand cuts. Nate started with the man¡¯s face, then his arms and chest until the man couldn¡¯t take any more and fell to his knees. ¡°You see, you killed a good man. He was worth 1000 more of you.¡± Nate gets up in the man¡¯s face. ¡°You will not like the afterlife, and it won¡¯t treat you well.¡± Nate put his knife in the gut of the man, watching as the life drained from his eyes. Then Nate stood up, his army was around him. All of them were in shock. One of them gets on their knees and the others follow him. Nate didn¡¯t have his fear aura activated, his men were on their knees by their own choice. ¡°Stand, my men, you still have a mission. Save everyone who has been enslaved by the raiders and bring them to a safe place.¡± Nate walked around. seeing the people that were saved, then he stopped. A young boy was in front of him. He was 6, maybe 7. Nate got on one knee. ¡°Are you ok, are you hurt?¡± Nate asked. ¡°No sir, I¡¯m ok, just a little hungry.¡± Nate pulled a protein bar out of his inventory and handed it to the boy.. ¡°Eat this. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Levey. Levey James.¡± The kid said with a mouth full. ¡°And where are your parents?¡± Nate asked. ¡°They.. they¡¯re gone,¡± Levey said with sadness in his face. Nate was looking down at the kid when he made a decision. ¡°Would you like to come live with me then?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Really sir?¡± ¡°Yes, and you don¡¯t have to call me sir, call me Nate.¡± Nate picked up the boy and brought him to Will and Autumn. ¡°Will, Autumn, this is Levey. He is going to be living with us.¡± Will put out a big hand with claws and fur. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m William.¡± Levey takes his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you William. I¡¯m sorry, but what are you?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m half wolf and half human so I¡¯m a werewolf.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really cool,¡± said Levey with joy in his voice. ¡°Autumn, I was hoping you could take him home. I know you may feel like it¡¯s beneath you,¡± asked Nate. ¡°No it¡¯s not, I can take him, I know you have work to do here,¡± Autumn replied. ¡°Thanks, Autumn.¡± ¡°Of course, lord Ward.¡± Autumn and Levey start walking away. He¡¯s telling her a story and she laughs and smiles. Nate saw a real smile on her face for the first time. Nate walks up to one of his men. ¡°Report, give me numbers,¡± asked Nate. ¡°Yes, lord Ward. We saved 35 people in total, 12 of them injured and 3 in critical condition. They should all make recovery. We killed all the raiders except for 5 so that we could investigate and get information,¡± said a young man. ¡°Good. Get all citizens out of here first and keep the raiders here. I want to question them myself.¡± ¡°Yes, lord Ward, right away.¡± Nate stood there looking at the aftermath of the battle when Westcut walked up. ¡°Lord Ward, you did a good job and your men look up to you. You should be proud of yourself,¡± said Westcut. ¡°I know, and I am. I just know it¡¯s not always going to be this easy.¡± Chapter 13: Long Time No See Chapter 13: Long Time No See Nate was in his kitchen with Will, Autumn, and Westcut. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to find builders and black smiths,¡± said Westcut. ¡°I agree. We have new men in the army but they need real weapons and armor. We have a lot of people so it¡¯s time to start expanding our home,¡± said Nate. ¡°And I have to go to the restroom,¡± said Autumn. ¡°Anyway,¡± Nate was cut off by a scream. Nate and Will jumped from their seats and ran to the hallway to find Autumn when- ¡°Ash?¡± Nate said. ¡°Hey Nate.. long time no see,¡± she said, crying. Nate almost fell to his knees. Will helped him up and Nate ran to his wife to hug her, not letting go. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say..¡± Nate whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, my love. I¡¯m here and I¡¯m not leaving,¡± said Ash. Nate holds Ash close. She feels a little different, but he can tell it¡¯s her. The woman he fell in love with. Nate lifts his head from her shoulder to give her a kiss. She doesn¡¯t fight it and Nate, for the first time in 2 months, is truly happy. ¡°I have a lot to tell you and a lot to show,¡± said Nate. ¡°I can see that,¡± said Ash. Nate noticed Ash looking at Will, and Nate let her go. ¡°Ash, this is Will and Autumn. They are my team. They¡¯re the reason why I¡¯m still alive.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, but anyways, nice to finally meet you, lady Ward,¡± said Autumn. ¡°I definitely saved his life and nice to meet you, lady Ward,¡± said Will. ¡°Lady Ward, what am I, royalty?¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, you are. We¡¯re working on lord Ward becoming the emperor of this world, so naturally your title will match his,¡± said Westcut who came around the corner. ¡°Emperor lady and is that the high school math teacher?¡± said Ash. ¡°Can you guys give us some time?¡± asked Nate. They didn¡¯t say anything, just started walking out. Nate and Ash walked to the kitchen. It was their favorite place in the house. Nate takes an hour and a half to explain everything in detail. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°So any questions?¡± asked Nate. ¡°How many people have you killed?¡± said Ash. Nate put his head down in shame. ¡°I stopped keeping track, but they were bad people.¡± ¡°I know, my love, I¡¯m not mad or disappointed. In fact, I¡¯m happy you¡¯ve done the right thing. But I am surprised you¡¯re going to try and be a king.. and not just a king, but an emperor of the earth¡­¡± ¡°And after that, I will go to space and take more planets because from what I know, it won¡¯t stop there. There¡¯s a big war out there and I will have no choice but to join. Maybe one day, me or my future people will end it.¡± ¡°Wow..¡± said Ash. ¡°I know. What class are you?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a healer of some sort.¡± ¡°Oh, some sort?¡± ¡°Yes because of me being a doctor I have healing magic.. but it¡¯s like ritual magic plus surgery.. I don¡¯t really know how to explain it, but maybe I can show you one day.¡± ¡°How was it being gone?¡± asked Nate. ¡°At first, we were learning how our world works but after that the group I was with went through a lot. We started with 10 but because I didn¡¯t have the right equipment, and didn¡¯t have my magic. We lost 6 but I ended up being level 7, so not too bad I guess.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have to level you up soon, and you¡¯re going to get the chance,¡± said Nate. ¡°Why is that?¡± asked Ash. ¡°We have a mission tomorrow. A big group of ants the size of dogs,¡± said Nate. ¡°What breed of dog?¡± Ash said, joking. ¡°A fucked one,¡± said Nate, laughing. Some time has passed. Nate was on his patio and in front his men were lined up. ¡°I have a few things to go over. Let¡¯s start with the most important. The people who left the world are now back. That means we will have a lot of people who are lost and need places to stay. The raiders destroyed our city so we have to help them. The next thing is, I will be taking 10 men and Will with me to a monster zone. You will know who is going by the end of the day. The ones who don¡¯t go will be heading to the city to recruit. We are looking for builders and black smiths. Now for the last thing, I want you men to welcome my wife. She is on the same level as me, so you will treat her as if she were me.¡± ¡°Sir, the thing we talked about earlier,¡± whispered Westcut. ¡°Oh, right. You guys were my first recruits to my army, so I will be naming you all. From here on out you all are the black cloaks. When we get someone to put together your armor, you will also receive a single shoulder cloak similar to mine. You should all be proud of yourselves. I know I¡¯m proud of you. Now that¡¯s all, go back to what you were doing, men.¡± The black cloaks walked away, and Ash walked up to Nate. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to introduce me like that,¡± said Ash. ¡°I know, but if I¡¯m to be a king, you will be my queen so I think they should know. And they will most likely become the king''s guards in the future, so they will definitely need to know who you are,¡± said Nate. ¡°Well, you just put a lot on me but I think I can handle it.¡± ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s get you inside. You need food and a shower. West, will you start dinner please?¡± said Nate. ¡°Of course, Lord Ward.¡± After dinner, Nate and Ash found themselves in their bed. ¡°I¡¯m glad you came back to me, my love.¡± ¡°Me too. Now get over here, you have one more thing to do for me, Mr. Ward.¡± Chapter 14: No Time To Explain Chapter 14: No Time To Explain Nate and his men were returning to their home just to find a line of women, men, and children. It has to be somewhere in the thousands of them. The entire city is now here after the return from training. ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized how many of our people were gone.¡± Nate walked to the front of the line to find his wife in a black cloak. ¡°I need a report as soon as possible,¡± Nate said. ¡°My love, is everything ok?¡± asked Ash. ¡°No.. I don¡¯t know if we have the resources for this. No matter what we¡¯ll take them in, but we just started harvesting.. so they may be hungry for a couple days,¡± said Nate. ¡°Nate, my love, I think they¡¯re going to be happy just to have a place to call home.¡± ¡°I know, and I will provide them with one and protect them. I have no problem with that.¡± ¡°Lord Ward, my men will have a report for you soon, but I can say we found people that you may be interested in,¡± said a black cloak who ran up to the group. ¡°Tell me about that on the way,¡± said Nate. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Nate made it to his house, where Westcut was ordering men to get back to work. ¡°West, how is everything?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Well sir, it could be better, but I think everything will be ok. We have families staying in tents and we got a few more healers. Lady Ward will be joining us soon to help the injured, and we found 2 black smiths and a lot of people to help with building houses. They would like to have a meeting with you my lord,¡± said Westcut. ¡°Good, I would like to talk to the blacksmiths first. Have them meet me in the kitchen at my house.¡± ¡°Yes, lord Ward.¡± Nate walked to his home but before going inside, he took a look at his land to see so many people. People who will live under him, under his rule of law. He will be a king to them and he must protect them. Nate walked into his kitchen to find 2 men. He walked up to introduce himself, thinking along the way about how he should do it. ¡°I am lord Ward. I am the lord of this city and the surrounding area, now known as Thanatos. I am also the champion of the god of dearth,¡± said Nate. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Ok, that¡¯s a lot to take in,¡± said 1 of the men. ¡°I¡¯m Robert and this is John. We worked as blacksmiths as a hobby, but because of the current... circumstances, it¡¯s our job and we have nowhere else to go.¡± ¡°And when you came here, you heard that we needed black smiths, is that right?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Yes, and we will work day and night to stay,¡± said John. ¡°No need for that, and we would have taken you in no matter what. But we do need blacksmiths. I¡¯m the evidence of that, as you can see.¡± When Nate first started, he was given armor. He didn¡¯t get it from a boss drop like Will did. His armor was given by the god of death, but it was in bad shape. ¡°I can see that. I can fix your armor tonight, if you can get the stuff for a shop,¡± Robert said. ¡°Do you know where I might find the supplies for your shop?