《Sage of Shadows》


 CHAPTER 1: REINCARNATION?

    Is this Death? She thought as she looked around her.


    It was all black. She could not see anything, not even her own nose.


    It certainly feels like it, she concluded with a sigh. I fucked up real bad didn¡¯t I?


    For many years she made a living off scamming others of all their hard earned money before pulling a vanishing act. As a seasoned artist and performer, she had spent a god awful amount of time scheming and plotting on how to get into her targets sights, cultivate their trust and create escape routes for when she had taken everything and no longer had any need for the target; and also for when she needed to escape in case of unexpected discovery. Years of playing the game and one would think she would be on high alert when something was too good to be true.


    Love, she scoffed, looking down at her chest.


    In this abyssal blackness she could not see it. She could not even feel it; maybe she did not have a chest at all. Now that she thought about it she did not feel her limbs either. When she tried to move them there was no response.


    So this is death? She thought. The forfeiture of my physical form.


    She looked down and sighed once more, though to be honest she did not know how she was doing that either. She could not feel her lungs either so they probably did not exist. That was probably the case with the nose she could not see, and one of the reasons all she could see was darkness was likely because she had no eyes. In other words, she was blind. Or maybe that was not the case either. Maybe being separated from her physical bonds had given her some kind of spirit sight, allowing her to see without a body. Meaning, this place was just fucking dark.


    I¡¯m overthinking it! She interrupted her active mind.


    None of that mattered. The bottom-line was that she was dead and that knife to the heart no longer hurt.


    But still, she thought while ¡°looking¡± around. Where was this, Purgatory? She metaphorically shrugged as she thought about it. At least it¡¯s not Hell.


    Someone like her was clearly not bound for the good place so this was already better than she expected.


    Well, she thought, I¡¯m exhausted. Maybe if I close my eyes I will fall asleep and never wake up.


    That was her ideal death.


    Heaven sounded too good to be true. A place where everyone was happy and satisfied; where peace and harmony existed in all corners? What a fucking joke! That kind of fantasy is what she sold her targets before taking them for all they were worth and doing the classic vanishing act.


    As for Hell¡­ that place existing was more believable and unless you had some serious masochistic tendencies, there was no way anyone would want to go there.


    Maybe this is how Hell truly looks like? A sudden thought came to her.


    As much as her parents used to sell the story of the Lake of Fire to scare her into behaving, she had always imagined Hell to be a place similar to this. An endless black void with no sound and nary a presence. In her opinion true Hell would be to leave her here to stew in her own thoughts for eternity. It was kind of like sensory deprivation. She could already not feel her body and the darkness she saw might be because she was blind. Perhaps her other senses had vanished as well. Maybe her fate was to remain here alone with her thoughts until she began to doubt everything.


    Please let it not be the case! She prayed, trying to calm her panicking self.


    It would be a lie to claim she was a people person. She hated them! As a seasoned performer she had been around long enough to know that they were full of shit. Therefore she preferred her own company over theirs. That said, she still wanted to know they were there. If by some miracle she ever got bored of her own company she could then search for theirs. That was how she had always thought. Even if she ended up in the Lake of Fire there would be others she could communicate with, bond with over mutual suffering. However, if she was here alone-


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    HELLO! She screamed, or at least she thought she did.


    There was no sound, or maybe she just could not hear herself. Lacking ears and all.


    If someone heard her and responded maybe she would not hear them either.


    WHAT AN AMUSING CHILD YOU ARE!  A response came from the darkness, and fortunately she could hear it.


    It calmed her down.


    Are you God?  She asked the disembodied voice.


    TO ONE SUCH AS YOURSELF I AM?


    She lifted a metaphorical eyebrow at this. What did that even mean?


    However, she was not going to ask this.


    Where is this?


    THINK OF IT AS A NEXUS FOR THOSE WHO ARE ABOUT TO BE REINCARNATED.


    Reincarnation is real?


    YES, the disembodied voice responded. ALL SOULS COME HERE IN PREPARATION FOR THEIR NEXT LIFE. MOST I SEND ON WITHOUT TALKING TO, BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS A FEW I CANNOT IGNORE.


    Like me? She asked.


    YES. WHEN INTERESTING PEOPLE SUCH AS YOURSELF ENTER THIS PLACE I TAKE THE LIBERTY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM. TO OFFER THEM A CHOICE?


    And what would that option be? She asked, suspicious. All the while she thought, God? Give me a break! She scammed people for a living. She knew when something was too good to be true. Why in fuck¡¯s name would God take an interest in her? Let this being say what it will but she would not believe anything it said. God? Humph. She would believe it more if it claimed to be the Devil.


    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The entity in the darkness laughed, making her realise that her personal thoughts were not so personal where it was concerned. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE. I CAME TO GIVE YOU THE SAME CHOICE I GIVE THOSE WHO CATCH MY EYE. REINCARNATE INTO A WORLD OF MAGIC WITH YOUR MEMORIES AS A MEMBER OF ANY RACE YOU DESIRE.


    Why would you offer such a choice? She asked sceptically. How did this being benefit from it?


    BECAUSE YOU HAVE CAUGHT MY EYE. OF COURSE IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO I WILL ACCEPT YOUR DECISION AND STRIP YOU OF YOUR MEMORIES BEFORE REINCARNATING YOU.


    So the choice is between being reincarnated as a creature of my choice in some magical world and having my identity stripped from me and being reborn in some unknown place?


    YES. PREVIOUSLY I HAVE OFFERED THIS CHOICE TO NINETY-EIGHT OTHERS. SURPRISINGLY THERE WAS ONE WHO CHOSE THE LATTER OPTION. A SHAME THAT WAS, FOR EVEN AMONG THOSE I¡¯VE TALKED TO HE WAS AMONG THE MOST INTERESTING. The being paused for a while before its voice came once more. SO WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?


    I choose neither option, she firmly replied.


    Getting reincarnated in another world with her current memories, this was exactly the sort of thing those Escapist authors wrote about. What did they call it? Isekai? Those stories were usually categorised under Fantasy¡­ because such a good thing did not exist in the world! She would be a fucking moron to believe such crap.


    As for losing her identity and moving on? Who in their right fucking mind would want that? What was the point of reincarnation if she was no longer the person she use to be?


    I prefer to stay dead, she said to the darkness, or the creature that lurked within it. Put me in a dreamless sleep and let me stay dead forever.


    SO THIS IS YOUR CHOICE? The voice asked. TO REMAIN DEAD?


    That is so, she affirmed.


    An uncomfortable silence followed in which she wondered if the being in the darkness would fly off the handle after she dared to suggest a third option separate from the ones it had offered.


    Much to her surprise the being did not reject her.


    SO BE IT.


    These words were spoken with such finality. She did not have time to come up with a response before the scenery changed.


    The darkness faded and revealed a grey world.


    What¡¯s going on? She asked, looking around.


    The picture that met her was an endless desert filled with numerous grey grains. At the horizon these grains met a grey sky that was devoid of both clouds and celestial bodies. This world was scarily silent, so much so that she could not hear the slightest gust of wind, not that there was any wind to hear.


    What the fuck is this? She thought, looking around.


    Then she looked down and froze.


    She had a body once more; hands and feet, she could see them. However, they were almost transparent. Through them she could still see the grey sand. In her bewilderment she kept staring, not realising the tingly sensation in her brain until a bunch of writing flashed across it.


    Race: Ghost (Undead- Spectre)


    Physique: None


    Mana: SS (White)


    Title(s): Darkborne


    A bunch of shit she did not understand. However, when she read the first line she exploded.


    That fucking arsehole!


    He fucking reincarnated her as a ghost! What the fuck! This was not what she meant when she said she wanted to stay dead!


    I knew he couldn¡¯t be fucking trusted!

 CHAPTER 2: GREYNESS

    FUCK! She shouted.


    Or at least she wanted to. It seemed that becoming a ghost did not make one audible. So much for that assumption. Shows what people from where she came from knew.


    But this was not the time to think about it.


    Looking up from her transparent hands, she began to inspect her surroundings in earnest.


    She saw nothing new. The landscape was the same as the first time she laid eyes on it. The grey desert spread in all directions as far as the eye could see. There were no signs of life, not even moss. The cloudless sky matched the ground in colour. It all presented a morbid picture.


    Where is this? She wondered. Where did that arsehole send me?


    There was no sign of life anywhere. Not a tree, not a grass shoot and- as far as she could tell- not a fucking insect in sight. Because the sky was completely devoid of celestial bodies she could not even tell directions. It left her with an epiphany; which way should she go?


    Before that¡­ she looked down once more and was met with the previous view of transparent hands.


    A ghost? Seriously, a fucking ghost? She raged internally.


    This was ridiculous! Who in their fucking mind interpreted I want to stay dead as turn me into a ghost? What the fuck was she expected to do in this form, haunt people? If that was the case where exactly would she find people to haunt in the fucking desert?


    Could have at least put me in a settlement, she raged on.  At least there she would be able to amuse herself by scaring the settlers or better yet, possess one of them to obtain a body.


    Is that even possible? She wondered.


    What exactly could she do as a ghost? What was she capable of? If she walked into town would people see her and point, or would she be invisible to everyone who lacked some sort of special sight? Were the stories of ghost being intangible true? It certainly did not feel that way standing on the grey ground. Did that mean stories of ghosts being able to walk through walls were false or was it just that they could not sink into the ground? Most importantly, what about possession? Was that something ghosts were really capable of?


    So many questions, she stressed.


    She kept staring intently at her hands until the words from before appeared in her mind once more. Instinctively, she knew their source. It was some kind of innate skill she possessed, called {Index}. She did not seem to have any other skills though.


    The meaning of the words on the {Index} was obvious. First off, she was a ghost. Second, she lacked a physique; probably because she lacked a body. As for mana, she was not ignorant of it. She had played a few games to know what it was, the energy used by magicians. The words in her mind claimed her capacity was double S, which meant she had a shit-load of it. Did that mean that she could learn to cast spells like in the games? Did the arsehole in the Abyss really send her to a world of magic?


    And what of this Darkborne title?


    This was the only word she did not understand? What did it mean?


    After contemplating for a long time and without coming up with a satisfactory answer she decided to bury her thoughts for now. The questions, she had no answers to them. The best thing to do was to look for someone to explain things to her.


    Now, she looked around. In which direction will I find people?


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    On this featureless ground blanketed by a featureless sky she had no clue which direction to choose. Of course the fact that she could not tell which direction was which had a lot to do with it. There was no way to tell. She doubted that even a native of this land would be able to distinguish the difference. Unless they were using magic. But, magic might or might not exist in this world. Originally she was already sceptical of the being in the Dark. After the stunt it pulled she had even less course to believe it.


    I will find out when I meet people, she told herself.


    Finally, she chose a random direction and began to walk in that direction. Honestly, she did not know if there were people in the direction she was going. But from what she figured, it was not like she would die of thirst and starvation if she found no one. If tales about ghosts were to be believed, she would not tire either. So, she could look for however long she pleased until she found signs of life.


    Time passed as she traversed the desert. She felt that it was a long time but was unsure exactly how long it had been since she started walking. In all that time the sky maintained its dusky appearance. Night never came and a moon never rose. Therefore, it might have felt like an eternity to her but for all she knew maybe it was just a few minutes that could have passed.


    After what felt like hours of walking she looked up and sighed.


    I wish I could go up there and get a clearer picture of where to go.


    If only she could go in the sky perhaps she would be able to spot some settlements. However, much to her disappointment, it seemed the stories of ghosts being able to fly was utter bullshit. At most she could hover half a metre above the ground.


    Fuck you! She cursed the Abyssal being for the umpteenth time.


    He reincarnated her in another world. As the one behind her reincarnation should he not have provided her with some kind of cheat ability? That was Isekai 101! How could he not know that when he had apparently done the same to ninety-seven others before?


    Maybe he just wanted to fuck with me, she thought.


    Perhaps that creature really was the Devil and it sent her to the real Hell, a lonely desert scape which she would wander for all eternity.


    Please let it not be so, she prayed.


    More time elapsed, she could not tell how much. The sky remained the same and the stars stayed absent. It was the same for the landscape. The places she passed were identical to the previous ones. She was not sure if she was going in circles or not. She left no footprints to tell her if it was the case.


    Forward, she pressed on.


    If she was not walking in circles then great. She might come upon a settlement sometime soon. If she was walking in circles then she would just have to persevere. She was a ghost. She would keep on walking until she escaped the cycle. After all, she had all the time in the world.


    The landscape remained the same as she kept walking. The silence remained. In all that time she encountered no life.


    At this point she began to wonder if she had truly been sent to a lonely desert Hell as her eternal punishment.


    Something was awfully wrong with this place. How could there be no insects anywhere? Those little fuckers could be found everywhere! How was it that she had not encountered one in all the time that she had walked? She must have covered dozens of kilometres on her journey so it should have been impossible for her not to encounter anything. What kind of place was this where there are not even birds in the sky?


    After travelling all this time she was ready to give up when she caught sight of movement on the horizon. It was but a small dot. She could not tell what it was, but seeing it filled her with hope. Before she even realised it, she was running in its direction.


    The myth about the dead not tiring turned out to be true. This was something she had realised over her long(?) journey to nowhere. Now as she ran she thanked this ghostly trait. The figure on the horizon grew in her eyes and its shape began to outline. Its shape was humanoid, possessing two arms and legs. Joy filled her when her eyes managed to discern the shape.


    It¡¯s a person! She exclaimed.


    However, the next moment she came to an abrupt stop.


    She was now standing mere metres from the figure and was able to make out its features clearly. Yes, it was humanoid; it had two arms and two legs. Unfortunately, it was not human¡­ at least not anymore.


    Its skin was cracked and flaking, exposing rotten flesh underneath. Its hair was thin and dirty, its eye sockets were empty and its nose was missing. It strode in a slow limping gait as drool dripped from its broken jaw. For the first time since she got here she heard sound and it was in the form of throaty grunts. At some point her {Index} stirred and words appeared in her mind.


    Race: Zombie (Undead- Ghoul)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: H (White)


    Where the fuck was I sent to? She wondered for the umpteenth and first time as she stared at the creature in befuddlement.

 CHAPTER 3: DEAD LAND

    Due to the shock of finding the walking-rotting corpse, she failed to react when it suddenly lunged at her. Its bloated hands reached for her, trying to grab her. However, and fortunately, the creature¡¯s foul hands passed through her. This gave her time to recover and distance herself, all the while sighing in relief. It seemed that as a ghost she really had become intangible. Having confirmed it, the panic that had previously risen when the zombie tried to grab her vanished. Knowing she was safe, her thoughts drifted elsewhere.


    A fucking zombie¡­


    The arsehole in the Dark was a real piece of shit. What were the odds that the first creature she would meet would be a walking corpse unless he planned it that way? But how exactly should she interpret this? Was she in some kind of land of the dead? If she kept walking would the settlement she encountered be a necropolis instead of a living city? Was this the kind of place she had been sent to?


    Her thought process was interrupted when the zombie attacked her again. This time it tried bite to her, but- just like the previous attempt- it passed through her. Seeing this, her alertness of the situation quelled even further. Still, a wave of what would have been nausea if she still possessed a body passed through her abdomen when the creature went through her. The idea of being close to such a disgusting creature did not appeal to her. She put more distance between the two of them.


    However, the creature was relentless. It kept coming after her, swinging its decaying arms ferociously. A few times it tried to sink its teeth into her. All its attempts failed, either they were out of her range or they met the same fate as its first ones.


    Dammit! She exclaimed as she kept putting more distance between herself and the creature.


    No matter how much she distanced herself from it, it just kept on coming! Minutes passed in which she was certain she traversed hundreds of metres worth of desert. The zombie was still only a few metres from her. Even when she had run it had been fruitless. The belief that zombies were slow was completely unfounded.


    How do I get rid of it? She asked herself.


    Should she try to attack it? That would be the logical conclusion. However, in her current state her fists would probably pass through it. Even if it turned out that she could hit the zombie, she did not have much hope of destroying it with her bare hands. Besides¡­ she looked at the creature once more. If she had a stomach she would have retched from the sight of it. She certainly did not wish to touch a creature so foul. Having made that decision she stopped simply trying to put some distance between them and earnestly began trying to escape. Without a second thought she turned around and started running.


    The zombie pursued. It was pretty fast, but she was even faster. The distance between her and the creature kept widening until, after a long time, the zombie was no longer behind her. Only then did she feel the need to stop and take a breather, in the non-literal sense.


    She looked up at the sky, having already lost count of how many times she had gazed upon its greyness. After a couple of seconds she looked down at the sand, comparing its dull colour to that of the bleak sky for the zillionth time. In all honesty, whatever god created this place lacked an imagination. Seriously, was grey the only colour they knew?


    After all the time she had spent here she was beyond tired of this place. No sun, no trees and no wind; what kind of moronic being would create such a place? Why would anyone create such a place? There weren¡¯t even insects for fuck¡¯s sake! The last part she would have considered a blessing if not for the fact that the previous things were missing. If the one who created this place did was not a complete and utter fucking moron, then they had the worst humour in existence.


    Was it that arsehole? She wondered.


    It felt like something he would do. It would make complete sense if someone living in the darkness lacked the slightest sense of artistry. Black, white and grey were probably the only colours he knew so it was not farfetched that he created something this stupid. After all, did he not send her here despite her vehemently wishing otherwise?


    This is a very beautiful world you created, she commented.


    Minutes passed without a response, causing her to purse her lips in frustration.


    Honestly, she thought that maybe by complementing this worthless land she would get a response from him. Maybe he could not hear her anymore. Or maybe he still could but did not respond because he was not the creator of this world. Another reason might be because he knew how she really felt about this shit land. The last reason would make sense considering the fact that he was able to sense her innermost thoughts when they had conversed.


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    If that¡¯s so then¡­ FUCK YOU! She exclaimed. This is a pretty garbage world you created! Was grey the only colour you could afford? Is your imagination so lacking that you couldn¡¯t even create a proper desert? Where are the fucking dunes?


    She wanted to say more but was suddenly aware of movement to her side. Quickly, she swivelled her neck in a ninety degree angle and was met with the sight of another rotting corpse. This one was different from the previous one. It was taller and bulkier, with more flaked skin. Its mouth was torn from the lips to the ears, turning it into a vicious gaping maw with endless drool dripping from it. As she kept staring the creature¡¯s information appeared before her eyes.


    Race; Zombie (Undead- Ghoul)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: F (White)


    Just as she finished reading its information, the creature gave a throaty grunt and lunged for her. Its speed was completely different from the other one. She could not move out of the way in time. Luckily, as with the previous zombie she had encountered this one could not seem to touch her either.


    Trying to distance herself from the creature proved useless as the zombie¡¯s speed far surpassed hers. Wherever she went it would appear a millisecond later, poised to strike. It possessed a speed that belied its size, allowing it to swipe at her so fast the actions generated faint gusts. Behind it she caught sight of deep prints it had embedded in the sand.


    This thing was dangerous, and fortunately it could not hit her.


    However, she was still troubled with how she would escape from it. Although it could not hurt her, she did find its persistent efforts to do so irritating. She tried to run like she did from the previous zombie but this one caught up with ease. It kept swinging and swinging, its hands constantly passing through her. The actioned irked her until she could not take it anymore.


    In her anger she swung a punch at it. As expected, it went right through it. Her previous assumption had been correct. The zombie could not harm her, but neither could she harm it. At this realisation she released a grunt similar to the zombie¡¯s. If she was unable to escape or come up with a way to dispose of the monster the two of them would be stuck in an eternal stalemate. That was not something she wished for.


    Isn¡¯t there anyone else who can get this thing off my case? She wondered.


    At some point she stopped trying escape the thing and began to search, allowing the zombie¡¯s attacks to annoyingly fly through her. The thought of such a disgusting creature invading her private space was nauseating. Its putrid stench assaulted her ethereal nose. If she had a body she would definitely be feeling sick right now.


    Just then, while looking around, she spotted the previous zombie. Its nature was quite relentless, seeing that it had continued chasing after her even when she had completely left it in the dust. As the creature closed the distance between them she heard its guttural groans. The creature rushed them and slammed into the other zombie, freeing her from what would probably have been an endless torturous cycle.


    It seemed the two creatures where not allies despite being of the same kind. The first zombie she had encountered began to pummel the other viciously.


    This was as much as she saw before turning around and making a run for it. The sooner she lost sight of the both of them, the better. Then she could finally get back to figuring out where the fuck she was and what the fuck this world was.


    That hope did not survive long.


    She did not even take five steps when a burly rotting hand burst through her chest. She recognised it as belonging to the second zombie. The surprising act brought her to a halt. She looked back, searching for the first zombie. What she saw was a pile of dismembered limbs surrounding a squashed head and torso.


    FUCK! She exclaimed. This zombie destroyed the other one so easily! She was truly fortunate the creature could not harm her or she would have suffered the same fate.


    Now what do I do? She wondered.


    She was unable to destroy the zombie and she lacked the speed to escape from it. How then could she get rid of the damnable thing?


    After thinking about it for a minute she came up with the perfect solution; look for someone to dump it on.


    With the way things were, it was likely the next person she encountered would be a zombie as well. If that was so she could try to escape when the two engaged each other. If it turned out to be a human, she could run away when this zombie was dismembering them. Hopefully the zombie would try to eat their brain like in the movies, giving her more time to escape.


    So with her mind made up she began her journey. It was wrought with intense stress as she tried to ignore the zombie¡¯s constant harassment.


    Fortunately it did not take long to find a potential saviour.


    Unfortunately, the candidate was not alone. Or rather, there was more than one candidate.


    At some point in her journey she came across a group of around two dozen zombies. The {Index} triggered and their information flashed before her eyes. Most of them had a Grade 5 physique like the zombie that was destroyed in seconds, around three of them possessed a Grade 4 physique like the one currently glued to her.


    The bizarre thing was that these zombies seemed to be at peace with each other, which was contrary to what she had seen earlier. She had just started wondering why it was so when a translucent- nearly opaque- form in the middle of the small horde caught her attention.


    Its ethereal skin was ashen like the desert, a hairless creature with claws for hands. The creature¡¯s arms were long and disproportionate to its body. It did not have legs, instead hovering half a metre above the ground. She felt a chill when the creature turned to look at her with its glowing red eyes...


    Race: Wraith (Undead- Spectre)


    Physique: None


    Mana: A (Brown)


    Title(s): Netherkin


    ¡­ She was in trouble.

 CHAPTER 4: WRAITH

    Unlike the zombies, the wraith gave her an ominous feeling. The way its eyes bore into her, as if trying to pry her open and scan her secrets. They were like a maelstrom drawing her in, trying to take control of her entire being. She almost could not resist.


    Almost.


    She looked away, her strained features evidence of the difficulty of the task. As the embers of the wraiths ocular ensnarement vanished a heavy torrent of fear rose from within her core.


    It was trying to control me! She realised.


    She was definitely in trouble! This creature was able to influence her!


    The wraith¡¯s face expressed its surprise. It clearly had not expected its attempt at mind-control to fail. The next moment its already hideous face became even uglier. It uttered an enraged howl and flew towards her, clawed hands outstretched. She did not dare harbour thoughts of meeting its challenge.


    Fight and flight instincts kicking in, she made a dash for it. From behind her the wraith¡¯s furious howls came. Along with it, the zombies¡¯ footsteps could be heard. They too were chasing her.


    What about the one that followed me here? She wondered, looking back.


    She was disappointed when she saw it among the horde and chasing after her as well. It seemed that the wraith had put it under its control. It had probably done the same to the other zombies.


    I¡¯ll just go look for support from somewhere else, she declared. If she could find another horde led by a wraith she might be able to escape.


    That hope was short lived.


    With the zombie that was previously chasing her joining the horde, there were now four zombies that outclassed her when it came to speed. They caught up to her an instant after she stopped looking back. They flailed at her furiously, their hands passing through her abdomen. All they managed to do was hit each other.


    Then she heard the wraith¡¯s screech. Amazingly, she understood what it was saying. It was ordering the zombies to quit the chase. A sense of foreboding hit her when she heard the order. That thought was proven right when, the next instant, the wraith appeared in front of her. One moment it was not there, the next moment it was; just like teleportation.


    She came to a halt and jumped to the side just as the wraith swung its clawed hands at her. Unlike with the zombies, she had no doubt that its claws would touch her. After all, from the information she had gleaned, they were both spectral creatures. The wraith could harm her. The opposite was likely true as well. However, she was not willing to test the theory. Using her ability to glide to avoid falling, she landed on her two feet. Then she was sprinting away once more.


    The wraith¡¯s angry cries came from behind. She paid them no mind and kept running. Once more the creature teleported in front of her and took a swipe at her. She managed dodged to the side. The creature followed with a vertical swipe which she managed to evade and watch from the side as it sank into the grey sand.


    From that she learned something.


    Wraiths were different from ghosts. They were able to affect physical objects.


    Fucking bastard! She cursed.


    Why could that arsehole not turn her into a wraith? If she had been a wraith she could have defeated the first zombie. Then she would never have bumped into the second one and the chain of events that happened after that would never have happened. If only she had been reincarnated as a wraith she would not be in this situation!


    She dodged another swipe from the wraith. However, this time she had not evaded in time. The tip of the creature¡¯s claws managed to graze her arm. She did not feel pain, however, the part that was grazed began to feel numb. In a panicked state, she manage to haphazardly separate herself from the wraith. She took a momentary glance at her affected arm after putting more distance between herself and the wraith. It seemed fainter than before


    If those claws pass through me completely I¡¯m done, she realised, panicking even more.


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    If she were not in her current situation, she would consider death- if it could be called that in her current state- a welcome change. If she ¡°died¡± she would finally be able to get out of this God-awful place. It was unfortunate- and sad on her part- that she realised just how much she clung to survival. What she had right now could not be called a life, but she would struggle to maintain it. To die would mean to return to the Abyss and converse with the creature that lurked within it. She was not hopeful that she would be given another chance considering how much she had been cursing him. Most likely, the being in the dark would wipe her memories and reincarnate her somewhere else. That reincarnated person would be someone entirely new.


    She did not wish for such a fate.


    When the wraith attacked again she dodged and launched an attack of her own. She dropkicked it right in the middle of its hideous face. The creature had not been expecting the move. The kick pushed it backwards and it would have tumbled into the sand if not for the fact that it could hover. It managed to stabilise itself and gave an angry roar. It tried to attack her again, but she was ready for it. Dodging once more, she landed a roundhouse kick on its temple.


    Back when she was still alive one of her schemes went horribly wrong, leaving her bedridden for months. After she got better she decided to learn mix-martial arts and parkour. The latter was to make her better at escaping when she was found out and the former was to defend herself if there was no escape route. This was what she used right now.


    Although the creature was raging it did not look hurt. With the way things were it would probably take thousands- if not millions- of kicks and punches to beat this creature. If she were still human it would be impossible, but in her current state it was something she could definitely see herself doing. It would take a long while, days by her estimation, but she deemed it feasible; as long as she did not lose focus. One direct hit from the wraith¡¯s claw and it would be over. If she could manage to avoid it everything would be fine.


    This was her plan as she poised herself to face the wraith¡¯s next assault.


    An assault that never came.


    Confused, she turned around only to see that the creature had distanced itself from her. She saw it raise its hand and suddenly got a bad feeling. She made to jump out of the way. However, she could not evade in time.


    She could not evade at all.


    It happened in an instant. One moment she felt something in the wraith stir, the next she was hit with an uncomfortable feeling. There was no pain or numbness to indicate she had been hurt, but she knew something was wrong.


    Looking down at her body she realised what the change was. Her body still had an ethereal glow, but it had become more solid. When she heard the wraith order the zombies to attack her she knew what had been done to her.


    Oh Shit!


    Those creatures were going rip her apart!


    What to do! What to do! She thought hurriedly, watching the creatures dash towards her.


    Wide-eyed and delirious, she raised her hands and shouted.


    WAIT!


    She did not expect them to listen. But, much too her surprise, the zombies stopped. The four Grade 4 zombies¡¯ fists were mere centimetres from her when they did so.


    What the hell¡­


    She looked around and saw that the others had stopped as well.


    What was going on?


    The wraith looked to be just as surprised as her. It raised its hand and pointed at her, ordering the creatures to attack once more.


    STOP! She ordered.


    Weirdly, the zombies seemed to follow her orders over the wraiths. It was a result that caused both joy and frustration to rise within her.


    Why didn¡¯t I try it out sooner? She lamented. All the things she could have avoided!


    The wraith was still trying to order the zombies but they were not listening it. If the circumstances had been different she would have found the situation humorous, especially seeing the wraith raging. If not for its hideousness she would have likened it to a child throwing a tantrum.


    Right now though, she was pretty pissed at everything she had gone through and the wraith was just the creature to take her frustrations out on.


    Attack! She commanded, pointing a finger at the wraith.


    The instant she finished the four big zombies were already within the wraiths range. They raised their arms and swiped at it¡­ to be met with the same fate as when they tried to hit her. The wraith swiped a claw at one of the zombie, leaving a deep gash in the process.


    She pursed her lips when she saw it.


    Fucking unfair! She exclaimed.


    Still screaming, the wraith raised its hands at the zombies. She felt something stir with the creature again. Then green liquid appeared out of nowhere and splashed the zombies. She watched in horror as the walking corpses began to melt wherever they were touched by the liquid.


    Acid, she realised. The wraith used a magic spell to melt the zombies.


    This fight is unfair! She complained again.


    The wraith could hit the zombies yet their hits passed through it. Added to that was the fact that it was using magic against them. How then were they supposed to beat it?


    Why can¡¯t I use magic? She wondered. According to the {Index} she possessed more mana than the wraith. So, how was it able to cast spells when she was unable to?


    The sound of melting flesh struck her out her thoughts just in time to see the wraith cast its acid spell on all of the remaining zombies. She watched in horror as the two dozen ghouls that had just fallen under her control began to melt. Many of them began to drop to the ground as the acid chewed through their skulls. Within a minute all of them had ceased activity, leaving the only ones standing her and the wraith.


    The look it was giving her was far from the friendliest. It promised great pain and suffering.


    When she saw it she could not help but think, Oh fuck!

 CHAPTER 5: SUMMONING

    Staring at the wraith, her mouth conjured words without her thinking.


    Er¡­ Peace?


    That seemed to piss off the creature even more. Before she could react she felt something within the creature stir. Unlike the previous times, she now knew that this was the stirring of mana. The wraith was about to cast a spell. Alarmed, she quickly dodged to the side.


    Unfortunately, she was unable to avoid the spell.


    She did not see it but she felt it hit her. Suddenly, she suddenly felt her movements slow down. Her mind was not affected so her thinking was still up to par, but signals she sent to her spectral body were delayed. Even when executed, the actions were done in a slow and lacklustre manner.


    Shit! She gasped, eyes wide.


    Unfortunately this was just the beginning of her despair.


    Again she felt the mana stir within the wraith. This spell must not have been aimed at her because she did not feel anything hit her. She did not see any strange occurrence in the surroundings either. However, the next moment she knew exactly what the spell had done as the wraith rushed towards her with at a speed it had not previously displayed.


    With the creature being twice as fast and her being twice as slow, there was no way she could avoid the blow.


    It caught her right on the shoulder. She cried in response.


    There was no pain, but she felt her that her shoulder had become numb. Looking at it, she saw of wide gash that ran to her chest, leaving her shoulder separated from the rest of her body. Seeing this, her panic reached record levels she had never achieved, even when she was alive.


    What do I do? Her panic-stricken mind raced.


    Now that the she was unable to avoid the wraith¡¯s claws it was only a matter of time before it vanquished her. How could she get herself out of this situation? Was it possible to turn it around and clinch a victory? At the moment she did not see such a possibility.


    As she looked on, watching the wraith charge with speed she could not match, its vicious claws poised to strike her, she realised a certain truth.


    She was about to die.


    I¡¯m sorry! She shouted, raising the only hand she was currently capable of raising. Please spare me! I¡¯ll do anything!


    When out of options, the only thing left to do was beg. It did not sit well with her, but survival took precedence. She would do whatever it took to preserve her existence. After her survival was guaranteed she could worry about everything else.


    The wraith¡¯s claws were only mere millimetres from her face when they stopped. On its face, the anger still remained, but there was something else. It retracted its claw, causing her to release a sigh of relief. She looked at its face, watching intrigue rise to cover its anger.


    The wraith growled at her. She understood it nonetheless. What can you do for me?


    Er¡­ anything, she replied. She could not think of something specific. Anything you want. You just name it and I¡¯ll do it for you!


    I see¡­ the wraith seemed to contemplate. The tension she felt was about to disappear when she saw the intrigue vanish, leaving the only the previous anger on its face. Then I want you to die!


    The wraith charged towards her, its claws poised to strike. She had no response for this action. Her mind was blank. There was nothing else she could think of to get herself out of the current situation. Her new life had just begun and it was already ending.


    Fuck that arsehole, she cursed.


    After she returned to the Abyss she would tell him everything she thought of him and she would not spare her thoughts. All she had to do was wait for the wraith¡¯s claws to end her and send her back.


    However, a sudden change took place.


    Out of nowhere a circle of light suddenly appeared underneath her feet and enshrouded her. The wraith¡¯s claws arrived a second later. Having accepted her imminent demise, she closed her eyes and waited. However, she did not feel the claws hit her. Surprised, she opened her eyes and saw a wraith that looked just as confused as her. It howled furiously and re-enacted its attack, only for its claws to bounce off the wall of light created by the circle under her feet.


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    What is this circle? She wondered in amazement.


    It was magic, that much she could tell after experiencing the wraith¡¯s spells. Perhaps it was another spell. However, she could not tell what this one did. Due to her aversion to the unknown, she was tempted to leave the circle. However, seeing the raging wraith as it fruitlessly tried to get back at her she chose to stay put. It was safer to remain inside.


    But the wraith was not willing to give up. She felt a shift in its mana stir as it flung spells at the circle. Darkness smashed against the circle wall, acid splashed onto it, ice spikes appeared out of thin air and crashed against the magic wall; all of it proved useless. The circle remained sturdy.


    Seeing this, a wave of relief came over her.


    The wraith could not break through the circle. She watched the enraged spectre howl and fling more spells, all to no effect, and suddenly felt the need to steady her shaken heart at its expense.


    Hmph, pathetic, she said venomously. Hearing her, the creature got even angrier and began to attack more vigorously. Watching its fruitless actions from behind a wall of safety she could not resist the urge to taunt it. How weak! You can¡¯t even break through such a flimsy wall? This is the most pathetic display I¡¯ve ever seen!


    The wraith gave her a menacing glare, renewing its efforts to get through the wall.


    It all proved for naught.


    Try your best! She encouraged mockingly. I believe in you. You can do it!


    The wraith roared, furiously clawing at the magic wall. It screamed and raged as it tried to get through to her. She waved at it and took up enticing positions for ¡°encouragement.¡± As expected, the ¡°encouraged¡± spectre failed to break through.


    I guess this is all you amount to huh? She said mockingly. I expected bet-


    The sudden shift in the magic circle shut her up. Suddenly she felt an attraction force come from the beneath her feet. The circle was trying to pull her in.


    Alarmed, she tried to resist the force, but it was to no avail. In mere seconds she sunk into the magic circle. The wraith¡¯s angry howls she could still hear, becoming fainter and fainter. They were the least of her concerns at the moment.


    What¡¯s happening? She wondered.


    Even when she had completely sunk into the magic circle the attraction still kept dragging her down. It kept pulling her towards its source. She could faintly feel it, however, she was unable to see it. The distance between her and the origin diminished steeply until they overlapped.


    She felt herself fall into something. It was an odd feeling. She could tell she was in something. Her current situation she would liken it to being trapped in a box. A tangible darkness accompanied her in said box, giving a feeling that she could manipulate it. She could feel object she was trapped in. Moving her fingers and toes, she felt similar appendages of the metaphorical box move. It was only then that she realised what she had landed in.


    A body! Somehow the magic circle had summoned her into a body, a cold unmoving one. She had been brought here to possess a corpse?


    She did not have time to think about what it meant when she felt the tangible darkness stir. It moved like a flood and began to invade her. Then, for the first time since she became a ghost, she felt pain.


    She screamed.


    It was an incredibly painful experience. The darkness around her seemed to have morphed into a million needles prickling every part of her body. She kept screaming without letting up. This was the worst pain she had ever experienced in her entire existence.


    ¡°AAAHHHHH!¡±


    Somewhere in her pain riddled mind she realised it was not only her spectral form that was screaming, but the corpse she inhabited. However, she was in too much pain to put any thought into it. Her screams were shrill, echoing across the area. This was all she could do.


    As the darkness continued to invade she felt a change come over her. The pain increased and so did the intensity of her cries. Throughout all this a faint part of her detected the darkness melding her into the corpse, trying to assimilate the two. She was in no condition to do anything about it, much less object.


    The assimilation continued for what felt like forever. Throughout all of it all she could do was scream and try to maintain her sanity. As the process continued the pain intensified. At some point her screams turned to genuine cries as she felt tears slide down her face.


    Then, the pain vanished.


    The assimilation was complete, she could feel it.


    It took a while for her to collect herself. She tried her best to banish the raw memories of the torturous experience, propping herself on shaky arms to sit up.


    The sight that met her was one of grey. It was a different grey than the one she had previously experienced in the dead desert. She was in a room surrounded by four featureless walls. A figure loomed over her. Tall and old, with withering dark skin that reminded her of the bark of a very old tree. There was no hair on his face or scalp, probably fell off due to old age.


    This person appeared to be human. Her {Index} confirmed as much.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: C (Burgundy)


    He had a tired look about him, as if he would keel over and die at any moment. However, as the seconds passed he remained standing.


    Despite finally meeting a human she did not rejoice. Chances were that he was the one that caused her pain. She could even feel some sort of link to him. So, she was not in the mood to talk to him. Instead, she looked around the room, noticing nothing else except a pair of lit candles surrounding her. She looked down where she was and saw that a circle similar to the one that had enshrouded her previously was drawn on the floor.


    Then she looked at her new body.


    It was not a sight to behold.


    She possessed olive brown skin, but that was the last thing she noticed. Stiches ran across her entire body. From her ankles, to her thighs and even between the two huge mounds on her chest, they were all covered in large stitches.


    Another thing she noticed was that the labels on her {Index} had changed when she looked at herself.


    Race: Phantom (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: SS (White)


    Title(s): Darkborne

 CHAPTER 6: NECROMANCER

    As Bori put the finishing touches to the summoning circle he had dedicated years to creating, he wiped the sweat off his brow. Finally, he was approaching the finish line. Decades of research had all amounted to this moment. He was about to perform a spell unlike any performed by a necromancer of his calibre.


    He looked down at the body sprawled on the circle. It belonged to a young girl who could not possibly be older than seventeen. A pretty thing she use to be, or at least that was what Bori believed. When he had found the body in the dark alleys of Tiih it had been in a horrible state. The girl had clearly been murdered, but before that she had been subjected to harsh treatment that left her body mutilated. It took plenty of work and resources to put it in a state resembling what he thought was its original state. Now it would serve as a medium for his ritual.


    He walked along the circle¡¯s circumference, making sure that it was not broken anywhere. He was very meticulous with his inspection. The ingredients he used to create the circle were precious. Among the materials he had laid in the circle were a Dark Orb, a batch of Aether Grass, a litre of Leviathan Oil and one hundred millilitres of Unicorn Blood; all of these items were enough to bankrupt a marquis. He had spent years collecting them. If this spell failed it could be a decade before he got to try it again.


    When he was certain that everything was in order he went on to check if all the protections he had set in place were steady. A common mistake most sorcerers made when testing out new spells, especially of the summoning variation, was that they never prepared enough for when things go wrong. More than a few wizards had perished at the hands of creatures they had summoned because they had been too lazy to create adequate countermeasures. He was determined not join their numbers.


    Having judged that all the countermeasures were in place, only then did he release a sigh of relief. After that he raised his hands and began to cast the spell.


    Immediately, the crimson flames of the candles rose and turned pale blue. The temperature in the room dropped to freezing rates. When he saw the circle under the body light up he gave a triumphant cry. The circle was functioning properly.


    The purpose of this spell was different from the necromantic spells commonly used. What Bori was attempting was not to resurrect the corpse. That was something even a 1<sup>st</sup> Order mage was capable of. For a 6<sup>th</sup> Order necromancer such as himself, there was no need to go through all the preparations he had gone through just to animate a corpse. Such a simple act could be completed with the casual wave of a hand.


    No, what he was attempting was far grander.


    The reason he went through all the trouble of creating the ritual and spell was to summon a creature from the Deadlands. This was the fabled plain believed to be inhabited only by the dead. According to legends, the undead from the Deadlands were far superior to those created on the Main Plane. Unfortunately, only Advanced Mages, those of the 7<sup>th</sup> Order and above, were capable of summoning a creature from there. It was with much effort that Bori created a way to summon a Deadlands undead.


    However, if his aim had merely been to summon an inhabitant of the Deadland he would not have spent so much time and resources on the process.


    What Bori was trying to summon was a creature that could only be considered a legend. A being so rare that even necromancers above the 9<sup>th</sup> Order struggled to summon one. What he was aiming for was a Kin of Death, a Netherkin. If he could call forth such a creature and bind it to himself he would have no trouble breaking through to the 7<sup>th</sup> Order. The dream of Transcending the 9<sup>th</sup> Order might even be possible if he succeeded.


    With a Netherkin by his side his necromantic spells would be heavily enhanced and the ease of learning new spell of the darkness element would increase. Also, Netherkin were rumoured to boast incredible might and would almost certainly grow to Transcendent Status. Even the most powerful necromancers would give up their firstborn to gain the favour of one.


    That was why he had prepared all those materials. Each of them was capable of enticing a Transcendent Creature, especially the Dark Orb. A Netherkin would definitely not reject something like that. As for the body, it was merely a medium. If he had another choice he would have used a better corpse, one of a higher Grade. However, corpses of Grade 4 were hard to come by. Of course he could have waited until he got his hands on one. However, ingredients such as Unicorn Blood and Aether Grass could not be stored for a long time. This was the best body he could get his hands on, if he waited any longer in hopes of obtaining a better body he risked the chance of losing the two materials.


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    Suddenly, Bori¡¯s eyes widened. He could feel it, the summoning circle had come into contact with something! His mana gushed out of him at a rate he had never experienced before. It was feeding the circle, allowing it to pull the entity into the Main Plain. He could feel the creature. It was close!


    Then¡­ it was there. The creature had arrived. Bori could not see it, but he could feel it. The summoning had established a connection between the entity and himself. He could tell that it was inside the corpse.


    A spectre, he guessed its nature. Wraith?


    The light of the summoning circle disappeared after it finished its purpose. Surprisingly, that was not the end of the ritual. Much to Bori¡¯s horror the amount of mana leaving his body did not decrease. Instead it seemed to increase as the materials he prepared began to react. The Unicorn Blood, the Aether Grass and Leviathan Oil began to seep into the body. As for the Dark Orb, he witnessed it melt and pool under the body before it too began to assimilate with the corpse.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Bori vocalised his confusion.


    This was not how the ritual was supposed to go. During the summoning the Netherkin was supposed to accept the materials and establish the contract. His providing mana should have stopped the moment the summoning concluded. Why was he still losing mana?


    He tried to activate the countermeasures he had prepared but was dismayed to find they were missing.


    Did the spectre destroy them? He wondered. Had he perhaps underestimated the might of a Netherkin? The knowledge of this made his rapidly beating heart beat faster. If that was the case then he was bound to die. If the mana drainage continued he would definitely not survive!


    Then, a shrill scream erupted from the corpse.


    It was one of the most terrifying screams he had ever heard in his entire life. It rattled his ears and addled his mind. After struggling hard and with great effort that he managed to cast the 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell [Focus] on himself for stabilisation¡¯s sake. After that he cast an even higher order spell, [Spirit Shield]. It was a 4<sup>th</sup> Order spell meant to protect from the mental attacks. After he determined that he was safe, at least from the corpse¡¯s wailing- he decided to check on the animated corpse¡¯s state.


    It was was still screaming. Its face was twisted in what could only be pain, something Bori thought impossible for undead. Tears spilled out its eyes and pooled down its temples, another act he never knew was possible with the undead. Aware of his rapidly thumping chest, he scrutinised the body.


    It¡¯s different somehow, he thought.


    The body he had collected in the slums of Tiih was more ghastly than the one he was currently staring at. If not for the fact that he remembered preparing it for the summoning ritual he would have believed that it was a living person. Everyone too would be convinced if they saw it; that was if they discounted the stitches running across the entirety of its body.


    Then, suddenly, the force that was sapping his mana abruptly cut off. Bori, released a sigh of relief before turning his attention to the corpse on the floor with a serious look.


    Did it succeed? He wondered.


    The connection was there between him and the summoned entity, though the feeling he had initially gotten had changed. What he felt was no longer something that possessed the corpse but the whole corpse itself, leaving him to believe that the two had merged. He could even make out the corpse¡¯s chest rising and falling.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± he whispered, his shoulders moving up and down as he tried to rein in his ragged breaths.


    What sort of being had he summoned? Everything that happened has been unexpected. The high-grade materials were supposed to consolidate the summoning, meaning he should not have spent even a fifth of his mana. However, the process had cost him more than a four times that amount. Was this the due to the fact that he had summoned a creature even Ultra Order necromancers struggled to summon?


    The corpse opened its eyes, taking in the scene. Then its dark eyes met Bori¡¯s, causing his heart to skip a beat. The creature looked furious, and that fury seemed to be directed at him. If it decided to attack him he did not think he would be able to protect himself in his current state. The link between them had been established through the summoning, but it was different from the one he usually established with the undead he created. It was likely he could not use the bond to prevent the creature from attacking him.


    Fortunately the creature had no intention of attacking him. It continued inspecting the room before concentrating on itself. Then, a surprised look fell on its face.


    ¡°What is this? What happened to me?¡± it muttered. Then the creature looked at him intensely and asked, ¡°Who are you? Where is this?¡±


    Its voice was raspy, as if it had staved off water for millennia.


    ¡°My name is Bori,¡± he replied. ¡°This is my tower, the basement.¡± It was the most optimal place to conduct a summon, especially one with potentially disastrous results.


    ¡°A wizard tower? So you are a sorcerer?¡± It asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he responded. Putting on a polite face, he continued. ¡°I set up the ritual to summon you and I must say it took quite the toll on me. You must be an extremely powerful Netherkin.¡±


    ¡°Netherkin?¡± the creature scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s that? No wait!¡± It paused for a while before uttering the next sentence.  ¡°The wraith that was chasing me had such a Title.¡±


    Hearing those words, Bori¡¯s world came crashing down. He fell to his knees and grasped the floor in dismay.


    At this moment a single train of thought ran in its mind.


    The creature was not Netherkin? All the years of preparation, all that struggle to collect materials; instead of summoning the creature he wanted, he instead managed to summon another creature that was being chased by his target? The thought of it made him want to cry.


    What terrible luck!

 CHAPTER 7: SAGE

    She sighed at the sight before her.


    The old guy look crushed after she told him that she was not what he expected. Now on his knees with while staring on the floor, his expression was completely blank. It was almost as if he had lost his soul. Her words must have had quite an impact on him.


    ¡°So you were trying to summon a Netherkin?¡± although she was certain the {Index} labelled the wraith as a one, the title fell upon blind eyes. She did not know what it meant.


    For a moment the Bori remained silent. Then he looked up at her, his withered face a mask of pain, loss and exhaustion. ¡°Yes. It took me so many years to prepare the ritual. Countless hours spent toiling to create the perfect ritual.¡± A single tear slid down his cheek. ¡°But it was all a waste. So much time invested and it amounted to nothing!¡±


    His tone was one of bitterness, of a man who put his all into something and received nothing in return. Hearing the agony in his voice roused something within her.


    The measure of an excellent con artist was one who preyed on the desires and insecurities of their mark. If circumstances were different she would have tried to use his vulnerable state to her benefit. However, right now she pushed down the urge to do so.


    The most basic requirement needed for a successful con was knowledge. One had to have a moderate amount of knowledge on a subject that the mark was interested in, otherwise the artist would have no way to entice their mark. The most disastrous cons usually occurred because a lack of knowledge, resulting in a massive fuckup. Currently, she was in a situation mirroring this. She knew nothing; about Netherkin or anything else. Hence, she failed to meet the basic requirement to pull off a successful con.


    ¡°Why did you wish to summon a Netherkin? What is so important about them?¡± she asked.


    Knowing that she lacked knowledge, the obvious route to take was one where she collected knowledge in preparation for the next time. After all, the common saying was that opportunity came to those who prepared. What better time was there than the current situation?


    Scepticism joined misery on Bori¡¯s face when he replied. ¡°They are the Kin of Death. Strange that you do not know this, considering you came from the Deadlands.¡±


    Deadlands? She contemplated. It was a fitting name for a place that was stagnant and devoid of life and colours. ¡°Until a while ago I had never encountered any other creature in the Deadlands. The wraith was among the first creatures I have ever seen and it was not a friendly meeting. That¡¯s why I know nothing¡±


    The easiest way to learn new things was to admit your ignorance. That was why she responded honestly.


    After her response the necromancer did not speak up. He remained kneeling on the floor, silently lamenting like a penitent worshiper. Watching his pity-party was too much for her to endure without saying something.


    ¡°I know you are sad, but you don¡¯t need to display it so pathetically,¡± she told him in a sneering tone. ¡°It is just one setback. Just start all over again.¡±


    People who broke down after experiencing a single failure annoyed her. The main reason for this was because the majority of them never experienced failure until that moment. In the countless years of enjoying countless successes they face one minor setback and crumble. How dare they, was what she always thought when she witnessed such scenes. After knowing only privilege they fell at the first sign of adversity. If something so insignificant was too much for them then perhaps they did not deserve that privilege.


    Look at you sulking because a single ritual did not go the way you wanted it to, she thought, looking at him with disdain. Do you know how many times my schemes got foiled? More often than not a con usually ends in failure. Do you think that stopped me when I was first starting?


    These were some of the thoughts she wanted to share with the old man. If possible she would sprinkle them with her own brand of venom before delivering them. The pain she had endured upon getting here was still fresh in her mind. She would not forget it anytime soon.


    However, she restrained herself. The old necromancer blundering his spell might have caused her immense pain, but it also saved her. If not for his ritual the probability that she would have perished at the hands of the wraith was one hundred percent. So, as a sign of gratitude, she chose to rein herself in. At least for now.


    ¡°Just start over?¡± the old man asked. ¡°Do you know what I went through to get those materials? Just start over you say¡­ have you any idea the value of those materials? Even if I try to start over I might never get my hands on them again!¡±


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    He looked insulted, angry. The glare he shot her was one of accusation. With his anger building up, his sorrow took a back seat; invigorating him and causing him to jump back to his feet.


    Seeing this, she jumped to hers as well. Or at least she tried to. She overestimated the weight of her new body, causing her head to slam into the ceiling. Then she crashed back onto the floor, landing on her rear.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± she cursed, messaging the point of impact on her sculp. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    She had just gotten this body. Steering it appeared to be a bit of a problem at the moment. While the {Index} previously informed her that she lacked a physique as a ghost, now she possessed a Grade 4 physique, the same as those four zombies whose attributes far outstripped hers back then. Because of that she overdid it when she tried to stand up. Now, she set her hands gently on the floor and began to prop herself up cautiously. This time she managed to succeed, allowing her to stand in the face of the old man who now had an awkward look on his face.


    ¡°What a shitty excuse,¡± she snorted, ignoring his weird look. ¡°If you did it once you should be able to do it again. The second time is bound to be easier since you already have the experience.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For the next minute or so the old man did nothing but stare at her. He had the kind of look where he did not know how to respond to her. In response she countered with a heated glare. Finally, he blinked and looked away, releasing a tired sigh in the process.


    ¡°You are right,¡±¡± he said softly. ¡°But right now it is late and I¡¯m tired. I¡¯ll sleep on it before and decide what to do tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That is a probably for the best,¡± she agreed, retracting her glare. ¡°Is there a place where I can rest my head as well?¡±


    Since the old guy had summoned her she obviously expected him to provide shelter for her. He would have to take care of her until she became familiar with world. When she obtained that knowledge she would set out on her own.


    ¡°I have been living alone in this tower for decades so there is no spare bedroom,¡± Bori said, stroking his hairless chin thoughtfully. ¡°However, perhaps a room can be arranged for you.¡±


    ¡°Before that¡­¡± she looked down at herself. ¡°Can I have some clothes first?¡±


    Although she was not the kind of person that would blush at an old man seeing her naked, she did not fancy walking around in the nude either.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Bori agreed, turning around. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    He headed for the room door and flung it open. When he stepped outside the room she was right behind him.


    What stood in front of them was a flight of stairs that seemed to go round in a circle. At the bottom of these stairs two armed skeletons were poised. Each had an axe in hand.


    Race: Skeleton (Undead- Skeleton)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana; H (White)


    This was what the {Index} told her about both skeletons.


    Her guard immediately shot up. The skeletons no doubt belonged to Bori. Right now he could order them to attack her. Stealing a side glance towards the old sorcerer, she steeled herself. If he ordered them to strike she would land her attack first. Then she would escape somehow.


    The old sorcerer seemed to see through her thoughts because he gave her a glance and said. ¡°No need to be alarmed. They will not harm you.¡±


    Yeah right, like she was going to take him at his word.


    Although she nodded to signify she understood she remained guarded regardless. Seeing this, the old man uttered a dry chuckle and began to ascend the stairs. She followed him, paying heed to the skeletal steps trailing them.


    As they ascended the stairs Bori tried to strike up a conversation. ¡°By the way. What kind of undead are you. When I summoned you I was certain you were a spectre, but now I am not so sure anymore.¡±


    ¡°I was a spectre,¡± she replied, seeing no reason to hide the fact. ¡°But your ritual did something to me, changed me. I am now a phantom.¡±


    ¡°Phantom?¡± The old necromancer said, puzzled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just another name for a ghost?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°That is what I thought, but apparently not.¡±


    ¡°And how would you know this?¡± Bori asked, shooting her a glance. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be familiar with these phantoms so how would you know you have become one?¡±


    ¡°I just do,¡± she stated matter-of-factly.


    She had guessed long ago that the necromancer did not possess the {Index} skill, otherwise he would have seen that she was not a Netherkin the moment he laid eyes on her. She had a feeling the wraith did not have it either. Maybe it was a unique skill given to her by the creature in the Abyss.


    She scoffed at this idea. As if that arsehole would give her preferential treatment.


    She followed the old mage in climbing the stairs until they arrived on another empty room. It was similar to the previous one except it had to small windows that revealed a dark sky with twinkling lights.


    Stars! She exclaimed.


    Finally, she got to see a sky that was different from that dead grey one! A part of her wanted to stop and just take in the scene outside the window. However, she cast aside that idea and followed the old man who continued to climb the stairs.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Bori struck up a conversation once again. ¡°Do you have a name?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. ¡°My name is¡­¡± she came to a halt.


    When she tried to think of her name she drew a blank, as if it had been wiped from her memory.


    That arsehole is probably behind it, she thought with a disgruntled face.


    No matter. She could just give herself a new name.


    What would a good name be? She thought, looking at Bori who remained silent. His posture was telling of his expectation. A good name I should give this mage... mage. I¡¯ve got it!


    ¡°Call me Sage,¡± she said.


    It was lame, coming up with a name like that. But the name itself was actually cool. Sage, a wise man; she could fall behind such a name.


    If someone asks for my surname its Maverick. Ha! Like the fishing rod. On her way she had to control herself not to laugh at her own joke. Besides, Sage Maverick sounded like a cool name.


    From today onwards I am Sage Maverick.

 CHAPTER 8: PHANTOM

    If the ground and basement floors were excluded, Bori¡¯s tower had four floors. The first one was the kitchen, where two ordinary skeletons dwelled. Apparently they were the old man¡¯s cooks, and not very good ones. Sage almost gagged when she tasted the slop they brought her. The necromancer on the other hand slurped the contents of his bowl down like it was natural. She shot him a look of disgust. There was something wrong with his taste buds. That was what she concluded when he continued to wolf down the swill.


    The floor above the kitchen was a washroom that came with a privy. Seeing this, she had to fight herself to refrain from criticizing Bori for putting the toilet above the kitchen. On this floor they met another skeleton. This one looked like it belonged to a child. Bori explained that its job was to wash his clothes and linens. It was on this floor where she was offered a pair of discoloured robes, which she grudgingly accepted.


    On the third floor was situated the study. This was where the old man kept all his books and scrolls. It was also the place he offered for her to rest her head. There were no skeletons on this floor so she found no fault with accepting his hospitality.


    As for the top floor, it was where Bori¡¯s living quarters were located. He did not take her up there to show her, instead opting to end their tour on the third floor. He then bade her good night before climbing the stairs for the last time. The Grade 4 Skeleton Warriors continued to follow him. She guessed they were going to guard him while he slept.


    Cautious isn¡¯t he? She thought. Perhaps he also did not trust her.


    The two of them were linked. She could feel him even as he left her. It was probably a product of the summoning ritual. However, there seemed to be a difference between their bond and the one between Bori and the skeletons. She did not feel the need to submit to him, which she was grateful for. She could not begin to imagine the nightmarish scenario in which she was subject to his every whim.


    When the old man¡¯s steps completely disappeared she began to look around the study in earnest. Study was not the word she would describe the place, it was more like a mini library. There were more than fifty books and scrolls located on the shelfs around the room. Under normal circumstances Sage would have tried to read them but she sadly discovered that she was unable to read the writing.


    With that, she was at a loss about what to do.


    Although she had asked for a place to sleep she was still too wary of Bori and his skeletons to doze off, not that she could even do that. One thing she discovered minutes after the necromancer left her was that she did not feel tired in any way. She did not seem to have much of an appetite either. After having a taste of the slop the skeleton cooks prepared she had pretty much abstained from the rest of the meal and she did not feel hungry in the least bit.


    So this is what it means to be an undead, she thought.


    Never hungering and tiring. That was how stories always portrayed them. It seemed at least that part was true. As for the fabled hatred towards the living, Sage did not feel it. Maybe it did not effect intelligent undead, she guessed. However, the skeletons did not seem to harbour hatred for the living either. But then again the only living person around was their creator so it was hard to tell if it truly was so.


    She placed her elbows on her thighs and rested her head in her hands. Her fingers trailed the stitches running from the corners of her mouth to the tips her ears. There was another nasty patch of needlework that ran from her right eyebrow to her left jaw. The former owner of this body must have gone quite through the ordeal.


    How do I remove them? She wondered.


    If she were still in her former world she would not have entertained such thoughts, but in this one where magic was a thing she could not help but think about it. Her current body was messed up in all sorts of ways and had stitched threads running all over. Obviously she wanted to fix those faults. After all, being an undead did not mean she had to look like a ragdoll.


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    What is a phantom anyway?


    The fact that her {Index} identified her as one even though she had a corporeal form was puzzling. Although she did not feel tired or hungry, her current state was different from what she imagined most of the undead.


    There were some similarities to how she thought an undead should be; like the fact that she did not have a heartbeat and also did not need to breathe and only did it out of habit. However, there were quite a few things she would not normally associate with the dead. For one thing she could eat food even if it was unnecessary, she could experience pain and she could even bleed. It was something she realised when, in the kitchen, she prickled her finger on the old wooden bowl¡¯s splinter. Different from other living creatures though, the blood that trickled out of the tiny wound was so dark it was almost black.


    Is that all there is to it? She wondered.


    She felt there should be more to being a phantom. If not than why even call it that instead of something like Unrotten Zombie? She wanted to know what else she could do. She needed to know more if she was going to live in this world.


    Having decided this, she got out of the armchair she had been sitting in since Bori left her in the study and descended the stairs. On the second floor the child skeleton stood completely still, awaiting instructions. She passed it. On the kitchen floor the two skeletons too had ceased activity. These she ignored as well, continuing downwards. The ground floor was as empty as when she had passed by it previously. It was the one with the door leading to the outside, and her target.


    Taking in a deep breath and expelling it, she pushed the door open and stepped outside.


    The first thing she caught sight of the sky. Billions of radiant stars hovered up there as they illuminated the world. Their lighting was not as bright as the ones from Earth though. It probably had to do with the fact that she could not see a moon in the sky.


    The second thing she noticed was mountains. The tower, which was just as tasteless on the outside as it was on the inside, appeared to be situated in a clearing deep in the mountains. She did not see a way out of the place. Bori probably had a secret route he used to come and go.


    I will learn it when the time comes, she decided.


    For now she was going to conduct tests.


    A world full of magic might sound nice, but that belief had been overturned after the encounter with the wraith. In such a world the creatures were more dangerous than the ones from where she came. If she wanted to not only survive but thrive she needed to know her limits.


    Now that she possessed a Grade 4 physique she wanted to see just how strong that was. She started off by jumping vertically upwards. She bent her knees and jumped with as much strength as she could. By her estimation she managed jump two metres.


    After that she looked for large rocks at the mountain foots to try and gauge her strength. She managed to lift one that was about her size and weighed around five hundred kilograms.


    Unfortunately, the clearing where the tower was located was too small to test how fast she could run, so she could only move on to the next issue.


    What kind of traits does a phantom have? She closed her eyes, trying to see if she could feel something. That was what people in novels always did when they wanted to gauge the changes in their bodies.


    Surprisingly it worked. The moment she started thinking about it she instinctively knew what she could do. It was all so easy that she was surprised that she had not noticed it earlier. It was probably because she had been distracted by everything that was happening. Now that she had made a conscious decision to see what she could do all the information flooded her mind just like that.


    As a phantom there were four abilities Sage had. The first ability she had was one that allowed her to almost completely erase her weight. It was called {Lightfoot}. When she used it she would also be able to move without making any sound.


    As for the second ability, she looked down at her hands and watched them disappear. They were still there, she could feel them. The nature of this ability was to turn herself invisible. This ability was aptly named {Invisibility}. If I used it and {Lightfoot} together I could escape from anyone, she thought excitedly. As long as they did not possess magic to counter it anyway, she poured cold water on her thinking. In a world of magic one could never be certain.


    To try out the third ability, she walked back to the tower and swung a punch at its wall. The punch burst through the grey wall without causing an impact. Amazed, she retracted her hand and stared at it. This was the third ability of the phantom. It was called {Ghostwalk} and allowed her to move through physical objects.


    As for the fourth ability¡­ she looked at the foot of the mountain and focused. Then, darkness flashed for a millisecond and she was there. {Blink} it was called. A convenient name. It was a form of teleportation that allowed her to cover short distances in the blink of an eye. This was most likely the same ability the wraith had used when it was chasing her.


    Fuck yeah! She rejoiced when she saw what she could do.


    With these abilities in hand she would easily escape if she met that wraith again.


    And so, after experiencing her first bout of joy since becoming an undead, she celebrated by {Blink}ing around the clearing.

 CHAPTER 9: DARKBORNE

    It turned out using the abilities of the phantom cost mana. Sage did not realise it until after a few dozen {Blink}s, when she noticed she was feeling drained and was unable to do so anymore.


    Well, it¡¯s only fitting that there is a price to pay, she thought.


    As much as she would have loved it if she could {Blink} all over the place as much as she wanted, she knew that she was not an exception to the rules. If she was capable of it, so were others. The last thing she wished for was the existence of a creature that could endlessly use its skills. For example, since this was a fantasy world dragons most likely existed here. If they could continuously breathe fire without rest, wouldn¡¯t the entire world be on fire right now?


    Now what do I do?  She wondered, looking around. Since she could no longer use her abilities she could only look for other sources of entertainment to pass the time.


    However, there was nothing she could use to entertain herself in this clearing. Apart from the weeds that definitely needed a good trimming, the only things there were the stones and twigs that fell down the mountains long ago. Realising this, she could not help but sigh.


    This was going to be a long night.


    ***


    For some reason, when Bori woke up the next morning he felt refreshed. Sitting up and looking around, he was relieved to find the skeleton warriors still standing by his bed, ready to protect him from anything that tried to attack him while he was asleep. Though, if that weird undead tried to do so he did not know if these two undead alone could protect him. With this in mind he sighed again.


    I wish I had stronger undead.


    As a 6<sup>th</sup> Order necromancer he was definitely capable of creating a skeleton warrior with a Grade 3 physique. The problem with that was that he needed a Grade 3 corpse, which was even harder to come by than a Grade 4 one; five Grade 4 skeleton warriors, which he did not have; or fifty ordinary corpses. The problem with the last option was that obtaining so many corpses, either by slaughtering a village or robbing graves, would attract unwanted attention.


    In the past there had been plenty of necromancers who slaughtered entire villages to strengthen themselves. Some of them had even been crazy enough to attack cities with hundreds of thousands of people and managed to create powerful Grade 2 undead. Long story short, they all died less than a week later. That was why Bori did not dare do something so brazen. Better alive and powerless being served by weak undead than a powerful corpse buried with strong minions. That was his philosophy in life.


    It was also the reason why he studied ways to summon stronger undead from the Deadlands to strengthen himself instead.


    He was not ready to think about the results however.


    He got to his feet and had one of the skeleton warriors bring him his robes. After getting dressed he headed down, skeleton warriors in tow.


    He found the floor below empty. The undead from last night was not there. He had been quite puzzled the previous night when it- she asked for a place to sleep. Undead literally did not tire so they would not be able to sleep no matter how hard they tried. Even the famed vampires, who were known to sleep for aeons, needed the help of a powerful ritual to fall asleep.


    Through their mutual bond Bori could feel the undead. She was still in the tower, somewhere on the floors below.


    He continued down to the washroom, where the little skeleton waited stiffly for its next task. He ignored it and descended the next flight of stairs.


    Bori found the undead he had summoned the previous night in the kitchen. She was sitting at the dining table with an expression of dissatisfaction, watching the unlit stove while playing with what appeared to be a pheasant that had been stripped of its feathers and gutted. As for the two skeleton cooks; one was missing and the other was massaging the undead- Sage¡¯s shoulders.


    When he saw this scene, Bori¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    What is going on here? He questioned non-verbally. Unintelligent undead did not move without the express command of their master. So how was it that one of his skeletons was massaging Sage while the other one was nowhere in sight?


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    Having heard him enter, Sage turned to him with a look of disdain. ¡°You¡¯re here. Good. I looked everywhere and couldn¡¯t find anything to light the stove. Can you please help me?¡±


    ¡°Where is the other skeleton?¡± he counter-asked, feeling himself getting mad.


    This creature was the reason his intricately prepared ritual had failed. He was already unhappy about that. Now she was messing around with his undead. He would not tolerate it!


    ¡°I asked it to unpluck the feathers from the bird and throw them away in the clearing,¡± Sage said casually. ¡°It¡¯s been gone for quite a while so it should be back any minute now.¡±


    The statement did not make sense to Bori. So, to make sure he understood what was said he asked for verification.


    ¡°You are telling me you told my skeleton to work and it obeyed you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sage replied nonchalantly. Her, eyes were closed, enjoying the massage of the other skeleton, when she posed her own question. ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He responded, a little too quickly. His mind was racing with other thoughts.


    This creature could control undead, even those belonging to others. Did that not mean she could order the warrior skeletons to attack him? His heart began to beat rapidly at the prospect. What an unpleasant prospect.


    ¡°Can you get to starting the fire?¡± she asked, impatient. ¡°The bird is not gonna cook itself.¡±


    Knowing that the creature could set his own undead upon him if she so pleased, he chose not to argue. Walking to the stove, he raised his hand and cast a Zero Order spell. [Candle Flame], it had no combat potential but was quite useful for everyday tasks. Immediately after casting it the flames jumped up from the stove.


    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± he said, turning to look at Sage¡­


    ¡­ only to find her staring back at him. The look she gave him was strange, almost as if she were looking at a different person. He could not resist asking why.


    ¡°Your mana has increased,¡± she answered, still looking at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, his heart skipping a beat. Trying to understand what the unusual undead was trying to say.


    ¡°Last night your mana capacity was rated C,¡± Sage explain, giving him a meaningful look. ¡°However, I just checked now and it¡¯s jumped to B.¡±


    For a moment Bori was silent. Then, before he knew it he was rushing up the stairs. Forgetting everything else, he shot past the washroom floor. When he got to the study he hurried to a certain shelf and grabbed particular scroll from it. Quickly flipping it open, he stared at the model of the 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell on it. Then, after memorising it, he closed his eyes and tried to circulate his mana as depicted on the scroll, his heart palpitating even as he did so. In that moment a gust of wind spewed from his hand and crashed into the shelf, sending it and its contents to the ground.


    Seeing this Bori sank into to the armchair while showing no concern for the mess he made. His mind was elsewhere at the moment.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± he muttered, looking at his hands.


    From the moment a person was born the amount of mana they possessed was set. This also meant that the number of spells they were capable of learning was set. No exceptions to this rule existed. There was of course a way to increase one¡¯s own mana, but that method involved materials more valuable than the ones he had used for his ritual with a very high failure rate.


    However, for some reason Bori¡¯s mana had increased overnight. It had been so smooth that he had not realised it until the strange undead pointed it out. Quickly, he rushed back downstairs to the kitchen where he found Sage holding the fowl over the fire.


    ¡°You seemed to be in quite a hurry,¡±¡± she said without turning to him. ¡°Did you have to go that urgently?¡±


    He was in no mood to answer such a question.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± he asked with wide eyes and ragged breaths.


    She turned to him with a frown. ¡°How is what possible?¡±


    ¡°My mana, how did it increase?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking me?¡± She shrugged, turning back to face her grilling bird. ¡°I know nothing about mana. Don¡¯t even know how to cast spells.¡±


    Bori was not willing to take that for an answer. ¡°After thinking it through carefully I have concluded that I have done nothing that would result in my mana increasing over the past month. Except summoning you. What exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you that I am a phantom,¡± Sage replied, adding an annoyed harrumph at the end.


    ¡°That is all?¡± he asked. ¡°Nothing else?¡±


    Netherkin was not a specific race. Any undead could be a Netherkin. Maybe his ritual had not failed. Maybe Sage was a Netherkin and just did not know it.


    But summoning a Netherkin doesn¡¯t increase ones mana capacity, he thought.


    ¡°I am really not a Netherkin if that is what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Sage debunked him. ¡°My title is something called Darkborne.¡±


    The moment he heard the word Darkborne all colour drained from his face. His body stiffened and his pulse increased to a rate that was dangerous for someone of his age. On any other occasion he would have tried to calm himself down but at that moment he did not even bother. It was impossible to calm himself after what he had just heard.


    ¡°Darkborne,¡± he muttered. She was Darkborne.


    His mind went back to the ritual and how it drained more of his mana than he thought it would. At this moment he understood why. It was not because it failed, but rather because it had worked too well!


    Sage, still focusing on her pheasant, was completely oblivious to his reaction. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s a favour I¡¯d like to ask. Can you teach me how to read? Also I want to learn more about this world and when I¡¯m done I would really appreciate it if you taught me magic.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Bori replied simply, still staring at the back of her head.


    Darkborne, Sage had proclaimed herself such but did not seem to know what it meant. If what she said was true, and Bori had no reason to doubt her, then she was something far greater than a Neterkin. No wonder she was able to command his undead. It was only natural.


    Because Darkborne were the offspring of Death itself.

 CHAPTER 10: THE WORLD

    For some reason, when Sage asked Bori to teach her the old man agreed without any qualms.


    A week had passed since then. During that entire time she spent most of it being tutored by the old man.


    The writing language of this world was not difficult. In some ways it was similar to the Roman alphabet used by most of the world back on Earth. She was able to grasp it quickly. A few more lessons and she would be ready to browse through the books in the study on her own.


    Bori also tried to teach her numbers but that proved unnecessary when she saw them. It turned out that the people in this world used the same Arabic numbers that were used by everyone in her former world. At first, she was surprised to find that out, but after thinking about it a little she calmed down. The arsehole in the dark did say that he had reincarnated others into this world. It was hardly surprising that these people had been active in this world.


    Speaking of the world, apart from reading and writing, the other lessons Bori offered her were those of Geography. The old man explained that the tower they were in was located in the Trenton Highlands, which were found in the north-western part of the supercontinent Rekke. From what was described during the lessons this continent was twice the size of Eurasia. It was one of three continents on a planet known as Aran and the only one of the three that was inhabited by humans. The other two were called Nosha and Sausha. These were two ice masses where the north and south poles could be found.


    The Trenton Highlands were a treacherous border that divided the two rival kingdoms of Lethia and Ysh. According to Bori the tower was located on the side of Ysh in the south-east.


    This country was ruled by the magical elite who used their power to rule over the people. The nation boasted great might and had no equal for thousands of leagues. Even their rivals, the Warrior Kingdom of Lethia, had to ally with neighbouring nations to match its strength.


    That was not to say that Ysh was the most powerful nation on the continent; it was actually well down the hierarchy. The strongest nations in Rekke were the Ethereal Kingdom of Methos and the Shean Holy Imperium. Apparently these were each capable of unifying the continent and would have done so if not for the other¡¯s existence.


    ¡°In truth, those are just the foolish ramblings of ignorant snobs,¡± Bori had explained. ¡°There are many places on this continent which neither country would dare to set foot on, even with their strongest forces.¡±


    One such place according to Bori were the Drakenburg Range. This mountain range was the nesting ground of dragons. Yes, Sage had guessed it a while back. Dragons existed in this world and, from how the necromancer described them, they were extremely dangerous and far from the friendliest entities around. All nations considered the Drakenburg Range forbidden territory.


    It was worth noting that humans were not the only creatures who had formed nations on the continent. Various nations of elves, dwarves and orcs were spread just as wide as the human lands.


    Another forbidden territory was the Evergrowth, a forest found in the very centre of Rekke. Few who stepped within its confines ever returned; those who did never wished to return. Rumour had it that those who entered the Evergrowth would become the target of all its inhabitants, flora and fauna alike. When trespassers appeared in the Evergrowth, rival animals would cast their rivalries aside to hunt down said intruders.


    What a scary place, Sage thought as she lifted her pot of stew from the stove. She was careful to wear mittens when she did so. On one of the previous occasions she had learned a painful lesson that, being an undead, her skin was flammable.


    Ever since her first morning after being summoned she had been cooking the meals in the tower. After that horrible slop the skeletons had fed her and seeing Bori gulp it down like it was ambrosia, she had decided to show the old fart what real food tasted like. Not that her cooking was good mind you, but compared to what the skeletons were making it was a five-star cuisine.


    The two skeletons were still in the kitchen. They still had their uses, like carrying the food and washing everything after the meal. She had tried to teach them how to cook proper meals but they were like old dogs.


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    That phrase should be changed to you can¡¯t teach a dead dog new tricks, she thought, giving the pot to one of the skeletons so it can scoop the stew into bowls.


    Minutes later Bori came downstairs and joined her at the dining table.


    The old man had a light-hearted air about him, completely different from the gloomy aura he presented when they first met. It all started with when she told him his mana had increased. Now, even as he took his bowl and dug his spoon into it he could not resist beaming. The old fart had been wearing the same expression for the better part of the week now.


    The annoyance of it made her want to kick his teeth in.


    ¡°You must be having fun learning new spells,¡± she commented as she watched him eat.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the man beamed at her. ¡°For a long time the idea of learning new spells had been a distant dream. I was bound to be stuck at the 6<sup>th</sup> Order forever unless I did something drastic. But now, I can learn spells again. I have just managed to learn my thirty-sixth 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell.¡± His eyes were wide and veiny as he put down his spoon and stared at her. ¡°Do you know what that means?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she grumbled. ¡°You haven¡¯t started teaching me magic yet, not even the basics. So how would I know?¡±


    Over the last couple of days she had been tempted plenty of times to browse through the old man¡¯s tome collection. However, she held herself back because she still was not proficient enough to read the lettering. The last thing she needed was to misread one of the tomes and fuck up. So she decided to wait for the necromancer to teach her.


    Unfortunately, the geezer had been focused on his own magical attainments. Whenever he was not teaching her this world¡¯s alphabet, he was nose deep in the spell tomes he had yet to learn. It irked Sage just a little. After a compilation of similar experiences she was near her breaking point.


    ¡°It means I will not only be able to learn 7<sup>th</sup> Order Spells but I will be able to reach the 8<sup>th</sup> Order as well,¡± he ranted on as if she had not spoken. ¡°Can you believe it? Me, an 8<sup>th</sup> Order mage? Who would have thought? My peers will be shocked to learn that.¡±


    ¡°What about teaching me magic?¡± Sage asked impatiently. Honestly, if this geezer continued to spout bullshit she would reach across the table and wring his neck as hard as she could.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Bori seemed to come out of his rambling state and looked at her with a gentle smile.


    Seeing that grandfatherly smile, the corner of Sage¡¯s lip twitched a little. The old man had been giving her the same look since she told him she was Darkborne.


    ¡°We can start after the meal,¡± Bori surprisingly announced.


    Hearing this, Sage put down her spoon and scrutinised him.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± she did not know if she was hearing him correctly so she asked for verification while trying to keep the excitement from her voice. She failed at the last part. ¡°Are you saying you will begin to teach me after we¡¯re done here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the necromancer affirmed. ¡°Your reading lessons will be ending soon. You have mastered lettering and only have to memorise certain pronunciations. After that you can browse through the books in the study alone and won¡¯t need me unless you come across a difficult word.¡± He put down his spoon and looked at her meaningfully. ¡°It¡¯s about time we started you off with the basics of magic.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± she exclaimed, pushing her bowl away and getting to her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡±


    She was ready. She had been ready for a while now.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait for me to finish my meal first,¡± Bori killed her enthusiasm. ¡°Unlike you I actually need the nutrition.¡±


    Hearing this, she sat down with a begrudging look. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Now that she was an undead she kept forgetting that Bori, a human, actually needed things like food and sleep to keep him functioning. The only reason she still ate food, apart from savouring the taste, was because she had discovered that it boosts the rate at which she recovered her mana. This was something she had learned after one of those nights when she spent {Blink}ing around to kill time with only the starry sky to keep her company.


    An interesting thing to note was that Aran had no moon revolving around it. This was something she learned when she made a random comment about missing the moonlight, to which Bori asked what moonlight was. That experience really solidified the fact that she had died and been reincarnated in another world.


    ¡°By the way,¡± she began, gaining Bori¡¯s attention. ¡°Why did you suddenly decide to bring up your schedule to teach me magic? You were quite adamant that I completely master reading before I begin with magic.¡±


    ¡°After learning my most recent spell I can feel that I can only learn one more 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell,¡± Bori responded, scooping food into his mouth. After chewing for a while he swallowed and continued. ¡°Also, since I was able to add to the number of 6<sup>th</sup> Order spells I previously had I am now eligible to Advance to the next level. However, since I don¡¯t have a 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell model in my possession I will have to go away for a while.¡± His look turned firm as he uttered the next words. ¡°I wish to at least let you learn a few spells before I leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sage responded, not knowing whether to feel about it.


    Obviously she could not go anywhere looking as she did right now. She would attract too much attention. Not that she felt the urge to go with anyway. If she did so she would be forced to interact with people and to be honest she hated people. She never made an effort to mingle with them unless it was absolutely necessary.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Bori said after a while, setting down his spoon next to his empty bowl. He stood up and looked at her.


    ¡°Let us begin.¡±

 CHAPTER 11: MANA & ORDER

    Instead of climbing the stairs like they did for every lesson, Bori led Sage downstairs to the ground floor, through the door to the outside of the tower and into the clearing. When they were a fair distance from the tower the necromancer turned to face her, robes fluttering in the wind. It was midday, but the sun was hiding behind the clouds. That was probably the reason why he chose to begin the lesson now.


    ¡°First of all we¡¯re going to learn about the ranks of magic,¡± he began. ¡°How much do you know about them?¡±


    Sage scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s easy. There are ten ranks of magic ranging from the Zero Order to the 9<sup>th</sup> Order.¡±


    After staying in the company of a mage for an entire week she would have to be an idiot to miss that little detail.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± the man responded, his face grim. ¡°There is another rank above the 9<sup>th</sup> Order, more commonly known as the Ultra Order. But we won¡¯t be fixating on it today.¡± He raised his hand and continued. ¡°For now I want you to watch me.¡±


    He raised a finger and cast a spell he had used so many times Sage was tired of seeing it. Weak flame appeared above his finger, but it only lasted a few seconds before the wind blew it out. The Zero Order spell [Candle Flame]. Bori did not seem bothered by the fact that it had been snuffed out. His attention was back on her.


    ¡°You saw that right?¡± he asked. Not waiting for answer, he continued. ¡°I will repeat it again. This time I will slow down the movement of my mana when I cast the spell. I want you to feel the way my mana moves and try to emulate it.¡±


    The necromancer raised his hand and cast the spell once more, only this time slower. Another flame sprung up from his finger only to suffer the same fate as the previous one. Unconcerned, his attention returned to her.


    ¡°Try it,¡± he said.


    Sage nodded and raised her hand in the same way Bori did. She stuck out her finger like his and tried to simulate mana the same way he had when he cast the spell. She was able to do it without much trouble. However, when it came to the last part, which was releasing it, she felt something within her resist the casting. The spell fell apart shortly after.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the geezer asked, he looked as confused as she felt. ¡°You just had it now. How did you fail at the easiest part?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied. She looked at her hand with a frown. ¡°I was sure I had it too, but at the last moment something in me seemed to reject the casting.¡±


    ¡°Try it again,¡± Bori told her.


    And so she did¡­ only for the same thing to happen again. It happened the third time, and the fourth time, and-


    ¡°Fuck!¡± she yelled, kicking the dirt in frustration.


    Bori¡¯s reaction was the opposite of hers. ¡°Don¡¯t be so impatient. Most acolytes take months before they can cast their first spell. It took me two months.¡±


    ¡°I cannot wait that long!¡± she yelled at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try again? This time show me a different spell.¡±


    ¡°If that is what you want,¡± Bori replied casually.


    This time he opened his hand and pointed it at the rock Sage had lifted to test her strength a week ago. Sage sensed the mana in his body move as he cast another spell. Then, a thin stream of green liquid spewed from his fingers and landed on the rock. The rock began to corrode in the place where the stream hit.


    Sage stared at the corroding rock in contemplation. He remembered the wraith back in the Deadlands using a similar spell on its zombie, though that one was far stronger than the one used right now.


    ¡°That was the Zero Order spell [Acid],¡±the necromancer geezer told her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it?¡±


    She nodded and pointed her hand at the same rock, forcing her mana to mimic the movements she had seen with the necromancer¡¯s. This time there was no blockage when she cast it. Immediately after, a green stream shot from her palm and landed on the rock. The collision brought about the same results as the one caused by Bori.


    Just then she felt a shift in her mana. She did not know how to describe it properly, but it felt as if her mana was constricting and increasing in density. It was over in an instant. However, she was not taking any chances. Immediately she looked down at herself and triggered the {Index}.


    Race: Phantom (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: SS (Cream)


    Title(s): Darkborne


    The colour of her mana had changed! Quickly, she turned to Bori, who had a calm look that contradicted her agitated one.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he assured her. ¡°That is just the quality of your mana improving. You will undergo something similar whenever your Order increases. This time it was just a short while, however, the higher your Order, the longer it takes for the mana to complete the transformation.¡±


    Sage nodded before raising her finger like she had been previously doing. Then she tried to cast [Candle Flame] again. The mana gathered as usual but faltered at the last part once again.


    This time however, there was something different. The mana went through her body as if in a guiding motion. It simulated a pattern similar to the spell she had just failed to cast. Confused, Sage tried to manipulate her mana like she had just felt. This time there was no resistance. A small flame appeared above her finger. Unlike Bori¡¯s, her [Candle Flame] did not die in the wind. Also, it was black in colour.


    Seeing this, Sage turned to the magic expert for an explanation. However, Bori looked just as lost as she did when he stared at the little flame.


    ¡°It must be because you are Darkborne,¡± he concluded matter-of-factly.


    ¡°What exactly is a Darkborne?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that later,¡± Bori told her. ¡°Right now let us continue with the lesson.¡±


    He curled his hand and raised it in random direction. Once more she felt his mana shift as he cast a spell. A palm sized black ball shot out of his hand and landed on the ground a short distance away. When it impacted the ground in suddenly exploded into what could only be considered darkness. This darkness covered a diameter of one metre and rose two metres high.


    ¡°This is the 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell [Ball of Darkness],¡±the necromancer told her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it?¡±


    Sage lifted her hand in the same position, pointing it in the direction opposite to the one chosen by Bori. She emulated the movement of his mana and cast the spell. As with him, the [Ball of Darkness] was released and exploded when it impacted the ground just like the geezer¡¯s.


    Then she felt another shift in her mana. She felt the same thing she had after she cast [Acid], only this time to a greater effect. This time it took around ten seconds before she returned to normal. Somehow it seemed that the spell she had just cast was ingrained in her being. Without waiting, she quickly checked her status again.


    Race: Phantom (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: SS (Yellow)


    Title(s): Darkborne


    A wave of excitement went through her when she saw this. I learned a magic spell. It¡¯s so easy! Why did I wait so long to learn it?


    She hurriedly turned to the geezer, who could not rid himself of his surprise fast enough. ¡°Quickly show me a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell!¡±


    Instead of going along with it, Bori raised his hand to stop her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient,¡± he said. ¡°From the 1<sup>st</sup> Order onwards things are different if you want to learn a spell of a higher Order.¡±


    Hearing this killed her momentum. ¡°How different?¡± she asked with a frown.


    ¡°When you first cast a spell of the 1<sup>st</sup> Order and above it settles into the core of your being,¡± Bori began. ¡°After that, as long as you have enough mana you will be able to cast it.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with learning a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell?¡± Sage asked.


    ¡°Just listen. When you first cast a spell of the 1<sup>st</sup> Order and above it is permanently ingrained into your being,¡± He said. ¡°To learn a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell you need to have ingrained at least six 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells within you.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sage responded, her impatience rising again. ¡°Cast five more 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells for me to learn. Then teach me a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell.¡±


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Bori continued without heeding her request. ¡°Once you ingrain a spell it is impossible to unlearn it.¡± Sage tried to speak but he was faster. ¡°You might be thinking it is nothing but the amount of spells you can learn are limited.¡±


    Hearing this, she was a bit taken aback. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so before I cast that spell?¡±


    If she had known she would have opted to learn something other than a fucking smoke bomb spell!


    ¡°The amount of mana you have is no doubt more than mine so losing one 1<sup>st</sup> Order slot should not be much of a loss for you,¡± Bori explained casually.


    ¡°How does the amount of mana I have relate to the amount of spells I can learn?¡±


    ¡°Your mana aptitude is directly proportional to the number of spells you can learn,¡± Bori told her. ¡°Commonly, the amount of mana a person has is ranked from H to A. Because of their meagre capacity, those with H ranked aptitude will never be able to learn magic.


    ¡°Those with G aptitude can only learn one or two 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells. Those with F can learn three to six spells and those with E seven to twelve. D aptitude can learn thirteen to twenty spells, C aptitude twenty-one to thirty spells and B aptitude can ingrain thirty-one to forty-two 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells. Everything above that is A and beyond. There are less than a hundred people in existence with that much mana¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sage followed, a sly smile playing upon her features. If an A aptitude was considered that rare then what about a double S aptitude?


    That arsehole at least did one thing right by me.