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Well like Robert said, it was a hobby but I had a full shop at my house. It¡¯s not too far from here if you lend me one of the trucks out there,¡± said John, but he was cut off. ¡°It¡¯s a deal. But 3 of my men will be going with you to keep you safe, and to keep an eye on you.¡± ¡°Thanks lord Ward, we won¡¯t fail you.¡± ¡°Of course. Go find Westcut. He¡¯ll help you with the rest,¡± said Nate. The men ran off to find Westcut. Nate took a minute to get a glass of water, when 19 men piled in the kitchen. ¡°Ok, wow, so where do I even start?¡± said Nate. After a few hours, Nate and the builders come to an understanding about what they are going to do. They will start the town at Nate¡¯s home. It will become the capitol building. From there on out, they will start building houses and other buildings that will help this land go from nothing, into the most powerful union there ever was. ¡°This is good, but we really need to keep the farm land intact, so you will build around it. The farmers that own the land, well, I''ll have a talk with them. They are not going to be happy with all of this.¡± ¡°Sir, what about supply and man power?¡± ¡°We have been gathering supplies for the past 2 months. For man power, we have more than enough for now. I will let you pick who you want. Everything will be up to you 19 men to figure out how everything will work.¡± Nate talked some more with the men but after a while, he was alone. He took a second to breathe and look around his home. He didn¡¯t recognize it anymore, and most importantly he didn¡¯t recognize himself. He was different. A changed man. Was he even a man anymore, or was he a monster? ¡°Sometimes the only way to kill monsters is to become one yourself,¡± said Nate. After a couple hours of deep thought, Nate was interrupted by Will running through the door. ¡°Nate, my friend, you have to come fast.¡± ¡°Why, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°No time to explain, Nate. Let¡¯s go.¡± Nate and Will ran to a tent and when Nate entered, he saw his dad standing there with his brother. ¡°Dad,¡± Nate said. ¡°My boy,¡± said Nate¡¯s dad. Nate ran into his arms to hug his dad. Nate was now taller than him. Then he hugged his brother. ¡°Tommy,¡± said Nate. ¡°How are you, Nate?¡± asked Tommy. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± said a crying Nate. Chapter 15: Your First Customer Chapter 15: Your First Customer Nate and his family were at a table eating dinner. They were accompanied by his new family Will, Autumn, and Levey. ¡°Is this your son? Have I really been gone that long?¡± asked Nate¡¯s dad. ¡°No, but we¡¯ve adopted him into this family. He lost his mom and dad to bad people and Nate saved him,¡± said Ash. ¡°Oh, I see. What¡¯s his name?¡± asked Nate¡¯s dad. ¡°I am Levey, sir. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Logan. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re a werewolf?¡± asked Tommy. ¡°Yes. Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Oh no no! I was just confirming. I mean I got something pretty different as well,¡± said Tommy. ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Will. ¡°It¡¯s better to show you.¡± Tommy got out of his chair. He stood there for a second, then his body started heating up as he grew long claws and dragon skin. ¡°It comes with my class. It¡¯s called Dragon Knight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool looking, and we both have claws,¡± said Will. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Nate, I want to join you in this fight for a kingdom.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a fight,¡± said Nate. ¡°But you know people, it will become one and you¡¯re going to need me,¡± said Tommy. ¡°You¡¯re right. I just don¡¯t want to put you in harm¡¯s way.¡± ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry about me. It¡¯s my choice and you are fighting to make a home. I want to fight to protect that home.¡± ¡°Ok.. but you will fight on my team, ok?¡± ¡°Ok, Nate.¡± After dinner, Nate walked out to his porch. His dad followed him a little after. They both sit. ¡°I¡¯m glad I made it home to you, boy.¡± ¡°I am as well, dad.¡± ¡°Nate, are you ok?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had this look on your face.. I¡¯ve seen it before.¡± ¡°You have?¡± ¡°Yes, Nate. I went to war. I killed people, and I have seen the faces of my brothers after the war we fought in.¡± ¡°I have worked with dead people, why is this getting to me?¡± ¡°Because, my son, seeing death versus taking a life, there¡¯s a difference. It will change you, make you something else.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°How¡¯d you cope with it?¡± ¡°You. You and Tommy were my salvation. You guys were my hope.¡± Nate turned around to see his family laughing. It made him laugh and smile. ¡°I get it. After seeing this, it helps you forget about it all,¡± said Nate. ¡°I¡¯ll be here to help you through all of this, son. No matter what happens.¡± ¡°Thanks, dad.¡± ¡°Dad?¡± ¡°Yes, Nate?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your class?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a class.¡± ¡°What? Then why were you taken away?¡° ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I just know I was with your brother when it happened, and he protected me the whole time.¡± ¡°So only some of the people that disappeared got a class? This changes a lot.¡± ¡°What do you mean, son?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this more, but first I need to ask you a question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What did you know about my mom?¡± ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t think you remembered her.. but she has amazing eyes, as blue as the ocean.¡¯ ¡°I knew that, but like, where did she come from?¡± ¡°She told me she wasn¡¯t from here.¡± ¡°Ok, so like not from this world?¡± ¡°I was thinking the U.S, but what do you mean?¡± ¡°Ok dad, the reason I didn¡¯t go with you guys to the other world is because the system was just set up for humans at the time. So when I was chosen I couldn¡¯t go because I had 2 sets of DNA, 1 of them being human and the other, well, I don¡¯t know yet..¡± ¡°So you''re telling me your mom was an alien?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really cool.¡± ¡°What?¡± said Nate. ¡°Well, who can say they did it with an alien?¡± ¡°Ok, weird, don¡¯t say that again,¡¯ said Nate with a quiet laugh. ¡°It¡¯s weird to think, I belong to a whole different race out there in the universe..¡± Nate pondered. ¡°And I just belong to California.¡¯ ¡°That you do, dad¡± After a while of talking some more with his dad, Nate noticed the blacksmiths were getting back into town. He saw Westcut take them to the new shop made just for them. It wasn¡¯t anything crazy, just a tent that they can do with what they want. Nate walked down to the men. ¡°Did my men treat you well, Robert?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Oh yes, but I think that¡¯s because I will be their armorsmith.¡± ¡°Well, they will respect you because I respect you.¡± ¡°Oh, thanks, Lord Ward.¡± ¡°Of course. but I do have something to ask of you.¡± ¡°Yes of course, ask me anything.¡± ¡°I need you to make me new armor.¡± ¡°New armor?¡± ¡°Yeah, as soon as your shop is up and running I will be your first customer.¡± ¡°Ok sir, but what kind of armor?¡± ¡°That, I will let you have your own fun with. I know whatever you make will work for me.¡± ¡°Yes sir, I will start on it tomorrow and I will have John start on the black cloaks as soon as he can.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m thankful for yours and John''s help in all of this. It would be hard without you both.¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯ve all got to earn our keep. But anyways, I must get back to work, lord Ward.¡± ¡°Of course. Have a good night.¡± Nate walked back to his house to find Ash. ¡°Hello, my love,¡± said Ash. Nate looks over to see his new family getting along with his old family. ¡°They¡¯re having a good time.¡± ¡°Oh yes, your dad started calling Levey his grandson and Will and Autumn his children.¡± ¡°Well, I understand I started seeing them the same way. Levey is a good kid, if he wants us to be that to him then I guess we have no choice,¡± said Nate. ¡°Of course, and I¡¯ll take care of him when you¡¯re away on missions.¡± ¡°You would be a good mother. Maybe when all this starts to die down a bit, we can start trying again.¡± ¡°I would love that.¡± Chapter 16: He Is Mine Chapter 16: He Is Mine It¡¯s been 5 months since everyone came back and the kingdom of Thanatos was on the rise. People from all over were coming to seek refuge or join in the ranks of his army. Nate walked around his town of now 9,000 people seeing homes, shops, vendors, schools but best of all, people. And they¡¯re happy. A kid walked up to Nate with an apple. ¡°Lord Ward, please have this,¡± said the boy. ¡°Oh, thanks, but I don¡¯t need this. You take it and give it to your mother. I think she¡¯ll like it more.¡± ¡°Oh well of course she would, sir.¡± The kid then hugged him out of nowhere. ¡°Thanks for taking me and my family in.¡± ¡°Of course, anytime.¡± Nate gives the kid a hug back before going on his way to the blacksmith¡¯s. When he walked into the beautiful shop, he saw a display. It looked to be armor but with a blanket over it. ¡°Oh, lord Ward, I wasn¡¯t expecting you for another 30 minutes,¡± said Robert. ¡°That¡¯s true, but I asked for this 5 months ago.¡± ¡°Yes, but lord Ward, I wanted the best for you.¡± ¡°I understand, I was only joking.¡± ¡°Yes, well let me show you the armor set I have made for you.¡± Robert was about to take off the blanket, but the armor fell over due to an explosion. It made Robert fall, but Nate was only a little shaken up. ¡°Sir, the armor, I can get it on you in a minute.¡± ¡°Do it.¡± When all the armor was on Nate, a system message came up.
Armor Of The Made King This armor has the ability to boost you and your allies in a battle. +40 Strength +20 Agility
Nate had on banded mail armor top and shoulders with a barbute helmet. He also had on Closed Greaves, Tassets, and arm armor. Under all that was a padded suit acting as under armor. He still had his cloak on over it. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Nate walked out to see a man flying above, looking down to him. ¡°I am the archangel, Michael. I was given a message to seek you out and kill you in the name of God. You, Nate Ward, are my enemy, and the enemy of GOD. YOU MUST FALL.¡± The man was in blue robes with silver and gold armor, and big white wings on his back. He had a long sword in one hand. ¡°Angel, god, what is this nonsense you speak? And why are you here, we are peaceful people,¡± said Nate. ¡°You fight for this fake god of death, I fight for God himself and he sent me to kill you.¡± Nate summoned his sword and looked up at the man. The black cloaks showed up. ¡°Men, stay back, he¡¯s mine. Be on the lookout just in case he has back up.¡± Nate bent down in a ready position. He jumped towards the flying man. Nate grabbed him mid air with force. They landed not too far away but far enough that no one would be in the way. Nate got up, and so did his enemy. There was not much damage. but he was hurt. ¡°So he is my level, or a bit above a level..¡± Nate thought. He was looking at the men for a weak spot, but this thing is like him and is hard to read. Nate went for the attack. He went for his legs first. Nate wasn¡¯t trying to hit, but instead hiding his true target when he attacked. Nate went a little further than usual and moved his blade to stab him in the back, but Michael''s sword caught the attack. Nate was going for his wings, but Michael protects them well. Michael turned around to meet Nate face to face. They were going blow for blow. Nate found his match. This man was able to stand up to Nate, even at his higher level. Nate had made it to level 21 in the past months, boosting his power to a whole new level.