    Bori, ignorant of her expression, continued to preach. ¡°Earlier I told you that a mage needs to ingrain six 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells before they can learn a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell. The same applies to the other tiers as well. You need to learn six 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spells before you can learn a 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell and so forth. The amount of lower Order spells ingrained should always be at least five more than the learned spells of the higher one. That would mean that to learn a 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell you need to have ingrained at least six 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spells and at least eleven 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells.¡± He gave her a meaningful look. ¡°Do you understand that much?¡±


    ¡°I am not an idiot,¡± she grunted in response.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you follow.¡± Bori nodded in satisfaction. ¡°If you remember what I said about a person¡¯s aptitude than you must have realised that a G aptitude that can only ingrain one or two 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells can never become a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order Mage. Only the most talented of among those with an F aptitude can Advance to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Order and even then they can only ingrain a single spell¡­¡±


    Sage nodded. Getting the gist of things.


    ¡°¡­ My aptitude was the best among C class,¡± Bori said. ¡°But that only allowed me to learn thirty 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells, which meant I was unable to ingrain a 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell because I was only able to ingrain five spells of the 6<sup>th</sup> Order.¡±


    ¡°So the improvement of aptitude allowed you to ingrain more spells?¡± Sage asked with an enlightened look. ¡°That is why you are now able to reach the 7<sup>th</sup> Order?¡±


    ¡°That is exactly it.¡± The geezer had a stupid smile again. ¡°Usually, when one is born their aptitude is set and cannot be altered unless there are some very under very special circumstances.¡±


    ¡°So the bond with me gave you more mana?¡± Sage said, a scheming look etched itself onto her features. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you owe me?¡±

 CHAPTER 12: ELIXIRS & COLOURS

    ¡°What is it that you would like me to do for you?¡± Bori asked.


    ¡°I want you to fix this,¡± Sage pointed at her face.


    She would not consider herself a vain person. To her, beauty was not everything in life. There were things she considered far more important, such as brains and strength. But¡­ having an aesthetically pleasing appearance was not a bad thing. The reception beautiful people got from others was usually dozens of times better than the reception ugly people got. Her current appearance would make things extremely difficult for her when she set off. Therefore, she wished to resolve the matter of her scarred body before that day came.


    ¡°I¡¯m incapable of helping you with that,¡± the geezer replied apologetically.


    Sage puckered her brow at him. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You are undead,¡± the geezer said. ¡°Your kind can only be restored to the condition they were in when they first became undead. Even if I used a spell that can heal an undead, the best it could do is restore you to your current condition. Because of that, the scars will always remain.¡±


    ¡°What about healing magic?¡± she asked.


    Bori shook his head. ¡°Healing magic is harmful to the undead. In fact, all Light Magic is harmful to the undead. It is their greatest weakness. In the past there was a vampire sorcerer who tried to learn light magic, but the attempt backlashed and reduced him to ash.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there something else that might heal me?¡± she asked, grasping onto the tiniest bit of hope. She refused to accept that she would be a ragdoll forever. ¡°There has to be a way.¡± This was a world of magic. Anything should be possible.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± the necromancer paused for a while, as if contemplating whether to go on or not. After a few seconds of what appeared to be an internal battle with himself, he relented. ¡°There might be a way to heal you, but I am not so sure if it is feasible.¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Sage demanded. Even the smallest bit of information was welcome right now.


    Bori cleared his throat before he spoke. ¡°You could find an Elixir of Rejuvenation and consume it.¡±


    ¡°Elixir?¡± Sage replied quizzically. ¡°As in a potion?¡±


    Bori scoffed at her for the first time ever. ¡°There are potions. Then are Elixirs,¡± he said, his voice firm. ¡°Potions can be brewed by any run-of-the-mill herb grinder. As for Elixirs, only a true alchemist is capable of brewing one.¡±


    ¡°So an Elixir is just a more effective potion?¡± Sage asked dryly.


    This caused the geezer to frown. ¡°That would be belittling Elixirs.


    ¡°These are the ultimate potions, capable of feats even Ultra Order magic cannot measure up to. Unlike normal potions, the effect brought about by an Elixir is permanent. For example, the Elixir of Strength is capable of drastically increasing one¡¯s physique. The Elixir of Youth allows one to remain eternally young. Then there is the much sought after Elixir of Immortality. You drink this and you will never have to worry about Death creeping on your doorstep.¡±


    ¡°What about the one you say might be able to help me?¡± Sage asked, starting to feel hopeful.


    If all Elixirs were super potions capable of doing what Bori had just described then there was a great chance the Elixir of Rejuvenation would be able to fix her.


    The geezer smiled. ¡°It is said that this potion can return one to their optimal state. If an old dying man on his deathbed were to drink this potion he would regain his youth and vitality. Likewise, if someone missing a limb consumed it would grow back. Legend has it that it was once used to treat a deformed prince of Methos.¡±


    ¡°Where do I find this Elixir of Rejuvenation?¡± Sage asked eagerly.


    If the potion was capable of healing deformities there was no doubt that it could heal her scars. She wanted it!


    This time, when Bori replied, he had a helpless expression. ¡°Nowhere. Rumours of Elixirs are usually false more often than not. Besides, the materials needed to craft them are pretty rare and expensive. Even if you could somehow gather them, the number of people capable of crafting these miraculous potions can be counted on two fingers and it is impossible to meet them. One of the two is Methos¡¯ Grand Magister. The other is her teacher and the inventor of Elixirs. He vanished a long time ago.¡±


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    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that I just need to gather the materials, arrange a meeting with one of the two alchemists and somehow get them to brew the Elixir for me?¡± She asked.


    Bori coughed at her response. ¡°You make it sound simple. However, even getting over the first hurdle is difficult. To collect the ingredients for the Elixir of Rejuvenation you need to acquire the recipe first. This is a closely guarded secret by the most powerful individuals in Rekke. There is nothing you can offer them to make them share it with you.¡±


    Hearing this, Sage could not help but frown. If getting the Elixir recipe was really that difficult it would be a long time before she would be able to get it. I will first have to become stronger before approaching those entities and asking them for the recipe, she decided. With strength, a lot more options would open up for her. If the people with the recipe refused she would just steal it from them and dash. If she could not run away she would beat them up first then dash.


    Having concluded this line of thought, she turned to Bori with another question. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s with the different mana colours? Why is your mana burgundy and mine yellow? Does it have to do with our Order of magic?¡±


    ¡°You can see that now can¡¯t you,¡± the geezer responded, stroking his hairless chin. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising considering you can tell the amount of mana a person has. Usually only specialised crystals can do that. When you Advance in Order your mana changes quality and colour. Try casting a Zero Order spell again.¡±


    She did so, once more launching an acid stream against the abused boulder.


    When she was done Bori said, ¡°Did you notice that it took way less mana than it did last time?¡± She nodded, allowing the necromancer to continue. ¡°That is because of the improved quality of the mana. Whenever, your Order increases your mana quality doubles. A 2<sup>nd</sup> Order mage would use half the mana they previously used to cast a 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell and a 3<sup>rd</sup> Order mage would use a quarter of the previous mana.¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Sage replied. ¡°So 1<sup>st</sup> Order Mana is yellow and 6<sup>th</sup> Order is burgundy? What about the other Orders?¡±


    To this the old mage lifted all his fingers and began to list off the Orders and their colours. ¡°Zero Order; cream. 1<sup>st</sup> Order; yellow. 2<sup>nd</sup> Order; Orange. 3<sup>rd</sup> Order; purple. 4<sup>th</sup> Order; maroon. 5<sup>th</sup> Order; brown. 6<sup>th</sup> Order; burgundy. 7<sup>th</sup> Order; cyan. 8<sup>th</sup> Order; blue. 9<sup>th</sup> Order; Green. And the Ultra Order; it is rumoured to be red.¡±


    ¡°So those are the colours of every Order,¡± Sage said, committing them memory.


    She remembered the wraith that chased her back in the Deadlands. Its mana had been brown, meaning it was capable of 5<sup>th</sup> Order magic.


    She turned to the old mage with another question.


    ¡°Do creatures have to learn spells to increase their mana quality as well?¡±


    ¡°That is a good question you bring up. Thank you for doing so, I almost forgot to clarify that,¡± the geezer replied, sounding a lot like a teacher from her old world. ¡°Beasts with magic are able to improve their mana quality as well, but they don¡¯t need to learn spells to do so. These beasts are born with innate abilities which they hone from birth. The more proficient they become with these abilities the more their mana improves. Some of the more powerful magic beasts also have abilities that can only be unlocked when the quality of their mana is extremely high. A well-known example of this would be dragons. They only acquire their trademark {Dragon Breath} when their mana becomes cyan.


    ¡°Even though these magic beasts are able to learn spells they cannot improve their Order by ingraining them.¡± Here Bori gave her a meaningful look. ¡°The undead are the exception to this rule.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Sage nodded. Then she thought of something else. ¡°What about the physique Grades? How do they compare to the mage Orders?¡±


    ¡°The lowest physique is Grade 5,¡± the old man began. ¡°There is actually a wide gap in physique when it comes to this grade. Since it is the lowest, all sorts of people ranging from the sickly to the strong are classified in it. At its worst it is said to be equivalent to an extremely fragile person and at its best it can be compared to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Order. Above Grade 5 is Grade 4, which refers to those who have broken free from the confines of humanity, boasting incredible physical abilities; they are equivalent to 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> Order. Grade 3 is even rarer and equals 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> Order.


    ¡°Then there is Grade 2. This is someone with a monstrous physique that can match a 7<sup>th</sup> or 8<sup>th</sup> Order mage. As for a Grade 1, anyone with such a physique is considered a legend. These are the people capable of going toe to toe with a grand 9<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer. Only the most famous of warriors fall under this category.¡±


    At this point, the geezer¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°There is a rumoured Supreme Grade above Grade 1, but it has yet to be confirmed.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sage nodded.


    She committed everything she heard to memory. In the future when she went to look for the Elixir of Rejuvenation she would most likely bump into powerful beings. Although her {Index} could give her an accurate reading of their strength, since she had never experienced that strength she would be unable to understand just how strong these individuals were. Listening to Bori, she could at least make a rough estimate of their strength. With that she would know who to avoid in the future.


    With that in mind she smiled and posed the geezer another question. ¡°Can you teach me another 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell?¡±

 CHAPTER 13: BEYOND THE CLEARING

    Bori woke up feeling refreshed. It likely had to do with the fact that he had not done anything yesterday, opting to spend most of his time in bed while being served by the skeletons. It was the perfect leisurely day for someone of his age and it was well-deserved too.


    In the past month he had finished Sage¡¯s reading lessons and coaching on magic. The phantom girl had absorbed all he had to teach her about letters and now spent most of her time engrossed in the books in his study. When she was not doing that could usually be found in the clearing outside the tower trying to learn a new spell.


    Being Darkborne, her talent for magic was unbelievable. In this short span that she had been in the Main Plane she had already managed to Advance her magic to the 4<sup>th</sup> Order. Bori did not know whether to be proud or jealous of that fact.  It had taken him took over a decade to match her accomplishment.


    With a sigh, he stepped onto the floor and ordered one of the warrior skeletons to bring him his finest robe while the other brought him an empty basin. Using 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell [Create Water], he filled the basin and dipped his cloth inside, using it to wipe his body. When he was done he took his exquisite black robes from the skeleton.


    The day before yesterday he had decided. Now that Sage no longer needed his tutoring he would go meet up with his old peers and see if he could obtain a 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell model from them. This was something he had been keen about for a while.


    Quickly getting dressed, he went downstairs where he found the undead girl plopped in the armchair with a thick leather book cracked open in her lap. The study was too dark for anyone to read anything but that did not seem to bother Sage. His footsteps had probably alerted her of his arrival because when he reached the bottom of the flight she took quick glance at him before her eyes returned to her book. This had been the situation since she stopped requiring his tutelage.


    ¡°Good luck with your journey,¡± she said noncommittedly. ¡°I hope you find what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Bori grunted a response, not sure if the girl was even listening. He was about to descend the next flight of stairs when Sage called him.


    She set the book aside and glared at him.


    ¡°Make sure to bring back some new clothes for me,¡± she said. Then, with a scowl, she pointed at the robe she was wearing. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of wearing your old man clothes. They all look the same and smell of decay.¡±


    ¡°I will see what I can get,¡± he responded, not in the least bit bothered by her rudeness. After spending so much time with her he had gotten used to it.


    Continuing to descend the stairs, he soon reached the kitchen. On the table he found a roasted bird wrapped in paper. It was clearly meant for him. With a smile, he took the meat and stuffed it in his robe pocket. Then his hand went into the other pocket. The space in this pocket rejected common sense as his entire arm disappeared within it. He searched around it until his hands grasped the familiar draws of a purse-string and the edges of his magical notes. Everything was there.


    When he got outside he stopped for a while and looked back at the tower.


    Then he sighed. I hope she doesn¡¯t do anything reckless while I¡¯m gone.


    Although Sage was a diligent student, with her personality she did not strike him as someone who would stay put. Honestly, when he first had first met her he had been certain that it would not take long for her to cause trouble. The fact that she had spent a month in his tower without acting up could be considered a miracle.


    After uttering another sigh, he cast the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell [Flight] and lifted off the ground.


    I hope she does not leave the tower while I¡¯m gone. Things would be really bad if others found out what she is, he thought to himself as he took off.


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    ***


    That answers my question about the secret path the old man uses to leave this place, Sage thought as she watched the necromancer fly away. There is none.


    Of course she had already guessed after learning of the existence of the spell [Flight]. However, it was good to have confirmation.


    She kept watching Bori fly away until he was but a small speck on the horizon before she finally left the side of the window. She did not return to the armchair to read though. Instead, she began to climb down the stairs. Now that the old man was gone she was certainly not staying here.


    She had been meaning to check out the surrounding for a while now, but she had been certain the old man would try and stop her. Not that he could stop her if she was adamant, but she wanted to maintain a civil relationship with him. Over the past month, as her magic knowledge improved, she had learned that her contract with the necromancer is the only thing that is keeping her in the Main Plane. If, by any chance the bond between them is broken she would be flung back to that desolate wasteland known as the Deadlands until someone sends another summoning circle her way.


    She was determined for that not to happen. That was why she had to keep a good relationship with him. It was also the reason why she was voraciously leaping through the Orders. Maybe when her rank was high enough she would be able to find a way to keep herself tethered to this plain of existence.


    Compared to what the old man had implied, Advancing through the ranks had been pretty easy. Whether it was from tomes, scrolls or just Bori¡¯s illustrations; she had been able to pick up all the spells she wanted to learn without much difficulty.


    The elemental spells were the only ones that seemed to give her trouble, especially the Fire and Wind element spells. Whenever she tried to learn spells of these elements she would always be met with some disruption before a new but almost similar spell is presented to her. When she cast these altered versions of the spells they would always contain an attribute of Darkness.


    She had no trouble learning Earth Magic. Water Magic though¡­ she was only able to ingrain those of the ice variety for some reason. As for Light Magic, she did not learn any of it. Bori, being a necromancer had no spells of the attribute. Even if he did she would never try to learn them. After all, she valued her life.


    Right now Sage had already ingrained six 4<sup>th</sup> Order spells. They were [Dimension Door], [Incinerate], [Thunderbolt], [Force Wall], [Ice Spear] and [Dark Drain]. With these learned she only needed to find a 5<sup>th</sup> circle spell in Bori¡¯s study and she could Advance to the 5<sup>th</sup> Order before the day was over.


    But that could wait. For now she wanted to explore.


    Moments later she exited the tower and stopped in the middle of the clearing, eyeing the tall peaks that surrounded her.


    Ever since she had been summoned she had not taken a single step outside the clearing. Her entire month had been spent here. This place was completely lifeless, Sage was not sure if that was just the usual vibe or if it was because it was home to a necromancer and his skeletons.


    The fact that nothing good to eat could be found here was another reason why she wished to explore the world outside this tiny clearing. The only food in the tower larder was maize meal which should have been thrown out decades ago. It was what the skeletons had been using to make their horrible slop. Fortunately the old man had stored some spices with which she had been able to flavour the birds she plucked from the air with stones whenever flocks flew by. But after weeks of fowl meat she was getting pretty tired of it. In fact, she had tired of it long ago. The only reason she ate was to savour the flavour and that flavour turned bland weeks ago.


    I want red meat, she grumbled internally. She could no longer tolerate bird meat.


    This was what was on her mind when she cast [Flight], the same spell that Bori had used to leave this place. There was no way that Sage would have missed out on such a neat spell. Having come from Earth where everyone dreamt of flying without the aid of props, this spell had been the most attractive to her. It was the first 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell she had learned. Unfortunately, until now she had only been using it to levitate off the ground when she did not feel like walking.


    She had gotten tired of that pretty quickly.


    She rose above the ground, passed the tower¡¯s height and she soon hovered above the mountain peaks. She looked down and saw green trees in forest that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Having experienced the bleakness of the Deadlands and the seclusion of the tower, this was the most beautiful sight she had laid her eyes on since being reincarnated. She could not help but be dazzled.


    Now this is a land worth being sent to, she thought before scowling. Not that dead place I was sent to by that fucking arsehole.


    Honestly, if that guy had sent her here she would have been less critical of him.


    Looking at the dense forest, she began to descend for a closer look.

 CHAPTER 14: IN THE FOREST

    From above, the trees meshed together looked extremely small. However, as she got closer to the ground the enormity of them confronted her. When she landed she could not help but look up in amazement. All of the trees surrounding her were more than twenty metres tall. Each of these giant trees had a trunk that was at least five times her width.


    It¡¯s almost like I¡¯ve entered a rain forest, she thought.


    However, that could not be the case. She had seen a physical map of Rekke in one books in the study. The Trenton Highlands, and subsequently its surroundings, were ways off from the equator, which divided Rekke into almost symmetrical halves. The imaginary line ran through the Evergrowth.


    How big would trees in that place grow?  She wondered.


    The plants of this place were already huge beyond belief. Even the grass was so tall that it nearly reached her chest. It was packed together to the point where it hindered her from walking. Half a minute of struggling to walk through the grass she had no choice but to hover above them.


    One could only speculate what monstrous vegetation grew in such place as the Evergrowth.


    Sage flew into the forest, making sure to avoid low hanging branches. She was as alert as could be, eyes roaming all over the place. From the state of these woods it was fair to say that no one ever came to these parts. She did not find any marking or some sort of trail that would indicate a human presence. The place was riddled with plenty of insects, some of which buzzed annoyingly in the grass. However, there did not seem to be any sign of larger animals.


    Maybe it is because they are hiding, she thought.


    Plenty of animals living in forests were good at hiding. Some of these creatures were predators who were good at stalking their prey while others were would-be-prey that skilfully hid from their hunters. Either, way these creatures were usually hard to spot, especially the predators. One would not know they were there until they were upon you.


    Not taking any chances in case she really was being pursued by a predator, Sage decided to fly higher. She focused not only on the dense grass but also on the branches of the the trees. After all, there were some creatures that were really good at climbing.


    According to the books in the study, animals on Aran were not the same as those of Earth. Although there were some similarities between the two, the creatures of this world were bigger and, rumour had it, smarter.


    Some of the illustrations she had seen in Bori¡¯s books depicted wolves twice the size of those on Earth. Apparently, they possessed a Grade 4 physique and teeth that could bite through metal. These creatures hunted in packs and were the most common predators on the continent.


    This was one of the reasons for her caution. She did not fancy being surrounded by a pack of creatures with physiques matching her own.


    Another well-known predator that was not as common was the Umbral Felis, or the shadowcat as it was commonly referred to by the people. These were solitary creatures that did not appear in packs, but they provided a danger that exceeded that of a wolf pack. Although shadowcats had a physique matching that of the wolves, they were much more dangerous as they had the ability to traverse the shadows. So when they attacked they were rumoured to appear from anyplace that was touched by a shadow.


    There were far more dangerous creatures in this world. However, those had known habitants that were nowhere near the Highlands. So Sage only kept a lookout for the previous two.


    Time passed and the spaces between the trees got wider. The grass became shorter and still no attack came. Ten minutes of flying and the grass shrunk to ankle height and the tress suddenly vanished. She had found a river.


    There she spotted creatures that she would have said with certainty were deer if not for the fact that they stood over two metres tall. These creatures had light brown coats and hung around in a group of around fifty. Half of them seemed to have no horns while the other half had long horns that branched into different directions. The ends of these horns were sharp like the tips of spears. Some of these horned deer were acting as lookouts while the herd drank from the river.


    These animals were called Trenton Gazelles. Not only had she seen them in some of the books, but her Index confirmed them to be Trenton Gazelles. They possessed a physique that bordered on Grade 4 but never got quite there. The males, which were the ones with horns, were said to be very dangerous when cornered, capable of felling a wolf in one blow.


    Sage used her {Invisibility} ability and passed by them. Although she would have loved to catch one of them to take back to the tower with her, it was not the time for that. Her exploration of the forest had just begun. She did not feel like lugging a carcass twice her size along for the duration.


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    She flew to the other side of the river. Here a flock of birds were having a drink. She landed on the side of the riverbed and dispelled her {Invisibility}. Within seconds, a flutter of wings surrounded her as the panicked birds clambered to escape.


    She ignored them and walked into the forest.


    This side of the forest was sparser than the one she came from. Here the trees were half the size and the grass never grew past her shins. She also had an easier time spotting the animals here. More of those Trenton Gazelles were here. They kept their distance while the males shot her what could only be interpreted as warning glares.


    At one point she spotted what appeared to be a black rabbit. The creature was certainly bigger than the rabbits she was familiar with. It saw her almost as soon as she saw it. Then, it scurried away in a panic, jumping into the trees and vanishing completely. It was a feat no rabbit on Earth was capable of.


    Hours of walking around aimlessly and at some point she came across a road made by cart tracks. This road did not appear to be frequented and was in the middle of being encroached by weeds. However, Sage spotted what looked like fresh shoeprints along the track.


    Curiosity got the better of her and she decided to follow the road.


    These would be the first humans she encountered in this world, barring Bori. She was interested to see what kind of people they were. She wanted to know how humans in this world lived. After all, a secluded necromancer was hardly the kind of person that could be held up as an example of their species.


    She did not know how long she walked, but at some point the sun sunk below the mountains, causing the gigantic shadow of the Trenton Highlands to enshroud everything. Soon the sky darkened and the stars appeared. The call of crickets and other bugs began to sound from the trees and occasionally she would hear the distinctive howl of a wolf deep in the forest.


    Sage took it all in calmly. The fall of night did not bother her. Ever since coming here she had felt more at ease with the night. It probably had something to do with her being an undead. The darkness did not hinder her either as she could see in it almost as well as she could see in the day, or perhaps she could see even better at night because the day was too bright.


    She stayed on the tracks until she spotted smoke in the sky. Knowing she had found whoever made the tracks, she used {Lightfoot} and cautiously approached the place where the smoke was coming from.


    It was a small clearing with a fire burning in the middle. She stopped just short of entering the clearing and observed the people camped there.


    There were four individuals in the clearing. Two males and two females. One of the males was hunched over the fire, roasting what looked like the oversized rabbit she had encountered earlier. The smell of it cooking on the spit wafted towards her nose, making her yearn for a bit. If not for the fact that she did not need to eat her stomach would have given her away.


    She shook her head at this thought. Take this seriously, she admonished herself.


    She began to check out the quartet starting with the guy by the fire.


    He was by far the largest in the group. Sage guessed he would stand at around two metres if he stood up straight. This man was dark-skinned and bald with a rough beard that could use a trim. While he turned the rabbit on the spit she got a good look at his biceps; they appeared to be twice the size of her thighs. On the ground near him there was a massive broadsword that looked like it required the strength of two men to lift. Sage read this man with her {Index}.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: H (White)


    Just close to this man, sitting on a log, was a woman reading a book. She had red her hair that glowed in the light of the fire. She looked to be in her early twenties with a really pretty face that would have captivated Sage if it were any other time. She had a small stature which was the complete opposite of her partner¡¯s. Her height was around one hundred and fifty centimetres, which was about ten centimetres shorter than Sage.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: C (Maroon)


    This woman appeared to be in the 4<sup>th</sup> Order like her.


    The other woman in in the group was not as pretty as the mage but she was not bad either. She had shoulder length black hair that appeared to be haphazardly hacked off with a knife and wore tight leather clothing that accentuated her voluptuous figure. In her hand was a dagger which she kept flicking upwards and catching it while donning a bored expression. The last thing Sage noticed about her was that she had short pointed ears.


    Race: Half-Elf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: E (Orange)


    The last of the group was a man in white robes who sat around the fire doing nothing. He was the handsome sort with straw hair and a clean-shaven face. Across his lap was something that appeared to be a sceptre of some sort. It looked like a wand with a golden hexagram at the end.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: C (Brown)


    These were the people she saw around the fire. The first humans she had come into contact with if Bori was not included.


    Seeing them, she encountered a bit of a dilemma.


    She wanted to interact with them but did not have a clue on how she should approach them. These four had the attitude of season adventurers. They might have looked like they were lazing around but their eyes would dart around from time to time. If the saw her they would no doubt be on high alert, especially when they saw her face.


    How do I approach them? She wondered


    Suddenly a thought came to her mind. Deeming it feasible, she retreated back into the forest and prepared to act it out.

 CHAPTER 15: MERCENARIES

    For the tenth time since they set up camp, Kaylee looked around. She remained on high alert and she could feel her companions were just like her. Occasionally, Marcus¡¯ eyes would leave the rabbit he was spit-roasting and shift from left to right; when Arletta¡¯s eyes were not focused on her book they were watching for movement in the trees and Zachary would grip his sceptre hard whenever he was not staring into the fire. As for her, she played with her knife while staring at the trees.


    The first creature that came out of there would be getting it between the eyes.


    The air around their mercenary band was tense, but it was not like this when they first started off. However, a few days in these accursed woods and the merry atmosphere from when they first left Tiih had vanished. No one would could be expected to maintain a positive mind-set after being attacked by wolf packs every night for three nights after midnight.


    ¡°How far are we from the bandit hideout?¡± she asked, tossing her knife in the air and catching it.


    ¡°If we¡¯re fast we might be able to reach it by sunset tomorrow,¡± Zachary replied.


    ¡°Urg!¡± she gave frustrated sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t stand being in this place anymore. I wanna return to Tiih quickly!¡±


    When they first entered these woods it felt like it was just another forest. The animals here were average so they thought the danger was negligible.


    What they did not account for was the fact that there were many wolf packs in the area. Every time the bastards sneak-attacked them at night their party would wipe them out. However, just when they thought the foul beasts had been dealt with, the following night another pack attacked them.


    Three days in these woods and Kaylee was fucking done!


    ¡°Don¡¯t make such a fuss of it Kaylee,¡± Arletta looked up from her magic book. ¡°It¡¯s just one more day and we can go back.¡±


    ¡°You do realise that we will be going back the way we came right?¡± she responded. ¡°We¡¯ll have to fend off the wolves again and this time we might have to protect more than ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I understand that,¡± Arletta said to her. ¡°Maybe the wolves will back off if we are more.¡±


    ¡°Only you can be optimistic in this situation,¡± Kaylee murmured.


    But Arletta seemed to have heard. Setting her book aside, the tiny mage sent a scowl her way. ¡°Do you think I am positive under these conditions? Every night in this forest I struggle to sleep because of the damn mosquitoes! Do you think I¡¯m not eager to leave this place?¡±


    Kaylee was about to respond, but Marcus held up his hand and silenced her.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± he said softly. Even then, his voice was as domineering as his stature. Kaylee and Arletta both listened. ¡°We are almost at our destination. The last thing we need is for fights to break out amongst ourselves. Why don¡¯t you try to endure it for the next few days? If you can do that the drinks will be on me when we get back to town.¡±


    This caused both girls to back down, after which Kaylee shot Marcus an excited look.


    ¡°You better no go back on your-¡±


    ¡°AWOOO!¡±


    A wolf¡¯s howl cut her off. It sounded like it was incredibly close, no further than fifty metres.


    Kaylee jumped to her feet, sheathed her knife and picked up her bow and quill. To the side she saw Marcus toss the rabbit to the ground. He too had gotten to his feet with hands clasped around his monstrous broadsword. The other two were ready as well. Arletta had thrown her book to the side and raised her hands in preparation to cast a spell while Zachary¡¯s pointed his sceptre in the direction the howl came from.


    Then they waited.


    It did not take long for the trees near the clearing to move. Then a figure shot out of them. Surprisingly it was not a wolf but a young girl, or at least that was how it appeared to Kaylee¡¯s eyes. At first glance she could already tell a few things seemed off with her.


    First off, she wore a giant grey robe that was torn and did not fit her. Second, she was barefoot in this treacherous forest. And last of all, when the girl¡¯s face was momentarily illuminated by the light of fire Kaylee saw that she was terribly scarred. The girl appeared to have stitches running across her face.


    The expression on the girl¡¯s face was one of fear as she rushed towards their party. The wolves burst into the clearing a not a moment after her. Vicious creatures they were, standing as high as Arletta, with savage looking teeth dripping saliva. The one in the lead tried to grab the girl with its paw but failed to. Less than a second later the girl and her chasers reached the Kaylee and her companions. Then the girl dove behind them and grasped Marcus hand.


    ¡°Help me,¡± she begged in a weak voice.


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    Kaylee was no longer paying attention to her. As the first wolf arrived she released her bowstring, sending her arrow straight through its eye. The wolf gave a painful squeal and dropped to the ground. Having already forgotten the beast, she notched a second arrow and released it into another wolf¡¯s mouth. The arrow burst through the roof of its head and it too dropped dead. Notching another arrow, she looked for her next victim.


    Her companions were fairing just as well as she was. Arletta used her earth magic to call up spikes from the ground, impaling more than a few wolves. Zachary conjured a fireball and made it explode in the middle of the charging pack, causing creatures¡¯ body parts to fly everywhere. As for Marcus, he was a juggernaut. Every swing of his broadsword bisected a wolf.


    It did not take long for her party to make quick work of the pack. Within minutes they were standing in front of the more than twenty wolf carcasses.


    There were some of them that were still alive and mewled in pain as they lay on the ground. The party chose to silence them. When the whimpers of the beasts were no more they turned to the one who brought them.


    ¡°Why the hell did you lead the wolves here?¡± Kaylee shouted at her. ¡°Now we have to move from this site!¡± Next she pointed at the roasted rabbit on the ground. ¡°And look what happened to out dinner! What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± the girl began, fear clear on her face. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    She was struggling to give a coherent response. After trying and failing a few more times she gave up and hid her face in her hands. Then she began to cry.


    ¡°Look what you did?¡± Arletta accused Kaylee, shaking her head. The other two mimicked the gesture.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m right aren¡¯t I?¡± she responded defensively.


    But her companions were no longer paying attention to her. Arletta cautiously walked up to the crying girl and touched her shoulder gently.


    ¡°Hey there,¡± she said softly, her face lit by a kind smile. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    The girl¡¯s cries ceased and she timidly lifted her head from her hands. At that moment the entire party got a clear look at her face. None of them could stop themselves from flinching.


    This girl had a nasty stitch running diagonally from one side of her face to the other. Even the corners of her mouth had experienced some stitch work as the threading ran from the corners of her mouth to just below her ears. The girl¡¯s neck also had stitches which ran across its entirety.


    When she saw the stitches Kaylee covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. What in the world happened to this girl?


    What sort of ordeal did one have to go through to end up with so many stitches? It was not only on the face and neck either. She spotted more stitches on parts of the girl¡¯s arms that the robes revealed. Just looking at her it was surprising she was still alive!


    Arletta was the first to recover. Being the kind one in the group she reignited her smile as she spoke to the girl.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid. Everything is alright now,¡± she said calmly, drawing the scarred girl in for a hug. After a minute, which was occupied by the girl¡¯s silent sniff, she pulled away and pointed to herself. ¡°My name is Arletta. These are my companions Marcus, Kaylee and Zachary. Can you tell us your name?¡±


    ¡°S¡­ S¡­ Sage,¡± the girl managed to get it out with much difficulty.


    ¡°Sage is it?¡± Arletta patted the girl¡¯s back gently. ¡°Can you tell us how you ended up here?¡±


    The girl looked at her, eyes gleaming with tears.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡± unable to finish her sentence, she hid her head in her hands once more and began to cry.


    Arletta again comforted her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re safe here. No one will hurt you.¡±


    The girl looked up from her hands and nodded in understanding, all the while trying to stifle her cries. Then she began to tell her story.


    It was messy and incoherent due to her constant sniffs and stutters but they managed to catch the gist of it.


    It was a sad story.


    Sage was a village girl from Lethia across the mountains. The village was poor but the people got by helping each other. Then one day a necromancer came to the village and turned everyone into zombies. Her mother, her father and her little brother and sister; she watched them all being changed by the necromancer¡¯s foul magic. As for her, she was kept alive. The necromancer told her it was because she was pretty and also because he needed someone to conduct tests on.


    ¡°He¡­ he¡­ he did things to me,¡± the girl whispered, her voice filled with agony. Then she went back to crying in her hands.


    Everyone was affected by the story. Arletta struggled to maintain her smile. Listening to Sage, she looked like she wanted to cry too. Both Marcus and Zachary were frowning, their eyes radiating anger and pity. As for Kaylee, she wiped a few tears from her eyes, a deep frown upon her lips.


    ¡°Fucking necromancers!¡± she hissed. ¡°They should all be hunted down and burned at the stake!¡±


    Among all mages they were the most foul. Those who practised necromancy were the worst of people. Their magic was one that made a mockery of life and to advance their craft they had to bring misery to others. It was little wonder they were outlawed in almost every country of Rekke. Unfortunately, that did not stop them from popping up all over the place.


    ¡°How did you escape from your captor?¡± Marcus asked Sage, trying to mimic Arletta¡¯s soft tone.


    It seemed to work because the girl spoke up. Apparently the necromancer had left his tower earlier that day so she took the opportunity to run away. After struggling in the forest for a long time she saw the smoke of their camp and decided to approach them but was unfortunate enough to encounter a pack of wolves. She did not have to tell the rest of the story as they had been witnesses to its ending.


    ¡°What do we do with her,¡± Zachary asked.


    Marcus sighed, watching the girl sniffing quietly as she tried not to burst out into tears again.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take her with us,¡± he said. ¡°After we complete our mission and get back to town we¡¯ll look for someone to take care of her.¡±


    None of them objected. The girl¡¯s pitiful story touched all their hearts.


    ¡°Are you feeling pain anywhere,¡± Arletta asked with concern. Without waiting for a reply she looked at Zachary. ¡°Can you heal her?¡±


    Zachary nodded and stepped forward, arms raised and ready to cast a healing spell.


    Surprisingly, the girl took a step back and rejected it.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, holding her hands up and stepping away. ¡°You don¡¯t need to waste your energy for my sake.¡±


    Her actions made Kaylee wipe away another batch of tears. Poor girl, she¡¯s trying hard not to show her pain because she doesn¡¯t wanna worry us.


    Zachary offered her a kind smile. ¡°It¡¯s no bother. It will hardly be a drain on my magic.¡±


    But the girl was adamant that she was fine. She said that they had already done so much for her and she would not be able to rest easy if she allowed them to heal her when she did not need it. In the end, they could only helplessly agree to the girl¡¯s wish and back off.


    After that they packed up their stuff and moved their camp elsewhere.


    That night, no wolves attacked them.

 CHAPTER 16: SCARLET QUARTET

    After the group moved camp and ate their dirt-filled rabbit, they decided to go to sleep with one of them staying up as the lookout. Obviously, Sage, being a frightened girl in their eyes, was exempted from the task. To avoid suspicion she had to pretend to be asleep.


    It was excruciatingly hard to put on a sleeping act.


    It actually started off quite easy. Anyone could put on a sleeping act, it was the easiest thing in the world. However, as time went on it became harder. After a couple hours of lying still Sage could not take it anymore. So she pretended to be having a nightmare. The act involved tossing and turning on the ground while constantly chanting, ¡°No¡± with an agonised face. After minutes of doing that she pretended to wake up from her supposed nightmare by uttering a shrill scream.


    Suffice to say, the four bought the act, after which she had to pretend to cry while being consoled by Arletta. When she had finally ¡®calmed¡¯ down and ¡®gone back to sleep¡¯ she had done so in Arletta¡¯s arms.


    The feeling was pleasant in a way, but in all honesty Sage would have preferred to go to sleep in Kaylee¡¯s arms instead. The mage girl might be prettier but the half-elf had the perfect body to cuddle into. Unfortunately Sage was playing the role of a beggar and beggars could not be choosers.


    Still she enjoyed being wrapped in the arms of a woman, even if it was one who was almost as flat as a board.


    When morning came she was reluctant to leave the comfort of those arms. This she made sure to act out, to portray the image of a clingy escaped victim. It caused the mage girl to look at her with a kind smile and assure her that she would not be going anywhere. Then the party packed up and started walking towards their destination.


    The four of them did not seem to suspect her. Sage accredited it to her superb acting.


    Acting was a necessary part in the business of conning people. Those who could not do it properly should consider a career somewhere else because if fifty percent of a con job was gathering information, then the other fifty percent was putting on an act that specifically targeted their marks¡¯ weakness or sympathetic sides. Sage obviously had not gathered enough information on them, but she had taken a gamble based on the fact that everyone was usually moved by a tragic tale.


    She must admit, she pulled it off quite well. The only part where her act had almost been exposed was when that Zachary guy tried to heal her. In her opinion she had been a little too quick in her rejection. Fortunately, the four adventurers seemed to accept her bullshit reason for not wanting to get healed.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Arletta¡¯s voice brought her out of her thoughts.


    She turned to the mage girl and nodded vigorously, making sure to put on a shy expression in the process.


    The girl ate it up. She wrapped one of her little arms around Sage and rubbed her back gently in an effort to comfort her.


    ¡°We have to start moving now before the sun gets too high and affects our progress,¡± the mage said. ¡°Will you be okay?¡±


    Sage nodded, but then she looked up. ¡°Wh¡­ where are y¡­ are you going?¡± She deliberately stuttered.


    It was Kaylee who responded. ¡°To kill some bandits. Those bastards had the gall to attack a village, slaughter the men and kidnap the women. We are going to make them pay.¡±


    Her expression conveyed more anger and hatred than when she had listened to Sage¡¯s sob story. Sage watched the half-elf as she gripped her knife tightly, her eyes were crying murder as she looked in a far distance. The only response she could give Kaylee was to a shy nod before looking at her feet in continuation of her meek act.


    The mercenary band packed up and soon they were on their way.


    At some point they stopped at the river for a drink and to refill their water skins. Here Sage had to pretend to be grateful as she accepted a pouch from Marcus to quench her supposed thirst. Now that she was an undead water tasted horrible for some reason. It took all her might not to let her expression falter because of the taste.


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    As the journey went on the four companions began to talk and she learned a few things about them.


    The first and most obvious one was that they were a mercenary group; that she had been certain of before she interacted with them. What she did not know until now was that their group was called the Scarlet Quartet. The fact that none of them had any red on them was enough to tell her the level of their naming sense.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we always return from our jobs covered in the blood of our foes,¡± Marcus explained.


    She nodded as if to say she understood. However, this time her act was not convincing enough.


    ¡°See, she hates it,¡± Kaylee pointed out with a scowl. ¡°I¡¯ve told you guys many times that it¡¯s a dumb name.¡±


    ¡°People seem to like it in Tiih,¡± Zachary replied nonchalantly, causing the half-elf to glare at him.


    ¡°You can only spend so much time around shit before the smell stops bothering you,¡± she said to him. ¡°Either way shit is still shit and it still stinks. Those who encounter the smell for the first time won¡¯t be able to resist covering their noses. Kind of like how Sage reacted to our name, because it¡¯s shit!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not that bad,¡± Sage managed to get out.


    However, Kaylee was not convinced. She went on to complain about how her suggested name (Silver Squad) had been a better name and that they should have adopted it instead. That led to the other three admonishing her for her terrible naming sense which they clearly did not think they had. All in all, the whole ordeal turned into a light-hearted argument between friends. While observing the group, Sage managed to learn a few things as a result.


    Starting with Marcus, he was the oldest of the bunch, around his mid-thirties. He was also the strongest and most experienced, therefore he was the leader of their mercenary band. He was the big brother type who always stepped in to prevent fights, particularly between Kaylee and Arletta.


    Arletta was a talented mage who graduated from the Tiih Magic Academy at the top of her class. At only twenty-one years old, she was considered a genius for having reached the 4<sup>th</sup> Order at such a young age.


    ¡°Unfortunately with my aptitude I will never be able to go higher than 6<sup>th</sup> Order,¡± she lamented.


    Kaylee was a spectacular archer, something she displayed by shooting a rabbit between the eyes from over three hundred metres away. She did not talk about her past, most likely because there was something painful in it.


    As for Zachary, he was a priest of Shea, the Goddess of Life. As a 5<sup>th</sup> Order priest at the age of thirty his future was considered quite promising, or at least it would have been if not for the fact that because of his aptitude he could no longer Advance. The reason he decided to be a mercenary was because he wanted to help out people in his travels.


    ¡°Not all countries have a church dedicated to the Goddess,¡± he said. ¡°By travelling around I am able to bring the light of the Lady of Life to the people.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s serious,¡± Kaylee whispered to her. ¡°When we first met he tried to convert me to his faith.¡± Here she gave a snort. ¡°As if. I might not be religious but my belief in the Beast God is unshakable.¡±


    Sage did not know how to respond to that. Her thoughts on religion were not the best. To her, who made a living of cheating people, she could only look at churches with envy and hatred. If there were any who could be considered worthy of being called legends in the con game it was the religious institutions. The way they convinced people to give them money in the name salvation was on a level that she could never match up to. The fact that they could make people happily donate to non-existent gods always made her blood boil.


    In this world however, gods existed. She had read a little about them in Bori¡¯s books. They were the likes of the Beast God Rakka, whose name was similar to Rekke because the continent was named after him; the Life Goddess Shea, patron deity of the Shean Holy Imperium; the Fire God Vestrava, who ruled over all dragons; and the Magic God Argun whose sphere was self-explanatory. There were other gods but these four were the most widely worshipped among the creatures of Rekke.


    The party¡¯s journey continued into the midday, where the height of the sun slowed them down to the point where they had no choice but to stop and hide in the shade. There they cooked and ate the rabbit Kaylee shot and lay down until they felt well rested enough to continue their march.


    As time went on their journey progressed until, just as the sun was about to sink below the mountains, they caught sight of their destination. The bandit hideout was a medium sized cave carved into the mountains of the Trenton Highlands. There were two people guarding its entrance.


    To avoid being spotted, the party quickly dove into the trees.


    ¡°Let¡¯s backtrack half a kilometre,¡± Marcus whispered to his companions. ¡°We¡¯ll rest up for a while and attack when night falls.¡±


    They all agreed and fell back to have one last meal, which consisted of the rabbit from earlier. As they had already anticipated that they would reach their destination that day they had saved some of it so they did not have to start an unnecessary fire and give themselves away.


    The mercenary band waited until the sun set and dusk completely fell. Then the members of the Scarlet Quartet gripped their weapons tightly, their expressions serious.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± Marcus said, his voice as hard as his face. To Sage he said, ¡°Stay here and guard our stuff. We¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    She could only nod as she watched them go.

 CHAPTER 17: STORMING THE HIDEOUT

    At least that was the impression she wanted to portray for them. The moment the sound of their footsteps vanished she got up and used three of her four racial abilities before running after them.


    {Lightfoot}, {Invisibility} and {Ghostwalk}; each of these abilities could be maintained at the cost of a constant consumption mana after a set period of time. When her mana was still white Sage was unable to maintain each of them for longer than ten minutes. Using them together as she did now had drastically increased the consumption of mana to the point where she would run out in under two minutes. Fortunately she was in now in the 4<sup>th</sup> Order. With her maroon mana being thirty-two times denser than the white mana, she could last an hour in her current state.


    Initiating a soft silent jog, she did not take long to reach the four mercenaries. The quartet¡¯s approach of the cave entrance was slow and cautious, they did not want to alert the guards.


    Said entrance soon came into view. The two bandits were still there, idly guarding the place. From their posture alone one could see that they were not expecting any company. From time to time one of them would cover their mouth and yawn, a clear sign that they were bored.


    Bored people made careless guards. The two bandits were unable to react when a pair of arrows flew out of the trees and lodged themselves in their sockets. They were dead before they hit the ground.


    Sage watched Kaylee lower her bow and silently walked over to the bodies to reclaim her arrows. Her companions followed closely behind, careful not to make a sound until they were standing at the entrance of the cave. Then Marcus made a hand-gesture that Sage did not understand but the Scarlet Quartet clearly had no trouble deciphering. In response to it, Zachary raised his sceptre and cast a spell on them.


    Although Sage was not familiar with the spell she could still tell that it was of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Order.


    After that Zachary cast a few more spells on his companions. They were support spells ranging from the 1<sup>st</sup> to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order. They seemed to have taken a sizable chunk out of the priest¡¯s mana. To counteract this the priest took a clear potion from his robe and downed it. Then, like his companions, he stared at the dark entrance of the cave.


    With preparations to enter complete, the party entered.


    The inside of the cave was pitch black. A few metres in and the average person would have trouble seeing past their nose. However, Marcus and his companions seemed to be able to see just well, which made Sage come to the conclusion that one of the spells Zachary cast on them was the 2<sup>nd</sup> Order [Night Vision]. The spell was also in Bori¡¯s study, but she did not learn it because it would have been redundant.


    When the band continued the advance their footsteps were quiet, a clear indication that they were magically muffled. It was another spell Sage had no need for.


    The bandit hideout did not seem to be a single cave but a network of caves within the Highlands. This was something Sage realised as she followed the group out of the first cave into the second.


    This cave was smaller than the one they had just left. Different from the previous one, this one had lamps hanging from its ceiling. Sage was amazed by this. It seemed the bandits had really made a cosy place for themselves. There was a stone table surrounded by four chairs in the middle of the cave room. On the table was a wooden jug and four wooden cups.


    Also, there were bandits sitting on the chairs holding these cups.


    When the four bandits saw the mercenaries enter their first reaction was shock, then alarm as they tried to reach for their weapons to fight the intruders. However, they never left their seats. Marcus and Kaylee rushed forward to dispose of them before they alerted their companions deeper in the caves.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The half-elf was nimble on her feet as she rushed past two of the bandits. Her knife flashed once and the two throats were sliced open.


    As for gigantic party leader, he leapt in the air and swung his giant blade down hard, decapitating the remaining two bandits in one swoop.


    The four of them waited for a while until they were sure the deaths of the bandits and subsequent dropping of their bodies had not alerted the bandits in the next room. When no one came they heaved relieved sighs and headed to the next cave.


    This room was also lit and it too had bandits. However, they were all fast asleep on straw beds and sleeping rags. It turned out this was their sleeping quarters.


    Here the party stopped and everyone turned to look at Kaylee. Feeling their gazes, the half-elf gave a wordless sigh and approached the closest bandit with her knife drawn, still leaking blood from its previous harvest. Then, like a poised viper, she struck.


    Pressing her palm against the bandit¡¯s mouth, she ran her knife from one side of his throat to the other. This caused the man to wake up, struggling and choking on his blood. Kaylee kept him down with her hand covering his mouth to make sure he did not wake the others. Over time the bandit¡¯s struggles became weaker until his body slackened and the light disappeared from his eyes. The disturbance he caused was not enough to wake the others up. Kaylee was relieved by this. She then proceeded to give the other bandits the same treatment.


    Within minutes there were six bodies sprawled on their beds with blood leaking from their throats. Some of it had gotten onto the half-elf but she did not seem to mind.


    When the group was done they moved on. The next cave was empty even though it was lit. It was much smaller than the ones they had previously passed. This one felt more like an intersection between the cave they had just left and the next one they were going to.


    The Scarlet Quartet peeked into the next cave to get a layout of the place.


    Unfortunately, before they could view the place they heard a dog¡¯s bark.


    A moment passed where all that could be heard was the dog¡¯s barking. Then they heard footsteps scrambling around the place followed by the sounds of weapons being unsheathed. Then footsteps rushed towards them while shouting in alarm.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Marcus shouted.


    They had been found out, so he saw no reason to be quiet anymore. He jumped out of his hiding spot and swung his sword. His blow cleaved the dog that had given them away. The vicious beast had been running towards him when it met its unfortunate fate. Its head, part of its shoulder and a leg; these were sent flying from its body after the broadsword made contact with it.


    This was also the moment Arletta, who had not done a thing until now, became active. She raised her hand and flung a [Fireball] into the midst of the charging bandits. The moment the spell made contact with the tightknit bunch it exploded, sending them scattering in many directions in many parts.


    There were still a few bandits left after her attack but they were quickly taken out by Kaylee¡¯s arrow and Zachary¡¯s [Ice Spike]. Soon the four of them were the only breathing entities among a sea of mangled corpses.


    Zachary took another clear potion from inside his robe and downed it while Kaylee went to retrieve her arrow. The pair looked like they wanted to take a breather.


    However, Marcus¡¯ voice killed their desire.


    ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± he shouted. ¡°Now that the bandits know we¡¯re here the hostages probably don¡¯t have long to live. We must hurry!¡±


    Hearing this, his companions frowned and reinvigorated their actions.


    Quickly they rushed to the next room.


    Here they found no signs of the hostages either, just more bandits. There were seven of them in this cave. The Scarlet Quartet dealt with them in one breath. Their pace did not slow as they rushed to the next cave.


    They did not find the hostages in there either. This was another sleeping room for the bandits, with about a dozen straw beds and sleeping rags. The Bandits here had already been woken by the commotion in the previous rooms. They were ready and waiting for the intruders, some with swords drawn and others with bows raised.


    The moment the mercenaries passed through the bandits released their bowstrings, sending their arrows towards the intruders. Unfortunately for them, Zachary¡¯s [Force Wall] prevented them from inflicting any damage. Then, a [Fireball] sent their way by Arletta blew them up.


    Just then the mercenaries heard a shrill female cry come from deep within the caves.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Marcus exclaimed. To his teammates he shouted, ¡°Faster!¡±


    The others complied. Sage could see their expressions. They were panicking, perhaps thinking that the bandits had already begun killing the hostages. If that was the case they would not be able to make it in time to stop the slaughter. The scream had not sounded like it came from the next room. They would take a while to get there. They were losing hope of finding the women alive, Sage could see it on their faces.


    What a drag, she complained, releasing a silent sigh.


    Then she left the group and ran into the next room. Blitzing past the bandits who could not see her, she picked up her speed, rushing towards where the woman¡¯s scream came from.

 CHAPTER 18: SWINDLER

    In her invisible and intangible state Sage was not hindered by walls or bandits. After rushing out on her own she passed by three more caves before she reached her destination.


    The cave she entered was different from the previous ones. It was larger than those caves. There were more lamps here and it was luxuriously decorated with expensive looking linens. There were beds on one side of the cave that looked far more comfortable than the straw beds in the other sleeping rooms.


    A wide stream ran in the middle of the cave, separating this side of the cave from the other.


    One the other side of the cave, a distance off from the stream, was a giant cage holding close to twenty women. These women were in a deplorable state; torn dresses, bruises on the face and arms, the tell-tale signs of abuse. At the moment they were pressed on one side of the cage, whimpering as they clambered to get away from a large man with a double sided battle-axe.


    The man wore a sneer as he raised his axe, stepping over the fresh corpses of three women as he did so. This caused the women to shift further back into the cage even though there was no space to move, their screams turning hysterical as he got closer. With fear and tears in their eyes, they desperately clung onto each other. Some of them had their eyes closed muttering prayers of deliverance.


    Their actions seemed to amuse the bandits in the room.


    These bandits numbered around a dozen. Their clothes were in better condition than those of the bandits in the other caves, so were their weapons. They were probably the elites of the bunch Sage guessed. She was almost certain the huge bandit with the battle-axe was their leader.


    When she first entered one of these bandits had been busy buckling his belt as he got up from his comfy bed. When he was done he reached for his sword, which was lodging in the corpse of a naked woman next to his bed, and ripped it out. He was currently facing towards the cave entrance, waiting for the intruders to pass through.


    Sage only gave him a passing glance as she dashed towards the large man partaking in the slaughter of the hostages. In this moment her eyes momentarily left her target and checked out the other bandits.


    These might have been the elites of the gang, however, they were weak in her eyes. Apart from the man orchestrating a slaughter, their physiques were all Grade 5. As for the bandit leader, he was Grade 4.


    Their mana was not anything impressive either. These bandits all had H mana aptitudes with the exception of one, who had an F aptitude. Surprisingly, this person was a woman.


    She stood at around one hundred and seventy centimetres with dark skin and reddish-brown hair. The bandit life must have taken a toll on her because she certainly was not pretty. She held a dagger in her hand as she guarded the cage door, watching the slaughter with the same elated expression as the other bandits. Her mana was Orange, an indication of her 2<sup>nd</sup> Order achievement.


    Just then the bandit leader got within range of the women, causing their terrified screams to become even louder. The man did not seem to care though as he swung his axe down, hacking one of them from shoulder to hip.


    Blood drenched the screaming women and their cries got even more intense. In their fear they cowered even further into the cage. Sage could tell that they wanted to escape to the other side with the door, but the bandit woman was there. From the expression on their faces, it was obvious they feared her more than they did the man who was intent on massacring them.


    The bandit leader raised his axe once more, causing the cornered women to reach a new pitch.


    At this moment Sage decided she had seen enough.


    She {Blink}ed inside the cage, behind the bandit leader. Without wasting time she cast [Incineration] on him. This caused her spectral state to dispel.


    Black flames erupted on the bandit leader, causing him to drop his axe and scream. His agony only lasted for a second though, after which he was reduced to ash.


    Sage had already forgotten about him. She charged towards her next target, the bandit woman.


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    In the midst of this a thought crossed her mind. The bandit leader was the first person she had ever killed; in this world and her previous one. Having come to this world, she had known it was just a matter of time before it happened. However, she had always imagined that her first kill would cause her to have some earth-shattering emotion.


    She had been wrong. Right now she felt no different than when she killed the birds she ate by throwing stones at them.


    Coming back to the present, she arrived in front of the bandit woman in an instant. Raising her hand, she palmed her face and shoved hard, sending her tumbling half a dozen metres away.


    Then she turned to the incoming bandits.


    These bastards had been surprised when she first appeared. But they had quickly recovered and now charged her.


    Sage was unimpressed by their actions. Raising a finger, she cast the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell [Chain Lightning]. Black lightning shot out of her finger and struck the leading bandit. Then, using him as a springboard, it leapt to the one trailing him. The process repeated itself several times until they all dropped dead.


    There was still one bandit alive. He was the one she had found zipping up his pants when she had first entered. When his friends were charging her he had been about to join them, but before he could they were struck down. He was fortunate enough to have been out of the range of her spell.


    Witnessing the demise of his comrades made him come to a halt, taking some time to figure out the direction his life should be gong. Not a moment later he was charging in the opposite direction, out of the cave.


    She did not stop him. It was not like he could get away. The mercenaries would take care of him.


    She walked over to the bandit woman, who seemed to have passed out due to her push. Sage bent down, grabbed her neck and twisted it to the side. She heard it snap and felt the life leave her body.


    Throughout all of this she still felt nothing.


    Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m undead, she thought. Or is it because I¡¯m secretly a messed-up person. Heaven knows the only reason I didn¡¯t murder anyone back on Earth was because I didn¡¯t how I would have gotten away with it.


    That was probably the same reason that most people on Earth put up with those they hated instead of stabbing them in the back, otherwise, if there was no penalty for murder the homicide rate would most likely increase exponentially.


    Casting off these thoughts, she looked at the women in the cage. They were still shuddering in the corner, fear clear in their eyes as they fell upon her, taking in her features, particularly her face. Their cries had died but their whimpers remained. When they caught sight of her staring back they looked the other way, trying to stifle their whimpers but only managing to make them louder.


    Sage scoffed and returned her attention the dead bandit woman, particularly her clothes. A woollen shirt and jersey with leather pants and boots; they seemed to be of some quality. Although, judging by the woman¡¯s height, they were a little big for her, she wanted them. Compared to the oversized robes she had torn in some places to gain the sympathy of the mercenaries, these clothes were more suitable to wear.


    However, she would not swap out her clothes here. Marcus and his band were close, she could hear the sounds of fighting in the next room.


    Swinging the bandit¡¯s corpse on her right shoulder, she turned to the hostages still cowering in the cage.


    ¡°When the mercenaries get here tell them I enjoyed their company,¡± she smiled, not caring how it affected her stitched up features.


    After this she cast [Dimension Door].


    She heard some of the women gasp as the space parted, creating a door about three metres high and two metres wide. She stepped through this door, appearing in the forest where the mercenaries¡¯ belongings were.


    There was a reason why Sage, who could already teleport using {Blink}, decided to learn [Dimension Door]. {Blink} was faster, but to utilise it one had to see where they were going. Also, the distance could not exceed a hundred metres. As for the [Dimension Door], as long as you have been to a place and it was within one kilometre it was no trouble opening a door to the place.


    She rummaged through the Quartet¡¯s packs and came out with Arletta¡¯s magic books, Zachary¡¯s holy book and four coin purses. Putting them all in a single bag, she slung it over her left shoulder. Then she cast [Dimension Door] again and stepped through.


    Her destination this time was the river. Here she unslung the bag and corpse from her shoulders. Then she proceeded to undress the woman and wash her clothes in the river. After that she dried them using Zero Order magic [Burning Touch]. Then she got out of her robes and put the clothes on.


    As she had suspected, they were a little big for her. The jersey¡¯s sleeves covered her arms to the tips of her fingers and she had to fold the pants so they did not drag on the ground. The pants were also a little big for her, but she remedied that by ripping off part of her discarded robes, creating a makeshift belt to hold them in place.


    Unfortunately the boots were too big for her, so she had to continue on barefoot. It did not bother her much though.


    When she was done she threw the robes on the corpse and set them alight with the 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell [Firebolt].


    Just then she heard a scream in the distance.


    Different from the panicked cries of the hostages, this one was angry. It sounded like it belonged to Kylee. Sage could almost picture her face as she rummaged through their packs searching for their missing coin purses.  The image brought a smile to her lips.


    That¡¯s what you get for trusting the word of a stranger.


    She was a con artist, a swindler. Getting close to her marks and robbing them, that was what she did best.

 CHAPTER 19: BACK TO THE TOWER

    This journey has been quite fruitful, Sage thought as she continued to listen to the music that was Kaylee¡¯s angry screams.


    In the past two days she had explored the forest, interacted with humans and obtained their money and a mage¡¯s spell book. All in all, she was satisfied with how things had gone.


    However, she had been away from the tower longer than originally intended. What she had originally planned was to explore the forest in the day and return at night to browse through the necromancer¡¯s tomes to look for a good 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell to Advance with. Unfortunately, it was already a day later than she planned and she still had not inscribed a spell of the next Order.


    It was time to go back and do so.


    But before that she would grab food on her way.


    The usage of her spells and abilities had consumed almost a quarter of her mana. It was an unfortunate thing that mana took hours to regenerate. If she had one of those clear potions that Zachary had been chugging down like water she would probably be able to recover in an instant. Unfortunately, the geezer was not much of an alchemist. He did not even have a herb garden so the only way to increase her mana recovery rate was to eat something.


    She already had an image of what she wanted to eat. The humongous deer from yesterday, the Trenton Gazelle. It stood at a height of more than two metres, which was taller than the huge mercenary Marcus. Considering its body, it probably weighted thrice as much as he did.


    To Sage these creatures would make the perfect meal. They were large enough that they could be eaten in more than one sitting, which meant they might last long enough for her to get over her aversion of bird meat.


    She flew through the forest, ignoring the cricket sounds, the owl hoots and the wolf howls. She even passed by a pack of these wolves. The beasts were resting when she flew by, so they did not react to seeing her. Either they were too tired or they mistook her for a bird.


    She continued on but found no sign of the gazelles. It caused her previous cheery mood to almost disappear.


    They were everywhere yesterday, she whined. Where could they all have gone in just one day?


    She kept searching and still could not find any. Also, as time passed the constant drain of [Flight] reduced her mana to a two thirds. She was about to call it quits and return to the tower when she saw something.


    With a body that stood two metres tall and a figure so large it was several times her own weight, with a snout that was constantly on the ground sniffing for food; the creature she encountered was not a Trenton Gazelle. It was a humongous boar bigger than any she had ever seen, with a spherical body so big one could only wonder how its tiny legs were able to support it. Two long sharp tusks grew from its bottom lip, giving it a vicious look.


    Her {index} revealed it to be a Grandhog, a wild boar with a Grade 4 physique. She had not seen it in any of the books she read so she knew nothing about it.


    Even so, when she saw it she had already put the Trenton Gazelle out of her mind. This pig was a much better choice!


    To Sage, nothing in the world compared to a nice roasted pork, the way its oil marinated its meat and gave it flavour. If she were still human she would be salivating just at the thought of it.


    Before the boar spotted her she shot an [Ice Spear] at it, penetrating its abdomen. This caused the giant hog to squeal in pain and begin jumping around violently. Its rampage managed to destroy a few trees. However, its struggles soon came to an end as it had lost too much blood. Having lost most of its strength, it flopped to the ground, its squeals getting weaker, its breath becoming softer, until it no longer moved.


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    When the she was sure the boar was dead Sage went to pick it up. She gritted her teeth as she lifted it to her shoulders. The creature turned out to be heavier than she thought. It probably weighed more than a tonne, which was about the limit of what she could lift. She could practically feel the weight of the dead pig dragging her down, causing her to grind her teeth in frustration.


    I¡¯m learning [Reduce Burden] when I get back, she swore.


    The 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell could reduce the weight of objects by up to three hundred kilograms. It was the type of spell that was useful for lugging around heavy stuff. The reason why she did not learn it was because she had not believed there would be a day she would require it. She had reasoned that there was nothing she could want that was heavy enough to warrant usage of the spell.


    It turned out she had been wrong.


    Flying with the giant pig on her shoulders did not seem like a smart idea, so she decided to get back to the tower using [Dimension Door].


    Unfortunately, the tower was not close enough to make it in one leap. She used more than ten jumps through the door to get to the foot of the mountains. After that she used the spell six more times to get her to the clearing.


    Using [Dimension Door] to ascend the Highlands was hard because she had to maintain her altitude after opening a door in the air, which was not an easy thing with the pig on her back. She could not stop complaining as she struggled to maintain her altitude with [Flight].


    What kind of fucking moron decides to build their tower six thousand metres above the ground? She cursed. Fuck! Not even Kilimanjaro stands that high!


    When she made it back to the clearing the first thing she did was toss the boar on the ground. Then she took a few minutes to message her shoulders before rushing into the tower, climbing the stairs all the way up to the third floor. Here she threw her stolen bag with the mercenaries¡¯ belongings and coins on the table before continuing to ascend the stairs. At the top was Bori¡¯s room. Here she found the warrior skeletons standing still, awaiting instructions from their master.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± she told them, before turning to head back down.


    She might not have been their master but they still complied with her wishes.


    The next stop Sage made was the kitchen. Here she grabbed the sharpest knife she could find and a bag of salt, which was the only seasoning Bori had.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± she ordered the two skeletons that stood quietly and watched her.


    Then she rushed back to the clearing with the skeletons trailing her. Quickly, she set them to work.


    The skeleton cooks she tasked with collecting dried branches and straw while the skeleton warriors she ordered to hold the hog while she took out its entrails. When she was done with this she tasked one of the warrior skeletons to rush back and bring water for her to clean the hog.


    As for the skeleton cooks, after they collected what she believed to be enough wood she ordered them to stand aside so she could create a stove using 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell [Pit]. The hole she created was not big, just enough keep the fire inside from spreading out. After that she ordered the skeleton cooks to start a fire by using the old fashion way of rubbing two sticks together. It was unfortunate but it was the only way to start one. Her darkness infused fire spells were not suitable for the task.


    The act of starting a fire took nearly half an hour, which frustrated her endlessly (No wonder no one uses this fucking method anymore!). When it was finally done she erected supports to rotate her skewered pig on. Then finally, the roasting began.


    It took another excruciating hour for the meat to cook. When it was done she could not act fast enough to cut off a piece and shoved it into her mouth.


    Immediately the juicy pork flavour melted into her taste buds as she savoured the meat. After all that work preparing it the end result was almost worth it. The taste was simply divine! She chewed on the piece of pork until it no longer had a flavour to yield. Only then did she swallow it, after which she felt the speed of her mana recovery speed increase.


    The near twenty [Dimension Door] jumps back here had practically drained her mana, so feeling it recover at a visible rate calmed her down a little.


    I¡¯m never doing that much work just food, she promised herself.


    Right now as she was, in her drained state she probably would have had a hard time with the bandits, or maybe she would not even have been able to handle them. Having one¡¯s energy drained to the point where could no longer cast spells was fatal. Even if she were in this place where she felt safe, one could never really be sure. It would really suck if she died because she had wasted her mana hauling food she, as an undead, did not even need.


    Even so, she took another bite of the roasted boar.


    It tasted heavenly, that much she could not deny.


    When her stomach could hold no more she ordered the warrior skeletons to keep turning the meat above the fire to keep it warm and fresh before heading inside the tower.


    Dawn arrived as she stepped on the third floor. Its light passed through the window as her eyes fell on the scrolls and tomes located on the shelves.


    It was time to Advance to the 5<sup>th</sup> Order.

 CHAPTER 20: ADVANCEMENT

    She rummaged through the tomes and scrolls, even checked out Arletta¡¯s spell book to find the perfect spell to inscribe.


    In all honesty, inscribing her first 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell was not such a big deal. She was not like those low-end C rank aptitudes who could only inscribe one 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell. For them, the appropriate spell was a matter of life and death while for her it was just a matter of choosing her first spell. With her aptitude she could inscribe dozens of spells of that Order after filling up her slots for the lower rank spells.


    Despite the fact that she could learn more spells later on, she still took inscribing her first 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell very seriously.


    One thing that she had learned during her Advancement to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order was that one¡¯s compatibility with a spell actually made the transition easier. For, example, if she were to try and Advance with a dark attribute spell she would have much less trouble than Advancing with a spell of another attribute. For example, if learning Light Magic were not harmful for her as an undead and she tried to Advance with it, she, with a talent for Dark Magic, would have an extremely painful experience when her mana changed.


    The transformation of mana got longer and more drastic at higher Orders, which made it extremely painful. Because of this, she suspected there had been those in the upper Orders who died trying to reach a higher realm.


    When Sage had Advanced to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order she had done so by inscribing the Wind Magic spell [Flight]. That had been a gruelling experience.


    Although she was satisfied with the end results, that experience had taught her a lesson to the point where she inscribed [Dark Drain], a spell she almost never used, as her first 4<sup>th</sup> Order spell.


    Now that she was ready to Advance to the 5<sup>th</sup> Order she was obviously going to choose a spell that was compatible with her Darkborne nature. The only 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell she found in Arletta¡¯s spell book was earth attribute spell [Tremor], which did not qualify. She even looked in Zachary¡¯s holy book and only saw light based spells such as [Smite].


    The tomes in the study revealed several spells that could make her transition easier. However, she could not help frowning when she looked at them.


    First off was [Raise Dead V]. The [Raise Dead] series of spells ranged from the 1<sup>st</sup> Order all the way up to the 9<sup>th</sup> Order. They were all about resurrecting corpses as zombies. The way it worked was that the higher the grade of the corpse the higher the Order of the spell needed to raise it. All in all, Sage labelled them useless spells considering they could not raise intelligent undead. It was the reason why she had not learned any necromantic spells despite being suited for them.


    Since she was uninterested in mindless undead minions, [Create Skeleton V] and [Raise Mass Dead] were eliminated by default.


    Sage¡¯s plan was to wait until the 7<sup>th</sup> Order. According to the geezer, that was when she could learn spells to create undead that could actually talk and think for themselves, not the useless things that Bori kept in his tower.


    There was also the spell [Control Undead], which was unnecessary for someone like her to learn.


    Which left the only spell he could learn [Darkness]. It was basically a stronger version of the 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell [Ball of Darkness], the difference being that this one enshrouded an entire area in darkness. She really did not see any use for it other than as cover to escape.


    So it was with disappointment that she decided to learn this spell.


    The process of inscribing it was actually quite smooth. The spell basically inscribed itself into her being, almost as if it wanted her to learn it. This she attributed to her being Darkborne¡­ whatever that meant. The old man still had not explained it to her. She had not found anything about it in the study either.


    It took about five seconds for the spell to be inscribed. When it was complete the entire third floor of the tower was suddenly shrouded in darkness so dense she could not see anything past her nose. Not that she had time to process it. The painful transformation of her mana had already begun.


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    Luckily it had found her sitting in the armchair, so she did not fall to the floor and writhe like the previous times. It did not make the experience any less painful though. In fact, since transformation of mana at higher Orders was more drastic this experience was the most painful yet. It almost made her want to scream in pain. The only time she could remember being in more pain than this was when she became a phantom.


    Fuck! She screamed internally as she felt her toes curl.


    She would actually have to endure a more intense shift when she Advanced to the 6<sup>th</sup> Order? Just this much already made her want to cry. If that was the case then what about when she made it to the 9<sup>th</sup> or Ultra Order? How unbearable would the pain be then?


    After what seemed like forever the process was finally completed. However, she remained slumped in the armchair long after the pain had vanished, the memories of it keeping her from moving.


    Maybe I should slow down the speed at which I¡¯m Advancing, she thought.


    Why was she in hurry to rise through the Orders again? It was not like she was being pursued by someone, so there was no reason to voraciously climb the ranks. Since she was undead she need not be in such a hurry either. Even if a thousand years passed she would still be there; so why be impatient? She should relax and Advance slowly until she eventually reached the peak. After all, with her aptitude it was just a matter of time.


    This was Sage¡¯s current mind-set. She did not want to improve anymore until the memory of this Advancement had become a faint memory.


    With this in mind she sluggishly checked herself over with the {Index}.


    Race; Phantom (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: SS (Brown)


    Title(s): Darkborne


    She was now in the 5<sup>th</sup> Order, like that wraith that chased her in the Deadlands. If she met it now she would probably be able to teach it a few lessons.


    This comforting thought eased the memory of the ordeal she had just experienced. In a hurry to put it out of her mind completely, she took Arletta¡¯s spell book and began to look through it in earnest; looking for low Order spells that were not on the shelves.


    The short mage¡¯s book seemed to mainly contain Earth Magic spells like 2<sup>nd</sup> Order [Stone Call] and 3<sup>rd</sup> Order [Ground Spikes]. Her magic talent most likely leaned toward the Earth department. Apart from that there were spells like [Fireball] and [Ice Spike] which Sage had already learned.


    There was one spell that caught her attention though and surprisingly it was a spell of the 1<sup>st</sup> Order.


    [Summon Familiar]. She had read about it in one of the books somewhere in the study. As the name implied it was a spell that summoned a life companion to one¡¯s side. Mages 1<sup>st</sup> to 9<sup>th</sup> Order all placed importance on this spell. It was one of those spells where the level meant nothing because the summoned familiar would match the strength of the mage. If the mage¡¯s Order increased so would the familiar¡¯s level. There was also the fact that the familiar provided benefits to the summoner, allowing them to comprehend certain spells faster.


    Citing this, it was clear to see that the utility of the spell was way beyond its Order. The downside it had was that it could only be cast once in one¡¯s life. Once used a mage could not summon a second familiar to stack to the benefits of the first one.


    Seeing this spell in Arletta¡¯s book, Sage was confused. If the short mage had recorded the spell in her book why was it that she did not have a Familiar? If she had one their mercenary band would have been able to scout the bandit hideout easily and they would not have had to go in blind.


    Was it that she did not have one or that it gone was elsewhere? If it was the latter case why would she separate from it?


    Not much point thinking about it, she shook her head and shrugged after thinking about it. Not like we¡¯ll ever meet again.


    Even so, this spell could be extremely useful in the long run. She decided to learn it.


    The process lasted less than a second. She did not use it to summon a Familiar though, at least not yet.


    First she spent the next couple of hours flipping through the tomes in the library, looking for more spells to learn. In this time she made sure to inscribe [Reduce Burden] in case she encountered a situation similar to the previous night¡¯s.


    During this time she also learned a seventh 4<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Dragon Breath], a bastardisation of the real thing with nowhere near the power. Still, it allowed her to inscribe a second 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell. For this one she chose a spell that she had been eyeing for some time, [Firestorm]. To learn it she had to leave the tower and fly above it. When she cast it black flames spewed out of her and enshrouded a large area, an act that could have caused a lot of destruction to the tower.


    She smiled in satisfaction when she saw it. With this spell she could wreak a lot of havoc if she encountered multiple enemies.


    With that done she came back down and landed in the clearing.


    Right now she was eager to try out [Summon Familiar].

 CHAPTER 21: NYX

    Some part of her was hesitant to go through with it. [Summon Familiar] was 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell, but its trait in that it could only be used once. After she cast it she would never be able to take back the action.


    The way the spell worked was not like in video games. One could not cast the spell and choose what kind of familiar they wanted to summon. A plane of existence so convenient you could pull the magical animal that you desire from it did not exist. [Summon Familiar] allowed the summoner to pull a tiny piece of the chaotic Primordial Plane into the Main Plane and bond with it. This Primordial fragment would then take a form and awaken a will that was convenient for the summoner.


    However, this convenience was not always welcome. When one wanted to summon a dragon familiar and instead ended up with a rat, they would likely not be happy. Such situations were common where summoning familiars was involved. The worst part about this was that those mages were stuck with those unwanted familiars for the rest of their lives.


    Naturally, this was the reason for Sage¡¯s hesitation.


    It was not that the spell was bad, otherwise it would not be considered precious by almost all mages. No matter what, the summoned familiars were always tailored to the summoner, so it was impossible that they would not benefit them.


    The biggest concern with the spell had always been the fact that mages had no say on what form and personality their familiars would adopt.


    Therefore, if one was prepared to cast this spell it was better to throw away all expectations. Sage thought she had that part down, which is why she wanted to do it. However, the thought of getting a disgusting creature like a toad as her familiar killed that desire just a tiny bit.


    It¡¯s just a pet, she tried to encourage herself. If I don¡¯t like it I will send it away and enjoy the benefits it provides from a distance.


    With that thought she made up her mind and stopped hesitating. Then, to prevent herself from having second thoughts once more, she immediately raised her hand and cast the spell.


    At first nothing happened. Then, the ground suddenly parted, revealing a dark void. An orb was released from this void and after that the void closed up, almost as if it had never been there in the first place. Her concentration shifted from where it had been to the orb that was now floating in the air; black in colour, a clear sign that her familiar would be of the darkness element.


    Being who she was, that was to be expected.


    She observed the floating orb as it began to take form. First it was a set of paws, four tiny ones the size of her knuckles. After that she saw a tail take form. Then ears. Initially these parts were mixed together randomly, but as the familiar¡¯s shape became more defined they moved to their rightful place. A moment later the transformation was done and the fully formed familiar landed on the ground.


    It was a cat.


    Its colour was pitch black, almost as if made from darkness itself. It looked at her with large green drowsy eyes, its expression belonging to someone who had just woken up.


    Are you my master? It asked.


    The question had been asked nonverbally. The cat¡¯s voice had been directly transmitted to her mind. It was a deep and smooth voice, the kind that would put others at ease.


    She looked at the creature, using the {Index} to glimpse information on it.


    Race: Familiar (Elemental- Dark)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: A (Brown)


    It doesn¡¯t look strong, she thought as she gazed upon it. Maybe it has some amazing abilities that can aid me in battle.


    Thinking this, she could not help feel a little excitement coming on. A pet that could support her in battle would be invaluable. One of the reason why [Summon Familiar] was used was because mages desired such a helper. Sage was almost unable to control her excitement just thinking about it.


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    ¡°Yes I am,¡± she replied, displaying a kind smile. ¡°My name is Sage.¡±


    The cat did not respond. Instead, it looked her up and down in a scrutinising manner. When it finally responded it did so with two words.


    You¡¯re ugly.


    She heard its voice loud and clear in her mind. It sounded like a sneer with a pinch of disgust snuck in.


    For a moment Sage did not know how to react. Had she just been insulted by a cat?


    Looking at it, the creature¡¯s gaze was firm, indicated that it meant what it said and she had not misheard. This caused her to drop her smile and glare at it.


    ¡°What would you know of human beauty?¡± she asked disdainfully.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± the cat replied, this time in a clumsy verbal way. It was probably just learning to speak now. ¡°But I know about universal ugliness.¡±


    ¡°Okay that¡¯s it!¡± she decided.


    Fiercely, she grabbed the feline by the scruff of its neck and lifted it to eye level. Then she closed her eyes and let her mind flow into, going deep in its mind and skimming through the kind of abilities it possessed.


    The first of these was {Void Space}. It was an ability that opened an extra-dimensional pocket space where the cat could store things. It could literally be anything that was not living, even multiple things; however, their combined weight could not exceed one and a half tonnes.


    When she saw this Sage nodded her head in satisfaction. It was a good ability, just the kind she needed. If she hunted another boar, instead of carrying it and suffering like the previous evening she would just let the cat put it in its {Void Space}.


    The second ability of the cat was {Shadow Travel}. It was an ability that allowed it to travel between shadows, a truly self-explanatory ability. As long as there were shadows within a hundred metres the cat could move to them using this ability.


    The third ability was {Devour}. This cat could consume the corpses of beasts to assume their form. Unfortunately, it could not consume a creature with a physique above Grade 4.


    The fourth ability was {Misfortune} which basically made everyone around it unlucky. Sage frowned when she saw this ability. A major problem with it was that if it was used even she would not be spared from it, which was ridiculous considering the cat was supposed to be her familiar.


    As for the fifth ability, it was-


    -there was no fifth ability. That was it


    Are you fucking kidding me?  She exclaimed internally. Most familiars usually have six abilities and some of them are offensive ones. This cat though¡­


    The thing about familiars was that once they came into being, the abilities that they had were the only ones they would ever have. This meant that the cat would never be able to comprehend a fifth ability.


    Dammit! Fuck! She exclaimed internally.


    She felt like she had been cheated. Other mages got pets that could aid them in combat and she got a rude little shit.


    ¡°You¡¯re useless aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked scornfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pin this on me,¡± the creature whined. ¡°The biggest deciding factor of a familiar¡¯s abilities is the summoner. If you don¡¯t like my abilities blame yourself!¡±


    Hearing this caused her to frown. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    This cat was unlikable. It was a much different view than the one she had when she first saw it. Originally she had been glad it took the form of a cat instead of a toad. Back in her old life she had always considered herself a cat person so she had no complaints.


    Or so she believed.


    This rude cat alone was destroying all the fondness she had for cats. At the moment she began to wonder if maybe getting a frog would have been a better outcome. Such a creature might be uglier but it would probably have been better-behaved as well.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± she asked the cat.


    The cat seemed to ponder this question seriously. ¡°My name is¡­ my name is¡­¡± but it came out with nothing.


    Then it looked at her with pitiful eyes. ¡°Master, can you give me a name?¡±


    ¡°How about Worthless?¡± she responded, annoyed.


    Hearing this caused the newly summoned familiar to frown.


    ¡°Is that really what Master wants to call me?¡± it asked in a soft voice.


    Sage shrugged. ¡°Why not. I can¡¯t think of a name more suitable for you.¡±


    The cat looked dejected at this statement. With pleading eyes it looked at her.


    ¡°Master, is the only reason why you¡¯re saying that because I said you¡¯re ugly?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± she vehemently denied, her free hand reflexively feeling the stitches on her face. ¡°It¡¯s just how things are. You only have one ability that is useful to me while your other three abilities do not help me. One of them is even be harmful to me. Other familiars have six abilities that are all useful to their masters.¡± Her eyes narrowed at the feline as she continued. ¡°Do you see now how worthless you are compared to them?¡±


    ¡°I will be more useful than them,¡± the cat responded haughtily. ¡°You just wait and see.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound convincing so I¡¯ll just keep calling you Worthless.¡±


    ¡°Master please!¡± the cat looked desperate now. It really did not want to be named Worthless.


    Not that Sage was really planning on doing so, but she did not like its smug personality. After its comment on her appearance she had already decided to bring it down a peg. Now, with that having been done there was no need to continue with the charade.


    ¡°Your name is Nyx,¡± she declared. ¡°Like the night. It matches your black fur.¡±


    The cat was quiet for a moment, seemingly pondering the name she had just given it. Then it looked at her and gave her what appeared to be a smile.


    ¡°I like it!¡± it declared cheerfully. ¡°My name is Nyx!¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± she said. Letting go of its neck, causing it to fall and land on its feet. ¡°Why don¡¯t you-¡±


    She never finished what she wanted to say.


    Underneath her feet a circle suddenly sprung up. It was a very familiar circle that she had not seen in a while. Confused, her gaze swept across the clearing and saw that the two warrior skeletons who had been turning her meat too had had similar circles under their feet. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised what it meant.


    Bori was summoning them¡­


    ¡­ and there was a likelihood that he was in trouble.

 CHAPTER 22: CHASE

    Currently, Bori was in a terrible situation.


    His face was bleeding, his right leg was missing, his back was aching and his mana was almost depleted. The necromancer was exhausted to the point where he felt he would fall to the ground and pass out at any moment. He did not feel he could go on anymore.


    Yet, he forced himself to keep flying. This was the only thing he could do if he wanted to survive.


    Taking a quick look behind, he caught a glimpse of his pursuer.


    He was about thirty with deep brown hair. Standing at nearly two metres, this pursuer wore polished silver armour with a two-handed greatsword on his back. Everything about him reminded the necromancer of a knight from stories; his demeanour even matched those fabled characters. The most amazing thing about this man though, was the fact that he was chasing Bori on foot and still managing to keep up with him.


    What horrible luck! The necromancer cried internally as he watched the man close the gap between them.


    When he left his tower two days ago he had not foreseen this was where he would end up. If he had he would not have left.


    His journey had started off simple and uneventful. From the Trenton Highlands he had flown all the way to Tiih. On foot this was a four day endeavour. However, by flying one could make it in a matter of hours. That was of course if they had a large pool of mana or a dozen spirit potions. For Bori, he had to stop once every few hours to eat and recover his mana. Because of that the journey took him an entire day.


    He had managed to get into the city without any trouble, spent time visiting the magic shops he usually frequented, met up with old acquaintances and managed to get his hand on the 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell model that he had been after. At that point things had been looking up.


    If he had left the city back then he would not have landed in his current state. But, being a mage he just had to be greedy and decide to look for more spell models on the black market.


    This was his mistake.


    It turned out that after the last time he visited the city, Tiih got a new Captain of the Guard. Unlike the old one, this one was intense. After taking up his post he had vowed to clean out all unsavoury elements from the city. Often, when new Guard Captains were installed they made similar claims so no one paid much attention to him.


    It turned out this new Guard Captain was serious. The City Guard raided the black market venue that night and Bori had been one of those unlucky sods that happened to be present.


    When the City Guard arrived the Guard Captain had declared that they were all under arrest and demanded their surrender. Almost everyone resisted. In the wake of this the Guard Captain ordered the City Guard to cut down anyone who struggled.


    What had followed was a bloodbath.


    Many people died in the aftermath. Some scattered but the majority were those who had surrendered or were caught.


    Bori had been in part of the group that managed to get away. To do so he had cast [Raise Mass Dead] to resurrect multiple zombies and then used them to cause a distraction while he escaped through a [Dimension Door].


    What he had not accounted for was that, by performing this action he would become the main target of the Guard Captain.


    The man seemed to have a particular hatred for necromancers and he was tenacious enough that he managed to track Bori down after he had escaped. A fight had ensued when they met.


    As it turned out, another difference between this Guard Captain and the previous one was that this one was incredibly strong. Bori had been completely outmatched. The fight had even cost him his leg and gifted him a huge gash on the back.


    Realising that he was no match for the man, he chose to run away and- much to his dismay- the Guard Captain followed.


    That was how he had ended up in his current predicament.


    ¡°Dammit,¡± he swore through gritted teeth as his flight became sluggish.


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    The blood on his face was going into his eyes, obscuring his vision. The gash on his back stung excruciatingly while the throbbing of his new formed stump was a constant distraction from what he was doing.


    He had cauterised it with magic to prevent himself from bleeding out. That process had been, to say the least, extremely agonising. He had almost passed out from it. However, he had forced himself to continue. After all, what was the pain of losing a limb compared to being caught and killed?


    Still, the pain from the two wounds was such that the fact that he had not fainted yet could be considered nothing less than a miracle. Even so, it drastically reduced his flying speed.


    Taking another look behind, he saw that the Guard Captain was still chasing after him on foot. At the speed they were going he did not seem phased at all, a testament to his amazing physique.


    How do I get rid of him? Bori thought.


    Previously he had tried [Dimension Door]. However, the man had been able to find him somehow. A couple of attempts to get away with the 4th Order spell, all ending in failure, he had abandoned that tactic and decided to just fly away.


    And now, because of the constant drain of [Flight], he was almost out of mana. Once it completely depleted he would drop out of the sky and straight into the Guard Captain¡¯s hands; that was if he was unlucky enough to survive the fall.


    ¡°You cannot get away necromancer!¡± the thunderous voice of the man perusing him called. ¡°Your kind are a blight upon society. Scum like you should be wiped off the face of Aran! I will make sure you perish today on my honour as Guard Captain!¡±


    Bori did not bother with a response. In his current condition he probably was not even capable of it. Lastly, he did not want to respond to the Guard captain. All he wanted was to get away from this man.


    Unfortunately, there was only so much he could do when running on a near empty tank of mana.


    Soon he dropped from the sky, crashed into a tree and hit every branch on the way down. This managed to cushion his fall; unfortunately some of his bones were broken in the process. Both his arms were twisted in directions they would not normally be able to, bring him new sensations of pain. However, his brain was too fuzzy to take full note of this new.


    It seems I was unlucky enough to survive the fall, he thought, using his whole body to prop himself into a sitting position.


    He learned against the tree trunk and closed his eyes.


    I guess I have no choice, he thought to himself.


    Then he began the familiar summon.


    The beauty of contracting a familiar or undead was that you could summon them no matter how far they were from you. The best part about the process was that it used only a minimal amount of mana, such that even someone with an H aptitude would be able to summon their familiar, if they were capable of getting one.


    The downside of this though was that it took a while. The greater the distance between the familiar and the mage, the more time was required for the summon to be completed. Unfortunately, Bori did not have that time. He would have to stall for it.


    And so he waited for the Guard Captain to catch up.


    It took the man less than ten seconds to get to where he was. The Guard Captain stopped in front of him and gave him a stern look.


    ¡°I told you you cannot escape necromancer,¡± he said in a strong voice. ¡°I will be dragging you back to Tiih, where your will sentenced and hung before the people.¡±


    ¡°And what crime have I committed to deserve that sentence?¡± Bori asked weakly. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything other than trying to defend myself.¡±


    Hearing this, the man sneered. ¡°As if your resisting arrest was not bad enough, you defiled the dead when you disturbed their slumber and made them do your bidding while you fled. Such an act is a sin against humanity and the Bringer of Life herself.¡±


    This comment made Bori scoff.


    ¡°A staunch believer I the Goddess of Life I see. Shea¡¯s worshipers are usually protectors of life, not destroyers of it; like how you wantonly slaughtered those who resisted at the black market.¡±


    ¡°The Goddess stated the law should be respected and those people were taking part in illegal trade,¡± the Guard Captain said righteously. ¡°It made them criminals by default. When they were told to surrender and refused instead they were going against the law, which is an act that is punishable by death.¡± His gaze became sterner as he gazed down at Bori. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to face the same fate I suggest you give up and come along quietly.¡±


    Bori closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°Fine, I surrender. Unfortunately I broke a lot of bones just now so you will have to carry me. Or you can wait for me recover enough mana to cast [Flight] on myself. If you cannot wait that long perhaps provide me with a spirit potion to recover my mana faster.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that,¡± the Guard Captain responded. ¡°I will just drag back by your leg. If you die on the way it would be unfortunate, but your corpse can still be displayed to the people to show them the fate your vile kind.¡±


    The Guard Captain reached for his remaining leg, but just as he was about to grab it three bright circles suddenly appeared, instinctively causing him to back off and put distance between them. His hand went to his greatsword and drew it from behind his back. His face looked grim as he prepared for what Bori had summoned.


    The circles flashed even brighter and suddenly they were gone. Where they had been stood the undead girl and Bori¡¯s two warrior skeletons. Sage was wearing clothes that she clearly had obtained from outside the tower, proof that she had left it.


    But Bori did not have time to think about that at the moment.


    He opened his mouth to order the skeletons to attack the Guard Captain and ask Sage to grab him and escape. However, the words got stuck in his throat. The appearance of the skeletons was so bizarre he did not know how to react. Looking at the Guard Captain, he saw that even he was confused by what he was looking at.


    Instead of carrying battle axes, Bori¡¯s warrior skeletons were carrying a roasted and skewered giant pig.

 CHAPTER 23: THE UNCOMPROMISING

    The first thing Sage saw after being summoned was the geezer on the ground, leaning against a tree. Or at least she assumed it was the geezer, the man was barely recognisable under all that blood running down his face.


    One look at him and it was enough to see just how dire his circumstances were. A missing leg, twisted arms and bruises all over his exposed skin; it was a wonder he was still conscious.


    But he was, and he was giving her a look that could only be described as judgemental. It probably had to do with the state of the skeletons. The fact that they transferred here holding a boar instead of their axes was the most likely reason.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I knew you were gonna summon us,¡± she said to him indignantly.


    This caused the geezer to release a tired sigh and close his eyes in resignation, as if he had given up hope; or maybe he just could not maintain his consciousness any longer. He was in pretty bad shape after all.


    The likely culprit behind the old man¡¯s condition stood mere metres away. The man was garbed in armour that had been polished to the point where it was so bright looking at it hurt her eyes. In his hands was an overly large sword, much bigger than Marcus¡¯ broadsword, which- after recovering from seeing the boar-carrying skeletons- he now pointed at her; perhaps to guard against an attack or in preparation to launch his own.


    Sage really did not care which it was. She took one look at him and walked over to the geezer, squatted down and lifted him onto her shoulder. Then she got up and gave him a side-glance.


    ¡°I¡¯m only here to get him,¡± she said, tapping Bori¡¯s back softly. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got him I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 2


    Mana: B (Burgundy)


    Yeah no. She was not going to fight this guy.


    That was clearly the reason she had been summoned here, but after taking one look at the man she could not help but shiver, which was a weird reaction for her to have as an undead. Either way, she could not help being wary of this man.


    Before this day Marcus¡¯ physique was the strongest she had ever encountered. Although his Grade 3 physique was impressive, after seeing his display against the bandits she was sure she could take him. It would be a tough fight, but she was certain she would come out on top.


    The man before her though¡­


    Not only did he possess a body stronger than the mercenary¡¯s, he was also a sorcerer of the 6<sup>th</sup> Order. That was one Order above her. In fact, taking into account the fact that his physique was two grades above hers there was no way she could match him.  She was bound to lose no matter what she did.


    That was why she would not even try. It would be best if the situation could be resolved in a peaceful way.


    She kept watching the armour clad man, waiting for his reaction. Although she had just stated that she was going, she was not foolish enough to turn her back to him. Still, she wondered if he would agree.


    He likely would not. The stern look on his face was enough to tell her that he was not the compromising type. But looks could be deceiving, she was betting on that when she proposed they part ways.


    Unfortunately, this man was as unyielding as he appeared.


    ¡°Your kind are an abomination on this world,¡± he said in a righteous tone. ¡°That is why I will not allow any of you to leave. Necromancers and undead, all of you should must be purged from the face of Rekke!¡±


    Then he charged her and swung his sword. He was so fast that she lost sight of him for moment. His movement was such that he appeared to have teleported from where he was to where she stood. It happened instantly.


    Under normal circumstances Sage would not have been able to react. However, she had been wary of him since she arrived. The moment she saw the tiny movement from him she had already finished casting a spell. The sword bounced off an invisible wall before it could touch her, the effect of [Force Wall].


    She took this time to shoot the man a look filled with incredulity.


    ¡°Are you fucking serious right now?¡± she roared. ¡°You are willing to risk your life in a fight with me for that reason?¡±


    ¡°To an abomination like you my reasons might feel trivial but they are enough for me to place my life on the line,¡± he raised his sword and swung down at the barrier. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t believe I can lose to the likes of you.¡±


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    The barrier cracked, causing her to instinctively retreat. The man swung his raised sword once more, causing the barrier to completely shatter. This was when he charged her and once again brought down his greatsword on her head. It was too fast for her to cast another barrier or dodge.


    Fortunately those where not her only options.


    When the sword reached her she had activated her {Ghostwalk} ability, causing it to pass through her. Naturally since she was holding Bori he too had become intangible and was missed by the sword as well.


    She tried to put a distance between herself and the opponent but this guy was way faster than her. Any distance she put between them was closed instantly.


    The man took another swing at her again. This time she used {Blink} to get away, appearing about fifty metres away. Her reason for doing this was to give herself some space to think about what to do next. Unfortunately the man covered that distance in seconds to launch another attack.


    Again she {Blink}ed away. This time she appeared next two the two skeletons, who were still holding the roasted boar.


    Fucking useless skeletons, she cried internally.


    This was why she did not want to learn spells to create mindless undead.


    ¡°Toss the fucking pig!¡± she yelled at them.


    The skeletons obeyed and threw the boar at the oncoming attacker, who cut it cleanly down the middle as he rushed towards them. The pig had not slowed him down a bit. He struck again with his sword, but Sage blocked it by erecting another Wall. The barrier shook violently at the impact, but it held. From what she had seen previously he would need two more hits to shatter it.


    That meant she did not have much time.


    ¡°You,¡± she singled out one of the skeletons.


    She handed Bori to it. From his dazed expression she could tell that he was totally out of it. Unable to maintain his lucidity, he had probably passed out when the armoured man began to attack.


    Remembering that the man was still there, she conjured a second [Force Wall] just as the first one was shattered, hindering him once more. Then she hurriedly opened a [Dimension Door] that covered as far as could be covered by one. After that she pushed the skeletons inside.


    ¡°Get as far from here as you can,¡± she ordered them just before the Door closed.


    As soon as she did so the barrier she had set up collapsed again. This time, instead of erecting a third barrier she chose an attack spell. [Dragon Breath], it was the most power attack spell of the 4<sup>th</sup> Order. In terms of damage that can be dealt to a single enemy it was even superior to the 5<sup>th</sup> Order area of effect spell [Firestorm], making it the most damaging spell in her arsenal.


    When she cast it her mouth opened and black flames spewed from it, firing in straight line covering a radius of one metre. These flames went straight to the man. Unfortunately, he dodged the spell. The man smoothly moved to the side and avoided the flames.


    But she had prepared for that and quickly responded by sending a [Fireball] towards him. When the man saw it coming he quickly retreated and just in time too. He barely avoided being in the [Fireball]¡¯s blast range.


    Sage kept her eyes fixed on him, waiting for his next attack. However, he had stopped his assault and was now looking at her with a weird expression.


    ¡°What kind of undead are you supposed to be?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not one you¡¯ve heard of apparently,¡± she replied, seeing no reason to tell him. ¡°Listen, why don¡¯t we just forget this whole thing? I¡¯ll go my way, you go yours and we forget all this and never see each other again. How about that?¡±


    She really did not want to fight this guy. However, she could not afford to let him have Bori either. The geezer was her anchor to Aran, if anything happened to him she would be kicked back to the gloomy Deadlands. She obviously was not going to allow that to happen.


    ¡°I cannot allow one who defiles the sanctity of life to get away,¡± the man responded in a firm voice. ¡°If your master gets away now he will surely bring calamity to others in the future.¡±


    He is not my master, she wanted to say. But she had a feeling he would not listen. So, instead she replied with, ¡°What if I can promise he will never harm anyone?¡±


    The man shot her an incredulous look in the same way she had done earlier.


    ¡°You want me to trust the word of an abomination?¡± He sounded offended at the mere notion. ¡°Your kind hates life itself and will do anything to ruin it. Therefore I have even less reason to let you go than the necromancer.¡±


    He charged at her and swung his sword, but she {Blinked} out of the way and appeared a couple of metres from him.


    ¡°Serious, what is with your holier-than-thou-stick-up-my-arse attitude,¡± she scowled. ¡°Are you some kind of holy knight?¡±


    That would make sense considering the ridiculously shiny armour.


    But the man denied it.


    ¡°I am just the Captain of the Tiih City Guard and I wish to rid the surrounding area of your kind.¡±


    After saying this she felt a shift in his mana. A light descended upon him and began to widen with him as the epicentre. The light spread until it covered a large area, Sage could not tell how large that distance was. What she could tell though was that it had reached where she was.


    Suddenly, she felt weak, as if all her energy had been sapped out of her. Her body became sluggish to the point where she could not move properly. Because of this she almost failed to dodge the man¡¯s attack. She barely managed to {Ghostwalk} through his sword.


    The man turned around and followed up his attack again, but she responded by {Blinking} a hundred metres away.


    Fortunately, where she landed was out of the range of that weird spell that sapped her energy. She regained full control of her body shortly after.


    However, the man came at her again He appeared in the corner of her right eye, running towards her with his blade poised to strike. She put up a [Force Wall] to stop him. It did not stop him from attacking. Three quick slashes and the Wall was gone. But this time she was waiting. The moment the barrier disappeared she cast [Thunderbolt].


    A thick black bolt left her fingertip and struck the man square in the chest, sending him flying backwards and crashing into a tree, knocking it over. However, before she could rejoice the man jumped back to his feet almost immediately. His shiny silver armour was now fried black in the centre and his appearance was disoriented, but a light enveloped him and restored his focus.


    After that he gave her a look so intense she could not help take a step back.


    ¡°You know, we can still walk away from this before it gets out of control,¡± she suggested.


    She did not hold much hope that he would accept it. He looked really pissed, probably because she had damaged his shiny armour.


    Suddenly he raised his sword at her and she felt him cast a spell. However, before she could react a light came down from the sky and enshrouded her.  This light was different from the one that weakened her. Instead of spreading out, it stayed on her, hurting her. She felt it slowly eat away at her skin, causing immense pain.


    She could not avoid screaming.

 CHAPTER 24: A CONCLUSION

    ¡°Ouch! Shit! Motherfucker!¡± she cried.


    As the light kept eating at her she kept screaming obscenities. With gritted teeth she looked at her skin and saw that it was cracked, particularly where the stitches ran. It looked as if they were coming loose, giving her the sensation that her body was being unravelled.


    While enduring the agony of the spell she saw the man rush forward and swing his sword. Fortunately the spell ended just before he swung sword, causing the pain to greatly diminish and allowing her to regain her clarity. She activated {Ghostwalk}, making the sword pass through and giving her the opportunity to put distance between them.


    ¡°That fucking hurt you son of a bitch!¡± she yelled at him.


    ¡°I did not know that undead could feel pain,¡± the man responded calmly, a tone which contrasted his fiery eyes. ¡°Good. That means you will feel every bit of the hurt I am about to inflict upon you.¡±


    He touched the flat of his blade and cast a spell on it. Then the blade turned white and began to emit a bright light. Unlike the other spells that the man had cast, she knew of this one. 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Enchant Weapon], it allowed a sorcerer to imbue a weapon with an elemental attribute. The one that this man chose was light, an element that was harmful to the undead.


    You¡¯re not a holy knight? She wanted to cry out in incredulity. Then why do you have so many fucking light spells?


    Then the man attacked once more, swinging his sword with blinding speed, literally. Now that the blade was glowing, it was so bright she could not look directly at it. Even so, she managed to get out of the way. The man jumped after her and swung the sword again but she resisted by setting up a [Force Wall]. Unfortunately, now that the man¡¯s weapon had been imbued with magic it shattered the barrier in one hit. This caused her to panic and quickly used {Blink} to get away before it could reach her.


    After this she cast another spell. 2<sup>nd</sup> Order magic [Blind]. This was a spell she had learned quite a while back but had never found any use for it, which made her forget of its existence until this moment. It was only when she was thinking of a way to slow down her opponent that she recalled that she had actually inscribed this spell. If she could blind him then he would not be so nimble anymore, that was the plan she came up with after remembering she had this spell.


    The spell hit the man, causing his next swing to go wide, hitting a tree and cutting through the trunk. The chopped down tree fell down. Too bad it did not fall on the man but in the opposite direction. Still, she saw an opportunity here and decided to take it.


    For the second time she threw a [Thunderbolt] at the man. In his visually impaired state he did not see it coming. In fact, he was not even facing her. The spell caught him in the back, sending him fly forward and against another tree, knocking it over.


    Seeing this, Sage prepared another spell.


    If it had been before the man cast that light spell on her she would have taken this opportunity to flee via [Dimension Door]. But now she was pissed. The bastard fucking hurt her and even though the spell¡¯s effect had vanished she could still feel the pain. Also, her skin was still cracked and it did not seem like it would mend anytime soon. Because of this she was intent on hurting him back.


    So she sent a [Fireball] his way, then she cast [Ice spear], after that she used [Incinerate] and finally she deployed the area magic [Firestorm]. The first three spells all landed on the man while the fourth spell covered the entire area, engulfing the trees in its range with black flames. Unlike normal fire these flames were difficult to put out. Even after the spell dissipated the trees would still keep burning and the fire would spread until it became a conflagration.


    Not that Sage cared about that, all she wanted to do was make the arsehole pay for what he had done.


    The fire had already begun spreading, so she cast [Flight] to avoid it. Then she looked down at the swirling mass of flames that was the [Firestorm]. There seemed to be no movement inside.


    Still, she was under no illusion that she had killed the man. After all, the bastard was a mage of the 6<sup>th</sup> Order with a Grade 2 physique. If he died from a bunch of 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup> Order spells so easily he would be the most incompetent moron ever.


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    Sure enough, when the [Firestorm] died away it revealed the bastard. His armour had been scorched black but he appeared to be fine. She looked closer and saw what appeared to be an energy barrier shimmering on his body. Sure enough he had the means to defend against her spell, there appeared to be a few burn marks on his skin, however, a moment later those burns disappeared when a light engulfed him.


    Sage stared at the phenomenon; a type of magic she would never be able to learn and even if she did it would have the opposite effect on her.


    Fucking unfair! She wanted to cry.


    The fact that her injuries remained with her while he could just magic his away made her want to cry foul. This situation put her at a huge disadvantage.


    I¡¯ve gotta get out of here, she decided.


    Now that she returned some of the suffering he had inflicted upon her she was no longer eager to stay. Setting up a [Dimension Door], she quickly jumped through it, appearing in an area covered in denser trees than the one she had just left. She took this moment to catch herself and take a breather.


    That fight had used up a lot of mana. Not like the previous nights adventures, but the expenditure was still sizable, draining nearly half her reserves. But then again, the previous night she was a 4<sup>th</sup> Order mage, meaning the expenditure now was probably more. If she had not advanced earlier she would have already depleted her mana.


    Counting herself lucky that Bori only summoned her after she reached the 5<sup>th</sup> Order, she prepared to move on.


    Time to find the geezer and the skeleton.


    She did not know which direction she sent them, but she reckoned she could track them down using her bond with Bori.


    Closing her eyes and feeling the link, she immediately found them and started moving in a certain direction.


    However, just then she caught something in the corner of her vision.


    It was a figure moving at an incredibly fast pace, kicking up dust in its wake. The wind violently blew where it passed, causing trees to sway vigorously. It took mere seconds for the figure to reach below the spot where she hovered. Without pausing it jumped up towards her, surprising managing to reach her despite being over ten metres in the air. She reacted by casting [Force Wall]. Even so, the figure brandished its sword and cut through the barrier in a single slash. But, by then she had already {Blink}ed away.


    How the hell did he find me? She thought as she ascended to a higher altitude.


    Did he have some sort of tracking magic? If that was the case he would be able to find her if she escaped again.


    Just my luck, she cursed.


    She climbed even higher to prevent the man from reaching her. However, this could not be a permanent solution. The most she could achieve by doing this was a stalemate, which would be broken the moment she ran out of mana and tumbled to the ground.


    How do I get rid of him then? She asked herself.


    However, she did not have time to contemplate this before she felt an invisible force grab a hold of her and drag her down. So surprised was she that she did not have a chance to react.


    Gravity? Fuck! She exclaimed.


    This was a 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell that increased the gravity of a single individual. It was one that was also in Bori¡¯s library, however she had chosen not to learn it yet because it had not seemed that useful. Now it was being used against her. Now that she was in the clutches of the spell she was unable to resist, causing her to barrel straight towards the ground.


    The arsehole with the scorched armour was waiting just below with his glowing sword ready to strike. When she got within range he brandished his weapon, but she countered him by shifting to the side and then going into {Ghostwalk} mode when she saw that she could not fully avoid the swing.


    What happened next was beyond her expectation.


    Despite having turned intangible the greatsword still managed to cut her, cleaving straight through her right arm. She felt a burning sensation as her arm was sent flying. Black blood spurted in the process and she could not resist the urge to cry.


    ¡°AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± she screamed, just as she hit the ground. She felt a few bones break but did not have time to think about that.


    Rolling on the ground, she clutched the stump where her arm had been and continued to howl. Tears streamed down her face as she groaned painfully. It was unbearable to the point where she could not think about anything else.


    Holy fuck! I¡¯m dying! She thought as she rolled around.


    But she could not continue with this act. Quickly remembering that the person who had done this to her was still present, she {Blink}ed and appeared a few metres away, still lying on the ground. Then she turned to look at the bastard, expecting his attack at any moment.


    However, the man was not persuing her. He was grunting in pain while clutching at his neck. Eyes drawn where he clasped, she saw signs a black smeared liquid, her blood. It seemed to be causing the son of a bitch pain as he tried to alleviate it with spells. However, they did not seem to have any the intended effect. He kept groaning and clutching his throat, trying to wipe it away with his gauntlet. However, the pain was still there, distracting him from coming after her.


    When Sage saw this she took it for the opportunity it was and {Blink}ed to where her arm had fallen. When she picked it up the lost appendage began to squirm around. Even though it was not connected to her anymore she was still able to control it somehow.


    After she grabbed her arm she opened a [Dimension Door] once again and rolled through it.


    After the Door closed she let go of the arm and lay on the ground enduring the pain. Minutes passed but the bastard did not appear, probably being held up by whatever her blood had done to him.


    Poison?


    It did not really matter if it was. She was just glad to have finally gotten rid of the bastard.

 CHAPTER 25: WALKING

    It was a long time before she got up. Taking this opportunity to look at herself, she noted that the cracks on her skin were still present. They did not appear to be as wide as they were before, but it would still take a while before they completely mended. They still throbbed with pain, though not as much as the throbbing from her stump.


    I will definitely get that arsehole for this, she swore through gritted teeth.


    She would make an effort to remember him, the bastard who had cast aside her suggestion to go their separate ways and did this to her. Captain of the Tiih City Guard he had called himself. The next time they met she was going to make him regret ever messing with her.


    Picking up her arm, she cast [Flight] and set off in the direction of Bori and the skeletons. It only took a couple of minutes to catch sight of them. One of the skeletons was still carrying Bori as they fled at a speed a normal person would be unable to match. The geezer had still not woken up yet.


    With a sigh she ordered the skeletons to stop. Then she landed and walked over to the skeleton that was free, grabbed it by the head and cast [Dark Drain].


    This was a 4<sup>th</sup> Order necromancy spell that drained the unlife of undead to heal the caster. It was completely useless against the living, which did not provide much chance to use it. Despite this, Sage learned this spell because it was the only one she could use to heal herself under the 7<sup>th</sup> Order.


    As the spell took effect the cracks on her body disappeared and appeared on the skeleton. Then it crumbled and turned to dust. All of her wounds were healed except for her arm. Only a more powerful undead healing spell could fix that, or she would need to wait for Bori to wake up and ask him to sew it back on.


    However¡­ looking at the geezer¡¯s twisted arms he might not be able to do that. That City Guard bastard had really busted him up. Now with his missing leg he might never walk again.


    Thinking this, she could not help sigh. If Bori did not recover she would remain without an arm until she reached the 7<sup>th</sup> Order and found an appropriate spell to heal it. Just thinking about how long that would take caused her animosity towards the Tiih City Guard captain to grow.


    ¡°I will definitely get the son of a bitch back,¡± she vowed.


    After thinking this she looked down at the pile of ashes that were once a skeleton. The geezer would definitely be mad when he woke up and found one of his precious Grade 4 skeletons gone. She had already decided to label the Guard Captain as the culprit.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she ordered the remaining skeleton.


    And so they began to walk in the direction of the tower. Although she was currently in an unfamiliar area, she was able to pinpoint the correct direction through her bond with Nyx. Even if he had decided to explore he was a cat, meaning he would not go far from the tower. By tracing her bond to Nyx and she was likely to end up at the tower.


    As for why she had decided to walk instead of flying or using [Dimension Door] it was to recover her mana.


    Whatever her blood had done to that bastard, it was only a matter of time before he got rid of it. Then he would come after her and she would have to fight him. She wanted to make sure that when he did he found her in top form.


    Well, not that top, she thought, looking at her separated arm dripping black blood.


    She made it curl its fingers, form a fist and then flip the middle finger. It obeyed her orders even though it was disconnected from her. It was weird and creeped her out a little. She wanted it connected to her body as soon as possible.


    She and the skeleton marched for hours. In that time the sun reached its high point and passed it. Still, the geezer continued to sleep.


    Sage and company did not meet many animals during this time; just the occasional black rabbit and other overly large rodents. These critters all fled when they caught sight of them.


    Sometimes she caught sight of larger animals like a Grandhog or a wolf, at which point she would take a roundabout path. The last thing she wanted at this moment was conflict with these creatures. After what she had just gone through she was in no mood to catch another Grandhog. As for the wolf, bothering it was stupid idea. Where there was one wolf there were always others nearby. The last thing she needed was to be ganged up on by a pack of them.


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    The journey continued and the sun¡¯s altitude lowered drastically. In about an hour or so it would fall behind the mountains. Then darkness would fall and the predators would come out of the wood works. At this point Sage¡¯s mana had fully recovered so she chose to cast a [Dimension Door] to take them closer to the mountains. When they passed through the first one she cast a second one, and then a third.


    At this point she had already decided to hell with it and decided to use magic.


    As an undead walking might not tire her out, but it was monotonous and boring. The last time she had walked for most of the day she had been in the company of Marcus, Kaylee and gang. Those guys were a talkative bunch, which made it somewhat entertaining. However, at the moment her companions were a skeleton and an old man; one who was unconscious and the other who did not speak.


    More than half a day of painful silence she could not take it anymore. So she decided to end the journey as quickly as possible.


    Besides, if that bastard was really coming for her he would have done so a long time ago. Either he gave up or there was a limit to his tracking method. Considering the guy¡¯s personality she would wager that it was the latter, which meant she did not have to worry about him finding her anytime soon.


    She cast another [Dimension Door] and stepped through.


    This time the Door led her to a place with a herd of Trenton Gazelles. Almost all of the creatures scattered when she and the skeleton passed though. However, there were those few who stopped and gave them warning stares, displaying their horns in an intimidating manner.


    She ignored them and tried open another Door. However, the stirring of a certain figure on a certain bony shoulder caught her attention.


    Finally, the geezer was waking up


    ¡°Where are we?¡± he asked weakly, his drowsy eyes scanning the area.


    ¡°No idea,¡± she replied. ¡°But we¡¯re on our way to the tower.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he responded feebly.


    His eyes cleared as time passed. When the drowsiness had completely vanished he took this moment to examine her, taking in her condition, particularly her missing arm which was held by her other hand. It was only then that he seemed to remember the things that happened before he passed out.


    ¡°What happened to the Guard Captain?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We managed to give him the slip,¡± she replied. Then, looking at her disembodied arm she continued. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for us to do that though. Sacrifices were made, one of the skeletons died.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± the necromancer replied after a moment of silence. He was clearly upset at the loss but he tried not to make a big deal of it. ¡°Put me down please.¡±


    The skeleton did as it was told, setting the geezer against a tree. Bori looked around and locked onto the Trenton Gazelles, which had gone back to grazing after realising they were not here to cause trouble. Then he turned to Sage.


    ¡°Can you do me a favour and kill some of them?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°Why?¡± she replied puzzled.


    To this the necromancer looked at down at his battered body and replied. ¡°I cannot do much in my current state so I need them to heal myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she responded, comprehension dawning to her.


    Then she walked up to the deer, some of which raised their heads and gave her the warning looks from before while the others fled. She ignored these threatening gestures and raised her hand to cast [Chain Lightning]. Then black lightning shot out of her palm and struck the closest one. Then it bounced onto the next one and so forth. Within an instant half a dozen of them had dropped to the ground. As for the rest, they fled in mad panic.


    Sage, with the help of the skeleton, dragged the carcasses to the geezer who propped himself up into a better sitting position. Then he cast [Raise Mass Dead].


    At that moment the carcasses of the Trenton Gazelles lost their colour as their lifeless eyes turned white and they started to get up. Within a minute Sage, Bori and the skeleton were surrounded by a bunch of zombie deer.


    The geezer beckoned them to him before putting his hand on the head of one of them before casting [Dark Drain], just like Sage had done earlier. The unlife flowed out of the zombie creature and began to heal him. When the creature was reduced to dust Bori¡¯s limbs were not as twisted as they had been before. By repeating the process five more times his limbs became straight once more, a fact that made Sage rejoice.


    Now that his arms were okay he would be able to sew her arm back on.


    Unfortunately, his leg was still missing. It did not seem to bother him though. He cast [Flight] and decided to move while just hovering above the ground.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then,¡± he said, looking at her.


    ¡°After you,¡± she indicated.


    The geezer, getting the message, sighed and opened a Door. Then the two of them passed through, with the skeleton right behind them.


    The sight they found on the other side caught them off guard.


    There were people present.


    A bunch of twenty odd people; they were mostly women in worn-out clothing. However, there were four individuals that stood out. The first Sage noticed was a short girl with fiery red hair, then she saw a huge dark skinned man with huge broadsword and a man wearing white priest robes. Finally she caught sight of a half-elf woman in black leather.


    The moment she, Bori and the skeleton passed through they all turned to look at her. Recognition lit up on their faces but it quickly turned to animosity.


    ¡°You!¡± the half-elf snarled at her.


    At this moment she could only sigh helplessly.


    Ah fuck.

 CHAPTER 26: UNHAPPY REUNION

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop and set up camp here,¡± Marcus suggested, surveying the somewhat large clearing.


    The entire group readily agreed with some of them slumping to the ground and releasing exhausted breaths.


    Kaylee watched the women who were panting hard on the ground. They were the ones that her group had rescued from the bandits. The fact that they had been marching since the first break of dawn had definitely been tough on them but she, Marcus and the others had no choice.


    The memory of being attacked by wolves at night was still fresh in their minds. To the four of them the attacks had been nothing more than an annoyance that deprived them of sleep. However, now that they were had been joined by the seventeen surviving victims of the bandits they had to be even more vigilant.


    These women did not know how to defend themselves. If another pack attacked, some of them would not make it. That was why they had walked nonstop since dawn. The greater the ground they covered the sooner the freed captives could return to the safety of their village.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go look for food,¡± Kaylee said, turning to leave the clearing.


    In the corner of her eye she saw Arletta and Zachary tending to the rescued victims. These women had gone through some traumatising experiences at the hands of the bandits. Most of them had haunted looks. There was one who seemed to have lost her ability to speak. While they were marching Kaylee had listened to some of them trying to stifle their whimpers.


    Her heart went out to them. She had wanted to console them, but in the end decided to stay her hand. She was a horrible consoler. If she tried it she would probably make them feel worse. That was why she left it to Arletta and Zachary who were actually good at it. As for her, she kept her distance and decided to be the lookout. She watched them closely to see if any of them were deceiving them.


    Like that little harlot from the previous day.


    Just the thought of her brought Kaylee¡¯s blood close to boiling point. They had all bought her victim act and welcomed her, showering with as much compassion as they could muster. In the end the little bitch robbed them of their money.


    Arletta and Zachary were pretty upset because the deceitful bitch took their books as well. The short mage was the most pissed off among them all because she spent so much effort trying to console her and got backstabbed in return.


    That girl had seriously screwed them over, especially considering the fact that they did not find money in the bandit hideout.


    She better hope we never meet again, Kaylee thought venomously.


    After leaving the clearing she began to search for signs of animals. Because of the fact that their travelling group was large and noisy the animals seemed to have fled. However, she was a skilled hunter. Within a few minutes she found Trenton Gazelle hoof prints and decided to follow them. Now that they numbered twenty-one, a creature of that size was the only one that could fill all their bellies.


    It took roughly half a dozen minutes to find the herd. She crept as close as she could without being discovered and unslung her bow. Fitting an arrow to her bowstring, she pointed it at one of the gazelles and let the arrow fly. In the blink an eye the arrow arrived at her target and pierced its eye, making it drop without a struggle. This caused the other gazelles to suddenly look up in alarm. However, Kaylee was too well hidden for them to find. That seemed to frighten the creatures, sending them careening in the opposite direction.


    It was only after they were completely gone that she came out of hiding to collect her prize.


    When she got back to the clearing she found that a makeshift camp had been set up and a fire had already been lit. Nodding in satisfaction, she dropped the deer at Marcus¡¯ feet and walked over to a tree and sat down.


    Since she was the one who found the food it was not her job to prepare it. That honour belonged to Marcus, the one who was not doing anything right now.


    Her eyes shot to her other two companions who were doing their best to help the women deal with their traumatic experiences. Arletta spoke to them in a calm and patient tone that Kaylee herself would probably never pick up even if she lived for a century while Zachary preached about the magnanimity of the Life Goddess and how if they placed their faith in her she would help them through this difficult time of their lives.


    She turned away and was about to shut her eyes and take a short nap when a change occurred in the area. A rip in space appeared just metres from them, tearing wider until it became large enough for even someone as tall as Marcus to pass through without ducking. Kaylee knew this spell, [Dimension Door].


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    It was among the most difficult spells to master in the 4<sup>th</sup> Order. Both Arletta who was in that Order and Zachary who was in the 5<sup>th</sup> Order failed to learn it. If they had actually been able to master the spell their journey would have been significantly shorter.


    Of course the fact that a [Dimension Door] had appeared here meant that someone had conjured it and they would be coming through any time soon.


    Kaylee quickly jumped to her feet and ran to stand with her comrades; took up her bow and fitted an arrow to the string. She saw the others take action as well. Marcus had drawn his sword, Zachary had gotten hold of his sceptre and Arletta raised her hands to the Door. The four of them stood protectively in front of the group of women who started shying away from the Door.


    Then they all waited.


    The first to come through the Door was an old man in black robes, followed by a scarred girl and lastly a skeleton. Kaylee¡¯s eyes immediately fell on the scarred girl and sensed her companions do so as well. This because they all remembered her and not in a good way.


    ¡°You!¡± she snarled, moving the tip of her arrow towards her.


    The bitch who stole their money. She looked better dressed than last time, however her condition seemed worse. The most obvious reason for this was because her right shoulder ended with a stump. The arm that was supposed to be there was held in her other arm.


    Kaylee¡¯s kept her bow trained on the deceitful girl as her eyes travelled to her companions, studying them.


    The old man too seemed to be missing a limb. One of his legs was gone, which was why he hovered instead of walking. As for the last member, there was nothing wrong with it; except for the fact that it was a walking skeleton. The sight of it caused some of the women behind them to cry out in fear.


    ¡°Necromancer!¡± Zachary shouted in alarm, pointing his sceptre at the old man.


    At this moment the scarred girl spoke up.


    ¡°Yes! It was him I told you about, the one who destroyed my village. He forced me to rob you earlier. Threatened to do horrible things to me if I didn¡¯t!¡±


    In response to this the old man looked puzzled. He turned a scrutinising gaze at the scarred girl, who ignored him and kept looking at them, particularly Arletta, with pleading eyes. Tears spilled from her eyes as she did so.


    The sight caused Kaylee¡¯s anger to rise. What a shameless bitch!


    ¡°He was the one that killed everyone in your village?¡± Arletta asked. Her angry face seemed to soften when she posed this question.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so gullible,¡± Kaylee yelled her. ¡°You can see from the old man¡¯s confusion that she¡¯s clearly lying. Bedside¡¯s look at her arm.¡±


    It was something she had noticed a while back. The arm that had been separated from Sage¡¯s body was still bleeding and the blood was not red but pitch black. Considering the fact that she was in the company of a necromancer, it did not take a genius to figure what was wrong with her.


    ¡°Undead,¡± Zachary spat in disgust.


    ¡°Okay, you got me,¡± the girl said, ditching her crying act. She wiped away her false tears and gave them a smile which looked creepy with all the stitches in her face. ¡°Don¡¯t mind us, we were just passing through.¡±


    This caused Kaylee to look at her in incredulity. Was she really asking them to turn the other way and allow them to pass?


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Marcus said. ¡°Do you really think we¡¯d let you go after you stole from us?¡±


    It seemed the necromancer had truly been unaware of that fact because when it was mentioned he looked at Sage in disbelief. The girl in response chose to completely ignore him, after which he palmed his face in exasperation.


    ¡°There is no need for this to get out of hand friends,¡± he spoke up, reaching into his pocket. ¡°How about I compensate you for your loss?¡±


    ¡°Shut up vile life-defiler!¡± Zachary yelled at him. ¡°We will never accept anything from one such as you!¡± He then turned an angry glare on the scarred girl. ¡°As for you dirty creature, your fate is to be purified here.¡± His face seemed to contort in disgust as he said the next part. ¡°The fact that I spent hours in the company of a filthy creature like yourself without realising it is my greatest shame.¡±


    In the corner of her vision Kaylee saw Arletta stiffen. Her expression turned sick as she the fact that she had spent most of the previous day touching and consoling an undead sunk in. She looked like she was about to vomit.


    The reaction did not seem to affect the girl in any way, which was just what one would expect from an undead. After all they were vile aberrations of life so how could they have feelings?


    ¡°Where is our stuff?¡± Kaylee asked her, arrow still pointed at Sage.


    Now that it was clear the girl was undead she realised the act was probably not that threatening to her. The damage arrows caused to undead was minimal unless they were imbued with Light Magic. Unfortunately she had no talent in Light Magic and Zachary had yet to learn [Enchant] so he could imbue her bow with the light element.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± the girl replied, raising her severed arm for them to look at. ¡°Lost it to the guy who did this.¡±


    When Kaylee heard the undead¡¯s reply her heart began pounding rapidly as she felt the veins on her temple tighten and her vision redden. This fucking bitch! She cried on the inside. She went and lost their hard earned money?


    ¡°Fuck it, let¡¯s kill them,¡± Marcus suggested. He sounded as angry as she felt.


    The other two seemed to be pretty pissed off as well because they took immediate action after hearing their leader. All the Scarlet Quartet had decided to send this thieving corpse of a bitch and her master to hell.


    However, just before they fired off their attacks the undead girl spoke.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± she asked. There was a hint of a threat in her voice. ¡°Especially with those women behind you?¡±


    These words caused them to halt their actions.


    If they tried to kill the undead bitch and her master they would most certainly resist and the freed captives would be put in danger.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Kaylee cursed under her breath. ¡°This is why I hate escort missions.¡±

 CHAPTER 27: PURIFY

    After her not-so-veiled threat the four mercenaries looked even more pissed, but they chose to stand down.


    Their choice relieved Sage.


    To fight now would be unnecessary and the outcome would serve no purpose. At the moment, although the mercenaries had something against her, she on the other hand did not think ill of them. To her they were just a bunch of gullible people who had been conveniently placed in her path by fate. Of course the four of them would be pissed as hell after encountering her again. She on the other hand had no intention of fighting them.


    Remembering their performance against the bandits, she reckoned that the combined might of the Scarlet Quartet was inferior to that of the bastard Guard Captain. Because of this she was confident if a fight broke out between them she would come out on top; doubly so with the geezer here.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we could come to an understanding,¡± she said to them with a smile.


    She truly was. The fact that she was able to stay their hand meant she would not have to kill them, which would leave a really bad taste in her mouth. She was a con artist, a thief. Depriving them of their possessions was second nature to her but, even in this world where one could get away with plenty, she did not want to be reduced to a savage who would commit a massacre for little to no reason at all. Even when she had uttered her threat she had no intention of actually carrying through with it. If she going to kill a person it would be one who earned her ire.


    Like the bastard Tiih Guard Captain.


    When her thoughts moved to the bastard who severed her arm she could not help grit her teeth. When the time came she would definitely pay him back for what he had done. But first she would have to get stronger. And to do that she had to get back to the tower so Bori could sew her arm back on.


    Thinking this she conjured a [Force Wall] between her group and the mercenaries and the rescued victims. After that she cast [Dimension Door] and ordered the skeleton to enter the portal. Then she waited for the geezer, who gave her a meaningful look. He would definitely say something when they got back. After he flew in it was finally her turn.


    Before she entered she turned to face the mercenaries and their charges.


    The women hid behind the quartet and cowered. They had actually begun to whimper when they had heard her threat. Some of them even looked like they were wanted to run away, but the fact that dusk was upon them stopped them from fleeing. Probably because of the predators they might encounter at this hour.


    As for the mercenaries, there was nothing else she could really say. They looked ready to tear her to shreds. Marcus looked like his was trying to stop himself from going berserk and charging her, Zachary had a hate filled glare that was trying to set her ablaze and Arletta looked like she was going to blow up from her small stature being unable to contain her rage. As for Kaylee¡­ the look she gave her was intense. If looks could kill Sage would have already dropped dead.


    ¡°Always watch your back little bitch,¡± the half-elf snarled. ¡°Because if I see you again I¡¯m gonna decorate it with my arrows.¡±


    An ominous warning, but Sage smiled and gave a bow. This seemed to anger them even more. However, at this point she did not care. Being able to anger others while knowing they could not do anything about it was quite fun.


    ¡°Then I hope we never meet again,¡± she said calmly before stepping through the portal.


    ***


    Saana knelt in front of a sunflower idol and prayed. This idol was the only source of light inside the dark empty room. It was the symbol of Shea the Life Giver. As a dedicated servant she knelt below this idol and thanked the Goddess for the blessings She had woven into her life.


    Saana had served her Goddess since she was a child. From the moment her talent for Light Magic was discovered and she was taken in by the Church of Life, she had dedicated her all to Her. She had protected all that was sacred to Shea and gotten rid of everything that went against the Goddess. As an agent of The Lady she had helped countless people and destroyed countless more enemies.


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    But that had been years ago.


    Now Saana was an old woman on her last leg. That was why, despite all her achievements she had asked to be put in charge of the Tiih chapel. The city was her home and it was where she wanted to live out her last days. It was here that she had waited for the Goddess to come and take her, spending much of her time praying and meditating in preparation for that moment.


    Thirty years had passed since then.


    Just then a knock on the door brought her out of her musings. She looked at the door as another round of knocking came from the other side.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± she asked in a scratchy voice.


    These days she did not talk much and when she did it hurt her throat. The other priests and their assistants all knew this fact and usually left her alone. If they were willing to come look for her it meant something serious had happened.


    The door opened, causing bright light to flood into the room. Saana shielded her aged eyes until they adjusted before she took away her hand and looked at the silhouette in the doorway. It belonged to Nick, a fledgling priest.


    ¡°Revered Head Priestess,¡± the youth began. ¡°The City Guard just brought Sir Isaac to the chapel infirmary. He has been poisoned and the other priests are unable to help him. They have requested your help Revered Head Priestess.¡±


    When she heard the young priest, Saana nodded and got to her feet. Then she looked at the youth and signalled him to lead the way. After that she followed Nick through several corridors, with the young priest keeping his pace deliberately slow in mind of her age. It took them about five minutes to reach the infirmary. There she spotted a couple of priests and city guards surrounding the only occupied bed, on which lay a rather large man in black armour. The black of the armour was not its intended colour but scorch marks covering its entirety.


    When Saana and the young priest arrived those hovering around the bedside all turned to them. After seeing her their eyes all lit up.


    ¡°Head Priestess you¡¯re here!¡± Tuvana exclaimed joyously.


    Hearing this priestess tone made Saana frown. This was the first time in a long time the woman expressed joy at seeing her. Saana¡¯s presence was a reminder of the fact that she was not really in charge of the Tiih branch of the Church of Life. The fact that she was rejoicing at her presence spoke of the direness of the situation.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked, skipping the pleasantries and looking down at the man on the bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this Head Priestess,¡± one of the guards began. ¡°When we raided the black market last night we encountered a necromancer. The fiend of a mage tried to escape but the Captain went after him. While chasing after the necromancer he encountered a strange undead and got poisoned.¡±


    She nodded in understanding. Then she used her hands to indicate they stand back so she can take a look. The priests, having known her long enough to recognise her gestures, immediately moved to the side and when the city guards saw this they followed suite, clearing a path for her to the injured Guard Captain.


    She crept closer to have a better look.


    The man was good for most of the part. Even though his armour was scorched he did not seem to have a single burn mark. The only problem was a large black spot on his neck. The blood vessels around this spot were dark and visible. They seemed to cause the unconscious man unimaginable pain as he groaned and twisted on the bed, his entire body soaked in sweat. Seeing him like this, she could not help but sigh.


    Oh Isaac.


    Years ago when she had picked him off the streets because she saw his potential. His affinity for light rivalled even hers and to top it off he had a talent in the physique department. She had taken him in with the thought that one day he would surpass her.


    As far as talent was concerned the boy had not disappointed her. At the young age of twenty-five he had been allotted to the Paladins, the elite knight force of the Shean Faith.


    What she had not accounted for was his impulsiveness, which caused him to be kicked out of the Paladins in less than a year. It was something that made her sigh whenever she thought about it, the fact that someone so gifted had been reduced to the post of a mere Guard Captain.


    Let¡¯s see what has befallen you, she said as she leaned in to take a closer look at the dark spot.


    After a moment she nodded in understanding and raised her hand. Then white light left her palm, settled around Isaac¡¯s throat and began cleansing the dark spot. In response to this he began to toss and turn violently, but she quickly cast a binding spell on him to make sure that he did not hurt himself. Minutes passed in which he repeatedly woke up screaming before falling asleep again. After some time the dark spot had vanished and Isaac slept peacefully.


    When she saw this Saana sighed in relief. The 8<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Purify] was a spell that could cure almost any poison and cleanse any curse. The process was extremely painful though. She was just glad it worked.


    ¡°The poison is cured,¡± she said, removing her binding spell. ¡°All he needs is a bit of rest and he will be fine.¡±


    This caused joyful expressions to sprout on the guards¡¯ faces.


    ¡°Thank you very much Head Priestess,¡± they bowed reverently. ¡°Light bless you!¡±


    But she did not care one bit for their gratitude. ¡°Do you happen to have anything of the necromancer?¡±


    Moments later she returned to her dark room holding a withered foot. There was a serious look on her face that she had not displayed when she was in front of the priests and guards. Her eyes burned with cold determination as she looked at the severed appendage.


    A necromancer who can summon a phantom. He must be eliminated immediately!

 CHAPTER 28: GODS & LINEAGES

    After leaving Kylee and the rest, Sage and Bori along with the skeleton made it back to the tower without any more incidents. On the way back Sage did her best to avoid the geezer¡¯s stare and succeeded for the most part. Bori remained silent until they stepped into the tower¡¯s clearing.


    ¡°You left the tower and robbed a group of mercenaries while I was away,¡± he stated. His tone was neutral, which made it very hard to figure out how he felt about this.


    ¡°There is only so much one can learn being cooped up here,¡± she replied coolly. ¡°I wanted to go out and experience what life is like outside this clearing.¡±


    ¡°Your adventures on the outside almost landed us in a fight,¡± the geezer responded. His tone this time was unhappy, which conveyed to her his feelings about her escapade.


    ¡°When I robbed them I obviously hadn¡¯t expected I would be meeting them again,¡± she retorted. ¡°Much less so soon. If not for your summoning that encounter would never have happened.¡±


    Bori was at the tower door when he stopped. Then he turned to her with a serious and worried expression.


    ¡°Sage,¡± he began seriously. ¡°I¡¯m sure the two encounters we just had were enough for you to get an idea of how most people feel about the necromancers and the undead. This world is not kind to those like us. More so to you than me. Have you any idea what would happen if people found out you are Darkborne?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she replied firmly. ¡°Because I still don¡¯t know what it means. You say the Darkborne are regarded as offspring of Death, but I¡¯ve read most of the books in your study. There is no God of the Dead.¡±


    Her words seemed to send Bori into contemplation. The geezer opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it when no words emerged. He repeated the process and only got the same results. After a few more tries he sighed and gave her a resolute look.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± he told her. ¡°If you¡¯re going to go out into the world you might as well learn about it.¡±


    After saying this Bori turned around and entered the tower. She was quick to trail him, following him right up to the first floor where he invited her to sit down at the dining table before settling in the opposite seat. Then he looked at her with his full attention.


    ¡°How much do you know of Aran¡¯s creation,¡± he asked seriously.


    She thought about this for a while before replying. ¡°Only what I¡¯ve read in the books. There was an excerpt in one of the books about it.¡±


    Scratching her chin she wondered out loud. ¡°How did it go again? Oh yeah: The Sun is the First Flame, the Origin. To the Void She birthed the Land, the Sky and the Sea. But the three were barren and without warmth. So She spared some of Her heat and birthed a fourth offspring, the Heat. However, the flames of Heat burned too hot, causing the Land to blister, the Sea to boil and the Sky to smoke. Seeing this, the Sun birthed a fifth child to balance the Heat and it was named Cold.


    ¡°Then the Sun looked upon Her offspring with pride and gave names unto them. To the Land She gave the name Rakka, and the Land took the form of a lion. The Sea was named Netha¡¯mun and took the form a Kraken. To the Sky she named Tizhura and it embodied a harpy. As for her youngest, the Heat was named Vestrava, who took the form of a dragon and the Cold became Atasha the tiger. With these five offspring a balance was attained and soon the fairy Shea appeared. With her birth life began.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I remember from the Creation legend,¡± Sage said, scratching her head. ¡°The god Argun does not appear in the legend because magic only appeared around two thousand years ago. That was when the first mention of his name appeared, but there is not much information about that. Also, there is clearly no God of Death mentioned.¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯ve read is the most common retelling of the legend,¡± Bori said. ¡°Most of it is accepted as fact. However, what is always omitted from the modern retellings of The Creation is the fact that there was a seventh god. Vatran the Sleeper. He presided over all that Life had forfeited and He was called Death.¡±


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    ¡°If he really exists he does not seem to have much of a presence in the world,¡± Sage said. ¡°Much like Tizhura. The Creation is the only place where she is ever mentioned.¡±


    ¡°That is because the two are no more,¡± Bori said seriously. ¡°Ask any staunch believer of the Beast God about the Harpy and they would be happy to tell you how She fell to the Beast and was devoured. And so Rakka became the embodiment of both the Land and the Sky.¡±


    ¡°Is that what happened to Vatran? I don¡¯t remember any other god who embodies two aspects.¡±


    Bori shook his head. ¡°That is not what happened exactly. The details are not clear, but from what I know there was once a clash between Vatran and Shea. It was the Life Goddess who emerged victorious. She slew Vatran and cast His body from Aran into the Void. This is a tale that almost all necromancers know of, because where His body landed the Deadlands propped up.¡±


    ¡°You are telling me that the Deadlands are the remains of a god?¡± she asked incredulously. That fact was a little too much to accept.


    Bori nodded. ¡°That is why only undead are capable of living there and those that come from the place are much stronger than undead created on Aran. It is also the only place you can find Netherkin and Darkborne.¡±


    ¡°What is the significance of that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s no secret that the gods have children and by extension lineages. Those from the lineage of the gods are known as Kin. An example of that would be the dragons. They are all descendants of Vestrava and so are by default Firekin. You should note that the most powerful dragons in the world are the direct offspring of the Vestrava. These dragons are referred to a being Scorchborne. They are children of the Flame, as such the direct offspring of the gods are known as Scions.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sage said with a nod, beginning to gain a little comprehension. ¡°So in terms of Death, the Netherkin are Kin to Death while a Darkborne like me is regarded as a Scion of Death?¡±


    ¡°That is so,¡± the geezer nodded.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she nodded before moving on to her next question. ¡°How can any of us be related to Vatran if He is dead?¡±


    ¡°It is not really hard to understand?¡± the geezer replied. ¡°The undead born in the Deadlands are formed from Vatran¡¯s flesh.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she responded, gaining the gist of it. ¡°But why would being Darkborne bring about trouble? There are other Scions in the world so why would the Darkborne be the only ones who invite trouble by revealing what they are?¡±


    ¡°None of those Scions belong to a dead god,¡± the geezer replied. ¡°Which is why they are not regarded as dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything special about the Scion of a dead god?¡±


    ¡°What do you know of the Days of Gloom?¡± the geezer asked, shooting her a stern look.


    In response she scratched her head again. The name sounded familiar. She had read about it somewhere.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the time when the Dark Lord led a massive army across Rekke?¡±


    When she first read this she cracked so hard she cried. The fact that a Dark Lord actually existed in this world had been too much not to laugh at. The concept of a Dark Lord was as basic as one could get in a fantasy setting. The fact that she found it here of all places made it all the more amusing.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably all that is written in history texts,¡± Bori said in a lamenting tone. ¡°The Dark Lord led his army of monsters across the land, spreading suffering and death. What the historians did not record was the reason for that.¡±


    ¡°And that reason was?¡± Sage perked up her ear.


    ¡°He was trying to succeed Death,¡± the necromancer said solemnly. ¡°His father.¡±


    Those words were like lightning to her brain and thunder in her ears. Her entire body froze up as she stared at the old necromancer with wide eyes.


    ¡°Are you trying to tell me that in the absence of a god a Scion has the chance to ascend to the throne?¡± she asked incredulously.


    Bori nodded sternly. ¡°It does not mean others would just stand by and watch them succeed though, particularly the Goddess of Life. During the Days of Gloom she sent her most powerful servant, Saint Leah herself, to stop the Dark Lord. I can assure you if it ever becomes known that you are Darkborne yourself you will be getting a visit from her.¡±


    Hearing this, Sage smiled at the geezer, even if it was the last thing she felt like doing at the moment.


    Saint Leah was the Imperator of the Shean Holy Imperium and regarded as the most powerful Transcendent on Aran. Even the arrogant dragons of the Drakenburg Range behaved themselves in her presence. And this was the person that would come after her if it was ever learned that she was Darkborne?


    Although Sage looked calm on the outside, she was hurling obscenities internally.


    Mother cunt! Dick! Son of bitch! She raged, clenching her fists tightly. That fucking arsehole!


    He actually reincarnated her as a living target! How fucked up was that?


    ¡°Fuck!¡± she exclaimed verbally.


    There goes my dream of a leisurely advancement, she thought bitterly.


    If she wanted to survive in this world she would need to get stronger immediately.

 CHAPTER 29: REATACHMENT

    But before that there was something that had to be done first.


    ¡°Can you sew my arm back on?¡± She asked the old geezer. ¡°And please wear gloves when you do. I¡¯ve recently discovered that my blood is harmful and last thing we need is for you to get poisoned.¡±


    A few hours without an arm was already too long. Even if she could still control her severed arm, it was weird and did not feel quite as right as it would attached to her body. She needed it back on yesterday!


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Bori replied after nodding.


    Then he ascended the stairs, leaving her and the skeleton alone in the kitchen. As for the skeleton cooks, they were still outside where she had created the pit stove to roast the boar. Ever since she was summoned they had not moved a single bit.


    She shook her head at the thought of this.


    Mindless undead are really useless, she mused. Almost as useless as that cat. Looking around she asked herself. Where is it anyway?


    Then, as if waiting for her to ask the question, she sensed movement in her shadow. Looking down she saw the little feline emerge from it. First was the ears, followed by the head, then the neck and finally the rest of the body. The black cat gave her a look that could melt the hearts of the most ruthless brutes, its adorable little eyes surveying her and stopping at her severed arm.


    Then it opened its mouth.


    ¡°Master, did you get your arse kicked?¡±


    This fucking cat! Sage fought not to grit her teeth, instead showing it a smile. ¡°The other guy fared much worse.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Nyx retorted. ¡°Sounds like the words a loser would say to make herself feel better.¡±


    ¡°You know Worthless,¡± she began, emphasising the worthless part. ¡°Familiars cannot be killed right? I¡¯m thinking maybe I should test that theory by dropping one from the peaks of the Highlands to the feet.¡±


    Hearing this, the cat nervously shifted away from her while giving her a pitiful look. ¡°You really won¡¯t do that to me, right Master?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied with a forceful smile. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try opening your mouth and see what happens?¡±


    Nyx did not open his mouth again. Even when Bori returned with what looked like a sewing kit he remained silent. Sage could tell from the way the cat was looking at the geezer it wanted to say something and that something did not look like it would be a compliment. However, Nyx took one look at her and clamped his mouth shut. This action caused his tail and ears to droop sorrowfully.


    ¡°Did you steal the cat from somewhere?¡± Bori asked, as he settled back into his seat and beckoned her to come shift her chair closer to him.


    In response to the question Sage gave him a disdainful glare. ¡°As if I would stoop so low. This is my familiar Nyx. I just summoned him this morning.¡± When she said this she could not help feeling a little weird. The fact that she had only contracted Nyx this morning- after everything she had experienced- felt like ages ago.


    Continuing with the introduction of her familiar, she added. ¡°He¡¯s really useless and pretty dumb; so dumb he doesn¡¯t know how to talk. Can you believe that?¡±


    She ignored the cat¡¯s death glare and moved her chair closer to the geezer, who was repeatedly switching glances between her and Nyx. Ignoring his inquisitive stare, she offered him the severed arm and lifted her stump to give him easy access to it. Seeing this, the old man sighed and lined the arm to the stump. Then he took his a sturdy-looking needle from the sewing case and sank it into her stump.


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    Sage closed her eyes and winced. She grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Her nose flared at the rapid intake of unnecessary breaths. The pain caused by the needle point sinking into her skin was intense as any other she had experienced on that day. However, unlike the previous times, she forced herself not to scream out in pain. She had already come to terms with the fact that pain would become a constant in this new life. She might as well get used to it while she was safe instead of later trying to adapt to it when she was in a bind.


    Although, these were her thoughts on the matter, the reality was a little different.


    The pain that accumulated every time the geezer inserted the needle; every stab of it made her want to scream bloody murder. Although she maintained her silence, her expression revealed just how badly she was taking the pain, so much so that when Bori once looked up from his needle-work and saw it he made a mistake and had to repeat the process again. The worst part about this was when she saw Nyx. His eyes were swimming in amusement, clearly deriving pleasure from her ordeal. If getting up and strangling the damned thing would not have interfered and caused the geezer to have to start all over again she would have done it already.


    After an eternity of holding in her outbursts, the thick needle retreated for the last time and the geezer leaned back. ¡°Done. How does it feel?¡±


    She raised her hand and clenched her fist. Then she waved it before swinging her entire arm.


    ¡°It feels loose,¡± she replied. ¡°Like the only reason I can control it so perfectly was because I was able to do so even when it was severed. But I can somehow feel the flesh of my severed arm and the stump conjoining so that feeling will probably vanish after a day or so, so thank you.¡±


    The last part she said with as much sincerity as she could muster. If not for the old man it would probably have taken her a while before her arm and shoulder were reunited. Which is why she was truly grateful to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Bori replied in a tired voice.


    ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± she asked, pointing at his leg.


    This caused him to sigh. ¡°Unfortunately I left my leg behind. Even if it was here I would be unable to sew it back onto my body. The best thing to do now is get a wooden leg and hope to advance to the 8<sup>th</sup> Order so I can learn [Regeneration] and grow it back.¡± After saying this he reached into his robe pocket and came out with a scroll. ¡°But that is something to worry about in a few years. For now I will focus on memorising this spell before I try to inscribe it.¡±


    ¡°What kind of spell is that?¡± she asked, curious.


    ¡°[Summon Undead]. It is a spell that will allow me to connect to the Deadlands and summon any type of undead I desire for five minutes,¡± Bori¡¯s tone became excited as he delved into this, almost as if a moment ago he was not lamenting his missing leg. ¡°The downside of it is that I will not be able to summon a creature above the 7<sup>th</sup> Order or one with a physique higher than Grade 2, but that would be a lot considering this kind of strength is already rare among humans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you,¡± she said in response. ¡°How long will it take for you to learn the spell and advance?¡±


    ¡°About two months or so,¡±


    This caused her to do a double take. ¡°So long? Just for one spell?¡±


    Her words caused the geezer to return a self-deprecatory smile. ¡°We can¡¯t all be as gifted at learning magic as the Scions.¡± After saying this he stood up and glided back to the stairs. ¡°Since that is the case I should probably get started.¡±


    ¡°I guess I should too,¡± she responded as she too got to her feet.


    Picking up the annoying cat, she held it in her arms and cast [Dimension Door]. Walking through the portal, she found herself in the study. Then she dropped Nyx onto the floor and walked over to the armchair and sank into it.


    ¡°Bring all the scrolls and tomes on this floor to me,¡± she ordered.


    In response the cat gave her a bitter look, but it obeyed. Leaping onto the shelves, it carefully swallowed some of the books before walking back to her and expelling the books onto the table.


    ¡°Great work,¡± she said, rubbing the back of Nyx¡¯s ear. He seemed to enjoy this, but right after she retracted her hand he went back to death-glaring her. She pretended not to see it. ¡°Your job¡¯s done here. You can do whatever you want until I call for you.¡±


    Without having to hear it twice, the cat jumped into the shadows and vanished leaving her alone on the floor.


    Sage was not at all bothered by her familiar¡¯s behaviour as she reached for the closest tome. She opened it and began to browse through all the spells in it before coming to one that interested her. It was the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order [Haste]. After the encounter with that bastard of a Guard Captain she had become aware of what she was lacking. A spell to enhance her speed was a definite necessity.


    As she concentrated on the spell she saw Bori¡¯s figure in the corner of her eye. The old man was just reaching this floor now. He took one look at her before shaking his head and continuing on to his room. Sage ignored him and began to search for 5<sup>th</sup> Order spells.


    Even though she had just recently advanced she had already decided.


    On this night she would reach the 6<sup>th</sup> Order.

 CHAPTER 30: THE RUSH

    Previously Sage had concentrated on learning mostly attack spells, which had not served her well when she had been faced with a strong opponent. This time she decided to focus on other spells; like the transfiguration 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Polymorph]. When she inscribed this, the image that popped up in her head was her using it on the bastard of a Guard Captain. When they next met maybe she should turn him into a rat or a toad and then beat the living shit out of him. It would be immensely satisfying to do so.


    Apart from [Polymorph], she also learned the 4<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Ward] she had found recorded in Zachary¡¯s holy book. This was a spell with which one could ward off a select amount of elemental damage of the user¡¯s choice. It was a perfect fit for her. With this spell in hand she would definitely be able to resist that guy¡¯s Light Magic when they met again.


    The other spells that she ingrained were the likes of 5<sup>th</sup> Order spells [Tremor], [Ice Storm] and [Stone Wall]. She also went back to learn more 1<sup>st</sup> to 4<sup>th</sup> Order spells to increase the amount of higher Order spells she could ingrain. After learning [Stone Wall], which was her sixth 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell, she was finally eligible to learn her first 6<sup>th</sup> Order spell.


    With this she looked at the spells that were available in Bori¡¯s study.


    Unfortunately they were quite few and mostly had to do with the necromancy branch of magic. That left Sage to automatically delete spells like [Raise Dead VI] and [Create Skeleton VI]. Other spells included [Blight] which was described as a spell that could turn everything with a ten metre radius into a dried up corpse. There was also the spell [Rot], a particularly nasty one that caused living flesh to rot. Apart from these spells there were those that could strengthen the undead, which she did not even bother to look at; except one, [Dark Field].


    This type of spell conjured a shadowy ground with a diameters of ten metres. Within this field undead were gradually strengthened and the living gradually weakened. The spell had a twin called [Light Field] which inflicted the opposite effect. Upon reading about it she immediately recalled the field spell of the Guard Captain that had weakened her. And so she decided to advance using this spell. In her mind she was thinking; would it not be good to counter the bastard¡¯s [Light Field] with her own dark one?


    There was no hesitance as she brought the scroll to eye level and tried to memorise its contents. While she did so she stubbornly forced herself to focus on the task and not to wonder about the pain that would come the moment she successfully cast the spell. If her thoughts drifted to that, chances were that she would scare herself and delay what needed to be done.


    In her current situation she could not afford that.


    The moment she completely memorised the spell¡¯s pattern she immediately cast it. In that instant darkness escaped from her feet and covered the entire floor of the tower¡¯s study. The feeling she got as she stood in said darkness was pleasant. She felt stronger than usual and even felt her new reattached arm¡¯s rate of recovery speed up.


    Unfortunately, she only got a moment to enjoy the feeling.


    What came after was what she had been dreading.


    She was suddenly struck with an intense agony, causing her to clench her fists tightly and curl her toes. She shut her eyes as tightly as she could and bit her lip hard enough to taste her obsidian blood. Unfortunately, these actions did nothing to alleviate the pain.


    If advancing to the 5<sup>th</sup> Order had felt like being stabbed by a million needles simultaneously then advancing the 6<sup>th</sup> Order felt the same, only the needles were red-hot irons fresh out of the fire.  Even though she was biting her lip hard she could not stop herself from letting out a pained groan. Her entire body shook as she endured, silent tears welling from her eyes.


    The wait for the transformation of her mana to end felt like an eternity. The pain kept getting worse and worse until she felt like she was dying. Unfortunately, as an undead she could not be killed by climbing Orders, which meant she could only endure as the pain got worse.


    Then the transformation ended. She was left sprawled in the armchair once again. The books and scrolls that were on the table were splayed onto the now undarkened floor and the table they were previously resting on had been flipped over. Her advancement this time had been pretty rough.


    Fuck, she thought, choosing to remain slumped in the armchair with her eyes closed. Her body was still shaking from the aftereffects as she thought about her next advancements. There were still four more to go including Ultra Order. That advancement, she had a feeling would, be on a completely different level to what she had just experienced.


    These advancements were designed for fucking masochists! She complained.


    If she had a choice she would have opted out of advancing to the next Orders after this experience, or at least set up intervals ranging from a few years to a decade in order to prepare herself. Unfortunately, she did not have a choice. She would have to keep climbing to higher ranks in the shortest amount of time if she did not want to be completely helpless when Saint Leah finally found her. When that happened- and it would happen, Sage was not under the illusion that her status as Darkborne could remain hidden forever. The fact that her dark element seeped into her elemental spells was a clear giveaway for anyone who knew what to look for. In the future she would be careful not to cast them around people- she should at least be in the Ultra Order.


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    Not that she actually believed that she would be able to defeat a legend like the Shean Imperator even if she reached that level. However, she should at least be able to resist for a while and escape.


    After a long time she finally opened her eyes and brought her hand close to her face, activating {Index} as she gazed at it.


    Race: Phantom (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: SS (Burgundy)


    Title(s): Darkborne


    That confirmed it. She was now in the 6<sup>th</sup> Order, similar to Bori. If she learned five more spells and found a satisfactory 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell she might even be able to advance and become a senior mage before him.


    This would have been incredibly tempting if not for the fact that she had just experienced the pain of advancing. As the 7<sup>th</sup> Order is the beginning of senior level in terms of magic, there was no doubt that the leap to it from the 6<sup>th</sup> would be as big a change as it was from the 3<sup>rd</sup> to 4<sup>th</sup>. The agony she would have to endure was certain to be on another level.


    It¡¯s a good thing that the only 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell is in the geezer¡¯s hands, she thought with relief.


    It really was fortunate that she was not interested in the spell or she would have no excuse for not trying to advance again. After all, for living beings doing so within a short frame could be extremely harmful, but as an undead the process was entirely risk-free, that was if she did not take into account the amount of pain involved.


    Why did I become a phantom? She thought dejectedly.


    From what she heard from Bori; when undead sorcerers reached a new Order they did not suffer like she did. Most undead do not feel pain and those who did only felt a numbed version of it. The fact that she became an undead with no dulled sense of pain was complete shit. It was definitely the work of the arsehole in the Abyss. That guy had been screwing her over since he reincarnated her in this world.


    ¡°Congratulations on your advancement master,¡± a soft voice came from the side.


    She craned her head and saw Nyx, who had just popped out of a shadow. The cat looked at her with its big green eyes, joy in them clear as the sincerity she heard in its voice. Just one look and she immediately knew why the cat was delighted.


    Race: Familiar (Elemental- Dark)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: A (Burgundy)


    The moment she advanced, so did Nyx. This was the reason why a familiar¡¯s strength always matched that of the contractor. Unfortunately for her, even though her familiar¡¯s mana was equivalent to a 6<sup>th</sup> Order mage, Nyx still lacked combat capabilities; which still made him almost useless to her.


    ¡°By the way master. You were moaning and squirming in your seat.¡± When Nyx said this, she could almost hear the mockery in his tone. ¡°Did it hurt badly?¡±


    This caused her to shoot him a glare. ¡°You should know. After all, did it not hurt for you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± the cat said, propping up its posture in a prideful manner. ¡°I am an elemental being. The transformation of mana for me is as breathing is to the living; natural and painless.¡±


    From his behaviour, it was clear that Nyx was trying to get back at her for her earlier treatment of him. Unfortunately, she was not eager to humour the feline. Scooping it up from the scruff of the neck like she first did after summoning it, she brought it closer to her face. Ignoring its pitiful struggles, she began to inspect the changes that came with its advancement.


    First off, {Void Space} could now store materials weighing up to two tonnes. {Shadow Travel} did not have much change except that its range seemed to have increased, {Devour} could now be used to consume the corpse of a Grade 3 beast and the intensity of {Misfortune} had increased by almost fifty percent.


    Sage frowned as she checked the last ability. This was a passive skill that could be turned on and off, capable of doing exactly as its name suggested.


    Now that I think about it nothing good has happened to me since summoning this little shit, she thought, her gaze turning into a glare. Is he the reason?


    ¡°M¡­ master?¡± Nyx began, her expression seemed to be making him uneasy.


    The cat¡¯s call made her sigh and put him down. ¡°Clean up all the books on the floor,¡± she ordered.


    Ignoring the cat¡¯s unhappy look, she dove back into the tomes and scrolls.


    Even though she did not have a 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell to advance with, it did not mean she could not learn more 6<sup>th</sup> Order ones in preparation for the day.


    The time to go out into the world is close, she thought as she selected spells to learn.


    In the near future she would leave the tower and go search for the Elixir of Rejuvenation. Finding spells of the higher Orders would naturally be included on her voyage.


    With these thoughts in mind she ingrained 6<sup>th</sup> Order spells [Rot], [Shield], [Forbidden Zone], [Blight] and [Dispel]. With these spells she finally met the conditions to advance to the 7<sup>th</sup> Order. Unfortunately she was unable to do so in the absence or a 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell model.


    She sighed in relief and leaned back into her seat.


    However¡­


    In that moment she felt a surge of mana gathering above her. This surge did not come from Bori upstairs. No, it came from a much higher altitude, far in the sky. Also, the mana contained an incredible amount of the element of light.


    Suddenly, she felt a threat to her life. Without thinking, she glanced at the sky outside tower the window and {Blink}ed.


    An instant later the surge of light element mana beamed down onto the tower.

 CHAPTER 31: ELEMENTAL

    She had {Blink}ed out of the study at just about the right moment to avoid the beam of light that descended upon the tower. The building stood no chance against the oncoming beam. The moment the two met, the beam pushed against the tower, causing it to crumble from top to bottom. A loud rumbling shook the area as it was reduced to rubble in seconds.


    Sage, having already cast [Flight], shifted backwards to put distance between herself and the golden ray. This kind of light spell was so intense that it caused blisters to her skin even though she hovered over ten metres from it. If she had still been in the tower when it struck, that light would have instantly obliterated her; that was her thought while she looked on with wide eyes as the beam continuously descended upon the tower remains, turning the surrounding dusk into day.


    Alarmed, she cast [Ward] on herself to offset the light and bolstered the spell with [Shield]. After, that her eyes frantically roamed around. In the end she found nothing. Whoever had attacked was nowhere close. Learning this gave her a bad feeling.


    Anyone who could attack from a distant was definitely not someone to mess with. Such a person could wipe the floor with her in mere moments.


    Who is it? She asked herself. Leah?


    That thought had only flashed across her mind when she completely disregarded it. As someone who was practically new to this world she might be ignorant of what Transcendents were capable of, but she was not ignorant enough to believe an attack from one would not completely obliterate her, probably even part of the mountain range. So no; the one behind this attack was most likely not be an Ultra Order sorcerer. This gave her at least a little hope. Even if she was unable to defeat the opponent, she could at least get away.


    However¡­ her gaze shifted to the debris in the middle of the clearing. The beam had ceased but the light on the rubble still prevailed. It was gathering at a single point, converging into a humanoid form. Sage did not know what it was, but she had already decided that she would not stay long enough to find out.


    ¡°Nyx!¡± she called while also enacting a summoning in the process.


    A white circle appeared in front her through which the black cat leapt out a moment later, straight into her arms. It shivered in her grasp as it stared at the converging light. The hair on its entire body stood on edge, a clear indication of its uneasiness.


    ¡°Search the debris for the geezer,¡± she ordered.


    He was still alive under the rumble, she could feel it. However, his condition was faint. Like a candle flame against a violent tempest, his life felt like it would be extinguished any moment soon.


    ¡°You want me to go down there Master?¡± the cat asked incredulously as it craned its head to allow its wide orbs to peer at her. ¡°With all that light?¡±


    ¡°Use [Shadow Travel] to appear within the debris and check,¡± she told him. ¡°When you find him, drag him through a shadow into the open and I¡¯ll handle the rest.¡±


    Honestly, with the way Bori was reflected though their mutual bond she was quickly losing hope that he could be saved. However, she was still determined to try. Hell, even if the chance was slim to none she would still drag the necromancer out of the rubble and try to save him. After all, his safety was tied to her fate. She could not afford to let him die.


    Nyx tried to argue against her order but she remained resolute. After this the cat could only jump out of her arms to grudgingly perform the task she had set for it.


    She was more than fifteen metres above the clearing; so when Nyx jumped out of her arms he fell a long way down. If this action were performed by a normal animal it would definitely splatter the moment it landed. However, with Nyx there was no sound of him landing or rather he did not land at all. The moment he came into contact with the ground he immediately began to sink into the shadows. Then he was gone.


    Sage took this opportunity to check out the converging light. The process was completed near completion when her gaze fell upon it. It did not look like she would be able to get away without a fight.


    The final product of the convergence of light was a humanoid figure with no features whatsoever, standing at around one and a half metres. All in all the figure did not look intimidating. However, only those who could not feel its magic would think so. As for Sage who had the {Index}; seeing it only served to sour her mood further.


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    Race: Elemental (Elemental- Light)


    Physique: None


    Mana: S (Cyan)


    The being had mana the equivalent of a 7<sup>th</sup> Order mage. On top of that, it was a pure elemental. Although hailing from the same place as familiars, the greatest difference between the two, apart from the fact that pure elementals did not possess a complex intelligence, was that familiars could be attacked with multitudes of spells while pure elementals could only be harmed by an opposing element. By default, it made the fight much harder considering the fact that actual Dark Element attack spells under the senior Orders were practically non-existent. There were of course the newly ingrained ones such as [Blight] and [Rot], but those would probably not work on a being with no flesh.


    After the elemental fully formed it craned its head in her direction; causing her to look into its empty face. There was no conversation between them as the elemental made its move. Within a second it had appeared in front of her, thrusting its hand at her chest.


    Her reaction was just as quick, {Blink}ing instantly and appearing on the ground.


    She took this moment to give the being a wide eyed stare, panic gripping her as she did so.


    Although the light elemental had not touched her, she felt a sting in the middle of her chest where she was almost touched. When she looked down she saw that the spot had blackened. If the elemental had manged to touch her there was no doubt it would have been worse.


    Fuck! She thought as she {Blink}ed out of the way of another attack.


    She had cast [Ward] and [Shield] on herself but it made no difference. When the elemental had been about to touch her she had not felt the effects of the two spell offsetting the damage that was going to be inflicted on her. Either the spells were useless or the effect was just not that great against the elemental. She wholeheartedly believed it was the latter.


    The light elemental tried to strike her a few more times with its hands but she was able to avoid it every time; even casting [Haste] so she could react to it faster. When the elemental saw that it could not do anything to her that way, it changed tactics. Raising its hand, it suddenly discharged a beam of light in her direction.


    This beam was nowhere near as strong as the one that had descended from the sky. Even so, the harm it could inflict upon her would definitely be fatal. She stopped it in its tracks with [Stone Wall]. Then she backed away and cast [Darkness].


    This terrain spell had no attacking capabilities, but it would definitely cause harm to a being made of light. Her conjecture was proven right when whiffs of the conjured darkness extended to the elemental and touched its arm, causing it to corrode and disintegrate.


    The elemental, unable to feel any pain, did not make a sound at losing an arm. It simply levitated out of the range of the [Darkness] and began to shine, banishing the [Darkness] and turning the clearing into day.


    She did not mind though. It was not as if she had expected a 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell to take care of an elemental at the senior level. Opening her mouth, she cast [Dragon Breath] and spewed a torrent of black flames at the light being.


    In response, the elemental smoothly glided to the side before sending another beam at her. She again dodged by {Blink}ing away. However, this time the elemental was relentless and kept firing beams at her, forcing her to continuously dodge.


    Has that damned cat not gotten the geezer out of the rubble yet? She wondered in frustration as she {Blink}ed out of the way of another beam.


    Her entire actions up to now had been a stalling act. She had no intention to stay here and fight the elemental. The power of the elemental was such that it would be an uphill battle if she actually tried to fight with the intent to defeat it. Even if they were on equal footing she would not have been eager for a fight in the current situation. After all, whoever had summoned the damned thing had still not shown up and they were bound to be even more troublesome than the elemental.


    She cast [Dark Field] to strengthen herself, but the light elemental quickly countered with its own field, causing the two to cancel each other out. Then, as if its glow had not been bright already, the being¡¯s light intensified. It caused her to move back as the former irritation to the skin returned.


    Unwilling to endure it, she cast [Darkness] once more, only to see it dispelled within seconds. Then the elemental raised its remaining arm as a lance of light condensed within it. Then it hurled it at her.


    Unable to dodge, she quickly erected a [Stone Wall] to block the attack. However, much to her surprise, the light spear burst through the stone barrier with ease, turning it into more rubble. Fortunately, the elemental¡¯s aim was off, only managing to nick her side. Even so, the burn caused by the graze was intense. She gritted her teeth and prepared to cast another spell.


    It was then that she heard the call of her cat.


    ¡°Master!¡± Nyx said.  ¡°I got him out of the debris!¡±


    She looked at the cat that had appeared from the shadows of the rubble with Bori. The necromancer was in a far worse state than when he had summoned her. Even though he had not lost any limbs this time, they had been crushed and rendered unusable. His chest seemed to her sunken, maybe causing a puncture to a lung because he was coughing blood.


    He was still alive though. That was all that mattered to her at the moment. All she needed to do was get him out of there and somehow find some means to stabilise his situation. The last part she could worry about after their escape; this was what she thought as she prepared to go to his side.


    However, just as she was about to {Blink} there, the elemental switched targets and fired a beam at the Bori; piercing straight through his abdomen.

 CHAPTER 32: FORBIDDEN ZONE

    Witnessing Bori get struck by the beam, Sage¡¯s actions came to a halt. A sense of disbelief overcame her as she looked at the geezer who lay on the ground. Through their mutual bond he felt extremely faint, as if he would vanish any moment. Now there was truly no hope of saving him.


    God dammit! Fuck! She cursed while dodging an incoming beam from the elemental.


    She was not willing to give up. Somehow, somewhere, there must be a way for her to save the geezer; a way for her to avoid being cast back into the Deadlands. She was determined to save Bori no matter what! This she thought as she resumed the action of rushing towards him.


    The elemental, seeing that it had failed to hit her once again, switched targets once more. It raised its hand and fired another beam at the geezer on the ground. However, its plan was foiled when Sage appeared by his side and evoked a [Stone Wall]. Then, for safety¡¯s sake, she erected another and then another. Only with three Walls separating her and the elemental did she feel it was safe to examine the old necromancer.


    The beam to the gut had truly not helped his already miserable condition. When Nyx had dragged him out of the rubble he was already in bad shape, but at least he was still conscious and able to move. Right now there was no movement from him. As for a pulse, she touched his neck and found it was still there but it was so faint it practically non-existent. If the geezer remained here he would most assuredly perish. The best thing to do at the moment was to carry him away from the battlefield as carefully as possible.


    Unfortunately, the task was impossible at the moment.


    The beam that had struck Bori had harmed the cat to the point where it could only shriek and retreat. At the moment Sage could feel that it was hiding within the tower¡¯s debris trying it fix itself. It was not in a condition to carry the geezer away while she distracted the elemental.


    As for her; if she picked the necromancer up and ran, chances were that the geezer would die on the spot from her aggressive handling of his beat-up body. Also, the elemental would definitely chase her, which would only serve to make the injured old man a burden and put him in bigger danger.


    It seemed the elemental was not interest it smashing the [Stone Walls] because it skipped them and appeared right next to her. Then it thrust its hand at her chest like it had done the first time. Fortunately, she had already been on guard against a repeat of this tactic. A [Force Wall] appeared almost immediately to separate the two of them, causing the elemental¡¯s hand to bounce off the barrier.


    The elemental condensed a beam in its palm and was about to fire it when Sage launched her second spell, one which she had already used previously. [Darkness] enshrouded the area around her, engulfing the place where the elemental stood.


    Unfortunately for her the light elemental seemed to have been on guard as well because it retreated just before the shadowy wisps completely covered the area. A second later the light that composed its body brightened to chase these wisps away, dispelling the [Darkness] once again in an instant.


    Witnessing this action, Sage paused to think for a moment.


    Pure elementals did not possess a complex intelligence; that was the general consensus among all knowledgeable sorcerers. Yet the actions of her opponent were nothing if not well thought-out. This being had switched targets the moment Nyx had gotten the geezer from under the rubble and had been warry enough to dodge her [Darkness] spell unlike the previous time. The only way that could have happened is if the sorcerers were full of shit and knew nothing, that there were intelligent elementals in existence.


    A more likely scenario was that the conjuror was puppeteering the being from somewhere. If they was close by she would most definitely have been able to feel where the controller was, so the fact that she could not meant the distance was considerable. It was a testament to just how advanced they were.


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    However, at the moment she could care less about the person behind the scenes. As long as they did not show up in the middle of the fight they were a secondary concern. What she primarily wanted at the moment was to get away but with the light elemental. But that did not seem possible. It seemed the only way for the fight to end was to defeat the foe.


    With this in mind her thoughts became more resolute.


    She looked at the elemental and raised her open palm in its direction, sending a black [Fireball] towards it. Of course with the being¡¯s speed it was impossible to get hit by such a thing. The elemental leisurely dodged the [Fireball], causing it to soar into the sky to God-knows-where.


    Sage¡¯s attack was not finished though. The next attack she cast was a low level one, [Blind]. This spell was instantaneous and practically unavoidable. Unfortunately, a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order dark element spell was far from able to inflict harm upon a 7<sup>th</sup> Order light elemental.  Although the spell settled on the being¡¯s face it fell apart almost instantly.


    It was only after the attack failed that she realised how stupid it was to even attack the elemental with a blinding spell. Even if it had not been a light elemental and the spell had settle there would have been no effect. Elementals by nature were simply masses of elements given form and consciousness. They have no eyes to see or noses to smell but sensed through other means. It was impossible to tie them down by normal means.


    Unfortunately she did not possess the extraordinary means that could be used to tie one down so she switched back to trying to cause harm. However, the elemental launched its own attack consisting of golden beams before she could follow up. When the beams were discharged towards her she made sure to dodge, while moving bit by bit away from the geezer to draw the fight away.


    Throughout all this she was intensely focused on the elemental. If it switched targets again she was more than ready to raise another [Stone Wall] to protect him.


    After the elemental¡¯s multi-beam attack, it was her turn to attack. Raising her hand, she cast [Thunderbolt], sending a thick bolt of black lightning towards the elemental. It came as no surprise to her when it managed to dodge once more. It did not deter her as she once again cast [Darkness]. After that she cast [Dark Field] for a strengthening effect.


    This time, when the light elemental tried to dispel the dark terrain it proved much more difficult than the previous times. The two terrain spells fortified each other, causing them both to be resistant against the elemental¡¯s light. Its attempt to chase away the darkness almost had no effect. The two spells even helped each other regenerate after its failure.


    This caused the elemental to burst out with an even stronger light. A halo with a glow far brighter than day appeared above its head, immediately dispelling the previously stubborn darkness. Sage felt this new light hit her skin and gasped in pain. This light had a corroding effect on her. Even so, instead of [Blink]ing away she remained rooted to the same spot.


    Because it did not matter anymore. She had finished channelling the spell she had wanted to for a while now.


    [Forbidden Zone]. Even a mage of the highest Order would not discount this spell. It was incredibly amazing¡­ except for the fact that it took five seconds to cast. That was practically an eternity on the battlefield, which was why most mages who knew this spell usually did not cast it unless they had a partner to cover them.


    The nature of this spell was that it created a field in which the caster set two restrictions. The first restriction was what the type of magic that could be used and second on the race that could enter. Those who did not adhere to the restrictions would be met with heavy penalties, even if it was the caster.


    When Sage cast the spell naturally the magic she chose to restrict was Light Magic. As for the race, it was elementals.


    Immediately after the [Forbidden Zone] was deployed the halo on the elemental¡¯s head vanished and its bright body considerably dimmed. The ball of light that it had been about to fire as a beam shrunk to less than a third of its original size. The penalties for violating the restrictions were no joke. Even though the spell was only of the 6<sup>th</sup> Order it had managed to strip a 7<sup>th</sup> Order elemental of its strength.


    There was no way she would waste this opportunity.


    [Blink]ing in front of the being of light, she cast [Darkness] once again, enveloping them both. This time the weakened elemental was unable to dodge. In the thick blackness she witnessed it be eroded by the shadowy wisps of the spell until it disintegrated. Then the presence of the light elemental vanished completely.


    It was over. She had won.


    Unfortunately there was nothing to rejoice about. That was because just as she had finished the fight with the elemental she felt her bond with the geezer shatter.

 CHAPTER 33: AFTERMATH

    In her dark room in the Tiih chapel of the Shean Faith Saana sat with her legs crossed in a meditative pose. Taking in a deep breath, she released it. Then she opened her eyes and did it again. The process was repeated until she stabilised the painful thumping of her aged heart.


    Then she looked down at the dust in front of her. A few minutes ago it had been a withered foot belonging to her target. The fact that it had been reduced to dust only meant one thing.


    It is done, she thought, expelling a relieved breath.


    Using the necromancer¡¯s foot as a medium, she was able to pinpoint his location and strike. The spell she had used was 8<sup>th</sup> Order [Glorious Descent], which not only brought down an intense beam of light from the sky on to her target, but its aftermath summoned a light elemental for her to control.


    One should never take half measures when dealing with the foulness that is necromancers. The reason she used this spell was to make sure that, even if he somehow survived, she would still be able to finish the job.


    Unfortunately, 8<sup>th</sup> Order spells were extremely texting and with her lower end B aptitude a spell such as this drained quite a lot of her mana. As for taking control of the elemental, it put a strain on her body. She might be able to cast the spell again but in her current deteriorated state she would not be able to take control of the next elemental that showed up.


    Fortunately, she did not have to do so.


    Still, thinking back to what she had witnessed through the ¡°eyes¡± of the elemental, she could not help being puzzled.


    A phantom that can use magic? Since when?


    The reason these species of undead were called phantoms was because, even though they might not be ghosts, they were just as invisible. With their capabilities to evade anyone and appear anywhere the creatures were a nightmare during the Days of Gloom. Back then they could appear in the most secure locations and strike down the most guarded targets. The fact that they could blend in with humans made them all the more harder to catch. Therefore, when influential figures suddenly started dropping with their throats slit by seemingly no one, the panicked masses referred to them as having been ¡°killed by phantoms.¡±


    That was how the creatures got their name.


    Back then the terror of these undead was so bad that after the Days of Gloom their information had been sealed. Usually, an 8<sup>th</sup> Order priestess like Saana should not even know about their existence. However, long ago on a missionary quest to the far south she had encountered this creature when it assassinated a promising Paladin sprout. Back then she had been lucky to get away with her life.


    Comparing the phantom from back then to the one she had just fought while puppeteering the elemental, the one from before was definitely superior. Even so, this one gave her the feeling that it was more troublesome. After all, the phantom from back then could only use its racial abilities to fight while this one clearly had not mastered them yet. It could even use magic, which included extremely potent Dark Magic.


    It must have been a Netherkin, she thought.


    The fact that a necromancer who was not even at senior level managed to summon the kind of creature that even Transcendent mages struggled to was too ridiculous. If such a character could ascend to the higher Orders they would no doubt be a serious disaster.


    Luckily I found him before that, she thought as she released another relieved breath.


    With the necromancer dead and the contract broken there was nothing left to tether the undead to the Main Plane. By this time it must already have been cast back into the Deadlands where it belonged.


    Thinking this, Saana shifted her posture to sit on her knees and raised her hands in prayer form in front of the dimly glowing sunflower idol. Now that the problem had been resolved there was no need to concern herself with it anymore.


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    Still, she let out another sigh at the fact that a potential danger had been solved before it could evolve into a calamity.


    Good riddance.


    ***


    After the bond shattered¡­ Sage did not disappear.


    Looking down at herself, she figured out the reason quickly.


    The fact that she was from the Deadlands was true; and now that the contract between her and Bori had been broken she could definitely feel a force trying to drag her back into the desolate plane. However, not all of her was from the Deadlands. The reason why she was still here even after her anchor had died was because of this.


    When the old necromancer first summoned her she had been nothing more than a ghost. However, by inhabiting a body that had been prepared for the ritual and absorbing materials of extremely high quality she had been turned into a phantom; so her current form was a product of this plane. That was why she was still here.


    Unfortunately, the anchoring effect of this was only temporary. With each passing second she could feel the pull of the Deadlands growing stronger and the shackles of the Main Plane easing. At the rate things were going she suspected that within an hour or two the force would be enough to toss her back into the grey desert.


    Fuck! She exclaimed, as she walked over to what was now the corpse of Bori.


    The old man¡¯s death had not been peaceful. The crushed limbs, the sunken chest and the dried blood trail running from his mouth; all of these indicated just how much pain he had endured in his final moments.


    Looking at this pitiful form of a man who not long ago was excited about getting the chance to advance his craft, she could not stop the anger rising in her chest from boiling up.


    ¡°Nyx!¡± she called in a harsh voice.


    She only had to wait for an instant before the black cat popped out of her shadow. Injuries were all over its body, but these wounds did not bleed. Instead they released shadowy tendrils, a testament to the cat¡¯s elemental nature. Though, the rate at which the tendrils were leaving its body was steeply decreasing as the wounds sealed up.