Stats Strength: 260+40 Dexterity: 260 Agility: 260+20 Intelligents: 260 Perception: 260
The only thing that makes Nate better is his new armor, putting him just above Michael or so he thought. It¡¯s possible that he has armor that boosts his abilities, but to Nate it doesn¡¯t matter. This man came to his home. Nate went for an attack, but he missed and had a sword in his stomach. He looked up to see Michael with a look of sadness. The sword was pulled out, and Nate fell. ¡°I feel bad for you, but god will take you in. He will forgive you. I¡¯m sorry, you poor child.¡± Nate looks up with his hand on his stomach, trying to hold the blood in. Michael had his sword above his head, ready to strike down to end Nate. As soon as the sword came down, it was blocked by Autumn, and then Will drop kicked Michael. ¡°No no, you can¡¯t keep up with him,¡± said a pained Nate. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, lord Ward. We¡¯ll save you this time.¡± They fought, but Michael was keeping up with them. They were fighting hard and staying concentrated, but he was relaxed taking his time to find an opening. And he did, he was able to knee Will in the face and make him drop on 1 knee. Michael kicked him in the leg, barking at him. Will screamed out in pain. Autumn saw all of it, making her mad and blind him. She went for an attack but he hit her in the stomach and grabbed her by the neck. ¡°What a sad child you are, but I will send you to him, and your sins will be forgiven.¡± Michael got his sword ready to stab her. Nate was a witness to everything, he had to get up. He needed to get up get up get up get up- ¡°Nate GET UP!¡± Nate stood up like a man possessed by a demon. Chapter 17: No Joking Matter Chapter 17: No Joking Matter Nate stands there, not looking at Michael, but looking at the ground. Michael still has Autumn in his hands. He drops her at the sight of Nate standing up. ¡°I stabbed you, and from where the stab was, you should not be able to stand.¡± Nate doesn¡¯t answer. Instead, he puts out his left hand and the blood from his wound goes down his body to his hand to make a sword of blood. ¡°Autumn Pine, get William out of here now.¡± Autumn grabbed Will and ran. ¡°I am amazed you can still stand, Nate Ward, my sword is different. Whenever I hit my target, it does double the damage. So how are you up right now?¡± asked Michael. ¡°I am not Nate.¡± Michael looks confused. ¡°Then who are you?¡± Nate doesn¡¯t answer, he attacks. Michael is forced to dodge Nate. He¡¯s not fighting the same, he¡¯s fighting like he¡¯s wild, yet focused. Sword after sword, swinging at Michael, one of the swords hits him. The blood from Michael gets sucked from his wound into Nate, healing him. After that Nate, was fighting even faster. Michael can¡¯t keep up. Nate puts the blood sword in Michaels knee and then his other blade in his foot, taking it out to put it in the same place Nate was stabbed by his golden sword. ¡°I am not the only one. God¡¯s army will come for all of you,¡± said a weak Michael. Nate picks up Michael¡¯s sword. He puts it through the chest of the angel, then walks behind him, grabs his wings and rips them off. Nate lowers his head to Michael''s ear. ¡°Your god is not here. It¡¯s only the hand of death.¡± Nate looks on as the man before him dies. Then Nate falls unconscious. He wakes up in a room. Looking around, it¡¯s all black with a white table and chairs. In one of them is a man in purple and black robes. ¡°Sit Nate, it¡¯s time we talk.¡± Nate takes a seat. ¡°So you are death.¡± ¡°Very good, lord Ward. Yes I am.¡± ¡°Why do you show up now?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I am always there with you, you are my hand.¡± ¡°But you only helped now.¡± ¡°Only. Nate, we all know that¡¯s not true, I mean I am the reason you are still alive.¡± ¡°Were you the one there with the spider?¡± ¡°No. You will find out who that was, but not now.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Ok, well what is this? Where are we?¡± ¡°We are in your mind.¡± ¡°My mind?¡± ¡°Yes, because you are unconscious, so I am speaking to you where no one will know.¡± ¡°Am I going to die?¡± ¡°No your wife has you, you will be fine.¡± ¡°Ok, well why did you choose me?¡± ¡°That''s a hard question, but to put it in a way you can understand, you were the best choice. I was looking for a while before we brought your world into the game.¡± ¡°I feel like you can¡¯t tell me everything.¡± ¡°Now you are starting to get it.¡± ¡°So how long will I be here?¡± ¡°As long as you want.¡± ¡°Oh, then I think I would like to wake up.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, Nate started to wake up. He seems to be in his room. He sees his wife asleep in a chair beside him. ¡°Ash,¡± said Nate. She wakes up like she was never asleep in the first place. ¡°Nate. oh my god.¡± She gets up and walks to him. ¡°Are you ok? How do you feel?¡± asked Nate. ¡°I¡¯m fine.. I mean¡­ I feel kind of weak.. but other than that I feel fine.¡± ¡°What happened? When we found you, you were unconscious and had that man next to you.. but when we got you here, your body was fine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I was in control of my body, I think it was death.¡± ¡°As in the god death? The one you now serve under?¡± ¡°Yes.. I think it was a lot on my body.¡± ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± asked Ash/ ¡°Yes, my love but I need to talk to West, Will, and Autumn.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll grab them.¡± When Ash comes back, Nate sees Will in a leg cast. ¡°It¡¯s ok brother, don¡¯t worry about my leg, it¡¯ll be fine in 2 days,¡± said Will. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn¡¯t know how powerful he was.. I think his sword was doing something to me.¡± ¡°Hey, Will is fine and you kicked that man¡¯s ass, so I think everything is going to be ok,¡± said Autumn. ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t the only one,¡± said Nate. ¡°What do you mean, lord Ward?¡± asked Westcut. ¡°He said that he wasn¡¯t the only one. He said God''s army will come for me, for this place. I think there''s a place just like Thanatos, but they think it¡¯s god, as in the one true god.¡± ¡°Christians, gross,¡± said Ash. ¡°No, I think It¡¯s more like a Knights Templar.¡± ¡°Catholic, yay,¡± said Autumn jokingly. ¡°Guys, I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but this is no joking matter. From what I can understand, they¡¯re on the way. I think Michael was a scout, and he was strong, so who knows what¡¯s happening? But I need my own scouts to go out as soon as possible,¡± said Nate. ¡°Yes, lord Ward, it will be done,¡± said Westcut. ¡°They can be here any day now, so autumn get the black cloaks ready and Will get the gray cloaks along with them.¡± ¡°Yes, lord Ward,¡± said Will and Autumn. Nate gets out of bed. ¡°We are officially at war. We will only kill the enemy if they have captured people with them, make sure they live.¡± Westcut, Will and Autumn take off to get their jobs done. Nate stands at the window looking out at his town. ¡°Ash, I love you,¡± said Nate. ¡°I love you, Nate.¡± ¡°Can you get my armor and Michael''s sword? I need to get ready for war.¡± ¡°Yes, my love.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time they meet the hand of death,¡± said Nate Chapter 18: What Dads Feel Chapter 18: What Dads Feel Nate sits in a chair at the new building they call the headquarters. With him is Will, Westcut, Autumn, and a man named Joseph. He was the captain of the black cloaks. ¡°Will, where is the captain of the gray cloaks?¡± asked Nate. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s never this late,¡± said Will. ¡°Well we are at war s-¡± Nate was cut off by a woman coming through the door. She¡¯s in full armor just like Joseph, but gray rather than black. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, my wife forgot to set the alarm this morning but I¡¯m here now,¡± said the woman. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Lisa. Take a seat, we have a lot to talk about.¡± ¡°Yes lord Ward,¡± said Lisa. ¡°Joseph, what is your report on the enemy?¡± asked Westcut. ¡°They have 1200 fighters. From what I can tell, most of them won¡¯t be a problem for the cloaks,¡± said Joseph. ¡°So they don¡¯t have any information on us, because if they did, they would know we outnumbered them,¡± said Will. ¡°You¡¯re right. We have 1500 grays and 50 blacks but that doesn¡¯t mean we won¡¯t lose people,¡± said Nate. ¡°Sir, this is war. We have no choice but to fight. We are going to lose men but those who fight already know that they may not make it home.¡± ¡°I know, West, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it.¡± ¡°I know, lord Ward, but you are the turning point. You are the one who can change the soon to come battle,¡± Westcut said. ¡°Westcut is right, lord Nate, you already killed the strongest. From what we can tell there is no one else on your level on the enemy side,¡± said Joseph. Nate stands up from his seat and walks to a window. ¡°How many days do we have, Joseph?¡± ¡°Two days, not counting today.¡± ¡°I think I know what to do, but it may not work.¡± Nate looks at a map in the middle of the table. ¡°Here they will be close to the town. We¡¯ll have the grays ready to meet them and the blacks going around their flank. Will, you will lead the black. Autumn, the gray. It¡¯s simple, but if we do it right, we win.¡± ¡°Yes, I see what you mean, lord Ward.¡± At the time Nate was explaining the plan, he was also making it on the map. ¡°I¡¯ll come in where I¡¯m needed. We have two days to prepare for this, it needs to be perfect,¡± said Nate. ¡°Yes sir,¡± said everyone. ¡°And remember, if they surrender, do not kill them,¡± said Nate. Everyone got up from their seats and left the headquarters to find their units. Nate walked home to find his dad and brother. He first found his brother Tommy practicing in the backyard with a sword and shield. ¡°Hello brother,¡± said Nate. ¡°Oh hey Nate, come have a go with me.¡± ¡°Look at you big guy, you¡¯ve been training with West and Will so you think you can take me on now,¡± said Nate. ¡°Nate, I¡¯m your big brother, I¡¯ve always kicked your ass.¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± ¡°Then prove it to me.¡± Nate picks up a wooden stick made to be a practice sword, so does his brother. ¡°First to 3.¡± Nate walks to his brother and gets in a fighting position. His brother does the same. Nate reads his brother¡¯s movements, looking for an opening. His brother attacks, Nate blocks all hits. Nate attacks back, his brother blocks 3 of Nate¡¯s hits, but the 4th makes it through. ¡°1 me, 0 you,¡± said Nate. Nate¡¯s bro attacks again. Tommy is hitting harder. but still not landing a blow. Tommy goes down with the sword. Nate side steps and hits him in the stomach. ¡°2 me, 0 you.¡± Nate looks at his brother before going in for the kill. He hits Tommy¡¯s sword to the ground and then jumps, flipping himself over Tommy and hitting him in the back. As he lands, Tommy turns around to meet Nate¡¯s eyes. ¡°What was that?¡± said Tommy. ¡°It was something new that I¡¯ve been practicing,¡± said Nate. ¡°Well, that was a good match brother,¡± said Tommy. ¡°Well, we have to be prepared for the worst.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Nate, you are more than prepared. Don¡¯t worry too much about everything.¡± ¡°I have to worry, this is the future of my people. Not just that, but the world.¡± ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t carry the burden alone. You have me, ash, dad, Will, and Autumn. We¡¯ll be there for you.¡± ¡°I know Tommy, but I¡¯m scared to put you all in harm¡¯s way. I wish I could stop this, but I didn¡¯t even start it.¡± ¡°You will stop it. If I know anything in life, it¡¯s that you are the best person to do what needs to be done. Stop letting fear get to you.¡± ¡°How, Tommy? Everything I love is on the line.¡± ¡°By knowing you are the superior person in this battle that is to come.¡± Nate takes a moment to think to himself. For months he was carrying the world on his shoulders, but for the first time in a long time, he feels lighter. He understands he can¡¯t let fear take over his mind. ¡°I needed that pep talk,¡± said Nate. ¡°I know, now let¡¯s go again.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- The time before the battle felt long, but the day is now here. Nate can see the enemy. He can also see his people in full armor with gray cloaks and spears. His men are ready for this. The black cloaks are nowhere to be seen, but that¡¯s a good thing. Nate sees Autumn on the front lines. He¡¯s proud of the woman she¡¯s become, going from a damaged girl to being the most powerful woman in his army. Nate turns to Westcut. ¡°Do you think this is what dads feel like?¡± asked Nate. ¡°What do you mean, Lord Ward?¡± asked Westcut. ¡°Well, when I look at Autumn I feel like a proud dad, or at least that¡¯s the only way to describe it.¡± ¡°You should ask your dad, sir. I know he is proud of you.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to ask Autumn and Levey to take my last name and join my family.¡± ¡°That would make Levey heir to your kingdom, lord Ward.¡± ¡°I would be ok with that, West.¡± ¡°I know sir, just reminding you.¡± ¡°They¡¯re about to meet.¡± The two armies were meeting on the road. Two men step forward from the back of the enemy ranks. Nate noticed the two men were very similar to Michael, but no wings. One of the men started to speak. ¡°I am an archangel Raphael, and next to me is Gabriel. We were sent to destroy the evil cancer that has spread across our world, and you are apart of that cancer,¡± said the tallest of the two. ¡°Piss off,¡± said autumn. ¡°Such anger comes from you, child¡± said Gabriel. ¡°Well let¡¯s see why, oh yeah, your guy attacked my home and my king.¡± ¡°You talk of brother Michael, what has come of him?¡± asked Raphael. ¡°He¡¯s dead. Got his wings ripped off by the man he tried to kill.¡± ¡°Poor Michael, may he rest in peace with our lord,¡± said Raphael. ¡°Enough of this nonsense, we must continue our mission, Raphael,¡± said Gabriel. ¡°I agree,¡± said Nate. Nate was behind Raphael. In the time it took them to talk, Nate was able to go so fast that he landed behind the man with no one noticing. ¡°You are not God¡¯s angels, because if that were true you would have seen me coming,¡± said Nate. Raphael turned to meet Nate¡¯s eyes, who had a sword in his hands. Raphael realized it was his friend¡¯s sword. ¡°This was your friend¡¯s sword, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes it was,¡± said an angry Raphael.¡± ¡°Enough of this talking,¡± said Gabriel. Gabriel took Nate in a bear hug, dragging him into a field. Nate was able to fight out of the man¡¯s arms and find footing. Raphael joined Gabriel. Nate took out his sword and was now holding both swords in his hands. Gabriel made an ax out of light, and Raphael took a long sword from his back. Nate was standing there, waiting. He knew he had the better chance at winning. The last time he fought against someone like them, he wasn¡¯t ready. He figured it was due to his body not being used to his new armor, but now he was, and he also has his enemy''s sword.