    After being summoned, Nyx took one look at her and immediately began to shiver. But she could have cared less about his reaction at this point. Swiping him by the neck, she brought him to eye level, where her dark orbs met his emerald ones; her intense glare causing his to flicker.


    ¡°Nyx. Is that fucking ability active?¡± she asked in a low voice.


    ¡°W-wh-what ability Master?¡± Nyx asked in return, nervousness clear in his tone.


    ¡°FUCKING {MISFORTUNE}!¡± she shouted. ¡°WHEN I SUMMONED YOU DID YOU DEACTIVATE IT?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    The response seemed to be a question. The look the cat gave her made her think that it did not know what the problem was.


    Seeing its expression though, she wanted to explode.


    FUCKING USELESS BEAST!


    She should have known the worthless piece of shit would lack even the most basic common sense to turn off such an ability. Nyx really was to blame for all her problems since the day started. Fuck! Why had she even summoned him?


    Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and exhaled.


    Unfortunately, she did not have the time to sit and rage. The damage was done. Staying here and getting mad at the cat would only waste time. Right now what she needed to do was figure out what she should do next.


    Taking another deep breath and releasing it, she opened her eyes and dropped Nyx.


    ¡°Find and take all the books and scrolls from underneath the rubble,¡± she ordered. ¡°Also take everything that is valuable, give priority to gold. And make sure you miss nothing.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master,¡± the cat nodded timidly.


    Then Sage¡¯s glare intensified. ¡°Before that deactivate {Misfortune} and never activate it until I say so. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes Master,¡± Nyx muttered while shaking.


    After sending him off, she turned her attention back to Bori¡¯s corpse.


    Squatting down, she began to rummage through the ridiculously deep pockets of his tattered robes, coming out with a heavy coin purse and a few papers.


    Looking at the papers, she realised that they were ones that held the model for the spell the old man was going to use to advance to the 7<sup>th</sup> Order. Sage could not help sigh in lamentation as she put the papers into her much smaller trouser pockets.


    As she did so she could not help but notice her hand had become fainter, as if it was in the process of blurring. This would probably continue to happen as the pull of the Deadlands became stronger. She could just imagine how ghostly her appearance would be just before she was expelled from this plane.


    She really did not want this to happen.


    In the next moment she released another sigh, this time a remorseful one.


    It was unfortunate that a bond could not be formed with non-living objects. There were some exceptions to this of course, like enchanted items and the like; but they could not tether her to a certain plane. Unless that was their purpose. Such items were rare, required powerful magic and took ages to craft. She was not holding her breath in hopes of finding one in the next hour or so.


    As for her bond with Nyx, it was obviously not able to keep her here. After all, she was the one that kept the elemental cat tethered to this plane. Once she got kicked out of it he would be expelled with her.


    If she wanted to remain in the Main Plane there was only one thing she could do.


    Just thinking about it, a groan escaped her throat.

 CHAPTER 34: SEEKING A LINK

    Kaylee tossed her knife and caught it while she observed the camp. The fire in the middle illuminated the faces of her companions and the rescued hostages. They had all gone to sleep, letting her stay up as the lookout.


    The atmosphere in the group had been sombre since their second encounter with that swindling undead and her necromancer. To say her companions were upset at finding out that the girl they had accommodated with as much kindness as they could, the same girl who later stole from them, had been an undead all along; would be an understatement. They were over the clouds livid.


    The most affected had been Zachary. Being a priest of the Life Goddess, the idea of letting a necromancer and undead roam free completely repulsed him. He even suggested that they chase after the two. The moron. As if they could chase after someone hopping through a [Dimension Door].


    She actually had to be the voice of reason that persuaded him to let it go.


    That was not to say that she was not fuming. Even now, her entire being still ached with fury. Anytime she thought about that stitched up bitch she wanted to break something. This was usually how she coped with her anger. Unfortunately, she could not do that at the moment because it would scare women they had rescued. It was one of the reasons why she hated these sorts of quests, the fact that she had to restrain herself in front of her charge.


    Honestly, even though she had been the one to make Zachary back away off from his foolish suggestion, she too had thoughts about tracking that bitch down and ventilating her with a few arrow shafts. If she were in front of her right now she would not hesitate to decorate her face with more cuts.


    ¡°Hey there,¡± a quiet voice muttered besides her.


    She jumped to her feet, completely caught off guard. She had not heard the person approaching. Quickly, she turned to the source of the voice and found herself staring into the face of the person she had been thinking about. With a panicked breath she jumped backwards to put distance between them. Then she raised her bow and let an arrow fly.


    But the undead girl¡¯s appearance was blurry, like a ghost¡¯s, causing the arrow to pass through her.


    What the hell?  Kaylee was horrified when she saw this.


    Taking another arrow from her quiver, she fitted it to her bowstring and released it. However, the same result followed. She could not hit the undead.


    Fuck!  She exclaimed inward. Outward she yelled. ¡°AMBUSH!¡±


    She shot at the undead once more. At this point she knew there was no hope of hitting her, but that did not matter at the moment. What she was currently doing was stalling for time so the others could wake up and come and help. Then they would take the fight to the thieving undead bitch and rip her apart.


    Any minute now they¡¯ll come and support me, she thought as she nocked another arrow.


    However, seconds passed and there was no support. When she frustratingly looked in their direction she found that they were still asleep, along with all the rescued victims. None of them had been alerted by her shout at all. It was completely bizarre.


    What¡¯s going on here? She thought, beginning to feel herself panic.


    As mercenaries they had perfected the art of light sleeping. The slightest call should have woken them up. So why had they not done so?


    Her fearful gaze returned to the undead and saw that she had put her hands up in a surrender.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± the undead said. ¡°I am not here to fight.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you here for?¡± she asked in a measured tone, not lowering her bow. She would not let her guard down.


    She shot a momentary glance at her friends, saw their chests moving up and down, was certain they were still alive. Even so¡­


    ¡°What did you do to them?¡±


    ¡°I cast a sleeping spell on them?¡± the scarred bitch responded casually. ¡°It¡¯s quite effective when they are already asleep.¡±


    Kaylee was stunned when she heard this. Her companions were put under a sleeping spell? How come she had not felt the spell being cast? She might not be a sorcerer of Arletta or Zachary¡¯s calibre but she was still a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order mage. A spell being cast in her vicinity would not be undetectable to her.


    Unless it had been cast from outside her detection range.


    With a serious glare she looked at the undead.


    Just who was she?


    Right now Sage looked a little different from the last time they met. Her arm had been reattached to her body, probably sewn on; it must be why she had so many stitches. The biggest change however, was that she seemed to be fading. Her translucent form seemed to be getting even clearer as time passed.


    What was up with that?


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Kaylee asked.


    She could not beat Sage. It was more than the feeling she got from the undead that told her so. Back when they had stormed the bandit hideout and accidently exposed themselves it was Sage who had taken out the bandit leader and his cronies while they were massacring the hostages. From how their charges described it, the scarred girl took them out in an instant before vanishing through a [Dimension Door]. Kaylee herself would not have done such an easy job of it, so she was pretty sure the undead was superior to her in terms of combat.


    Knowing this, she lowered her bow and adapted another strategy; stalling for time until the sleeping spell wore off.


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    Unfortunately, the bitch seemed to see through it.


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying stall for time don¡¯t bother,¡± Sage told her. ¡°I used [Sleeping Circle] on them. It will take at least half an hour before the spell wears off, which is more than enough time for what I came to do.¡±


    ¡°And what is that exactly?¡± Kaylee asked, on edge.


    Instead of responding, the undead put her hand behind her back, an act that caused Kaylee to draw back the string of her bow. She was ready. If the scarred bitch tried anything she would be the first to attack.


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not here to pick a fight,¡± Sage said, her face conjuring an infuriating smile. ¡°I came to make a deal. To show my sincerity¡­ here.¡±


    Her hand came from behind her back with two familiar tomes and tossed them at Kaylee¡¯s feet. Instead of looking down at the tomes, Kaylee kept her wary eyes on the undead. Even then, a part of her felt ridiculous hearing Sage¡¯s words.


    Was this bitch not the one who pretended to be a victim to get them to lower their guards before running off with their money? She was a damned undead too. What would someone like her know about sincerity?


    ¡°If you really wanna be sincere why don¡¯t you start by lifting the spell from them?¡± Kaylee asked, pointing at her companions.


    This caused Sage to sigh pitiably. ¡°If it were possible to converse peacefully with them I would not have cast the spell in the first place. But we both know they have certain prejudices that would make things difficult. Though, mind you Marcus is probably more pragmatic than the other two, but he fails to meet the most basic requirement. So I chose you?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Kaylee said silently. ¡°And what requirement would that be?¡±


    ¡°Active mana.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re looking for a mage?¡± Kaylee asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    In response to her question, the undead cleared her throat, took a deep breath, released it and gave her a serious glare.


    ¡°I need a favour.¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me?¡± Kaylee yelled. ¡°You stole my money and now you want me to do something for you?¡± She nocked another arrow and released it angrily. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a pushover?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Sage responded patiently as the arrow passed through her ever clearing body. ¡°I¡¯m just asking for a little favour. Besides, I think it will be to your benefit.¡±


    ¡°How about you bring my coin back before we talk,¡± Kaylee retorted. She fitted another arrow to the bow and pulled the string, but she did not let it go this time.


    ¡°I already told you that I lost it,¡± the undead said. ¡°I have nothing on me right now but I can get money for you another time.¡±


    ¡°And what is it you want me to do for you?¡± Kaylee asked with a snort.


    What a joke. As if she would actually do a favour for a damned undead, especially this undead bitch. She had already enacted a plan in her mind; listen to the scarred bitch¡¯s request and rudely decline.


    ¡°Sign a contract with me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    This was not the kind of request she had expected. When Sage said she needed a favour Kaylee originally thought she it would be something along the lines of ¡°help me rob someone¡± or ¡°there¡¯s this guy I want to kill and I could use your help.¡± But a contract? She could not understand.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Contract with me, like how one would do with a familiar,¡± the scarred girl reiterated.


    For a moment Kaylee was confused. Why would this undead appear before her and ask her to contract with her. That did not make sense unless¡­


    This time when she looked at Sage she scrutinised her severely. The bitch looked even fainter than she did before. Kaylee could clearly see through her now. Suddenly she understood what was going on and- figuring it out- she could not help but laugh.


    ¡°That withering geezer is dead isn¡¯t he?¡± she asked mockingly. ¡°Undead cannot survive without their creator and you, being the parasite that you are, need to latch onto to another host prevent yourself from crumbling like you are right now. Ha! Forget it! Go and rot in hell!¡±


    ¡°The geezer didn¡¯t create me,¡± Sage replied calmly, although Kaylee did notice a satisfying twitch in the corner of her mouth. ¡°But he did summon me. And now that he is dead I am about to be sent back to where he summoned me from, unless I contract another sorcerer?¡±


    ¡°And you think I am going to do that for you?¡± Kaylee did not cease her mocking tone. ¡°Did the necromancer¡¯s death addle your fucking mind? Even if for some unlikely reason I contract an undead it would never be you!¡±


    For a moment the bitch seemed surprised, but then she began to smile. Kaylee did not have a good feeling about that.


    ¡°I figured it was your only choice,¡± Sage said calmly.


    The measured tone of her voice was ominous, causing Kaylee to pull her bowstring even further.


    ¡°Or what, you¡¯re going to kill everyone here? Try it and I swe-¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t put words in my mouth,¡± Sage interrupted her, still calm. ¡°What I mean is that you won¡¯t get a better chance to advance anymore.¡±


    What?


    The undead ignored her and looked where her sleeping companions lay before turning her back to face her.


    ¡°Your mana aptitude is E, which means you will never go past the 2<sup>nd</sup> Order which you are stuck in. Also, although you have developed your physique to Grade 4 it is on the weaker end. I was watching you guys stage your hostage rescue back then. Your skills seem to be the most polished of the Scarlet Quartet,¡± her face seemed to sour as she said the name. ¡°You were right by the way. That name sucks.


    ¡°Either way. Your skills seemed to have reached a limit that can¡¯t be crossed without improving your physique or raising your Order.¡±


    Kaylee did not respond, instead choosing to glare at the undead.


    ¡°You must have realised it right?¡± Sage continued. ¡°With your potential it is as far as you can go? At the moment you¡¯re still useful to the team, but as time goes on and they will begin to grow and you will become a burden to them. Do you think they will still keep you on the team?¡±


    ¡°You fuc-¡±


    Sage did not let her talk. ¡°But if you contract with me I can assure you within a few hours your aptitude will increase, allowing you to advance to the 3<sup>rd</sup> and even the 4<sup>th</sup> Order.¡±


    Kaylee listened to most of the speech intently, except the last part. That one made her sneer.


    ¡°Do I look like a fucking idiot?¡±


    Contracting an undead would increase her aptitude? What a fucking joke! If that was truly how one increased their mana, necromancers who led hordes of undead would have near endless mana, making them invincible. But they did not, and they were not. Did this bitch think she could sell her such a garbage tale?


    ¡°You are right to be sceptical,¡± the undead said. ¡°Under normal circumstances contracting an undead would not increase your mana, but it would be different with me because I happen to be Netherkin.¡±


    ¡°Netherkin?¡± Kaylee asked, puzzled.


    For the first time since she returned here, Sage was left speechless.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what a Netherkin is?¡± she asked incredulously.


    ¡°Is there supposed to be a special meaning behind it?¡±


    Hearing this, Sage sighed and stared back at her like she could not bother to explain. At this moment she was almost completely transparent, as if she would fade out of existence any moment now.


    ¡°Look,¡± the undead said. Her tone still sounded calm, but Kaylee sensed a desperation in it. ¡°Just know that I¡¯m a special kind of undead and bonding with me can increase your aptitude. You don¡¯t have to believe me. Just try it for yourself. If, in a few hours you feel your mana has not increased, you break it off. Come on, you lose nothing by trying.¡±


    Hearing this made Kaylee lower her bow and think. The scarred bitch was right. It would not hurt to try. If it turned out to be a lie, which it probably was, she would just break the contract. It was not like Sage would be able to prevent it. Even if she possessed mind control magic she would not be able to use it against her contractor, which was something she knew about necromancers; to prevent them and the undeads¡¯ roles from being reversed.


    Having made her decision, she purposefully glared at the undead.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll sign the contract with you.¡±


    If that was what it took to get her to leave than she would do it. However, as soon as the half hour effect of [Sleeping Circle] wore off she would break their bond. Then she would see if the bitch would return when she and the others are prepared.

 CHAPTER 35: GOODBYE TOWER

    The formation of a new bond with between a sorcerer and an undead was a very simple process. All Kaylee had to do was offer her mana, and all Sage had to do was accept it.


    The effect was immediate. Sage¡¯s blurring form instantly became concrete, the pull she felt from the Deadlands vanished and she relaxed.


    She would be staying in this realm a little longer.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re done here,¡± the half-elf said unhappily before she could rejoice. ¡°Now leave.¡±


    Sage took one look at her expression and sighed. In her previous life she had encountered so many people that she was no stranger to various expressions. At this point the half-elf¡¯s thoughts were practically transparent to her. Kaylee had no intention of truly bonding with her. She was only doing it to buy time until her friends woke up. After that she would break the contract.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sage said, performing a sincere bow which only seemed to upset the half-elf further. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now. See you soon.¡±


    In all honesty, she was not worried about Kaylee dissolving their connection.


    The words she said about the mercenary having no potential left were true. On Aran the only way to become stronger was to obtain a powerful weapon, improve one¡¯s skill, strengthen one¡¯s physique or ascend the magic Orders. Each of these was extremely difficult to achieve.


    Powerful weapons were very rare and expensive. Even if, by some miracle, Kaylee managed to get her hands on one she would have a hard time wielding it since these kinds of items usually had physique or mana requirements. The risks of a person handling a weapon they did not meet the requirements to wield could range from crippling all the way to death. It was not wise to try it.


    As for improving skill, it was a good way to increase one¡¯s strength. The risk was minimal as well, the only investment required being hard work and time. Unfortunately, Kaylee had reached the limit of her skill. There was no way she could improve further unless she strengthened her body.


    This was something Sage was unfamiliar with. From what she read, it included some type of herbs and the meat of high Grade beasts as well as some very targeted strenuous exercises. The problem with this was that humans lived in this world too and- knowing them as well as she did- it was no surprise the ruling fucks hogged the herbs and imposed restrictions the sharing of cultivation techniques via magical contracts. Those who tempered their physique to a high grade were not allowed to share their methods with who were not related by blood.


    Even so, it was apparently hard to push one¡¯s self past the limit and obtain a new physique grade.


    As for the last method, unfortunately increasing one¡¯s Order was limited by the amount of mana they possessed. This capacity was not something that could be changed without incredibly rare resources or powerful rituals. Under normal circumstances this was far harder than improving physique; which was why Sage believed that once Kaylee feels her aptitude increase she would cast aside any idea of breaking off their contract.


    If she went ahead and did it anyway then she would be a complete moron.


    It took Sage about half an hour to return to the tower clearing.


    The place was a complete mess. The debris of what used to be the tower was scattered everywhere. The pit fire she had erected the previous morning to roast her boar was still smoking, but the skeletons that had once stood there aimlessly were gone, replaced by two small mounds of ash. They had probably died the moment the giant beam fell upon tower. After all, she had felt the spell¡¯s intense burn. For undead as weak as them, even a graze from such a high level Light spell would reduce them to dust.


    As for the remaining Grade 4 undead, it probably perished when the tower came down; along with the little washer skeleton.


    This was just only her assumption though. Another likely reason they had perished could have been because their creator had died. But, considering the fact that she did not recall seeing any of the skeletons while she was battling the elemental, her conjecture seemed more likely.


    Who cast that spell?


    That was what she had been wondering since the fight ended. The bastard of a Guard Captain could be eliminated as a suspect. He was in the 6<sup>th</sup> Order while the spell was clearly 7<sup>th</sup> Order at worst. Whoever had targeted them was a senior mage.


    But who was the target? Was it Bori or her?


    I¡¯ll definitely find the one responsible for this, she thought with gritted teeth.


    In her mind she placed the unknown culprit on her must-kill list above the Guard Captain. Although that bastard had caused her quite a lot of grief and suffering, he had not caused as much damage as the mysterious caster. This person succeeded where the bastard failed, causing her to nearly fall back into that empty realm and leaving her with no choice but to run and almost beg someone she had robbed to contract her.


    It was a serious blow to her ego and to sooth it, she would definitely find the fucker and make them pay.


    With that in mind she took a bunch of papers out of her pockets and stared at them seriously. They were the notes Bori had been attempting to decipher in order to learn [Summon Undead]. She had made up her mind to do so as well.


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    The reason she had been so hesitant previously was because she had not wanted to waste her spell slots on spells she was not going to frequently use; that was what she had thought about the spell until her fight with the elemental.


    Honestly, the reason she had won that fight was because she had been able to buy enough time to cast [Forbidden Zone]. If not for that, then the fight could have gone either way. Next time, if she got into a similar situation, she might not get the same opportunity, which would lead to an unfortunately fate. This was why she was now adamant to learn the spell. If she wanted to rely on [Forbidden Zone] again she would need the ability to summon a minion who could take the heat off her to buy her those precious seconds to cast it.


    And so, in the light of the stars she found a big enough debris piece to sit on and began to study and memorise the pattern of the spell.


    Minutes passed and the dark gave way to dawn. As expected, she was still here, her anchor as strong as ever. By now Kaylee must have discovered that her aptitude had gone up. The half-elf must be reluctant to break their contract now. Relieved about this matter, Sage returned to studying the spell.


    It was about half a dozen minutes later that she finally decrypted how to cast it.


    After this she leaned back and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it. Then she repeated the process.


    The aim was to calm herself down and get rid of her hesitation.


    She really did not want to do it. Just a couple of hours ago she had gone through the intense hell that was advancing to the 6<sup>th</sup> Order, now she was going to advance to the 7<sup>th</sup>?


    Considering she would be moving into the senior ranks, what she would experience during her mana transformation would be a completely different level of agony. The pain she would experience would definitely outstrip everything she had endured before. Sage did not know if she was ready for that.


    She frowned and released a ragged breath through her nose.


    Unfortunately, this was something that must be done. As one who had recently been targeted by a senior sorcerer, the only way to ensure she would be safe in the future was if she became strong enough to fend of suck attacks. Also, it would make her journey into the world way easier.


    And so, before she could have any more second thoughts, she cast the spell.


    In front of her, a crack appeared and ripped the space apart, causing an naked undead to jump through it. Its status was clear to her the moment she saw it.


    Race: Dread Zombie (Undead- Ghoul)


    Physique: Grade 2


    Mana: G (White)


    This was all she saw before she tumbled to the ground clutching her head.


    She had been right. The experience of her mana transformation at this moment was on a completely different level. This time it felt like her entire body was in a furnace, her blood was boiling and it felt needles were inserted into every pore on her skin one by one, slowly and painfully before taking her out of the furnace and striking every part of her body with a hammer like she was a piece of iron.


    She screamed far louder than she had ever before.


    Holy shit it was hell.


    She rolled around and screamed, not caring about anything else. Even if someone attacked her at this moment she would not give a damn. All she wanted right now was for the pain to end.


    However, there seemed to be no sign of it stopping anytime soon. Her screams became louder in her ears. The voice coming from her throat was so shrill she felt the strain she put on her voice box. If she were still alive then the next couple of days would have been painful for her every time she ate or spoke.


    After a long time of screaming and rolling the pain finally subsided, leaving her a panting, ragged mess on the ground.


    Fuck whoever made this shit procedure, she cursed tiredly, closing her eyes and checking her status.


    With the {Index}, she saw that her mana was cyan like the light elemental¡¯s. However, instead of rejoicing she felt more like cursing the arsehole who created the Advancement System. Only a real sadist could have come up with something so fucked up.


    It was after- she did not know how long- that she finally got up. Then she dusted herself off and looked around with a deep frown etched onto her face.


    The zombie she had summoned had long vanished, an indication of just how much time had passed while she had been rolling on the ground. Sage frowned at this fact.


    Although she had not gotten a good look at it, the undead had looked really strong. Something of that level would definitely be useful in her future endeavours. The only unfortunate thing was that it was like the skeletons the old man had created, a mindless puppet. This was the main reason she had been so reluctant to learn this spell, among other things.


    ¡°Nyx!¡± she called.


    Not even a moment later and the cat popped out of her shadow. When it met her gaze it shrank backwards, its ears drooped and its tail curled between its legs. This had been its posture ever since her angry outburst.


    Seeing it, she could not help but sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look so scared. I¡¯m not angry anymore.¡±


    Nyx looked at her with deep shimmering eyes.


    ¡°Really?¡± he asked. It did not seem like he believed her.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t activate {Misfortune} without my permission then yes, really,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Nyx exclaimed. Then his mood turned a complete one-eighty as his ears rose. ¡°I promise to never use {Misfortune} ever again!¡±


    With Sage¡¯s rise in Order her familiar had improved as well. Nyx¡¯s mana was cyan like hers and his abilities had improved once more. The weight limit for {Void Space} seemed to have gone from two tonnes straight to three and a half, {Shadow Travel} allowed for even further movement into the shadows, {Devour} could now be used on Grade 2 carcases and {Misfortune}¡­ she did not want to know. That ability would be sealed for as long as she deemed fit.


    ¡°Did you get all the undamaged books and valuables under the rubble?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes Master,¡± the cat said, nodding vigorously.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, turning around.


    They were done here. There was no reason to stay anymore.


    Bori¡¯s corpse, instead of burying it she had dumped it in Nyx {Void Space}. She had plans on what to do with it in the future.


    Taking a deep breath, she looked at the debris of the tower she had temporarily called home. The first place she had ever come to on Aran was nothing more than a pile of garbage now.


    The month she had spent here felt like aeons, which must be why she felt so upset to see it reduced to such state. It was a pity that she would never be able to rest in the study¡¯s armchair and read books anymore. She would definitely be sure to pay back the arsehole who caused its destruction.


    However, that would have to wait for a while.


    First, she would have to chase down the Elixir of Rejuvenation.


    Sighing as she turned from the rubble, she muttered to the cat, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    From this day forth she would be embarking on a new journey.

 CHAPTER 36: SUSPICION

    The morning after she had been approached by the scarred undead bitch, Kaylee and her companions had opted for a hard march. From dawn to dusk they walked without stopping. Many of the rescued victims complained about this. Their feet were sore and their stomachs growled from hunger. Even so, the Scarlet Quartet pushed them to keep going. It was for a good cause.


    None of them complained when they reached their village that night.


    When the village came in sight the rescued women shed tears of joy and ran forth with renewed vigour to inform their loved ones of their return. It was unfortunate that the population was sparser than when they had left it earlier. Many of their loved one had fallen in the raid that had turned them into captives. The returned hostages were not even as many as they were when they had been taken.


    The mood turned sombre at the realisation. What should have been a tearful and joyful reunion turned out to simply be a tearful one.


    As the saviours of the surviving captives, Kaylee and her gang were welcomed by the villagers with as much hospitality as one could get in a village. The four of them were fed and given a place to sleep. When morning came one of the villagers even offered to give them a carriage-lift to the city, something that had them all sighing in relief. After all, they currently had no money.


    Courtesy of that undead bitch.


    As she sat at the back of the wagon she could not help but sigh.


    The assignment was finally over. Now all they had to do was go back to the Mercenary Guild, turn in the quest and claim their reward. Then they could put the whole ordeal behind them.


    Or at least that was how it was supposed to be.


    There was someone staring at her. She could feel their eyes on the back of her head. Craning her neck, she found herself gazing into Arletta¡¯s scrutinising gaze. There was no intensity in the redhead¡¯s gaze, but it was unyielding. Even when she faced Kaylee¡¯s glare she did not relent.


    ¡°What?¡± Kaylee asked, annoyed.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Arletta replied after a while.


    Then she went back to browsing through her spell book.


    Kaylee felt two more gazes upon her. Turning around, she met the eyes of Marcus and Zachary. Unlike the redhead, when she met the eyes of the two men they quickly looked away. Even so, their movement was not so fast that she did not miss the suspicion in their eyes.


    This caused her to sigh, both in frustration and guilt.


    Her three companions had been giving her those looks since the previous morning.


    ***


    Before the first break of dawn everyone was up, packing up their belongings and getting ready to go. The women were unwilling, but for the sake of reaching their destination sooner they complied.


    In less than ten minutes they were done and ready to go.


    That was when Kaylee handed Zachary and Arletta their books.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Zachary asked, confusion mixed with disbelief.


    ¡°The undead came by last night and returned your books,¡± she responded with a tired sigh.


    When she pictured this scene earlier she had imagined them overreacting and getting angry about the fact that the undead bitch had been here the previous night without their knowledge.


    The scene happened exactly as she had imagined it.


    ¡°The undead was here!¡± Zachary exclaimed. ¡°AND YOU DIDN¡±T WAKE US?¡±


    Both he and Arletta gave her incredulous looks. Marcus, who had been tying up the last of their belongings, dropped his task and fired an intense gaze at her.


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± he asked sternly.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Last night,¡± She replied calmly.


    She had run this scene countless times in her mind. Every question they could possibly ask had been thought of. When she responded she looked into their eyes, her gaze calm and unwavering.


    ¡°How could you not wake us?¡± Arletta asked in an upset voice. ¡°We could have dealt with her.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to?¡± Kaylee explained. ¡°She cast a sleeping spell on all of you.¡±


    ¡°You could have still tried!¡± the redhead retorted. ¡°Sleeping spells are not that hard to break.¡±


    ¡°It was [Sleeping Circle],¡± Kaylee responded. ¡°Its effects are much more potent than a normal [Sleep] spell. Now if I had [Dispel] I would have been able to do it. Unfortunately, I am just a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order mage so there is no way I could ever learn such a spell.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t even try because the undead cast a 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell?¡± Zachary criticized. ¡°You just stood back and did nothing.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± she retorted. ¡°If I had tried something she would have probably killed you all. My doing nothing saved your arse so why don¡¯t you just shut up and accept the book. Consider the fact that it¡¯s back a blessing.¡±


    Her comment caused the priest to frown. ¡°A blessing from an undead? From the enemy of the Goddess? I would never accept such filth!¡±


    Fuck! She exclaimed inwards as she watched the Zachary and Arletta take a few steps back instead of accepting their books. These actions brought a frown to her face, causing her to angrily toss the books onto the ground.


    ¡°Fine!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°If you don¡¯t want then let them stay there. Burn them or wipe your arses with them for all I care. They¡¯re not my books.¡±


    Before any of them could respond she turned around and left, indicating that she was done. Both Arletta and Zachary shouted things but she did not care to pay attention. Picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder, she left the clearing.


    However, she did not get far before a large hand was placed on her shoulder. When she looked back she found Marcus with a calm look on his face.


    ¡°You cannot blame them,¡± he said softly. ¡°The fact that the undead came back last night is pretty suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said with a sigh.


    Although she was angry, her anger was not directed at them. After all, they were right to be suspicious. Her reaction would have probably been the same if she were in the same situation, maybe even worse. Her dislike for undead was nowhere near as passionate as Zachary¡¯s, but her hatred for Sage ran deep. At the moment her greatest desire was to worm her fingers around the stitched-up bitch¡¯s throat and press.


    If only that would kill her.


    ¡°There is no way she came here without an ulterior motive?¡± the large man said. ¡°What did she want?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Kaylee replied with a straight face. ¡°Her necromancer had died and she was fading out of existence. Apparently she was being pushed out of the Main Plane so she came to return the books. She said she had no more use for them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Marcus asked, clearly not believing her.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied. ¡°I too was surprised when she didn¡¯t ask for anything.¡±


    Silence followed. A moment passed where the two of them unflinchingly looked at each other. Then Marcus sighed and turned away.


    ¡°Okay. I believe you,¡± he said, turning around and heading back to the clearing. ¡°Why don¡¯t you cool off here while I go and calm the others down? It would be bad for morale if we escorted the hostages back while being at each other¡¯s throats.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied.


    Looking at her leader¡¯s back she could not help release another sigh.


    It had been a while since she heard him tell a lie.


    He definitely did not believe her.


    ***


    After that she had made up with Arletta and Zachary. However, the two¡¯s suspicion still remained.


    It had taken a while for Arletta to accept her book and comfortably leaf through it, studying the spell she wanted to learn next.


    Unfortunately, even though Zachary had accepted his holy book, he still stayed away from it as if it was some kind of cursed artefact.


    From time to time both he, the redhead and sometimes even Marcus would look at her with mistrust.


    In those moments Kaylee could not help but hate the undead bitch even more.


    Her original plan had been to wake her companions up half an hour after Sage left the camp. She would then tell them everything that had happened before proceeding to break the contract with the undead.


    This was how it was originally supposed to go.


    But who would have thought the thieving bitch had not lied to her.


    Less than ten minutes after she had been left alone she felt her mana stir. It was not the unpleasantness of going up in Order, but the feeling had not been comfortable either. When it was done she had realised that her mana had truly increased.


    That development caused her to change a plans.


    As much as she hated to admit it, Sage had been right. She had reached the end of her rope. Her potential had been used up and she did not see how she would be able to improve herself and get stronger while everyday she watched her companion¡¯s improvement with worry. In time she would truly become a liability to them, causing them to be dissatisfied and possibly dump her for someone better.


    Although such a thing was commonplace in the mercenary profession, the thought of it happening to her was unbearable. As much as she argued with them she loved the other members of the Scarlet Quartet like a family. The last thing she wanted was to be cast aside by them.


    Now that her aptitude had increased she only needed to improve herself to prevent herself from dragging them down. As much as she wanted to send that bitch to hell she decided to keep the contract for this reason.


    With the way they had reacted it was certain their reaction would have been much worse if she had told them the truth. That was why she had opted for half-truths and little lies. The guilt of her act ate at her slowly, but she forced herself not to show it. If she wanted to stay with them this was the only thing she could do.


    Kaylee sighed and looked into the sky, spying a raven in the cloudless azure.


    Hopefully her companions¡¯ mistrust would vanish as time passed.

 CHAPTER 37: FINALLY COMPLETE

    More than half the day passed before they sighted their destination.


    As the carriage reached the summit of a hill walls that stood as high as thirty metres appeared in front of them. The city these walls encircled was huge, something they could see even from where they were. Although they were still quite a distance from reaching the place, the sounds from behind the walls were loud enough to be carried far by the wind. This was but a small indication of how lively Tiih, the second largest city in the Kingdom of Ysh, was.


    There were all sorts of attractions that drew people to the city. Tiih did not only have a thriving production market in the field of smithing and tailoring, but it was also well known its high quality institutions. People from all over the kingdom and beyond came here to learn; whether it was just normal education or studying weapons and magic. The most famous of these institutes was the internationally recognised Tiih Magic Academy.


    The closer they got to the city, the louder the noise became. Tiih¡¯s gates were clearly visible now, a large access that stood ajar; inviting. Unfortunately, the line in front of it seemed to extend for a while. It would be at least a few hours before it was their turn to enter.


    Seeing the line, Kaylee huffed and looked up while playing with her knife. In the sky she spied a raven circling around. It seemed to avoid the other birds as it continued to stalk the azure, maintaining an altitude low enough that she could count its feathers if she wanted.


    I wish I was a bird, she thought as she watched it. Then I would fly over the fucking wall.


    The line to enter Tiih always moved slowly. Shifting her gaze from the sky to the front, she guessed that there were at least three hundred people ahead of them. With how the line usually moved it would probably be night by the time they got into the city.


    Her assumption was not wrong, mostly. By the time they got to the front of the line the sun had sunk and the stars were coming out.


    Fortunately, the guards- seeing their mercenary credentials- did not keep them there for long like they did everyone else. Less than a minute after getting to the front of the line they were let through.


    Upon passing the gates they found themselves on a smoothly paved road flanked by all sorts of businesses. Vendors could be seen on each side of said road, plying their trade even in the dying rays of the day. There were all sorts of shops in this street, from smithies to herb shops and even clothing stores; each of these shops was exquisite in design. Their purpose along the paved road was to show visitors the wealth of the city, both in goods and culture.


    Looking at it all, Kaylee failed to control the twitch of the corner of her lip.


    Everything in front of her was a farce.


    To know the actual face of the city one needed to distance themselves from the paved road. The further they got from it the more obvious it became that the city was bullshit.


    Almost half of the city¡¯s population lived in poverty, leaving them with little choice but to get involved in the more unsavoury, yet highly flourishing, trades of the city. Thieving and prostitution ran rampant in Tiih, drugs flowed in the poor neighbourhoods like wine did in the flourishing ones. There were even rumours of the highly illegal slave trade.


    Slavery was banned in the entirety of Rekke. Based on their explanation, a nation found to be dealing in slavery could face punishments as harsh the public execution of the culprit or the straight up dissolution of their nation. Considering the fact that the Imperium and Methos were both supporters of the ban, no country could resist punishment if found guilty.


    Unfortunately, proof of slave dealing had never been found in Tiih¡­ courtesy of the investigators being in the pockets of the aristocrats; who happened to be the ones running the industry.


    Although Ysh was the most powerful nation in the neighbourhood, it was also well known for being the most indifferent to its citizens¡¯ struggles. A well-known example of this was a few years ago, when during a famine the king; instead of lowering taxes and offering aid, did the opposite. There were a lot casualties as a result back then.


    With how bad the ruling class was it was a miracle the country actually thrived. But then again, that could be attributed to the efforts of the Mercenary Guild and the Church of Life. On more than one occasion these two organisations had joined hands to offset the damage done by the ruling class.


    There were also a good people who tried their best to help the commoners. Currently, a popular example was Sir Isaac, the new Guard Captain. His deeds of actually catching dangerous criminals and cracking down on the illicit businesses made him a hero to many in the city. He did not seem to be someone who would fall into the pockets of the nobility.


    After a few minutes traveling the paved road, the carriage stopped. The carriage owner dropped them off and bid them goodbye before turning around and heading back. He had long passed his destination point to drop Kaylee and her friends off at theirs. She was grateful for that. If they had jumped off the wagon after it crossed the city gates it would have taken them close to an hour to reach this place.


    Where they were the paved road ended, or at least a pair of tall gates blocked people from continuing to traverse it. These gates were part of the inner wall, which acted as a clear divide between the rich and the poor.


    Looking at the gates, she had the urge to scoff. However, she was quickly distracted by her companions moving towards a large building on the side. Above its enormous double doors the words Mercenary Guild were engraved in big bold letters. This was their destination.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Kaylee quickly followed after her friends as they entered.


    Upon crossing the entrance they found themselves in a hall with numerous tables. Many of these tables were occupied by the most bizarrely dressed individuals, who animatedly discussed matters while they knocked back a few drinks.


    When The Scarlet Quartet entered some of these individuals looked up and offered them salutes of acknowledgement. The members of the Scarlet Quartet returned the greetings before moving on. After entering the building, they made a beeline straight to the reception.


    ¡°We¡¯ve completed the mission,¡± Marcus said at the counter, taking out a folded paper and offering it the receptionist.


    It was a paper that detailed the mission specifics, with a stamp in the right bottom corner. This stamp had been placed there by the village chief of the rescued women. It was a one-time-use item prepared for him by the Guild when he had issued the mission. The stamp was meant to be applied by the employer to indicate that the task had been completed.


    The receptions stared at the paper for a while before nodding. Then she turned around and retreated into the backroom. After a while she came back with a fat pouch and placed it on the counter.


    ¡°Here is your remuneration for the task completed,¡± the receptionist said. ¡°The reward for the annihilation of the bandits and possible rescue of the hostages was five gold coins. The guild is authorised to claim ten percent of your earnings, leaving you with four gold and fifty silvers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Marcus said, a little too happy as he grabbed the pouch.


    Honestly, that was how Kaylee felt, and she was sure Zachary and Arletta felt the same. They had been broke since the undead bitch robbed them. Now that the damned quest had been turned in they were finally getting paid.


    It was about damned time.


    One of the reasons why this mission was horrible was that they had found nothing on the bandits¡¯ corpses. Not a single coin. The whole thing was preposterous. If she had been in a better mood back then she would have probably laughed. What kind of limp-dick bandits did not have money? Why in fuck¡¯s name had they become bandits if not to rob others of their wealth?


    Unfortunately, none of them had been alive to answer her questions.


    The Scarlet Quartet retreated from the reception and found an empty table to settle. There Marcus emptied the pouch on the table before proceeding to divide the money in four equal parts.


    The net reward for the mission was four gold, fifty silver; that meant they would each receive one gold, twelve silvers and fifty bonze coins.


    Kaylee let out a breath of relief as she clutched her share. The amount would be able to last her for at least a week.


    ¡°So,¡± Marcus began, looking around at them with a faint smile. His face had softened a lot after receiving the pouch. ¡°Who¡¯s up for a drink? My treat, just like I had promised.¡±


    If it were any other day Kaylee would have been the first to jump up and say ¡°I!¡±


    However, after everything she had gone through over the past few days; from encountering Sage, getting robbed by her and subsequently signing a contract with the bitch followed by the looks she had been receiving from her companions, she was tired of it all. Now, she just wanted to sleep.


    ¡°Count me out,¡± she said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯m too tired. See you tomorrow.¡±


    She left before they could say anything.


    Exiting the building and stepping onto the paved road, she backtracked a few structures until she came in front of a particular building. The name plaque above the door read Good Hearth Inn. She had been staying here for a while.


    Stay for one night amounted to five silver coins, which was neither too expensive nor too cheap. Kaylee had given the innkeeper an entire gold coin before leaving for the mission. Since that amounted to twenty days of stay, she still had more than a week before she would have to cough up another payment.


    By this point night had fallen completely, so the inside of the inn was quite lively. Instruments hummed as the people cheered and toasted, chugging down their alcohol to smoothen the journey of the food down their gullets.


    When Kaylee appeared some of them called out to her, but she ignored them; walking up to the counter and greeting the innkeeper.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back,¡± the innkeeper, Mrs Mable said joyfully. She was a plump woman of advanced age with slightly below average height. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re in healthy condition. With how dangerous the city has been getting I was worried about you. After all, the Sir Isaac got injured the other day.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± She asked sternly.


    Hearing this news she could not help scrutinising the innkeeper. It was well known that the Guard Captain was a 6<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer with a Grade 2 physique. Without taking his skill in consideration, this fact alone put him at the very top of the city in terms of fighting strength. The people that could pose a threat to him in Tiih were non-existent.


    How was it that such a man got injured?


    ¡°They say he was cracking down on the black market when he encountered a necromancer,¡± Mrs Mable leaned in and whispered the next part. ¡°Apparently this necromancer was very old and experienced. He summoned an undead creature that poisoned Sir Isaac. Despite this, before he succumbed Sir Isaac managed to beat his foe back, robbing the necromancer of a leg and the undead of an arm.¡±


    There was a prideful gleam in her eyes as the woman spoke. Like many commoners in Tiih she worshiped the Guard Captain.


    ¡°I see,¡± Kaylee replied thoughtfully. ¡°And how is he now?¡±


    ¡°He is fine. Thank Shea,¡± Mrs Mable replied. ¡°The Church healed him, bless them. They even took care of the necromancer.¡±


    ¡°That is good to know,¡± Kaylee said. ¡°Hopefully we never get to see the likes of such a necromancer and undead again.¡±


    Hopefully the Church of Life and the City Guard would do their fucking job right next time!


    ¡°I pray to that,¡± the innkeeper agreed.


    Kaylee smiled, took her keys from the woman and climbed upstairs. Moments later, when she entered her room, she found that it cleaner than when she had left it, her belongings arranged in order. This brought a smile to her face.


    Fortunately Mrs Mable had one of her children tend to the room in her absence. At the moment she did not have the energy to clean the place and it would be irritating to sleep in a dusty room.


    In the past week she had seen enough dirt to last her for months.


    Locking the door behind her, she exhaled and released all the tension that she had been unaware she was carrying until this moment. The past few days had been really tiring. As she moved towards the bed she began to have dreams of sleeping for a least twelve hours. Only such a long period of rest would be able to shake the fatigue from the mission.


    However, before she could implement the plan, movement at her window distracted her.


    A raven had just landed there.


    Seeing it, Kaylee immediately became alarmed.


    This raven was the one she had spied outside the city, she was sure about it. Thinking back, she realised she had seen quite a few ravens on her way from the village to the city. At this moment she got the feeling that all those ravens had likely been the same one in front of her. Now that the bird was within five metres of her she could sense that it was not normal.


    This raven was someone¡¯s pet, a Familiar.


    Having reached this conclusion, she immediately grabbed her knife. However, before she could throw it the bird spoke up.


    ¡°Caw! Put that down! No one¡¯s trying to fight you!¡±


    Before she could respond, the raven suddenly jumped from the windowsill to the floor and morphed into a cat. Then, right in front of her, it opened its mouth and regurgitated a full grown human.


    Well, human was not the right word to describe this person.


    The newcomer dusted off her clothes before directing her scarred fa?ade at Kaylee.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Sage said with a smile and a wave.

 CHAPTER 38: ‘SHOPPING’

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± the half-elf asked.


    Immediately after seeing Sage, Kaylee adopted a hostile pose. She even swapped out her knife for her bow, drawing its string to the limit in her direction.


    In response to this Sage lifted her hands to show that she was not attempting anything.


    ¡°I just came to say hi,¡± she said calmly.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Kaylee asked.


    Her tone was hostile. Cleary the half-elf still had something against her.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Sage replied. ¡°I just wanted to see where you live. Now that I have I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    With that she turned around and hopped out of the window, but not before witnessing Kaylee¡¯s dumbstruck expression.


    Sage truly did not have any ulterior motives other than to greet her. After all, the two of them were bonded now so it was okay pass through from time to time. Also, she needed a place to get out of Nyx¡¯s {Void Space} without attracting attention. Since she was bonded to Kaylee, she had surmised it was fine to leave the Space in front of her.


    The idea to rest in the {Void Space} came to her after seeing the cat put away the old man¡¯s body.


    {Void Space} could store anything as long as it was not alive. Being an undead, she was obviously qualified. For the past day and a half she stayed in the small extra dimensional room refreshing her knowledge with some of the books recovered from the tower rubble. The only uncomfortable aspect of this was that she had to share the Space with Bori¡¯s aged carcass, which actually a little creepy even to her who was undead. She remedied this factor by encasing the old man¡¯s corpse in a block of ice and using that block to rest her back while she read.


    An advantage of being undead was that the cold did not affect her. In fact, she even found it a little comforting. So using the huge block of ice as a support suited her just well.


    Another thing that happened over the past day was that Nyx found a raven carcass somewhere in the forest and {Devour}ed it, giving him the ability to assume the bird¡¯s form. This turned out to be a great boon where travel was concerned.


    Also, she realised something. While she was in the {Void Space} she could not perceive the bond. Judging from Kaylee¡¯s reaction a while back the same could be assumed of her. This knowledge was sure to come in handy sometime in the future.


    Nyx abilities were not so useless after all.


    Except {Misfortune}; she was still angry about that one.


    Kaylee¡¯s room was not facing the main road, so when Sage vaulted out the window she landed in an empty alley. This was a good thing for her. If the window had been facing the street she no doubt would have caught a lot of attention, not only because of her appearance but also because of how suspicious act was.


    Due to activating {Lightfoot}, her landing did not utter a sound. The moment her feet hit the ground she immediately activated another ability, {Invisibility}. With these two abilities she was set to explore the city.


    Tiih as a city was impressive on the whole.


    There were all sorts of booming businesses around. Many of these were related to production such as tailoring, smithing and alchemy. Of course the most impressive of these items could be found in the streets lining the main road. However, the shops close by did not seem to that much worse off.


    Sage had been walking for a while when she spied what looked like a clothing shop. Unlike the stores on the main road where there was light, this one had been closed early. Probably to avoid being robbed in the night. She took one look at it and decided to do some ¡°shopping.¡±


    Using {Ghostwalk}, she easily entered the shop and browsed the clothes in the shop. Trousers and shirts, blouses and skirts; there were even some impressive looking dresses and coats. The prices of these articles ranged from several bronze coins to several silvers. At the moment Sage had around fifteen gold stored in Nyx¡¯s {Void Space} so these items were affordable to her.


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    However, she scoffed at the idea of actually paying for them. Why would she do that when she could take them for free?


    And so she decided to go on a spree.


    First off she replaced her shirt, which had been missing a sleeve since the bastard cut off her arm. The replacement she found was a white cotton shirt that was neither too big nor too small, just the right fit for her. After that she replaced her pants, which were starting to look worn out. She also managed to find herself a pair of under-clothes. This she welcomed wholeheartedly; after all, she was tired of going commando.


    There were other clothes she fancied as well. These were given to Nyx to store.


    When she was done she left the clothe shop in search for other stores.


    Her journey took her further into the city, where she witnessed a completely different world from the one presented on the main road. The structures here were cracked and crumbling, which was surprising since this place looked like a middle-class area. If the situation was already like this in such a place, then what about the poorer districts?


    When she thought about it Sage immediately made a U-turn and decided to head back to the main road.


    The purpose for doing so was obviously because she wanted to avoid the poor districts. It was not because she did not think she could handle the sights such a place had to offer, but because she just remembered something.


    Bori had found her current body somewhere there.


    Even though she was now a 7<sup>th</sup> Order mage, her abilities could not be maintained forever, which meant at some point she would have to deactivate {Invisibility}. What would then happen if she was spotted by someone who knew the previous inhabitant of this body?


    Sage did not need that drama.


    Which was why she had no plans to stay in this city longer than a few days.


    Tiih was just a rest-stop for her before she moved on to the Yshian capital Yshta. Being the largest city and the centre of government, Yshta was bound to be livelier and she would definitely be able to get more information there. She had decided that it would be the first place she would search for clues of the Elixir of Rejuvenation.


    Besides, it was not like she could stay in this city if she wanted to anyway.


    Tiih was the residence of the two people she was most intent on killing. The first was the bastard Guard Captain and the second- this one she was not so sure of- was the one who sent the light elemental.


    With her current strength, she was sure she could now match the bastard, but she was not so sure about the other one. Either way, both of them knew her face so she could not stay here for long. It was better to retreat somewhere far and accumulate strength before coming back for revenge.


    But before that she would be going on a bit of a ¡°shopping¡± spree.


    It was a while later she got back to the main road. The place was no longer as crowded as when she had left it. Many of the shops that had been previously open were now shut. The few exceptions were the taverns and inns as well as the Mercenary Guild. The latter was probably open all day.


    Still invisible, she {Ghostwalk}ed into one of the closed stores.


    This one too was a clothing shop. However, its prices were preposterous compared to the previous one. These prices ranged from several tens of silver to several tens of gold; complete daylight robbery.


    You can¡¯t blame me for returning the favour, she thought a she swiped a leather coat off the hanger.


    The items in this shop were much more luxurious than the other shop. Some of the articles here were actually made of silk. She naturally took all of these and dumped them into the {Void Space}.


    The best piece of clothing she found was a black hooded coat, which she took an instant liking to. She immediately put it on and covered her head with the hood. It was perfect for hiding her appearance under the cover of night.


    When she was done with the clothing shop she {Ghostwalk}ed into the next one, which happened to be a shoe shop.


    Entering this store, Sage was even more excited than when she had walked into the clothing shop. Ever since coming to this world she had not worn a single pair of shoes, courtesy of not finding ones that were the right fit. At this point she had pretty much gotten used to walking around barefoot. However, that did not mean she did not desire a nice sturdy pair of shoes.


    She immediately got to testing the shoes on the racks and found a pair of sandals and a pair of boots that suited her well. The boots she tossed to Nyx for storage, while the sandals were immediately equipped. After doing so she took a look at herself and let out a comfortable breath.


    Now she felt somewhat human.


    After that she visited a few more shops. There was a blacksmith¡¯s shop where she plundered a neat-looking shortsword, a silversmith shop where she plundered every expensive-looking trinket and a bookstore where she picked out some unfamiliar books to fill the gaps in her knowledge.


    It was a shame that the latter did not have magic books, but not unexpected. Having travelled around the city for a while she had seen that mages were actually quite rare, so magic tomes must be even rarer and probably pricier than anything she had swiped.


    Still, the results of her ¡°shopping¡± spree left her satisfied.


    Happily, she lifted Nyx into her arms and {Blink}ed away.


    Now that she had gotten clothes she would go looking for something to eat next.

 CHAPTER 39: DECISION

    Kaylee woke up feeling refreshed.


    Getting up from the bed and looking out her window, she sighed in contentment. The time was around midday. Just like she planned, she had slept for more than half a day and just as expected the long rest had washed her stress away and cleared her mind.


    She now knew what she had to do.


    Standing up from the bed, she walked over to a medium-sized basin placed on a stool. One of the inn girls had probably brought it in while she was asleep. The gesture was much appreciated.


    She splashed water onto her face to clear away the drowsiness that still remained. When her muddle-headedness was gone she proceeded to wash off the rest of her body with a cloth. Minutes later she got into her trademark black leather shirt and pants feeling refreshed. Then she strapped on her bow, quiver and dagger before proceeding to leave the room.


    Her steps were light as she marched to the bottom floor, all the while paying attention to a certain direction.


    Unfortunately the undead bitch was still in the city. Kaylee could feel her. By her estimation, Sage was approximately a kilometre from her. Unlike previous times, she now regarded the ability to sense her as a blessing. By being able to tell where the scarred bitch was, she would know which places to avoid.


    Being tied to the undead was bad enough. She did not want any other connection with her.


    Upon reaching the ground floor she found the common room packed, which was strange. Usually, at this time of the day the people went about their daily business, leaving only a handful of patrons in the inn. However, today more than three quarters of tables were occupied. Everyone seemed to be discussing something, which caused her to frown in confusion.


    Did something happen?


    She approached the counter where, instead of Mrs. Mable, she found the woman¡¯s teenage daughter Katya. The girl, who had been speaking to an inn patron in hushed tones, looked up when she approached.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Katya said with a warm smile, shifting her attention from the patron to her. ¡°You¡¯ve slept the day away. Must have been really tired huh?¡±


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Kaylee responded, seating on a counter stool. Her gaze darted around the inn before settling on the innkeeper¡¯s daughter. ¡°Something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the girl said, a little excited. She leaned in and began to whisper in an animated tone. ¡°Something really big happened last night. You know that clothing shop, Divine Garments, the one that charges everyone an arm and a leg for a piece of clothing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Kaylee replied, leaning in to hear better.


    ¡°Someone robbed it last night,¡± Katya said giddily.


    Hearing this, Kaylee¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She looked at Katya with disbelief.


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Her response caused the girl¡¯s smile to widen. ¡°I doubted it when I first heard it too, but it¡¯s true. And it¡¯s not only Divine Garments that was robbed. The thief even broke into Glamourous Shoes, Mandla¡¯s bookstore, Yusuf¡¯s Smith and Radiance. Yusuf¡¯s only seemed to have lost a sword while Radiance was cleared of its entire stock?¡±


    Kaylee could not control her mouth to close as she listened.


    Every shop that could line the main road was well connected, so well that people would not dare to even think about robbing them. The last person to do so was chased down like a dog and whipped to death in front of the masses as a warning.


    That had been three years ago. Since then no one had entertained the idea.


    Since these shops had connections, it was a fair assumption all sorts of measures had been placed in the stores to prevent theft. According the Arletta, these shops were lined with not only alarms and restrain spells, but also spells that placed a tracking mark on the intruder just in case they managed to successfully get away. The place was full proof. Even if there was a thief capable of dispelling these magics, doing so would only trigger another, hidden, alarm.


    ¡°What happened to the culprit?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Escaped,¡± Katya said. Her tone dropped by an iota as her eyes left Kaylee and looked around cautiously. Then she turned back and muttered, ¡°The thief got away. They were truly skilled, managing to avoid all the traps and spells. The break-ins weren¡¯t even discovered until morning.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Kaylee said, baffled. ¡°Those shops, especially Divine Garments, should have some kind of restraining spell. Even if the thief somehow managed to avoid the restraint with some sort of spell, the fact that magic was used in the store should set off an alarm.¡±


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    Divine Garment was a shop with branches across the country. Rumour had it that its stores could be found even beyond Ysh. The business belonged to the Mason family, the richest family in Tiih, with an influence in the city only second to the ruling Dickmunds. There were rumours circulating that Byasha Nisha, one of only five 7<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerers in Tiih, was in the family¡¯s employ. It was also common knowledge that this senior mage often visited Divine Garments. There was no way the shop¡¯s protection had been neglected.


    The only way the culprit could escape was if they were a senior mage as well. But a magician of such calibre would never debase themselves to the level of a common thief.


    However, that possibility could not be wholly dismissed. Life had all sorts of possibilities.


    ¡°What kind of magic was used to evade the spells?¡± she asked the girl.


    Katya shrugged. ¡°None. There was no evidence of magic used at the scene.¡±


    ¡°Then how?¡± Kaylee asked in disbelief.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s like the place was robbed by a ghost,¡± the girl replied.


    A ghost. An undead with the ability to bypass all sorts of physical barriers. Apart from Light Magic, the only spells that could affect them were the 4<sup>th</sup> Order [Solid] and 7<sup>th</sup> Order [Corporeal]. These spells had been designed for the sole purpose of dealing with spectres, more specifically wraiths. Ghosts were the most harmless among the undead.


    Undead.


    Kaylee suddenly whipped her head in a certain direction. Her eyes narrowed as if she was scrutinising something far away, something only she could see through the inn walls.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Katya interrupted her after a few seconds.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Kaylee replied, turning back and smiling at the girl. ¡°So, what¡¯s for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Chicken stew and steamed potatoes,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Mother is almost done preparing it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Kaylee said with a kind smile. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here then.¡±


    Minutes later she exited the inn while patting her stomach. Filling fulfilled, she set upon her day.


    First she visited the blacksmith.


    Not the hack on the main road. That bastard charged exorbitant prices for aesthetic junk that was only good for displaying.


    The one who stole that knife would soon discover that fact.


    It was unfortunate that the true blacksmiths were suppressed by the influence of the fake¡¯s backing, causing them to set up their shops a distance from the main road. One such shop was two blocks from it. The owner of smithy was Hudge, burly man whose build outed him as the offspring of a human and a dwarf.


    In this place she got her equipment checked while she chatted up the man and his wife. She learned that the clothing shop on at the end of the road had been robbed as well. According to Hudge¡¯s wife, the shop owner was quite devastated.


    Kaylee listened and nodded in understanding. In her mind she fired a few colourful words in Sage¡¯s direction.


    After the maintenance on her weapons was done, she dashed back to the main road. The place was heavily guarded, something she had noticed when she left the inn previously. However, she had not been aware of just how much the security had been beefed up.


    Upon entering the main road she was approached by a City Guard with a cautious look. The man demanded her identification while his hand rested on his sword. Luckily she was able to shoo him away with her mercenary badge. When the man saw that her badge was inscribed with three stars he left without another word.


    Mercenaries aligned with the Guild were assigned badges aligned with their capabilities. These badges ranked from one to six stars. Three stars, which was middle rank, was considered impressive. In their party she and Zachary were three-star mercenaries while Arletta, whose experience was still on the shallow side, was a two-star. As for Marcus, he was a four-star mercenary. It was one of the reasons why he was the leader.


    When she entered the Guild she found it even fuller than the inn. Seated mercenaries were discussing in hushed and excited tones as their gazes occasionally shifted to mission board, which had a crowd forming around it.


    She ignored them and looked around. A moment later she exclaimed as she caught sight of her friends seated at one of the tables.


    They were all here. Good.


    She called out to them and made her way to where they sat.


    ¡°We came by the inn earlier,¡± Marcus said, as she sat down. ¡°But you were asleep.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she responded. ¡°I didn¡¯t know. No one told me.¡±


    Katya probably forgot, as was usually the case when she was excited about the latest gossip.


    ¡°Was there something?¡± she asked, smiling; trying to stay calm.


    ¡°You heard about the break-in at the shops right?¡± Arletta asked. She sounded almost as excited as the Katya had been.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaylee replied. ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°Old Traven Mason is pretty mad,¡± Marcus interjected. ¡°Not only does he have the City Guard searching for the culprit. He has also posted a mission on the Guild board, offering twenty gold for anyone who can find the culprit.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Kaylee exclaimed. ¡°He¡¯s that pissed?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zachary said. ¡°I cannot believe there are still people brave enough to rob Mason. Its common knowledge that the aristocracy has dealings with the darker side of the city. That old crook probably has his goons searching for the culprit in the shadows already. He¡¯ll probably be caught by them soon.¡±


    ¡°Not if we catch them first,¡± Arletta said, her excitement building up. ¡°With Bono¡¯s {Clairvoyance} we might just be able to do it. Unless of course someone else¡¯s Familiar has it too, but the ability is pretty rare. So we¡¯re going to do it and succeed before anyone can snatch the prize from us¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Bono with your mother?¡± Kaylee asked.


    Unlike other mages, Arletta hardly stayed with her Familiar. The creature spent most its time taking care of her sick mother.


    ¡°Mother is feeling better today,¡± the redhead replied. ¡°Besides, I paid five silvers to have the neighbours look after her in the event that I summon Bono away from her.¡±


    ¡°Then everything¡¯s in order,¡± Marcus said standing up. ¡°Summon the monkey and let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I need to talk to you guys about,¡± Kaylee quickly said before the others could follow.


    This stopped her companions in their tracks and they turned to look at her. The gaze that they had been giving over the past few days had been missing since she came here, however, at this moment the same suspicion returned as they settled down to listen to what she had to say.


    It caused dread to begin encroaching upon her heart. However, she quickly shook herself out of her panic and released a heavy sigh.


    What she was about to do was the only thing she could do if she wanted to stay with them in the long run. This was the decision she had made.


    She looked at her companions one by one before opening her mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking a break from the mercenary business.¡±

 CHAPTER 40: COMPANIONS

    The Guild hall was filled with all sorts of sounds; none of which came from their table. Here silence reigned as Kaylee endured the glares of her teammates. She struggled not to blink while she stared back.


    ¡°Why?¡± Marcus asked silently in his deep voice.


    ¡°I need to sort out some things,¡± she replied honestly.


    After a long time thinking about it, this was the only route she could take.


    Her friends would not accept the fact that she had bonded with an undead, more so that it was that swindling scarred bitch. Maybe Marcus could be brought around and probably Arletta after some time, but Zachary would never accept it. The guy was a priest of the Life Goddess with a belief just a few steps shy of bordering on zealousness. If she ever revealed it he would immediately cut ties with her, probably even force the other two choose between him and her.


    Kaylee did not want to cause turmoil among her friends. That was why she chose this path.


    ¡°That¡¯s the reason?¡± Marcus asked, giving her a sceptical look.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded, a sense of guilt washing over her as she responded.


    She knew that, in order to prevent future conflicts with her companions, the smartest thing to do was to dissolve the contract and pretend she had never made it. Unfortunately, the little harlot had not lied to her when she said that a bond between them would increase her mana.


    She could feel it, the amount of mana at her disposal had more than doubled. With her current aptitude she could probably step into the 4<sup>th</sup> or even 5<sup>th</sup> Order.


    This was a way for her to get stronger, for her to maintain her status as a future member of the team. Such an opportunity might never come by again. She was unwilling to let go of it.


    Unfortunately, she could not just learn a new spell and improve her Order out of the blue or the others would be suspicious. Increasing one¡¯s aptitude is an almost impossible feat. Cases of those who managed to do it were exceedingly rare and unrepeatable. One such example was Alufa Mogg, a beastkin magician who carelessly slipped and fell down a seemingly unremarkable hole and got himself splashed with a strange substance. It was only days after the incident that he realised that his aptitude had increased. With this he finally managed to advance to Ultra Order after being stuck in the 9<sup>th</sup> Order for countless years.


    Back then the story shook the entire mage community, especially since Alufa had some renown in the magical community. Unfortunately, when Alufa returned to the place he could not find the mysterious hole.


    That was how miraculous such situations were. Replicating them could only remain a dream.


    Compared to Alufa, Kaylee¡¯s aptitude was pathetic; so the increment was not enough for her to become a Transcendent. However, just the fact that her mana had increased would attract a lot of attention. If it was revealed, she would be approached by countless people wondering how she managed it.


    Obviously the truth was out of the question.


    The purpose for her leaving for a few months was not only to learn new spells, but to think of a convincing story to sell to her friends and anyone who got curious. The story did not have to be wholly believable, after all her increased capacity was enough to convince anyone she was telling the truth. In fact, a believable story was less likely to be believed given past experiences with similar phenomena.


    Over the next few months Kaylee would create a story so incredible that verification would be impossible on the basis of how unbelievable it was. Of course everyone would take a look at her changed aptitude and have no choice but to believe her, including her friends. They would congratulate her and everything would be back to normal.


    That was how she planned it in her mind.


    ¡°There is really no other reason?¡± Zachary asked, clearly not believing her.


    ¡°No,¡± she replied with a forced smile.


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Arletta asked with a worried expression. ¡°Come on. If there is you know you can tell us.¡±


    ¡°Really, I am okay,¡± Kaylee replied a little too quickly. After realising this she took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°I just need some time away from all the mercenarying.¡±


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    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Marcus asked. ¡°If you take a break how will you afford your meals and lodging?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied with a shrug. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll go to Yshta for a while, to visit my family.¡±


    The next moment silence passed in which the other members of the Scarlet Quartet stared at her with mouths slightly agape.


    Then Arletta jumped up from her seat.


    ¡°Something is definitely wrong!¡± the redhead exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. ¡°Is that undead threatening you? What did she say to you? You know you can trust us. Tell us and we¡¯ll hunt her down and teach her a lesson!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Kaylee replied weakly, not resisting the girl¡¯s action. ¡°Now that her necromancer is dead she has been kicked out of Aran to wherever she came from. I told you that before didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s really no problem why are you leaving?¡± Arletta asked sternly. Just as Kaylee was about to speak up the girl cut her off. ¡°And don¡¯t insult us by saying you just want a break. Everyone here knows that¡¯s bullshit!¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want me to say?¡± she asked, trying hard not to show her frustration.


    ¡°The truth.¡±


    ¡°That was the truth,¡± Kaylee responded firmly.


    For a while the noise in the place drowned the silence at the table. Then Arletta took a step towards her and swung her open hand.


    Kaylee saw it coming, but she did not react. The blow caught squarely on her jaw.


    It stung, but she did not pay attention to it. At the moment her eyes followed the redhead as she stormed out of the Guild hall with angry huffs.


    When the doors closed behind Arletta she gave a dejected sigh and turned back to her remaining teammates while ignoring the stares that had been attracted to their table by what just transpired.


    Zachary shot her a hostile glare, while Marcus¡¯ was a little more unreadable. Unfortunately, even though his expression gave away nothing, his vibe told her that he was not pleased with what had transpired.


    ¡°Take the break,¡± the large man said in a neutral tone. ¡°When you¡¯re ready to come back we¡¯ll be here.¡±


    Hearing this, tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly forced them back.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said sincerely.


    Marcus gave her a nod before he got up and left.


    ¡°Arletta only did that because she cares,¡± Zachary said, his eyes leaving their leader and coming to rest on her. ¡°I hope you realise that.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she acknowledged.


    ¡°Good,¡± the priest said, also getting to his feet. ¡°Then I¡¯m sure you know that if you go to her asking for help she will not hesitate to give it. The same can be said for Marcus and I. All you need to do is ask. I hope you realise that as well.¡±


    Then he was gone, leaving her alone at the table.


    She stared at the priest¡¯s back until he, just like the others, exited the building. Then she retracted her gaze to the table and sighed.


    Not hesitate to help me? She thought sceptically.


    If only she could believe him.


    As a priest of Shea, Zachary was a kind guy and good to the core. However, with his deeply ingrained beliefs she knew that he would definitely be the first to reject her if she told him she had willingly contracted an undead and did not want to break that contract due to the boon it gave her.


    The only way to ensure they would stay on good terms after she revealed her aptitude had increased was if she implemented her plan. She would disappear for a few months, return with a meticulously constructed semi-believable story and do her best to patch up with her friends.


    This was her plan, and she was hell-bent on making sure it worked.


    ***


    When Arletta stormed out of the Guild building she was so mad she could not think straight. Without caring much about whose presence she was in she stomped the ground madly, her fists clench tightly as a part of her wished it was the half-elf¡¯s face under her foot instead of the innocent ground.


    Stomping around for a couple of minutes or so, she found an empty alley where she could fully vent her frustration.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± she screamed as she repeatedly stomped down.


    Kaylee was frustrating! Did she really believe they would believe such a stupid reason? Visit her family? They were not idiots! Even though Arletta did not know much about them she could tell from the way Kaylee reacted whenever she mentioned them that she hated them. They were among the last people she would ever want to see!


    ¡°Bitch!¡± she exclaimed as she stomped the ground again, wishing it was Kaylee who was receiving her fury.


    Suddenly a hand came from out of nowhere and grabbed her shoulder. Filled with adrenaline and anger, Arletta turned in the direction of the hand, while getting ready to deploy a spell to pound its owner straight into the ground to vent the anger.


    Unfortunately, she had to stop halfway through the plan because that person turned out to be Marcus.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said softly, his grasp on her loosening.


    Normally someone of her stature would find his presence intimidating, but in his presence all she found was security. Hearing his voice, she hurriedly hugged his large waist. It was only when she heard herself sniff and felt tears spelling from her eyes that she realised she was crying.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Marcus comforted her with a gentle pat on the back. ¡°There was no harm done with that slap. Even if there was it¡¯s not a big deal. She deserved it.¡±


    She disentangled herself from the large man and searched his face.


    ¡°Do you think the undead is controlling her?¡±


    If that turned out to be the case then it would be all her fault. She was the one who had invited the undead to stay with them back then. Like a fool she had never even questioned the undead¡¯s story. If something happened to Kaylee because of that it would be all her fault. She would never be able to forgive herself.


    ¡°The undead¡¯s not controlling her.¡± The one who said this was Zachary. He too had entered the alleyway. ¡°But it has some kind of hold on her. We should investigate what it is.¡±


    Hearing this, Arletta sighed in relief and stepped away from Marcus to wipe away her tears.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Marcus said, still patting her back. ¡°We should split up for a while. Why don¡¯t the two of you do the mission to find the culprit of the break-in, while I tail Kaylee to make sure she¡¯s alright?¡±


    Arletta thought about it before nodding. A moment later Zachary followed suit.


    This was the best cause of action for now.

 CHAPTER 41: LEAVING

    Sage spent the day sampling all sorts of food in the city. She visited eateries that prepared fine cuisine, eateries that had bad food and eateries whose stock was just downright horrible. For the latter kind she only took take a single bite before quitting and leaving without paying.


    Food was the one thing that should not be stolen; at least most of the time. Swiping an apple or orange from a vendor was fine, but stealing a freshly prepared meal was out of the question. If one did that, what would happen is they would be chased down with a passion. Even if one manages to escape the pursuers in the end, by the time they had done so the food have gone through countless disasters, courtesy of the ups and downs of fleeing, and would have turned cold by then. If the purpose of visiting an eatery was to sample nice hot food then, with such an outcome, everything would have been a wasted effort.


    Of course if Sage truly wanted to she could grab the plate and {Blink} away; putting distance between her and any would-be pursuers, killing the chase in its conception. But she had standards. Fleeing from a restaurant while holding plate of food was beneath her. Maybe if she were in desperate need of food and lacked the coin to pay for it. The former was highly unlikely though, so it did not look like there would come a day when she would have to stoop to such a level.


    So in the end she paid for the food.


    Not with her own money though. That was a last resort for situations where she had no choice. The types of cuisines she sampled were paid for through the generous donations of all the individuals who let her stick her fingers in their pockets.


    And so, on more than one occasion, she sat under the shade with her food and watched overbearing guards and tense citizens pass by.


    Her ¡°shopping¡± spree the previous night must have really stirred some upper ranks in the city because the City Guard was everywhere. As they sloppily searched for the culprit, they would stop every individual on the street who look even a little out of place. There were even some who looked more like crooks than guards; these ones singled out individuals and beat them up when said individuals failed to give them the information they desired even when it was clear the individuals did not possess the knowledge.


    Sage avoided all this by keeping her head low and sticking to the shadows. She only came out where there were no guards, always made sure to keep her hood up and only ate in the most deserted places. Some of her actions obviously drew attention; in which case she would quickly leave before some suspicious party came close. Her face was not one what would be associated with the affluent person she appeared to be whenever she purchased food. She chose to flee before the suspicious party came close.


    Most of the day was spent walking around the city sampling foods. She even visited the poor districts to check out their living conditions. This time she did not hesitate to do so because she was confident in her disguise. Apart from her hooded coat she had also changed into a black turtleneck jersey with a collar long enough for her to cover her face up to the bridge of her nose.


    It went without saying that this appearance made her look even more suspicious, but that was a good thing in the poor districts. It ensured that no children ¡°tripped¡± and bump into her like she witnessed them do with others a couple of times. In her experience, in poor neighbourhoods being shady was synonymous with being dangerous, which made everyone keep their distance.


    When night came she returned to the main road, which she had avoided all day, and found it teeming with guards. Here she even caught a glimpse of the bastard Guard Captain. Isaac he was called, she had learned his name while traversing the city. As someone who had crawled out of poverty to get to his current station, he was popular with the masses; less popular with the nobility, not that they could do a thing about it since he had the support of the mercenaries, the church and most of the merchants in town. Though, the previous night¡¯s events must have dampened some of the support he got from the merchants.


    But that was no concern of hers. The only thing she cared about when it came to the bastard was pummelling him into the ground as payment for cutting off her arm. At the moment she felt confident enough to take him, but still stayed her hand. Chances were that he was related to the summoner of the elemental, whose strength Sage did not have a clue about. If she attacked him now she would no doubt alert that entity. For now she could only grit her teeth and glare at his back, fantasising about the day when she would be able to get him back.


    It calmed her down a little.


    With the Guard on the street a curfew seemed to have been issued because the civilians looked to be fleeing for their lives. Within minutes their numbers had dwindled to the point where the remaining citizens were outnumbered by the patrolling guards.


    To avoid the bastard and his cronies, Sage spent the night on the roof of an inn reading some of her newly acquired books. It was not the inn which Kaylee boarded, that one was too close to the Mercenary Guild for her liking.


    She did not know the overall strength of the mercenaries associated with the Guild, but considering the Scarlet Quartet were somewhat decent fighters, she did not look down on it. There was a great possibility of there being mercenaries who could beat her so it was wise to keep her distance


    And so the night passed as she finished a couple of books. It was only with the arrival of dawn that she stood and put the books away.


    It was time to leave the city. Her destination was the Yshian capital Yshta.


    Unfortunately, even though she had a map of Ysh somewhere in Nyx¡¯s Space, one thing she had always sucked at was reading maps. She also happened to have a terrible sense of direction. If she climbed into the {Void Space} and ordered Nyx to fly her to the capital, the Familiar would no doubt get them lost. Of course she did not believe she would get lost if she travelled along the road, but that would require walking and she refused to do that when there were better modes of transportation.


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    In the end, the only thing she could do was board a wagon or caravan headed to the capital.


    Obviously that would be a bit difficult in her current getup, so she took momentary shelter in the {Void Space}, which was now filled with an array of items. Throwing off her current clothes, she quickly picked out a pair of silk underclothes and stockings. Then she put on leather gloves that covered her up to the elbows. For outward clothing she chose a long dress that too had a collar that could be pulled up until it covered most of her face; it was probably designed by the same person as the jersey. To finish off her dress code she took a sun hat from the pile and placed it on her head.


    All these clothes, including the sandals she had not change out of, were black. If she had a mirror and looked into it she would see what appeared to be a widow from the Victorian age. No doubt the outfit was eye-catching, but it was less so than her previous wear and would definitely draw less attention than if she went around with her face uncovered.


    She took one satisfied look at herself before leaving the cat¡¯s Space. With this she was ready to go.


    Using {Blink}, {Invisibility}, {Lightfoot} and {Ghostwalk}, she quickly came to the city gate and bypassed all the restrictions placed around the gate to prevent the culprit from leaving. The ease with which she did it made her shake her head in distaste.


    One would think, in a fantasy world with magic, individuals would come up with better means than trying to box the culprit in.


    Outside the city she saw a line had already been formed by those who wanted to enter. She passed them and did not deactivate her abilities until she was certain there was not a human presence nearby.


    With this she walked along the road to Yshta, waiting for someone to pass by.


    It only took half an hour before a pair of wagons appeared. They probably belonged to a merchant, this was her guess as she watched them approach. There were half a dozen people surrounding the wagons, most likely mercenaries hired to escort merchant and his cargo.


    Using the {index} she checked the stats of these hired guards.


    The first mercenary had pale green skin with a build that was larger than even Marcus¡¯. He had small tusks that extended from his lower lip past his top lip. This individual wore colourless chainmail with a double-bladed battle-axe hanging on his back. His horse was, a brown destrier, far dwarfed the other horses. It was probably the only kind of mount that could carry someone of his stature.


    Race: Half-Orc (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: H (White)


    From the way he carried himself, it was obvious he was in charge of the escort assignment.


    Sage¡¯s eyes left him and checked out the others.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: D (Purple)


    This one¡¯s features she could not make out as he had covered up even more than she had. If not for his distinguishable body shape she would probably not even be able to tell he was male.


    There were a pair of daggers strapped to his side, which he kept fingering constantly as his eyes wandered around. When the wagons got within tens of metres of Sage his gaze fixed onto her while his hand clutched the hilt of a dagger.


    A cautious fellow.


    Race: Half-Elf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: C (Orange)


    She was all dressed in black leather with a bow strapped to her back and a knife on the waist. She had been the first to be alerted of her presence, the same could be said vice-versa. As the wagons got close Sage could make out her malice.


    She ignored this look and checked out the next person.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: C (Purple)


    This fellow was the youngest among the escort. His posture and mannerisms gave him away as a rookie. From the giddiness he displayed it was safe to assume this was his first assignment.


    Unlike the others he did not have a weapon. Being a youth in his mid-teens, he probably believed his magic was enough of a weapon.  Sage scoffed at this and turned to the next person.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: D (Maroon)


    An incredibly thin woman of advance age, her posture was hunched as she rode her horse and she appeared to have a grip so weak it looked like she would fall off and die any moment. This crone had a wooden staff resting across her back as she rode beside the wagons.


    Race: Dwarf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: D (Purple)


    The final member of the escort squad was in full plate mail and looked a head shorter than everyone. He had a long beard that went all the way to his chest. On his back was a huge hammer strapped to his back. The thing looked incredibly heavy, which made her wonder how his mule was able to carry him. With his stout figure and equipment, he probably weighed as much the half-orc, if not more.


    The people who sat on the front wagon were a fat man with a thick moustache and a middle-aged woman with a motherly face and shrewd eyes. On the second wagon sat a teenage boy and girl of roughly the same age who bore a resemblance to the moustached merchant and the woman. Their physiques were all Grade 5 and mana was white with an H aptitude like the average person.


    Seeing her in the road, the man ordered the wagon to stop in front of her.


    Sage took this opportunity to look at the half-elf. Of course she had felt her presence long before she could actually make her out in the distance. She was surprised to find her leaving the city so early after returning from a mission, even more so that she was not in the company of the other members of the Scarlet Quartet. Something probably happened after the last time she saw her.


    She was curious to know what.

 CHAPTER 42: THE ROAD

    As the wagons came to a stop Kaylee glared at the undead bitch, the cause of all her problems, and had the urge to unsling her bow and introduce an arrow to scarred bitch¡¯s skull. The act would probably not kill her, even so she could still gain a bit of satisfaction from it.


    In the end she stayed her hand and cast her gaze to Taruk. The escorts of the Delsarte family were members of his party; as the leader, he was in charge of this expedition. Temporarily joining a mercenary party and acting without the leader¡¯s approval was frowned upon in the mercenary profession.  She would have to wait for him to act before she did anything.


    But of course, as an escort Taruk could not act without Frederique or Margret or their children¡¯s approval. Since it was the merchants who had signalled the wagon to stop the half-orc and his Iron Ring companions stayed their hand, forcing her to do the same.


    ¡°Fancy meeting someone on the road this early,¡± the moustached Frederique began as the wagon pulled up before the undead. ¡°Where might you be going?¡±


    ¡°Yshta,¡± the undead replied. ¡°Might you perhaps be able to spare a seat upon you wagon for me kind sir? I am willing to compensate you for it.¡±


    When she heard the undead¡¯s polished talk, Kaylee almost fell from her borrowed horse. Luckily she managed to grab fast onto her reins and steady herself. When she had secured herself she shot a scrutinising glare at Sage.


    The stitched-up bitch was actually mimicking a lady¡¯s speech. It was almost hilarious considering how she looked under her widow-like disguise.


    ¡°It would have been easier to get a lift in the city,¡± Laz replied to her query. His hand rested on the pommel his dagger as he eyed her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you hitch a ride there instead?¡±


    The fully covered mercenary was the lookout of their squad. The suspicious type, it was no wonder he came off as being rude. Still, his role was a necessary one. He was willing to voice out what others were not.


    ¡°I would have loved to do so,¡± the undead responded casually. Even as she did so her eyes were glued to Frederique, the one she deemed to be in charge. ¡°But certain unfortunate circumstances prevent me from doing so.¡±


    ¡°And what circumstances would they be?¡± Laz forced, his hand still on his dagger.


    He seemed a bit peeved that Sage did not pay attention to him.


    As for the other members of the party, they chose to remain silent. They too had their eyes glued on the undead, awaiting her response. After all, the way she had covered up every part of her body looked really suspicious. She was clearly hiding something, which was obvious to even the Delsarte children in the back wagon. It made Kaylee wonder how they would react if they saw how she looked like underneath her disguise.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such an unfriendly tone?¡± Frederique interrupted Laz, his eyes glued to the undead. ¡°We are going the same way after all. So¡­ Miss-¡±


    ¡°Sage,¡± the undead surprisingly gave her true name; if even that was her true name.


    ¡°Miss Sage,¡± the merchant continued. ¡°You said you were willing to pay to ride our wagon. How much are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ten gold,¡± the undead replied nonchalantly. ¡°If the kind sir feels it is not enough I can offer more. Although, I am afraid I my limit lies at thirteen gold coins.¡±


    Fuck! Kaylee screamed internally when she heard her.


    Her current colleagues¡¯ outbursts were a little more vigorous than hers.


    She heard gasps among some of them, especially the novice Aden. Some, like the hag Meeva and the dwarf Hvar, had their eyes wide to the max. Even Frederique and Margret could not help few deep intakes. The amount offered by the black-clad undead was more than the mercenaries would get upon completion of their mission. It was unbelievable that she would offer so much money when the standard fee for a carriage from Tiih to Yshta was around fifty silver, which was half a gold.


    This suspicious lady was wasteful, and extremely loaded.


    This must be what they were all thinking, which was completely different from what was going through Kaylee¡¯s mind at the moment.


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    Bitch! She thought through gritted teeth as she glared at the veiled undead. She¡¯s able to come out with this much coin but she can¡¯t pay back the money she stole? Fucking bitch!


    ¡°I guess that is acceptable,¡± Frederique commented, unable to hide the greedy eyes that were typical of his kind. ¡°How about you fork over twelve gold right now and you can climb in the back wagon with the children?¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± Sage replied, not even bothering to negotiate.


    However, Taruk did not seem enthusiastic about the proceedings.


    ¡°Are you sure sir?¡± he asked. Like his teammate he did not bother to hide his suspicion as he looked the undead up and down. ¡°Any way you slice this; from the way she looks to the amount she¡¯s offering, it is all suspicious. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise to bring her with us.¡±


    ¡°I think so too,¡± Laz jumped in. ¡°She could be in cahoots with bandits for all we know. After all, she¡¯s not even willing to show us her face.¡±


    ¡°They have a point,¡± Margret said to her husband. Turning to the undead, she added. ¡°You don¡¯t mind showing us you face do you dear?¡±


    Contrary to the woman¡¯s expectation¡¯s, though in line with Kaylee¡¯s, Sage firmly declined.


    ¡°Unfortunately that is something I am unable to do,¡± the undead said sternly. ¡°It is also the reason why am offering so much money. If the sir and madam harbour any doubt as to my honesty in this transaction then you needn¡¯t accept my offer. You need only pass by and leave me to try my luck with the next band of travellers.¡±


    Seeing that he was about to lose a huge pay, the moustached merchant quickly jumped in.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so hesitant dear,¡± he said to his wife. Turning to Sage, he added. ¡°You are welcome to a spot on our caravan, provided you pay first.¡±


    In response to the man, the undead gave a polite curtsy.


    ¡°Thank you very much for your consideration kind sir.¡±


    ***


    That was how the undead joined their company.


    Three days had passed since then.


    Although Sage shared a wagon with Eugene and Imogene, she mostly kept to herself. She kept her face covered and, although she accepted food during meals, she never ate with others. During the day she kept her head buried in a thick book of fables and looked up only to respond to the inquiries of the Delsarte twins seated with her.


    The merchant couple up front also spoke with her from time to time. Margret especially loved speaking to her considering she was very attentive to her gossip about the aristocracy.


    As for the bandits, they were all wary of her. Especially Laz. He made it his personal mission to watch her, always sticking close to her with his hand on his dagger; ready to let it fly in the event she tried something. The other members of the Iron Ring also kept their vigilance around her, but not in the invasive manner of their colleague.


    Kaylee on the other hand did the opposite of what Laz was doing, she kept her distance.


    Although she very much wanted to walk up to the bitch, rip off her stupid disguise and demand her money; the last thing she wanted was for it to be known that she was acquainted with the undead. Having her friends suspicious of her was enough. She did not need others to doubt her as well, especially when they were in the great outdoors. Although she was familiar with most of the Iron Ring, they were not her party and therefore had no reason not to suspect her of having wicked intentions. If they began to doubt her the situation could deteriorate into a bloody one very quickly.


    Thinking this, Kaylee sighed as she sat on the ground and slurped her supper stew.


    The sun had set and they had set up a makeshift camp along the road.


    It was around this time where one could see the group divide.


    The Delsartes sat together around the fire and chatted while they ate. Taruk sat with them, but his position put him closer to his crone and dwarven companions, who were discussing something in low tones. Laz stood a short distance from them with his eyes glued to the back of Sage¡¯s head. Kaylee, who sat close to him, kept her eyes on the undead as well. At every meal she would put at least a twenty metre distance between herself and others.


    ¡°Hey Kaylee. Do you want to see me cast a [Fireball]?¡±


    Kaylee sighed as she turned to the owner of the voice, an overeager youth with eyes that gleamed every time they saw her.


    This was the situation she had been dealing with for the past few days. Since the day they had left Tiih, Aden had been sticking to her like a shadow, always trying to impress her with one thing or another.


    What did I do to deserve this? She thought, sighing audibly.


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be wise,¡± she replied ¡°Using such a spell here would disturb the surroundings and likely catch the attention of any bandits that might be lurking around here. If that happened, apart from having lured the bandits to us, you would have wasted some of your mana which could have been used in fending them off.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Aden, responded, a little disappointed. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I need to save my strength for when the bandits appear. When they do I will strike them down with my [Fireball]s and [Chain Lightning]. Maybe I should also use [Ice Spike]. There are so many spells that I can use against them. When I get to the 4<sup>th</sup> Order I¡¯ll probably be able to do this assignment on my own. My instructors at the Tiih Magic Academy said I was the best student they¡¯ve had since Arletta Henson, did you know? Henson¡¯s now a famous mercenary, do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kaylee replied tiredly. ¡°She¡¯s a member of my team.¡±


    The boy was the only mercenary present who was ignorant of that fact.


    ¡°Oh is that so,¡± Aden said, surprised. ¡°In that case who do you think is better be-¡±


    There was probably more he wanted to say but she suddenly jumped to her feet and looked in a certain direction. In the process she noticed Laz had done the same as well, his daggers drawn and his venomous eyes were staring at Sage.


    The other mercenaries, barring a confused Aden, got to their feet and took up arms.


    In the open plains shouting could be heard in the distance. The noise got closer and closer until they finally saw the source.


    Bandits had appeared, a span of them running towards them with an array of raised weapons.

 CHAPTER 43: ATTACK & RESOLUTION

    Sage sighed as she watched the approaching horde. At first glance she counted more than twenty of them, each equipped in what appeared to be fine gear. On a normal occasion she would frown at their stupidity for attacking just two hours after dusk. After all, if it were her she would attack at after midnight when almost everyone is sleeping. She would also have opted for a silent approach instead of such a brazen charge.


    Still, these guys were not like the weak bunch the Scarlet Quartet destroyed in the Trenton Highlands. Five of the bandits had Grade 4 physiques and more than a few who had awakened their mana with some of them reaching the 1<sup>st</sup> Order. There was even one among them who had achieved 3<sup>rd</sup> Order. This raiding party was one that, in her opinion, could give most mercenary bands trouble. She could see where they got their confidence from.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± ninja-wannabe exclaimed when he saw the charging horde. He levelled his knife at her, his eyes filled with malice. ¡°I knew you were up to no good! You planned this didn¡¯t you?¡±


    This comment attracted wary eyes from almost everyone. The merchants put a little more distance between her and them while the mercenaries watched her out the corner of their eyes, their fingers twitching along their weapons at each of her movements.


    In response to this she remained silent. There was no need to respond to such an accusation. Over the past couple of days wannabe-ninja had been nothing but a jerk. She had put up with much of his arseholish acts, but her patience in dealing with him was nearing its limit.


    Turning an unhappily gaze to the moustached merchant, she said, ¡°Mr Delsarte, I¡¯ve grown tired of your dog¡¯s constant barking. Even in this situation his priorities are skewed towards proving I am some sort of bandit instead of dealing with the true bandits. I implore you to please reign him in, unless of course I misunderstood something and you are the kind of man who lets his dogs bother his guests.¡±


    This caused the merchant to cough in embarrassment, although that embarrassment quickly vanished as he turned to the half-orc with a somewhat frown.