System message Sword of hope When you make contact with an enemy, you hit them with extra force damage.
Nate was able to get practice with his new sword and learned it did something called force damage. Damage that negates all armor, including magic armor. Using that, Nate attacks Raphael first. He was blocked. Nate used that to his advantage to turn onto Gabriel to land an attack with his new sword, making Gabriel drop his ax. Then Nate laid into the man, not killing him, but leaving him unconscious. Nate was attacked from behind by Raphael, now angry by seeing his friend on the ground. Nate blocked, but not fast enough, leaving a wound in his arm. They went back and forth, attack after attack. Nate brought his 2 swords in for another attack, but at the last second, he lowered his black sword to the man¡¯s knee, making him drop. ¡°Look at your army,¡± said Nate. Raphael looked at his men to see most of them killed and the rest on their knees. ¡°You lead them to their deaths.¡± ¡°What demon are you?¡± asked Raphael. Nate looked at the man and laughed. ¡°I am no demon. I AM THE HAND OF DEATH. But you are very lucky, as you will go back home and tell your people that I will be there in 3 weeks time to meet your leader and kill him myself. And don¡¯t worry, your men will be well taken care of,¡± said Nate. ¡°You are letting me go?¡± ¡°Yes. I want a world of peace, but to have my dreams come true, I must kill the one who will try to stop it. Now go, you may only take food. And if I see you again, you will be seeing your god.¡± Nate walked over to the men on their knees. ¡°You there, get up,¡± Nate says, pointing to one of the men. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Why do you give up so easily?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Well, I¡¯m extremely exhausted. We haven¡¯t eaten a good meal in weeks, and that was before we came here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Well, no. Those monsters, the ones you did away with, they will hurt us if we don¡¯t follow them. Maybe even kill our families.¡± ¡°If I were to free you from all that, would you fight for me?¡± ¡°Oh yes sir, give me a full belly and a bed and I would do anything for you.¡± ¡°Good. Autumn, help them to the town, get them food and sleep, then get them trained. In 3 weeks, we will free their people, am I clear?¡± ¡°Yes, lord Ward. Right away.¡± ¡°And Autumn, good job. I¡¯m proud of you.¡± ¡°Thanks sir.¡± Nate goes to sit on a nearby rock to watch as some of his people move the bodies and make graves for the dead. ¡°Death, they didn¡¯t know what to do, so please let the enemy of today live in peace.¡± Nate felt a cold yet nice feeling wash over him, like an old forgotten friend came to visit. ¡°Thanks, Lord Death.¡± Chapter 19: Can鈥檛 Make A Salad Chapter 19: Can¡¯t Make A Salad Nate watched as his new men learned the ways of the gray cloaks. He had 600 hundred new men added to his army. When he first saw them up close, they were skinny, not strong enough to fight the gray cloaks. In fact, the plan was to have the black cloaks hit them from behind, but they didn¡¯t need to. It wasn¡¯t even a fight. But after 2 weeks they have improved a lot. They still don¡¯t have a lot of muscle or strength, but the best thing they give us is archers. Only 150 but that¡¯s all you need. Nate watched as Autumn showed new moves to her men, making them repeat her actions. Nate walked over to talk to her. ¡°Autumn, is it possible that I could talk to you in private?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Of course, lord ward.¡± They walk on a pathway on the outskirts of the village. ¡°You know, the more this place changes, the more I realize how important everything is.¡± ¡°Nate, what did you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Autumn, what was your family like?¡± ¡°Well, they were nice, but I didn¡¯t know my dad that long. In fact he was only in my life for the last two years and my mom.. she was hard on me. She wanted me to be a lawyer, but of course that didn¡¯t happen. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Because I need to know. What do you think of me?¡± ¡°Well, you are my leader no matter what. You have proven yourself to me. I look up to you and you have taken care of me like I am one of your own, and I thank you for th-¡± Nate cuts her off before she can finish. ¡°Join my family. I would like to adopt you. But don¡¯t worry about calling me dad or anything like that.¡± ¡°You want me to take your name, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes. Ever since I found you, I have thought of you more and more as my family and I would like to make it real. Not only that, I need you. I can''t do anything without your support and strength.¡± ¡°What would you need from me?¡± asked Autumn. ¡°To fight for my family. You will be the captain of the royal guard, and you will choose 2 of my family members to protect them from any danger. You will also be my wife¡¯s guard. I only trust you or Will, but he has a different role to play in everything.¡± ¡°What will he be doing?¡± ¡°Taking over the black and gray cloaks. He will be named general of my armies.¡± ¡°Wow Nate, this is a lot.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll share this with Levey. I will be asking him to join my family as well, as my son.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Does that mean what I think it means?¡± ¡°Yes. He will take over as king when I die or retire.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I like the front lines, but I know this new job will be more important,¡± said Autumn. ¡°So, Autumn Pine Ward,¡± said Nate. ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m pushing your family away. In fact we will tell stories of them. Your sons and daughters will know about their grandparents.¡± ¡°Nate, I can¡¯t thank you enough for what you have done for me,¡± said Autumn. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, you know I love you like you¡¯re my child,¡± said Nate. Nate looked at the woman before him. She has seen a lot, but now he knows she¡¯ll be safe along with his wife. ¡°Now I must go to see Levey.¡± ¡°I understand, see you soon.¡± ¡°Ash is making Chicken Stir-Fry, so don¡¯t be late to dinner,¡± said Nate before talking off to his house. When Nate arrives at his home, he walks through the door to find his wife making dinner and Levey and his dad working on school work. ¡°Hello everyone.¡± Everyone greeted Nate as he walked in the kitchen. He saw Will was helping Ash by making a salad, and his brother was at the dining room table with a map. ¡°Tommy, get that map off the table, dinner will be ready soon. Nate, we really need a rule of no war at dinner.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s just that something didn¡¯t seem right with the information I got, I¡¯ll look into it tomorrow.¡± ¡°Autumn should be here soon,¡± said Nate. ¡°Good, cause if she¡¯s late again I¡¯ll start getting a little upset.¡± ¡°Well she was right behind me, so any minute now.¡± ¡°Oh, did you guys have the talk?¡± said Will. ¡°Oh yeah, how did that go?¡± asked Ash. ¡°It went very well. She said yes to everything,¡± said Nate. ¡°Every single thing?¡± asked Will. ¡°Yes, everything.¡± ¡°So does that mean..?¡± ¡°Yes, Will. When tomorrow comes you¡¯ll be the general of my armies, only answering to me and Tommy.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± said Will with a big smile. The front door of the house swings open to reveal Autumn with a jar of lemonade. ¡°There was not a lot of time between me leaving you and me getting here, so how did you get lemonade?¡± asked Nate. ¡°I broke my record,¡± Autumn replied. ¡°Your speed record? That would make you the fastest person on the planet.¡± ¡°Yes, but I learned that my body can¡¯t handle it.¡± ¡°Oh, you hit your body level limit. Me and Nate hit that a month ago,¡± said Will. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°No no no more talking, it''s time for dinner,¡± said Ash. Everyone takes their seats at the table. A family full of people powered by gods. ¡°Can we just say how weird everything has been for the past 9 months?¡± said Will. Everyone takes a second to look at each other in armor with weapons by their sides. ¡°Yeah. Will, you still can¡¯t make a salad right,¡± replied Tommy. Everyone fights the urge to laugh at the joke and goes back to their meal. Will looks at Tommy. ¡°And yet, you still eat it,¡± said Will, laughing. Chapter 20: My Lord Death Chapter 20: My Lord Death Nate and his men marched through the land for days until they finally came to a small mountain village, or the start of one. They had maybe 4000 people, 500 of them being guards of this makeshift village. Nate and his men stop at the entrance of the village. Nate walked out of the crowd of his army to find men pointing bows and arrows at him. ¡°Lay down your weapons. I¡¯m not here for a fight,¡± said Nate. ¡°Then why bring an army to our doorstep?¡± asked an older man standing by the bowmen. ¡°To give you proof that we are not bad people.¡± ¡°And how is this proof?¡± ¡°Because my army could destroy this place, but instead we¡¯re here talking, not fighting.¡± ¡°How do you know you would win?¡± ¡°I hope your age and wisdom will answer that for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but then why come here? You won the battle, you could have left all of us alone.¡± ¡°Because from what your men have told me, you¡¯re not well off. You can¡¯t afford to feed all your people. I want you to join us. Come home with me and your men who have joined.¡± ¡°You want us? All of us?¡± ¡°Yes, but not for free, your people must work. We have lots of jobs, and food for everyone.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s time you come in and have lunch,¡± said the old man. ¡°That sounds great, and my men, do you have somewhere to take them?¡± ¡°Probably not, you look like you would take up the whole town.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok, they can stay here.¡± Nate followed the old man into town. He looked around at the place. It was not as nice as his, and was way too small for the amount of people that live in it. You could tell the people were scared of him as he walked through the town. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Because you¡¯re here they know you killed the men who keep us here. They know you¡¯re very powerful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll find a way to gain their trust.¡± ¡°You have gained their trust, you killed their captors. They just don¡¯t know they¡¯re free yet.¡± They stop at the best looking house in the area. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I bet before this, you had a better house,¡± said Nate. ¡°Oh yes, my wife and I had land. But let¡¯s not talk about the past yet, I¡¯m not drunk enough for that, young man.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± They sit down at a table. The man pours soup into a bowl and hands it to Nate. He can taste mushrooms with salt, pepper, thyme, and soy sauce. ¡°Wow, that''s the best thing I¡¯ve had in months,¡± said Nate. ¡°I used to be a chef.¡± ¡°How did you get all the ingredients to make this?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Now that is a secret I can¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°Ok, well if you do choose to join me and my people, I know exactly what job you must have.¡± ¡°Is this so, young man?¡± ¡°You can call me Nate.¡± ¡°Oh, well then you can call me Rick.¡± ¡°Well Rick, let¡¯s not beat around the bush. I¡¯m here for you and your people to join my village.¡± ¡°And why do you want my people?¡± ¡°Well, I need everyone if I¡¯m being honest.¡± Nate goes into detail, explaining everything he has learned since he awoke on the floor at the funeral home. He told him everything in a matter of 2 hours, drinking tea in the first hour and then crude beer made by Rick in the next. ¡°So you''re telling me you¡¯re trying to become the emperor of earth and fight in a war in space?¡± said Rick. ¡°Yeah, when you say it out loud I can see the craziness of everything I just said.¡± ¡°But I must ask, your Westcut guy, can he cook better than me?¡± ¡°God no, I love him, but no. He doesn¡¯t know much but meat, and only red meat. I would love to have some chicken.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten chicken in months?¡± ¡°He¡¯s scared to cook it and my wife doesn¡¯t like it, so I¡¯m in need of a good chef.¡± ¡°Well Nate, you got me sold on this idea. I¡¯ll join you in becoming your chef, and I¡¯ll try to convince my people to join you as well. Tell them what I know and I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll join too.¡± ¡°Do you think so?¡± said a worried Nate. ¡°Why are you worried, Nate?¡± asked Rick. ¡°Well, I know at a certain point in time I won¡¯t be able to ask for people to join and I don¡¯t like the thought of that.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°To become an emperor I will have to conquer, and to conquer is to fight. Not just a fight, but a war that I know will be the worst thing this world may ever see¡± ¡°Well Nate, I fought for the U.S. I understand that sometimes things get bloody before they become nice. I think you know that if you become a monster, you''ll have to learn to control that monster. Point it at the right people, not the wrong people, do you understand?¡± ¡°I think I do.¡± ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s drink until we can¡¯t feel our faces.¡± And so they did. They drank until the sun came up. Nate looks out at the world before him. The sun was rising, a beautiful light yellow and pink clear sky. A damp, earthy smell lingered in the air. He took the time to take it all in before he couldn¡¯t anymore. ¡°This world will be mine, but at what cost? What will it take?¡± Nate took a moment before speaking again. ¡°Do not act like you¡¯re not there.¡± ¡°Nate, it may cost you everything, but are you ready to give everything you can?¡± said Death. ¡°I am. I¡¯m ready, my Lord Death.¡± Some cool art Nate ash autumn The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Will Westcut Nate¡¯s Swords Nate¡¯s cloak A sneak peek Chapter 21: Good Day, Boys Chapter 21: Good Day, Boys It¡¯s been 5 months since Nate and Rick made their deal. Ever since then, a lot has changed. Nate now has 3 towns in his kingdom, and his village is unrecognizable with how much it has changed. 25 thousand people all working together to run shops and businesses. His army grew into a military of 5 thousand men and women, at his command. His home village is now his capital. Nate started a group to start looking into his new world, studying it so they may understand everything that¡¯s happening, and that may happen. They learned about Nate and his powers. They learned they could take the power from his old armor, then put the power into him. Now he didn¡¯t need his armor to use them. Nate wasn¡¯t like the other people who disappeared from the world. They were given classes that gave them their powers, but Nate was made by death, not the system. With Nate¡¯s new powers, he learned how to upgrade them. He can now summon followers once every three months. Not just some regular zombies, but something below his level, like westcut. On top of that, he kept the original power to summon the undead. Now he can summon 12 five levels below himself. Nate started to grow in power, but just as fast as it started, it stopped. When a normal person who went through the other world gets to a high level, their body can¡¯t go past that point. But Nate, and Will, and anyone like them are not normal. They learned that they were remade, and their bodies could go past the normal path of a powered person. Even after all that, Nate had reached a bottleneck at level 30, and his stats had slowed down at level 25. He has only been able to get one point per stat.
Stats Strength: 305+40 Dexterity: 305 Agility: 305+20 Intelligents: 305 Perception: 305
Nate walked to the capital building of Thanatos to find Will waiting for him. ¡°Will, how are you this morning?¡± ¡°I wish I could be better, but we¡¯ll save that for the meeting.¡± ¡°Well then, let¡¯s head in because I want to know what happened.¡± Nate and Will head inside past the lobby and guards. When Nate goes by, they put their hand to their chest in a closed fist to salute. ¡°Honor to you, King Ward and Lord Will,¡± said the 2 men. ¡°Good day, boys,¡± said Nate. ¡°As you were, men,¡± said Will. Nate and Will walk down a long hallway to the meeting room. ¡°Still not sure about the whole Lord thing, Nate.¡± ¡°Well, get sure because I¡¯m going to need you to be a Lord in the future.¡± Nate and Will find themselves in a room where the two captains of the black and gray cloaks, Westcut, Autumn, and a five month pregnant Ash sit. ¡°How are you always late to your meetings?¡± asked Autumn. ¡°Autumn, dear, leave him alone,¡± said Ash. ¡°Ok ok, sorry,¡± said Autumn. Nate and Will take their seats. ¡°Ok, I want to hear from Will first,¡± said Nate. ¡°Yes, well from what I¡¯ve heard and seen, my men have been attacked by something. Some of them have also been killed. We don¡¯t know what, or it is, but it¡¯s happening near the bayside in a town a day drive away from us. We thought it was abandoned, but now my thoughts have changed,¡± said Will. ¡°How many were killed?¡± ¡°Five men from the scouting teams, three from team fox, and two from team tiger,¡± said Will. ¡°We need to do something about this. We all know how good the scouts are trained, so for something to kill them is dangerous,¡± said Joseph. ¡°I will go dressed as a scout. Whatever it is won¡¯t have an easy time with me,¡± said Nate. ¡°Out of the question, you are to officially be made king tomorrow, we can¡¯t have you running off on missions, getting yourself killed,¡± said Westcut. ¡°I agree with West,¡± said Ash. ¡°I was not asking. I haven¡¯t been in the field in a month. I need to fight,¡± said Nate. ¡°Nate, my love, what if it¡¯s stronger than you? What if you don¡¯t come back?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come back. I always do. I need you all to trust me. Now let¡¯s move forward to tomorrow.-¡± ¡°Well, we have people from all our towns coming in, so we are going to set up the guard and have the royal guard on your family at all times, so I think we¡¯re ready. Oh, and the blacksmith has finished your crown,¡± said Autumn. ¡°Good. I have faith that this will all go smoothly, but of course, be on guard. I¡¯ll stop by the blacksmith¡¯s to grab my crown,¡± said Nate. Stolen story; please report. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to go get it, sir?¡± said Westcut. ¡°No, I can do it. I want to be the first one to see it, and afterwards I need to go by the church to get it blessed by Death.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you need a church to talk to Death. Are you not his hand of death or something scary like you say?¡± asked Will. ¡°Because for ordinary people to talk to him, they must go to the church. I would like to see people going to church more, so I like to go sometimes.¡± ¡°Is it really that important?¡± asked Will. ¡°Yes, Will, because we are a nation built on the idea of death, but people see death and think only bad. We need to make it a side mission of ours to show the good in death.¡± ¡°Ok, I can understand that, but what about the other gods?¡± said Will. ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about that. Me and lord Ward, and Death himself are going to build another temple for the rest of the gods, so that people can freely worship who they want to. Death will allow it,¡± said Westcut. ¡°Yes, one thing I still believe in is freedom. That means freedom to worship your god of course,¡± said Nate. ¡°Can we move on from the gods talk? We have more important things to discuss,¡± asked Autumn. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Are the men ready for tomorrow?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve had them trained for this for the last two months, but we may still be surprised, so all of us must keep our eyes open,¡± said Autumn. ¡°Still can¡¯t believe my husband will be crowned as a king tomorrow,¡± said a very nervous Ash. ¡°We have to, even if the people see you as one already. You must show it to the world,¡± said Westcut. ¡°I saw a sneak peek of the crowd. It¡¯s pretty cool, so we have to do something with that for tomorrow¡¯s ceremony,¡± said Will ¡°Robert let you see it?¡± asked Westcut. ¡°Yeah, but only for a quick moment when I was picking up my new ax.¡± ¡°Anything else we must discuss?¡± Everyone looked at one another. ¡°Good, then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Nate got up, walked to Ash, and kissed her head before leaving the room. Nate walked down to see his friend Robert. He found himself outside the door of his shop. Nate knocked on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± yelled Robert. Nate walked in. ¡°Oh my King, how are you doing today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good my friend, and you?¡± ¡°Oh you know, I¡¯m the best smith in town, so pretty good!¡± ¡°Are you making good money?¡± ¡°Well with you and your men and the people of this beautiful nation, yes I¡¯m doing very well. I will soon have a wife to join in on my journey.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very happy for you Rob.¡± ¡°King ward, why do you not wear the best armor I have ever made?¡± ¡°Well, I get hot in it.¡± Both the men laugh. Nate was wearing his casual clothes, but at first glance you wouldn¡¯t call them that. Nate had on a gray shirt, flowy and made of a light fabric, black form fitting pants with his shirt tucked in, and long gray boots to match his shirt and his cloak. He doesn¡¯t even go without it anymore. The power that comes with it comes in use.
System message The Cloak of the Dead Emperor gives off an aura of fear. This aura can make humans of a lower level submit to you.