    ¡°You¡¯re right young Miss,¡± he agreed, to the mercenaries he added, ¡°Do what I¡¯m paying you to do. Protect my family and get rid of those bandits!¡±


    The half-orc, who had already arranged his group in a protective circle around them, nodded and made various hand signs to his companions. Most of them seemed to get the message as the dwarf cast a spell on them.


    She recognised it as 2<sup>nd</sup> Order [Night Vision]. It was a spell she had seen in Zachary¡¯s magic book, one that was useless to her; so she never bothered to learn it.


    Immediately after gaining the ability to see in the dark, the hag cast [Force Wall], a little late though because one of the arrows fired by the bandits managed to strike the rookie mercenary in the thigh, sending him rolling on the ground howling in pain, his bravado from earlier completely gone. The mercenaries did not seem to have much reaction to this. The merchants on the hand jumped back and uttered shrieks when they saw this scene. The girl merchant screamed even louder when she saw an arrow flying towards her suddenly bounce off the invisible barrier. Fortunately for her the arrows that followed met the same fate.


    It was only after the mercenaries were ensured of the stability of the Wall that they leapt into action.


    First Kaylee returned fire, managing to strike down two bandits by hitting them dead centre. Unfortunately, none of them were the Grade 4 bandits.


    The hag also attacked using [Fireball], but her spell was rendered useless by a water spell cast by the other side.


    As for the half-orc, the dwarf and the ninja-wannabe; these three were the close-combatants of the party. Before [Force Wall] was erected they had already charged out. Taking this moment, wannabe-ninja cast [Haste] on the three of them, speeding up the decrease in the distance between the two opposing forces.


    The ninja-wannabe was the first to reach the opposing forces, quickly flying into an array of blurry attacks which saw him instantly gain the upper-hand against one of the stronger bandits. The others tried to help but a moment later they had their hands full dealing with the dwarf and half-orc. Different from their rogue-like colleague, these two did not need to use finesse to handle their opponents. With their superior physiques one swing of their weapons was enough to sweep their opponents aside.


    The half-orc¡¯s battle-axe cleaved through a Grade 4 bandit and a Grade 5 bandit who had enhanced his strength with magic. It was unfortunate for the latter that low Order enhancement spells only temporarily increased one aspect of the body and not the entirety of it. The unfortunate bandit was caught by the half-orc¡¯s blow because his reflexes were not up to par.


    The occurrence was similar on the dwarf¡¯s side. His hammer seemed to have been made of high grade metal because his every blow crushed his opponent¡¯s weapon before going on to crush their chest.


    Kaylee kept shooting at the enemies and shot down two more bandits in the process.


    As for the hag, her aptitude seemed to heavily lean on the fiery side because all her attack spells were flame based, and unfortunately the mage on the other side, even though he was of a lower Order, was able to counter her with his Water Magic. Of course Sage knew that the hag could probably overpower him if she wanted to, however if she did that she ran the risk of hitting one of her allies currently engaging the enemy. For this very reason the hag stopped trying to attack and decided to just maintain the barrier. She even took this time to tend to the injured rookie, who was still wailing in pain.


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    Out of the corner of her eye Sage caught the merchant children quivering as they stared at the young mercenary with wide eyes. Unlike their parents, who looked somewhat composed, these two lacked experience in hiding the terror they were feeling. The girl was even crying at the scene.


    With a huff Sage, looked away and returned her attention to the frontlines.


    The battle was nearing its end. Of the original twenty-something bandits only a handful remained. Even though the half-orc, dwarf and ninja-wannabe had sustained wounds, these were minor injuries that did not affect their combat strength. With this they easily managed to sweep away the rest of the bandits.


    Except the mage. The moment he saw things were going south for his crew he immediately cast [Flight] and tried to flee.


    Unfortunately for him, he did not get far before an arrow struck him in the back, probably hit a vital organ because the impact sent him crashing back to the ground where the three mercenary close-combatants awaited.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good with the bow,¡± Sage complemented the half-elf when she saw this.


    In response, Kaylee glared at her and sneered before walking away. She marched over to the bandit corpses and searched them for valuables while taking the time to put the unlucky bastards who survived being crushed and sliced out of their misery.


    After the bandit sorcerer fell the half-orc grabbed his ankle and began to drag him over to where the rest of them were while the dwarf rushed towards the rookie mercenary and squatted down to heal him.


    As for the ninja-wannabe, he rushed straight up to her with blood spattered clothes. The fight had torn his clothes and his face was exposed for the first time since the journey began. There was a terrible burn scar that ran across the entirety of his face. Sage did not react to his appearance, but she heard the merchant family gasp and even saw shrewd-eyed merchant cover her mouth as she stared at ninja-wannabe with wide eyes.


    Wannabe-ninja on the other hand was completely unbothered by their stares. At the moment he only had eyes for her¡­ very angry eyes.


    ¡°You were in cahoots with them weren¡¯t you?¡± he asked in a demanding voice.


    Honestly, she wanted to punch him. However, that would most likely escalate into a life and death brawl in which she would be forced to kill him and his companions; and probably the merchant family as well to keep the entire affair from leaking out. Sage acknowledged that she had a bit of a temper, but she would never fly off the handle for something so trivial.


    Instead, she would wait until they reached the capital before trailing the bastard to a dark alley and beating the crap out of him.


    Unfortunately, Yshta was four more days away. At the moment she could only sneer at the man and turn away.


    ¡°I expect an apology on your knees when the bandit mage confirms my innocence,¡± she responded solemnly.


    In response ninja-wannabe sneered before wrapping up his face and walking over to the surviving bandit that had been dragged to them. Seeing this, the half-orc distanced himself from the bandit sorcerer. The hag, who no longer had anything to do, suddenly walked up to the merchants and asked them to move back and look away. Seeing serious expression, the merchant couple complied without hassle, encouraging their offspring to do the same in the process.


    Ninja-wannabe took this moment to cast a spell Sage was unfamiliar with. It was some sort of area spell, though it only seemed to cover a two metre diameter, enveloping only him, the half-orc and the downed bandit.


    It was only after the interrogation began that she realised the effect of the spell was to keep all sounds produced in the spells area from escaping. She could not hear the roguish mercenary¡¯s conversation but she could see the other party¡¯s twisted expression every time the ninja-wannabe sunk his knife in a painful spot whenever he was unsatisfied by the captured mage¡¯s response.


    After what felt like an eternity the sound barrier dropped and wannabe-ninja stood up and eyed her with a dissatisfied expression.


    As for the bandit mage, having been rung dry of any information he had, he was of no more use and was summarily disposed of.


    Ninja-wannabe took another look at her before he began to drag the corpse to the other bandit corpses in the distance.


    However, he did not get far before Sage stepped in front of him.


    ¡°Now that it¡¯s been confirmed I am not aligned with the bandits I await my apology,¡± she said to him sternly.


    ¡°You could be in league with the next group of bandits that show up,¡± ninja-wannabe said stubbornly.


    He tried to walk away but she stopped him again. As if she was going to let him walk away after all the shit she had to endure from him.


    ¡°I still want my apology,¡± she said firmly, ¡°and I prefer to hear it now.¡±


    Wannabe-ninja frowned and moved menacingly towards her, probably intending to do something. However, the half-orc intercepted him and gave her an apologetic look.


    ¡°I hope you forgive him Miss Sage,¡± the axe-wielding mercenary said. ¡°Laz might be rude but, apart from today, his instincts have always been correct.¡±


    His remark only served to earn him a sneer from her.


    ¡°And you expect me to be understanding of his vulgarity?¡± she snarled. ¡°Because his instincts are telling him something?¡±


    ¡°Miss you have to realise that you do look sus-¡±


    The half-orc tried to defend his colleague but she cut him off.


    ¡°You let him pester me because of my appearance?¡± she yelled, projecting incredulity. ¡°Is this how you usually treat the guests of your employer Mr Taruk?¡±


    ¡°No, but-¡±


    ¡°Then I expect an apology from him and you as well,¡± she interrupted him again. ¡°Or do you expect me to forgive those who¡¯ve done me wrong when they aren¡¯t even willing to offer an apology?¡±


    Hearing this, the half-orc sighed and knelt in front of her. His roguish partner tried to resist but he was quickly forced into complying and following suit.


    The other members of the party all looked on with frowns, with Kaylee shooting her a particularly nasty glare. She ignored them all and kept her eyes on the two kneeling at her feet, awaiting her apology.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± wannabe-ninja said with a tone that sounded like anything other than an apology.


    In response, she turned from him with a loud harrumph and walked away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come within five metres of me ever again,¡± she warned him.


    The sham of an apology was nowhere near enough to satisfy her. When they reached Yshta she was still going to beat the shit out of him.

 CHAPTER 44: ARRIVAL

    Although the rest of the journey was uneventful, the tension in the air was palpable. The morale of the group had decreased heavily after Sage forced the Taruk and Laz to apologise. Since then basically all the members of the Iron Ring had been giving the undead the stink-eye.


    The undead on the other hand did not seem too bothered by their looks. Even when they fiercely peered at her she ignored them and kept her eyes glued to her book. Of course when the sun set and it became too dark to read (Kaylee believed the scarred bitch was still able to read in the dark but abstained from doing so as to not come off as being anymore weirder) she had no choice but to close the book and endure their glares.


    Hvar and Meeva were pretty pissed off at the fact that their leader had to go on his knees and apologise. This anger was directed towards both Laz and Sage though, for some reason, they seemed to be more upset with the undead.


    Taruk himself was probably upset about what had transpired, but he was adept at hiding his emotions.


    As for Laz, he was still seething from the perceived humiliation. Although he kept his distance from Sage his eyes were always glaring hatefully at her. From the intensity of his look, there was no doubt that if not for the presence of his teammates he would already have attacked her.


    What a moronic thought, Kaylee thought as she watched the Iron Ring¡¯s scout.


    The man¡¯s instincts were good, much better than hers who played a similar role among the Scarlet Quartet. The reliability of his instincts was unquestionable; the mere fact that he had locked onto Sage was proof enough of his sense for an enemy.


    Unfortunately for him, he did not seem to be able to tell the strength of his foe. If he had been able to he would not have been half as brave when facing the undead. That time on the day of the bandit attack; when he had tried to grab the undead after she demanded an apology from him. If Taruk had not stopped him back then she suspected Laz would have died.


    She did not know exactly how powerful the undead was, but the fact that the bitch had been able to escape from someone like Isaac suggested she was beyond everyone present.


    Kaylee also suspected that Taruk was somehow able to tell. That was why he had prevented his comrade from acting out. She noticed that he always seemed to be careful when conversing with Sage, as if he did not want to anger her.


    The Delsarte children had been quite shaken by the attack, something about it being their first time witnessing a bandit raid. Their parents though seemed to be used to it. It had not taken long for them to shrug off the experience and go about their business like they usually did.


    On the way their short caravan passed by the small village of Hearth¡¯s Field. It was unfortunate that they had gotten there at noon instead of around sunset. If it had been the latter they could have stopped and rested in a warm bed with a roof above them. But it was regrettably the former. Sleeping in the village in that situation would lose them a lot of time, prolonging the journey everyone was eager to finish. In the end they could only grind their teeth as they refilled their supplies and moved onto the open road, where the harsh elements of nature awaited them when they tried to sleep at night.


    The good that came out of that decision was that they managed to get to Yshta faster. It was on noon on the fourth day of after the bandit attack that the city came into view.


    As the capital of Ysh, Yshta outclassed Tiih in every way. Its size was twice that of the city they had come from with walls that stood one and a half times higher. Even the sounds that came from the city were louder than those she had heard when she and her companions were returning from their assignment.


    As she gazed upon the metropolis, Kaylee let out a nostalgic sigh.


    The Yshian capital was where she grew up. This was where her family lived.


    It was also the place where she had her unhappiest memories, the place she swore never to come back to.


    Why am I here? She wondered, as she gazed upon it.


    Seeing the looming metropolis ahead of her, she began to have second thoughts.


    The only reason she came here was because she told her friends that she was coming to visit her family. It had been the most believable excuse she could think up back then, even if it had not worked out like she had intended.


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    But just because she said she would be coming to Yshta did not mean she should have truly come here. She could have gone to Aruu instead. That city might be tiny compared to Tiih and Yshta, but that did not matter to her considering she had only left the Scarlet Quartet to spend that time trying to come up with a believable story about why her mana had increased. At this moment she felt she really should have gone there. Unlike Yshta the city was only a five day journey from Tiih on horseback and bandits hardly appeared on that road. Most importantly¡­ she craned her head in a certain direction, at the disguised undead with a book in her hand.


    Most importantly, she would have avoided meeting this bitch.


    What does she plan to do in Yshta?


    That was a question she had asked herself since they found Sage along the road.


    Why was she heading to the city? What did she want?


    The bitch was not the mass-murdering undead usually depicted in stories, so Kaylee was certain she was not going to the capital with the aim of turning it into a necropolis. Even if she was the typical undead who desired to kill every living thing she encountered, the undead would not be dumb enough to try it in the Yshian Capital. One of the reasons Ysh was feared by neighbouring nations was because of the Grand Court Mage Savandor. He was the only Ultra Order Sorcerer in the surrounding, which made him a big deal. Even if he happened to be absent, there were three 9<sup>th</sup> Order mages sitting in Yshta.


    The undead had clearly not reached the 9<sup>th</sup> Order or she would have stood and fought Isaac instead of running.


    The point was Yshta was a dangerous place for outsiders who wanted to cause trouble. Since the undead always had her nose buried in one book or another she probably was not ignorant of that fact.


    ¡°Wow,¡± the rider to her left marvelled. ¡°It¡¯s so big.¡±


    She craned her neck to look at the open-mouthed mercenary rookie. From his expression it was obvious it was his first time here. His eyes were saucers as he marvelled at metropolis ahead. However, when he saw her staring at him he did the impossible feat of widening his eyes even further and hurriedly looking away, unable to hide the redness that had spread to his ears.


    Ever since the bandit attack Aden had been unusually quiet and avoided her at every turn. It likely had to do with his performance during the attack. Before then he had bragged about being able to take care of any bandits that would come on his own, only for him to spend the time crying on the ground when an ambush truly came. The poor guy probably did not have the guts to face her after that embarrassing performance.


    It had been a pleasant change from the constant bragging and pestering, so she had no difficulty welcoming the change.


    After tens of minutes of riding they reached the back of the line that had formed up in front of the city gate. This line was unbelievably three times longer than the one that always formed up in front of Tiih, eliciting moans from their entire group.


    Another fucking line, she sighed.


    Given its length there was no doubt it would take much longer to get into this city than the one she came from. Most likely they would only enter after dark. Fortunately (from what she membered at least) the gates of Yshta never closed.


    Her frustration had just begun building up at the length of the line when the sound of a book snapping close attracted her. Quickly her eyes flew to the undead, still swathed in black from head to toe; she was disembarking from the wagon. This act caught the attention of their entire party. However, Sage did pay attention to them. Taking measured strides forward, she stopped at the front of the first wagon and offered a curtsy to Frederique and Margret.


    ¡°Thank you very much for allowing me to travel with you kind sir,¡± she said politely. Her gaze shifting from the man to his wife, she added, ¡°Madam.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Margret asked, surprised and confused. ¡°But we still haven¡¯t entered the city.¡±


    ¡°This far is enough,¡± the undead replied. ¡°I can find my way from here.¡±


    Then she was gone; but not before shooting a glare in Laz direction.


    Maybe it was because Kaylee¡¯s head was a jumbled mess from all the thoughts that occupied her brain at that moment, but she swore she saw something leave the undead¡¯s shadow and settle into the shadow of Laz¡¯s horse. It happened so fast that by the time she tried to focus the undead was tens of metres away.


    Maybe it was just her imagination.


    Still, Kaylee continued to stare at her retreating back and made a last-minute decision.


    ¡°I¡¯m also getting off here,¡± she said, dismounting from the borrowed horse.


    The suddenness of her announcement shocked everyone. While the Delsartes were surprised, the members of the Iron Ring gave her inquisitive looks, particularly Taruk.


    ¡°The assignment is not done yet,¡± he stated sternly.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said, handing him the reigns of her horse. ¡°You can keep my pay.¡±


    Then she was off, running in Sage¡¯s direction. The members of the Iron Ring would probably think something of it, but now that they had arrived their thoughts did not matter. As she closed the gap between herself and the undead bitch she failed to prevent herself from grinding her teeth. Suddenly, the anger that she had been holding at bay for an entire week flared


    Fucking bitch! She swore nonverbally. No money to give back but she can fork over twelve gold. Fucking Cunt!


    When she finally reached her she grabbed her shoulder and swivelled her so they were face to face. The two of them had already been drawing a lot of attention with them passing the line instead of joining it, but this action by Kaylee attracted pretty much everyone¡¯s attention within twenty metres. At the moment she could care less though, having eyes only for the bitch under the hat and collar-mask.


    ¡°I want my gold back!¡± she demanded.

 CHAPTER 45: YSHTA

    ¡°Have we stopped pretending to be strangers,¡± Sage asked the half-elf. ¡°Are you not worried your friends will suspect you?¡±


    Kaylee made a momentary turn in the direction she came from before facing her with a frown.


    ¡°I am no longer with them,¡± she answered matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Good for you,¡± Sage said, before turning her back to her and resuming her walk.


    ¡°I am not done talking to you!¡± the half-elf called. In the next moment she was in line side-by-side with her, matching her pace.


    ¡°Unfortunately I haven¡¯t a copper on me,¡± she said, still walking.


    ¡°Do you expect me to believe that?¡± Kaylee asked incredulously. ¡°What about the gold you received from the stores you raided?¡±


    Hearing this, Sage halted and looked the half-elf up and down. She took in Kaylee¡¯s entire frame, trapped in leather-wear that only served to accentuate her shape. Her hazel eyes in the sun had become gold, turning her frown into something of an ethereal brilliance. Again, for the second time since she met her, Sage admitted that the half-elf was very attractive.


    But-


    She looked away and resumed her march.


    The last time she entertained such thoughts she ended up with a knife in her chest. Therefore she was determined never to get close to anyone like that ever again. In this new life- or rather, imitation of life- she swore never to get distracted by such trivialities ever again.


    Her priorities were clear; get a clue on the Elixir of Rejuvenation, but that was likely to be a long-term goal. In the meantime she would seek out magical knowledge to strengthen herself in the eventuality that someone discovered what she was and came after her. Other than that she did not have any other plans; maybe amass a huge fortune with which she can laze around for a couple of centuries.


    ¡°Fencing the goods in Tiih would have been a stupid decision,¡± she replied.


    It was Thievery 101. One should not sell stolen goods close to where they were stolen or they would be easily tracked down. The intense response to her ¡°shopping¡± spree had been an even bigger incentive for her to not do it. From what she had witnessed when she strode along the poor districts, pawning the jewels she had stolen would have only served to bring the thugs of the aristocrats to her door.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not denying that it was you?¡± Kaylee asked with a half-surprised tone. It seemed she had not fully believed it was her until confirmation.


    Sage cast her a side glance. ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason to hide it from you. Seeing as the two of us are bonded and all.¡±


    The half-elf¡¯s only response to this was an angry huff. After that she remained silent, keeping pace with Sage. The two of them continued to draw attention as they passed the line. Some of those who waited obediently in the row gave them hostile glares which she paid no heed to.


    Finally, after passing much of the line she moved away from it completely.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Kaylee asked, still in line with her.


    ¡°You mean where am I going?¡± she replied, shooting the half-elf a curious look. ¡°Why are you following me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you when I get my gold back?¡± Kaylee replied venomously.


    Sage responded to this with a faint smile. ¡°Would that be your gold alone or that of your squad?¡±


    ¡°My squad¡¯s of course! I¡¯ll give it to them when I return to Tiih.¡±


    ¡°Why have you separated from them? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your fucking business,¡± Kaylee growled, her temper suddenly flaring.


    Sage guessed it was something related to her, so she chose not to enquire any further.


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± she said, and did not say anything else.


    The two continued to walk until the line to enter Yshta was no longer in view. Looking around and seeing no one else apart from the two of them Sage suddenly grabbed the shoulder of the older woman and {Blink}ed towards the wall. So surprised Kaylee was that when they suddenly arrived at the foot of the wall she lost her footing and crashed face first into the wall. The impact was accompanied by a soft thud. She did not sustain any serious injuries fortunately; although the process did result in her getting a small lump on her forehead.


    She was not happy about that.


    ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± the half-elf cried.


    She walked up to her and swung a punch, but Sage had expected it long ago and activated {Ghostwalk}. Kaylee tried a few more times with the same fruitless results before she gave up and chose to continue her attack with words instead.


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    Sage allowed her to continue until the half-elf was out of breath before she spoke up.


    ¡°I hope you realised that you¡¯ve probably alerted the guards that might have been stationed atop the wall,¡± she said silently. ¡°Any moment now one of them will probably look down and spot us here.¡±


    From the way Kaylee looked at her, she looked like she was about to have an outburst. In the end she chose to stand down with a huff.


    ¡°Do you want to sneak into the city?¡± she asked, looking up to the top of the wall. ¡°Flying over the wall doesn¡¯t seem like a smart idea. We¡¯ll be noticed for sure.¡±


    Instead of responding Sage merely took the woman¡¯s gloved hand and walked into the wall without acknowledging her reaction. This caused Kaylee to yelp indignantly, but the next moment her voice halted as an almost tangible darkness enveloped them. Sage pressed forward as a weak force rose to oppose her march. This was the first time that she had experienced something like this when she entered spectral form.; she surmised it had to do with the fact that it was her first time {Ghostwalk}ing through such a thick wall. If she tried to walk through a mountain the resistance would probably be much worse. Still, she continued on, dragging Kaylee along as they drudged through what felt like deep water. Luckily the feeling lasted only a couple of steps. Before long it completely vanished as they burst through the wall.


    They had made it inside the city.


    On this side of the wall they saw several houses- not the dilapidated kind often seen in the slums but also not the exquisite type found in affluent neighbourhoods. There were a few people about, but these people did not notice them entering because the moment Sage and Kaylee burst through the wall Sage immediately activated {Invisibility}. Then she dragged the half-elf along to the closest alley and dispelled the ability. Releasing a satisfied breath, she felt her lips curl upwards as she looked around. She had entered the city without creating a fuss.


    ¡°You¡¯re a ghost?¡± Kaylee asked incredulously.


    Only when she saw the half-elf¡¯s expression did she realise that the other party had never seen her use her racial abilities in such an obvious manner.


    ¡°Something along those lines,¡± she uttered a simple reply before changing the topic. ¡°How familiar are you with this city?¡±


    ¡°I was born here.¡± Kaylee¡¯s tone turned dry, as if wishing it was otherwise. She probably did not have good memories of this place.


    That was none of Sage¡¯s concern though.


    ¡°Do you know where we are?¡± she asked.


    When the two of them exited the alleyway Kaylee looked around at the people and structures before responding.


    ¡°We¡¯re somewhere in the Grey District.¡±


    The half-elf went on to compound the response with an explanation of the city¡¯s layout.


    In Yshta, the closer one got to the middle the more opulent the structures became. In the very centre of the city was the Silver Palace As the abode of the king and also the site of the state¡¯s most important discussions, the palace and its surroundings made up the entirety of the Gold District. Surrounding the palace were the homes of the aristocracy in what was called the Blue District. This neighbourhood was then enclosed by the upper-middleclass Green District; part of which had been ceded to wealthy merchants and transformed into the luxurious Emerald District. The Grey District they were in right now was for the lower middleclass; which was just slightly better than the Brown District, the slumps.


    Kaylee went on to further mention that there was a Red District. It was the second smallest neighbourhood after the Gold District, but- according to the half-elf- probably the area in which most money was spent throughout the year.  It was a place that was apparently popular for those with a certain¡­ ¡°itch¡± they sought to scratch.


    Sage listened to the half-elf¡¯s narration as she headed in a certain direction. It was not that specific a direction as what she actually followed was a certain bad smell. In her experience this sort of odour was prevalent in the slumps; follow it and you were bound to end up there.


    That was exactly her plan.


    When they arrived in the so-called Brown District she did not slow or rush her pace; maintaining the stride she had earlier.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Kaylee asked, more like demanded.


    ¡°Nowhere in particular,¡± she replied. ¡°Just fishing around.¡±


    ¡°Fishing for what?¡± the half-elf asked confused.


    Sage was about to respond when she noticed the noise in the street die down as two armed silhouettes appeared in front of them. Looking back, she spotted three more thugs coming from behind. Like their two companions they were armed with an assortment of daggers and steel bars.


    ¡°Them,¡± she said to Kaylee.


    It was almost a guarantee that thugs in the slumps would jump out of whatever hole they lived in and try to rob to passing well-dressed ladies who seemingly had no protection.


    ¡°Give over your money,¡± one of the thugs facing them said. His raised his knife to his face and licked the blade, maybe thinking it looked intimidating. ¡°Do it we won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Sage continued to talk to Kaylee as if the thug had not spoken. ¡°I need to get in contact with a good information broker and thugs are the kind of people you can expect to have such information.¡±


    More often than not the unsavoury sorts knew others who dealt in the darker trades, especially those with notoriety in the underworld. This was because thugs were merely small-time criminals. If they wanted to have a long career and an even longer life, they needed to know the big guys so they could be clear of where not to tread.


    ¡°Are you gonna take them or should I?¡± Sage asked as she watched the lead thug impatiently step up to reach for her when he got no response.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your hired goon,¡± the half-elf said indignantly. ¡°Do your own dirty work.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she responded with a shrug. ¡°Though, I¡¯d have thought with the amount of stress you seemed to have accumulated you would jump at the chance to release it.¡±


    The thug¡¯s hand was mere centimetres from Sage; she was going to use her hand to intercept him when Kaylee¡¯s shot out and socked him in the face, sending him to the ground hard. Fortunately for him the half-elf pulled her punch or she could have easily killed him due to the difference in their physiques.


    Then Kaylee gave her a sneer before going on to incapacitate the rest of the thugs. As for the other natives of the slumps; when they witnessed Kaylee make quick work of the thugs many of them faded into the shadows, turning the previously populated street into an almost empty one.


    Although Kaylee pulled her punches, she made sure they hurt. Blood was drawn and bones were broken; clearly she a lot of frustrations to vent. A few minutes into the beating the thugs were crying for mercy. At this point Sage gently asked her to stop before querying the now swollen thugs on what she wanted to know. To make sure they were anything but truthful she went as far as to threaten them that she would be back if she discovered some discrepancies in their information.


    That got them talking real quick.


    More than an hour later they stepped into the Red District.

 CHAPTER 46: THE ENCHANTED FLOWER

    ¡°Do we have to come here?¡± Kaylee asked as they entered the area.


    Surprisingly, it was the cleanest neighbourhood they had passed through so far, though a fair comparison could not be made without striding through the Gold and Blue districts first.


    Scantily dressed women and bare-chested men beckoned every passers-by to step into the establishments behind them, promising joys and pleasures beyond their wildest dreams. Sage smiled as some of these people directed their calls at herself and the half-elf, though no one could see the smile under her disguise.


    ¡°Seems like a welcoming place,¡± she responded. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so on edge.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a district of brothels and taverns,¡± Kaylee said uneasily. ¡°There¡¯s only one reason people visit this place and I¡¯d rather not be associated with it.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want others to know you came to the pleasure district?¡± Sage asked. ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly cute. Are you a virgin?¡±


    ¡°Is everyone who doesn¡¯t like whorehouses a virgin?¡± the half-elf asked venomously.


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Sage replied casually. ¡°Unfortunately this place happens to be the home of the biggest info broker around; or at least the one with the biggest reputation.¡±


    ¡°What information do you expect to get from this broker?¡± Kaylee asked, curious.


    ¡°The kind that will help me,¡± she simply responded, not deigning to add more.


    This caused Kaylee to huff in discontentment but she did not say anything in response.


    The two of them passed by more half-dressed prostitutes and their establishments. Different sorts of lively tunes flowed out of said establishment to maximise the effect of drawing in customers. The sun in the west was beginning its descend below the horizon; no doubt when the day vanished these establishment would not want for customers.


    She and Kaylee reached their destination a few minutes later. Unlike all the brothels in the Red District which stood next to each other while they competed, this one stood on its own. Like a sovereign it towered above all the others. Its design alone was a work of art, drawing attention to it from hundreds of metres. Unlike the other brothels this one did not have a prostitute outside trying to entice passers-by to enter; even so, she saw looks of longing and envy from those who strode past it.


    ¡°The Enchanted Flower,¡± Kaylee spat out the name with disdain. ¡°Probably the most famous whorehouse in all of Ysh and beyond. Of course it would be the base of a broker considering its patronage.¡±


    Sage nodded and stepped towards it, but the next moment two guards appeared and blocked the door. They were a human and an orc, both garbed in dark armour with hairstyles so similar one would think they were twins if not for the fact that their races varied. The two bouncers were much bigger than Marcus and Taruk, making them the largest people she had seen since coming to this world.


    ¡°Halt,¡± the orc said in a rough voice. ¡°None are allowed to enter without a patronage badge or an invitation letter.¡±


    The man¡¯s words brought a frown to her face.


    Well shit! It¡¯s a high-end fucking brothel.


    ¡°We are not here for the¡­ usual service,¡± she replied. ¡°Our only wish is to see Madam Sylphia. We wish to enquire about something.¡±


    ¡°Then enquire about it somewhere else!¡± Sage¡¯s response all but admitted she had neither of the items that would allow her through, which killed the last of the orc guard¡¯s non-existent civility towards her. ¡°The Madam doesn¡¯t have time to waste on the likes of you.¡±


    His rude tone made Kaylee frown. She looked like she wanted to punch him. Going through with that plan would be a bad idea though, since the arse and his partner had Grade 3 physiques. The half-elf was likely not a match for either of them.


    Of course for Sage it would not be difficult to handle them, but doing so would incur unwanted trouble. The last thing she wanted was to raise a fuss in front of a place that ninety-nine percent was backed by powerful aristocrat factions. Times like these called for a more peaceful approach; or just a verbal one.


    ¡°You swine!¡± She roared. ¡°How dare you treat me like this? Have you any idea who I am?¡± When the shocked guard tried to respond she interrupted him. ¡°An unmannered pig such as yourself is not qualified to exchange words with me! I¡¯ll have you know Sylphia and go way back!¡± Here she turned to the human guard and said in a haughty tone, ¡°So why don¡¯t you run to your boss and inform her Lady Maverick is here to see her? You may want to hurry up, my patience has already been exhausted by your brute of a partner.¡±


    The two guards looked at each other with uncertainty while she looked on with a cocky smile. Honestly, it was surprising how often this tactic worked in such situations. In her experience the person in charge usually accepted the request even if they knew it was bullshit; mainly to gaze upon the face of the one brave enough to boast such claims.


    She watched as the two of them discussed in soft tones before they both shrugged and the human guard entered the building. About a minute later he returned. Just as she had expected, they were let in.


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    The word exquisite was the only thing that came to mind when looking around the entrance hall. Whether it was the intricate layering of different colour stones or the high quality marble floor and the lavender scented candles that hung from silver holders or the smooth dark wood furniture that faintly trickled with magic; it was all a sight to behold.


    Even the employees in this place were a cut above those outside. Male workers strutted around bare-chested, displaying their chiselled bodies and smiles that were no doubt the bane of many a noble lady. The female workers¡¯ scanty dresses left just enough covering to display most of their bountiful assets but kept the essentials concealed. With faces prettier than Kaylee and Arletta, their smiles no doubt tempted many into their embrace.


    She quickly looked away to avoid being tallied among that number.


    Her gaze then travelled to one of two flights that led to the next floor. On these particular stairs a woman dressed in an elegant blue dressed descended slowly in a manner that was almost ethereal. He dark skinned gleamed like metal under the light of the lavender candles and her shining blue lips curled into an inviting smile as she descended.


    Sage looked at her and activated her {Index}.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: D (Purple)


    She was a cut above the guards in base strength. From the way she turned the eyes of even the employees it was clear she was someone important in the Enchanted Flower.


    When the woman reached the foot of the stairs she offered Sage a slight bow and a warm smile.


    ¡°Greetings my lady,¡± the woman began. ¡°I am Talia, Madam Sylphia¡¯s attendent. Please follow me and I will take you to her.¡±


    With that the woman made a one-eighty turn and headed back up the stairs. Sage uttered an acknowledging grunt and followed behind with a quiet Kaylee trailing her.


    When they got to the second floor they were met with a wide pathway with half a dozen doors on each sides. From behind these doors came tunes composed of huffs and moans, which brought about a blush on the half-elf¡¯s face. She on the other hand merely took in the sounds and inhaled the jasmine odour that escaped from the candles. The candles on this floor were mounted onto holders made of gold, further enhancing the exquisiteness of the brothel. There were several paintings mounted on each side of the hallway depicting beautiful women in different stages of undress. These she could not help take a peek at.


    All too soon they came to the end of the corridor and began to climb another flight. These stairs however did not lead to another floor but ended with a sturdy-looking door with a thick golden handle. Here the woman stopped and tapped the door softly three times before taking a step back and awaiting a response.


    It came almost immediately.


    ¡°Enter.¡± The voice was soft and melodious, like the pleasant sound carried by birds in the morning hours.


    Then Talia opened the door and beckoned them in. When they did so she closed it without entering.


    The room they entered had a few bookshelves and what appeared to be a steel safe. On the walls were portraits of a woman in different states of nudity. However, unlike the pictures on the previous floor that depicted different women, the paintings here were all of the same woman. She was an elf with golden skin and silver hair, rosy lips and aquamarine eyes; boasting a perfect figure that put all those she had seen previously to shame. Without a doubt, the person in these paintings was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. This was not a conclusion she based on the paintings alone, for such things were often exaggerated. The reason she could reach such a conclusion was because the very person was in front of her.


    Different from the paintings she was fully clothed, causing Sage to unwilling release a disappointed sigh. The silver lining was that the velvet dress left space to display her bountiful cleavage as she lay spread across her dark crimson couch and smoked an ivory pipe.


    ¡°Lady Maverick I presume?¡± she said in a sing-song voice as she blew out a cloud of jasmine. Her eyes focused on Sage as she continued. ¡°When Marv came here and informed me that someone I¡¯ve never heard of had so boldly requested a meeting with me I couldn¡¯t help my curiosity. And so here we are. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to invite us to sit down?¡± Sage responded calmly, indicating the two empty sofas; a one-seater and two-seater. Her eyes remained on the elf woman as she said the next words measuredly. ¡°Madam Sylphia.¡±


    ¡°Such a privilege is for guests,¡± Madam Sylphia replied casually. The azure orbs that stared back at Sage did not have that same nonchalance. ¡°I have yet to decide whether you qualify as such.¡±


    To her side she heard Kaylee¡¯s soft growl, which she ignored and returned the elf woman¡¯s glare. Madam Sylphia¡¯s information was reflected to her through by the {Index}.


    Race: Elf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: B (Blue)


    This woman was confident, more like arrogant, in front of her and she could see why. As an 8<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer the number of people who could harm her even in a city like Yshta was limited. Even if Sage and Kaylee turned out to be a threat she could just activate the protective spells worked into the walls of the room and deal with them.


    ¡°Well I-¡± Sage opened her mouth to speak but she suddenly stopped.


    Somehow, the aquamarine pools of the beautiful elf had become whirlpools, drawing her in to their centre. At the centre of these whirlpools promise emerged, offering a world beyond her wildest imagination, one where she would be free to do whatever she wanted, indulge in all pleasures known and unknown; all of this was promised to her if she allowed herself to be swept away.


    These promises that would tempt the most hard-hearted man actually brought about the opposite effect for her, causing her to break free from the tug of the woman¡¯s eyes. Her head immediately cleared as she glared at the elf.


    Any good thought she had about the woman was swept away in this moment as she angrily watched Madam Sylphia¡¯s expression morph from detached to astonished. Honestly, she did not know whether she was upset at the fact that the woman used Illusion Magic on her or that Sylphia thought such promises would actually entice her. The idea of a utopia was so ridiculous for her that she innately rejected anything close to it.


    As the saying went; if it was too good to be true, it probably was. This phrase was the one she mostly quoted to get herself through ordeals in her previous life. Good things did not just fall from the sky; you had to fight and struggle and scheme for them. Only one time she had disregarded the phrase and that resulted in her being sent to the Abyss.


    So, having learned her lesson the hard way; why in fuck¡¯s name would she do something so stupid again?

 CHAPTER 47: FOOL’S VENTURE

    ¡°I must admit, your hospitality is subpar compared to what I¡¯ve been told,¡± she said to the wide-eyed elf. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine though; after all, not many live up to their reputation.¡±


    She made her voice sound cheery; to appear unbothered; to hide the fact that she wanted to punch Sylphia in the mouth at that moment. However, as satisfying as the act would feel, that would only be in the short term. In the long run she would gain nothing and would be barred from this place, meaning she would have to search for a new broker with likely less repute.


    ¡°Now, as I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted,¡± Sage continued just as the elf recovered and restored her stoic expression. She walked to the one-person sofa and invited herself to sit. Since Sylphia so blatantly tried to put her under an illusion, cordiality had sunk to the bare minimum. ¡°I have need of your services. There is something I would like to find.¡±


    For an instant, after she sat down, a frown crossed Sylphia¡¯s lips; but it was gone in an instant. Quickly, a casual smile fell back upon her lips as she took a long drag from her ivory pipe and exhaled a massive cloud.


    ¡°What is it you would like me to find Lady Maverick?¡± Sylphia said the last part with an edge, hinting that she was not pleased with her conduct.


    Sage leaned back for a few seconds, gathering mana and finally casting [Forbidden Zone]. All the while she had kept her eyes on Sylphia, whose expression turned to one of alert as she too tried to gather her mana. Unfortunately, whatever spell she was about to cast faltered and her mana scattered. The magic that was banned in the [Forbidden Zone] was Illusion.


    As for the race¡­ Sage chose to exclude elementals. Setting aside the fact that forbidding elves in the Zone would cause harm to Sylphia, which was not her aim; Kaylee would also be affected.


    ¡°No need to be on edge,¡± She said when she saw the wary Sylphia sit up from her couch and prepared to jump to her feet. ¡°There is no malice behind my [Forbidden Zone]. I merely wished to create a safe space where unpleasant abilities won¡¯t hinder us, for the sake of honesty.¡±


    The statement sent Sylphia up in embers. For a moment she looked like she was going to jump up, wrap her hands around Sage¡¯s throat and squeeze. In the end she seemed to retract the thought as she leaned back with a forced smile. She channelled her anger into her pipe, taking an exaggerated drag from it and letting out a thick cloud that smelled of jasmine.


    ¡°What is it you want me to find?¡± Sylphia asked casually. Her smile looked more genuine after taking a puff. Perhaps the herbs she was smoking had some stress-relieving quality.


    Sage smiled behind her mask and leaned back into the sofa, it was really comfy.


    ¡°I would like to enlist your help in tracking down an Elixir of Rejuvenation.¡±


    As soon as the words left her mouth she heard a deep intake of breath from the side. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Kaylee, who had been trying to get to the unoccupied sofa, lose her footing. Then, with a beet-red face, the half-elf quickly got up and hurriedly sat on the sofa. Even so, when the embarrassment faded her expression still radiated shock.


    Sage removed her eyes from her and returned them to the elf who wore an expression that was just as bewildered.


    ¡°This is the first time someone has requested something of this nature from me,¡± Sylphia finally answered after staying silent for a long time. ¡°It is a request I cannot fulfil.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Sage was puzzled. ¡°I am only asking you to find the whereabouts of the Elixir, not to bring it to me. Surely it cannot be that difficult.¡±


    ¡°It is not difficult at all,¡± Sylphia replied. ¡°One could even say it¡¯s quite easy. The only person capable of brewing the Elixirs is Tavina Ruuh, Grand Magister of the Ethereal Kingdom of Methos. That¡¯s one of the two great powers on the continent so her status is such that most rulers do not even qualify to make a request of her. Those who do however must pay an exorbitant fee equivalent to most nations¡¯ budgets.¡± The woman scoffed at her before continuing. ¡°Since it¡¯s clear where to find Magister Ruuh, you should go to Methos and request the Elixir.¡±


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    Still leaning back, Sage took a deep unnecessary breath and gazed straight into the elf woman¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I can assure you Madam Sylphia,¡± she began. ¡°If I had the coin to make such a request I would not be gracing your lovely establishment right now. What I seek are merely rumours of Elixirs found in the wilderness. It is common knowledge that when the Great Alchemist disappeared he left Elixirs all around Rekke. This type of information is what I seek, though I will not reject information about who the Grand Magister trades with.¡±


    Considering how much that hag charged she was probably the richest person in the entire world. It would take decades to amass the kind of wealth needed to purchases a single Elixir, and that was if Sage used her usual methods. In that time she would be able to ascend to Ultra Order dozens of times over. So no. The reason she came to a broker was to find an alternative path. Even if it was a rumour that was probably untrue, as long as it was related to the Elixir of Rejuvenation she was willing to hear it.


    Sylphia pulled on her pipe once more before exhaling, this time releasing a sigh in the process. ¡°First off I think I should tell you clearly that this is a fool¡¯s errand. Nothing will come of it. But if that¡¯s what you really want than who am I to refuse? Of course, before I begin collecting news and rumours I want us to sign a contract first so that no one doubts the terms of our agreement. When all the information I gather proves useless I do not want blame cast at my feet. I have no desire to see my reputation fall.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Sage replied, standing up. ¡°Then we can discuss the particulars of the agreement, including the fee, at another time.¡±


    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re leaving already?¡±


    Although Sylphia¡¯s face looked half shocked, half lamenting, something in her voice told Sage the elf happy to be rid of her. She even offered to call Talia to escort them out.


    ¡°No need to trouble yourself,¡± Sage responded before casting [Dimension Door]. ¡°This is much faster.¡±


    Then she stepped through with Kaylee trailing her. It was only after the portal closed that she exhaled in relief.


    Dealing with such people is a hassle, she thought to herself.


    In her previous life she had dealt with a few information brokers and she could say with certainty she hated them. Their kind were like parasites, latching onto the smallest bit of news and selling it to the highest bidder. When you meet a broker you have to guard your expressions lest you give away information that could be detrimental to yourself. Sage was certain the disguise had already betrayed the reason she was looking for the Elixir of Rejuvenation. She was doubly sure that information would fall on someone else¡¯s lap in the next few days.


    Hopefully she had not given much away; though she did not have much hope considering she met the woman together with Kaylee. Half-elves were quite rare, even rarer than elves. From the time since Sage came from down the Highlands Kaylee was the only one she had seen so far. With how she was dressed it was obvious Kaylee was a mercenary, meaning it would not be difficult to find out who she was by making a few enquiries.


    ¡°You are looking for an Elixir?¡± said person spoke up for the first time in a long time. She did not look like she had fully recovered from the shock of learning the reason she needed an information broker.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she admitted, pulling down her mask for a while.


    Dusk had long fallen and the street that the portal dumped them in was basically empty. There was no one close enough to see her exposed face except for Kaylee.


    ¡°These scars catch more attention than I¡¯d prefer to have,¡± she said earnestly. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to get rid of them.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Kaylee responded, enlightened. A second later her expression darkened as she spoke. ¡°I¡¯d suggest you give up. It¡¯s been centuries since anyone found an Elixir in some ruin lying around. You would have better luck trying to find a drop of blood in the ocean.


    ¡°The whore mistress was right. Only a fool would expect something to come out of it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for those words of encouragement?¡± Sage replied sarcastically, covering herself up again. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to remember them when I begin my search. For now though, there is somewhere I need to be so excuse me.¡±


    For the second time she opened a [Dimension Door] and was about to walk through when Kaylee grabbed her arm.


    ¡°You want to leave me here without any money?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have money?¡± Sage asked, confused. ¡°Then why give up your pay a while back?¡±


    ¡°To follow you obviously,¡± Kaylee huffed in an almost self-righteous manner. ¡°To make sure you pay back the money you stole.¡±


    Hearing this again, Sage sighed. The half-elf was starting to sound like a broken record. It was unfortunate she did not have time to argue with her. [Dimension Door] could not be open for longer than a minute and she did not want to cast the spell twice.


    ¡°Here,¡± she said, putting two gold and five silvers in Kaylee¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s all I have for now.¡±


    For a second Kaylee looked happy to see the money, but her expression quickly returned to an angry one.


    ¡°You bitch!¡± she spat. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier you don¡¯t have money?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Sage denied, pulling out of Kaylee¡¯s grasp. ¡°My words were I haven¡¯t a copper on me.¡±


    Kaylee looked like she was going to retaliate with something, but in the end the only thing she ended up saying was, ¡°Yooouuuu!¡±


    By then Sage had already jumped through the portal, which shortly collapsed afterwards.


    She had appeared in an empty alley of what looked like the Green District. The moment she appeared she felt eyes upon her, coming from the far side outside the alley. They belonged to her Familiar, who currently dwelt in the shadow of a mercenary dressed like a ninja.


    Seeing him, a twisted smile wormed its way to her lips.

 CHAPTER 48: DELIVERING A BEATING

    After getting his payment for the escort mission, Laz had immediately left his companions to go out on his own. The entire journey to the capital had been one sour affair for him. Everything about that Sage woman left him so angry he wanted to vent his frustrations in a pair of breasts. Because of this his destination after leaving the other members of the Iron Ring was the Red District.


    What¡¯s up with that woman? He asked himself for the zillionth time as he strode through the Grey District on route to his destination.


    His instincts told him that she was someone to be wary of. That was why he had stuck close to her on their journey; to make sure she did not try anything. Even though they had made it to the capital with no incident- or rather, no incident related to her- he still felt that woman was up to something. If he was wrong about it than it would be the first time since he became a mercenary. That was how much he trusted his senses.


    Why did Kaylee run after that woman?


    The development that happened at the gate surprised everyone. Throughout their entire journey there had been no indication that the two of them knew each other. Why then would a seasoned mercenary like Kaylee give up her cut of the pay and chase after that woman? What was up with that?


    It doesn¡¯t matter, he thought to himself after a while.


    Thinking about these things would just lead to obsessing about them, which would put him in an unstable state of mind. Even though he did not want to, it was better to let go. Since that Sage woman was no longer with them, then even if she was up to something that something would likely have nothing to do with his mercenary group. So she was not his problem. As for Kaylee¡¯s actions, they had nothing to do with him either. He would just be careful around her the next time they met.


    But I¡¯m definitely beating the shit out of that bitch next time I see her, he thought angrily, recalling what had transpired a few nights ago.


    That humiliation of being forced to kneel and apologise; he could not let it go, not until he beat the same feeling into that woman. The next time they met he would definitely make sure to pay her back for it.


    However, a frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he marched on. It was unlikely they would meet again, at least not in the short term.


    This thought had just crossed his mind when the he saw the very woman he had been thinking about traipse out of an alley, causing him to freeze and his eyes to nearly pop out of his head. Her stride was casual as she hummed a song that was unfamiliar to him. However, that humming stopped when her eyes spied him. Then she quickly hurried back into the alley.


    After the initial shock Laz recovered immediately and a warped graced his features. Then he chased after her.


    Never in his wildest dream had he thought that he would meet her so soon again. The gods were smiling upon him!


    His actions drew the attention of the few who roamed the street at this hour, but their looks were of no concern to him. As fast as he was able to, he dashed into the alley. One of his precious daggers was already drawn, ready to fell the woman if she tried anything.


    However, the moment he entered the alley he came to a halt.


    The scene that he found in the dark passage was not the kind that he expected. Surprisingly, the woman was no longer running, but stood several metres away as if she was waiting for him. The whole ordeal was strange. It was almost as if her earlier flight had been an act to lure him into the alley. Uneasiness travelled up his spine and he immediately knew he had walked into a trap.


    As fast as he could he jumped back while preparing to escape. Unfortunately, before he could act on his plan spell he sensed the Sage woman cast a spell. It was so fast that by the time it registered the spell had already hit him.


    Suddenly his movements slowed. Even though he had already initiated the jump it now felt as if he was leaping back in slow motion. Even the movement of his mana to cast a spell had been slowed down.


    Although no one in the Iron Ring could use this spell he was familiar with it. It was the 4<sup>th</sup> Order time spell [Slow]. Its function was usually to slow an opponent that was too fast or to decease one¡¯s velocity when falling to prevent injuries. This spell slowed down all functions of the body except the mind. Even though everything else about him had reduced to a crawl his snail¡¯s pace his mind was as lively as ever; and the panic that accommodated the effect of being placed under the spell was just as vigorous.


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    Fuck! He thought mentally, willing his spell to activate faster.


    The spell that he had been trying to cast earlier was [Haste], in this situation it was the perfect counter to [Slow]. If only the spell would activate the speed of his movements would return to normal.


    Unfortunately, he did not get a chance. Almost immediately after casting her spell the woman charged him and she was surprisingly fast. She closed the distance between them almost instantly and socked him in the jaw, sending him flying.


    The blow caused his back to hit one of the alley¡¯s walls, but due to the effect of [Slow] the impact was not painful. After the impact his body fell forward, towards the ground in slow motion; or at least that was what would have happened if Sage had not instantly vanished from her spot and appeared above him. Then he felt two feet plant hard on his back and sped up his descend.


    This time the impact hurt and he felt some of his ribs bruise. Unable to resist crying out, he looked at the woman in fear and bewilderment.


    At least a 4<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer, a part of his mind analysed. With a Grade 4 physique that¡¯s better than my own.


    A few days ago when Taruk had warned him about angering this woman and he had thought it was because his leader had not wanted such actions to sour their relationship with the Delsartes; something like that could be detrimental to their reputation as mercenaries. Now however, he realised that it had not been the case. Taruk somehow knew that this woman was more than she appeared.


    The woman got off him and kicked him hard with in the side. The impact caused him to groan as he felt his ribs fracture. To avoid a second hit in the same place he flipped over onto his back and guarded his side.


    However, the next blow came and it was far from where he had expected it. The woman stepped on his shin instead of concentrating on his mid-section. Unfortunately for Laz, the stomp was harder than any hit he had taken before. Immense pain immediately filled his head as he felt his tibia snap in the middle. An agonised groan escaped his lips as he tried to endure the pain. However, that proved a fruitless attempt as the woman went on to do the same thing to his other three limbs. A few moments accompanied by groans of pain and he lay splayed on his back with broken arms and legs.


    Above him he saw the woman looking down at him dispassionately. The expression on her face ticked him off and, even though he was in pain, he could not help growl at her as he glared furiously.


    This humiliation, he was definitely going to make her pay!


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your eyes.¡± This was the first thing the woman said since their reunion in this alley.


    Before he could respond she stomped his face. It was not as hard as when she had stomped his limbs but it was still painful. The worst part about it was that she kept doing it repeatedly. When she finally retracted her foot he could no longer feel his face from all the swelling.


    ¡°You fwocking bitsh-¡± he managed to get out with his swollen cheeks, only for him to stop when he felt the woman¡¯s foot at his crotch.


    NO! he thought with wide eyes as his gaze returned to her.


    He shook his head in a pleading manner. Unfortunately, all he got in response was that masked face shaded by a hat hiding all the evil woman¡¯s features except her cruel dark eyes.


    ¡°Let this be a lesson for the next time you decide to be such an ARSE!¡± she said venomously.


    The moment she said the last word she brought down her foot hard.


    The pain from her resulting actions was so unbearable he could not resist the shrill cry that escaped his lips. It was without a doubt the worst pain he had ever felt, much worse than the flame that had scarred his face. The pain was not something he could bare. Stars filled his vision as he kept on his shrill scream, enlarging every second as his vision whitened. Froth poured out his mouth as all coherent thought was obscured by the hellish pain.


    Then his mind went blank.


    ***


    The bastard fainted.


    Sage looked down at him in disgust. The beating she had inflicted had unwrapped his facial covering, giving her a clear view of wannabe-ninja¡¯s rolled-up eyes and frothing mouth. It showed just what a painful experience it had been for the man, and she was quite satisfied with it. Truly, there was no better stress-relief than beating the crap out of an arsehole like him.


    ¡°You can come out now Nyx,¡± she said softly.


    A moment after she spoke her familiar rose from ninja-wannabe¡¯s shadow and walked over to her. When he stopped at her feet Nyx looked back at the passed-out man with disdain.


    ¡°Pathetic,¡± he sneered. ¡°You would think with the way he''d acted before his confidence came from somewhere. Turns out he was just full of hot air.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Sage responded as she scooped him up into her arms. Then she rubbed the back of his ears gently, eliciting a purr from him. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how many morons act like they¡¯re all that when they¡¯re pathetic in reality. Still, you did a good job this time. What would you like as a reward?¡±


    ¡°A Grade 2 beast corpse?¡± the cat replied without hesitating.


    Its answer caused her to drop it.


    The act was surprising for the cat but it managed to react just in time for it to- as the myths went- land on its feet.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking for too much,¡± she scowled, squatting over ninja-wannabe¡¯s unconscious body. ¡°Most cats would be happy with the treat of a mouse!¡±


    As if there were any Grade 2 beasts anywhere in the vicinity. The appearance of such creatures would immediately incur the quick action from the Mercenary Guild to prevent a disaster. After all, Grade 2 was extremely rare among humans. These beast were capable of destroying cities where such individuals did not exist.


    ¡°But Master, I might look like a cat but I¡¯m actually-¡± Nyx cut off whatever he was about to say when he saw her glare at him.


    ¡°If we find a Grade 2 beast I¡¯ll let you {Devour} its corpse,¡± she said reassuringly after a moment; all the while her hands roamed around the unconscious man. After a moment she gave a triumphant squeal and came out with a coin purse. Then she stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s get going Nyx.¡±


    She managed to cripple the bastard who had caused her so much frustration over the past week and even took his money. All in all, this was a successful endeavour.


    She was satisfied.

 CHAPTER 49: PAWNING THE GOODS

    It turned out the mercenaries did not get paid as much as she thought they did. Ninja-wannabe¡¯s pouch only contained three gold pieces and a few coppers.


    Sage sneered in disgust as she looked at the paltry amount.


    What a bunch of cheapskates, she thought.


    After a while she sighed and put the coin pouch away. Scooping up Nyx once again, she opened a Door to the Emerald District.


    When she and Kaylee questioned the thugs in the slums she had made sure to squeeze every piece of information she could out of them. Not only had she learned about the existence of Sylphia but also an individual who might be willing to take the stolen goods off her hands.


    Which brought her here.


    After minutes of walking she stopped before the gate of what was one of the biggest mansions around. Looking at the size of the manor, she could not help be impressed. The owner of this place definitely had wealth rivalling that of the aristocracy.


    A pair of men in armour guarded the gate from intruders while holding halberds. With the {Index} she saw that both their physiques were Grade 4 and the one of them was also a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order magician. Through the bars of the fence Sage saw other guards patrolling the premise, all of whom possessed strength matching the two at the gate. The place seemed well guarded.


    Well, against normal people at least.


    For Sage it was a simple affair to enter the premise. With the abilities of a phantom she could turn invisible, inaudible and intangible; so she was able to walk past these no doubt highly recommended guards without any of them noticing.


    The inside of the mansion was most definitely luxurious. The floors and stairs were made of stones of a quality rivalling that of the Enchanted Flower. Several women of different races traipsed around in maid outfits while a single mage in a butler suit walked around and barked orders.


    The vases and ornaments that decorated the walls were nothing to sneeze at either. Sage detected magic in some of these items, telling her the owner of the mansion was a frivolous spender who was not shy about displaying his wealth.


    He should spend his money on hiring more competent guards, she thought, passing another guard on the way to the top of the stairs.


    Unsurprisingly, the upper floor was better guarded than the bottom floor. There had been only a single guard on the bottom floor and he had been guarding the stairs. As for the top floor, two Grade 4 guards prowled the corridor. At the end of the hallway another pair of guards stood in front of a door silently. One of these guards actually had a Grade 3 physique while the other was a mage of the 5<sup>th</sup> Order. Clearly that was the door to the master bedroom and the fact that they stood there meant the he was there at the moment.


    However, even though she had come to see the manor owner she had no desire to walk into his bedroom. At this time of night she would probably walk into something she would not want to see. Instead she began looking at the other rooms by poking her head through the unguarded doors.


    Privy, bathroom, bedroom, another bedroom; finally, after poking her head through several doors she found the room she wanted, the study. This room she entered with her entire body, walked over to one of the shelves with books so dusty they were probably never opened since they were bought, took one and propped herself in the giant armchair. Then she placed her feet on the luxurious desk and cracked the book open.


    The book in her hands contained some archaic economic principles that looked like they were written by Adam Smith, so they were boring and uninteresting; at least to her. She quickly swapped it for one of her own. Then she poured herself a glass from the aged whiskey in the cupboard and returned to reading.


    The wonderful thing(depending on who you are) about being undead was the immunity to alcohol, drugs and basically all toxic substances; so she could drink as much as she wanted without getting drunk. It did not stop the whiskey from burning when she gulped it though; but that was the charm of brandy. She savoured it as she leafed through her book and waited.


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    Hours passed and night vanished. It was when she had just started her second book that the door to the study opened and admitted a short heavyset dwarf with a dark beard that reached his waist. From the description she had been given this was the person she had been told about, Malvin Grunt. He was not only famous as a black market dealer but was also a legitimate merchant of renown.


    The moment he opened the door and saw her sitting in his chair his eyes nearly popped out of his head, but he managed to recover quickly and shout for the guards.


    ¡°At ease Mr Grunt,¡± she began, looking up from her book and setting down her whiskey glass. She paid no mind to the guards who appeared behind him as she continued. ¡°I assure you that my presence here is not meant to threaten you. In fact, you can consider it as being beneficial.¡±


    ¡°Wh- who are you?¡± the shocked merchant asked, taking a step back out of the room. The guard with the Grade 3 physique filled the empty spot he had just left.


    ¡°I am someone who wants to do business with you,¡± she answered casually, picking up the whiskey glass once again and sipping from it. ¡°I have some items here with me and I wonder if you¡¯re interested in them.¡±


    Seeing her nonchalant attitude even in the presence of the massive guard, Grunt must have realised she did not consider his protection detail a threat. After calming down he told them to stand back and took a step into the room.


    ¡°And what items of interest would you have for me Miss¡­¡±


    ¡°Maverick,¡± she replied. ¡°Call me Lady Maverick, or Miss Maverick; whichever suits your fancy.¡±


    ¡°How is it that you managed to get into my house?¡± the dwarf asked. If his tone were firmer it would have been a demand.


    ¡°Oh, it was quite simple,¡± she replied, keeping her nonchalant tone. ¡°I simply walked in and no one noticed me. Your guards¡¯ detection skills leave a lot to be desired. If I were you I would hire new ones.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the dwarf asked.


    Even with all his beard she could still see that he was gritting his teeth. He approached the desk and sat himself in the much less opulent chair on the other side of the desk. Considering the fact that she was in his much better armchair, he must have been livid. His tone when he spoke next basically confirmed it.


    ¡°What is it you wish to sell?¡± he asked harshly.


    In response to his question she set Nyx on the table and had him expel all the jewels she had stolen onto the table. In the next moment a small mountain appeared on the desk.


    ¡°How much will all this be worth?¡± she asked casually, ignoring his shocked expression.


    But the dwarf did not reply as his wide eyes drifted from the pile of jewels, Nyx, Sage and repeated the cycle. She was not really in a hurry so she returned to her book and waited for a response.


    ¡°Where did you get these jewels?¡± Finally, after more than a minute of silence Grunt managed to speak up.


    ¡°From a charitable shop in Tiih,¡± she answered casually.


    Hearing this, a look of comprehension dawned on the merchant¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, so you were the thief that stole from the Masons a week ago?¡±


    ¡°Please do not word it so Mr Grunt,¡± she replied, leaving her book once again. ¡°What I did was distributing wealth to more¡­ deserving people. Such as yourself.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the dwarven merchant replied. For a second, what looked like amusement flashed across his face. ¡°Then I must commend you for your actions.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your commendation,¡± she replied in a jolly tone, ¡°and I would appreciate it even more if you show your commendation by buying the jewels.¡±


    ¡°How much are you willing to charge?¡± the dwarf asked.


    Having calmed down after finding a stranger in his study, the man had now entered his element. The question he asked was not for her benefit, but for the sake of testing her knowledge of jewel prices. If she offered an amount that was too high he would argue and do his best to whittle the price down. If she stated a price that was far below what the jewels were worth he would not hesitate to accept it.


    ¡°Two hundred and fifty gold,¡± she said after thinking about it for a while.


    There were around fifty pieces of jewellery on the table and the cheapest was worth five gold. It was only reasonable that she would ask for that price.


    Marvin Grunt did not share the same opinion.


    ¡°These are sto- interestingly procured goods,¡± he responded. ¡°Two hundred and fifty is too much considering I will not be able to sell them in the open. One hundred and fifty.¡±


    Hearing his offer, she sighed. This was why she did not like stealing and selling goods. It was so much easier to just take money.


    ¡°I remember the price of most of these jewels and I assure you their combined value is way more than three hundred gold,¡± she replied, stressing the three hundred part. ¡°Is it common practise for an honourable merchant such as yourself to offer less than half the market price?¡±


    In response to her question, Grunt uttered a grunt. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are aware that items obtained through¡­ less than legitimate means cannot be sold at market value. I will be lucky to be able to sell these jewels for the two hundred and fifty that you proposed. So how about I take them off your hands for one hundred and seventy?¡±


    They went back and forth until they finally agreed on two hundred and fifteen gold. Sage accepted the money and left the merchant¡¯s manor through [Dimension Door] while smiling.


    For the first time since coming to this world she felt rich.

 CHAPTER 50: CITY AVERSION

    When the sun rose Kaylee was already awake. Even so, she did not get out of bed. Time passed and the flaming sphere climbed altitude but she never got out from underneath the blankets. One of the inn girls brought her a bowl of porridge for breakfast, which she chowed down before jumping back into bed. She did not feel like going out.


    The reason had nothing to do with her health. She was feeling as healthy as always. Well, body-wise anyway. Her mind was not in the best state, therefore she was pretty unwilling.


    It was after the undead left her that the full realisation of where she was hit her.


    Yshta was the city she was born in, the city she grew up in and the city where her family lived. Yet, as she had looked around she had not felt a fraction of the warmth she usually did in Tiih. It was a completely different feeling from how others felt when they described returning to their birthplace.


    She hated this city.


    Now that she was alone she no longer felt the need to explore. She did not want to get reacquainted with this place. She did not want to know its people. And she definitely did not feel like doing what she had actually told her friends she would be doing in Yshta when she announced she would be taking a break.


    Why did I come here? She asked herself for the millionth time.


    Having already told her friends a lie, why had she felt the need to come to this city even though it was the last place in the world she wanted to be? The mere thought of being in Yshta drained her of all the energy and enthusiasm she had, which- for a while now- had not been much to begin with. At the moment her biggest wish was for her to wake up and realise everything had been a dream; or rather, a nightmare. While lying in bed she had lost count of how many times she had expressed regret for coming to this place.


    Next time I meet that undead I¡¯ll wring enough money out of her to leave this hellhole, she decided.


    The frustration of having to deal with Sage must have addled her brain because it was only in her absence that Kaylee had finally realised just how much she loathed being here. On their journey to this city the feeling had not been so obvious. However, at the moment as she lay in bed she could not stop long-buried unpleasant memories from surfacing.


    Laughter, mockery, disdain; the painful recollections assaulted her as she hid beneath the covers. Jeering cries echoed her ears as she remembered sneering faces and condescending eyes. To avoid any more bad memories from coming through she threw off her blanket and sat up on the bed, aware of the faint trickle a sweat that ran from her temple to her forehead.


    Why are these memories only coming back now? She wondered.


    So much time had passed since then. In the four years that she had been away from Yshta the memories had not plagued her once. So why was it that when she returned here they suddenly resurfaced?


    The last thing she wanted at this moment, or any other, was to think about it. So when she realised she was doing just that she backtracked her thought process and shook her head. Then, she finally stood up from the bed. If she stayed in here she would be powerless to stop the unwanted memories and thoughts from coming. The best way to prevent herself from falling into the same routine was to keep herself occupied.


    With what though? She thought while she freshened up and put her clothes on.


    There was honestly nothing she was interested in doing in Yshta. If she were still in Tiih and her relationship with her friends was not strained she would have gone looking for them or gone to the Mercenary Guild to mingle with acquaintances. However, in this city she had no friends and those she was acquainted with she had no desire to meet; which was why she was going to avoid every place where she stood a chance of meeting someone who might recognise her. So the Brown and Grey districts were the only ones she could stick to.


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    Before that though; she went down to the common room and bought herself a huge mug of ale before settling at one of the few empty tables and gulping her drink slowly. Even though it was a ways from night, the place was pretty much filled and the alcohol flowed. Laughter echoed across the tables- the joyous kind- not the unpleasant kind from her memories.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± She swore as she took a long draft from her mug.


    Why did she have think about it at such a moment?


    Trying to distract herself, she drained another mouthful and tried to listen to what was being said. After all, inns and taverns were the second best places if one wanted to hear the best and latest rumours. The only place that was superior to them in this aspect were the brothels; or so she heard. She never stayed in one long enough to confirm, although the previous night¡¯s escapade was further proof of it.


    None of the rumours she heard while seated at the table were of particular significance.


    A famous playwright from Methos was in town; Kaylee could not bring herself to care one bit for this. She hated stage plays, the way they twisted narratives and beautified ugly acts.


    Tensions were rising once again between Ysh and Lethia; she snorted at this. It was nothing new.


    The Grand Court Mage had left the country to visit the neighbouring kingdom of Vian; she honestly did not care.


    Young Lady Janeth Krayce was pregnant and the father of her child is suspected to be one of the guards of her family¡¯s compound; this piece of news she took with ecstasy.


    Good, she thought venomously. I never liked that bitch. Heh! The situation must be quite embarrassing for Count Krayce and his wife. Serves those pompous arses right!


    Her heart went out to the one responsible for Jeneth¡¯s pregnancy though. Chances were he was a corpse in a ditch somewhere now.


    Other rumours she heard were too unimportant to take note of, although some of the people discussing at various tables took notice of her and sent invitations her way. Needless to say she declined them all.


    After finishing her mug she ordered another one and continued to drinking, thinking maybe she should stay here and keep downing mugs instead of going out to do Gods-knew-what.


    Or maybe I can go hustle more money from that undead bitch, she thought.


    Maybe it was because she was now on her sixth mug that such a thought entered her mind easily. Also, the common room floor was tilting in a weird way and somehow the chairs, tables and people on it were not affected.


    Her head felt lighter, as if it was floating in the clouds; a completely different feeling from the rest on her body which felt like it had increased in weight. Raising her mug to her lips now felt like a difficult task. In the process of doing so some of the contents of her drink spilled out and landed on her lap. The sight of her black leather pants¡¯ stained crotch brought about a cackle from her.


    ¡°I look like I pissed myself,¡± she said to no one in particular, before bursting into laughs again.


    She tried to get up from her seat, but a body that felt like it had been dumped into a river with rocks tied to it was not easy to control. She tripped and would have fallen to the floor if not for a hand that came out of nowhere and grabbed her waist. A second hand similar to the first roamed around her shoulders and, with the help of the first hand, steadied her.


    ¡°Are you okay Miss?¡± the concerned voice of the man who caught her asked.


    Kaylee¡¯s eyes darted to him. A young man in his twenties, above average looks; wearing a twisted smile that clarified the mockery in his eyes¡­ just like Thelma, Elmer and Greggo; those fucking pieces of shit!


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± she screamed, shoving the bastard away with all her strength.


    A crashing sound echoed the common room but she could not be bothered with it. Right now she had to get to the bitch with the stitches. She would wring the undead harlot¡¯s neck until the she gave her all the coin she had. Then she would leave this piece of shit city and never look back!


    She stumbled out the inn and was met with the sight of a darkening sky, not that she cared about the time of day. Her eyes darted in a certain direction and she could not help but smile widely.


    ¡°There you are you crooked bitch!¡± she hissed softly.


    Thus she began her stumbling journey to her destination.


    The experience was writhe with bastards and bitches with twisted expressions trying to cut her journey short by offering poisonous aid. She shooed them away with stern refusals, sometimes using fists for those who just could not get the message.


    Finally, after stumbling through countless streets and alleys she was there. She could feel the bitch. All she had to do was pass through one more alley and she would be there. Just a few more minutes and she would be able to experience the satisfying feeling of her hands around the undead¡¯s scarred neck. All she had to do was enter the alley. And that was just what she did.


    She found the young girl seated at what looked like an outdoor restaurant with a plate of meat next to her. But she was engrossed in one of her books instead of the meat, allowing her Familiar to sample the dish instead. Not that any of it mattered to Kaylee. She was just glad that she had found the undead.


    And so she charged forth.

 CHAPTER 51: MYSTIC EYES

    Although the businesses in the Red District were open at all hours of the day it was common practice that customers would only come at night, or at least when the sun was about to set.


    So Sylphia was quite irritated when the Enchanted Flower received a customer when the sun had not even been out for half an hour.


    It would have been fine if that customer came to seek what most who came to this place did, but this particular client was here for the more lucrative business they participated in.


    With a groan of discontent she got out of bed, tidied up, put on her black dress that hugged her figure and then covered it up with a white fur coat. After that she had Talia apply her make-up for her before making her way to her office. There she quickly grabbed the strongest liquor she had and poured herself a drink, which she proceeded to finish in a single breath.


    I¡¯m ready now, she thought as she set the glass behind her couch and picked up her ivory pipe. She lit and took a long drag from.


    ¡°Show her in,¡± she said to Talia as she leaned into her couch.


    ¡°Yes Madam,¡± Talia replied with a bow.


    The woman left the office and less than a minute later there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Enter,¡± Sylphia said, trying to sound as casual as possible.


    The door opened to admit her guest.


    Nothing about the woman had changed since the previous night. She wore the same black clothes that made her look like she was in mourning, with her neck sleeve pulled up to cover everything below her eyes and the same black hat covering the top of her head. There was no change in her attitude as she traipsed into her office like she owned it and sat herself in one of Sylphia¡¯s sofas without waiting for an invitation.


    It really grated on Sylphia¡¯s nerves, but she had experience enough such situations that she was able to watch it without letting her feelings show.


    ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Lady Maverick?¡±


    Even though she said the first part pleasantly, when it came to the woman¡¯s name she could not control the sharp edge she in her voice.


    If the woman had heard the edge in her voice, she did not seem bothered by it; leaning into her seat as her dark orbs met Sylphia¡¯s.


    ¡°It is about what we have discussed before,¡± the woman said. ¡°I came here to finalise our agreement.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± was all Sylphia could respond with, after which she took a drag from her pipe and exhaled.


    Wasn¡¯t it too soon to come back for that? When the woman said they would discuss the details at another time she had assumed she meant another day; like at least three days later. Why had she come so early when Sylphia had not even gotten around to investigating her?


    ¡°Since you have already heard what I want, how much will you be charging for your services?¡± ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ got straight to the point.


    ¡°One hundred and fifty gold,¡± Sylphia immediately replied. ¡°Three hundred after completion.¡±


    To be honest, collecting the information the woman asked for was not worth that much. A hundred and fifty gold was more than enough for any family to live luxuriously for the rest of their life. Even if it was to collect information about Elixirs from all around the continent, that would only require about half of that.


    But Sylphia was still upset about the woman¡¯s behaviour the previous night, not that she would ever admit it.


    Illusion Magic was the magic she specialised in. Without it she was almost defenceless and the fact that ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ used [Forbidden Zone] to strip her of her ability to use it forced a lot of memories she would rather forget to the forefront of her mind. In that situation she had almost panicked and activated the defensive magic circles around the room. If not for the woman¡¯s claim that she was not looking for a fight getting her out of her stupor she would have probably done it; which would have resulted in her having to pay a fortune to fix the place. In the end she could only smile and act nonchalant about everything.


    However, she was not willing to let it go that easily. ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ had to pay for what she had done, even if that payment only came in the form of extra gold. At least then she could make her heart bleed a little when spending so much gold.


    Even if ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ did not accept that was fine by her. She could go look for someone else to fulfil her ridiculous request. Then she would no longer have to deal with her.


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    Even I cannot believe I¡¯m actually agreeing to this, Sylphia thought.


    Clues to the Elixir of Rejuvenation? There was no way her search would be fruitful! Even if they do manage to find evidence of an Elixir the chances that it would not already have been consumed were practically zero.


    The kind of temptation an Elixir brought was such that no one was brave enough to flaunt one. There had been countless kidnapping attempts on Tavina Ruuh in the past few centuries because she was the only person capable of brewing them. If someone as important as the Grand Magister of Methos constantly had to watch out for such threats then obviously no one with their hands on an Elixir was safe; which was why the best thing to do after getting your hands on one was to drink it.


    Still, all she agreed to do was to search for information on Elixirs, not to find the Elixir itself. There was no reason for her to reject the commission since she was not the one who would be losing money.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the woman said after contemplating for a while. She did not sound as unhappy as Sylphia would have liked.


    ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ produced a fat pouch and placed it on the table. Then she produced a second pouch of similar size, opened its drawstrings and let half its contents slip onto the table.


    ¡°You are welcome to count,¡± she said to sternly.


    That was exactly what Sylphia did. She dumped the gold in the full pouch on the table and set about counting the amount. A minute later she looked up from the gold and met the obsidian pools of her client.


    ¡°That was one hundred and forty-nine gold,¡± she stated. ¡°You¡¯re short one gold coin.¡±


    ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ produced the last coin without a hassle.


    ¡°Now then,¡± the woman said, producing a folded sheet of paper and slipping it on the table. ¡°I¡¯ve noted down everything I would like to know about the Elixirs.¡±


    Sylphia brought the folded sheet to her using [Mage Hand] and took a look at its contents. Citing nothing out of the ordinary, she nodded as her gaze returned to ¡®Lady Maverick.¡¯


    ¡°There are no problems here,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Good,¡± the woman replied. ¡°While we are on the subject of it, I would also like to request information about Scions. How much will I have to pay and how long do you think it will take to gather that information?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    This time Sylphia could not prevent herself from reacting in surprise. The pipe that had been about to touch her lips suddenly stopped as she gave the woman a scrutinising gaze.


    Why does she want to learn about Scions? She wondered.


    The fact that the offspring of the Gods walked Aran was common knowledge. Everyone who worshipped a certain god could name at least one of that god¡¯s offspring. For example, every one of the Shean Faith knew Imperator Leah was Lightborne. Not only was she the Life Goddess¡¯ champion, she was also Her daughter.


    ¡°What kind of information would you like to know about them?¡± Sylphia asked, quickly reining in her reaction; trying to act normal.


    ¡°Anything you can get your hands on,¡± replied the disguised woman. ¡°Their history and their abilities if you can. It does not have to be detailed though. I simply want to know about them.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Sylphia responded, forgetting to keep the scepticism out of her voice. ¡°Then I can get you the information within a day or so. The price will be twenty gold. Once off.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated,¡± ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ responded. She took a few gold coins from her remaining purse and counted them before dumping the exact amount on the table. ¡°There is one more thing I would like your help with.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sylphia asked, trying to keep the annoyance from her tone.


    Just how many things could this woman possibly have to ask?


    ¡°You specialise in Illusion Magic right.¡± this was not a question. ¡°I was wondering if you could share your spell models with me. I am willing to compensate you.¡±


    Hearing this, Sylphia took a long and deep suck from her pipe; trying to prolong her response, trying to force down her rising anger.


    How rude!


    The nerve of this woman! She actually dared to ask her for her spells!


    An unspoken rule among mages was that one did not ask for the materials of another. What this woman had asked for was something that no self-respecting sorcerer in their right mind would agree to!


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot help you with that Lady Maverick,¡± she tried to reject her as cordially as possible. ¡°If you are eager to learn Illusion Magic then you should consider visiting a magic shop, or the Black Market. One of those will surely have what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    For a while ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ did not respond. Instead she gave Sylphia a lengthy stare that almost made her heart leap out of her chest. She almost activated the magic circles in her office.


    Luckily there was no need to do that in the end.


    ¡°I suppose it can¡¯t be helped then,¡± the woman said. She scooped up her now emaciated coin purse and got to her feet. ¡°I will look in one of those places. Thank you very much for your time Madam Sylphia.¡±


    Then, just like last time, she opened a [Dimension Door] and stepped through it.


    However, before the Door closed Sylphia cast a spell of her own, 7<sup>th</sup> Order [Mystic Eyes]. It was a spell that allowed one to see more than what the eyes usually saw, an effect that did not disappoint her in this situation.


    Her first look at ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ through [Mystic Eyes] presented her with the picture of the disguised woman surrounded by a pillar of cyan coloured mana. When Sylphia first caught sight of the woman¡¯s mana she opened her mouth to exhale in relief, but when she saw at the actual magnitude of it the impending sigh turned to a gasp instead.


    What kind of aptitude is this? She stared slack-jawed.


    Was this the fabled S-ranked mana aptitude? It was ridiculous! Even the Ultra Order Grand Mage Savandor only had about half that much mana!


    Just who was this woman? And what was that Abyss gathered at her feet? Was that her elemental affinity? How could there possibly be someone with such an affinity?


    ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ had clearly sensed Sylphia casting her spell because just before the Door closed she turned around and gave her a stare. From the look she gave her Sylphia could have sworn the woman was smiling under that disguise. It brought a chill to her spine.


    Her aura, she thought after the portal closed.


    ¡°She¡¯s not human,¡± she muttered, aware of the thin line of sweat trickling down the side of her face.


    It was a while before she wiped the sweat away and took a long drag from her pipe, letting the herbs calm her down.


    I have to find out all I can about her, she decided. Starting with her relationship with the Ysran black sheep.

 CHAPTER 52: BROWSING SPELLS

    Now that she had spent a hundred and seventy of her original two hundred and fifteen gold coins, Sage no longer felt rich. That thought flashed past her mind quickly however.


    What kind of spell was that? Sage wondered as she stared at the place where the Door had been.


    When Sylphia looked at her after casting that spell it was like she was peering into her being.


    Did she realise what I am? She thought, mentally kicking herself.


    She should have considered that in this world where magic existed, pretty much anything was possible. Of course spells capable of distinguishing her identity were a thing. It looked like she would have to visit a magic shop and the black market immediately. If magic capable of seeing through someone existed, then it was only natural for magic that protected one from such spells to exist as well. Humans were creatures that liked to keep secrets after all, so there was no way that they had not developed countermeasures.


    However¡­ she looked down at the pouch in her hand. After paying Sylphia she only had forty-five gold left. Would that be enough to buy the spells she wanted?


    After pondering it for a while she decided go anyway. If it turned out that she could not afford the spells she could always steal them. That was her preferred method of acquisition anyway.


    And so, with directions from several kind-hearted strangers who gave her weird looks for her choice of outfit, she finally found a magic shop. It was a parlour on the edge of the Emerald District named Arkay¡¯s Arcanes. It was the kind of shop that people would pass by without giving a second glance; either because not many of them were sorcerers or it was just that dismissible.


    The latter conjecture was proven the likelier one as she stepped into the shop.


    ¡°A customer,¡± a shrivelled up old man behind the counter began after she entered. He looked even older than Bori. ¡°It has been a while since I had one. Welcome to Arkay¡¯s Arcane, I¡¯m Arkay by the way. How may I help you?¡±


    If the elated tone of his scratchy voice was any indication it must have been a really long while since he had had any customers.


    She scrutinised him with {Index}.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: B (Cyan)


    She sighed when she saw his mana colour. He was in the 7<sup>th</sup> Order like her. That meant he probably had some spells for her to learn in preparation for her next advancement.


    ¡°I would like to buy spell models,¡± she responded. ¡°I want to see everything you have about Illusion Magic as well as 7<sup>th</sup> Order spells.¡±


    ¡°7<sup>th</sup> Order?¡± the man asked in surprise.


    Sage suddenly felt a shift in his mana as he began to cast a spell that felt eerily like the one Sylphia had cast before.


    Nope, she decided, and promptly took action.


    Just as the spell was completed [Blind] landed on the man, causing him to gasp in alarm.


    ¡°It¡¯s rude to peek at a lady?¡± she said sweetly; well, not sweetly enough that the threat in her voice could not be perceived. ¡°So how about you not do that.¡±


    The old man, Arkay, opened his mouth to say something, but then he seemed to think better of it and shut it. Then he nodded.


    ¡°Understood,¡± he agreed.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sage responded, before casting [Dispel] on him.


    When Old Man Arkay got his sight back he acted as if nothing had happened. He disappeared into his store room and came out after what felt like a second later, a thick book with different colour pages in hand.


    ¡°Here you go,¡± he said, offering it to her. ¡°It is a catalogue of all the spells models I have in stock along with their descriptions. The colours of the pages indicate which branch of magic they belong to.¡±


    Sage nodded as she accepted the book. Then she cracked it by the spine and began to browse through its pages.


    She was amazed to find that the tome truly catalogued spells. Of course it did not display the spell models; the old sorcerer was not moron. Instead, what was written in the book were the names of spells and the description of their effect.


    If she had to guess there were hundreds of spells inside. Old Man Arkay must have been quite the adventurer in his days to have collected so many spells. It was just a pity that he did not have the aptitude to accommodate all of them.


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    She probably did not either.


    While browsing through the catalogue she realised a disappointing fact that spells 3<sup>rd</sup> Order and below made up about ninety-percent of all the spells inside. As for the spells in the middle Orders, she was familiar with many of them. Unfortunately most of many of them were from an element she was unable to use; Water. Going by how thick the blue pages were that was probably the old man¡¯s dominant affinity.


    There were also light element spells in the catalogue, but they were not many. The Light Element was probably the rarest of the elemental affinities so it was no surprise that there were not many spells of the element, at least not where the public could access them. The Church of Life had a monopoly on Light element spells. There were rumours that those who joined the Church were required to swear under a magic pact not to ever reveal the spells to those who did not belong to their organisation.


    Very much in line with medieval churches, she thought with disdain.


    Although, organisations such as magic schools also had their students swear similar oaths to prevent them from sharing their spells and so keep their recruitment numbers high.


    The black pages were not many either. The spells on those pages were related to curses and debuffs, there was nothing related to the necromancy so she skipped them quickly and turned to other pages.


    The red pages had numerous spells, which included 7<sup>th</sup> Order [Conflagration]. It was a spell that created a blaze that was hard to put out. If a Darkborne like her learned the spell it would be even more formidable.


    However, the price left the corner of her mouth twitching.


    Ten gold coins?


    Based on how Sylphia had acted when she had asked for Illusion spell models, she had had expected spells to be pricey. However, ten gold coins for one spell? That was preposterous!


    The catalogue listed most of the spells as costing under a gold coin. Only the rare 6<sup>th</sup> Order spells caused around that much.


    How is it that the price of 7<sup>th</sup> Order spells is so ridiculous? She yelled internally. Following the trend of the other Orders, shouldn¡¯t they be around five gold?


    ¡°Is it possible to get a discount on these spells?¡± she asked Arkay.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± the man shook his head. ¡°There are no discounts in this shop.¡±


    The answer made her groan.


    I¡¯ll come rob this guy at night, she decided, before paging on.


    She was disappointed that the Dimensional Magic pages did not contain the spell that she had been looking forward to the most; [Teleport]. With this spell distance did not matter. As long as she had been to a place she would able to get there in an instant. Then she only needed to take trips to a place once and would forever be able to warp her way there.


    As she continued browsing she finally found the spell Arkay had tried to use to peek at her. [Mystic Eyes], it was a spell that allowed one to see magic auras, allowing them to see the amount of mana a person possessed among other things. With the spell it was also possible to see a person¡¯s aptitude and affinity. [Mystic Eyes] also enabled one to see magic residue, which was helpful in tracking targets and figuring out what kind of magic had been used at a certain place within a limited time.


    This spell was only eleven gold coins, but she did not hesitate to buy it.


    As for the Illusion spells, they were pretty disappointing stuff life 2<sup>nd</sup> Order [Charm] and 3<sup>rd</sup> Order [Courage]. It was not that they weren¡¯t useful, but she could not imagine there being a situation where she would use them. [Charm] might be neat spell for getting what you want, but to Sage it just screamed cheap. Using such a spell like instead of using wits and finesse to acquire what you want? Where was the challenge in that? She could not help but disdain it.


    As for [Courage]; why would she want to learn a spell that could only be cast on others? She was a loner, there was no situation where she would ever need to cast it. Even if she summoned an undead to fight for her the spell would be useless because it had no effect on the undead.


    Still, she gritted her teeth and bought them. Life was unpredictable and one never knew what would happen.


    There was one spell that caught her attention and fortunately it happened to be of the 7<sup>th</sup> Order. [True Image], it allowed the caster to produce a doppelg?nger capable of casting spells up to the 4<sup>th</sup> Order. The mana for those spells still came from the caster though. Still, she eagerly bought it for ten gold.


    Other Illusion spells she purchased included 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell [Fear], its 6<sup>th</sup> Order equivalent [Terror], 1<sup>st</sup> Order [Mirror Image], 3<sup>rd</sup> Order [Decoy], 4<sup>th</sup> Order [False Image] and 2<sup>nd</sup> Order [Calm]. All in all she used up more than thirty of her remaining gold. [Conflagration] had also been reluctantly added to the purchased spells, which was why it amounted to so much.


    And so she left Arkay¡¯s parlour with the promise that she would return in the middle of the night to take the spells she could not buy. It turned out she had been in there quite for quite because the first thing she saw when she exited the shop was the sun high in the sky.


    After that she found herself a place to sit down and study the spells.


    The first of these was obviously [Mystic Eyes]. It took her around half an hour before she was able to fully ingrain it. Then she cast it and looked at herself.


    She saw the humongous cyan mana that enveloped her. At the bottom of her feet was a darkness that seemed to cling to her feet. There was another aura about her that she did not know what to make of. However, when she stared at people on the streets with her [Mystic Eyes] she immediately found that this specific aura differed with everyone.


    It¡¯s my unique aura signature, she realised.


    Another thing she noticed was that there seemed to be a difference between her aura and that of the people on the street. The auras of the humans slightly differed to those of the elves and dwarves, but they were not that far off from each other. Hers on the other hand was completely different.


    Sylphia knows I¡¯m not human.


    That was the only conclusion she could come up with after seeing this. However, she was not worried that the elf would tell on her though. The brothel madam came off as someone who did not do something unless it profited her.


    Still though¡­


    She should change to another disguise just in case.


    But that could wait until the next day.


    She spent the rest of her day at an outdoor restaurant, where she sampled their succulent steak. The place was had comfortable seats, so she decided to spend time there reading, though she had to keep ordering more food if she wanted to keep the owner from complaining and trying to chase her off. Since she had already eaten she offered this food to Nyx. He had been surprisingly well-behaved over the past few days so she saw no reason not to reward him.


    And so day passed, night came and she was still engrossed in her readings. She felt Kaylee approach her through their bond but paid no mind to it¡­ at least until the half-elf stumbled out of the alley across the street. When Kaylee saw her she suddenly adopted a twisted smile and took a running posture.


    What is she trying to do? Sage wondered, puzzled by the girl¡¯s state.


    She never found out because Kaylee fell on her face as soon as she took the first step.

 CHAPTER 53: ANNOYOING SITUATION

    What¡­ the fuck! Sage thought.


    No other words came to mind as she gazed upon the collapsed figure of the half-elf. Kaylee was clearly drunk.


    How the hell did she get into that state? Sage asked herself.