He doesn¡¯t like to use the power, but a month and a half ago, a man tried to kill Nate, and the cloak power acted on its own to protect Nate. ¡°I heard from Will that you have a crown for me.¡± ¡°Oh that dick, but yes I do. I was going to surprise you at your house.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was going to come by anyways, I will have to take it to the church to get blessed.¡± ¡°Oh well then, let me grab it for you my king.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not king yet, you can hold off calling me that for a couple hours.¡± ¡°You are my king and that will not change.¡± The short man walks into another room, comes out not too long after, and hands Nate a box. ¡°I really hope you like it.¡± Nate puts the box on a table and opens it to find a crown made of black metal, with spikes on the top, and all connected together. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°Oh my, to hear that come from you, it really fills me with joy, my king.¡± ¡°How did you get the material to make it? Your daughter got it for me, sir?¡± ¡°My daughter?¡± ¡°Autumn sir?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot she wanted to be called that. Well, she looks up to you, and you¡¯re a good dad to her. Levey and I can tell they love you and lady Ash very much, ¡± said Robert. ¡°They are what makes me a good person.¡± ¡°Well, you probably best be getting on your way. I can¡¯t wait to see the crown on your head tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, my good sir. You will be at the big dinner tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°Oh yes my king, I will definitely be there.¡± ¡°Well then, I will see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°See you soon,¡± said Robert. Nate made his way to the church of death. It was on the far side of town and it was hard to miss. A grand church, made of gray brick with beautiful blue and purple windows. Nate got to the door. It opened as soon as he walked up. ¡°Oh, my king, we were told you were on the way,¡± said a man in robes. ¡°Death told you?¡± ¡°Oh yes, my king.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of him.¡± ¡°What may we do for you my lord?¡± ¡°I came to have my crown blessed for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh yes, the big day. Let¡¯s see what we are working with.¡± Nate showed the crown. ¡°Oh my, very beautiful. My lord, come with me and we can start.¡± Nate walked with the man into a room. The man took the crown and placed it in a circle of runes, similar to the one Nate draws to do his rituals for the undead. ¡°My lord death, I call to you for your blessing, to put a protective shield on your king¡¯s crown,¡± said the robed man. He then started speaking a language Nate didn¡¯t understand. Not long after, a mist of blue light appeared and poured itself into the crown. ¡°Why was that so easy?¡± ¡°Because, I have more power in my domains. You will learn about that more soon, do not worry my child¡± said Death. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re still around.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always with you, my champion.¡± Chapter 22: A Warning Chapter 22: A Warning Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, and loyal subjects of the realm, Today, we gather here to witness a momentous occasion, a coronation unlike any other in the history of our kingdom. We stand in awe of the power and might that resides within our sovereign, King Nate Ward, known far and wide as "The Hand of Death," the champion of the God of Death. In the realm of kings, there are those who rule with force, those who inspire with wisdom, and those who command respect through sheer prowess. And then, there is King Nate Ward, a convergence of all these qualities, an embodiment of raw power and indomitable strength. As the right hand of our mighty king, I have witnessed first hand his unwavering commitment to justice and protection of our realm. With each conquest, he has brought order and stability to our lands, extinguishing the flames of chaos and restoring harmony. He has proven time and time again that he is not just a ruler; but a leader who walks beside his people, guiding them towards a future built on strength and unity. Today, as the crown is placed upon King Nate Ward''s brow, we affirm our allegiance to his reign. Let it be known that from this moment forth, our kingdom shall be forever bound by the unbreakable bond of loyalty and reverence. We shall stand firm in the face of adversity, knowing that our king, "The Hand of Death," shall protect and lead us with an unwavering resolve. ¡°May the God of Death continue to bestow his blessings upon our king, and may King Nate Ward''s reign be marked by prosperity, justice, and everlasting glory. Long live King Nate Ward, ¡®The Hand of Death!¡¯¡± yelled Westcut. Westcut took the crown called, ¡°The Dead Man¡¯s Crown¡±, out of a box and placed it on the head of Nate.
System message The Dead Man¡¯s Crown +1 to all stats
Nate was very disappointed with what the crown¡¯s power was but he understood that death probably wasn¡¯t going to always be able to help. Nate stopped worrying about that, it was his turn to give a speech. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, my people, welcome. I want to start off by thanking the people who have fallen for me in battle. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be here today. So thank you. I understand that some of you may be scared, but please have no fear, as I¡¯m not going to stop until everything is safe in this world. I will fight for you all until my last breath. I didn¡¯t just put on a crown. Today, I give my life to you, to my people, so follow me into the future!¡± yelled Nate. The crowd of people erupted into applause and cheers. Nate heard his name being yelled, people were throwing flowers. Nate was king in the eyes of the people. He now had power he may not be able to control, but he will do his best. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. After some time, Nate was at the town festival with his family and close friends ¡°I would like to give a little speech before I become too drunk. Nate, I¡¯m very proud to call you my son. I never thought I would be calling you King someday. I am so very happy, and if your mom were here, she would be as well. I know it. I love you son,¡± said Logan. ¡°Thanks, dad.¡± They all started eating. After a while, Nate felt a feeling that was familiar to him, but to everyone else it felt off. A man was sitting in a chair next to Nate; it was death. Everyone was shocked, wide eyed, looking at the god. ¡°I thought I would join my champion for dinner,¡± said Death. ¡°Ok, so death is here having dinner with us. I think I¡¯ve seen it all now. Any other gods want to join us?¡± said Ash. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being late, queen Ward.¡± said Death. ¡°At least he has manners,¡± said Autumn. ¡°I am one of the oldest things in the universe. I would hope I have some type of manners,¡± said Death. ¡°This food is amazing. Why wouldn¡¯t a god want to join in on this?¡± said Will. ¡°I am not here for the food. I am here to give a warning,¡± said Death. ¡°A warning for what?¡± said Nate.
System announcement Nate Ward has become the king of Thanatos. Nate Ward is the first king of earth. All hail the king.
System message Reward for becoming the first king King¡¯s bank 1,000,000,000 gold coin added to king¡¯s bank All high ranking members of your town now have access to the galaxy marketplace
¡°That,¡± said Death. ¡°Did everyone get that message?¡± asked Nate in a panic. Everyone at the table says yes. ¡°The world got that message. Everyone knows who you are now.¡± ¡°Fuck,¡± said Nate, slamming his fist into the table. He stood up and started walking out of the room. ¡°Death, what does this mean for Nate?¡± asked Ash. ¡°It means he has to get past his bottleneck. A lot of people will be coming for him, so more people kill him; will start to come to the light;¡± said Death¡¯ ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± asked Ash. ¡°Nate is not the same as you all, and that goes for Will as well. They level up faster and are stronger. There are more out there like them, starting their own kingdoms. When they do they will be friend or foe, and even the friends will most likely become foe. So naturally we¡¯re scared,¡± said Death. ¡°What can we do to help?¡± asked Will. ¡°Become stronger, get better, and be by his side no matter what,¡± said Death. Chapter 23: New Guy Chapter 23: New Guy Lima woke up and rubbed his eyes until he was able to see, looking over to see his wife asleep next to him. He got up and went to his bathroom to get ready for work. After a good shower, he got his gear ready and headed out the door. He made his way through the town of Thanatos, came across a guard house and walked in. ¡°Finally you show up. We have to get going soon,¡± said a man with a gray cloak and leather armor. ¡°Sorry, James.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, just get your armor on for Death¡¯s sake,¡± said James. ¡°Yes sir,¡± said Lima. ¡°Oh and we have a new guy.¡± Lima looked over to see a man wearing a mask and goggles. He was in leather armor and a small gray cloak of the gray scouts. ¡°He can¡¯t talk, I guess. But he can listen, and Lord Will himself said he was a good fit for the job, so we¡¯re taking him with us,¡± said James. ¡°Where are we going today?¡± asked Lima. ¡°The bayside,¡± said James. ¡°But that¡¯s where those men have died, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but they want us to try to find out what¡¯s killing our men. Maybe the king will kill it after we figure out what it is.¡± ¡°I would love to see the king in action. Did you see him yesterday with that crown?¡± ¡°Oh stop, he¡¯s just a man like you and me.¡± ¡°Trust me, he is no man.¡± They headed out to their location in a small group that could go on foot and be fast. After some time of travel, they were getting close to the Bay Area. It was beautiful, with lots of mountains, the ocean, and the smell of salt in the air. It would be a great place to live, but with whatever has been killing out there, you won¡¯t see many families settling down. ¡°You smell that, James?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nice. My grandma used to live out here. It looks and smells like old times.¡± ¡°You would come here a lot?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, but I stopped coming about two years ago when grandma died. It''s good to be back.¡± ¡°Sorry for your loss.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± said James. The group was on top of an old bookstore. James was looking out at the land, and Lima looked to the other men in their team. ¡°So you don¡¯t speak?¡± asked Lima. ¡°I think he can speak, he just chooses not to,¡± said James, The man was looking at both of them. ¡°May I ask your name?¡± asked Lima. ¡°Dave,¡± said the man. ¡°Well, you can talk. Would you look at that,¡± said James. ¡°Well Dave, what do you think of this place?¡± asked Lima. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. More so without all the people that would have been here,¡± said Dave. ¡°I agree. The world is healing from us humans,¡± said Lima. ¡°Quiet, it¡¯s time to move,¡± said James. The men took off to a nearby beach. James looked down at a footprint in the sand. The print alone was the size of a truck. They didn¡¯t say anything, but started to follow where the prints were going. Not too far away, they found a huge cave entrance. ¡°Should we go in?¡± asked Lima. ¡°I think so, right?¡± said James. James pulled a flashlight out and pointed it into the cave. He looked around and found nothing. He clipped it to his shirt and they started their journey through the cave. They didn¡¯t find much, even after 30 minutes of searching. ¡°What do you think we¡¯ll find?¡± ¡°Hopefully the thing, or things killing our men.¡± After some more time, they finally found something. An egg, a gold and blue egg. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s an egg.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be, it¡¯s huge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what scares me. What the hell did this thing come out of?¡± said James, inspecting the egg, but Lima didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Lima?¡± James turned to find a pair of giant green eyes looking at them. James and Lima couldn¡¯t move out of fear of the monster before them. Lima was paralyzed with the fear of death, with the fear of losing his wife, everything happened in slow motion. The dragon opened its mouth, down its throat Lima saw a flame burning and building. ¡°This is it,¡± Lima thought to himself, but suddenly the light was gone. The flame in the beast was put out by a man in a cloak of gray with black lines on the sides. The man who he thought was named Dave, but when he looked closer, it was his king. It was Nate Ward, the champion of death himself. Death was here, not to take Lima, but to take that beast. ¡°Run now, get out of here, and take this,¡± said Nate, handing the egg of the dragon to Lima. Nate ran at full speed and punched the dragon in the face, then used his sword to slice the dragon¡¯s cheek. The dragon swung at the man with its big clawed hand, but Nate was faster. He dodged his attack and used the dragon¡¯s hand to kick off into a backflip, then landed on the ground. Lima looked at the man, no not a man.. Nate may have been human at one point of his life, but not anymore. Lima has no idea what to call Nate. The dragon took some steps back, recovering from Nate¡¯s attack. The dragon stared Nate down and then let out the worst roar. Nate was forced to cover his ears, but he was able to see Lima and James get out of the area. The dragon stopped. It saw the egg in the hands of Lima. It roared and went for the two men. Nate moved at the same speed, slammed into the leg of the dragon, stopping it in its place. The beast was mad at the little man getting in her way, so it lifted its right leg and slammed it into Nate, grabbing him. It then started to break its way out of the cave to meet the open air. Nate watched as the dragon opened its wings. They were huge and beautiful, and the worst way this day could go. Then it took to the air. Chapter 24: Where is he? Chapter 24: Where is he? Nate was in the clawed hand of a dragon, being taken into the sky. At the height he was at, he would most certainly die from hitting the ground, or maybe not. Nate had not tested if he could take a long fall, but none of that mattered to him now. First he had to figure out how he would get out of the claws holding him in place, and then he would try not to die from the fall. Nate looked around the dragon''s body, trying to find a way to get the dragon to let go. Then he saw it, the dragon was injured under its wing. It was small, but Nate had no other choice. He fought and freed one arm, summoned the golden sword in a reverse grip, aimed at the injury and tossed the sword in it. They were now free falling. The dragon let out a sound of pain, but didn¡¯t let go. The grip did get weaker. Nate fought hard to get out, who knows what the beast had in mind. Nate didn¡¯t want to know. He punched the beast until the grip was lifted a bit, letting Nate get his left arm out. ¡°Let me go, you son of a bitch!¡± Nate put his fist into the air and slammed down with all his power. He was free, but the winged beast was not happy. At the same moment, the dragon chomped down on Nate, taking half of his left arm. They were both falling from the sky, Nate next to the dragon. He didn¡¯t know what to do, he reached out but his arm was missing. Nate was scared, images of his wife flashed in his mind and Autumn, Levey, and his unborn child. ¡°No, I have to be there for them.¡± Suddenly a screen appeared in Nate¡¯s face.