    She continued to stare; and she was not the only one. Practically everyone on the street was staring at the half-elf mercenary with dubious eyes. From the expressions of the people it was clear to see that an intoxicated person wandering around did not happen occasionally in the Green District.


    ¡°What a moron,¡± She muttered, returning to her book.


    She had finished with it a while back and was actually studying the spell models for [Conflagration] and [True Image] which she had placed within the pages to avoid drawing attention. She had seen a few mages walking around this place. None of them had been something impressive; there had not been one of them above the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order. However, as practicing sorcerers they would obviously be able to recognise that she was studying spells if she left them exposed in the open. The last thing she wanted was some over-enthusiastic moron coming over and trying to initiate a conversation with her.


    ¡°Are we just gonna leave her like that Master?¡± Nyx asked her, briefly removing his teeth from the rare steak.


    ¡°Why not?¡± She replied. ¡°If something happens to her it will entirely be her fault.¡±


    As a woman, the half-elf had to be aware of how dangerous it was to be intoxicated in the absence of trusted company. Taking advantage of the drunk and intoxicated was probably more common on Aran than it had been on Earth. The law in this world did not seem to cater to the public so the chances of someone getting punished for taking advantage of a drunk woman were negligible; unless she happened to be a noble. Sage highly doubted that was the case with the half-elf.


    ¡°Those shady looking guys seem to have plans for her?¡± her Familiar casually pointed out before returning to gnawing his meat.


    ¡°What guys?¡±


    Her eyes shot to where Kaylee had fallen and sure enough she was being pulled up by two guys. These men were well-dressed, so the shadiness that Nyx alluded to was easy to miss if one did not pay attention to their shifty eyes. Their faces bore twisted smiles as they each swung one of Kaylee¡¯s arms around their necks and began to lead her into the alley she came from while whispering something Sage could not hear. If she had to guess they were false words of concern that were uttered for the sake of the witnesses.


    What a bunch of douchebags, she thought as she watched them.


    They were about to vanish into the alley when she put the book down and sighed.


    ¡°Ah fuck!¡± she breathed out.


    Then she fished into her purse, brought out three silvers and placed them on the table.


    ¡°Store my book Nyx,¡± she ordered as she got up from her seat.


    Without waiting she used {Blink} and vanished momentarily to appear in front of the duo and their would-be victim. When they saw her appear in their path the two douchebags came to a halt as they shot her looks of disbelief.


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of my friend kind sirs,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll take her from here. You can return to what you were doing¡±


    Without waiting for a response she stepped forward and reached for the comatose mercenary. However, before she could grab hold of Kaylee one of them let go of the half-elf stepped forward to cut Sage off.


    ¡°What are you talking about lady?¡± he said with a cinch of venom in his voice. ¡°This woman is our friend. I¡¯ve known her my whole life.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± his friend backed him up. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ve confused her for someone else. I suggest you move out of the way if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±


    Sage stared at them in puzzlement.


    Where these morons serious? She had just appeared out of thin air in front of them and they only seemed to be momentarily fazed before regaining their composure. It was worth noting that these to arseholes were normal. Their physiques were Grade 5 and their aptitudes were H. Where then did they get the courage to confront and even threaten her?


    Do they have some kind of hard-core backing? she wondered. After thinking, she that offered them an amused smile. Do they believe it will scare me off somehow?


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    Her expression must have ticked the douchebag that was blocking her way off because he suddenly let out a dissatisfied grunt and pounced on her with fists raised.


    ¡°I told you to m-AHHHHHHH!¡±


    Before he could touch her she cast [Terror] on him, causing the arsehole to abandon what he had been about to do and release a bloodcurdling scream. The amplitude of his scream directly rose to a level where she was tempted to cover her ears¡¯; and she was about to do it. However, before she could the horrific scream ceased and the douche dropped to the ground, unmoving.


    Did he just-


    ¡°What have you done!¡± the second shitbag shouted.


    Kaylee was instantly forgotten as he cast her aside and rushed to his fallen companion. Sage paid him no mind as she watched Kaylee fall. Instead of moving to catch her she remained where she stood, resulting in the half-elf¡¯s head hitting the ground with a thud.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± came Nyx¡¯s voice. The cat suddenly jumped out of Sage¡¯s shadow and landed on her shoulder. She did not mind its action as it continued to speak ¡°That will come and bite her later.¡±


    ¡°I hope it bites her right in the arse,¡± she responded grouchily. ¡°It would serve her right.¡±


    Honestly, she was really tempted to leave her here, to make her learn a lesson.


    If you¡¯re going to get drunk alone do it in a safe place¡­ like your inn room! she wanted to shout.


    As much as she was tempted to do though she could obviously not afford to let anything happening to her anchor so she could only suck it up and grabbed her.


    ¡°I swear, you owe me for this,¡± she muttered as she put Kaylee¡¯s arm around her neck and hauled her to her feet.


    Maybe after this she would stop asking for the stupid money she had taken from their group.


    ¡°Anders!¡± screamed the final douche as he hunched over his collapsed comrade.


    He was in a panic as his hands roamed around his fallen friend¡¯s throat and midsection. When he saw her looking on casually he exploded in rage.


    ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°He¡¯s not breathing. You killed him you fucking whore!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sage responded, surprised.


    She had only been trying to scare him when she cast [Terror]. If she really wanted to kill him she could have used other spells. Even so, she quickly resumed her normal posture; the douchebag¡¯s death, as unintended as it was, was no skin off her back. She would not lose any sleep over it.


    ¡°Oh?¡± the arsehole¡¯s anger flared at her nonchalance. ¡°Do you know who you just murdered?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± she replied. ¡°Should I?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the son of Duke Tremas!¡± the man shouted. ¡°Mark my words bitch; he will make you pay for what you have done!¡±


    As soon as the spectators heard the name Tremas gasps could suddenly be heard across the entire street. This Duke was quite the individual if he could elicit such a reaction here. This alone was enough to cause Sage¡¯s heart to sink just a little. If the parent of the dead douche truly was a duke then this matter would not die easily.


    Still though, it was not something that rendered her paralysed.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she responded, casting [Dimension Door].


    The last thing she heard as she before she dragged Kaylee¡¯s comatose form through and closed the Door was the continued shouts of the mourning moron about how she would not be able to escape no matter how far she ran.


    Looks like it¡¯s time to switch to a new disguise, she thought after the arsehole¡¯s annoying voice disappeared.


    But first, her gaze wandered to the unresponsive woman whose arm was wrapped around her neck.


    What do I do about her?


    The Door had taken them to the roof of a several-storeys building so they could avoid attention. Now that there were no other presences she dropped the half-elf, causing her to hit the hard surface of the roof with a thud. Another addition to Kaylee¡¯s suffering when she woke up; served her right.


    Surprisingly, when Kaylee¡¯s head made contact with the roof she regained consciousness. It was the drowsy kind though.


    ¡°Where <hick> am I?¡± She slurred her words through hiccups as her unfocused eyes wandered around and landed on Sage. Then the twisted smile from earlier returned. ¡°You! <hick> I found you <hick>. Now I¡¯m gonna strangle you until <hick> you give back all the money <hick> you took from us <hick>.¡±


    She stood up and lunged for her, but Sage merely side-stepped, causing her slip on her wobbly legs and crash back onto the roof. This fall, which looked very embarrassing by the way, did not seem to deter her.


    ¡°Stand still <hick> you corpse bitch <hick>,¡± Kaylee slurred as she got back to her quaky feet. ¡°Let me <hick> strangle you and until you give my gold back.¡±


    She tried to pounce again and was met with the same results, though this time her impact was harder.


    ¡°This is sad,¡± Nyx commented, watching her get back to her feet once more.


    ¡°Annoying is what it is.¡± Sage was pretty irritated, ¡°I¡¯m tempted to just kick her in head and have her sleep for the duration of her intoxicated state.¡±


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you?¡± her Familiar asked. ¡°Do you enjoy seeing her make an ass of herself? I do!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as enjoyable as I would like,¡± she replied. ¡°Though if I had a phone I would record this and upload the video for everyone to see what a moron I have to deal with.¡±


    ¡°A what with a what?¡± Nyx seemed confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with it,¡± she brushed him off.


    ¡°Are you <hick> mocking me?¡± Kaylee¡¯s slur angrily interrupted them. Her eyes were suddenly filled with a blaze as she charged forward. ¡°Stop that you fucking arseholes!¡±


    This time, instead of dodging, Sage punched her square in the face. The blow caught the half-elf between the eyes and sent her dropping like a sack of potatoes.


    ¡°She is gonna be in hell the next time she wakes up,¡± Nyx comment, sounding just a tiny bit elated.


    His tone caused Sage to eye him out the corner of her vision. Is this cat a sadist? She could not help but wonder.


    However, her attention was quickly diverted back to Kaylee. The half-elf looked out of it now, but she seemed to be mumbling something.


    Sage crouched down so she could hear what she was saying.


    ¡°You will regret this <hick>,¡± she mumbled in her sleep. ¡°Fucking Greggo <hick>, fucking Thelma <hick>, Elmer <hick>. I¡¯ll show you <hick>. I¡¯ll fucking show you <hick>. The Kaylith you knew is no more <hick>.¡±


    And then she was snoring.

 CHAPTER 54: WAKING UP

    When Kaylee regained consciousness her head was throbbing with an intensity. The environment she found herself in did not help. The sounds people made below her, the call of birds in the sky and the fact that her head rested on a hard surface; all of it escalated her pain instead of alleviating it.


    There was also a horrible smell in her vicinity.


    Where the hell am I? She wondered.


    This was not her inn room. She was out in the open. Prying her eyes open, she tried to look around.


    Unfortunately, as she was lying on her back, the first thing that entered her line of sight when she opened her eyes was the flaming sphere in the sky. Its intensity caused her to wince and hurriedly seal her eyes again. It was too bright.


    What time is it? She wondered with gritted teeth.


    It was not only her chest that throbbed with each of her heartbeats but her head as well, little by little adding to the pain that was already there. In this state trying to recall what happened the previous night was anything but smooth. New sensations shot up her temple as she was forced to wince once more. Nevertheless she forced herself to remember.


    It all started with not wanting to remain in Yshta, that she remembered well. Too many bad memories and feelings were associate with this city. To ease the burden of her creeping past she decided on a few drinks; and after that¡­ nothing.


    What have I done? She thought as panic began to settle in.


    Turning her head to the side, she was able to open her eyes and winced just a little this time. The hard surface she lay on was slate. This was a roof. Quickly adjusting to the brightness, she sat up and looked around, all too aware of the aches that were in sync with her pulse.


    The roof was practically empty except for dried-up substances of what looked like half-digested food and bile. This was where the awful smell she had sniffed earlier came from. Her clothes were intact, which meant nothing serious had happened while she was out. This served to calm her down and release a sigh.


    The last thing she noticed was the undead and her black cat on the other side of the roof shooting her looks of disdain.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake,¡± Sage said with a sneer. ¡°About time.¡±


    Every word that came out of the undead¡¯s mouth was like a hammer to her skull. To make it easier to endure she palmed her temple and glared at her with strained eyes.


    ¡°Why am I here?¡± she tried to demand. However, the pain in her head was such that she was forced to reduce her volume with every spoken word. In the end her sentence came out as merely a whimper.


    ¡°Because you were fucking around,¡± the undead responded. Maybe it was the discomfort with which she listened to her, but she sensed a bit of anger in Sage¡¯s voice. ¡°And now the city¡¯s on my arse for saving yours.¡±


    It was no small feat for Kaylee to get to her feet; it took even more effort to remain there. Although her feet were able to keep her body standing, the strain with which her legs supported her spine made her wish to lie back down. She wished she could rest her head on the slate and just lay there until pain went away.


    Even so, it was probably impossible to recover in the presence of what was likely her vomit. With slow heavy steps she distanced herself from it until the smell no longer bothered her nostrils. Once more she winced as the light of the sun was reflected into her eyes. She kept her eyes closed for a moment before opening them and shooting the undead a gaze.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked softly. Her question was accompanied by a grunt.


    ¡°Your drunken arse came searching for me for whatever reason and got entangled with a couple of morons,¡± Sage replied casually. That nonchalant tone rapidly morphing into one of annoyance though as she continued. ¡°Out of the goodness of my heart I tried to stop them and it ended with one of them dead. Now his father wants my head and as a result the whole city has been closed down.¡±


    ¡°Goodness of your heart?¡± Kaylee murmured amidst another wince. ¡°What goodness do-¡±


    She suddenly stopped as Sage¡¯s words it her.


    What they conveyed surprised Kaylee. Not the fact that the undead killed someone- that was typical of her kind- but the fact that she killed someone whose father had enough influence to close Yshta down. Low ranking nobles did not have the power to halt the activities of the capital, which meant the one the undead had offended was a Count or higher.


    ¡°What was his name?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Andrew?¡± Sage responded, sounding a little confused. ¡°Or was it Andor?¡±


    ¡°Anders?¡± Kaylee exclaimed, only to wince again. After that she shot the undead a look of incredulity. ¡°You killed the son of Tremas?¡±


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    ¡°Believe me, I was shocked to discover his father is a duke,¡± the undead replied. ¡°That little shit behaved like anything but a noble, much less a high ranking one. By the time it was revealed to me he was already dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck me,¡± Kaylee muttered with a wince and an exasperated breath. ¡°You killed the duke¡¯s favourite son, his heir.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the undead responded as comprehension dawned to her. ¡°That¡¯s why the reaction was so intense.¡±


    Even as Sage said this, the nonchalance never escaped her tone. Kaylee scoffed at this. She could not believe the undead¡¯s attitude.


    ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±


    ¡°What else is there to say?¡±


    She no longer looked at her, instead dragging her ragged body to the edge of the roof to check the situation on the street.


    Down there everything looked normal. From her vantage she spotted the usual stalls with eccentric promoters and reluctant buyers, the common trend of children running and laughing in the street and the same old routine city guards strolling by. Different from the usual though was the tense in the air. Even from where she stood Kaylee could clearly see that apart from the children no one was smiling. They bore uneasy expressions their warry eyes as they gazed upon the more than double the usual guards roaming the streets. Some of these guards would stop random passers-by to ask questions.


    ¡°Shit,¡± she muttered when she saw the scene. Turning back to the undead she could not help but ask. ¡°Did anyone see my face?¡±


    It would be bad if Tremas had her description. The situation would reach her family and the situation would escalate.


    Shit! Shit! Shit!  She thought as she pondered the consequences the undead¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Did you have to go so far as to killing someone?¡± she asked angrily. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just have scared him off or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I tried to do,¡± Sage replied indignantly. ¡°Who knew the piece of shit would croak from an Illusion spell?¡±


    ¡°What Order of Illusion spell was that?¡± Kaylee yelled, only to wince again. She palmed her temple and continued. ¡°Illusion magic below 5<sup>th</sup> Order cannot physically affect the body. Why would you use a high Order spell on a normal person?¡±


    Instead of responding to her question, Sage merely stared at her with those dark empty orbs of hers. ¡°You¡¯re awfully demanding for someone whose arse I saved.¡± The irritation in her voice was clear. ¡°You know, when I first saw you lying in the street like a seasoned alcoholic my first instinct was to let you be. It was against my better judgement that I decided to stop those moron from dragging you away and having their way with you and this is the thanks I get?¡±


    ¡°If I were you I would be thanking Master on my knees,¡± the black cat chimed in, its emerald eyes peering at her disapprovingly.


    Kaylee opened her mouth to respond but ended up closing it when she was unable to come up with a good retort. Her eyes left the undead¡¯s face and travelled to the rest of her body, noticing for the first time that she was dressed differently. Her current attire was black like the last one, it seemed to be her favourite colour, something Kaylee had to begrudgingly admit they had in common. However, now instead of a dress she wore a pair of leather pants with a black long-sleeved shirt and a dark leather armour vest. She had also changed her shoes from sandals to boots with a matching colour. In her gloved hands she held a hooded cloak of the same colour.


    ¡°Is that how you¡¯re going to dress from now on?¡± she asked the undead.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sage replied. ¡°Since no one knows how I look like this is all I need to do to evade Tremas¡¯ dogs.¡±


    Kaylee harrumphed at this and pointed to her face. ¡°You will catch more attention with your face uncovered than with your face covered.¡±


    ¡°Oh that,¡± the undead did not sound bothered. She rubbed the fur of her cat, who seemed to get her message and regurgitated a white mask with black intricate patterns. Then she put it on her face and looked at Kaylee. When she spoke the mask distorted her voice. ¡°When I¡¯m dressed like this you will adress to me as Shade.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Kaylee could not help but retort, letting sarcasm drip into her tone. ¡°You¡¯re changing your name from Sage to Shade? I¡¯m sure no one will be able to make the connection.¡±


    ¡°Yes Kaylith,¡± the undead fired back. ¡°I¡¯m sure no one can make a connection between that name and the one you currently use.¡±


    The utterance of that name by the undead was like thunder to her ears. At the sound of it her eyes widened as her heart sped up. The throbbing of her temple became a distant thing as she opened her quivering lips to ask a question.


    ¡°How-¡±


    ¡°You talk in your sleep,¡± the Sage said before she could finish. ¡°Or at maybe it¡¯s just your drunken sleep. Who¡¯s Greggo? And Thelma? And Elmer?¡±


    Each time one of those names was spoken it was like an invisible hand was squeezing her heart to stop it from beating. Her expression probably conveyed so because the undead stared at her meaning fully. It caused her to snap out of it and glare back.


    ¡°They¡¯re nobodies!¡± she answered. A second later she felt like kicking herself because she answered too fast. Of course the undead would know she was lying.


    Contrary to her expectations though, Sage did not seem to suspect her; that or she just did not care.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± the she said. ¡°It¡¯s time to move on to the next city. Are you coming with or are you gonna stay here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with,¡± Kaylee responded after a thinking for a while.


    Because of Sage killing the son of a duke there was no doubt that she would be implicated. Even if Tremas did not know what she looked like, the fact that she was half-elf was definitely known to him by now. There were not many of her kind in the city or even in existence. If she had to guess, the number of half-elves in Yshta could be counted on a single hand.


    ¡°After we leave the city I¡¯m parting with you,¡± she continued.


    This was another thing she decided. If she extended her stay with this undead there was no doubt that it would land her in serious trouble one day. Better for her to separate herself now than do it later after Sage drags her into an even worse mess.


    ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Sage said. Then she conjured a dagger, a bow and quill; which she tossed to Kaylee. ¡°I had Nyx retrieve your belongings from the inn last night in case the dead moron¡¯s father traced your steps back.¡±


    Kaylee caught her weapons and gave the undead a surprised look. At this point Sage had also gotten to her feet and was approaching the roof¡¯s edge on her side.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said genuinely.


    However, the response she got was a sneer.


    ¡°I only did it to stop them from sniffing out your tail,¡± the undead responded matter-of-factly. ¡°If you get caught it won¡¯t take long for people to learn that I¡¯m undead or that I¡¯m linked to you. It was merely to protect my future in the Main Plane.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Kaylee responded.


    That made sense.

 CHAPTER 55: GOING & COMING

    When that moron said the dead guy¡¯s father would be coming after her, Sage had not thought much of it. Now as she strode down the street with {Invisibility} on she could not help feeling annoyed. The city guards were practically everywhere. Unlike the Tiih City Guard which boast a few elites, it felt like every tenth member of the Yshta City Guard she saw was someone with a Grade 4 physique or a mage. At her level they would not be hard to deal with, but they were definitely able to slow her down until more capable help arrived. It got her wondering; did the Yshian capital have a Captain like that bastard from Tiih?


    Another thing that annoyed her was the fact that she had to keep holding Kaylee¡¯s hand while they strode through the streets. Since {Invisibility} was an ability she possessed, she had not bothered to learn its 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell equivalent, which meant this was the only way she could maintain both her and the half-elf¡¯s invisibility. It almost made her regret not stealing the [Invisibility] spell model when she went back to rob Arkay¡¯s Arcanes the previous night.


    The old man had set up spells capable of fending off most thieves, but they were a joke in front of the phantom Sage. Magic circles meant to alarm and trap intruders practically had no effect on her, so she was able to waltz in and take what she wanted. The only problem with her operation the previous night was that she discovered Arkay slept in his shop. As a 7<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer he would not have been easy to deal with. Fortunately she had found him asleep so all she had to do was cast [Sleeping Circle] to prevent him from waking while she was in the middle of looting the place.


    He¡¯ll probably still think it was me, she thought as she dragged Kaylee out of the crowded street and into an alley.


    There was no doubt that she would be the number one suspect in Arkay¡¯s mind, especially with the whole city already looking for her. There were already drawings with her disguised likeness all over the city so it would not be a stretch for the old man to think someone wanted for murder was also capable of theft.


    Although this whole wanted thing did not sit well with her, it did not affect her much. Duke Tremas might have mobilised the City Guard to look for her and, from rumours that had been flying around, employed the Guild to find her; but none of those actions would bear fruit. In a few minutes she would be gone from this city.


    I¡¯ll have to eventually come back though, she thought to herself.


    At some point she would have to return to this place to get the information she requested from Sylphia.


    In the wee hours of the morning, when Kaylee was still in her drunken slumber, she had travelled to the Enchanted Flower and asked Talia tell her mistress she would be back for requested information in a few weeks. It was a sort of reminder and a threat; just because she was now wanted, the elf should not take it as an incentive to ditch her request, not after Sage paid her a shit-ton amount of gold.


    If she backs out I¡¯ll kill her!


    Although she was confident it would not come to that, brokers were not a trustworthy bunch in general. There was nothing to stop Sylphia from selling her out for extra cash and a bit of protection, although that path was bound to be detrimental since she did not know much about Sage. In the end she would only end up ruining her reputation by breaching the confidentiality of one of her clients. In such a bargain she stood to lose more than she would gain.


    At least that was what Sage thought.


    Maybe the elf was capable of manoeuvring in a way that ensured she came out on top. Also, the fact that she had been to Enchanted Flower must be known to Tremas by now. Perhaps at this moment his minions were already grilling Sylphia about her whereabouts.


    Let¡¯s hope her backing is strong enough to resist a duke¡¯s wrath, she thought as she dragged Kaylee through the city walls.


    Since they had not used the city gates, the place they appeared at outside the city was completely deserted. The first thing she did after seeing the coast was clear was dispel {Invisibility} and let go of Kaylee¡¯s hand, causing the half-elf to tumble to the ground.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Kaylee exclaimed. Every action she took as she tried to stand was accompanied by a wince. ¡°Why the fuck did you do that? And why did you travel in the noisy streets instead of the silent rooftops?¡±


    ¡°Because I can,¡± she replied coldly.


    Outward she might have appeared as nonchalant as usual, but in reality she was pissed. It was Kaylee¡¯s fault that she was in this predicament. If not for her drunken carelessness none of this would be happening. Travelling between loud crowds was a small form of revenge for her. The fact that the half-elf¡¯s head must be pounding like hell at the moment served to ease her frustrations a bit.


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    But of course she would not be telling her that.


    ¡°I¡¯m going this way,¡± she said before Kaylee could retaliate. She was pointing about ninety degrees from the risen suns direction, southwards.


    If she remembered correctly, the roads going in that direction led to the town of Nervahn. There was nothing special about it except that it acted as a waypoint between Yshta and the border city of Inalla. It was around two days ride on horseback. The time it took to get there was probably four times that on foot.


    ¡°I¡¯m also going in that direction,¡± Kaylee revealed, which caused Sage to narrow her eyes at her. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Nervahn is the closest town in the surrounding. I¡¯ll part with you after we get there.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Sage said after contemplating for a while.


    On the bright side, while out in the open she did not have to cover her face and could ingrain the dangerous spells she was unable to in the city, like [Conflagration]. Also, there was something she wanted to test with regards of her being a phantom.


    ***


    The atmosphere of the Yshian capital was tenser than Marcus remembered it. Guards were everywhere patrolling on high alert. According to the rumours flying they were trying to catch some woman who killed a duke¡¯s heir.


    What a courageous woman, he thought as he strolled down the main road.


    In this world where individual might could topple a nation, the reason the aristocracy ruled was none other than the fact that they were powerful; or at least their heritage was. As powerful as the Mercenary Guild was, even its collective might in the country would be hard pressed to go up against the strength of the nobility. As a country that values mages, it was unsurprising that the strongest sorcerers in Ysh came from these families. The reason why the Ysran family ruled the country was more than just because of the fact that they had Savandor in their employ. King Vash himself was known to be in the 7<sup>th</sup> Order while his heir was a talented mage of the 8<sup>th</sup>. As for the Tremas duke who had been provoked, the duke was a 5<sup>th</sup> Order mage with senior sorcerers and powerful warriors at his beck and call. That was why it was so surprising to Marcus that someone would blatantly kill the heir of such a family.


    Did that woman have no fear?


    Apparently the duke gave an order to question all the witnesses and kill them if he did not get a satisfactory answer, though he had to retract that last part of his order after the royal family intervened. Still, the chances of the culprit getting away were practically nil.


    After listening to the rumours for a while he stopped paying attention. The only reason he was in this city was to look for his comrade. A duke¡¯s problems had nothing to do with him.


    That was what he thought until he entered the Yshta Guild building.


    This place was twice the size of its Tiih counterpart but it was even more cramped. Upon entering he noticed a crowd gathered around the assignment board. Curious, he glanced over to see what it was about.


    There was a sketch of a figure in a black hat and what looked like a mask covering most of the face up to the bridge of the nose.  A smaller drawing of the figure¡¯s full body displaying a voluptuous woman in a black dress was displayed on the right of the first drawing. Below both sketches the characteristics of the featured person were jotted down.


    Name: Calls herself Lady Maverick or Sage


    Height: 1.60 m


    Others: -Believed to possess a physique of the fourth Grade and mana of the seventh Order.


    -Owns of black cat familiar.


    -Spotted in the company of a half-elf multiple times.


    Wanted: 100 gold (alive); 50 gold (dead)


    If you have any information please contact the Mercenary Guild. Any useful information will be rewarded with two gold coins. Information that leads to capture will be rewarded ten gold coins.


    What the fuck! Marcus thought after he finished reading the notice. Kaylee, what the fuck have you done?


    So this was what she had been hiding, the fact that she was with that undead. Why though? What was the reason for this? Among all his teammates, the last person he expected to do something so stupid was her!


    Shit, he thought as he looked at the amount offered for the undead.


    At the moment it looked like Kaylee¡¯s identity had not yet been deciphered. If that happened he and the other members of the Scarlet Quartet would be implicated. Quickly, he rushed to the upper floor of the Guild building and stopped at the reception there. This was the place where mercenaries sent messages to others who were at different branches.


    ¡°I need to send a message to Tiih,¡± he said impatiently, slamming his mercenary badge on the counter.


    ¡°To who sir?¡± the pretty receptionist asked as she took his badge and ran it through an authentication device.


    ¡°Arletta Henson and Zachary, just Zachary,¡± he replied. ¡°Can I have a paper?¡±


    When the receptionist provided him with one he quickly got to writing his message in the coded language his squad had developed. The message was very short and precise; If anyone asks we don¡¯t know anyone named Sage.


    The message would reach Tiih in about an hour. Hopefully his two teammates get the message before the undead¡¯s wanted posture reaches there.


    After leaving the receptionist¡¯s table he went back down and was about to leave the building when he heard someone call his name.


    Turning around, he found himself face to face with an old acquaintance¡­ the half-orc Taruk.

 CHAPTER 56: JOURNEY & ARRIVAL

    Marcus ground his teeth so hard it felt they would crack from listening to Taruk. The half-orc had just finished narrating their journey to Yshta and had moved on to Laz¡¯s assault.


    ¡°The bones in his limbs were broken, countless ribs fractured and he suffered from internal bleeding,¡± He was informed. Taruk¡¯s tone carried a modicum of accusation as he continued. ¡°His injuries were so grievous even Hvar couldn¡¯t treat him. We had to fork over a shitload of gold to the Sheans so they could heal him.¡±


    ¡°I feel for you,¡± Marcus said, trying very hard to maintain a calm appearance.


    That fucking undead bitch! He screamed internally. And that stupid fucking idiot! Why the hell did she join up with the undead¡­ IN FRONT OF WITNESSES?


    Listening to the half-orc talk about the two of them gave him a massive migraine.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know Sage?¡± Taruk queried him for the umpteenth time.


    ¡°Never heard of her until I got here,¡± he responded smoothly. Now that he had a grasp of the extent of Sage¡¯s misdeeds he was even more adamant in his denial of ever having met her.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad,¡± Taruk said to him. ¡°With the amount offered for any knowledge of her, everyone who¡¯s met her has already reported everything they know about her. Even Delsarte paid a visit to the guild earlier to tell them what he knows. You¡¯re missing out.¡±


    Marcus shrugged at this, which Taruk took as an opportunity to continue.


    ¡°There¡¯s something weird in all this though.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he leaned in to listen.


    ¡°When we reported what we knew about that woman we also added that the half-elf with her might be Kaylee, we gave a description and all. But even so her name and description have been excluded from the sheets. What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    ¡°Not a clue,¡± Marcus responded; a little unhappy to hear Taruk so blatantly state that he had sold Kaylee out, but he was sincere in his response. The ordeal was strange.


    ¡°There¡¯s somewhere I should be going,¡± he said after a while, getting up from his seat. He had to find Kaylee before she landed them all in trouble.


    ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Taruk said him, before raising his hand to order a drink.


    Marcus¡¯ stoic expression fell apart almost immediately after leaving the building. A deep frown creased his brow as he cursed the current situation, and those responsible for it.


    Kaylee that dumb bitch, and that fucking undead whore! How did the two of them create such a clusterfuck of a situation?


    I must find and separate them before they are found, he thought with determination.


    Unfortunately, even though he was fired up and ready to go, he had not a clue where to start.


    Where had the two of them run off to? Where they even still in the city?


    He had just taken a few steps from Guild entrance when two people stepped into his path. It was a pair of twins, a man and a woman who looked to be in their mid-twenties. They both had jet black hair with appealing features that were accentuated by their expensive wear. At first glance he could tell that these two were individuals of importance.


    ¡°Is there something I can help you with sir, madam?¡± he asked, puzzled.


    Why had they stepped in his way? From the way they eyed him it appeared they knew him, but he could swear this was his first time meeting them. What did they want to him?


    ¡°Marcus right?¡± the boy said with a smile that could be called condescending. To his side his sister mirrored his expression.


    One look at the two of them and Marcus decided he did not like them. However, since they were clearly of the nobility he did not make his dislike apparent. Forcing a smile to his lips, he mustered a reply.


    ¡°That is my name. Is there something I can do for you?¡±


    This time it was the sister who replied. ¡°This is about your companion Kaylee. We need you to come with us.¡±


    ***


    Sage was not talking to her.


    Whenever she tried to strike up a conversation the undead would sneer at her before looking away. After a couple of failed attempts Kaylee gave up and set her attentions elsewhere.


    Why are you blaming me for the fact that you¡¯ve become a wanted fugitive? She thought begrudging as she scrutinised the model for the spell [Flight]. You¡¯re the one who killed a Duke¡¯s heir.


    When they had begun their journey three days ago the undead handed her a bunch of spells models and told her to start with this spell as it was the best for her wind affinity. Although she appreciated the gesture- sort of- she did not appreciate the way the bitch flung the sheets at her before going back to her own magic models and saying not to bother her.


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    What is she even studying this time? She wondered.


    The previous day Sage had been looking over a 7<sup>th</sup> Order fire element spell that allowed her to summon black flames in a wide setting. Kaylee had never seen anything like it in her entire life. The flames had a sinister air to them as they spread across the empty plain. Even when the undead cast [Ice Storm] the flames would not go out. In the end Sage had to clear the area around the black fire to deny the flames a place to manoeuvre, causing them to die out after exhausting their source.


    What will travellers think when they encounter that charred field? She wondered as she looked around.


    The minutes passed and the twilight faded, giving way to darkness which she was unable to read in. With a heavy sigh she put the spell sheets away and took out her catch of them day, a rabbit. Having already gutted and skinned it earlier, the only thing left to do was start a fire and roast it. Unfortunately, she had no condiments on her so the taste was bland.


    If there was one advantage to travelling with the undead it was that she did not require food. Since they did not have even a basic ingredient like salt Sage had opted from dinner. Or maybe it was because she was expecting Kaylee to try and poison her, though that would be stupid considering her kind were immune to poison.


    Another benefit to travelling with Sage was that Kaylee did not need to be a look out. She could let her guard down and sleep to her hearts content while the sleepless bitch played watch-out all night long. This was how they had spent the last several nights and was definitely how this night would be spent.


    By the time morning came she was well rested; a bit sore and itchy in all parts from using the hard ground as a bed and from lack of protection from mosquitoes, but she had had worse nights.


    Upon waking up she cast [Create Water] to wash her face, used the spell once more to quench her thirst and took a bite of her leftover rabbit. After she was done she turned her attention to the undead.


    Different from the previous days Sage was not peering into a book, but was busying herself with three captured rats the size of her head. The rodent¡¯s limbs were twisted at impossible angles, causing them utter weak painful squeaks as they were unable to escape. Kaylee attributed it to the annoying cat a distance away from the undead.


    How she hated the creature; the way it always sneered at her and spoke to her as if she were a bug. On more than a few occasions she had been tempted to pick up her bow and lodge an arrow between its eyes.


    Turning her attention from the Familiar, she saw the undead pick up one of three vials in front of her. Two of these vials contained a clear liquid while the last one held a very dark fluid. The vial in Sage¡¯s hand was one of the transparent ones. With her other hand she picked up one of the rats and forced the contents of the vial down its throat. Then she waited for a minute, but nothing happened.


    Without so much as a change in her expression Sage strangled the rat and cast it aside. Then she moved to the next rodent and picked up the second vial of clear liquid. Her previous actions were repeated with the same results, after which this rat was put out of its misery and tossed aside as well.


    Kaylee watched silently as the undead picked up the last rat and fed it the dark contents of the last vial.


    This time there was a reaction, a very violent one.


    The moment the dark liquid touched its tongue the little critter began to squeak and thrash violently. If not for the fact that its limbs were broken it would have no doubt scratched the undead.


    Although the squeaks were not particularly loud, Kaylee found them unbearable. They were reminiscent of the death throes of a strangled beast, full of pain and anguish. She saw the blood vessels in the creature¡¯s eyes darken as its cries became louder. Then it gave one last squeaky shriek and the light left its eyes.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked, practically demanded, as she watched the undead toss this rat aside too.


    The undead shot her a glare but she nonetheless decided to respond.


    ¡°I was trying to confirm something about my body fluids. A while back some bastard spilled my blood, got it onto himself and had an adverse reaction to it. For a while now I¡¯ve wanted to see if that really was the case. I was also trying to figure out if it was only my blood that was poison or also my other fluids, like my saliva and vaginal fluids.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Kaylee responded.


    Suddenly, the story of Isaac being poisoned made a lot of sense. After all, no matter how strong the undead appeared to be there was just no way she could picture her besting such an individual. She had seen the man in action before and it was no exaggeration to say he was one of the strongest she had ever seen. Even magicians of the 9<sup>th</sup> Order would have trouble dealing with him.


    Still though, she scrutinised the undead.


    ¡°Vaginal fluids?¡± She did not want to think about how she produced a vial of the substance. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have checked something easier like sweat or tears? Hell, even piss would be a more viable option in this case.¡±


    The sneer she got in response to her question was one of the most condescending she had ever received after becoming a mercenary.


    ¡°I don¡¯t sweat,¡± the undead grunted. ¡°I can¡¯t shed tears without a strong incentive and I don¡¯t piss either. As an undead most of my internal systems don¡¯t work, except my nervous system it seems. That is one difference I have compared to most undead.¡±


    ¡°Nervous system?¡± Kaylee asked, puzzled.


    Instead of providing an answer, Sage shot her off. ¡°Go read a book on human anatomy if you want to know.¡±


    And that was the end of the conversation.


    The two of them packed up and walked until midday, when Kaylee felt she could no longer go on and had to rest and eat. She took this time to check the model for [Flight]. After several days of glaring at that damned sheet she finally managed to cast the fucking spell!


    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± she rejoiced as she hovered a couple of metres above the ground.


    She had managed to cast a 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell, something she had been told she would never be able to do by her arsehole family! How could she not rejoice at this moment? It was like a kick in the balls for those pieces of shit!


    Unfortunately her joy was short-lived as the transformation of her mana was accompanied by a pain that almost made her lose control and fall to the ground. When it was done she saw that Sage looking at her with what appeared to be the first makings of a smile since they left Yshta. Kaylee descended and showed her the middle finger, causing the undead to snarl and cast her attention elsewhere.


    Since she had learned [Flight] the two of them decided to continue the rest of the journey via air with her having to take several breaks along the road.


    A strange occurrence that greeted them on their journey to the Nervahn was a caravan of people and wagons travelling from the place. If she gave a rough estimation, the migrating bunch numbered around four to five hundred.


    ¡°Somethings up,¡± she said while looking down on the people from sky.


    Sage shot her an annoyed look that said why state the obvious, causing her to shut her mouth and focus on flying.


    By the time they got to the town at sunset they learned why there were so many people on the road to Yshta. There was news of a necromancer appearing in a nearby village.


    ¡°Oh fuck me,¡± she muttered when she learned of it.

 CHAPTER 57: LOOMING THREAT

    ¡°What is a necromancer doing in these parts, and so brazenly?¡±


    It did not make sense at all. Usually necromancers practised their unholy arts in dark caves or secluded towers; someplace hidden. The moment they came out into the open everyone would immediately pounce on them and rip them to shreds. In the rare moments where they made their presence known they usually attacked settlements before quickly retreating with the spoils of their plunder; food and corpses for she-did-not-want-to-know-what. However, from the news that was flying around this necromancer had settled in the village. It truly did not make sense.


    Unfortunately, the response she was waiting for came in the form of a shrug.


    ¡°How would I know?¡± the undead said. ¡°I¡¯m not a necromancer.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re¡­¡± the she looked around to see if there was anyone lurking nearby. When she was sure no one was within hearing distance she leaned in and whispered very softly. ¡°¡­ an undead. You should be as familiar with them as heat is with fire. The two go hand in hand.¡±


    ¡°Heat can be generated without fire,¡± Sage countered. ¡°And some undead can survive without a necromancer.¡±


    ¡°You are not one of those undead,¡± Kaylee hissed. ¡°The reason we¡¯re here now is because you need a sorcerer to keep you from falling off the face of Aran.¡±


    ¡°I am capable of living without an anchor,¡± Sage said with a harrumph. ¡°Just not in the Main Plane.¡±


    ¡°You were with that old necromancer weren¡¯t you?¡± Kaylee steered the derailing conversation back. ¡°Surely you¡¯ve learned something about necromancers from him.¡±


    ¡°He was an outlier,¡± Sage replied, her eyes taking a far-away look. It only lasted a few seconds though before her focus returned to her. ¡°Not the grave-robbing, corpse-looting fiend who dwells in a dark cave and gorges himself on the tears of infants and blood of virgins as you imagined.¡±


    ¡°I did not think that,¡± Kaylee shot her a glare.


    This attracted a blank stare from the undead, which lasted over a dozen seconds before she turned away.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have much of an imagination, so I doubt you could conjure such an image on your own. Though I wouldn¡¯t put it above the Sheans to spread such tales to scare the people. Maybe your friend Zachary has planted such thoughts into your head? He certainly appeared to be the type.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting necromancers are misunderstood?¡± Kaylee asked, feeling the embers of her anger rising. And did you just imply I am daft?


    ¡°We¡¯re all misunderstood,¡± Sage replied silently. ¡°Whatever you think you know of someone, you¡¯re probably wrong. It¡¯s a waste to try and understand others if it doesn¡¯t benefit you.¡±


    Kaylee perked up at the undead¡¯s statement. Within her tone she heard melancholy, self-deprecation. Kaylee could almost feel the words not spoken, a story about the undead, the one that shaped her to be the creature she was. She would be lying if she said she was not burning to know what events had shaped Sage into the insufferable bitch she was today. But the chances of the undead telling her were abysmal to non-existent, so she would not waste time on it.


    ¡°The Guild will probably have more information,¡± she said, letting out a deep breath through her nose.


    For once the undead agreed with her as she gestured. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    As its main function was to be a transition point between two major cities, Nervahn was a small town. Its main street was only about half a kilometre long, the shops were far from as impressive as those in Yshta or even Tiih. There was no protective wall around Nervahn. Little wonder everyone was fleeing at the news of a necromancer.


    The tallest and most remarkable buildings here were the Church of Life chapel and the Mercenary Guild building, so it was not difficult to spot the latter. With night falling and with the place rapidly turning into a ghost town they made it there in no time.


    When Kaylee opened the doors to this branch of the Guild the differences between it and those of Tiih and Yshta immediately jumped out to her. This place, which was much smaller than the aforementioned branches, was practically empty. There were two or three people seated here and there but, together with the frightened looking receptionist, they did not number past fifteen. Also-


    They look fucking weak! she thought as she watched them.


    It all honesty, an individual¡¯s strength was a difficult thing to determine just by looking at them; at least without a special skill that could do so. But as the scout of the Scarlet Quartet it had always been her job to gauge the strength of any would-be foe. Under normal circumstances she would not be able to make an estimate until they showed hostility, but the people in this room just screamed amateur. Even their weapons and gear looked subpar. Added to that they seemed to be trembling in their seats from what could only be terror.


    Why are they still here then? she wondered as she made her way to the counter.


    ¡°G-good evening,¡± the receptionist greeted when they got there. Despite the obvious fear in her eyes, her tone was almost calm. ¡°A-are the two of you mercenaries? Is there something I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kaylee responded. She took out her badge and placed it on the counter. ¡°What information do you have on the necromancer that just appeared?¡±


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    The moment Kaylee slammed her badge on the counter the receptionist¡¯s mood seemed to rise, but it quickly fell when she saw the three stars on it. Then she took a deep breath and offered her a smile that was so obviously, painfully fake.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish,¡± she said, her tone as deflated as her expression. She began her narration regardless. ¡°The necromancer appeared roughly¡­¡± she turned back to look at the giant clock hanging on the wall before she turned back to face Kaylee ¡°¡­ six hours ago in the village of Hassun. Whatever his purpose in the village is we can only speculate as the only people who managed to escape were those who fled when he first appeared. What we have grasped from sending in Familiars to scout is that this necromancer still remains in the Hassun, though we are still unable to determine his purpose there. The only good news we have is that one of the Familiars managed to catch a glimpse of the dark sorcerer¡¯s appearance and with that we were able to identify him.¡±


    With that the receptionist marched over to one of the shelves in the back and picked up a few papers. Then she returned to the counter and offered them to Kaylee, who accepted the papers and gazed at the sketched face of a wizened man. He was the skinny sort with the distinctive features of a long face with a big nose and small eyes; all in all, not a handsome appearance.


    To her side she heard the undead pose a question. ¡°Are all necromancers old?¡±


    She chose to ignore her and read what was said written about the individual. However, a gasp escaped her mouth the moment she read the illustrated individual¡¯s name.


    ¡°Kezan?¡± she asked in disbelief, shooting the receptionist a wide-eyed stare. ¡°The Cryptmaker?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± the woman at the counter replied silently, fear creeping back onto her face. ¡°A message has already been sent to other branches in the kingdom. We¡¯re still awaiting a response from them, although the Tiih branch did reply say they¡¯re putting a force together.¡±


    ¡°Did they mention how soon they would be able to make it here?¡± Kaylee asked urgently.


    ¡°Unfortunately no,¡± the receptionist answered softly. ¡°The Tiih branch did say they are doing their best to assemble a force and will get here as soon as they can.¡±


    ¡°What about the Yshta branch?¡± Kaylee asked forcefully. ¡°Or the Inalla branch? What about the Sheans? How come those zealots haven¡¯t assembled a force yet?¡±


    ¡°If the chapel has any plans to deal with the necromancer they haven¡¯t communicated them to us,¡± the receptionist replied.


    This response caused Kaylee to tsk harshly, causing the startled woman at the counter to back away. Kaylee disregarded this and took the opportunity to look around the Guild hall, realising the dozen or so people still present were looking in her direction. Young and old, slim and muscular; it did not matter because they all bore the same expectant expression. They likely believed the Church or the other branches would come through before the necromancer had a chance to turn his sights on this town.


    ¡°Utter fucking morons,¡± she muttered with an exasperated breath. ¡°If the Guild and Church¡¯s preparation are half-arsed it could lead to a massive tragedy.¡±


    ¡°Is this Cryptmaker guy such a big deal?¡±


    This question was uttered in a calm voice that completely ignored the mood. Kaylee turned to the masked figure with a deep frown.


    ¡°He is a 9<sup>TH</sup> ORDER sorcerer!¡± she replied harshly. ¡°Over the past century and a half he has appeared all over Rekke, slaughtering villages and besieging cities! The fiend is believed to have an army of over a THOUSAND undead which include DREAD ZOMBIES, WRAITHS and DEATH KNIGHTS! DOES THAT SEEM LIKE A TRIVIAL FIGURE TO YOU?¡±


    The last sentence she said amidst throwing the papers at the corpse bitch. Her outburst must have taken those present by surprise, but she paid them no mind; instead focusing on calming herself down. Maybe the stress of everything that happened over the past few days was getting to her. She really needed a break from the undead.


    Sage was the only one who did not have any visible reaction to her outburst. Even when she threw the papers the undead simply caught them and began skimming through them. This unresponsiveness caused her to glare at the corpse woman for a full minute while breathing heavily through her nose, after which the undead looked up from the papers and turned to the receptionist.


    ¡°This Cryptmaker guy attacked a village of the Kingdom of Ysh and you guys fear he will attack this town next,¡± she began stoically. ¡°This makes it a problem for the government instead of the Mercenary Guild or even the Church of Life. Isn¡¯t the aristocracy going to do something to about it?¡±


    For a moment the receptionist looked unsure. ¡°Well¡­¡± she closed her mouth after not being able to find something else to say.


    ¡°Do you really think those pompous shits will risk themselves for others?¡± Kaylee spoke up almost immediately after. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it with your own eyes, the way they treat their own subjects. The poorest are rung dry of everything they have simply to fuel their lavish lifestyles. Do you really think people like that would get off their arses if they didn¡¯t have a personal stake in it?¡±


    The receptionist bore a scandalous expression, probably from hearing someone blatantly badmouth the nobles. Sage on the other hand remained the same as always.


    ¡°This is an opportunity for them to build up their reputation among the populace so I fail to see why they aren¡¯t taking it,¡± Sage retorted. ¡°It¡¯s not like they would risk anything by taking it. That Savandor guy could probably deal with this Cryptmaker guy on his own. After he does that the aristocracy could spread propaganda about how the Guild and the Church were incapable of doing it. Even if this action doesn¡¯t amount to much it could at least make people lose a bit of faith in these two organisations. They¡¯d be utter fucking morons not to take this chance?¡±


    ¡°Savandor is out of the country, on a diplomatic mission apparently,¡± Kaylee replied.


    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t they be able to assemble a team of 9<sup>th</sup> Order mages and Grade 1 warriors to gang up on the Cryptmaker?¡± Sage asked. ¡°If they can¡¯t do at least that then their reputation as the strongest nation in these parts is wholly undeserved.¡±


    The casualness with which the undead made this statement betrayed her lack of deeper knowledge about this the world. It caused Kaylee to purse her lips in annoyance.


    ¡°The reason Grade 1 and 9<sup>th</sup> Order are held in such esteem is because of how uncommon they are,¡± she said snappily. ¡°Even if the nobles band together with the Guild and the Church it would be hard to get more than a few of them to join. There are only six mages of the 9<sup>th</sup> Order in Ysh and about two Grade 1 individuals. If one of them were to fall it would considerably lessen the strength of the country.¡±


    ¡°Is the Cryptmaker so dangerous that even a party of such individuals is at risk of losing their lives?¡± the undead asked.


    ¡°He is a necromancer with an army that numbers a thousand,¡± Kaylee reiterated. ¡°Some of these undead are said to be strong and intelligent like-¡±


    She stopped herself before she could say anymore. Heart pounding rapidly at the near slip-up, she turned to the receptionist to see if the woman had caught anything. Fortunately the receptionist did not seem to have latched onto what she had said.


    ¡°So the Cryptmaker is capable of making sentient undead?¡±


    Kaylee¡¯s ears perked up at the change in Sage¡¯s tone. Alarms went off in her brain, causing her to narrow her gaze on the two slits where the undead¡¯s soul windows could be seen. In those dark orbs she saw glee and what looked like the makings of plan that she was certain she would not like.


    ¡°W-what are you planning?¡± she asked with a stutter.


    When the undead replied Kaylee could almost see that infuriating stitched up smile behind her mask.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking maybe I should give this Cryptmaker a visit.¡±

 CHAPTER 58: OBSTRUCTION

    Looking at the undead¡¯s expression, noting her scheming smile and greedy eyes; Kaylee did not like whatever she was concocting. Even so, while they were in public she did not deign to say anything about it. She stood aside and watched silently as Sage demanded all the information about the Cryptmaker before the two of them gave their farewells and left.


    It was when they were clear of the Guild building that she turned to her undead companion with as deep a frown as she could muster.


    ¡°What are you planning?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m obviously going to meet the Cryptmaker,¡± the undead replied simply. ¡°If he really is capable of creating intelligent undead then there is a lot I can learn from him.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re planning on meeting up with him and what- beg him to make you his student?¡± Kaylee asked, her eyes narrowing in on the masked figure.


    ¡°Make me his stu-¡± Sage sounded almost offended by her question. ¡°No! I just want access to his spells. Perhaps then I¡¯d be able to create sentient undead of my own.¡±


    Hearing this, Kaylee¡¯s narrowed eyes took on another shape as she raised an eyebrow. So that was what the undead was planning.


    ¡°You wish to become a necromancer, an undead necromancer; like a Lich?¡±


    The idea of it brought sent chills up her spine.


    Among all undead, Liches were the most feared on the entire continent. They were the result of a Skeleton Mage achieving Ultra Order; and when it came to necromancy they were unmatched. Whenever a Lich was born tens of thousands of undead would flock to its side as it spread death and destruction wherever it went. The appearance of such a creature often resulted in the death of millions. The matter was considered so serious that even Methos and the Imperium would take immediate action.


    And Sage wanted to become a creature similar to that?


    ¡°Absolutely fucking not!¡± Kaylee blurted out.


    Sage might not be a Skeleton Mage; in fact, Kaylee did not know what she was. What she knew was that the undead was dangerous. She was a 7<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer with racial skills that seemed to be related to spectres. So, apart from being able to make herself a ghost she also wanted to learn how to resurrect corpses and make them do her bidding? No fucking way in hell would she allow that!


    ¡°Why not?¡± the undead asked. And she had the gall to look puzzled!


    ¡°Because necromancy is an abominable art, one that someone like you cannot be allowed to learn.¡±


    ¡°But I already have knowledge of several necromantic spells,¡± Sage stated calmly. ¡°That means I¡¯m already a necromancer of sorts.¡±


    This response caught Kaylee off guard.


    Was that true? In the time she had known her the undead had not cast a single spell related to necromancy, which meant she was either lying; or the necromancer spells she had learned were not worth noting.


    ¡°Regardless, your proficiency in the dark art is a far cry from the Cryptmaker¡¯s,¡± she said to her. ¡°I¡¯d be damned before I allow you to increase your expertise in it.¡±


    Sage released what sounded like a frustrated sigh in response to this.


    ¡°Seriously,¡± she began, the calm in her tone melting away. ¡°What do you all have against necromancy? Why do you think it¡¯s so bad? The other branches of magic are capable of causing just as much harm. In fact, elemental magic is more destructive than necromancy will ever be.  So why are necromancers hated when elementalists are not?¡±


    ¡°Elementalists don¡¯t raise your loved ones¡¯ corpses and make them fight you!¡± Kaylee fired back. ¡°The accounts of mercenaries who were struck down because they came face to face with their fallen loved ones and were unable to fight back are too many. Necromancy is a vile and evil art and it cannot be allowed to spread.¡±


    ¡°You sound awfully like a Shean,¡± Sage¡¯s voice was a snarl. ¡°I remember you stating that you were a follower of the Beast God.¡±


    ¡°Rakka is the God of Nature,¡± she countered, ¡°and necromancy goes against all that is natural.¡±


    ¡°Haaa,¡± the undead sighed behind her mask. Then her entire vibe completely shifted. ¡°It matters not what you think. I¡¯m still going. The Cryptmaker is my chance to becoming a 9<sup>th</sup> Order mage. Maybe he also has information about the Ultra Order. That is something I will definitely not pass up.¡±


    Ultra Order? Kaylee nearly froze at the mention of the words.


    This level of magical attainment was something of a myth in these parts, a dream if you will. Considering the fact that only one person in the North-Western Rekke had achieved such a level it could be seen why most did not entertain ideas of ever reaching it. Only those with the best A aptitude had the potential to reach the Ultra Order. And yet, this undead spoke of achieving what every sorcerer yearned for as if it was an inevitability. Was her aptitude that high?


    Also, she wanted to learn information on the Ultra Order from a necromancer? Like hell she would let that happen!


    ¡°You¡¯re are free to go to the Cryptmaker if you want,¡± she said. Coming to a halt in the middle of the deserted road, she shot the undead a look she hoped conveyed her determination. ¡°Obviously I can¡¯t stop you if that¡¯s what you really want; but if you do that know that we¡¯re done! And by done I mean DONE!¡±


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    Obviously she was not strong enough to stop a determined Sage from running of to meet the necromancer. However, that did not mean she was going to just sit on her arse and allow someone like Sage to learn powerful necromancer spells. Having made up her mind, she took a deep breath and steeled herself.


    If the undead was adamant in meeting the Cryptmaker she would not hesitate to cut their connection.


    Her words caused the undead to halt as well, as the shorter women took the respite to scrutinise her. Kaylee did not know what kind of expression Sage was making behind her mask but she was certain it was not a happy one. With the help of starlight she spied the undead¡¯s hands tightly clench at what could only be frustration.


    ¡°Dammit Kaylee do you know how important this is to me!¡± Sage hissed.


    The tone in her voice was different from any Kaylee had heard from the undead. It was laced with genuine frustration, an indication of what the undead truly felt. It caught her off guard, causing her to stare at Sage with wide eyes and an open mouth.


    When had the undead ever let slip her disposition? All the times she had interacted with her, Sage had always given her the feeling of someone who was in control. Even in those moments when she showed anger there was always the feeling of restraint oozing from her. However, this was different. Kaylee was sure if she unmasked her now she would see a scarred face exuding desperation. It almost put a dent in her resolve.


    Almost.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I just don¡¯t trust you,¡± she responded honestly. That was the least she could do since the other party had shown her true feelings. ¡°Since I¡¯ve met you, you have shown that you have no qualms about doing what it takes to get what you want.¡±


    Pretending to be the victim of a necromancer only to later rob Kaylee and her friends, robbing the shops on the main street of Tiih and killing the heir of a Duke; even if the last one was truly an accident as she claimed, the fact was that throughout all these actions she had shown no remorse. If the same situations presented themselves she was almost certain to make the same decisions. Such a person could not be trusted to obtain even more power, especially the kind of power that most people considered a taboo.


    The undead took a deep breath and exhaled. In that moment Kaylee felt Sage¡¯s cracking demeanour mend as the undead gazed at her from behind her white patterned mask.


    ¡°Will you be willing to let me go if I promise to take care of the Cryptmaker?¡± she asked, her tone calm once more.


    From her tone alone Sage appeared to be serious, a fact that left Kaylee puzzled.


    ¡°And just how would you, a 7<sup>th</sup> Order mage, be able to beat a 9<sup>th</sup> Order necromancer?¡±


    Honestly, such a feat was not impossible. In fact, it was even possible for a normal H aptitude Grade 5 individual to kill a 9<sup>th</sup> Order Sorcerer; however, that was only via special circumstances; like the 9<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer being caught off guard, most likely by someone who was never considered an enemy; or maybe they¡¯re just a dumb fucking moron whose arrogance caused them to disregard the average guy and turn their back to them without erecting a protective barrier.


    Dumb fucking morons never lived long, especially when they also happened to be necromancers. So the idea that the Cryptmaker was a careless individual who would leave himself open to the attack of someone in a lower Order was ludicrous. Someone with his prestige, ill earned as it was, had likely already devised a plan for when the Guild and Church came after him; which was why he was confident enough to stay in the open for more than a few hours.


    ¡°If it were any other type of sorcerer I would not be this confident,¡± Sage replied. ¡°But a necromancer? I have a certain advantage against their kind.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean a disadvantage?¡± Kaylee asked. ¡°You¡¯re an undead. Won¡¯t that make you vulnerable to his domination?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know spells to dominate undead don¡¯t work on me,¡± Sage responded. ¡°This is part of my advantage. It is the reason why even though you are technically my master you are unable to order me around.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kaylee responded with a nod. It was true- and it sucked- but at least their bond provided another, more welcome, benefit. Even so, ¡°what is your other advantage?¡±


    ¡°I can control undead,¡± Sage revealed, ¡°even if they belong to someone else.¡±


    Yeah¡­ that one was too much for her to believe. ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°I swear. If there was an undead here I would be able to prove it.¡±


    ¡°But there is none and your word alone lacks any credibility,¡± Kaylee put her firm foot forward.


    Even if it turned out Sage was not lying there was no way she would allow her to go. An undead capable of controlling undead that are tethered to others; if that was true then her scarred companion was far more than she appeared to be. Not that she did not already have her suspicions that Sage was some kind of special undead; but one capable of yanking control of other undead from their masters¡¯ grasps, that was way over the top.


    ¡°You are really going to stop me from taking care of the Cryptmaker and endangering the town in the process because you fear me benefiting from it,¡± Sage asked quietly.


    ¡°No,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m stopping you because I don¡¯t believe you. If the Cryptmaker attacks this town then you¡¯re welcome to take care of him. Otherwise, no.¡±


    The look that resulted from making her stance would have reduced her to ash if looks could kill. She endured the undead¡¯s murderous gaze for dozens of seconds with her own stern glare. Then, the undead turned away and Kaylee saw her fists unclench in the moonlight.


    ¡°Fine, have it your way,¡± Sage said, her voice oozing finality.


    With the newfound silence they resumed their march. Since it was late Kaylee decided to look for an inn, a decision that the undead simply shrugged at before following behind her.


    Unfortunately, the news of the Cryptmaker had caused such a panic that there was practically no one left in Nervahn. The number of people the two of them had passed after leaving the Guild could be counted on no more than a single hand and even they seemed to be in the midst of fleeing the town, as unfeasible as it was to do so at night. Fortunately for them the sky was clear and stars provided enough light that they would not have visual trouble on the road.


    Because Nervahn was basically a ghost town now, houses and establishments had all gone dark. The few inns in the town were closed and it seemed the two of them would not find a place to stay the night; that was until a kind old man welcomed them to lodge with him. According to the old man, who introduced himself as Hammond, there was space in his house since his ¡°useless grandkids¡± abandoned him in the panic. The kind old man offered them a meal and then the room of his granddaughter.


    This kind gesture Kaylee appreciated greatly, to the point where she offered her remaining gold coin to the elderly man; only for him to reject it, saying that it was no use to him since he would die anyway after the necromancer began his attack on Nervahn. The reason he had stayed, unlike the towns other inhabitants, was the same reason most old people never tried to escape from disasters; he would rather die in his home than some faraway place.


    If the Cryptmaker lets us off tonight I¡¯ll take him to the Church in the morning, Kaylee thought drowsily as she rested her head on a pillow. It might have been tough compared to the pillows of the inns she usually slept in, but even this texture was a welcome change from the ground of the road.


    The old man had saved her from having to endure another mosquito-riddled night. For that alone she would ensure he would have a great chance of survival when the Cryptmaker attacked.


    Having gotten that off her chest, she closed her eyes and sank into the pillow.

 CHAPTER 59: HASSUN

    Sage released a sigh when she saw Kaylee¡¯s chest rise and fall at uniform intervals. The half-elf was asleep. Having confirmed that, she got out of her chair and set her book down. Then, to make sure that the half-elf remained as she was, she cast [Sleeping Circle].


    ¡°Nyx,¡± she then called out softly to the Familiar dwelling somewhere in the numerous shadows of the room. A second later it he appeared from the shadow of a table leg. ¡°I¡¯ll be out for a while. Watch her and alert me if she wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me master,¡± the cat replied casually before leaping back into the shadows.


    With that she [Ghostwalk]ed out of the house and was on her way.


    Honestly, Kaylee¡¯s refusal for her to meet the Cryptmaker had been a surprise, especially since the half-elf had not seemed to mind her other endeavours; well, apart from the whole stealing from her thing. Most people tended not to care about the actions of others unless they were affected by them. So Sage was completely caught off guard by Kaylee¡¯s fierce rejection, going as far as to threaten to dissolve the contract if Sage disregarded her.


    So surprised she was that she momentarily let slip her calm fa?ade. Fortunately, she was able to collect herself quickly after concluding the half-elf would not let up. Since Kaylee was being so adamant about it she decided to relent, or at least appear to.


    There was no fucking way in hell she was going to let such an opportunity go.


    If Kaylee was opposed it than she only needed to wait for the half-elf to clock out. The days on the road had no doubt build up massive amounts of stress and fatigue which, sooner than later, she would have to sleep off. Now that the moment had come she only needed to go and come back before her contractor awakens and Kaylee would be none the wiser.


    A minute jogging through the deserted town, she stepped onto the road with a sign saying it led to the village of Hassun. Half a day¡¯s journey on foot it read, at least by normal people¡¯s standards. For an untiring undead with a Grade 4 physique she reckoned she could cover that distance in an hour; probably a fraction of it if she chose to fly. However, that would waste mana she might need later on so going on foot was her decision.


    Ever vigilant, she looked around to make sure there was no one in sight. Although in this situation the likelihood of there being someone was less than a fraction of a percent, one could never be too careful. The last thing she wanted was for the rumours to fly around the next morning about a random passer-by sighting someone headed in the direction of the necromancer¡¯s village. To make extra sure of it she stepped a few hundred metres from the town before she picked up her pace.


    Then she ran.


    The scenery flashed past her as the accompanying wind whispered its eerie melody in her ear. The chilly breeze wailed a gloomy tune, as if trying to warn her from continuing on the path she was currently on. Unfortunately, Sage could not do that. She did not want to.


    As Darkborne, necromancy was the ideal magic for her. Unlike other spells that took a minutes to hours to learn, spells with the Dark Element, like necromancy, were an instant study for her. Necromancy fit her like a glove. To deny it would be a denial of herself.


    But there was no way in hell she would waste her slots learning how to summon brittle skeletons and rotting corpses.


    Apart from them being aesthetically unappealing, the odour was not something she would be able to stand. It did not help that these creatures did not have two brain cells to rub together. For her it was better to have no undead at all than such crappy ones. Of course there would be times when the need for a mindless minion was necessary. In that case she had [Summon Undead]. Even though the creature she called from the Deadlands was as mindless as the ones Bori used to command while strolling in his tower, the summoned undead was a hell of a lot stronger. An added benefit was that after she was done with it the creature was cast back to where it came from, so she did not have to deal with it longer than a few minutes.


    Obviously this would not be the case if she created an undead in the Main Plane.


    The last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by drooling zombies whose rotten skin was constantly exfoliating or skeletons who could not stop their bones from rattling with every step.


    If she was going to engrave a necromantic spell it was one that would help her create servants who could think for themselves, beings who could receive orders and think about the best way to carry out those orders; undead who would take the liberty to warn her about danger before she herself perceived it.


    So, learning that the Cryptmaker was capable of creating such undead, how could she not be tempted?


    As he had only been an intermediate necromancer, nothing in Bori¡¯s notes had anything about how to create an intelligent undead. There was no denying the man was a genius, having designed the ritual that summoned her, but the creation of sentient undead was something only necromancers of the 7<sup>th</sup> Order and above dealt with.  If the Cryptmaker truly knew how to create them then she would do what she could to get the knowledge from him.


    After an unspecified amount of time manmade structures appeared in her vision, the layout of the village. The side that faced her had four buildings, using that she estimated the entire village had fifteen to twenty buildings.


    The first thing that jumped out to her was dozens of sentries atop those four buildings, each of them armed with a bow as they gazed emptily at the path. It appeared she was too far for them to spot but she had no doubt the moment they did arrows would fly in her direction. Then the patrols that were limping about the area would rush her with their pitchforks and woodcutter axes.


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    Here Sage stopped to think. How should she go about things from here?


    She could take the direct approach in which she would casually stroll into the village. However, according to the reports she got from the Mercenary Guild, the undead attacked everything that approached village. The patrolling creatures were too far for her to use {Index} on them but they were probably not anything to be wary of.


    If Sage took the direct approach though, the chances of being attacked were high and while she was confident in being able to wipe them out, the Cryptmaker would not take kindly to her actions and whatever deal she tried to propose would be met with scorn.


    The second approach was to order the creatures to take her to their leader, but that approach would garner an even worse reaction. Once the Cryptmaker witnessed her ability to control his undead he would no doubt feel a massive threat to his existence, which would lead to him trying and eliminate her. Any deal she wanted to arrange with him would be snuffed in the cradle.


    The third approach was the one she chose; stealth. This was the approach she usually took in such situations and it had yet to fail. A combination of {Lightfoot} and {Invisibility} and she strolled past the patrol easily.


    The closer she got to the village the clearer it was reflected in her eyes. The starlight reflected the empty skulls of the skeletons, showed her exfoliating features of the zombies and revealed the crimson splatters and meaty chunks smeared onto the walls of the buildings. Along with this a potent stench of blood and putrid flesh assaulted her nasal cavity. It, along with the unusual buzzing of flies at night, would have made her throw up if she were still human.


    Entering the perimeter, she noted the compact number of undead present; a massive horde that could have stampeded this village to nothingness if its master so desired. If the amount of the ragged corpses and skeletons did not tally up to a thousand then the number was pretty damn close. Even if the tools of these undead were rusted and their amour lacking, the numbers alone would warrant a serious reaction from any nation; well, any smart nation. The thing she could say about the Yshian aristocracy after seeing this was that they were retards to let such a force roam in their borders unchecked. Also, these were only the weakest of undead, common riffraff by anyone¡¯s standards. Perhaps they could massacre a bunch of helpless civilians but a trained army half their size could wipe them out.


    At least that was what she thought. After all, she was not familiar with the standards of the army.


    The core of this undead horde stood apart from the rabble. These superior undead were garbed in proper armour, armed with quality weapons and had a chilly air more orderly than the majority of the undead. Sage took in a deep breath as she beheld them. At first sight there were about a hundred of them. Most of them were zombies and skeletons with Grade 4 bodies. Where the geezer had only had two such creatures the Cryptmaker had about fifty times this number. That was not the end of it though as she even spotted Grade three undead and surprisingly 1<sup>st</sup> to 4<sup>th</sup> Order Skeleton Mages and Dread Zombies.


    Holy shit! She exclaimed nonverbally.


    The Cryptmaker knew his shit. If the whole ordeal were not downright disgusting to her she would have been amazed. Instead, after a brief acknowledgement of respect she turned to the gruesome scene at the centre of the village.


    Death was what met her.


    Not the dried up rotting kind of death, but the fresh kind of running blood and spilled guts. Decapitated heads, dismembered limbs and scattered intestines; this was the sight she saw as her attention moved on to the main spectacle. These bodies were being arranged in a round pattern in preparation for what was no doubt a ritual. The glassy eyed faces she could see all had expressions of pain and despair. They had not died in peace.


    Amid these corpses there were four individuals who were moving them around into the pattern. Even if their lively (when compared to everyone else present) demeanour had flown over Sage¡¯s head, the information she gleaned through {Index} would have ensured she not overlook them.


    The first of these was a being clad in what appeared to be ivory armour with a sword that seemed to be made of similar material at its waist. The creature¡¯s information was revealed to her as it dragged the headless corpse of a little girl into a walls of the pattern¡¯s edge.


    Race: Bone Knight (Undead- Skeleton)


    Physique: Grade 2


    Mana: C (Brown)


    On the other side was a being with a large frame clad in dark spiky armour while carrying what appeared to be an even larger sword on its back.


    Race: Death Knight (Undead- Ghoul)


    Physique: Grade 1


    Mana: F (White)


    A skeleton in elegant crimson sorcerers¡¯ robes hovered above the circle using what could only be 7<sup>th</sup> Order [Telekinesis] to move the corpses into place. Among the spells of the 7<sup>th</sup> Order it was probably the most versatile, which was why Sage wanted to learn it. Seeing this undead use the spell, her hope of learning it soon blossomed in her.


    Race: Skeleton Mage (Undead- Skeleton)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: B (Blue)


    The last of these individuals was an old hunched back man with thin hair, small dark eyes and a nose that was big for his face. He stood at the centre of the ritual circle encircled by six bound and gagged individuals who squirmed and moaned. One of these people was a young woman with terrified eyes that were ever fountaining. The old man did not seem to care about this though as he worked his magic to manipulate the blood from the spilling out of the corpses to reinforce the circle.


    The Cryptmaker¡¯s stats became known to her as she continued to stare.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: A (Green)


    What is he up to? She wondered as she continued to watch him work.


    She wanted to watch further to see how he what he was planning but the Cryptmaker suddenly stopped what he was doing and his small orbs turned to where she was. Then, like a domino effect all the undead stopped whatever they were doing and looked in her direction with drawn weapons.


    Fuck! She swore when she saw this.


    Her usual approach had failed. She had been discovered.

 CHAPTER 60: EXCHANGE ATTEMPT

    Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!


    She was pretty sure she was well hidden. Then how in the fucking hells had she been discovered. Did this old guy cast a spell that could see through {Invisibility}? But such a spell would not work on her. She had a model of the spell [Invisibility] so she was sure spells meant to unravel it could never work on her. After all, the spell itself is an inferior version of the ability, much like [Dragon Breath] the spell and {Dragon Breath} the dragons¡¯ ability.


    So how was she discovered?


    Her question was answered when a blurry figure materialised next to the Cryptmaker. It was a transparent figure with the appearance of a young woman with short hair. It hovered nearly half a metre off the ground as it looked straight at her.


    Race: Ghost (Undead- Spectre)


    Physique: None


    Mana: F (White)


    A ghost, what she use to be; without a doubt the most useless and harmless undead in existence. However, ghosts had a keen sight for that which was hidden. It was something she had read in Bori¡¯s notes. That part of his notes mostly dealt with ideas to turn them into wraiths though as he clearly had not had a high opinion of them. He probably never imagined something so useless could be used in such a manner.


    Fuck! She swore again. Then, quickly dispelling {Invisibility} and {Lightfoot}, she shouted, ¡°wait!¡±


    The undead were moments away from launching their attacks when she called out. The skeletons and zombies on the rooftops had their bows drawn while the undead on the ground had their weapons pointed in her direction. Obviously, none of these were a threat to her; as long as none of them wielded Light Magic, which was a safe bet to say it was an impossibility for this rotting horde. Still, if they did attack her she would be forced to flee before she ran out of mana.


    But that would mean she came here for naught, causing her to miss out on the knowledge she desires.


    She would rather it not come to this.


    Her original plan had been to observe and then learn what she could about the man before leaving the village and then pretending to enter the village for the first time in broad starlight. Then she would use what little knowledge she had collected to try and negotiate with the Cryptmaker.


    Now however that plan was ruined. The only thing she could do was come out of hiding and wing it.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the Cryptmaker said in a hoarse voice that sounded like it was not used much.


    ¡°I am a servant of the Great¡­ Belgarath,¡± she made up a name on the spot. ¡°My master heard you were around and sent me here to exchange knowledge and ideas with you.


    ¡°Get lost,¡± the old man¡¯s unfriendly tone cracked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a Belgarath.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because my master likes to keep to himself,¡± she countered, erecting herself to show a prideful posture. ¡°He never shows himself and even when he does none of his actions are ever traced back to him.


    ¡°That seems convenient,¡± the hunched over man responded, unconvinced. ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°The absence of the Grand Court Mage,¡± she spilled the first thing that came to mind. ¡°The reason you were able to brazenly take over this village without repercussions is in part to him.¡±


    Hearing this, the Cryptmaker sneered. ¡°Do not take me for a fool girl! Savandor went on a diplomatic errand! Everyone knows that!¡±


    ¡°Ah yes. Because common knowledge is always so truthful,¡± she retorted smugly. Not too smug though. She did not want the necromancer angry and unwilling to trade.


    ¡°She is lying.¡± The one who spoke this time was not the Cryptmaker but the Skeleton Mage. Surprisingly, the voice of this undead was soft and feminine. The red orbs in its eyeholes seemed to glow brighter as it spoke next. ¡°Master, I say we kill her and get back to what we were doing.¡±


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    ¡°Seconded,¡± the deep voice of the Death Knight came.


    ¡°Same,¡± the Bone Knight followed.


    Even the fucking ghost made its opinion known with a nod of agreement.


    They were all truly intelligent undead. This hunched back withered old fuck really knew how to create them!


    Although she had expected this to be the case, it would be a lie to say she had zero doubts. Now that it was hundred percent confirmed Sage could not help heating up with excitement. However, she quickly snuffed out the embers and used stoicism to cool herself. Her real thoughts should not be gleaned by the other party.


    ¡°What about you Mister Kezan?¡± she posed to the one whose decision all hinged on. ¡°Surely, you do not want to make an enemy of my master, especially since you seem so¡­ preoccupied.¡±


    The feigned threat was not at all subtle as she gazed upon the gory ritual circle and the despairing survivors at the centre.


    Obviously, the necromancer picked up on the threat. She felt his mana gathering as he gazed upon her and cast [Mystic Eyes], a spell she was beginning to hate existed. The Cryptmaker peered at her for a few seconds before making his conclusion and cancelling the spell.


    ¡°So you¡¯re an undead,¡± the Cryptmaker stated. His expression softened before morphing to curiosity. ¡°This is the first time seeing one like you. What are you?¡±


    ¡°I am a new innovation of my master,¡± she bluffed, taking off her mask. Since she was already outed as an undead there was no need to keep it on. Let this geezer see her appearance and make his own judgement. ¡°Like how the Blood Sorceress created the vampires aeons ago. However, my master has not come up with a name for me yet.¡±


    The old necromancer stroked his chin in contemplation before his attention returned to her. ¡°And what is it that this master of yours would like from me?¡±


    At this moment she took a deep breath of unnecessary air and let it go. Then she gave him a serious look.


    This was the moment. If she fucked it up she would be going back empty-handed with her tail between her legs.


    ¡°My master requests notes on the creation of sentient undead,¡± she replied.


    During that time her eyes travelled from him to the Skeleton Mage with a hostile posture, the stoic Death Knight, the silent Bone Knight and the not-so-useless ghost before returning to the necromancer.


    As expected, the Cryptmaker¡¯s eyes darkened at this request. It seemed Sylphia had been right. No sorcerer took kindly to someone else asking for their research, necromancers probably more so. Seeing the withered necromancer¡¯s expression, Sage suspected such requests often ended in a violent pushback.


    However, Kezan the Cryptmaker was an old fart with at least two centuries under his belt. He did not seem to be one to fly off the handle because of a mere request, no matter how detestable he found it.


    ¡°If your master is so great that he can create new never-heard-of undead why does he want my notes?¡± he sneered. ¡°His notes on the subject should be more extensive than mine.¡±


    ¡°Of course they are!¡± she replied, feigning anger. ¡°But Master Belgarath likes to collect all sorts of research from other sorcerers. He once told me that the different approaches taken by others to reach a similar conclusion tend to inspire him with new ideas.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that this that this Belgarath is offering in return for my notes?¡± the Cryptmaker asked with a snarl.


    Pretending to recover from a slight, an arrogant smile spread to her features.


    ¡°A way to advance.¡±


    That got his attention. For the first time since she revealed herself the Cryptmaker¡¯s appeared to have a lively reaction. His small eyes widened, which was not saying much since their widened state only made them slightly larger than a normal persons un-widened eyes. His mouth hung open, exposing yellow and black cavity-ridden teeth that looked like mice chewed through them. However, this expression which Sage would have no doubt found comical under different circumstances, only lasted for an instant. Then it morphed to a sceptical one.


    ¡°And how is he going to present this chance to me?¡± he asked with no small amount of disbelief.


    Obviously she was prepared for this. Reaching inside her coat, she came out with a stack of rolled up papers. These notes were her pitch, the reason she was confident the necromancer would accept her bargain.


    ¡°These papers detail a ritual to summon a Netherkin,¡± she revealed.


    The necromancer¡¯s eyes constricted at the sight of the papers.


    When she read through the notes herself she figured out why Bori had wanted to contract a Netherkin so bad. Although they did not increase the amount mana the necromancer possessed, through their connection the necromancer was able to engrave one spell of each Order until his own into the undead¡¯s being. As long as the necromancer¡¯s dominant affinity was Darkness, the extra spells would act as if they were the necromancers, allowing them learn a spell of a higher Order if they met the requirements.


    As a 9<sup>th</sup> Order necromancer, there was no doubt that the Cryptmaker wished to advance to Ultra Order. However, from the information she had gotten from the Mercenary Guild, he was unable to. Not that it was explicitly stated in the notes; but it had been detailed that the Cryptmaker had been in the 9<sup>th</sup> Circle since over a hundred years ago. Even though he possessed an A aptitude he seemed to be on the lower end of it, meaning Ultra Order was impossible for him as is.


    The notes she held were probably the most tempting thing in the world for him right now. Just as she expected, he pounced on the opportunity.


    ¡°Then I will accept the notes,¡± he said, his face twisting into a grin that could only be described as hideous. ¡°Those notes will indeed be very helpful to me.¡±


    She nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Great, then the exchange-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking you as well,¡± the necromancer interrupted her, his eyes shining with greed as he uttered a loud cackle. ¡°An undead I¡¯ve never met before and notes on how to summon a Netherkin; I won¡¯t pass up the chance to study either of them!¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Sage swore verbally and she took a step back.


    Then she felt the Cryptmaker¡¯s cast a domination spell on her.

 CHAPTER 61: CRYPTMAKER

    At their core sorcerers are scholars. True sorcerers, not the second-rate battle-junkies who can only advance using the accomplishments of others. A true sorcerer studies magic to decipher the laws of the world and then, with the acquired knowledge, propel themselves forward. The end goal is to unravel the secrets of the Gods. Perhaps if they do that they can become Gods themselves.


    Unfortunately, as far as the research from renowned scholars had taken them, the divine remained a distant domain. Still, a true scholar would not be deterred no matter how great the odds.


    Kezan was a true sorcerer, a scholar through and through. He would do what he must to acquire the proper knowledge to break from his shackles and achieve Ultra Order. It did not matter that the majority of his peers disagreed with his methods; those gutless cowards. They always moaned about the methods used by true visionaries, yet never raised a complaint when they benefited from those methods. Alchemists, enchanters, even healers; many among the magical community had benefited in one way or another from research done by necromancers. Yet they continued to attack his kind.


    They are no better than the battlemages, he thought. False sorcerers. Pretenders!


    He was different. Unlike those morons who tried to destroy everything they did not understand or agree with, he sought to understand it; to learn how to use it to his advantage. His lips curled upwards as he watched the strange undead¡¯s futile attempt to beat off his spell. He had cast [Dominate Dead VIII]. An undead of the 7<sup>th</sup> Order had no chance against it.


    As he continued to watch, he could not help but thank Belgarath- whoever that was- for sending the undead to him with the summoning notes; two unknowns he would enjoy dissecting until he understood them.


    Did this Belgarath really think a display of his expertise would scare him away from laying his hands on his pet? Even if the mage behind the undead turned out to be a Transcendent, so what? In his decades of operating he had run afoul of many individuals. One of those individuals had been an Arcana, one of the twenty-one strongest beings on the continent. If he could escape someone like that then he had the confidence to escape from a no-name sorcerer, even if it was one who had achieved Ultra Order.


    Still, I will never forget your contribution, he thought as he showed his teeth.


    A second later his toothy grin morphed into a gaping stare.


    Impossible, he thought, eyes widening.


    The undead had resisted [Dominate Dead VIII]. No, that was not exactly it. From the way the spell settled on the strange undead there was no indication that it had failed. And yet, there was no feedback. There was no newly established connection between the two of them, which meant the undead had somehow avoided falling under his control.


    How? He wondered.


    His eyes focused on the undead. With [Night Vision] he was able to make out its scarred features which held a deep frown and a piercing glare.


    ¡°I see,¡± it said quietly with a measured simmering tone. ¡°So this is how you treat sincerity?¡±


    The creature¡¯s question brought him out of his stupor, allowing him to reply.


    ¡°This is how I respond when something I want is within reach; I take it!¡±


    Immediately after saying this he cast [Space Lock], an 8<sup>th</sup> Order spell meant to prevent escape vial spatial means. So what if the undead resisted his spell? He could just capture it and try it again- continuously if he had to- until it finally fell under his control. As long as he cut off its escape routes he had a lot of chances to do this.


    Assured that it could not get away, he point a finger in its direction. ¡°Get it!¡± he barked to his minions.


    Ever the obedient servant, White, his Bone Knight, unsheathed his bone sword and charged the undead. The distance between them was erased instantly as the tall skeletal figure made to pin down the undead, only for his sword to completely pass through it as the undead¡¯s body turned ethereal.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    What! Kezan exclaimed nonverbally, taken aback.


    He watched the creature cast a spell and take to the skies where it was intercepted by Cream the Skeleton Mage¡¯s [Wind Prison]. But the undead got out of the imprisonment spell as easily as it had avoided White¡¯s blow.


    So it¡¯s like a ghost? Kezan concluded, sneaking a glance at the spectral silhouette by his side. In that case¡­


    He extended his hand and cast 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Corporeal]. Obviously, since ghosts were apparitions it was impossible to harm them unless one was a spectre themself or capable of Light Magic. This trait held unfortunately true to all spectral undead. Luckily someone had long come up with a solution to deal with such creatures.


    Now we shall see what tricks you have up your sleeves.


    Without its ability to turn into a ghost, the unidentified undead was unable to avoid White¡¯s {Bone Prison}, which caused dozens of giant bones to sprout from of the ground and form a cage around it. The moment the Bone Knight set up his ability, the Skeleton Mage prepared a spell to follow up. [Hold Person] struck the undead almost as soon as the cage was completed.


    Only it was not the undead.


    Before the cage had fully formed the undead cast a spell, causing a double to appear about ten metres from it. Seeing this display, Kezan immediately recognised the spell [True Image] and quickly ordered his Death Knight, Black, after the apparition. Just as he suspected, the moment the illusion spell was completed the creature had immediately switched places with its image. This was made obvious when the undead in the {Bone Prison} disappeared a moment later. Fortunately, he was prepared for it.


    Or so he had thought.


    Black had not made it within two steps of the creature before it stomped the ground hard and fired off [Tremor], causing him to lose his balance. As he tried to regain his balance the undead cast [Slow}] on him before casting [Haste] on itself. Then it turned around and rushed in the opposite direction.


    Kezan watched it with a sneer. As if I¡¯d let you!


    Working in conjunction with Cream, they both cast [Dispel]. Their target¡¯s varied though. While his spell landed on Black, Cream¡¯s hit the undead; speeding up the former and slowing the latter. With this, Black was able to catch up immediately and reached for the creature¡¯s throat; only to be met with a [Stone Wall].


    Because of his physique, the barrier was unable to stop him; however, it slowed him enough that when his hand broke through the undead was no longer there. It had put space between them.


    Before Black could close the distance again the undead cast another spell, a summoning one this time. A humongous giant made of what looked like a dozen corpses appeared beside the undead just as it erected another [Stone Wall]. This Wall Black cut through cleanly with his sword, only to be [Slow]ed again. Then the undead pointed at the Death Knight, sending the Corpse Giant in his direction with clumsy stomps.


    Stupid undead, Kezan thought when he witnessed this scene.


    Raising his hand at the Corpse Giant, he cast [Dominate Dead VIII]. Unlike the weird undead, his spell was successful on this conventional undead. After the spell hit the Corpse Giant its temporary bond shifted from the undead to him. Using this link, he forced it to turn back and run towards its summoner.


    Seeing this, the undead panicked and hurriedly erected yet another [Stone Wall]; just in time to meet the Corpse Giant as it inflated and exploded. The wall was smashed to smithereens as steaming bits of rancid flesh scattered everywhere, some of which would have landed on Kezan more than fifty metres away if not for him casting [Force Wall].


    Although the undead had reacted in time, its actions had not been enough to completely offset the undead giant¡¯s {Self-Detonation}. It shrieked as the force of the explosion sent it tumbling several metres back. Seeing that the creature was injured, his three minions rushed after it, but he held up his hand to stay them. If they continued they might damage the undead more than it already was. A broken prize was not something he was interested in studying.


    Let¡¯s put an end to this, he decided, snapping his fingers.


    Where the undead fell hands burst out of the ground and grabbed it. The strange undead tried to struggle but more hands popped out from the earth and reached for it. After getting a firm grasp of their target the zombies attached to the hands pulled themselves out of the ground, four humongous Dread Zombies. Although they were mindless like most of his minions these were among the best with their Grade 3 bodies. His target was unable to escape their grip.


    The method he had just employed was the reason why he was referred to by many as the Cryptmaker. Being one of the rare humans born with two dominant attributes- Earth and Darkness- Kezan was superior in every way when compared to those common flukes. Even though he had ventured into necromancy, the Familiar he summoned was an Earth Elemental. Using its {Earth Manipulation} ability he was able to shift his undead around underground silently until the moment they burst out of the ground like Revenants out their tombs on an unsuspecting victim. Those who knew him knew to expect this, but in the heat of things they never saw it coming.


    ¡°I finally caught you,¡± he said gleefully, making his way over to the undead.


    As he did so his sentient combat undead fell in line beside him along with Crystal, his ghost lookout. The ground ahead of him separated and Grey, his mole Familiar, stuck its head out. The rest of its body soon followed. Grey was a fairly large creature that stood as high as its summoner¡¯s knees. Kezan sidestepped past it while White quickly bend over and scooped the rodent into his arms.


    Then the five of them set off, closing the distance between the strange undead and them.

 CHAPTER 62: CREATURE FROM LEGEND

    The zombies that had been buried until not long ago held the strange undead in a kneeling position. Its appearance was now unkempt with its clothes tattered, its hair messy and its stitched skin bruised. Black liquid ran from its nose into its mouth and downwards as it stared at him hatefully. He stared back delightfully, noting the rancid bits of flesh that clung to its skin and hair.


    Lifting its chin with a bony finger, he looked into its simmering eyes and displayed an ear-to-ear grin.


    ¡°In the next several hours, maybe days or even months; the two of us are going to get to know each other very well,¡± he stated calmly. Ignoring the undead¡¯s terror-filled expression- and forcing himself away from the notion that an undead could feel fear- he continued with a laugh. ¡°Although I will be learning much more about you than you will about me.¡±


    Learning how to create an undead like this, even if it was just an inferior version, would go a long way towards improving his expertise and increasing his strength. And the notes¡­ he fished them out of the creature¡¯s tattered coat. Fortunately they were only slightly ruffled. A quick look through them revealed they were genuine, elevating his elation further. Perhaps after he finished going through them and succeeded in summoning the legendary undead he would finally break the fate that was bestowed to him at birth. Then he would obtain what should have been his birth right!


    Taking a momentary respite from the paper. He looked in the direction of the ritual circle he and his minions had been preparing earlier. Due to the undead casting [Tremor], the circle had been greatly disturbed. The corpses that were once been orderly placed were now haphazardly scattered. The sand that had absorbed the blood in a neat pattern had been blown in all directions. As for the sacrifices in the middle, although they still appeared to be breathing they did not appear to be in the best condition. The whimpers from them were even louder.


    If he truly desired it, the damage done to the circle could be repaired in several minutes and the ritual could commence. However, now that he had obtained the knowledge of summoning a Netherkin, his desire to carry on with what he had ascertained to be a hit-or-miss ritual all but died away.


    If I summon a Netherkin I can become a Transcendent without taking too many risks, he thought. Then I can go over my research and iron out the rough edges at my leisure.


    Yes, since he had obtained a better option there was no need to carry on with what he had planned. Maybe in the future when he had perfected the ritual and eliminated every chance of possible mishap.


    While engrossed in these thoughts, his gaze returned to the restrained undead. ¡°Your appearance has been very convenient; almost as if Vatran him-¡±


    He was cut off by a mixture of dark blood and clear saliva splashing the side of his face. The action killed his words as he brought up his hand to wipe the filthy gunk from his face; however, not a second later an intense pain burst from the spots marked by the vile fluids. So intense it was that he could not fight back a groan. Also, he suddenly found that his field of vision had halved.


    Fortunately, a sorcerer as accomplished as him had experienced lots of pain over the course of the years so his threshold for it was pretty high; if it were not he would never have made it to the 9<sup>th</sup> Order. Still though, pain was nothing more than a distraction in the current situation. He eliminated it with [Pain Nullification]. The next instant the agony he had felt vanished as if it was never there. Unfortunately, the numbness spreading to the rest of his face was definite proof that it had been real.


    Poison? He thought. Well it did not matter.


    On his bony hand a ring glittered and a clear vial with a green concoction suddenly appeared in his hand. Without wasting time, he downed the vial and immediately felt the numbness recede.


    Humph! He thought. Foolish undead. As a true sorcerer, getting poisoned in my experiments happens more often than not. Did you really think I don¡¯t ca-


    His line of thought was cut off when the numbness suddenly began to push back, this time with more force. The spreading of the poison was faster than before he took the Detoxification Potion.


    What? He thought in surprise. A high grade potion can¡¯t cleanse it? How?


    He needed to get the cure from the damned undead.


    Get my minions to beat it within an inch of its unlife and force it to hand over the antidote, was the thought that crossed his mind. Fortunately, his undead were trained to react the moment they sensed he was in danger. Although he had been out of it for a while trying to rid himself of the poison, perhaps in that time his sentient undead had already subdued the miserable creature.


    Alas, that was not what he saw when he started paying attention to more than himself.


    The scene that met him was the undead on its feet with three of its captors standing uselessly to the side while the fourth knelt before it. The damnable creature had its hand on the kneeling zombie as it transferred the ghoul¡¯s vitality to itself via [Dark Drain].


    What is happening? He thought, his single working eye looking around in bewilderment.


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    Why were his undead just standing there doing nothing? Even his intelligent ones just looked on with the exception of Cream who caged a raging Grey in a [Wind Prison].


    ¡°Why are you just standing there?¡± he yelled. Then, pointing a shaky finger at the now indifferent undead, he shouted, ¡°DESTROY IT!¡±


    ¡°There will be no movement from any of you,¡± the damnable undead said in response.


    The undead, who were bound to him, forewent his order and obeyed this creature instead. The expression he made from the unexpected result seemed to please it as its expression morphed from indifference to a mocking smile.


    ¡°Are you surprised?¡± it asked. Not waiting for his response it continued. ¡°Of course you are. Why wouldn¡¯t you be?¡± Stepping away from the pile of dust that had been the Dread Zombie, it leisurely approached him. ¡°Honestly, you have no advantage in a fight against me. But I had to be careful not to show it unless I wanted you to tuck tail and run. The annoying thing about senior magicians is that they can use [Teleport]. If you had caught wind of your actual circumstance you would have immediately fled and I have no means to come after you.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I made you believe the odds were in your favour and you, being an arrogant 9<sup>th</sup> Order mage, lapped it up. You even went so far as to seal space to prevent me- well, actually yourself- from escaping.¡±


    When the undead reached him it did not stop as it casually strode past him. His wide eye followed it as his aged heart beat furiously. In that moment his diminished vision momentarily left the damnable creature and looked upon the hundreds of undead he was trying his best to instigate without results.


    ¡°You know,¡± the creature was not done talking. ¡°I should thank you for sending only your strongest to subdue me instead of your entire horde. If you had done otherwise I might have been forced to reveal my ability to control undead and things would not have gone so well.¡± After saying this the undead shrugged before continuing. ¡°Still though, one should never lean on the sureties of a single ability. Any potential problem must be eliminated immediately.¡±


    Then it raised its hand in the horde¡¯s direction and fired off a spell. It was the 7<sup>th</sup> Order [Conflagration], Kezan recognised it immediately as it was one of the spells he had ingrained. However, the effect was different from his own. Instead of the normal orange-crimson flames it was pitch black ones that appeared in the midst of his army. These flames held a voracity completely different from their normal counterpart as they hungrily leapt from undead to undead and even to the village structures. Within seconds everything was on fire.


    After setting it all ablaze the undead turned to him.


    ¡°While we''re on the subject of eliminating all potential mishaps¡­¡± For a few seconds it stood still and channelled its spell, again another he was familiar with. The moment it was released he suddenly felt the last of his strength leave his exhausted body, causing him to fall to his knees. However, the undead continued to speak unconcernedly. ¡°[Forbidden Zone], I don¡¯t think I will outgrow this spell; it¡¯s just so convenient. If you¡¯re wondering why you¡¯ve suddenly lost strength it¡¯s because I banned humans in the Field. Also, you won¡¯t be able to teleport away if the spatial seal you placed on the area suddenly falls away.¡±


    Listening to the creature¡¯s almost mocking tone, Kezan knew he had lost. There was nothing he could do to get himself out of this situation, therefore, he did not even try.


    ¡°Although talking like this makes me feel like the villain of a bad TV show, I¡¯m kind of glad to be able to do it,¡± the undead was not done. ¡°Just standing here and talking about it is loads of stress off my back.¡± Although he did not understand half of what the undead just said it did not seem to mind and droned on. ¡°Honestly, I see why villains would get addicted to this. To be able to talk as much as they want without interruption; that is something to envy. That fucking half-elf could learn from it!¡±


    The undead¡¯s tone had shifted. What began as a casual monologue turned into an impassioned rant.


    ¡°Can you believe that bitch threatened to sever our bond if I did what was best for me? That piece of absolute shit! I save her from getting whisked to Gods-Know-Fucking-Where and incurred the wrath of a fucking Duke. And this is how she repays me? Ungrateful cunt! I¡¯m done! I¡¯m fucking done with her!


    ¡°Seriously, fuck her! After tonight I¡¯m ditching her arse! Let¡¯s see how she deals with it, that stupid fucking bitch! I¡¯m telling you; if we were not bonded I¡¯d- urrrgggg! FUCK HER!¡±


    What followed after the outburst was only silence. The undead took a deep breath and expelled it, presumably to expel the rest of its frustrations. Then it bent down and snatched the ring from his finger, its act so forceful that his finger snapped. Fortunately with [Pain Nullification] he did not feel it.


    The undead inspected the ring with [Mystic Eyes] giving off a satisfied grunt and slipping it onto its own hand. Then its gaze fixed onto him.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m done,¡± it said softly before its gaze hardened. ¡°Now I¡¯m gonna kill you. If you¡¯d taken the proposed deal earlier I would have let you off but you had to be a fucking douche about it. So, goodbye Cryptmaker; although I find your name nauseatingly stupid you should know how grateful I am.¡± Holding up the ring finger, it continued. ¡°I won¡¯t forget your contribution anytime soon.¡±


    It touched him and cast another spell in his arsenal, [Rot]. In an instant his skin turned green and began to fester. Fortunately for him, with [Pain Nullification] active he did not feel the pain. Not that he thought he would feel much at this moment in time. The numbness had already spread to his chest. Even if the undead had left him alone its poison would have finished him off sooner than later. He was resigned to his fate. There was no way he would survive this.


    As his mind began to blur he latched onto a piece he read long ago:


    Woe to he who has seen the steps of the Dark Lord, for he has witnessed a world engulfed in black flames.


    An excerpt from an account of the Days of Gloom.


    Thinking of this period he also remembered the description of an undead that no mystic means could hold, able to pierce the most guarded places to eliminate their targets. So great was the fear they inspired during this period that most records of them had been destroyed.


    The reason he had not likened this creature to the Dark Lord¡¯s legendary blades was because this undead was a patchwork while those from the legends were able to walk down a street full of humans without turning heads.


    I see¡­


    In the twilight of his life it all became clear to Kezan; there was no Belgarath, for no mortal could create an undead such as this.


    Catching its blurry silhouette in his rapidly diminishing sight, he forced out his last words; weak smile plastered on his lips. The last laugh would be his, even if it came from beyond the grave.


    ¡°Enjoy it while you can Darkborne Phantom. When they find out what you are the entirety of Rekke will be coming after you.¡±

 CHAPTER 63: SPOILS & RETURN

    ¡°Well fuck you too,¡± Sage responded to the necromancer¡¯s last words.


    Of course the person in question could no longer hear her as he had been reduced to a pile of green flesh that reeked even worse than the most rotten zombie. As for the Cryptmaker¡¯s undead; the ones that not had been reduced to ash by [Conflagration] dissolved to dust the moment his last words fell. These included the sentient undead as well. Without a link to their necromancer, undead that were created by said necromancer crumbled. Even the giant mole of a Familiar screamed as it vanished from the Main Plane to what was likely the Primordial Plane, where it would become part of the chaotic Plane once more.


    Witnessing this instilled a bit of gratitude within Sage. Her contractor was merely an anchor to the Main Plane instead of her raison d¡¯etre.


    The black flames had now spread to all the buildings of the village and the heat from them was hot enough that she had the urge to rub her exposed skin. If not for the fact that she were undead, no doubt she would be sweating like a pig in this situation.


    The only place untouched by the fire was the village centre, where the disturbed ritual circle of blood and corpses was. The six bound individuals at the centre continued to squirm, presumable in an effort to get out of their bonds and escape the fire. When several of them saw Sage approaching their eyes widened, the moans from their gagged mouths became louder and the struggle against their bonds intensified. The fear in their eyes was as palpable the perspiration that rained down their faces.


    When Sage entered the circle and got within a metre of them they became even more apprehensive. Their moans and grunts turned to whimpers as tears joined the sweat on their faces. Sage stared them down and cast her spell, [Sleeping Circle]. The struggles of the bound villagers immediately ceased as their bodies went limp. Seeing this, she prepared another spell. A second later a violent chilly wind swept cross the village centre, reducing every place it passed to a frozen hellscape.


    And so the bound villagers passed on peacefully in their sleep. Sage could not afford them telling others what they had seen.


    The [Icestorm] would not be able to hold the fire back for long though, so before the black flames jumped onto the frozen corpses in the centre of the village she cast [Flight] and flew out. Landing a few hundred metres from the burning community, she cast [Mystic Eyes] and looked around to make sure the Mercenary Guild had not sent more Familiars for reconnaissance. Only after watching for a few minutes did she relax and allow herself to do what she had been itching to do for a while.


    She raised her left hand and scrutinised the steel ring on her finger. It was a storage ring with about a cubic metre of space. As an infamous necromancer the Cryptmaker carried all his important stuff with him in case he might have to make a quick getaway. At the thought these possessions now belonged to her, she could not help her lips from curling upwards.


    Directing her mana into the ring, she uttered a single thought and all the contents were expelled from the storage. At first glance she saw about half a dozen small clear bottles with red, green and clear fluids. She recognised them as being vigour potions, detoxification potions and spirit potions; only the last one was useful to her. There were several books about magic, alchemy and enchanting; they numbered well into the tens. This was the main reason she had come here and, seeing so many books on magic, her grin widened.


    Fuck Yeah! she thought excitedly, singling out what could only be a spell book.


    Using [Mage Hand] to bring it into her grasp, she did a quick flip through it and sure enough there were all sorts of spells recorded in it. [Telekinesis], the 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell the Skeleton Magician had used was in the book as well as [Teleport], the spell she had been looking forward to the most. More 7<sup>th</sup> Order spells included single-target flesh-rending [Harm], an improvement of [Chain Lightning] called [Greater Chain Lightning], a stronger version of [Icestorm] called [Blizzard] and several necromancy related spells including [Repair Mortis]. With such a spell, healing herself would no longer be an inconvenience!


    As this was the spell book of a 9<sup>th</sup> Order mage it also recorded spells of higher Orders like 8<sup>th</sup> Order [Regeneration] and 9<sup>th</sup> Order [Inferno] just to name a few. With the amount of spells listed in the book her path to the 9<sup>th</sup> Order was set. All it required was a bit of study and she would get there.


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    Surprisingly, the last boon she received from killing the Cryptmaker was money, a shit-tonne of it. The amount of gold, silver and copper coins was so much that, although she could not make an accurate estimate, she guessed that their value amounted to far more than five hundred gold. She was rich again!


    But I should put it away for later, she thought, trying to quell her desire to jump up and pump her fist in the air.


    The items were placed back in the storage ring as she prepared to head back. Some time had passed and Kaylee might wake up soon.


    This time, instead of running she decided to return via air. Again casting [Flight] on herself, she rose off the ground and activated {Invisibility}. Then she set off in the direction of Nervahn. If nothing went wrong she would make it back before the half-elf woke up.


    Any evidence of her coming to Hassun would be erased by the fire. Considering how ferocious the flames were, everything would be reduced to nothing within the hour and the flames- with no source to keep them going- would die out. No one would know what happened here. Even if they tried to investigate with [Mystic Eyes] it would not amount to much. Her involvement in the village¡¯s destruction would never be known.


    That ungrateful bitch would not suspect a thing!


    After Kaylee wakes up the first thing Sage would do is tell her was that she was leaving. She would be going her own way so she could do whatever she wanted. The fact that Kaylee was her anchor gave her more than enough power to prevent her from going about things her way. It might not mean much at the moment, but in the long run it could prove a serious hindrance. The best way to deal with it was to put as much distance as she could between the two of them; then both of them would be able to go about their lives without bothering each other.


    Flying covered ground much faster than on foot. The terrain changed so quickly that before she knew it Nervahn was on the horizon.


    However, before she could rejoice at making it back in time she spotted a couple of figures headed in her- or more accurately- the village¡¯s direction. They numbered seven, with each of them bearing at least one set of equipment that gave off a magic signature. Real Magic Items, not like the ring she currently had. The difference between the two was that with time the storage ring¡¯s enchantment would lose its potency until it became a regular old ring while the enchantments on those items would last until they were destroyed. The difference in the two was something that could be felt even over a distance.


    Sheans, she guessed. The Church was the only the only organisation rich and willing enough to lend out such valuable items to deal with a threat. The Mercenary Guild did not provide equipment to its members and the nobles were too selfish to give such valuable equipment to others.


    Curious, she inspected the group.


    Their leader was a woman with long blonde hair and a slender build. She was clad in silver plate armour, one of the items that radiated magic on her. Another was the sword that hung at her hip and the shield on her back. The {Index} showed her stats as she got closer.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 1


    Mana: C (Cyan)


    Other members of her party included a dwarf with an enchanted hammer that seemed to weight more than him, although he seemed to carry it with ease. He too was clad in silver plate armour although the colour was all it had in common with the blonde woman¡¯s enchanted armour. His most distinguishing feature was a long beard that ran from his chin to his knees.


    Race: Dwarf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 1


    Mana: H (White)


    The rest of the members were not as remarkable as these two but they were nothing to scoff at. Among them was an elf priestess with an enchanted staff and a dwarf sorceress in enchanted robes; both of them spotted basic physiques but possessed mana of the 8<sup>th</sup> Order. The last three members of were humans; an archer with an enchanted bow, a warrior with enchanted armour and another warrior with an enchanted sword; all of them had Grade 2 bodies.


    The church must have gathered its strongest members in the country, she thought. It was the only explanation she could come up with after seeing this line-up. Sage would not even be surprised if some of these members came from outside.


    If not for the fact that some of them were magical awakened she would have tried using [Mystic Eyes] to take a closer look at the enchanted items. Unfortunately, if she did that she would be discovered. As a force put together to combat the Cryptmaker, they were probably tougher than their base information revealed. Also, since they were on their way to fight a necromancer their attainments in Light Magic had to be considerable for them to be selected by the Church. The only reason Sage was able to beat the Cryptmaker was because of her clear advantage. When it came to this group she had no confidence in taking some of them on individually and those she did have confidence in beating only needed to team up and she would be outmatched. Because of this she stayed her hand and chose to fly past them under the effects of {Invisibility}.


    However this group reacted to what had become of Hassun was none of her concern. The only thing she had to worry about was cleaning herself up before Kaylee woke up.

 CHAPTER 64: PARTITION

    Days spent on the road, having to endure the hard ground and bothersome mosquitoes and then finally getting to lie down on a bed, any bed; there was nothing quite like it.


    Kaylee woke up feeling rejuvenated. She yawned as wide as she could while stretching her arms to the limit. Then she placed her feet on the ground and opened her eyes to look around. The morning sun shone brightly through the window, casting light upon the room and reminding her it was not an inn.


    I should thank the old man for taking us in last night, she thought while wiping the drowsiness from her eyes. Even if he doesn¡¯t want my money I should at least find another way to repay him.


    Maybe she could cook for him. But, she knew nothing about cooking beyond the outdoor roasting of game. Perhaps she could help with chores or whatever tasks he needed doing. That idea sounded plausible. So, with that in mind she stood up and put her clothes on. Then she went about picking up her weapons.


    What¡¯s the undead up to? She wondered after finishing.


    After their conversation the previous night where she had put her foot down Sage had not said a single word to her. There was no doubt she was angry at the moment and would probably refuse to talk to her for a while. Kaylee could feel her outside doing Gods-knew-what.


    That¡¯s fine with me, she thought as she made her way to the room¡¯s door. If Sage refused to talk to her because she had refused to let her learn how to create an undead army she could live with it.


    Opening the door, she was met with the sight of Hammond, stirring a pot at the fire place. Alerted by the sound, the old man turned to her and flashed her a smile with several missing teeth.


    ¡°Morning young lady,¡± he greeted cheerfully. ¡°Did you enjoy your sleep?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you very much for your hospitality,¡± she replied in as kind a tone as she could manage. ¡°Do you need help with anything?¡±


    ¡°Not really. But I¡¯m almost done with this so if you could just take a moment to set up the table?¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± she responded with a nod.


    Setting up the table was not much of a task; she was done within a minute. The old man pointed her to a loaf of hard bread before pulling his pot of steaming broth out of the fire and bringing it to the table. As he scooped a bowl for himself his gaze wondered to the window in the undead¡¯s direction.


    ¡°You should call your friend,¡± he said to her. ¡°She has been up since the wee hours of the morning. The poor thing must be starving right now.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been fasting lately,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s a custom of her village where they honour the Goddess by staving off food for a week.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± the old man replied. In a softer tone he added, ¡°Must be one of those villages close to the border. Damn foreigners and their kooky ways influencing our people.¡±


    Kaylee fixed a smile on her face without responding. The lie had come easily, much more than it used to. Had staying near the undead influenced her in such a way?


    The two of them finished their meal silently, after which she once again thanked the old man and tried to pay him. However, just like before the old man was unwavering in his refusal. She was forced to once again retract the offer.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± she said with a tone of concession. ¡°But I can¡¯t leave you here alone with the current situation. So how about I escort you to the Church?¡±


    ¡°I will not abandon my house for anything,¡± the old man responded, clearly not pleased with the suggestion. ¡°If the necromancer comes and destroys my house he might as well take me down with it. I¡¯ll be waiting here!¡±


    Kaylee sighed at the declaration. Although the old man was kind, he was a typical old man; the same kind who bravely proclaimed to they would stay and go down with their house. It never ended well.


    ¡°Why not seek shelter with the Church and come back when the problem is resolved?¡± she asked. ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they always say!¡± the old man shouted. ¡°It¡¯s only gonna take a while; until ten years pass and the problem hasn¡¯t been resolved yet. I¡¯m an old man young lady, I don¡¯t have that kind of time!¡±


    Kaylee wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t find a good counter. What he had said was somewhat true. Often when people claimed they would solve a problem swiftly, they procrastinated and continued to give the same assurances for months, maybe even years. Of course, this particular problem being a necromancer, she had no doubt they would resolve it quickly. Unfortunately, she did not think the stubborn old man would take her word for it.


    She was still thinking of what to say when the door to the house opened and Sage let herself in. Again, she had changed her clothes. The leather pants were gone as she had slipped into a dress once more; only this one had frills up to the knees and short sleeves. The long gloves were back on and since this dress had no turtleneck she hid the scars on her throat by wrapping a scarf around it. The only thing she kept from her old outfit was the white patterned mask to contrast with the usual black of her clothes.


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    As usual, her choice of attire was suspicious and Kaylee was not the only one who thought it.


    ¡°Why are you dressed so glumly little lady?¡± the old man asked in a puzzled tone. ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to attend a funeral.¡±


    The undead completely ignored him as her gaze was cast upon Kaylee. ¡°We need to talk,¡± she said simply.


    She got over it sooner than I thought, Kaylee remarked nonverbally. She had thought the undead would spend at least a few days not talking to her.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she responded. ¡°But before that can you say something to convince him to take shelter at the Church?¡±


    The undead¡¯s reaction to her request was to groan, then a sigh, before shifting in the old man¡¯s direction.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t seek shelter the Cryptmaker will kill you and turn you into a zombie,¡± she began. ¡°Then he¡¯ll have you chase down those who ran away and kill them so he can do the same.¡± Hearing this, the old man¡¯s expression lost its stubbornness. However, the undead was not done. ¡°I heard necromancers have a thing for making their minions kill their own families, sometimes making them eat their brains. Please stay here if that¡¯s what you wish to do to your grandchildren. I wouldn¡¯t judge you if that¡¯s the case. After all, they left you here alone and took off.¡±


    After the undead let out the last word out Hammond, whose eyes had widened with terror over her speech, suddenly had his eyes role in the back of his head. Then he fell backwards. Before he could impact the ground though Kaylee rushed to catch him in a panicked frenzy. Immediately after securing him she checked his vitals before releasing a relieved sigh. Then she glared at the undead.


    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?¡± she yelled. ¡°How can you say something like that?¡±


    ¡°You asked me to help convince him and I did,¡± Sage said apathetically. There was no remorse on the bitch¡¯s face; the fucking undead!


    ¡°Not like that!¡± she yelled. ¡°He¡¯s an old man! You could have tried a gentler approach!¡±


    ¡°Against such stubbornness a gentle approach won¡¯t do,¡± the undead responded unapologetically. ¡°You saw how well he was responding to you.¡±


    Looking at Sage¡¯s lethargic posture, Kaylee was suddenly struck with the desire to swing a punch in her direction. At the moment, there was nothing she wanted more than shatter that stupid mask and give the undead a couple more facial scars. Unfortunately, her hands were busy gripping the old man so he did not fall to the ground.


    Another time, she swore to herself before attempting to calm herself down.


    ¡°Okay, fuck it. Let¡¯s carry him to the Church.¡±


    ¡°You want me to set foot in a chapel of Shea?¡± Sage asked with a measure of incredulity. ¡°Not a chance. You can go on alone. I¡¯m leaving this place soon.¡±


    What? Kaylee cast a scrutinising glare upon her. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°I mean we are done!¡± the undead replied, an edge slipping into her tone. ¡°I¡¯m fed up with your bullshit so I¡¯ll be leaving¡­ Alone!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    She did not know how else to respond. Before they had left Yshta they had agreed that they would separate when they got to this town, but with the whole Cryptmaker situation it had completely slipped from her mind.


    ¡°W-where will you go?¡± She asked with a stutter. Dammit! She followed up internally.


    Why was she stuttering? Ever since that unwanted meeting on the road to Yshta two weeks ago (had it only been two weeks?) there had been nothing more she craved than to put a distance of several towns or even nations between the two of them. Without the undead¡¯s presence she could go about making up a good story to explain her increase in affinity when she returned to her friends. So why was she hesitating now that the moment had finally arrived?


    It must be because I¡¯m worried she¡¯ll cause a catastrophe, she reasoned.


    Yes, that made sense. After the undead expressed her desire to learn necromancy the previous night; would it be alright to let her go her merry way? What if she tracked down some other necromancer to teach her and then used that knowledge to spread calamity? Should she let Sage go when such a possibility existed?


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that,¡± the undead replied with a sneer. ¡°Just know that I¡¯ll be out of your hair and you¡¯ll thankfully be out of mine. If all goes according to plan our bond will be the only thing we have in common because we¡¯ll never meet again. I¡¯ll continue to walk the face of Aran and you¡¯ll keep the extra mana until one of us dies.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± was the only response she could manage. It was solid reasoning.


    ¡°But we both know you dumbarse can¡¯t stay out of trouble for long,¡± the undead continued harshly. She went into her dress and came out with a leather-bound book. ¡°So here. I¡¯ve recorded spells up to the 5<sup>th</sup> Order for you. Learn them so you can defend yourself when you inevitably do something stupid. If you prove incapable of even that, then learn the [Contract Summon] spell on the first page. It¡¯s a Zero Order spell so it won¡¯t take up any slots.¡±


    As much as Sage¡¯s words made Kaylee want to grab the book and throw it in the scarred bitch¡¯s face, the undead had a point. The reason she decided to leave her friends was to strengthen herself. It would be a waste if she did not do that. So, while gnashing her teeth, she grudgingly accepted the tome.


    Still though. If this was the last time they would see each other, then a particular topic had to be addressed.


    ¡°What about the money you took from-¡±


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± Sage¡¯s exclamation interrupted her. Furiously, she went into her dress once more and came out with a pouch. Then she tossed it at her feet, where the pouch jingled and coughed out several gold coins. ¡°That¡¯s thirty gold!¡± she stated angrily, ¡°way more than I took from you and your fucking friends. Now I owe you nothing. We¡¯re done!¡±


    She stomped out of the house and slammed the door so loud it would not be a surprise if it had come off its hinges.


    For a while, Kaylee stared at the closed door before picking up the purse and shifting the old man to her back. She would drop him off at the Church first before she made her way to Inalla.


    I hope he doesn¡¯t take it hard when he wakes up, she thought.


    Honestly, it had been uncalled for to say such harsh things to an old man. Hopefully when Hammond regained consciousness all his anger would be directed at the undead.


    As for her, she thought while she swung the door to the house open. There was no one outside. Through the bond she felt the undead had already put significant distance between them. Still, she could not help snarl in her direction.


    Fucking stitched-up bitch. Who the fuck was the damned undead to suggest she was a troublemaker who could not go a moment without causing an altercation. I¡¯m the second best-behaved member of the Scarlet Quartet! She raged internally.


    Thinking about her party though, her lips curled up, causing the flames quickly quell down.


    Parting with the undead was surely a good thing. With her gone she did not have to deal with the ups and downs of her thieving sprees and whatever crime she might commit next. In fact, she did not have to concern herself with anything the bitch did! She had been thinking too much lately. If Sage decided to become a mass murderer, why should she care if it did not affect her? All that should matter was that without the undead nearby she could finally concentrate on strengthening herself and going back to her friends. After that all this would be behind her.


    Yes, this inevitable separation was a good thing. So-


    Good riddance you undead whore!

 CHAPTER 65: REPORT

    ¡°Good riddance. Right?¡±


    It had not taken long after she separated with the half-elf for her Familiar to come out of her shadow and try to chat her up. Nyx climbed onto her shoulder, which for some reason he seemed to regard as his comfy seat. It did not bother Sage much so she let it go. Though, she did not answer him as she advanced to the edges of the village.


    ¡°Where to now Master?¡± the cat asked after a considerable time had passed without getting a response.


    This time she did reply. ¡°That I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±


    Now that she no longer had to look over her shoulder to see if Kaylee was watching, she could do whatever she wanted. She could go wherever and do as she liked provided it was not in the vicinity of her bitch of a contractor. She was now free to pursue her interests. But there was so much to do that she was uncertain where to begin.


    I could go to Aruu, she thought to herself.


    From Nervahn the city was actually far away. An estimated three weeks¡¯ journey by carriage if she remembered, about a quarter of that if she were travelling from Tiih- probably a few hours by flight from there. From what she had learned, Aruu was much smaller than Tiih and Yshta and probably Inalla. There was probably nothing to be gained from heading there, but she put it on the list of potential targets just in case. The city was located at the base of the Trenton Highlands near a breach called the Divide. Aside from going over the mountains, the Divide was the only way to get into Lethia.


    Obviously, since she was wanted for unintentionally killing that pissant little shit of a Duke¡¯s heir she could not stay in this country. Well, actually she could since these people had so far proven to be incapable of finding her; but that did not mean she wanted to stay here just to mock their incompetence. So she set Lethia as her next country after she left this one. Magic was not as revered there, but body strengthening was all the rage. There was much she could learn in the Warrior Nation.


    Her magic had grown over the past few weeks, which was something to be proud of. However, the fact that her physique had not improved was a point of concern for her. A better physique was about more than just strength and speed; it was reflexes, senses and resistance to magic. Those with stronger physiques also possessed a better intuition, allowing them to avoid situations that otherwise would have been fatal to them.


    It was likely that many undead lacked the perception for danger but those were clearly the mindless ones. For one that was sentient like her, the ability to intuit danger, no matter how small, would go a long way towards sparing her from whatever trouble she might meet in the future.


    Unfortunately, the training regiments required to raise ones physique was something she was certain would not work on an undead. Although she did not have much knowledge on this topic she was certain as could be that herbs and a few breathing exercises would not affect an undead¡¯s physique in anyway. No amount of training could improve the musculature of the dead and no amount of drugs could affect them. Even the magic concoctions known as potions; apart from the Elixirs, only those that did not affect the body could be consumed, like the spirit potion.


    Still, even if Lethia was not a way to improve her physique she reckoned there would be someone there- likely some necromancer in hiding- trying to improve his army. Unfortunately, after browsing through the Cryptmaker¡¯s notes about creating stronger undead she learned that improving an undead¡¯s physique was impossible without merging it with other undead, in such a case that result would be a new undead.


    Sage did not want to find out how such a method would affect her. Therefore Lethia was the only way; or maybe the vampires living Gods-Know-Where. According to rumours these special undead were almost indistinguishable from the living; apart from a few minor differences like the absence of a reflection, shadow and the inability to walk in the day. Although they could not physically grow like the living, their mana improved with time and with their physique. There was much she could learn from them.


    But that was for another time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go visit our friend Sylphia,¡± she suggested. The information she had requested about Scions was long overdue. It was about time she collected it. ¡°Then find someplace to hole up in while I go through the Cryptmaker¡¯s notes. When I¡¯m done we can search for beasts you can {Devour}. How about that?¡±


    It was a shame {Devour} could not be used on humans or undead. If that was possible maybe the cat would have been a little more useful than it currently was.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Nyx sounded happy to hear her plan.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, scratching the back of his neck and being rewarded with a purr. For a moment she let a smile drift to her lips before killing it. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go pay our Illusionist friend a visit.¡±


    Perhaps this time she might be able to convince the elf to give up some of her Illusion spells and knowledge; this was what she thought as she cast the spell she had been working on since before sunrise. It had taken her more than six frustrating hours to learn it and- if anything- the payoff was definitely worth it. She cast [Teleport] and vanished from the spot.


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    ***


    Ana sighed as she stepped into the chapel. Her metal boots tracked mud onto the floor but at this point she could care less. Half a night of walking and then finally making it to her destination only to find nothing there tended to put people in a bad mood. If she had to walk all the way back from Hassun instead of using her companion¡¯s [Teleport] she would have likely been in a worse mood.


    Why is it so crowded here? She wondered as she looked around.


    Before coming to this small town in this far off country she had been told that most of the residents had fled. How then were there so many people in the church? Just off the top of her head she counted over a hundred people present, which was several percent of Nervahn¡¯s population. They were noisy too as some of them knelt from their benches to the floor to loudly and shakily pray- more like beg- the Goddess for deliverance. It was not only normal civilians she spotted here but also mercenaries; the cowards who had been too scared to do what Ana and her colleagues were brought here to do.


    One such mercenary was a half-elf who stood over a sleeping old man. She had long black hair and with tight leather armour and a bow strapped to her back. Though she lacked the fearful expression of most of the people here, other mercenaries included; the fact that she was here did not speak much for her courage.


    Ana cast her attention elsewhere as she moved further into the church hall with her companions trailing.


    Their arrival did of course not go unnoticed, with their upright demeanour and their eye-catching equipment. Before long much of the hall was looking at them, eyes filled with hope as if their salvation had come. She did not comfort them with assurances, neither did her comrades. That was up to their superior. After they made their report it would be up to her to decide what to divulge.


    So she walked past them until she got to the stage. There a young priest-in-training met them with a reverent bow and quickly ushered them to the back of the stage, much to the confused mutterings of those present in the hall. At the back of the stage were several rooms, but these were skipped in favour of the stairs that led to the basement floor. Again, there were several doors, some of which were the sleeping quarters and medical bay. These were also skipped as well as the room with the [Teleport] circle they had come through the previous night. The trainee priest led them to the very end of the corridor where a lone door awaited. Then he bowed his head and left them there to return to his duty.


    Ana and her crew braced themselves before opening the door.


    The room they found was empty, devoid of everything except a mat. On this mat sat a woman of advanced age, with skin more wrinkled than any she had seen and white hair so thin her scalp was almost bald. Her aged face looked at peace- the dead kind- with her eyes closed. She did not open them as the septet entered and knelt in front of her.


    ¡°Is it done?¡± the old woman asked in a scratchy voice that did not seem to be used to talking. Also, there was a note of annoyance in her tone.


    Ana could guess why it was so.


    Saana Light-speaker. In her heyday she had been a missionary and an Inquisitor, with a rapport a Paladin like Ana could only dream of achieving. After centuries of serving she had finally resigned to serve the Goddess with prayer in her last days, only to be called back to oversee this mission. If Ana were put in a similar situation she would be pissed as well.


    ¡°No,¡± she replied honestly.


    Her answer caused the crone to open her eyes and grey irises fell upon her. ¡°What do you mean it is not done?¡± Saana asked, almost demanded.


    ¡°When we got there we found nothing,¡± Ana responded. She could feel her companions glaring daggers at her. She had never been the type who could explain things perfectly, so to save what would likely turn into a misunderstanding- from the aged priestess¡¯ expression- she turned to the side and singled out the mage of their party. ¡°Greta can explain the situation.¡±


    The dwarf sorceress sighed before speaking up. ¡°When we got there the entire settlement had been reduced to ash. Upon investigation we have determined there was some kind of a battle between the Cryptmaker and an unknown party. The results seem to suggest that Kezan lost.¡±


    ¡°And the other party?¡± Saana asked, her eyes closed again as she shifted into a relaxed posture. Since the object of the assignment had been vanquished perhaps she was already imagining returning to her place of retirement in this country.


    ¡°No a clue ma¡¯am,¡± Greta replied. ¡°Although I¡¯m certain there was a second party, I could not pick up traces of their residue.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± the old woman replied slowly. Without making her thoughts known she turned to the Oracle next to Greta. ¡°Krystelle, what about you? What results has your investigation picked up?¡±


    Krystelle¡¯s pointy ears perked up before she spoke in a soft mousey voice. ¡°Erm¡­ yes ma¡¯am! I- er- tried to [Divine] the happenings of Hassun. The- er- Cryptmaker¡¯s death was confirmed as well as the- er- villagers.¡± Here she took a deep breath before trying to continue. ¡°But- but- but-¡±


    ¡°-but even so the culprit could not be [Divine]d,¡± Ana finished for her. Krystelle always took long when she was nervous. ¡°Although traces of their spellcasting was all over the place we could not pinpoint the individual- or individuals; though we all suspect it had only been a single person.¡±


    To back up her speculation her companions nodded in unison.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Those words were followed by several moments of silence. The old woman seemed to have some thoughts on the matter but she did not share them. Ana could hear her companions¡¯ heavy breaths as they waited to see what the retired Inquisitor would do with their report.


    Finally, after what felt like forever she spoke up. ¡°If that is the case then the job is done. Greta; you Amelia, Jansen and Payton go out and tell the people out there the necromancer has been vanquished. Then go to the Mercenary Guild and tell them the same news. Make sure they spread the message and send someone after those who have fled.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Greta stood up and saluted. The other three did likewise before following her out.


    After they left the room silence reigned supreme once more. Ana wanted to say something, but the immediate change in the room¡¯s atmosphere made her stay her tongue. The crone opened her eyes again and she saw an alertness in them that had not been present during the whole meeting. An uncomfortable prickling assaulted her skin as the old woman¡¯s grey orbs scrutinised her. Fortunately, the scrutiny did not last long as Saana went on to observing the other two beside her.


    ¡°Anastacia¡­ Yaven¡­ Krystelle¡­¡± she said their names as she gazed upon each of them. Then her scratchy voice posed a question. ¡°What do you know of phantoms?¡±

 CHAPTER 66: VISITING ‘FRIENDS’

    As the proprietor of a brothel, it was to be expected that Sylphia¡¯s week would always be eventful in one way or another. Whether it be mistreated employees, entitled customers or just general complaints there was always something happening. However, among the countless eventful weeks this one had been the most memorable in a long time; and not in a good way.


    It was not every day that a duke stormed into the Enchanted Flower demanding to learn everything about a customer, going so far as to threaten to execute her if she could not provide a satisfactory answer. Anton Tremas had been an enraged beast then, tearing and smashing everything he could get his hands on. Even though it had been five days, the damage was still being repaired. The worst part about it was that the bastard left without paying for the damages!


    Just wait till Savandor gets back, Sylphia swore for the umpteenth time since then. She took a long pull from her pipe and exhaled a thick cloud of lavender-scented smoke, adding to the stuffiness of the room. I¡¯m going to bill him twice the amount the repairs cost.


    The infuriating thing about the whole situation back then was that she could only stand there with a plastered smile and watch. Even though she had the power to put a 5<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer like him in his place, when he threatened to kill her she could only listen with as calm a smile as she could manage. He was a noble of a human nation, and she was an elf; if she had tried anything she would have lost everything. As upsetting as it was, it was the way of the world. Unfortunately, without sufficient power she could only accept what was dished out to her. Fortunately her backing was strong enough that the man did not actually follow through with his threat.


    What did I do to deserve this? She sighed internally as she released yet another cloud of smoke. Fixing her gaze on her aide, she gave her a nod. ¡°Let her in.¡±


    Talia nodded with a curtsy before leaving the room. A moment later the door opened and admitted a woman in a long black dress with a white patterned mask and a black scarf around her neck. The manner in which the woman held herself was for the least part extremely infuriating. Just like last time, she strut in like she owned the place and sat herself comfortably in in one of Sylphia¡¯s sofa without an invitation.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while hasn¡¯t it Madam Sylphia?¡± she began in a tone that exuded a little too much familiarity.


    Sylphia was not having it, especially from the person responsible for her current troubles.


    ¡°How did you enter the Enchanted Flower without being stopped?¡± she demanded.


    Although Tremas never bothered her after the first time, there was no shortage of his goons sloppily traipsing about in a manner they thought was stealthy around the Red District, all the while keeping a constant eye on the door of the Enchanted Flower. ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ might be wearing a mask at the moment but that did not really do much considering the fact that she always hid her face. Her dress was not much different than the one she wore last time so unless Tremas¡¯ goons were extremely inept it was unlikely she would have gone unmissed.


    ¡°As fun as it would be to tell you how I cleverly worked my way around them, that is simply not true,¡± ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ responded. ¡°I just turned myself invisible and walked in. It seems they did not consider that I might have such a spell in my possession considering the fliers in town revealing I¡¯m a senior mage.¡±


    There was blas¨¦ smugness in her voice that made Sylphia fantasise about punching her, but she stayed put and took another drag from her pipe. Maybe she was inhaling too deeply because her gown slipped from her shoulder, exposing its milky bareness. Honestly, she was not bothered to set it right, so she exhaled and spoke up.


    ¡°What is it that you have come looking for this time?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The information I asked for last time,¡± The masked woman responded. For a moment her eyes flashed to her exposed shoulder before moving back to her face. ¡°You said you would be able to gather the information I wanted in a day. Although I¡¯m a little late I have come to collect.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± was the response she gave in the moment. After pulling from her pipe she gave the rest of her reply. ¡°Very well then. Could you wait for a minute?¡±


    The information was in one of her table drawers, but she did not feel like getting up so she instead used [Mage Hand] to open it and take the papers out. Then she floated them to ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯s¡¯ end of the table. The masked woman picked the papers up and scrutinised them silently.


    ¡°The information only mentions the Scions of the Life Goddess, the Dragon God, the Magic God and the Beast God,¡± Sylphia felt the need to explain. ¡°The offspring of Netha¡¯mun never leave the sea so they are largely unknown. As for the Winter Goddess, it is unknown whether she has any children who are not lost to history.¡±


    ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ nodded at her explanation but added a question of her own. ¡°So this information is on all Scions on the continent?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Sylphia responded. ¡°But those are only the ones who appear in public. There might be others who prefer to stay out of the limelight and keep to themselves.¡±


    Honestly, Sylphia was curious why the woman was interested in Scions. What could she possibly want with such information? Did it have to do with the fact that ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ was not human or even beastkin but a different sort of monster? On more than one occasion she had been thinking about what kind of creature the woman was. Her aura was unlike any she had ever seen in her life, the closest to it being a vampire. That fact at least gave her an idea about what group she belonged to.


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    One thing Sylphia was relieved about was the fact that the woman did not bring up the fact that she had used [Mystic Eyes] on her and she did not seem upset about the matter; or maybe she was just not showing it. Either way, as long as it did not come up Sylphia was satisfied. As much as she wanted to strangle the woman, the last thing she could afford at the moment was to get into an argument with her. It would likely turn violent and alert the goons outside, putting her in the sights of Tremas once more.


    ¡°Noted,¡± The woman replied. She stood up, announcing the end of her visit. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then. There¡¯s still one more stop I wish to make.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said, not offering to let Talia see her out. The woman would likely leave via Door like she always did, that was what she thought.


    This time was different. ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ swept the papers off the table and dropped them onto the floor, where her shadow voraciously devoured them. A second later a black cat which was likely her Familiar sprang up from said shadow in into her arms. Then, just like that, the woman popped out of existence.


    It took a while for Sylphia to register what had just happened and she could not help but stare at the place where the woman had previously been. With no one present she let her nonchalant fa?ade fall as she stared open mouthed at the spot, casting [Mystic Eyes] to see if she had seen what she thought she had.


    Was that [Teleport]ation?


    ***


    When are those damn guards going to stop patrolling the city? Malvin thought as he drained his fourth glass of liquor.


    Sifting through the books on the table, he concluded for the umpteenth time that his establishments on the shady side were not doing as well as they should. With that little bastard Anders getting himself killed the whole damned City Guard was patrolling all of Yshta and hindering his businesses. Usually those dogs looked the other way for few coins under the table, however, that fucking slimy brown-noser Guard Captain was currently too busy kissing up to Tremas to hold to his end of the bargain!


    ¡°It¡¯s all that witch¡¯s fault!¡± he yelled, slamming his empty glass on the table.


    He knew she was daring from the fact that she so boldly broke into his house and admitted she was the one that robbed the Masons. What he had not expected was that she was fucking crazy as well! Robbing the nobles was something one could get away with if they were skilled, but killing a noble¡¯s kin- particularly their heir- was fucking asking for death. They would pursue you to the end of the world!


    If anyone finds out she was here¡­ he began to think while he poured himself another drink.


    If that happened he would be utterly fucked!


    ¡°Shit!¡± he yelled, chucking the glass at the nearest wall.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look to be in the best of moods today Mr Grunt,¡± a soft voice came from behind him. ¡°Perhaps I should come back another day.¡±


    Hearing that voice, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. Immediately, he spun his armchair to find himself facing a masked woman with a cat in her hands. Even if she had not spoken and that cat was not with her, he would have recognised her for her choice of dress. It was the fucking witch responsible for his losses!


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± What would have come out as a demand on any other occasion was a mere inquiry.


    Even though he was mad at her, Malvin did not forget she was a 7<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer. She could easily crush him if he offended her. Even if by some miracle his bodyguards outside were somehow alerted and managed to come inside he was doubtful they would be able to stop her from killing him if she really wanted to. This realisation brought him to a sudden decision.


    I¡¯m going to hire stronger bodyguards.


    Fuck saving money by hiring cheaper guards! What was the point of having more money when your life could be taken on a whim by those you antagonised? Money could be earned anytime in life but it did not follow you in death. So, better to be dirt poor than a gilded corpse!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were in the habit of wasting good alcohol Mr Grunt,¡± the woman spoke with a disapproving tone.


    The glass he had thrown earlier floated to her and as she grasped it, it occurred to him that he had not heard the sound of glass shatter against the wall. His eyes remained fixed on the witch as she turned her back to him and her free hand moved to her face, presumably to lift her mask. Then she brought her occupied hand to her face and gulped.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he repeated when the glass had been emptied.


    The witch touched her face once more with her free hand and turned to face him; the mask was back on. Also, the cat that was previously in her arms now rested on her shoulder.


    ¡°Why the hostile attitude Mr Grunt?¡± her tone was almost playful. ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends?¡±


    ¡°You are too dangerous a friend to have in these times,¡± he responded earnestly. ¡°Please state what you came here for.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t consider me a friend? Oh, how you wound me!¡± she exclaimed mockingly.


    This fucking bitch!


    ¡°Please be serious Miss Maverick,¡± he said patiently.


    ¡°If that is your wish,¡± the witch said, and the playful demeanour was immediately dropped. ¡°Do you deal in herbs and flasks and a shit-ton of paper?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied softy. Then, quirking up an eyebrow, he asked, ¡°why?¡±


    ¡°For personal reasons,¡± she answered. ¡°How much would it cost to purchase all you have in stock?¡±


    He thought about it for a while before he came up with an answer. ¡°I have around ten kilograms of paper, which will cost about fifty silvers. The flasks would be around three gold if they are of good quality and the herbs; depend on their grade. If I have to table an amount though it would be around forty gold for all of them.¡±


    To be a successful merchant, it was a basic necessity to know the value of your stock, which was why he was able to come up with an amount almost immediately. That said, the amount had been inflated a little.


    ¡°Here then,¡± the witch tapped the ring on finger and dropped several tens of gold pieces on the table. ¡°Forty gold, count them if you like. As much I would love to stay and get the items myself, I am just not in the mood. However, Nyx will accompany you so please give him everything I asked for.¡±


    Before he could ask who Nyx was the cat on the witch¡¯s shoulders suddenly jumped off and landed on the arm of his chair. It looked at him with large green eyes that he was certain were mocking him. The little beast¡¯s words proved him right.


    ¡°I hope we get along short fat man,¡± it said mischievously.


    He already did not like the little bastard.

 CHAPTER 67: TAKING SHELTER

    So far, this day was the best day Sage had had since coming to Aran. It was not even midday yet and she had already managed to get rid that bothersome half-elf and learn one of the most useful spells ever. With [Teleport] in her possession distance was no longer a factor. The days-long distance from Nervahn to Yshta had been covered in an instant, she had managed to get information on Scions and then travelled to Trenton Highlands, all in the span of an hour.


    At the moment she stood in front of the dark maw of a cave. Once upon a time a bunch of mercenaries stormed this place to rescue the kidnapped victims of nearby village. Now as she had returned to the place of her first parting with the quartet, she reinforced her previous idea that it would be the perfect place to lie low for a while.


    The journey from Yshta to this cave had actually not been a one-way [Teleport]. From the capital she had first gone to Tiih; it was a city that she had not gotten the time to explore. However. The moment she stepped into the city she could not help noticing the giant posters she had seen in the capital. From the looks of it, Duke Tremas wanted to find her real bad and intended to have the whole of Ysh in on his manhunt. At this point she would not be surprised if he was thinking of extending his search to other countries.


    Even so-


    Those descriptions aren¡¯t much to go on, she had thought when she had first glimpsed the supposed drawing of her.


    Honestly, now that she had finally parted with Kaylee she could drastically change her attire and keep Nyx out of sight. If she did that she could walk past the damned duke and his best hunt dogs and none of them would know who she was.


    However, she was not one to test fate. Even by only looking at the description, there would be those who would be able to tell that it was her. Some of them, like the Scarlet Quartet, had even seen her face. She did not put it above them to tell what they knew to the duke for a couple gold coins. They were mercenaries after all.


    Which was why it was better to retreat to this cave in the middle of nowhere. Here she could relax and take a good look at the tomes of the Cryptmaker. She would not leave until she had absorbed enough knowledge and improved; until she was confident enough that even if she were discovered she could effortlessly escape. This was a quiet place where she could read her books in peace, which was all she desired at the moment.


    Unfortunately, even that proved unviable.


    In the short two weeks that she and the mercenaries massacred the bandits who used this place as a hideout, it had been occupied once more, and by more bandits it seemed.


    The first thing she noticed when she first [Teleport]ed was a man seated at the mouth of the cave. This particular vagrant wore old clothes so worn out they had probably been passed down a couple of times, their original colour clearly a thing of history. At his side was an old sword sheathed in an older scabbard. The man had ignored it enthusiastically as he smoked a herb with an unfamiliar scent in a rolled up paper. However, the moment she appeared before him he dropped the joint and jumped to his feet before finally remembering he had a sword. Then he scooped it up and unsheathed it, pointing its rusty edge in her direction.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he demanded in a panicked voice. He then revealed himself as a total amateur when his eyes left her to peek back at the mouth of the cave and shout, ¡°INTRUDER!¡±


    She of course did not take advantage of this massive blunder. Instead she waited.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: F (White)


    He was not a threat. Even the way he was holding his sword was wrong. It looked more akin to how a farmer would grasp a hoe. If such a person was the lookout then the rest of them could not be too tough. Still, she cast [Shield] on herself. One could never be too careful.


    ¡°How many of you are in there?¡± she tried to start up a conversation.


    ¡°We are many!¡±  the man replied viciously. ¡°Our boss is strong. You better run away or else!¡±


    His tone was too panicked to take seriously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances,¡± she responded just as others burst out of the mouth of the cave.


    They were a quintet, not much better dressed than their lookout. Two of them carried spears, one a sword and the remaining two had bows pointed at her. Their stats were not much different and there was only one among them who seemed to know how to grasp his weapon.


    ¡°Be careful fellas,¡± their lookout buddy warned. ¡°She¡¯s a witch. Saw her appear out of thin air like it was nothing.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here witch?¡± the only competent one demanded with a bow pointed in her direction. ¡°Be gone. We don¡¯t want nothing with your kind!¡±


    ¡°The feeling¡¯s mutual,¡± she responded calmly. ¡°But I happen to covert this cave and now I find it occupied. So what do you expect me to do?¡±


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    ¡°Find another!¡± someone else shouted, gripping his spear callously.


    To this response she quirked up her lip, not that any of them could see it. ¡°I have no desire to look for another cave. Considering I¡¯m one of the people who evacuated the previous owners, I believe I have more of a claim to it than any of you do.¡±


    Her revelation seemed to take them by surprise. Their eyes widened as they stared at her in disbelief.


    ¡°You¡­¡± the competent bowman could not seem find the right words. She could almost hear creaky gears in his head turning before he finally came out with a response. ¡°You were the one who left all those corpses here?¡±


    ¡°You found them here when you moved in?¡± she asked, surprised.


    How soon after the Scarlet Quartet had whisked their recued hostages away had these guys moved in? It could not have been that long because this place was teeming with predators. They would have definitely been attracted by the days old reek of the corpses and settled here and if they had done so these guys would not be the ones she would be meeting. If these guys had marched in after that, they would not have survived. They did not look like they could take down a single wolf.


    ¡°So you guys moved in while the corpses were still fresh?¡± she asked, amazed. ¡°What is wrong with you? Did you not think that the ones responsible would return?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± the competent bowman once again could not find the right words to articulate.


    Fortunately, he did not need to.


    ¡°Where is the intruder?¡± came a commanding voice from inside the cave.


    The half-dozen men outside released sighs of relief as a woman in brown leather emerged with a dozen or so men trailing her. She was stocky with olive brown skin, which accentuated her the muscles of her arms; one of which heaved a giant double-sided battle-axe on her shoulder. The confident manner in which she did so was a clear indication she was at least more competent than the rest of her companions. Her confidence though, was at odds with her height, which appeared to be only slightly more than Arletta¡¯s. All of her minions dwarfed her. A scar ran vertically on the right side of her face along a trail where her ear should have been. There was a fierce look in her dark eyes as they fell upon Sage.


    ¡°You¡¯re the intruder?¡± she asked redundantly.


    Sage¡¯s response was to look her up and down.


    Race: Half-Dwarf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: G (Yellow)


    She was not much of a threat either.


    ¡°Not gonna talk?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Then you fuck outta here!¡± She heaved the axe from her shoulder and pointed it at Sage. ¡°Leave all your valuables behind while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    The jeers of the men in agreement with the leader gave Sage the urge to rub her forehead. Instead, she endured it and fixed her gaze on the woman.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a counter offer. You and your minions fuck out of here while I¡¯m still in a good mood.¡±


    They at least deserved that considering they had not attacked her on sight like many bandits surely would. Also, she was obviously not going to live in a smelly and dirty cave, so if she killed them she would have to clean up the corpses. That would be another pain on its own.


    ¡°So that¡¯s your answer,¡± the woman was not smiling. ¡°Okay boys¡­ kill her!¡±


    In the next moment more than a dozen men charged her, including those who had originally been wary. Those who remained behind nocked their arrows and fired at her. Unfortunately they were not able to penetrate her [Shield].


    Sage sighed at their decision. No one ever listen to reason when it was not backed by force.


    She deployed [Blight] just as the first of the bandits got into a ten metre radius of her. He immediately began to scream as moisture left his body at a visible rate, causing his body to dry up in front of his comrades¡¯ eyes. The horror of such a sight caused them all to halt, but it was too late for some of them as they were only a step away when they noticed the change. They were unable to avoid stepping into [Blight]¡¯s sphere of influence and befell the same fate. Only seven of the charging group survived, and what they had witnessed caused them to drop their weapons.


    Seeing they had no more will to fight, Sage cast her eyes on the half-dwarf, who wore a terrified expression. Without giving her a chance to react, she {Blink}ed to her side and touched her shoulder. Then she cast [Polymorph].


    The downside of this 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell was that one needed to be within a metre distance to cast. It was not feasible in fights against tough opponents, though in this particular case where everyone was just short of petrified, it was perfect.


    The moment she released the spell the shocked woman¡¯s eyes widened as she seemed to feel something wrong. Her body began to shrink out of her clothes, her skin turning grey, at a rate almost too fast for the eye to follow. She opened her mouth to say something, but what came out was a croak. Where there once was a woman more than a hundred and fifty centimetres tall there was now a toad about ten centimetres tall.


    Sage used [Mage Hand] to levitate the transformed woman to her actual hand. Feeling the toad¡¯s slimy skin even with her gloves, she could not help the urge to react in disgust. Fortunately she was wearing a mask, so none of the bandits could see her expression. She held their [Polymorph]ed leader in front of them, invoking gasps.


    ¡°This is your last warning,¡± she said with as with much indifference as she could muster. In actuality she wanted to throw the toad away. That icky feeling of the creature¡¯s skin sent shivers up her spine and not in a good way. She had loathed amphibians for as long as she could remember, toads most of all. ¡°Now I will count to twenty. If you¡¯re still here I¡¯ll start chucking [Fireball]s.¡±


    ¡°W-what about our belongings?¡± the competent bowman from earlier was the only one who seemed to have the courage to speak.


    ¡°One,¡± she began counting.


    They got the message. The scramble began almost immediately. Before they did though she threw their boss at one of them.


    ¡°The spell will wear off in a few minutes,¡± she revealed.


    The greater the difference in mass between what the object and what it had been changed to, the faster it would revert to its original shape. Physique also played a part as those with stronger bodies shook off negative spell effect much easier. Sage guessed the dwarf woman would regain her form in at most five minutes.


    ¡°If I see any of you again I¡¯ll turn you ants and step on you,¡± she finished with a half-hearted threat. The recipients took it seriously though as they gasped, with the toad croaking in the literal sense. She continued on unbothered. ¡°Now get! Two¡­ three¡­ four¡­¡±


    By the time she reached ten they had already disappeared into the trees. She no longer paid attention to them as she felt Nyx pop out of her shadow.


    ¡°Master. I got the stuff!¡± he exclaimed, a little proud of himself.


    ¡°Good.¡± She scooped him into her arms and scratched his ear, eliciting a satisfied purr from him. ¡°Let¡¯s check out our temporary home,¡± she muttered.


    Hopefully the recently departed bandits had left something to make this place feel homely.

 CHAPTER 68: ARCANE LORE

    ¡°FUCK!¡± she yelled, scooping the flask from the obsidian fire and chucking it in frustration. Said flask hit the cave wall and shattered, spilling a simmering green liquid on to the floor.


    ¡°Another failure isn¡¯t it?¡± Nyx asked from the shadows somewhere.


    ¡°Shut it!¡± she yelled, taking an empty flask from the stone table and flinging it at him.


    She missed. The cat had already used his [Shadow Travel] to move somewhere else. Over the past week and a half he had gotten used to the fact that she would throw whatever she could get her hands on when faced with multiple failures. In that time Sage had learned that her aptitude for alchemy was non-existent. She had lost count of the amount of times she had failed at concocting the simplest fucking spirit potion!


    ¡°Maybe you should try something else Master,¡± Nyx¡¯s voice came from below her. ¡°Watching you fail the first couple of times was funny but now it¡¯s just sad, not to mention boring.¡±


    As much as she wanted to rebuff his comment, she begrudgingly admitted her current actions were yielding no results. When she first opened the alchemy books she had obtained and tried her hand at it, she had begun to formulate a plan. Since the likelihood of finding an Elixir, specifically the one she wanted, was practically nil she would learn how to brew her own concoction until she reached a stage of mastery where she could learn to create her own Elixirs. Then, she would just have to find someone with the recipe and steal it from them, which was much a much easier thing to do.


    That plan had completely fallen through. Even though she had only been doing this for a while compared to the amount of time alchemists spent on their art, dozens of failures to brew the simplest potions and she was thoroughly convinced it was not meant for her. The shit was not easy! No wonder only two alchemists in history were capable of making Elixirs. From her attempts earlier, it was a fair assumption she would never add to that tally.


    ¡°What should I try then?¡± she asked harshly, looking down at her shadow where she could feel the cat. ¡°Enchanting? I already read that fucking book and learned it¡¯s out of my hands!¡±


    As a magician of the 9<sup>th</sup> Order, the Cryptmaker had obviously been very knowledgeable. Apart from books on alchemy and the obvious necromancy, there had been plenty of books on magic theory, spell formation and rituals. Those she grasped surprisingly easily, perhaps because of her nature of as Darkborne. She even understood the mechanism behind enchanting, probably because it was a branch of magic with roots in necromancy.


    It was actually surprising just how many branches of magic had been influenced by necromancy.


    To start off, the idea of enchanted items began before the Arcane Era. In that time, which some refer to as the Beast Era, humans were incapable of magic, so it was a difficult time for them. They survived by finding corpses of beasts, especially those with abilities, and fashioning weapons out of them. After the death of a beast some of its powers would remain behind in its corpse. If the beast had been strong, those who crafted clothes from its hide or weapons from its bones were able to dominate an area with just that.


    Unfortunately, those enchantments wore off over time. Within a year or even less the beast¡¯s mana dissipated, leaving them with the usual mundane animal products.


    With the appearance of Argun and the subsequent overhaul of the previous Era, humans learned how to engrave the hides and bones to make the enchantments last longer. Some of them even devised rituals to imbue ordinary items with arcane properties.


    Unfortunately, the enchantments would still fade over time. Even the best prolonging enchantments could only delay the inevitable for a while.


    It was after the fall of Vatran that the newly emerging necromancers found a way to make items retain their properties; attaching a soul to the item. So far as to say, it was obvious why such a method was scorned.


    Even so, this opened up a new avenue of understanding for the magic branch. Alas, the usage of human souls in such a manner was deemed profane and unacceptable by the populace, so scholars tried using animal souls as a substitute. That turned out to be a catastrophic failure. In the end the practise was abandoned¡­ in the light of day. The Cryptmaker¡¯s tomes made mention of a kingdom of Tel¡¯sir in which the general populace vanished over time as their number of enchanted items and army of golems grew. Suffice to say, the Imperium had made an example out of them by confining them to the pages of history; a warning for all who would tread the same path.


    A viable solution to crafting permanent enchantments was only discovered recently in the year 2142 of the Arcane Calendar; precisely thirty nine years ago. An Ultra Order sorcerer from Methos, Theo Grant, innovated the method of attaching an elemental to an object in order to maintain its magical properties. This method had few dissenters.


    The Cryptmaker had recorded the process in his tomes; it was surprisingly easy. Unfortunately it came with a revelation Sage had not been aware of.


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    Many sorcerers below the higher Orders opted to have a Familiar as a companion. However, the number fell steeply among senior magicians. Sage wanted to kick herself for not ever asking why.


    [Summon Familiar] was the only spell below the upper Orders where magicians came into contact with other-planar beings. From the fact that the summoned Familiar was an immortal companion that would accompany the summoner until the end of their life, it was easy to see why it would be so popular. If the Familiar had good abilities it would be a boon for the mage.


    Unfortunately- it was apparently common knowledge- a sorcerer could not concurrently summon more than one entity from the same plane. For example, if Sage used [Summon Undead] twice in a row, the first undead would be cast back to the Deadlands to make room for the second. This sadly applied to elementals of the Primordial Plane as well. If she wanted to summon an elemental she would have get rid of Nyx first. Regrettably, the bond between summoner and Familiar was so strong it could only be shattered by death. Even if Sage made it to Ultra Order and used a summoning spell of that tier there would be no response due to her already having a connection to a being from that plane.


    Fuck! Just thinking about it made her want to throw something again. When summoning elementals, for either combat or another purpose, the connection dissolved after it returned to the Primordial Chaos. The enchanting method devised by Theo Grant shifted the elemental bond from the summoner to the item the enchantment would be applied on. Since Sage already had Nyx she could not even get to the starting line; if only she could do away with the fucking cat!


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that Master?¡± said cat was out of her shadow and looking up at her uncomfortably.


    She looked away. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Her gaze shifted to the right side of the table, where the alchemy book sat open on the page with instructions on how to brew a low-grade spirit potion. With an angry sigh, she closed it and tossed it to the corner next to the tomes she had already finished reading. The notes on the Scions were there as well.


    After reading about that particular group she realised just how much of an advantage they had over other beings. The most obvious of these was a Scion¡¯s ability to grasp magic, learning what took others days or months in mere moments. This made them advance much faster than their peers.


    Fortunately, most of the Scions mentioned in the notes were not sorcerers. The notes detailed eleven Scions, many of whom were dragons; the Scorchborne offspring of Vestrava. Most glaring among them was Niagorath, the infamous Sun Dragon. It was said the flames of his Breath were so intense that even those not caught in them would burst into flames. That was how- it had been documented- he destroyed an entire kingdom in mere moments.


    When a Scion¡¯s mana turned green they obtained a manipulation ability, which helped them freely manipulate the element of their parents as they saw fit.  It was not much considering the array of spells in existence, but it was at least something for Sage to look forward to when she reached the 9<sup>th</sup> Order.


    One thing she was relieved to learn was that, unlike the Darkborne, other Scions could not control those of their kind. If such had been the case the order of the world would probably not be as stable as it was, with dragon Scions controlling all dragons, or beast Scions ordering other beasts. Also, the thought of the Life Goddess¡¯ children controlling all living beings was a scary one. Fortunately, such a scene would never come to pass.


    That said, they could still boss them around like how a king would his subjects.


    If no ill fate befell them, all Scions would eventually achieve Transcendence, at which point they would gain a part of their parent¡¯s authority; allowing them to restrict usage of their element to individuals in their vicinity.


    Fuck that bastard! She had raged when she learned of it.


    Instead of turning her into a ghost, the arsehole should have made her Arcaneborne! Although she had not had any intention of being reborn she might have been grateful to him if he had done that. Scions of the Magic God, like King Leras Magnus of Methos, were human; that was one thing they had over being Darkborne. At Ultra Order they could restrict magic usage of others in their vicinity. How great would that be? Furthermore, Arcaneborne had an affinity for all elements and magic types so they did not experience pain or discomfort during Advancement.


    It was totally unfair; she felt cheated when she learned of it.


    All living beings of the Main Plane had a lifespan. For example, when looking at humanity, each specie had a different lifespan. The common humans could only live for close to a hundred years, same with the orcs. Those with superior physiques could double that lifespan, while magicians could extend it to a couple of centuries. Dwarves had a lifespan of two hundred and fifty years while elves could live up to four hundred. The same parameters applied to them. The lifespan of a Transcendent though, it did not matter which specie, hovered at a thousand.


    Even so, in the end they were fated to die.


    Not Scions. Once they attained Transcendence the limiting factor of lifespan vanished. Saint Leah of the Shean Holy Imperium was the hero who ended the Days of Gloom over a millennium and a half ago, yet she still walked Aran to this day and was apparently as vibrant as ever. As Lightborne, she would live until she was killed. This and many of the above mentioned factors was why Transcendent Scions were referred to by another name¡­ Demigods!


    ¡°When will I become one?¡± she wondered aloud.


    As an undead, there was no need to worry about ever reaching the end of her lifespan. However, the power that came with reaching Ultra Order was something she desired. When it happened she need not be wary of anyone except other Scions. Even if other Scions turned out to be more powerful, having a smaller number of people to worry about would be a welcome change.


    ¡°Maybe when you stop procrastinating and do what you should have done since the first day we got here,¡± the fucking cat¡¯s unsolicited response came from behind her.


    She did not bother to spare a glare in his direction, opting to snarl and leave it at that.


    As much as she hated to admit it, the little shit was right. The moment she learned [Telekinesis] after [Teleport], she had been eligible to learn a spell of the 8<sup>th</sup> Order. The days spent reading and failing at brewing chemicals would have been better spent trying to reach 8<sup>th</sup> Order.


    But¡­ fuck! She really did not want to go through with the ordeal.

 CHAPTER 69: THE EIGHTH ORDER

    The agony of Advancement was too much. If Sage could have her way she would delay the process indefinitely. She would be happy to never go through the experience again.


    The sad thing about life though, was that it would not stop for her to overcome her apprehension. The only choices she had as time went on and Aran spun was to either confine herself to this cave until she somehow got over her hesitation; or to suck it up and get on with the process and leave with the confidence that she had grown stronger.


    Obviously she would choose the latter, it was by far the better choice. It was just that the trepidation of going through with the Advancement was nowhere near as comfortable as the thought of getting lost in a book. Unfortunately-


    What choice do I have?


    It was not like she had decided to come here simply to hide. If that was really all she wanted any city would do. All she would need to do is change her attire, keep Nyx out of sight, and- with the amount of money she now had on her- live in luxury for several decades. But a stagnant life was not one she wanted, at least not with latent threats nipping at her heels. The duke and his whole endeavour to avenge his son was a joke; however, if someone like Leah learned of her existence and came after her she would be fucked. That was not a situation she wanted to find herself in.


    ¡°Fine!¡± she said, trying to psych herself up as much as telling her Familiar to lay off.


    Instead of reaching for another tome on the table, she stopped using it as a support and stood up straight. Then she went into the pocket of her coat and came out with a sheet of paper; it was the model for the spell she had chosen to Advance with, [Dark Domain]. It was similar to the 6<sup>th</sup> Order [Dark Field] with the exception that, as a domain spell, she was always at the centre of the field no matter where she went. It was not the most useful spell, but at least it was better than the shitty [Raise Undead VIII] or [Summon Undead II] and other necromantic spells the Cryptmaker had recorded.


    Seriously, why did all necromancers have the same boring spells?


    She left her current room and moved to another site in the myriad caves. This one was much larger and had a bed with a carpet laid on the ground. It had most likely been that half-dwarf woman¡¯s room. The bandits had gone out of their way to make the caves feel like home. Unfortunately they were gone now and she was reaping the benefits of their efforts.


    Aware of the damn cat trailing her, she walked to the bed and made herself comfortable.


    The previous times when she Advanced she had always been standing somewhere in the open or sitting in Bori¡¯s study. Back then whenever the process began she would always get lost in the pain and when it subsided she would find herself on the floor. She was not eager for such an experience again.


    The bed was made from straw with an animal hide cover, it was comfortable; her rump sank right into it. Taking off her coat, she turned it into a makeshift pillow for her head.


    It was only when she had laid down and had gotten comfortable that she raised the sheet of paper to make certain of the spell pattern. The process did not take long; she had stared at it numerous times during the past week. Having confined its entirety to memory, she determined that she was ready. First she set the sheet down off the side of the bed, then she pictured the spell model for [Dark Field] and imitated it with her mana.


    The process went smoothly. The spell was cast and a pool of darkness burst beneath the bed. Sage did not take the time to observe it however. The moment she saw the effect of the spell she immediately pulled back onto the bed and rested her head on the makeshift pillow. Then she closed her eyes and waited for the hell that was to come.


    It did not keep her; and did not disappoint.


    Although she had expected it, somehow it still caught her by surprise. Like a freight train it hit her, forcing all the air from her lungs. Although the air was not needed, its rapid expulsion still caused her lungs to burn. She gasped, though not from it. The reason was something else.


    Every part of her body felt like it had been poked with hot needles that had been haphazardly shoved in before she was unceremoniously shoved into a furnace where the heat was cranked up to maximum. She was no Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego; although her skin did not catch fire, the heat she felt from her mana transformation was still there; and there was no God to protect her from it.


    Despite the pain being unbearable, she tried to hold back a scream; and she succeed¡­ for a second.


    The heat spread to her lungs and internal organs, exposing her to a new world of pain; there was no way she could remain silent. Although she was too preoccupied to hear her own scream, amidst the pain a small part of her brain registered the violent vibrations of her throat and the subsequent ringing of her ears.


    The thing about suffering- she had experienced it a few times now- was that it always seemed to last forever. This time it was no different. The transformation of her mana and the pain that accompanied it seemed to last for an eternity.


    She did not know when it ended, she had probably blacked out somewhere during the process. What she was certain of was that when she came to, the transformation had stopped. However, even though the metaphorical needles had been extracted, her body still remembered the pain because it would not stop shaking.


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    I-I do-don¡¯t wanna ev-ever do this again, she thought as she brought her quaking hand to wipe away the tears pooling down the sides of her face.


    She opened her eyes and found the roof above blurry. After wiping tears away a few more times her vision fully recovered and she was treated to the sight of the room, particularly the rocks covering where the door had been.


    ¡°Wow Master. I didn¡¯t know you could scream so loud,¡± she heard Nyx¡¯s voice from her side. She was too sore to crane her head in his direction. It did not mean she did not snarl as he uttered his next sentence with his mocking tone. ¡°You even collapsed the cave.¡±


    Tuning his voice out, she closed her eyes and cast [Repair Mortis]. Fortunately she had thought to inscribe the 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell before she decided to Advance. As she released it, its effect washed over her. It did not alleviate the phantom pain, but at least it calmed her body so it would no longer convulse. She was now confident enough to get up without falling ever.


    This is the second worst thing I¡¯ve ever experienced, she thought angrily as she stared at her hands, willing {Index} to show her status.


    Race: Phantom (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: SS (Blue)


    Title(s): Darkborne


    She was now in the 8<sup>th</sup> Order, like Sylphia. Unfortunately she was not in the celebratory mood.


    This time the pain had been truly agonising. No wonder humans took yearly intervals to move through the middle Orders and decade pauses between Advancements among the upper Orders. It was sheer fucking madness to climb the Orders like Sage had been doing. If she were human she probably would not have survived this ordeal.


    Although she complained a lot about being made undead, this was one of the blessings she counted for the change; along with the inability to hunger or tire.


    With the pain all but departed- except from memory- she got up from the bed and reached for her makeshift pillow, turned it back into a coat and put it on. Then she {Blink}ed to the cave where she had been carrying out her experiment. The cave-in could not hinder her.


    She walked over to the corner where she had flung her books and rummaged through them until she found the one she was looking for. After that she made her way to the stone table, set it down and cracked it open. There was a large rock to the side she sometimes used for sitting; using [Telekinesis] she brought it to her and made herself comfortable before peeking into the tome.


    The page she had opened depicted the model for the 8<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Regeneration], which was probably the best healing spell in existence; if one did not included whatever spells existed beyond the 9<sup>th</sup> Order. Unlike other healing spells that healed a set amount of injuries instantly, this particular spell healed over time. If the spell was active long enough, even severed limbs could be grown back. Such was the might of a spell worth coveting.


    Unfortunately the spell was meant for the living. Its effect was different from the other healing spells because it contained more of the earth and water elements than the light element. However, even that small bit of light included could still harm Sage if she tried to engrave it into her core. Luckily she had planned around it. Next to the page with the model for [Regeneration] were a couple of sheets with modified versions of it.


    The Cryptmaker¡¯s books on enchanting had come with instructions on how create magic scrolls. The process involved tempering a sheet of paper or similar item with mana for several hours or longer, allowing it to absorb the residual mana. After that, one only needed to jot down the spell pattern with an arcane medium, most often blood. Whoever would use the scroll need only tear it in half while running their own mana through it to release the spell.


    Unfortunately the spell released from a scroll was nowhere near as powerful as that cast by an actual person, no matter how good the quality of the paper was. Also, since it was an enchantment of sorts, the potency vanished over time; so it had to be used as soon as possible.


    There were those who had tried to use Theo Grant¡¯s method to prolong stored spells. However, a paper could not possibly hold an elemental; the idea failed miserably.


    Sage used this method for the reason it had been invented.


    At the dawn of the age arcane progress suddenly halted when everyone stopped trying to create new spells. With the arcane beasts as their reference, the innovators of created many spells, most of them so useless they had been confined to history. Unfortunately, since they cast the spells without using a medium they were engraved into their being, causing them to deplete their slots with these useless spells. In the end everyone became too scared to try their hand at creating magic and subsequently having all their slots taken up by dud spells.


    The inception of magic scrolls saved sorcery from being snuffed out in the cradle.


    She grasped her most recent interpretation of the modified [Regeneration]. What she had basically done was substitute the light element for darkness before putting in a few touches to let the other two elements mingle with it like they had done the light.


    It had not been easy. Darkness did not mingle too well with the two elements and, considering her non-existent affinity for Water Magic, the initial attempt had been a disaster. It had taken over a dozen tries, starting with switching the water element with ice- before she got a satisfactory model. She had tested it hours prior was satisfied with the result.


    Since she had been the one to modify the spell, it was no chore to engrave; she did it instantly. As the spell was now catered to undead, she renamed it [Dark Regeneration]. Not creative- but who cared?


    After she was done her gaze drifted across the room and landed on Nyx. The cat was staring at her with large eyes, looking as if she had kicked him. One thing she had learned about him over the past week was that he took her inattentiveness as an affront; pouting at her as if expecting her to give a fuck.


    Race: Familiar (Elemental-Dark)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: A (Blue)


    As always, he had improved with her. His abilities had also gotten much stronger, including that one she did not want to think about. She made sure to occasionally ask him whether it remained inactive¡­ just to make sure.


    Getting up from her seat, she {Blink}ed to him and scooped him in her arms. Then she threw him in the air and caught him, repeating the process several times. Her Familiar¡¯s dissatisfaction disappeared shortly after that. He was quite easy to please.


    She stopped throwing him and held him at eye level, staring into his large emerald pools.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get you that corpse you¡¯ve wanted for a while,¡± she said.


    This caused him to meow in excitement.

 CHAPTER 70: FILLING SLOTS

    ¡°This is boring,¡± Nyx complained. ¡°How long do we have to stay here watching?¡±


    Atop a thick branch in in a moderately tall tree, Sage released an annoyed sigh and looked up from her notes. ¡°Until the creature you want appears.¡±


    It had been five days since the two of them left the cave to look for a beast Nyx could {Devour}. In that time they had seen multiple wolf packs, Trenton Gazelle herds and a pair of Grandhogs, the latter of which Sage killed to break her week and a half fast. Unfortunately, the cat had shaken its head at all the creatures they had encountered.


    It turned out her dear Familiar was not interested in the forms of canines and swine. According to him, they looked stupid. If I¡¯m going to sacrifice my dignity by taking on embarrassing forms like that they must at least have compelling abilities, he had declared. He wanted to {Devour} an arcane beast.


    In response to this Sage had revealed to him the only such creature in these parts was the Umbral Felis, which she had yet to see. Even if they did manage to get one, what would be the use of it? The Umbral Felis¡¯ ability to move through shadows was a downgraded version of Nyx [Shadow Travel], so {Devour}ing it would not bring anything new. Even so, after hearing the creature was feline Nyx decided that was the beast he wanted. The only reason she did not veto his decision was because she figured him gaining the form of a Grade 4 beast was more useful than his tiny feline body.


    Too bad there were no Grade 2 beasts in the vicinity. Nyx being able to assume such a form would be way more useful to her than a shadowcat. Sadly, beasts of that calibre were a rarity.


    All beasts with a Physique above Grade 3 were arcane beasts; that was to say, they all possessed an ability of some sort. For example, when wolves matured their Physique usually hovered around Grade 4, Grade 3 in extremely rare cases. It would take an estimated five to eight normal men just to bring down the weakest of these beasts, however a moderately competent band of mercenaries could slaughter a pack of them. That was why no one regarded them as a huge threat.


    However, there were recorded cases of some individuals among the species mutating in the winter. Their fur would lose its shade and they doubled in size, while their strength multiplied and they gained the ability to manipulate the cold. Winter Wolves; even among Grade 2 beasts they were at the forefront. Apparently one of them could bring ruin to an entire city. Including those whose Physiques had entered the Grade 1 category, there were few recorded cases of anyone beating such a beast singlehandedly.


    Even Sage was not sure how she would fare if she met one.


    When such a creature appeared the Mercenary Guild would immediately go on high alert. All other assignments would be put on hold for the purpose of wholeheartedly focusing on the annihilation of the beast.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t moved from this place for two days,¡± Nyx pointed out. ¡°And the shadowcat has not appeared. Why don¡¯t we actually go and look for it?¡±


    ¡°Because we tried that already and it did not work out.¡±


    The first three days in the woods were spent trying to locate an Umbral Felix. They had covered most of the forest area but the creature continued to elude them. After much searching without anything to show for it Sage decided to hell with it and came to the river, where she picked out a comfortable tree to lodge in.


    The Umbral Felis might have an ability similar to Nyx¡¯s {Shadow Travel} but it was still a living being. Different from an elemental, it still needed the basic necessities of life. Food could be found anywhere in the forest but there was only one place to get water.


    Unfortunately, the river was not a stub. Sage did not know where it ended or began, but she was certain it flowed from outside the forest into the Trenton Mountains. There was good reason to believe it burst out onto the other side of the mountains, into Lethia. With the river¡¯s length, even if a shadowcat came for a drink, there would have to be a great deal of luck on their part for it to come to the section they oversaw.


    Sage had practically given up on such a miraculous event happening when she picked this spot. It would be great if the creature actually appeared here, but she would not be peeved if it did not. After settling in the tree she had spent more time engrossed in books than watching for the cat¡¯s wanted prey.


    The first thing she had done was fill up her slots with Dark attribute spells, particularly of the necromantic type. 3<sup>rd</sup> Order [Minor Strengthen Undead], 5<sup>th</sup> Order [Moderate Strengthen Undead] and their 7<sup>th</sup> Order counterpart [Major Strengthen Undead] were added to her core. Originally she was opposed to learning the spells, but now that she had decided to seriously study necromancy it would be foolish not to learn them. She had also decided to delve into the osteomancy sub-branch, engraving 6<sup>th</sup> Order spells [Bone Wall] and [Bone Spikes].


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    As a senior necromancer she was qualified to learn the undead healing spell [Repair Mortis]; unfortunately the geezer had not had that particular spell, which was why she did not gain access to it until she took the Cryptmaker¡¯s books.


    The problem with [Repair Mortis] was that it was of the 7<sup>th</sup> Order, which made it inefficient and a total overkill when it came to healing minor injuries. The Cryptmaker, being the expert in necromancy he was, had used the spell as a reference to try and develop similar spells of the lower Orders. Sadly Sage only needed a single look to see that they were absolute crap. It took her several hours to modify them before she deemed them satisfying enough to ingrain them. They were 1<sup>st</sup> Order [Heal undead], 3<sup>rd</sup> Order [Heal Undead II] and 5<sup>th</sup> Order [Heal undead III]; names as imaginative as any in the spellcasting profession.


    She had also learned the 7<sup>th</sup> Order flesh rending spell [Harm].


    Although her main concern had been learning necromantic spells, they had not been her only focus. First off she learned a 7<sup>th</sup> Order version of her favourite defence spell; this one was called [Void Barrier]. Other 7<sup>th</sup> order spells she learned included [Blizzard] and [Quake], although for those two she had to [Teleport] out of the forest to the open plains that separated Ysh¡¯s two largest cities.


    During that time she had also taken some time to pay her favourite elf a visit. As usual the brothel mistress had not been pleased to see her, but she had not shot down the trade opportunity.


    ¡°Master!¡± Nyx¡¯s voice was a hiss that returned her from her ruminations. He seemed shiver with excitement as his little paw pointed out of the tree. ¡°Look.¡±


    She followed the trajectory of the paw and saw a quadruped on the other side of the river approach the water¡¯s edge. It was lynx, standing close to a metre tall with a length double its height. Its body was slender, similar to the cheetahs in her previous life, with an obsidian coat and golden eyes. Although there were no large critters nearby its head swivelled from one direction to another, making its alert nature known. It also made certain to only step on shaded ground; which, considering the sun was close to setting, was practically everywhere.


    Fuck me, it actually came!


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± she hissed back to the cat, slowly closing her book.


    Silently, the two of them watched as the vigilant creature approached the water. The caution with which it did so puzzled her. The Umbral Felis was practically king of these woods, there was no beast in the forest that could threaten it. Then why was it so cautious? Had it encountered something else? Humans perhaps? The fact that it had appeared before nightfall was also another puzzling thing. From what she had read the creature was nocturnal.


    It¡¯s probably nothing, she thought, watching the Umbral Felis.


    When it made it to the river¡¯s edge the beast looked left and right one more time before finally lowering its guard and dipping its head to drink. It was then that Sage decided to strike.


    Activating the abilities {Lightfoot}, {Invisibility} and {Blink}, her sight blackened for an instant before clearing up to reveal the creature¡¯s rear in her view.


    There was not a sound from her actions, she was certain of it; however, the beast suddenly perked up from its drinking post. Somehow it had sensed the threat to its life. Its reaction to this was swift, however, before it could disappear into the shadow it was hit by her [Greater Chain Lightning]. The black lightning penetrated its body before carrying on into the stream. Afterwards the only sound that came from the creature was a thud as it hit the ground, dead.


    ¡°WE DID IT MASTER!¡± Nyx exclaimed happily as he popped out of her shadow. In a softer tone he continued. ¡°We actually caught a shadowcat!¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± she responded with a smug smile. ¡°Aren¡¯t I just the greatest?¡±


    ¡°Definitely!¡± the cat agreed.


    ¡°Good. Then next time you should stop bitching and wait like a good little pet,¡± she shot him an annoyed glare after dropping the smile.


    ¡°Yes master,¡± Nyx agreed, but it was clear his attention was elsewhere.


    He pounced over to the Umbral Felis, prodded it with his paw, before turning into a mass of what could only be described as darkness and engulfing the beast¡¯s carcass. The process took ten seconds in which the darkness compressed back into the cat. His emerald orbs looked back at her with immense pride as he puffed out his chest.


    ¡°Haha Master. I can now fight!¡±


    Darkness covered him for a second and cleared to reveal the form of the Umbral Felis.


    Race: Familiar (Elemental- Darkness)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: A (Blue)


    The improvement was not at the level which the cat would actually be useful to her in a fight, but at least he would not be so useless anymore. Nyx eyes were still emerald despite the fact that the shadowcat¡¯s had been yellow. Another thing she noticed was that {Shadow Travel} had been slightly strengthen.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± she commented. ¡°Now we can finally leave this place.¡±


    It was time to go test out her expertise in necromancy. When she had holed up in the cave the first thing she had done was look for information on how to create an intelligent undead. The answer had been the 8<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Create Sentient Undead], which had to be used in tandem with a ritual. This spell she had already engraved among other spells.


    Honestly, at this moment Sage had already acquired the qualifications to Advance; but, like hell she was going to do it so soon!


    During these passed two days, when she had not been engrossed in a book, she had captured little critters and tested [Create Sentient Undead] on them. So far, the results had been satisfactory. Now she just had to test it on a human.


    Sage had the perfect candidate in mind.

 CHAPTER 71: ISAAC

    ¡°This is him Captain!¡± the girl pointed. ¡°He¡¯s the one who looked at me!¡±


    There were several people in the direction she was pointing, all of whom panicked and scattered. However, one of them- a teenage boy in worn clothes too big for him- was unable to escape as the girl¡¯s finger followed him. Realising this, confusion shaded his rattled features.


    ¡°M- me?¡± he asked with wide eyes, a finger pointed at himself. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl replied forcefully. ¡°You looked at me savagely, undressing me with your nasty eyes. By doing so you dared to profane the dignity of a noble. For that you deserve nothing less than to be thrown in the deepest dungeon. Arrest him Captain!¡±


    Instead of complying with the girl¡¯s request, Isaac sighed. When Traven Mason requested he accompany his daughter to the arrest a filthy criminal he had not expected much; even so, he did not expect it to be something so trivial.


    The girl, Jessia Mason, stood together in her fine tapestry with another girl who was facing upwards while staring down the accused boy. He recognised her as being from a baron¡¯s family, although he could not recall her name. Flanking the two of them were three tall men draped in grey plate armour with the Mason coat of arms. Their eyes were fiercely fixed on the accused, causing him to shudder uncomfortably.


    ¡°You want me to arrest this boy for looking at you?¡± He asked, just to make sure.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she responded firmly. ¡°Hurry up and chain him!¡±


    Again, Isaac could not help but sight. Nobles were often demanding. Occasionally he was called to capture a commoner who had ¡°overreached.¡± Many of those cases were nothing of note as they usually involved a commoner talking back to them or making unintended physical contact. None of these were ever serious, but he had arrested the ¡°culprits¡± anyway. The reason he had complied with the nobles¡¯ requests in those cases was not to punish the accused, but the safeguard them. If he had done nothing, he was certain nobles would have gone behind his back to inflict harm upon the accused commoners.


    One of the most important lessons Isaac had learned in his three decades of life was to compromise. One should learn to move with the current, or at least pretend to go along with it. If he had learned that lesson earlier he would probably still be a Paladin. When he arrests someone who got on the bad side of a noble, said noble never asks about the person afterwards. The noble probably would not even recall the person¡¯s existence; which made it easy for Isaac to let the captive go after a few days.


    On the other hand, nobles had surprisingly fragile egos. If he refused to follow their orders they would not forget the person and would wait until Isaac was occupied to carry out their vengeance. After that it did not matter because, even if he could prove the noble had committed the crime, they would not be punished. That was how much the Yshian system favoured them; commoners might as well not be people. He could not touch the nobles unless he wanted to be branded a felon. Such was the privilege of the empowered.