System message Race power Control water has been unlocked Race power Control water has turned into control blood from being mixed with your necromancer class Class Necromancer has been upgraded to Necro Vampire
Nate put out the half of his left arm again and blood came shooting out from it like spider webs, wrapping around the dragon. Nate used them to pull himself to the dragon and keep him from falling off its back. Nate was in pain, something he hadn¡¯t felt in a while, but this was the worst pain ever. Bones broken, missing arm, and the fall even on the dragon. He is going to feel the hit. Nate was trying to heal, but he thinks he finally found the limit to his healing power. He couldn¡¯t worry about that right now, as he was not far from the ground. The dragon tried to stop its momentum, but with one wing, it was not going to work. After some time, the dragon and Nate finally met the ground. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Lima looked at the huge area of the beach that was destroyed. He was looking at the dragon¡¯s dead body, then he saw something, or somebody, climb on top of the body of the beast. He was covered in blood, sand, and missing half an arm, but he was the winner of the battle. It was his King, the champion of Death. Nate fell from the dragon. Lima ran to Nate and scooped him up. Lima grabbed a bottle of dark blue milk like liquid from his bag and poured it into Nate¡¯s mouth. It was healing water, as the people called it. James found Lima with Nate in his arms. James had the egg, it seems Lima handed it to him at some point. ¡°We need to get him back, he may not survive,¡± said Lima. ¡°I think my radio is working, I will try and contact base,¡± said James. ¡°Ok, but do not say anything about King Ward.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°He was trying not to be seen for a reason. I don¡¯t know why, but I would like to keep it that way.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to give them the emergency code, so they should be here in 2 hours.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s the best we¡¯ve got.¡± James put down the egg, got his radio ready and started talking. ¡°A to B, this is James 55648-GS asking for immediate assistance at Latitude 40.752294 Longitude -73.920675,¡± said James. ¡°We hear you loud and clear, sending men your way now.¡± About 2 hours go by. James and Lima were able to get Nate stable. Nate was also going in and out of consciousness. When the emergency unit arrived, they were shocked to find Nate the king on the floor. ¡°I know you just got here, but he¡¯s fine for now. We must get him to his wife, and no words of what you are seeing here today, is that understood?¡± James said. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s get him in the truck,¡± said a healer. They put Nate on a stretcher and loaded him in the truck. ¡°Lima, as soon as we are back, take off to the Wards¡¯ home and find Queen Ward. She will know how to fix him up. I¡¯ll go to the church just in case, will you guys be able to handle him?¡± ¡°Of course we can, this is the king. He¡¯s the top of the list,¡± said a masked healer. It was around 2 more hours before they finally reached Thanatos. Lima wasted no time and took off to the home of the king, and James took off to the church. Lima made it to the door of the home and started knocking. Autumn opened the door. ¡°Lady Ward, your father was in a fight. He will need the queen as soon as he is here.¡± ¡°Slow down, what happened?¡± ¡°I am from the unit that the King went with to the bayside. There was a dragon, he protected us from it, but he was brutally injured. He fell from the sky. From what we know, he is missing half his arm and has many broken bones. Probably more injuries as well.¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s on the way. I rushed here to warn you and your mom.¡± ¡°Come in and relax. West, get my mom and get a bed ready. Dad is going to be here soon.¡± Lima walked in the home and took a seat. Westcut went to grab Ash. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Lima.¡± ¡°Lima, you did a good job. Be proud of yourself, and don¡¯t worry, my dad will be fine.¡± ¡°Thank you, lady Ward.¡± Chapter 25: Greatly Appreciated Chapter 25: Greatly Appreciated Nate woke up in his bed. His vision was blurred as he looked around his room. He went to push himself up but found it hard with half an arm missing. He took a look at the room again and found a boy in a chair, asleep with a book. It was Levey, his son. The child awoke. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re up! Finally!¡± said the boy, running to hug Nate. ¡°Yes, I am.. how long was I sleeping for?¡± said Nate, wrapping his arm around the boy. ¡°2 days, when you returned from your mission. I heard you got to fight a dragon,¡± said Levey. ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m pretty sure I won.¡± ¡°You did,¡± said Levey, pointing to a claw on the night stand beside them. Nate looked at it and looked back at Levey. He ruffled the kid¡¯s hair. ¡°Where¡¯s mom?¡± ¡°Making you food with uncle West.¡± ¡°Uncle west?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nate got up from his bed with help from Levey and found his way to the kitchen. Autumn, Will, and Tommy were at the coffee table, speaking of what to do with the egg. Westcut and Ash were making tons of food, and Nate¡¯s dad was at the coffee table with papers in hand. ¡°The egg is for Tommy,¡± said Nate. Everyone turned in surprise to see him of of bed. ¡°Oh Nate, you should not be moving,¡± Ash said, running to him. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You''re not, you are missing an arm, you have broken ribs and other broken bones, your lungs have blood in them, you should not even be able to stand right now!¡± exclaimed Ash. ¡°I¡¯m okay my love, I mean yeah, I feel the pain, but trust me. I will be okay.¡± ¡°What did you mean by the egg being mine?¡± asked Tommy. ¡°Well, I took that egg so you could raise the dragon inside of it for yourself. I think it would fit your class nicely,¡± said Nate. ¡°You did that for me?¡± asked Tommy. ¡°Yeah, but I killed its mom. Not for the egg, but because it was my mission. That egg is a bonus for all that I went through, and I want you to use it to become stronger,¡± said Nate. ¡°Thanks, brother.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, you¡¯re probably going to have a hard time with that thing.¡± Ash moved Nate to the table to sit. ¡°I made it past the bottle neck. I¡¯m level 32. I don¡¯t think I was made to fight that thing. I think I got very lucky.¡± ¡°Level up is good,¡± said Will. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not the best thing I got from the fight.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Tommy. ¡°I got a new power from my mom¡¯s race.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Autumn. ¡°The better question is, what was it in order for me to survive? And because of my class, it changed from controlling water to controlling blood.¡± ¡°What else?¡± asked Ash. ¡°I am no longer a Necromancer, but a Necro Vampire.¡± ¡°Your class changed?¡± asked Westcut? ¡°Yeah. Do you know anything about this?¡± asked Nate. ¡°Yes, I do. From what I know, classes can develop into a different class, putting you on a different path. Sometimes on purpose, or in more complex situations like yours, King Ward, it will just happen. For your case, it happened so that you would live. Even if that means leaving you on the brink of death,¡± said Westcut. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I¡¯m hard to kill now?¡± ¡°Yes and no, but I don¡¯t know anything about your class. I know about vampires, but that is a race, not a class. So I fear you will have to find out more about this yourself.¡± ¡°From what I do know, I can control my blood. How far I can go with the control, I have no idea yet.¡± ¡°This makes sense. When you had your fight with Michael, Death used a blood power to make a sword from hardened blood,¡± said Autumn. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much from that fight, but what you¡¯re saying feels right,¡± said Nate. ¡°Maybe he unlocked it really quick. I mean, he is a god, who knows what he can do,¡± said Will. ¡°I can see that, and maybe by using it he set me on this path,¡± said Nate. ¡°Can you still control water?¡± asked Ash. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think I control my blood by controlling the water within the blood, so maybe,¡± said Nate. ¡°Here, try,¡± said Tommy. Tommy pushed a glass of water to Nate. Nate gave it a look before putting out his hand. He felt a sense of energy in his hand, and soon after a drop of water started to rise from the glass, before Nate felt pain and it all stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t think my body is capable of much right now,¡± said Nate. ¡°That was cool!¡± said a very happy Will. ¡°Yeah you''re a water bender!¡± said Autumn. A knock at the door stopped the conversation. Westcut went to answer the door. ¡°James and Lima, how nice of you. Is your family going to join us?¡± said Westcut. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you guys would be here so soon,¡± said Ash. ¡°It is 6,¡± said Autumn. ¡°Then I lost track of time. Sorry about that, how about you all come in and get some refreshments?¡± ¡°Thanks, Queen Ward,¡± said James. ¡°Oh, stop. You both saved the life of my husband, so just call me Ash. Autumn, will you help me set the table outside, and West, will you please get them something to drink,¡± said Ash. They all moved to the living room. It was big enough to fit all the guests. Nate found his way slowly, with the help of Will and Tommy. Westcut followed soon after, giving cups filled with tea and a glass of rum to Nate, James, Lima, Will and Tommy. ¡°Wow this is some good stuff,¡± said Lima. ¡°Me and the King had a lot of time in the beginning of the great change, and we were able to find only the best,¡± said Westcut. ¡°That, and the good stuff helps the pain,¡± said Nate. ¡°Not much of a rum guy, but this is good,¡± said James. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you both. I thought I would end up having to save you guys, but I was the one in need of saving. If it weren¡¯t for you both, I may not have been here right now to drink this,¡± said Nate. ¡°Well to be honest, it was really easy to make the decision. You have done so much for everyone, that if I didn¡¯t almost give my life to save you, then I wouldn¡¯t be apart of this army. So Lima and I were just doing our duty, my King.¡± ¡°Yes you were, but nonetheless, I will make sure you men are greatly appreciated for what you have done. Before all that, please inform me of your family here.¡± ¡°Well you know me, and this is my wife Molly,¡± said Lima. ¡°And this is my wife Nora, and my kids Grace and Ben,¡± Said James. ¡°It¡¯s very nice to meet all of you,¡± said Nate. Ash comes in the back door. ¡°Dinner is ready.¡± Chapter 26: I Love You Chapter 26: I Love You After fully recovering from his intense battle with the dragon, Nate spent some peaceful time in his backyard. He stood by a bucket of water, carefully manipulating it with his hand and arm. As he focused, a mesmerizing ball of water floated in the air, only to come crashing down when his wife unexpectedly entered the backyard. "Apologies, I didn''t mean to interrupt," said Ash. "Don''t worry about it. I was feeling it slipping anyway," said Nate. "Robert and John are here with your order," Ash said. ¡°Finally,¡± said Nate. Walking into their house, Nate and Ash discovered Robert and John lounging in the living room. A long box rested prominently on the coffee table in front of them. ¡°How are you both doing today?¡± asked Nate. ¡°We are very good, King Ward, but I think you will be doing better than us here soon,¡± said Robert. Nate asked if there were any issues with the project. John replied, "There were a few, but with the priest''s help, everything fell into place, and now we''ve gained a new skill." John carefully lifted the lid of the box and peered inside, finding himself face to face with a startling sight an incredibly lifelike white arm with intricate black veins running along its surface. Nate''s eyes widened as he too gazed at the mysterious arm resting within the box. ¡°How will this work¡± asked Nate ¡°Well you may not like it but we will line it up with where you loss your arm and when it is as best as we can get we will put this band on you,¡± said Robert Robert took out a golden band it looked normal ¡°it will heat up and fuse the skin you will feel a lot of pain but it should work¡± Said Robert ¡°It doesn''t matter as of now I will be at a disadvantage when it comes to fighting¡± ¡°Well there is one more issue it''s Michael''s arm he was the best fit for you¡± ¡°The man I killed I must use his flesh to keep me in power well this is a very interesting turn of events but if it''s what I have to do then so be it,¡± said Nate. Nate shifted the coffee table next to the couch and then made himself comfortable by removing his shirt. He then lay down and adjusted his arm into a comfortable position on the table ¡°Let''s get this done,¡± said Nate. Robert carefully aligned the new arm with Nate''s existing limb and secured the gold band around the juncture. Initially, there was no discomfort, but after a brief moment, Nate started to feel a gentle warmth spreading through the area. However, this warmth soon intensified into a searing heat, gradually becoming a sharp, persistent pain. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "How long will this last?" asked Nate. ¡°Not too much longer look,¡± said Robert Nate looked down at the hand of his new arm. It was in a fist, reacting to the pain of the gold band. Then it all stopped, and the band was no longer gold but a deep black. Nate looked at his arm. It was almost perfect, but his new arm was slightly longer. ¡°It looks good can you move it¡± asked John Nate slowly rose to his feet and began to flex and rotate his arm to assess its mobility. He then focused his energy, causing his sword to materialize in his hand. With a few deliberate maneuvers, he expertly wielded the sword before returning it to his inventory. Gazing at his hands, he was happy with his new hand and arm. ¡°It works well. Thanks for doing this for me,¡± said Nate, giving a bag of gold coins to John. "This is too much, my king," said John. "It''s 50,000 10,000 for the work and 40,000 for my appreciation," said Nate. ¡°My king this-¡± ¡°You don''t call me King. You''re my friends, so just call me Nate¡± ¡°Thank you Nate,¡± said Robert. ¡°Of course,¡± said Nate. After a while, both men departed, leaving Nate to return to the backyard. He located the bucket of water he had been practicing with and raised his arm and hand. With a swift motion, an orb of water ascended into the air. The task seemed effortless, not due to the strength of his arm, but rather because his body was complete. He then pulled out his short sword and then the regular sword System Message "Death Bringer" is a sword created by Death using a piece of his scythe. This deadly weapon can bring permanent death to anyone it kills, rendering them unable to be revived by any means, not even by Death himself. System Message ¡°Sword of hope¡± When you hit an enemy, you also deal additional force damage regardless of armor Nate embarked on an intensive training regimen, honing his skills with the two swords he had acquired. Under the guidance of Westcut, he sought to master the most effective fighting form for dual wielding. However, as their training progressed, Nate found himself taking the lead, realizing that Westcut''s expertise only went so far. With his innate understanding of combat principles, Nate grasped the intricacies of wielding both swords simultaneously. He knew that if he could harness the full potential of dual wielding, he would become an indomitable force on the battlefield. After training for a while, Nate decided to take a break. As he walked into the kitchen of his home, he spotted his wife. She was giving him a look that he couldn''t quite comprehend. ¡°Are you feeling alright, my love?¡± asked Nate. ¡°I''m concerned about you, Nate. I can see that you''re changing, and it worries me. I care about you deeply. We both understand that you''re not the same sweet boy I married, but please know that my love for you hasn''t changed. I''m here for you, and I always will be. But, Nate, I need to know that you''re okay.¡± Nate fell to his knees ¡°I''m feeling really overwhelmed right now. There''s a lot on my plate, and it seems like things are only going to get more challenging. I''m feeling conflicted because I did something that I believe was justified, but I''m not sure if it was the right thing to do. I need some guidance on this.¡± Ash approached Nate with open arms and enveloped him in a warm, tight embrace. ¡°I am here and I understand that you did what you had to do, Nate. You are a king, and you made sure that everyone in this kingdom is safe. You should be proud of yourself for your courageous and wise leadership in protecting the people and maintaining peace.¡± ¡°I love you, Ash.¡± ¡°I love you, Nate.¡± Chapter 27 As Nate entered the meeting room of the capital building, he was greeted by five familiar faces. Will, Autumn, James, and Lima were all there, along with a new individual whom Nate had not yet had the pleasure of meeting. "I''m glad you all could make it," Nate said, his voice steady but his expression betraying a hint of anxiety. Autumn, who had taken a seat at the table, furrowed her brow and replied, ¡°Yes, we are present, but I¡¯m curious¡ªwhy are we meeting now? We don¡¯t have a scheduled meeting until tomorrow.¡± Nate took a deep breath, the memories of the recent dragon fight still fresh in his mind. ¡°After the encounter with the dragon, I¡¯ve felt a profound sense of fear creeping in. It¡¯s clear to me that I need to solidify everything I¡¯ve built for the future, even for the time when I might no longer be here.¡± A new voice interrupted, cutting through the tension in the room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what does that have to do with us?¡± The tone was direct, filled with curiosity. All eyes turned to the newcomer¡ªa striking woman with ebony skin, long, finely coiled hair, and a tall, muscular frame that suggested strength and confidence. Nate leaned forward slightly, intrigued by her presence. ¡°What was your name? I never caught it,¡± he asked. ¡°Faith, my king,¡± she replied respectfully, her posture straightening as she addressed him. ¡°Alright, Faith, let me explain. You¡¯ll be collaborating with Lima and James for an extended period. After thorough training from everyone present at this table, you will be forming a group known as the Four Horsemen,¡± Nate declared, his tone leaving no room for question. James, who sat nearby, furrowed his brow in confusion. ¡°But I only count three of us,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m well aware that I''m the fourth,¡± Nate confirmed, a slight smile touching his lips. Faith looked intrigued yet puzzled. ¡°So, as the Four Horsemen, what does that imply for us, and why exactly am I here?¡± she asked, crossing her arms. ¡°Your specific skill set is crucial to our plans. You possess a class dedicated to poison, a trait I desperately need for the kingdom''s future,¡± Nate explained, his eyes narrowing slightly as he assessed the gravity of the situation. Faith raised an eyebrow. ¡°You need a class related to poison? How did you even know my class?¡± she inquired. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Autumn interjected, ¡°The class log you provided when you arrived in the city contained all that information.¡± Faith¡¯s expression shifted to one of realization. ¡°Oh right, I forgot about that,¡± she admitted, a sheepish smile creeping onto her face. Will, sitting with his arms crossed, added, ¡°Once you filled out the paperwork, your name was placed on a list, and we¡¯ve been observing your progress ever since.¡± ¡°But what about the rest of us?¡± James pressed, genuinely concerned about his role in this newfound alliance. Nate leaned back in his chair, contemplating. ¡°Your roles will be pivotal,¡± he began. ¡°James, you¡¯ll serve as my eyes and ears within the army, ensuring that no one who aligns with us will act against our interests. Lima, your task will be to investigate our enemies whenever we prepare for war. As for you, Faith, you will become my top assassin. You¡¯ll receive extensive training to hone your skills, with Autumn assisting you throughout the process.¡± Faith¡¯s expression shifted from curiosity to skepticism. ¡°What about codenames?¡± she asked. Nate nodded, continuing. ¡°Yes, you will all receive code names for your assignments. James, you¡¯ll be known as Zelos. Lima, you will be Martius. And Faith, you¡¯ll take on the name Limos.¡± For the first time, Faith raised a question that reflected her pragmatic nature. ¡°What are the benefits of this arrangement?¡± Nate locked eyes with her. ¡°You¡¯ll receive 150 gold coins each day, with a bonus of 1,000 per successful mission, housing, and potentially more perks in the future.¡± A thoughtful expression crossed James''s face. ¡°This could significantly improve life for my family, but it also raises concerns. What will happen to my loved ones if things go awry? Will they be safe?¡± ¡°You will gain the strength to protect them,¡± Nate assured, his tone unwavering. ¡°During your missions, they will be well-guarded at all times, ensuring their safety as you serve the kingdom.¡± James nodded slowly, more resolute. ¡°I trust you, my king. You will have my loyalty.¡± ¡°Count me in,¡± Lima added with determination, her hands gripping the edge of the table. Faith took a moment before responding, weighing her options. ¡°I suppose I will join as well, but only if you can adjust my compensation to 170 gold a day,¡± she stated, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. ¡°Consider it done,¡± Nate replied without hesitation, a hint of admiration for her negotiating skills in his voice. ¡°Wow, that was quick and easy,¡± Faith remarked, her curiosity piqued. ¡°Why the urgency?¡± ¡°Faith, you¡¯re the most vital member of this group. From what I understand, acquiring a class like yours is exceedingly rare, which makes someone with your abilities highly sought after. I truly need you,¡± Nate explained, his sincerity resonating throughout the room. ¡°Well, it¡¯s refreshing to feel needed. So when do we start?¡± Faith inquired, her resolve solidifying. ¡°Today. The men will accompany Sir Will, while Faith, you will train with Lady Autumn,¡± Nate instructed, his tone brisk and authoritative. Will stood up from the table, glancing back over his shoulder. ¡°With that, we should be on our way. You two have monsters to hunt,¡± he said, ushering the group toward the door with an air of purposeful urgency. As everyone rose from the table, the weight of their newfound roles settled upon them, each person preparing to step into a future filled with uncertainty and the promise of adventure. ¡°Sir, I have one more thing to mention: you have a letter from an unknown sender.¡± said will