    Still though-


    ¡°This is why you want him arrested?¡± he repeated. ¡°For looking at you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl replied. A frown graced her features as her finger moved from the boy to him. ¡°And you better do what I say Captain. Father recently expressed his dissatisfaction with your people being unable to catch the rat who robbed our store. One more fuck-up and he¡¯s pulling his funding from the City Guard!¡±


    As much as he wanted to retort with how he could care less about the crooked noble¡¯s coin, the truth was indisputable. For a while now Count Dickmund had been slowly pulling funding from the City Guard to invest in more important ventures; meaning his dozen or so mistresses. Isaac ground his teeth every time he thought about it. If not for the fact that Tiih was his hometown and the person he admired most resided here, he would have packed up and left this corrupt place aeons ago.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit extreme?¡± he asked. ¡°If we judged looking as be a crime all the dungeons across Rekke would be cramped. If he looked at you in a certain way, wouldn¡¯t an apology from him suffice?¡±


    ¡°If?¡± the Jessia looked insulted by his implication. Swinging her long black locks over her shoulder, she flashed him a fierce glare. ¡°You dare insinuate I¡¯m lying?¡±


    This was the moment the other girl spoke up. Before he could say anything she chimed in.


    ¡°Insolent!¡± she shouted. ¡°How dare you question Lady Jessia? You have no right; you are just a Guard! Maybe it¡¯s time for the nobility to have a chat with Lord Dickmund to discuss bringing in a new Guard Captain!¡±


    Hearing this, Isaac felt the urge to scratch his head. All these nobles were self-entitled, even those at the bottom rung. The Mason girl¡¯s friend¡¯s threat was not something worth noting though. Although many nobles were dissatisfied with his shielding of commoners and handling of certain cases, there was no way they would sack him. Unlike their counterparts in Yshta these nobles did not have enough strength to keep the peace.


    Of the five 7<sup>th</sup> Order mages in the city, only two were associated with the nobles, one with the Dickmunds and another with the Masons; the two most powerful families. As for the senior mages; one was head of the Tiih Magic Academy, another headed the local guild of alchemists and the last was a five-star Mercenary. These three had less love for the aristocracy than Isaac did. If not for his existence they would have long acted out their plots to weaken the nobles¡¯ influence. If they sacked him, the nobility would have to ready themselves to have their power gnawed away little by little unless they could get another Grade 2 warrior on their side. Unfortunately for them he was the only one within Tiih¡¯s borders.


    To be honest, over the last couple of months there had been times when he had come close to quitting, but if he did so the three senior mages would launch their debilitating campaign against the nobles; something he would have wholehearted welcomed if not for the fact that they too did not seem to hold much concern for the commoners.


    ¡°Very well then,¡± he responded in surrender, walking up to the young man.


    By the time he got to him the others had put as much distance as they could between them and the unfortunate fellow while still being able to spectate. When he arrived in front of the young man he was shot a pleading gaze, which he feigned not to notice. He grabbed the youth by the elbow and steered him away. It was then that said youth seemed to realise what was happening. He tried to struggle out of Isaac¡¯s grip, however, being a normal human the youth could not make him move an inch. Seeing his attempts were fruitless, the youth- still wearing his pleading face- tried a verbal appeal.


    ¡°Please Captain,¡± he begged. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    Isaac¡¯s eyes wandered from his face to the Mason girl and saw she now wore a satisfied smirk. Her companion still wore a sneer that seemed to be directed at the world while their guards had retracted their hostile gazes from the boy.


    ¡°Stop fussing and come with me,¡± he tugged on the boy¡¯s shoulder. Then he lowered his voice so only the youth could hear him. ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s better this way for everyone.¡±


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    Seeing that her will was being followed Jessia, her companion and the bodyguards entered their coach and road away.


    With the spectacle ended the spectators dispersed.


    Isaac looked at the western sky, noting that the sun had already sunk below the city walls. It would soon be night, a time when the City Guard had to be twice as vigilant. Today was the day he was supposed to put up the new patrol list, but with this unnecessary situation calling him away he doubted he would be able to make it back in time to hang the new list so the Guard could immediately carry out their new appointment.


    They¡¯re smart, he reasoned. They should be able to improvise.


    Isaac had made sure that his subordinates were adequately trained in not only combat but flexible thinking as well. It was a flaw he had glimpsed in his guards when he had first taken up the post as captain; they had lacked the ability to adjust when various situations worsened or lacked basic knowledge about the law, which had made it easy for criminals to slip through the cracks. Corruption among the City Guard had also been rampant back then as they had accepted bribes from anyone with a silver coin to offer. Suffice to say, it had been a struggle to rehabilitate them. Now, he can could proudly say that they were the best trained City Guard in all of Ysh.


    ¡°Captain?¡± after walking in silence for a while the youth spoke up in an uncertain tone. ¡°Why are we heading to the slums? The barracks are not that way. Or-¡± a fearful expression crossed his face. ¡°Is there a secret dungeon there that no one knows about, the kind people who go there are never heard from again?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort,¡± Isaac responded with a laugh. It seemed the child had an imagination. ¡°I am just taking a detour on our way back to the barracks.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± the boy¡¯s tone was hesitant. ¡°I¡¯m still going to be locked up?¡±


    Isaac looked at the boy. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Zahn.¡±


    ¡°Okay Zahn, listen up,¡± Isaac lowered his voice, making it more serious to ensure the boy takes his next words to heart. ¡°You are right. I am going to lock you up, but you¡¯ll be free in a few days. That said, you would do well to avoid the attention of nobles in the future. If I wasn¡¯t there today things could have ended badly for you.¡±


    ¡°But I really didn¡¯t do a thing!¡± Zahn complained.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Isaac said. ¡°Nobles care less about right and wrong and more on whether their ego is being fed or squashed. In the latter case it could end badly for the culprit. Not only your life would be forfeit, but that of your family as well. You do have family right?¡±


    The boy nodded timidly. ¡°My mother and older sister, they¡¯re seamstresses.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he said, coming to a halt. ¡°After we get back to the barracks give me their information so I can assuage the worries. And do your best to avoid catching a noble¡¯s eye from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Zahn responded excitedly. It was clear how relieved he was.


    Isaac turned from him and looked around. They might not have been that deep in the slums, but the deplorable state of the place was already visible. If Lord Dickmund continued to neglect the place it would become unliveable in a less than a decade and the wear and tear would probably spread to the middle-class districts. That would not be good for anyone, especially the slum dwellers. If he was not so certain Dickmund would reject any proposal that did not involve spending money in a way that benefited him, he would have long drafted a request. Asking help from the Church and Guild were a better option. The only problem with that was the mercenaries would ask for payment while the acting leader of the Church in Tiih cared more about raising her status than doing her job.


    He stopped walking when he spotted an old man in rags lying on the ground. The man was clearly visible, yet everyone who walked past acted like he did not exist. Seeing this, Isaac could only sigh. Such was one of the problems with humans, they did not care about each other. It was not exclusive to nobles.


    He squatted down and examined the man. A minute into his examination he surmised the man had been assaulted. His bony frame was littered with multiple wounds, raw cuts that invited the flies to come and nest in them. Isaac shooed the annoying insects away before casting [Heal Major Wounds] and followed it up with [Cure Ailments] to be on the safe side. The first spell was of the 5<sup>th</sup> Order while the second was of the 4<sup>th</sup>; both did their jobs excellently. The unconscious man, who had looked to be breathing with difficulty earlier, now did so with ease.


    Isaac scooped him onto his shoulder and walked off, with the boy Zahn trailing. Several minutes later, darkness fell and he stopped in front of certain building. It was fairly sized and had been adequately maintained. He took a deep breath and opened the door to enter.


    ¡°Isaac?¡± upon entering he saw a plump woman with a broom in her hands, sweeping the place. When she saw him she stopped what she was doing and joyfully called. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be visiting us since it¡¯s so late!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± he replied with a smile of his own. ¡°I was caught up with something so I couldn¡¯t come until now.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the woman responded. Then, in livelier tone, she continued. ¡°The children were quite disappointed when you didn¡¯t show. Should I go tell them you¡¯re here? That would really cheer them up.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Not today unfortunately. It¡¯s late and I have to get back to the barracks. Before that¡­¡± he went into his shirt and came out with a small coin pouch. ¡°Five gold. Make sure they¡¯re well fed and clothed Neela.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± the woman exclaimed as she accepted the pouch. ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. Then, unslinging the unconscious man from his shoulder, he added, ¡°and can you take care of him for me?¡±


    ¡°Who is he?¡± the woman inquired with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Someone I found beaten and lying on the streets,¡± he said sternly. ¡°When he wakes up ask him what happened. When I return I want to have a talk with the one responsible.¡±


    ¡°As you will,¡± Neela replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be off then,¡¯ he said with a nod in her direction.


    Several minutes of silence after they left the building Zahn decided to break it.


    ¡°Was that an orphanage?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered with a heavy sigh.


    It was founded by him and Neela. The two of them had been acquaintances back when they lived as slum rats. In the end he got lucky; she, not so much.


    ¡°You gave your money to them?¡± Zahn said, admiration crawling into his eyes. ¡°I now understand why my ma and sis are fans of yours. You are amazing!¡±


    Hearing him, Isaac scoffed. ¡°Not amazing enough to make a real change.¡±


    The building housed thirty-two children aged from four to fifteen. The number was way less than the sum of homeless children roaming around the city, but that was unfortunately all he could afford with his salary. If only the aristocrats did their duty.


    Honestly, it was not like there were no benefits to taking care of the children. After all, high mana aptitude was not exclusive to the nobility. For all they knew the next Ultra Order sorcerer could be among the homeless children. Such a discovery would be good for the city in the long run.


    Sometime in the near future he planned to either learn the spell [Mystic Eyes] or purchase a Talent Gauging Orb to see if there were any talents among the children he had taken in. If it turned out so he would do his best to ensure they were nurtured properly. Within him a hope emerged that one day the children who will be nurtured would come back to the slums and help other kids like he had done for them; like the old hand that had reached out to him so many years ago.


    With Zahn on his heels the trip back to the barracks lasted longer than it usually would have, almost half an hour. The place was almost deserted when he entered. It seemed his men really did not need him to take out the new duty list for them to go about their job. That was how a true guardsman should be!


    A bulky guard named Sal and a recent recruit named Reynold were the only ones he found in the barracks. He called them over and handed Zahn to them.


    ¡°Lock him up in the usual place and release him after three days. Ask and note down everything about his family and place of residence,¡± he ordered. To the boy, who now showed an upset expression, he said, ¡°try to behave for the next few days okay? If you do that you won¡¯t have to worry about the Mason girl ever again; as long as she never sees you.¡±


    Being ensured by the boy¡¯s nod, he turned his back to the three and made his way to his office. After the whole situation that had been blown out of proportion he needed a break before he carried on to his next duties.


    Unfortunately, when he entered his office he found it occupied.


    A woman sat at in his seat. Her features were obscured by black hat and what looked like the neck sleeve of her dress. The woman wore black all round as she rested her legs on his table while a gloved hand held a book in front of her.


    The moment he saw her his hand went to the sword on his back.


    He recognised her, Sage Maverick. Weeks ago posters of her were distributed all across Ysh promising a generous reward for anyone who could provide information related to her. The noble whose son she had killed even sent his goons here to look for her. However, to this date not a single trace of her had been found.


    Yet here she was in his office¡­ Why?


    As if only noticing his presence now, the woman put down the book and drilled into him with obsidian eyes. For some reason, Isaac found them familiar. Where had he seen them before?


    The answer came only a moment later when the woman¡¯s hand went to her face and lowered the makeshift mask.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while Captain.¡±


    Hearing that voice, seeing that face; his blood went cold.

 CHAPTER 72: BATTLE GENESIS

    How is it still here? he wondered.


    The Head Priestess had told him she had gotten rid of the necromancer. That should have sent this undead back to the Deadlands! So, how was it still in the Main Plane? How had it avoided being cast back to its desolate homeland? Why was it in his office sitting in his chair with its feet on his table?


    As much as he wanted to know, right now was not the time to ponder such things.


    With his sword raised and his knees slightly bent, he prepared to pounce. The undead in front of him, there was no need to think about anything else other than reducing it to ash. This time he would be wary of its blood. The fact that he had only failed last time because of that detail irked him more than he cared to admit; now that he had another opportunity he would not let this Goddess-given chance go.


    However, before he could spring into action the undead spoke up.


    ¡°You must be quite confident you can defeat me quickly aren¡¯t you, enough to risk the people of this city?¡±


    Its tone might have been casual but its eyes warily fixated on the tip of his blade; a sneak attack would not catch it off guard.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked harshly.


    Although he asked this question he had already made up his mind. No matter what, he would fell the abomination. The undead were filthy, a blight upon the Aran; their kind had to be eliminated without prejudice!


    Unfortunately he was currently at a disadvantage. This undead was intelligent and seemed to have a basic knowledge of humans, which was why it had appeared in the city. He could not go all out to destroy it unless he abandoned all worries of involving the citizenry. He would be a horrible Guard Captain if that was the case.


    As much as he wanted to rush up and cleave its head from its shoulders, because he was uncertain whether he could end the fight before its impact exceeded office, he could only suck it up and use words instead.


    ¡°What do I want?¡± the undead asked, twisted features contorting into a smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious Isaac? The Equinox is coming and I want to leave this place. But before that¡­¡±


    Its casual glance morphed to a fiery glare ¡°¡­ I want to fucking kill you!¡±


    The venom in its tone was almost felt tangible, causing him to flinch and shift his sword in preparation to defend.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t be doing it here,¡± the undead continued, retracting its gaze. ¡°Unless you¡¯re unwilling to budge. Despite what a bastard like you might believe, I am not a savage. I¡¯d prefer not to needlessly involve others in our fight and I assume you are the same; leaves a bad taste in my mouth knowing that we actually have something in common, but oh well.


    ¡°How about you follow me outside the city so we can finish what we started. Unless of course I misjudged you, in which case we can just start here. I¡¯ll warn you though that I won¡¯t be pulling my punches. My desire to kill you is much greater than my desire to avoid unnecessary casualties.


    ¡°I will kill you even if I have to burn this entire fucking city to the ground.¡±


    Every word the undead spoke caused Isaac¡¯s grip on his sword to increase. He gnashed his teeth hard and shot it his most disdainful sneer. Truly, he was itching for a go at bisecting it. Unfortunately, he could not help being wary of its words. There was no doubt in his mind that it could do what it threatened.


    When the two of them had previously fought, the abomination had been in the 5<sup>th</sup> Order; the High Priestess told him when she had confronted it and its vile summoner, it had been in the 6<sup>th</sup> Order; and the wanted posters claimed Sage Maverick was a 7<sup>th</sup> Order mage. These events had happened within hours and weeks of each other, showing a frightening growth curve. Just thinking about the heights it would reach if he let it go this time was scary. He could not allow it, not when a clear chance to get rid of it had presented itself.


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± he replied eagerly, almost a little too much so.


    He had dreamt of a rematch with this undead, this phantom, since that fateful day in the forest. When the Head Priestess informed him she had handled the situation most of what he had felt back then was disappointment at the fact that he would never get to kill the creature. The opportunity to rectify the disgrace of the previous fight was nothing short of a godsend.


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The undead cast [Dimension Door] and stepped through the portal with its eyes were still fixed on him. He grunted in response and followed. Stepping through the portal, he found himself on one of the city¡¯s many rooftops. His eyes searched around for the undead, but only found another Door in front of him. When he stepped through this one he found another. The situation repeated four times before he stepped onto the open plains, where the Tiih was barely noteworthy in the light of the cloudless night; and the undead stood a fair distance from the Door, waiting for him.


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    ¡°No traps?¡± he asked, looking around. ¡°Ambush?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± it responded. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to damage your body. I have need for it later. Besides, I don¡¯t believe I will lose to the likes of you.¡±


    That was as much as he was willing to hear before he sprang into action. Here outside, the citizens of Tiih could not be used against him. There was no more need to hold back!


    With a great leap he pounced on the undead and swung with all his might, making sure to [Enchant] his blade with the light attribute. The information given to him about this particular undead was still fresh in his mind; Light Magic was the most effective against it.


    Unfortunately, before his sword could get close to the undead a Wall appeared between them, causing the blade to bounce off the barrier. He swung again with all his might, then again, and again; only to be met with the same results. This was not [Force Wall] but its 7<sup>th</sup> Order kin [Void Barrier] he realised.


    In that case¡­


    Raising his sword above his head, he cast his spell. Darkness flashed past his eyes and he found his position had changed. Without dwelling on it he turned around and swung his sword¡­ only to be met with air. The undead was now standing more than ten metres from him.


    ¡°[Blink]?¡± it began. ¡°Seems you¡¯ve learned a new trick, not surprising considering you¡¯ve Advanced.¡±


    It can tell? he was taken aback by its words.


    Among his known acquaintances, the Head Priestess was the only one who was aware of the fact that he had become a senior magician. Even the 7<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerers present in the city had not figured it out when he met with them, but apparently this undead could tell with a glance. Its sensitivity to magic must be high, which would not be a surprise considering its speed of Advancement. Either that or it possessed a spell or ability similar to [Mystic Eyes].


    He did not deign to respond. Raising his sword, he pounced again. However, the creature raised its hand in his direction as he felt it cast a spell. He did not get the time to react before a great pain assaulted his chest. He felt his flesh split and warm fluid rush out of his body, causing him to grunt in pain. Even so, he pushed forward and brought his blade down on the abominable creature. Again, it managed to evade him. He would have continued to attack it, but with the amount of blood leaving his body it would not be wise to leave the wound unchecked. His mind was already clouding up.


    Pausing momentarily, he cast [Close Wounds] before resuming his attack. This time he made sure to erect a [Shield] around himself. The spell was not as high level as [Harm]- which had just been cast on him- but it was more than adequate in stopping future attacks of a similar nature.


    He raised his hand and cast [Gravity], increasing the burden on the undead. Then, he ran up to it and swung at its head with all his might. Unfortunately the creature managed to avoid his hit again by erecting a Barrier. Then, before he could stabilise himself from the attack, it vanished.


    He looked around frantically, but could not locate it. This creature was a phantom, an undead with a fear-streak that went all the way back to the Days of Gloom. Physical obstacles did not hinder it, tracking magic was useless and it made no noise when it moved. If he lowered his guard it could easily sneak up on him.


    Not today, he thought with determination.


    His eyes continued to shift about, trying to catch the simplest movement while he prepared his next spell. There was no wind on this cloudless night, making it easier for him to notice an out-of-place sound; the undead would not be able to surprise him.


    The spell only needed two seconds to channel before it was ready. A radiance erupted from his body and enshrouded the area within five metres of him. A moment later, a little over two metres from him, a distortion occurred as the undead¡¯s camouflage was undone. It grasped its head in pain as it tried to fight the effect of the spell.


    Isaac had used [Turn Undead III]. The spells of this series were among the most effective methods in existence when it came to dealing with the undead. This spell turned any undead caught in the spell¡¯s area of effect into the caster¡¯s minion for a limited time. After the time expired the undead would crumble to dust.


    It was a shame the undead he was currently facing was too strong to actually be affected by the spell, which honestly felt like a waste of a 6<sup>th</sup> Order spell. However, it did stop the abomination for a second, which more than made up for it; after all, he did not need more than a second to decapitate it.


    He rushed up to it and swung at its head once more. However, in that instant the undead seemed to regain its bearings and ducked just in time to barely avoid being cut. It then distanced itself from him before looking at the clump of hair plummeting in slow-motion. When its eyes fell on him again there was fire in them.


    ¡°You fucking bastard!¡± it snarled, channelling its next spell.


    Isaac tried to pursue it but found himself unable to advance. He saw the undead raise its hand and, much to his horror, he rose off the ground. Then, while still harbouring an icy glare, it swung its arm down; causing him to slam into the ground. The impact was painful, but not unbearable. He managed to get his bearings and roll out of the way just as a [Bone Lance] embedded itself where he had been.


    Quickly getting to his feet, he [Blink]ed away before several more [Bone Lance]s could impale him. Next he erected a [Force Wall], but that was shattered an instant later when black lightning passed through it and ripped apart his [Shield]. It impacted his chest and sent him flying several metres away.


    This time the pain was more intense, causing a groan to escape his lips.


    The fight had just begun and it was already much harder the one he had had with the creature weeks ago. Casting a minor healing spell on himself, he got to his feet and sighed. The fight was going to get even harder from here on out. The undead had just finished casting another spell, causing a crack to open beside it and expelling a large figure clad in obsidian mail with a shield and sword of matching colour. Isaac, gripped his sword tighter at the new foe¡¯s arrival. This one he had no trouble identifying, a death knight.


    The fight was truly not getting any easier.

 CHAPTER 73: INTENSE CLASH

    Death knights were not something Isaac considered much of a threat, but that was taking his standards into consideration. He was a Grade 2 Warrior and a 7<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer, while the majority of people never went past Grade 5 or activated their mana. To them a creature of this calibre was nothing short of a disaster. After all, death knights possessed at worse a Grade 2 physique as well; not only that, but they were capable of momentarily turning their slain victims into zombie minions.


    If such a creature appeared in Ysh the only cities that would be able to fend it off safely would be Tiih and Yshta. The rest would have to pay a huge price to do so and even that would depend on whether the death knight had intelligence or not. A sentient death knight was much harder to combat and therefore would require more sacrifices to defeat.


    Fortunately for Isaac this particular death knight did not seem to have intelligence, so he would not require complex tactics to get rid of it. On the unfortunate note, it was not his only opponent; the phantom was raising its hand to cast another spell.


    Before he could move to stop it, the death knight charged. When it arrived in front of him it did not hesitate to aim its blade at his throat. He moved to the side to avoid it and then took his own swing at the creature, only for it to be caught by the undead¡¯s large shield. Taking a quick glance at the undead in the back, he pushed away teeth gritted. However, the death knight was not willing to let him go and followed after. With a clenched jaw, he caught its sword with his own and stole another look at the phantom. Its casting was nearing completion.


    Not good! he thought in alarm.


    Without giving it another thought he [Blink]ed away, appearing ten metres away. Looking back where he was before, thick black chains with a sinister aura had emerged from the ground and fruitlessly tried to shackle the air. The spell that was used to conjure them was not known to him but he was certain getting caught by the chains would not do him favours.


    The death knight charged him once more. This time he was ready. After meeting its blade once again he freed one of his hands from the hilt, pointed it at the armoured undead and cast [Slow]. Then, without waiting to see if the spell had taken effect, he shoved it away and rushed past it; making sure to cast [Haste] on himself in the process.


    Infuriatingly, when he got to where the phantom stood it had already {Blink}ed away. Still, he did not give up pursuing it as his eyes darted around to see where it had vanished to. The sight of it floating in the air caused him to release a frustrated breath through his nose. Unfortunately his Wind affinity was lacklustre, he did not know how to fly.


    Still though, there were other ways to strike down opponents in the sky.


    Whist raising his free hand into the sky, he cast [Sacred Shaft]. The 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell caused a beam of light to descend from the sky over where the phantom hovered. But the undead managed to {Blink} away just as he finished his spell. When he located it once again he attempted to repeat the action only to be cut off from the by the arrival of the death knight. The [Slow] spell had worn off, its effect never lasted more than a few seconds on beings with strong physiques.


    With his free hand, he caught the oncoming shield headed for his face then side stepped to avoid a sword swing before leaping forward to deliver his own slash. The shield met his blow. Although the death knight in front of him lacked sentience, its skills were sharp and its instincts were intact. He grunted in frustration as he disengaged, sensing the floating undead about to unleash another spell; another [Greater Chain Lightning]. This time he chose a different spell to reinforce his defence, one he should have used much earlier; 6<sup>th</sup> Order [Stone Flesh].


    When the black lightning struck him this time he was able to remain on his feet. The impact from the spell was still painful- he gritted his teeth and tried his best to ignore it as he met the death knight¡¯s onslaught head on- but the damage done was minimal; a quick 1<sup>st</sup> Order [Minor Heal] could fix it. At the moment he did not do that though because an opportunity had presented itself.


    After the black lightning struck him it recoiled and sought another target; and found one in the creature locked in a sword fight with him. Above his head he heard the phantom¡¯s exclamation of surprise as its [Greater Chain Lightning] sent its minion flying. Choosing to capitalise on the lapse in judgement, he pursued the armoured undead. Casting [Haste] on himself again, he picked up his pace and arrived at the death knight¡¯s side just as its back hit the ground. The attack had disarmed it, allowing Isaac to bring down his enchanted blade on its exposed throat. The death knight¡¯s head flew as the dark blood spattered onto the ground. Its putrid smell wafted to his nose, causing him to instinctively want to wrinkle it. However, he fought the urge as he watched it crumb to dust. Then he turned to the phantom.


    It was the only the two of them now.


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    The undead summoner did not seem to have recovered from its blunder and he was not feeling generous enough to give it the time. With as much strength as he could manage, he flung his sword at it. The creature managed to recover just before the sword touched it, enabling it to avoid the sword. But he was not done yet. The moment the sword flew past the undead he cast [Blink], appearing in the air just in time to catch his sword and swing it again. However, as with previous attempts the undead had already relocated elsewhere. Looking around, he spotted the undead in the air not far away. He once again used [Blink] to appear in front of it and struck with his sword, only for the undead to vanish again. It appeared on the ground twenty metres away. He followed it, still attempting to cut it down.


    This time the creature took a different approach. Instead of {Blink]ing away it used a [Void Barrier] to block him. Just like the previous time, Isaac¡¯s sword bounced of the barrier. After the impact he too went for a different approach. His weaker hand released its grip on the sword and went for the barrier while simultaneously casting [Dispel].


    Although [Dispel] was guaranteed to work on lower Order spells, it was a gamble using it against those of the same Order and above. The 6<sup>th</sup> order spell had more than half a chance to work against spells of the same Order. However, the higher the Order of the spell above it the less likely it was that it would work. Against a 9<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Dispel] was so inadequate casting it was a waste of mana; in that case it was more convenient to use a stronger variant of the spell.


    Still, even if [Dispel] was a gamble Isaac cast it without hesitation. Every fight was a gamble. Also, [Dispel] and [Void Barrier] were only separated by one tier, so the chance of it working were not abysmal.


    The gamble worked!


    Using the momentum of his success, he swung the sword at the surprised creature. It regained its bearings just before his blade met its flesh, causing it to {Blink} away with a yelp. It did not escape unscathed though, the creature¡¯s foul blood ran along the edge of his blade as its forearm plopped to the ground.


    ¡°Urg, you fucking son of a bitch!¡± the undead cried with an expression contorted in pain.


    Sadly that expression did not last long. From its stumped limb flesh and bone began to grow, extending and forming, trying to reconstruct the arm it had lost.


    The sight astonished him.


    Regeneration? How was it possible? As an undead this creature should not be able to cast the spell, much less heal from it. What was going on?


    He did not have the chance to ponder it as the phantom cast yet another spell. It was the undead summoning spell again. Due to his momentarily lapse he did not even get the chance to try and stop it before space tore and another undead emerged.


    This one was not clad in armour and did not carry a weapon; in fact it was bare, with dark grey flaking skin and one of the worst odours he had ever encountered. Along with this stench came an oppressing feeling so immense he could not help shiver.


    Dread Zombie, he thought with gritted teeth and sweaty palms.


    These undead were a variation of the very common zombies, but with physiques of Grade 3 and higher. This could not be considered much of a threat to Isaac; dispatching such a foe was much easier than a death knight. The problem with these dread zombies was that they possessed the ever-active ability {Dread}. As its name implied, this was an ability that instilled fear, and it did so at a greater degree than [Fear] or [Terror]. In front of such a creature even the most seasoned warriors would be affected.


    To combat the effect, Isaac cast [Lion Heart] on himself. Fortunately, as a 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell, it could stop the shaking and sweating and calm the panicked mind. However it could not keep the sinking feeling from settling in his gut; it could not stop his heart from throttling at the idea that something was about to go wrong.


    He tried to shake the feeling as he raised his sword to block a swipe from the newly summoned undead minion, causing it to lose its hand in the process. Fortunately all zombies were innately stupid and did not possess combat instincts like death knights. If he were barehanded, this fight would be an uphill battle, but with a sword in his hand dispatching the undead should not be a hassle.


    Regrettably, the knowledge that he was more than a match for the decaying corpse did not make it easier for him to withstand its intoxicating stench. It made him want hurl his lunch, but he forced himself to endure. The sinking feeling in his stomach did not disappear either.


    A moment later it was proven right when black chains burst from underneath and entangled him. The dread zombie¡¯s stench and ability had left him too disoriented; before he realised what was going on the obsidian chains had already wrapped around his wrists, ankles, waist and neck and were dragging him to the ground.


    His body hit the earth with a thud. A pained yelp escaped his lips as he tried to struggle out¡­ to no avail. The chains were too strong, he could not break them. As they held him down he felt his strength leaving him; they were draining it! When he tried [Blink]ing out of their hold he found himself still on the ground with them attached to him. Not even [Dispel] could help him this time. Apart from the fact that these chains were likely harder to dispel than [Void Barrier], he had used more mana than he had in a long time; he did no longer had enough to cast a 6<sup>th</sup> Order spell.


    It¡¯s over, he thought in resignation.


    Honestly, he was tired. He had tried everything he could and still was not able to overcome the foe who a few weeks prior was doing its utmost best to flee his pursuit. In double vision he spied a victorious smile make its way to the overlapping scarred faces of his foe. He had failed spectacularly. Steeling his heart, he glared at down foe with a clenched jaw, ignoring the nauseating corpse standing over him. If he was going to die he was going to do it defiantly.


    His train of thought was cut off when he sensed a dense gathering of mana in the air. The phantom¡¯s triumphant smirk drooped to an alarmed sneer, causing a smile to worm itself on to his lips. It seemed today would not be his final day. When all seemed lost help had arrived.


    Shortly after, a dense pillar of light beamed down upon the land.

 CHAPTER 74: ELEMENTAL AGAIN

    Sage had known this was going to happen. When she came to pick a fight with the bastard captain she had expected interference from a third party. But, after the fuck up with the [Greater Chain Lightning] and her subsequent dismembering, it had almost slipped her mind due to her anger. If not for the waking jolt caused by the gathering mana she would be paying the price for her negligence.


    Before the streak of light descended, she managed to {Blink} to a reasonable distance. Upon reappearing, she was treated to the sight of a brilliant pillar searing the land. With gritted teeth she observed, noting the stray rays of the spell faintly gnawing at her epidermis.


    The dread zombie was gone, completely obliterated; she did not need the feel of a breaking bond to tell her. The itchy sensation she got from the residual radiation was enough to assure her; if it could affect her from tens of metres, the summon had no chance.


    Fuck! She swore, squinting at the scene.


    The beaming ceased but the light remained, rapidly converging to an all too familiar shape. The itchiness on her skin diminished, reduced to a prickle. She killed the lingering sensation by employing [Ward], followed by [Shield] and finally the 7<sup>th</sup> Order [Elemental Resistance]; this time she made adequate preparations.


    By the time she finished the casting of the last spell, the humanoid had fully formed.


    Race: Elemental (Elemental- Light)


    Physique: None


    Mana: S (Cyan)


    No different from the light elemental from back then. That was somewhat good for her.


    The area where the pillar had touched down had been converted to a scorched circle with an estimated six metre diameter. The bastard captain was inside this blackened circle, still held down by the [Nether Chains] and surprisingly unaffected. Considering the one who used the damn spell was his ally, she was not surprised.


    Her gaze drifted from him shortly afterwards. With the piece of shit captain bound, she did not have to worry about him for a while. [Nether Chains] was an 8<sup>th</sup> order spell that took several seconds to cast, but could last a couple of hours. In that time, it would sap the bound target¡¯s energy until they succumbed from exhaustion, before resurrecting them as a zombie. That was obviously not Sage¡¯s aim, she just needed the chains to hold long enough for her to defeat the damn elemental.


    When the being of light fully formed it took a moment to check on the bastard, likely to figure out his state. After being assured he was not in critical condition, it turned to faced her. There was an intensity about, Sage was unable to tell what exactly.


    Her guard had been up since its appearance, the moment it attacked with those damnable beams she was ready for it; a [Stone Wall] propped up to block it. Sage made sure to activate {Ghost Walk} as,-just like the previous time she faced the entity- the rock wall exploded, scattering its chunks in all directions.


    The elemental took this opportunity to close the distance between them, trying to thrust is hand into her chest. In response, she hurriedly {Blink}ed away, appearing a couple dozen metres away.


    Of course the elemental was not going to stop there. A second after she appeared, it closed the distance between them and tried once more to thrust into her. Being made of light, its speed was nothing to scoff at. However, her {Blink} was fast enough that she managed to avoid it.


    When she appeared again she cast [Thunderbolt], not exactly expecting it to hit, but it bought her a little time by causing the being of light to dodge to the side. She followed up her attack by enshrouding the area with [Darkness], only to face the same old situation of the elemental¡¯s radiance blowing it away. The primordial creature responded next by firing more beams towards her, which were avoided with another {Blink}.


    Appearing a short distance away, she was met with yet another onslaught; causing her to raise [Stone Wall] to defend. Dammit, she swore internally as she {Ghost Walk}ed to avoid debris scattered by the wall''s subsequent shattering.


    She hated fighting these damnable light elementals. The fucking things were immune to attacks which did not contain the Dark Element, greatly limiting her choice of offensive spells. Even necromantic spells like [Bone Lance] and [Harm] did not work, though for different reasons. The 6<sup>th</sup> Order [Bone Lance] summoned a bone spear, which was a physical object; against a being made of light it was completely useless. As for [Harm]; it was probably one of the most powerful attack spells in her arsenal, but the prerequisite for it to work was that her target had to have flesh. The elemental was an energy being, flinging the spell at it would be a waste of mana. Even the versatile [Telekinesis] did not work against energy beings.


    She dodged another of the light elemental¡¯s attacks and she cast [Darkness] again, to be met with the same result. The elemental only needed to glow for the dark wisps to retreat. Even so, she persisted with the same stratagem. It was the only way slow the creature. This time however she used the stronger [Dark Field]; and of course the field spell only settled for a second before it was neutralised by the elemental¡¯s {Light Field}.


    Sage of course expected it. The casting of [Dark field] had simply been a way of buy time to unleash her next spell, [Dark Domain]. Although this spell was similar to its 6<sup>th</sup> Order counterpart in many ways, it was much more potent. If the elemental wanted to get rid of the domain it would have to put in more effort than simply shining very brightly.


    The elemental did try to dispel the domain, in the same manner no less, to no avail. The opportunity brought by its failure gave her the chance to shoot [Dragon Breath] at it. Unfortunately, it evaded with ease. To avoid its torrential counterattack she {Blink}ed away.


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    ¡°You know,¡± she tried starting a conversation with it, more accurately its controller. ¡°Don¡¯t you find our current situation ironic?¡±


    The elemental¡¯s puppetmaster did not seem to be in the mood to converse, opting to make the creature to strike at her with more lasers instead. This time she used [Void Barrier] to defend. Unlike the 5<sup>th</sup> Order [Stone Wall], [Void Barrier] held. Even so, the impact of the primordial¡¯s barrage greatly shook it. A few more of those and it would shatter.


    On a positive note, due to the domain the elemental was unable to get within five metres of her. Whenever it tried the darkness would act up, sending shadowy tendrils to try and ensnare it. The only thing its radiance managed to accomplish in the confrontation, was destroying the tendrils; at which point a new set would sprout to try and snatch it. Its only avenue afterwards was retreat.


    ¡°Do you remember last time?¡± Sage continued, her gaze shifting slightly to the side; catching the chained bastard in the distance. ¡°I was doing my best to protect the geezer. This time it¡¯s you who¡¯s trying to protect someone.¡±


    Her words seemed to awaken a storm in the elemental, causing it to fire an endless barrage of lasers at her. She reinforced her defence by setting up another [Void Barrier]. This one manifested just as the first one shattered. It was not long before it too reached a critical point. The elemental¡¯s furious attacks were without consideration for its mana, which was its lifeline in the Main Plane. It appeared her words had more of an effect on the summoner than she intended.


    Good, she welcomed. Verbally, she uttered, ¡°Our situations aren¡¯t exactly reversed though. I might have failed to save the geezer, but the odds of saving him- miniscule as they were- were there. You however, you have no chance of saving dear Isaac unless you kill me; which honestly just is not possible. Also, if I wanted to I could kill him right now. Funny isn¡¯t it?¡± The last line she uttered with a leer.


    A furious foe was much easier to handle than a rational one, everyone knew that. Fury dulled one¡¯s awareness to the environment, making it easier catch the opponent off guard. The elemental¡¯s controller was wholly focused on trying to break through the barrier in order to kill her, completely ignoring the spell she was preparing. The barrier reached its limit just as she finished casting it. A moment later an invisible field materialised at the being¡¯s feet.


    [Forbidden Zone], it was still one of her favourite spells.


    After its deployment the elemental dimmed considerable, turning it into a wobbly creature that seemed to have difficulty maintaining its existence. Light Magic and elementals, these were obviously what she banned within the field. Inside [Forbidden Zone] the elemental was now helpless.


    ¡°You must be quite fond of the bastard for you to react like that,¡± she stated, taking the first step in its direction. ¡°Old age must really be doing a number on you.¡±


    The person she wanted to kill the most in this world was not the bastard Guard Captain, but the piece of shit responsible for the geezer¡¯s death. That was why, on her last visit to the Enchanted Flower, she had made sure to request all the information she could about the son of a bitch and his acquaintances, especially those allied with the Church of Life.


    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about his fate though,¡± she said, closing more distance between her and the creature; the edge of her [Dark Domain] almost in contact with it. ¡°You will be dying before him.¡±


    When the domain made contact with the elemental, dark tendrils sprang up and caught it. Like its 6<sup>th</sup> Order counterpart, this spell¡¯s primary effect was to weaken the living while strengthening the dead. However, against an elemental of the opposite element, it was fatal. The shadow tendrils rapidly eroded the primordial creature until it faded out of existence.


    Seeing that it was defeated, Sage let out a relieved sigh.


    Honestly, it could have been way more difficult than it had been. Even though she was two Orders above the last time, she had still struggled with the elemental.


    I need to come up with countermeasures, she thought seriously. As she currently was, meeting a stronger light elemental would be the end of her.


    The bastard Guard Captain was still fruitlessly struggling against the [Nether Chains]. She {Blink}ed to him and caught his defiant glare.


    ¡°Release me vile creature!¡± the arsehole spat furiously.


    She chose not to give a response. Did he really think she would comply just because he asked, and in such a rude manner no less?


    ¡°Nyx,¡± she called.


    A moment later the cat popped out of her shadow.


    Although he had assimilated the form of a shadowcat, he still did not have the ability to aid in a fight against someone like the bastard captain. Sage did not even want to think about how he would fare against a light elemental. So, since he was still useless, the cat was relegated to the side-lines, where he could only observe.


    ¡°Knife,¡± she ordered, sticking out her palm.


    The cat spat an ornately decorated dagger into her hand. She had not gotten much use out of it since nabbing it from that blacksmith¡¯s shop. Now, she ran it across her free palm, pursing slightly as she drew obsidian blood. The wound was quickly sealed with [Heal Undead]. Then she returned her attention to the bastard on the ground.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this!¡± he yelled. ¡°The Church will-¡±


    She plunged the coated blade between the gap in his armour near his armpit, cutting off whatever else he was going to say. The bastard let out a pained grunt, his eyes filled with rage as they glared at her hatefully. She matched him with a seemingly calm look, warring to mask the fact that her insides were fluttering; she was surprisingly loving his pained expression!


    ¡°Potions,¡± she demand, gaze momentarily shifting to the cat. ¡°Vigour, spirit.¡±


    The cat spat the two vials into her hand.


    The spirit potion, she downed to replenish the vast mana she had expanded in the fight. As for the vigour Potion, she pulled the knife out of the bastard and stepped on his throat. Her action caught him off guard, eliciting a suffocating cry from him. This time, the battle to maintain a calm exterior was lost. A wide smile tore up her face while she poured the vial¡¯s contents into his gasping mouth. A healing potion was unable to flush out her poison, so the bastard continued to treat her with his choked contortions.


    It was almost shame to be unable to savour it longer.


    Her gaze returned to the cat. ¡°Guard this area. Make sure no one comes close¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me Master,¡± Nyx replied enthusiastically, assuming the shadowcat¡¯s appearance. ¡°With this new form no one will best me!¡±


    Hearing him, she could not help sigh. In all honestly, if someone actually came she had no faith in him triumphing. Anyone brave enough to come here after the spectacle that had just occurred was surely someone with enough confidence in their strength. Against such an opponent, the cat would only be able to stall for a few seconds in a head-on fight.


    Still, that ought to be enough, she thought, pulling up her neck sleeve and casting [Mystic Eyes]. I won¡¯t be gone long.


    With the spell¡¯s enhancement, she looked at the traces of the light elemental and the residue of the spell that had materialised it here; she traced their source to the city in the distance. It was expected, but she needed to make sure just in case. The results of her inspection brought a smile to her lips, one that would have quickened her heart if it still functioned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± she declared, casting [Teleport].


    The last thing she saw before her surroundings changed was the incensed face of the Guard Captain morphing to a terrified one, he must have realised what she was going to do.


    The hag already had a foot in the grave, it was time to put the other one in.

 CHAPTER 75: RAIN

    In her dinky room, Saana opened her eyes as her body was seized by violent coughs. It took a dozen or so seconds for them to subside. However, her heart continued to pound excruciatingly, as if it desired to break out of her chest. Taking control of the elemental after [Glorious Descend] was already a stressful task; with how she had gone out of control whilst steering it, it was a miracle it still functioned.


    Choosing to maintain the meditative pose she had gotten into before casting the spell, she once more initiated her mana to simulate its pattern. Isaac had been captured and she would use whatever means at her disposal to free him from the hands of the detestable undead.


    How come the creature was still in the Main Plane? Could she have been wrong about it? Was it perhaps born in the Main Plane? But that should not be possible. As far as she was aware, Netherkin could not be born in the Main Plane. Could it be that it had found a new master? She would have to look into it after saving Isaac.


    The boy¡¯s bullheadedness might have gotten him excluded from the Paladins, but he was a good child. He had made a real difference in the lives of the people of Tiih and they were much better off with him as Guard Captain. Also, she held a deep fondness for the boy. After all, he was her prot¨¦g¨¦.


    Using [Glorious Descend] a second time and trying to control the elemental again was more than she was capable of in her current state. The burden of once again putting herself in such a stressful state after almost no interval might possibly result in her death. But that was not cause for hesitation. If an old priestess like her gave up her life to save a seedling with as much potential as Isaac, she would die with a smile on her face. And, who knew? Maybe one day he might reconcile with the Church and become a Paladin again. As long as he lived there was hope such a day would come.


    Unfortunately, before she could complete the casting of [Glorious Descend] she felt the activation of a spell overhead. In her small room she felt the air turn stale as the space itself seemed to tighten.


    [Space Lock]!


    When this spell was used the only dimensional spell that could be successfully activated was the 9<sup>th</sup> Order [Gate]. All other spells and abilities that utilised space became useless; meaning one could not use [Teleport] to get away. This spell was often used to block off a mage¡¯s avenues of escape. For someone to cast the spell meant that they were fully dedicated to slaying their target, and they had enough confidence in their strength to trap themselves with said target.


    Alarmed, she hurriedly ceased her casting and looked up at the dark ceiling. Although she could not see beyond it she could feel the mana far above her head. The feeling alone gave her a terrible hunch.


    The undead was above the church¡­ and it was preparing an attack spell of great magnitude.


    ***


    Upon [Teleport]ing above the city the first thing Sage did was look around.


    There was no way the fight between her and the bastard Guard Captain had gone undetected. Anyone who was sensitive to magic would have noticed the 7<sup>th</sup> and 8<sup>th</sup> Order spells being hurled around. There was no way they could have missed that considering the battle had occurred right outside the city. Even if no one in Tiih was adapt at sensing magic, there was no way they would have missed the radiant pillar; it had practically lit up the night.


    Apart from the old hag, there was no one in the city who had reached the 8<sup>th</sup> Order and the although there was a Grade 2 Warrior associated with the Guild, his aptitude was H and therefore could not be a bother in the next few minutes. Only those 7<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerers could hinder her plan right now and she was on the lookout for them.


    However, after a dozen seconds passed with no one appearing she deemed it safe to {Blink} above the church, deciding to give her full attention to the place; or at least that was how she hoped to come off in the eyes of would-be ambushers. As far as she was concerned, this city was enemy territory; she would not let down her guard as long as she was here.


    The street below on which the Church was located had people traipsing about; some going and coming out of the Church building while others were just passing by. It did not surprise her, after all it was still the early hours of the night. When she appeared some of them even noticed her and pointed. She only gave them a moment¡¯s consideration before deploying her first spell.


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    [Space Lock], she had learned this spell precisely for this moment. If the hag wanted to flee, she could only do so in a manner Sage could spot and subsequently obstruct.


    Assured the hag had no other means of escape, she began to channelling her second spell. As she directed her mana into the desired pattern, she noted the sky¡¯s darkening, thick moving to obscure it. Before she even finished casting they covered the heavens entirely, blocking out the stars. During the final moments of her channelling, she raised her hand a swiftly brought it down on her target.


    In that moment, an obsidian bolt came from the sky. It was thick, several metres in width, with bright edges. As was usually the case with lightning, its touchdown was instantaneous and its flash blinding, turning her vision white. Being undead, she recovered the next instant and was treated to the sight of the lightning still assaulting the Church building. This was one giant bolt that did not branch into smaller bolts, concentrating all its destructive for in one spot; its named was [Lightning Tower].


    ¡°BOOM!¡± came the sound of thunder a second later. The noise this spell made was magnitudes louder than [Thunderbolt] and [Chain Lightning].


    As intimidating a sight it presented, unfortunate it failed to destroy the Church building. While she was casting she had noticed the hag preparing a spell of her own, manifesting a translucent golden dome around the building before she finished her channelling. This dome managed to block the lightning, incurring nasty web-like cracks on its surface.


    On the street below people had begun screaming in panic; she hardly paid them any mind. Since the hag had blocked the attack she cast the spell again. She was curious to see how long the old crone could hold on.


    Again the [Lightning Tower] descended and again the dome managed to hold, though this time the cracks spread to most of its surface and deepened; it would not be surviving another attack.


    The third [Lightning Tower] was utterly merciless in its destruction of the golden dome, ripped through it like a boulder through a glass pane. This bolt was not done yet however, as it continued on to the Church¡¯s rooftop, setting it ablaze. Unfortunately much of its energy had been spent destroying the barrier, so that was the extent of the damage it caused. It worked just fine for Sage though, she had enough mana to cast the spell a few more times.


    The fourth attack was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back, or- in this case- the bolt that crumbled the church. Unhindered like the previous three, it landed squarely on the burning roof, ripping through it and continuing its downward stream. When the next thunderous boom came, the building walls- already littered with cracks from the previous assault- could no longer hold out and caved inwards. She watched the spectacle with a fixed expression, purposely ignoring the screams on the ground.


    Activating [Mystic Eyes], she looked at the place. From under the rubble she spied multiple signatures; some white, others orange and so forth. Off the top of her head she counted nine such individuals. She also noticed others crushed by the collapsed walls, unmoving.


    Before she came to get her revenge she had already expected her spells to create unintended victims. Even so, there had been hesitation in her actions. Being one of the undead, she had no confidence in walking on hallowed grounds of the Goddess of Life without suffering a massive backlash. There was a high probability nothing would happen, but she was not willing to stake her unlife on it.


    Of course she could have tried calling the hag out, but that would have probably been a waste of breath. If their roles were reversed she would obviously not do it. Besides, her opponent was a crone, a really old hag. Even if she agreed, by the time she made it outside the chapel, dawn would have arrived. Sage did not have that patience, especially when an ambush could happen anytime.


    For those caught up in her actions; bad luck for them. Even if she could go back in time she would carry out her attack the same way. Anyone or anything that stood in her way was an obstacle she would not hesitate to blow away.


    Within the rubble the hag still lived, though her blue mana seemed to be almost completely used up. Several metres from her was the severely injured body of a woman with burgundy mana, probably the acting head priestess of this chapter of the Shean Church. Sage only gave her a passing glance before casting [Lightning Tower] once more.


    This time, when it struck down there were no survivors. In the aftermath even the rubble was reduced to powder.


    Looking down at the scene, she released a sigh.


    It was over. Saana Light-Speaker, a priestess who had served the Shean faith for over five hundred years, was dead.


    Sage had killed the hag responsible for the geezer¡¯s death, the one who had almost caused her to be cast back into the barren Deadlands. She had annihilated the old bitch who almost made her grovel in front of that fucking half-elf for a contract.


    The gathering of the clouds from the casting of [Lightning Tower] was not without consequence as a downpour descended upon the city. The sudden showers merciless fell over her head, causing her hair and clothes to cling to her skin. She closed her eyes and faced upwards, lips curling to a smile as she felt cold drops running along her nose and down the crack of her spine.


    This was the first rain she experienced since coming to Aran.


    It was refreshing.

 CHAPTER 76: CREATE SENTIENT UNDEAD

    This is it, Sage thought, eyes darting around the cavern.


    It was part of the network of caves she had settled into; previously a sleeping room, from the half dozen crudely made straw beds in the place. Although she had claimed this place for herself a fortnight ago, this was only her second time in this room. Before she had been content roaming only her reading cavern- where she had also tried her hand at alchemy- and the bandit leader¡¯s room, which had been used for brief rests. Although she did not tire, mental exhaustion was still a thing, she needed to take time away from her books now and then.


    Since she frequented those rooms and her stuff had been scattered all around them she could not conduct her ritual there. Which was why she had opted for another cave. The cavern she stood in was not as big as the ones she stayed in; its roof was only so high that someone slightly taller than her would have to duck; the fact did not make it any less perfect for the ritual she wished to conduct.


    But before that she had to clear it out.


    That was the easy part. Retreating countless steps, consequently backing into another cave, she looked ahead and invoked [Firestorm]. A flurry of black flames swept across the cave, raging for dozens of seconds before dissipating and leaving a desolate burrow with blackened walls.


    Now it looked almost ready for what she intended.


    Next she stepped into the room and waved her hand over its entirety, initiating [Transmute] in the process. Her gaze descended to the base of the cavern and was treated to the sight of the uneven ground morph to a neatly aligned smooth stone floor. A smile wafted to her lips as she inspected the change. Satisfied with what she had done to the place, she [Teleport]ed to her resting cave.


    The moment she appeared her eyes fell on the large armoured figure sprawled across the floor. When she returned to pick him up after dealing with, the hag the bastard- distraught as could be- had struggled against his bonds while cursing her and vowing the church would repay her actions with annihilation. Although it was amusing how his hate filled words had been delivered with intense agony, the words themselves had been a pain to listen to. She had listened for half a minute before the compulsion to [Silence] him overcame her. Then she dumped him in this place and once again restrained him with [Nether Chains]; as much as she disdained him, she was not moronic enough to underestimate him.


    Looking at the Guard Captain now it looked like any latent threat he could present had vanished. His eyes were closed and although his breathing was rough, it was uniform. If the bastard¡¯s agonised face was any indication, he had fainted; probably from too much pain.


    With a plastered smile she released the chains.


    In all honesty, in the current situation [Nether Chains] was a spell she had to be cautious with. Once this spell fully absorbs and snuffs the ensnared¡¯s vitality, that person would rise as a zombie. For someone with a physique as powerful as the bastard, it would normally take hours for the process to end. However, considering the fact that he had been poisoned, that duration had been drastically shortened. A specimen like the bastard turning into a zombie would be nothing short of a tragedy; a total waste. She had not kept him alive just to have him become a mindless drooler, even if it was a Grade 2 zombie.


    Telekinetically, she lifted him off the ground and grabbed hold of him before shifting back to the cave she had just cleared out. After that she moved him to the neighbouring cave before turning back to the desolate cavern with a forming frown.


    Although she was looking forward to the ritual, this part she wished she could skip over.


    ¡°The knife Nyx,¡± she said with her hand stretched out.


    Her feline Familiar emerged from a shadow in the corner of the room, still in the Umbral Felis form looking proud of himself for some reason, and spat the bejewelled dagger into her hand.


    Taking a deep breath, she placed the knife at her wrist. She then released it and cast [Pain Nullification] on herself. As its name implied, the 6<sup>th</sup> Order spell invalidated all pain, which was very useful in certain situations; if it could help with Advancement, she would have declared it her favourite spell.


    This was not Advancement though. When she sunk the blade into her wrist and dragged it all the way to the elbow, slicing open crudely mended flesh and nicking bone in the process, there was no pain. Even so, the sight of the open gash with copious amounts of dark blood spilling out was not a thrilling sight.


    The blood gushed from her wound but did not immediately splatter as she caught it with [Telekinesis]. With her mind she moved the obsidian fluid strategically around the cave room in various patterns and runes. Minutes later, when she laid down the finishing touches, she was standing in a room with intricate intersecting patterns.


    All her blood must have been used up because her entire being now felt like dry wood. The Cryptmaker¡¯s notes had warned against using one¡¯s own blood in the process because of the amount needed. It was much easier to bleed out someone else, or several someone elses. However, as an undead Sage did not have to worry about dying of blood-loss; also, after testing out a miniaturised ritual on a couple of rodents, she had been presented with a result that had not been recorded in the books, one that would probably not be possible if she used blood other than her own as a medium.


    Besides, she only needed to cast [Dark Regeneration] to cure her dehydration, which was exactly what she did.


    She looked around the room again, satisfied with the intersecting patterns, before going to retrieve the unconscious bastard. Once again using telekinesis, she lifted him up and placed him in the middle of the room surrounded by the various patterns, making sure not to disturb the array work.


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    These arrays were one of three requirements needed to raise an intelligent undead. Another was the 8<sup>th</sup> Order spell [Create Sentient Undead]. Unfortunately, using this spell without an appropriate ritual circle would render it inert.


    The ritual circle was the key to the kind of undead one wished to create. There were different patterns to create skeleton mages, death knights, bone knights and various undead abominations. Creating vampires and phantoms in this manner was impossible though. Phantoms were undead that could only be born naturally in the Deadlands- a fact that reinforced Sage¡¯s suspicion that the arsehole in the Abyss had meddled when she was summoned into the Main Plane- and only the creator of vampires had an inkling of the ritual used to make them. Unfortunately, the Blood Sorceress was an elusive existence.


    After laying the bastard Guard Captain down she did not immediately cast the spell. Instead she used her [Telekinesis] to try and slap him awake.


    The last requirement to create a sentient undead was a previously deceased person, one who had been dead no longer than three days. Learning this detail had not been comforting to her considering what she had stocked up in her familiar¡¯s [Void Space], but that was a problem for another time. She had an idea how to circumvent it¡­ sort of; she just needed more expertise to carry it out.


    According to the Mau Ngava- a necromancer notorious all around Rekke as the Deathless King, who was also the Cryptmaker¡¯s idol- three days was the amount of time it took for the soul to detach itself from a deceased body. After this period the only undead that could be made from the corpse where mindless ones. This fact was large accepted not only by necromancers but also their bitter nemeses as well. Beyond the seventy-two-hour mark, it was also impossible to bring back someone via 9<sup>th</sup> Order [Resurrection].


    Of course, the effects of the two spells of opposing natures were vastly different. When the Sheans successfully cast [Resurrection] the target would return with their memories intact, while with [Create Sentient Undead] the subject would lose all memories and would practically become a new person after conversion; almost like the conventional reincarnation she had vehemently rejected. Although the newly born undead retained its motor skills, everything else would have to be relearn everything from scratch.


    The last thing Sage wanted to do was to expand effort nurturing a newly risen undead¡¯s character. It was tedious and annoying. Also, a servile bastard captain with no memories would be not cut it. The reason she had gone as far as attacking the Cryptmaker for this knowledge was to create a being with its own consciousness that did more than just take orders.


    Besides, she was not okay with being the only one burdened with the knowledge that she bonded someone she did not like. That burden had to be shared¡­ unevenly on his end.


    Creating a sentient undead with its former identity was not difficult. The requirements were almost the same, but with one minor detail. The target had to be alive when the ritual is commenced.


    The Cryptmaker¡¯s notes had also shed light on the gory scene she had witnessed in Hassun with the dead bodies arranged in a pattern and live villagers in the centre. Back then the Cryptmaker, unable to become a Transcendent due to lacking aptitude, was attempting to be turn himself into a skeleton mage. Though not guaranteed, an undead rebirth was one way to increase aptitude, although the process could backfire and have an opposite effect. The odds of enhancing ones aptitude were greater though, which was why there was always a shit-amount of necromancers attempting it.


    The gross volume of corpses and living sacrifices were to saturate the place with enough deathly aura to mimic a natural undead¡¯s spawning. Undead who spawned naturally, like those of the Deadlands, did not require a link to maintain their existence; and since the Cryptmaker would have become an undead formed on Aran he would never have had to worry about being cast out of the Main Plane.


    Too bad his plans were ruined when he met Sage.


    The bastard Guard Captain¡¯s eyes fluttered open after countless telekinetic slaps. However, they were not looking at her. The bastard completely ignored her, as if she was not there.


    ¡°I did what every upstanding Paladin would have done!¡± he uttered a weak shout. ¡°Our order was created to protect the helpless, not turn a blind eye to the powerful inflicting terrors on the weak. Those of status should not be allowed to circumvent the law; I made certain of it. It was just and everyone here knows it! But I am being punished? Since when was doing the right thing cause for punishment? The Lord Pala-¡±


    Sage filtered his voice out.


    The man was delirious, probably reliving a memory she could care less about. Although his mind was not present he was awake, and that was all she needed to initiate her spell. Her mana surged from her hand into the bastard before spreading to the blood circle.


    The circle she had drawn was different from any that could be found in the Cryptmaker¡¯s notes, it was an innovation of hers.


    Under her scrutiny, those ritual circles in the notes looked too crude and boring. She was not interested in creating a death knight or a bone knight or similar entity. Turning the bastard Guard Captain into a magic type undead would be a complete waste. Instead of following boring trends she had opted to create her own.


    As a Darkborne, patterns involving the undead were extremely easy to decode and play around with; which made creating various amalgamations with them easy. She had already tested them on rodents and other critters and found the results satisfactory.


    The ritual circle she had drawn resembled that of a death knight but with elements of a dread zombie. Both creatures were ghouls, which was worrying for her as she was did not want a flaking servant; but a few touches with cold enchantment runes and she was able to fix the problem.


    More mana kept pouring out of her and feeding the ritual circle, which in turn exerted its influence on the feverish man in the middle. A blackness that could only be called darkness emerged from the circle and smothered the bastard, causing changes to occur.


    The first one she witnessed was the Guard Captain¡¯s scorched silver armour darken to ebony and start releasing shadowy wisps. His golden hair underwent a similar change as the darkness melded into it, converting it to jet black. The effect was different for his skin though, which whitened to resemble a sheet of paper. A chilling cold erupted from him as she witnessed his final change; the blackness had bled into his eyes filled them out completely.


    Discounting the off-colour scheme, he looked almost the same; if one discounted the fact that he seemed to have lost weight. His face was now bonier than it had been, making him look older.


    When the transformation ceased the ritual was done; more than half her mana had been consumed in the process. If not for the fact that she had refilled it with a spirit potion after returning, she would have been in trouble.


    With {Index} she checked the newly created undead¡¯s information.


    Race: ??? (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 2


    Mana: A (White)


    Title(s): Netherkin

 CHAPTER 77: CLUES TO A PHANTOM

    ¡°TELL US EVERYTHING YOU KNOW!¡± Ana shouted, slamming her fist on the table.


    The stone table proved unable to withstand the force. From the place her fist impacted cracks spread to the rest of table¡¯s surface, causing it to shatter and drop to the floor in noisy pieces.


    Behind her, she heard a surprised squeak. It was from Krystelle, the elf never reacted to sudden actions well. To be fair though, even Yaven seated beside her was taken aback by her act. Sadly, the person seated on the opposite end, the one her actions were intended for, was unfazed.


    Facing her calmly was an elf with silver hair, golden skin, crimson lips, azure eyes and a body ideal for leading men astray. The woman was practically flaunting her figure in a thin armless dress which left nothing to the imagination.


    Only someone like this would be shameless enough to run a brothel.


    Out of the corner of eye Ana caught Yaven¡¯s eyes shift between the temptress¡¯ face and exposed cleavage. The sight of it made her eye twitch in annoyance. She toiled not to let her feelings show on the rest of her features. They would be having a talk after the interrogation. To be distracted by such trivialities was unbecoming of a Paladin.


    But would be later. Now, she had to finish the questioning.


    ¡°What was that creature doing at your¡­ establishment?¡± she asked sharply. ¡°Why did it visit you?¡±


    Her blood threatened to boil as she asked the question.


    The Church, even if it had only been a branch, had been attacked. Someone had brazenly appeared above Tiih and destroyed the city¡¯s chapel, killing over a dozen faithful in the process. That alone was enough to make her want to rip the culprit limb from limb. Infuriatingly, this person did more than that. They killed one of the most revered priestesses in the Church of Life; her recovered body had been in such a terrible state that [Resurrection] proved useless.


    The higher-ups at the headquarters were displeased, which was why she, Yaven, Krystelle and Greta had been sent to chase down the culprit.


    Most of the witnesses claimed not to have seen the culprit clearly as they had been too busy fleeing for their lives. The exception was a senior sorceress associated with one of the local factions of the city. The damnable witch had watched the scene with [Far Sight] as the head priestess of their city was assaulted! The account had been pretty upsetting to hear.


    After being convinced by Yaven not to act on her instincts, they managed to get a description of the culprit, which surprising coincided with that of a woman wanted locally for the murder of a duke¡¯s son. Unfortunately that was all they could get out of the sorceress.


    Of course their group did some investigating of their own. However, a comb through the abandoned battleground outside Tiih- with magic and other means- turned up nothing.


    Finding the identity of the other fighter had not been difficult. The man was no stranger to Ana. After all, she and he had been inducted into the Paladins at the same time. It was too bad that he was impulsive and inflexible, leaving the Great Paladins no choice but to let him go from The Order. Although Isaac¡¯s stint at as a Paladin had not worked out, she could not deny she had respect for the man. Even after being ostracised he remained resolute in his actions. There were few people in the world who could remain true to their convictions, especially when doing so would cost them.


    Unfortunately, although traces of the former Paladin were all over the place, even skilled magicians like Greta and Krystelle were unable to learn what had happened to him afterwards. As for the one he had fought, this Sage Maverick; they had been unable to get anything about them from the beginning. The result was suspiciously similar to what they had encountered a while back.


    It was only after a local priest and his mage comrade came forward that they learned the nature of their quarry, confirming their suspicions.


    Back in Nervahn, when the old priestess told them to stay behind she had offered her suspicions about why they were unable to find traces of a second party in the empty village. Saana had even described the latest phantom she had encountered, which surprising matched that given by the priest and his companion.


    Another lead came from an aggrieved half-dwarf woman who made contact with them and gave them directions to a cave network the creature had apparently driven her gang out of. Sadly, they found it deserted; though in one of the caves they saw a ritual circle none in their group was able to make heads and tails of. The eeriness of that circle brought chills down her spine, made her worry for Isaac¡¯s fate. Greta chose to remain behind and study it.


    Without any other leads to the phantom, they could only turn to the person already hunting their target; who then directed them to this person.


    The proprietor of the most famous brothel in North-Western Rekke was indifferent in the face of Ana¡¯s glare. Even with the table in pieces between them, she remained calm with her hands neatly folded in her lap.


    ¡°I am willing to tell you what I know,¡± the woman said in a soft husky voice as she twirled a silver lock around her finger. ¡°But, as you probably know, I am a broker. My information is not free?¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting what I think you are!¡± she asked forcefully while forcing herself to stay in her seat.


    The nerve of this woman! The sheer audacity of her to demand payment for information that can lead to them tracking down a dangerous creature and preventing future tragedies!


    ¡°Do you have any idea the kind of company you¡¯ve been keeping?¡± Yaven asked. His gaze was now firmly fixed on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Association with our target is enough to get you into serious trouble. Why don¡¯t you make things easy for yourself by telling us what you know?¡±


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    Whenever agents of the church interrogated someone, the interrogated would usually be so scared they would spill everything they knew, including details not asked for. However, this woman¡¯s response to what was essentially a threat, was a smile.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something,¡± she began, her eyes darting to Yaven and then above Ana¡¯s head, presumably to Krystelle, before returning to Ana. ¡°This is not the Imperium. The Church is not the law here. Additionally, I am not a worshipper of your goddess. Still, the fact that I came here when you called is a show of respect from me to you.¡± Her smile disappeared and her eyes hardened when she uttered the next sentence. ¡°I suggest you not push it.¡±


    The floosy was being defiant. Ana was not having it.


    ¡°Listen here you wh-¡±


    ¡°How much would this information be worth?¡± Yaven interrupted.


    ¡°Such information would usually be worth at least fifty gold,¡± the audacious hussy replied. Ana took a deep breath and heard an even deeper intake behind her. Before any of them could respond to the insane amount given though, the woman continued. ¡°But since you are members of the Church of Life and- even though you¡¯ve been so rude to me- I like you. That¡¯s why I¡¯m reducing my price by fifty percent and only asking for twenty-five gold.¡±


    That was still a lot of money, much more than a commoner¡¯s decade worth savings.


    ¡°How about you tell us what you know first before deciding on the amount?¡± Ana retorted, trying to calm herself down.


    She was aware that she was not in her right state of mind.


    The death of Saana had caught her off guard. A kind woman who had spent most of her life travelling the continent teaching the ignorant and helping the sick- all in the name of the radiant Goddess- had fallen to a vile menace, a pestilence known as the undead. Among the people Ana admired, it was only the Grand Paladin and Saint Leah that she revered more than the old priestess. Her intolerance and impatience were an indication of how badly she wanted to catch the damn undead responsible for her idol¡¯s death. She wanted blood, even if she had to wring it out of a dried-up corpse.


    ¡°Only if you swear on your goddess,¡± the tart was being difficult. ¡°I know how much you revere her and I will not talk until you promise on Her name that you will give me the money after I talk.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Yaven said before she could speak reply. ¡°I promise on the divine name of the Goddess Shea that I will make sure you are compensated, should you provide satisfactory information.¡±


    ¡°That is good enough,¡± the infuriating woman said.


    She leaned back in her seat and brought her hand- forefinger, middle finger and thumb pressed together- to her lips; only for her to snap out of as if realising something and put it down. For a brief moment Ana caught a flash of irritation in the elf¡¯s eyes; however, a moment later it was whisked aside in favour of her usual calm expression.


    ¡°Sage has been to the Enchanted Flowers a few times,¡± she began. ¡°The first time she-¡±


    ¡°It!¡± Ana interrupted strongly. ¡°That thing is an undead, an it!¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the brothel proprietor responded, shooting her a look, before continuing. ¡°It came looking for clues to an Elixir of Rejuvenation. Don¡¯t ask me why, but I¡¯m guessing something is wrong with its face. That¡¯s probably why it always had its face covered; or maybe it was simply hiding its identity.¡±


    Ana listened tentatively with her chin resting on her hands. She did not like this woman, with her sultry looks and revealing clothes. Usually, everything the hussy said would to be taken with a grain of salt; this was not one of those times. Ana recalled the descriptions given by the deceased priestess and the priest in Tiih. According to them the phantom had stitches so eye-catching it could never live up to its name if it went around with its face uncovered.


    ¡°Continue,¡± she urged.


    ¡°The second time it visited was to ask for information on Scions.¡±


    ¡°Did it say what it wanted with the information?¡± Yaven asked, sounding concerned.


    Ana could understand why.


    After the Hassun mission, when the two of them returned to headquarters, they had searched for information on phantoms. There was not much knowledge on them in The Order¡¯s archives. Much of what they had been able to learn was the numerous names of leaders who were slaughtered during the Days of Gloom or the pile of bodies left by a phantom in rare sightings after the Gloom.


    No amount of magic could locate or bind a matured phantom. This was the scariest thing about them; that they could come and go as they pleased. Fortunately, Church grounds were consecrated with divine enchantments. Even if a phantom could enter undetected, it would not remain so for long as its weakness to Light Magic would make it reveal itself.


    Saana had said the phantom they were hunting was a fledgling, so it was not at the level where all it could completely evade magic. For example, at close range [Mystic Eyes] was capable of identifying it. However, its actions in Ysh had proven that it was reaching maturation.


    Was its reason for asking about Scions to sneak up on them and dispose of them? Although Scions were powerful, especially Demigods, there were records of phantoms catching them unawares. Ana, and Yaven likely, could not help feeling worried that the undead had demanded such a thing; and this harlot had given the information to her!


    ¡°She- it, did not reveal its motives,¡± the scantily dressed hussy replied.


    ¡°What of the third time?¡± Ana inquired.


    ¡°It only came pick up information I¡¯d gathered on the Scions,¡± she said. ¡°It was nothing not known to the general public, a little digging and everyone could uncover the information I gave.¡±


    The latter words seemed directed at the Ana, who eyes were straining hard from glaring at her. She really wanted to reach across the broken table and hit her. The infuriating tramp had done business with an undead!


    ¡°Was there any other time you met with the creature?¡± she reigned in her fury and asked.


    The temptress shook her head and replied in a calm voice. ¡°No.¡±


    It caused Ana to frown. ¡°The information you gave us is nowhere near the value of the amount you desire.¡±


    To this, the woman shot her smile. ¡°That is because I am not done yet.¡±


    ¡°What else do you have to say?¡± Ana grunted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have information that can lead you to the one you¡¯re chasing, but I can point you to the next best thing.¡± The temptress closed her eyes, took a deep breath and released it before opening them. She gave Ana a pointed stare and continued. ¡°If you are adamant in catching the undead, you might want to check in with the Ysran family. The half-elf mentioned in the wanted poster is part of their family.¡±


    Without waiting for a response from them, the elven woman initiated a spell. Ana was half way out of her chair and reaching for the woman¡¯s neck, but stopped herself when she felt the woman complete her casting. The spell cast had been [Mirror Image], yet the image that appeared was a black-haired half-elf in body-tight dark leather clothes.


    ¡°This is what she looks like.¡±


    The brothel proprietor¡¯s ability to manipulate [Mirror Image] to display another person showed a frightening mastery of Illusion Magic. Ana would take that into account if they ever had to question her again.


    ¡°Thank you for your time,¡± she said grumpily, then she turned to her Yaven. ¡°Please escort her out and see that she gets the amount agreed upon.¡±


    The dwarf nodded with a grunt, stood up and gestured the woman to follow him out of the room.


    After the two left Ana turned to her companion who had been silent the whole time.


    ¡°The half-elf she showed us looked familiar, didn¡¯t she? I don¡¯t remember where I¡¯ve seen her though.¡±


    ¡°The Church,¡± Krystelle¡¯s silent voice came. ¡°Nervahn.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Ana exclaimed in realisation.


    A memory surfaced in her mind of a mercenary next to a sleeping old man.


    The picture of what happened in Hassun was suddenly clearer.

 CHAPTER 78: A NEEDED CHANGE

    Sage let out a satisfied sigh while she ran a wet cloth along her scarred body.


    As an undead, she did not sweat. Being a phantom, she emitted no odour. Therefore, it was not necessary to often wash up. That said, the sensation of water pooling down her body, streaming along her scars, was refreshing. It was too good to pass up.


    While running the cloth to parts of it had not yet travelled, her eyes lowered to the surface of the river in which half her body had been submerged. Within its crystal clearness she saw her distorted image, twisted even further in the ripples caused by her actions.


    Due to the hideous scars that covered her, body she did not often look at her reflection. Just tracing the scars along the corners of her mouth and throat with her hand was an upsetting experience. To look into clear water and see how the horrible stitches had messed up what should have been a very attractive face was downright maddening. It did not help that those same stitches were all over her arms, legs and abdomen.


    She was eye-catching alright, but in the wrong way. Although covering up and masking herself did attract a level of attention, it was not even close to the amount she would receive if people saw her face. She could still remember the actions of the Scarlet Quartet during their first mission, when they had thought she was a necromancer¡¯s victim. Distressed by her appearance but pitying her, only for those same looks to morph to disgust after they met again. These were the two most common reactions to expect from those who saw her face. If she had to be honest, even if only to herself, she like neither.


    She really needed the Elixir!


    If only the damn potions were as abundant as common ones¡­ occasionally she had to fight the urge to [Teleport] to the Enchanted Flower and demand Sylphia work faster to obtain the clues, even if they were dead ends. The faster she could erase the scars the easier her life would become!


    But we don¡¯t always get what we want, she thought, releasing another sigh; a melancholic one this time.


    When she had ensured that the cloth had touched every part of her body she threw it to the shore, after which she activated {Lightfoot} and heaved herself up until she was standing on the surface of the water. Then she walked over to the riverside. There she took another cloth, a dry one much thicker than the one she had bathed with, and began to dry herself. After finishing, her eyes moved to the clothes neatly lined on the riverbank.


    The chosen apparel were cotton trousers and a cotton shirt, with a woollen coat and scarf. The final articles were gloves and boots, both made from leather. As with all her previous outfits, these were black in colour.


    After donning her underclothes, she slipped them on and leaned over the edge of the river to get a good look at herself. Ignoring her reflected face, she chose instead to concentrate on the entire image below her neck. The image displayed in the river left her satisfied. The clothes were comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and gave her a vastly different appearance from the dresses she wore previously.


    Obviously she could not wear those types of clothes again, not after the shit-storm she caused in Tiih. She would not be surprised to learn that her actions had drawn the attention of the higher-ups of the Shean Church. From the information she had gotten out of Sylphia, the old crone had been a respected member of their organisation. Her death might have even have drawn the eyes of the Imperator to this corner of Rekke.


    In all honesty, Sage would have preferred never to get involved with the hag or her bastard prot¨¦g¨¦. If the two of them had just let her be, she would have been happy ignoring the fact that they existed. She would not have cared about them even if they massacred a million undead.


    But the two of them just had to attack her and she was sure as hell was not going to let them off, even if it brought her more trouble. Those who fucked with her had to be prepared for the consequences!


    Alas, revenge was an endless cycle. By killing the old hag she had likely instigated others to get revenge on her, people who would likely chase her to the ends of the world. She did not plan to make it easy for these people.


    Within an hour of completing the ritual Sage had packed up her stuff and left the caves, making a short but strenuous journey across the Trenton Highlands, into the Kingdom of Lethia.


    Her hiding period was over.


    Although just next door to Ysh, Lethia was vastly different. Mages were not as revered in this land; in some places they were even reviled. Lethia¡¯s population was more focused on the improving their physiques than their magic, so much so that more than a twentieth of the population was said to have physiques surpassing the fifth Grade, which was really impressive. It was little wonder why the country was one of the two powers of North-Western Rekke. If they did not shun sorcerers who specialised in a field that was not alchemy, there was a definite possibility that they would surpass Ysh.


    One of the biggest reasons why she had decided to come to this place, apart from wanting to learn how to improve her own physique, was that the Church of Life had no presence in Lethia. Due to an incident over a century ago involving a young priest and a princess of Lethia, the Sheans were run out; after which they had tried to instigate a rebellion, which ended up failing. Their banishment would probably not end anytime soon since the one who ran them out was the current king.


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    Of course, angering an Organisation with a deity behind it was an idea only the intellectually challenged would attempt. To negate any backlash that could come from the Church of Life, the king invited the Vestravans and made them the state religion. These days much of the peasantry had taken to worshipping the Dragon God, with a reverence that put the other faiths to shame. It is said that during summer many of Vestrava¡¯s children would occasionally be spotted overhead.


    Unfortunately, due to the Autumn Equinox being only two days away and the ensuing drop in temperatures that heralded Atasha¡¯s coming northwards, they had likely fled south already.


    Their absence would be a blessing for Sage. After all, the last thing she desired was to meet those fire-breathing monstrosities. Her flammable skin would not be able to handle such an encounter.


    After a minute of staring at her reflection she pulled away from the river and stepped into the forest, which was thankfully sparser than its counterpart on the other side of the mountains.


    About a minute or so inside she caught a whiff of roasting meat. Choosing to trace it to its source, she appeared in a clearing with a fire over which a large rabbit was cooking. Within this clearing were two individuals, a lynx-like creature and a man clad in black armour. Surprisingly, among the two it was the lynx that was roasting the meat. The man on the other hand sat far from the fire in a defeated posture. She shot him a sneer as she sat at the fire, inviting its warmth onto herself.


    Race: Pale Knight (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 2


    Mana: A (White)


    Title(s): Netherkin


    With her interpretation of the sentient undead creation ritual, she had managed to turn the Guard Captain into a new type of undead. First off, he had a passive ability called {Corrupt Armaments} which strengthened all his equipment and turned it pitch black. This, she had noted, was a kind of corrupting enchantment that enabled him to corrode those he cuts; a power that made his second ability, {Slain Minion}, possible. This ability, {Slain Minion}, allowed him to raise slain foes to fight for him for a few minutes. The third power, {Raise Steed}, was the ability to turn a mount, specifically of the equestrian type, to an undead ride. These three abilities were inherited from the death knight half of the ritual circle.


    The fourth ability was {Chill}. This particular ability caused him to emit a cold aura that induced fear on anyone who felt it. The good news about this ability was that it could be shut off; she could only guess the disaster that would occur if someone brought a being with an uncontrollable ability, like a dread zombie, in a settlement. Also, since his mana had reverted to white this and the other abilities were nothing impressive.


    Even though everything he used became black, due to how white his skin had become along with his chilling ability, she had decided to name her creation a Pale Knight.


    Because she had used her blood as the medium for the ritual, the bastard had become a Netherkin. This was a discovery she had made while practising the spell on rodents; a sort of happy accidental discovery. It seemed Darkborne using their blood to create undead was like Scions having children. The discovery had made her decide then and there¡­ no matter how many times she bled herself dry, every sentient undead she created would be Netherkin!


    Abilities of Kin might not be as ridiculous as those of a Scion, but they were nothing to scoff at either. Not all of them were guaranteed to achieve Transcendence, but their abilities were still useful. Kin had the power to half the potency magic and abilities of their ancestor¡¯s element at their foes¡¯ disposal while doubling that of their allies. A benefit to having¡­ say a Netherkin companion, was that one did not have to wait for them to achieve Transcendence; a Netherkin with Grade 2 physique or mana of an equivalent level could use this ability. Meaning, the now undead Guard Captain had the ability to buff and debuff Dark attribute spells. No one could deny how great a power it was.


    Except the man himself. After coming to, the first thing he had done was shout obscenities at her before picking up his blackened sword to try and cut her down. Of course being an undead, more specifically her undead, it only took a single word to stop him in his tracks.


    Watching him realise that he had become the very creature he hated had been an amusing scene, which had immediately turned distressing when he tried to off himself. The fucker tried to undo the blood and effort she had put into moulding him!


    After she hurriedly stopped him from wasting her actions, the man shut down; as if his soul left his body. He did not resist when she told him to do something, but the manner in which he did it was like a zombie. He likely perceived becoming an undead as the most terrible thing that could happen; the end of the world.


    He will get over it, she thought, glaring at his sulking figure while tearing a bite out of her sizable rabbit leg.


    If not in a few years, then in a few millennia. Sage truly did not give a fuck. As long as he was following her orders she was satisfied.


    By the time she and Nyx finished the rabbit, with the damn familiar taking more than three quarters of it, she stood up and dusted herself off. Then she looked towards the east, where the sun was rising over the distant Trenton Mountains. She turned away and put on a plain black masks; this would be her new look going forward.


    About a kilometre in the direction she now faced, was a small village. They discovered it the previous night, but she had decided to stay away then. Coming from the mountains looked very suspicious, especially with how they were dressed; there had been no need to up the suspicion meter to full blown alert by showing up in the middle of the night.


    The sun had risen now though, there was no need not to visit the place. Because it was village of negligible size she did not expect to learn anything important about the country, but at least she could learn of the surroundings. The maps she had of the place were outdated so that would help.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said as she took to her feet.


    <u> </u>

 CHAPTER 79: VILLAGE & MOUNT

    Her first impression upon entering the village? Not good.


    Actually, it started before they even got to the village.


    Before making it out of the forest they had found a track frequented by the villagers for whatever reason, probably hunting. At the moment it seemed like a good idea to walk this track. With their appearances, the whole notion of being inconspicuous could be thrown out the window; no villager would forget figures like them unless she and Isaac were part of an eccentric troupe, like a circus. Still, she decided to enter the village via the trail to minimise excess hostility they were bound to get from the villagers.


    A small community- like this village, which did not have more than ten buildings- was often home to the most suspicious and xenophobic people. The trick to handling such people was to appear as non-threatening as possible; which, obviously, was a no sell, considering her masked fa?ade and the former Guard Captain¡¯s hulking armoured form. Even so, they could at least try to allay whatever fears these people would have towards them by entering through a regular path.


    That train of thought turned out to be on a wishful track.


    The first person they met on the path froze at the sight of them, eyebrows instinctively raised in alarm. The man wore simple clothes with a wooden bow and quiver tied on his back. Before she could open her mouth to address him, he did a one-eight and rushed back the way he came.


    Seeing him run back to his village, Sage released a sigh before urging her newly acquired grumpy minion to follow; something he did with heavy footsteps. And Nyx, the damned familiar had returned to his original size and was perched on her shoulder. From time to time, he would give Isaac sideway glances, which made her believe he wanted to annoy the pale knight somehow; and would probably have done so if not for the fact that the cat seemed terrified of him.


    At the end of the trail- or the beginning, depending on the outlook- they found the village silent. Although there were clear signs of recent activity, some of which she had heard before meeting the hunter, the street was deserted. Every door was shut, though movement behind the curtains was conspicuous. The people had gone into hiding.


    She looked around and sighed. What a pain.


    Although she was in possession of a Lethian map, it only displayed large features and large settlements. Settlements of these size probably numbered in the thousands and would be a massive pain to list down, not to mention most cartographers would probably think of them as insignificant; if they even knew of their existence.


    Map-reading was not one of Sage¡¯s premier skills, so she had no clue of their exact location; which was why she had planned to ask around for directions.


    When she had decided to cross the mountains, she had done so with a destination in mind; the capital city Io. The main reason she had come to this land was to learn more about physique improvement. Not that methods tailored to the living would be of any help to her, but they would give her directions on how to improve her own physique. Her aim was to make it to Lethia¡¯s largest city as soon as possible, acquire whatever knowledge she could and get the fuck out of North-Western Rekke. She was tired of being in the corner of a world that was so much bigger.


    Sage would not describe herself as the adventurous sort but, with a whole new world at her fingertips, how could she not think about exploring? The region she was in only had one two Transcendents, a mage and a warrior. In other words, it was a backward corner of Rekke.


    She wanted to visit the deserts of the south, a place teeming with various races of beastkin; she wanted tour the coastal cities of Amina which hosted mermaids in the spring; she hoped to enter the kingdom of Methos, where magic was held in the highest regard; she even wanted to rest her eyes- from a great distance- on the volcanic shitpile that was the Drakenburg Range, the nesting ground of Vestrava¡¯s lot.


    However, she wanted to visit those places when she was a little stronger, when her physique had improved and she could rely on it to fend off opponents. That was why she wanted to get to the Io as soon as she could. If [Teleport] could take her to places she had never visited, she would have done it already. Alas, it was not so; she had to get there the traditional way.


    These people, locking themselves up and refusing to talk to her, were delaying her.


    She walked up to the door of the closest house and tapped three times, calling out as she did so.


    ¡°Hello?  I¡¯m lost and in need of directions. Might I ask you where the next town is?¡±


    There was no response, even though she could hear shuffling behind the door. She tapped the door three times again, louder this time.


    ¡°Excuse me! I only want directions to the next town. Once I get them, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    Again, no answer. Behind the thin curtains she saw a small silhouette shift about.


    ¡°Hello!¡± she called out again, knocking even harder.


    This time there was a response.


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    It was a masculine voice that called from behind the door. As much as Sage wanted to tear the door from its hinges and stare the jerk in his cowering face, which she could (this settlement¡¯s doors looked really fragile, who did they think they could keep out?), she chose to respect his choice and moved on. Taking slight from someone not wanting to talk to her would be stupid, especially when there were half a dozen other options in sight.


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    She walked away from the first house to the second and repeated her previous actions. She did it twice before the person behind this door chased her away.


    For the third house it was the same¡­ and the fourth¡­ the fifth as well. Some of them did not even wait for her knuckles to touch their door before shouting her away. After the sixth house she realised she was wearing an ever-deepening frown.


    What unpleasant bastards, she groaned internally.


    Places like these that were so far and out of civilisation¡¯s influence were the kind of places she hated most. People in such places were so suspicious that one would have to perform a literal miracle to obtain a semblance of trust. She probably would have put in effort to do so if she planned on staying here for a while. However, considering the hospitality she had just received, the two or three hours she had originally planned on spending here were drastically minimised. She wanted out of this place as soon as possible.


    When she got to the last door, she did not even offer a greeting after knocking.


    ¡°Is there a road here that leads to another town?¡± she asked. Although these people¡¯s actions caused the corners of her mouth to twitch, she kept her tone calm.


    ¡°Leave us alone!¡± came an aging female from behind the door. ¡°We don¡¯t want no strangers here!¡±


    Hearing this, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, released it and opened her eyes. ¡°If you tell me the way to the next town I will gladly leave you alone.¡±


    For a full minute there was no response, likely the old woman was pondering something. After the minute of silence she replied, though with a reluctant tone.


    ¡°There is a road west of the village leading to Tima,¡± the aged voice said. ¡°It¡¯s a well-known farming settlement.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sage replied with as much politeness as could be feigned.


    However, her feline companion seemed to be as dissatisfied as her.


    ¡°Unmannered swine,¡± he muttered, a little too loud. She did not admonish him.


    Stepping away from the door, she looked at her undead minion. The man¡¯s glare was as intense as any he had offered her, compounded by a frown probably deeper than the one she was wearing. His hollow white cheeks made him look like a he had missed meals for months. The unnatural paleness of his skin, coupled with the fact that his eyes were completely black, might be a big factor why none of the villagers dared to open their doors with the two of them present.


    She would be doing herself a favour in the long run if she could obtain a helm to cover his features.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she gestured to him, walking in the direction opposite to the sun.


    The information given by the old woman was not so crucial that she would not have found the road without it, but it saved her minutes. Since the villagers wanted her gone, she had no reason to stay here. It was never her intention!


    However, just before exiting the village¡¯s perimeter, movement on the side caught her attention. Turning in its direction, she found herself facing down a beast. It was brown with grey spots, with its head hovering above her and its back as high as her shoulders. The creature had a thinning mane the same colour as its spots and walked on skewed hooves. The full appearance of the beast of one that was old and sickly; it was probably not long for this world.


    Horses were among the creatures on Aran Sage found the weirdest. Unlike other animals that could be found in her original world, these beasts were almost no different from their Earth counterparts. Although they possessed Grade 4 physiques, the creatures were largely harmless, which was why they were probably used the same way here. On the other hand, dogs were rare in Rekke because few people tried to tame a wolf; for a normal person, the end result would be as bad as trying to tame a lion on Earth, if not worse.


    Seeing the horse diligently grazing on withered grass, she looked at Isaac before looking at it again. Then she raised her hand, pointed a finger at it and cast [Thunderbolt]. The beast went down without a struggle.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± her undead minion shouted. They were the first words he had uttered since falling into his depressive state. Now he looked lived, especially with those black eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of walking,¡± she answered. ¡°So, I¡¯m getting us a mount. Do your thing.¡±


    She had seen {Corrupt Armaments} and {Chill} in action; {Slain Minion} she was not hoping to see anytime soon, unless she was forced into battle; which left {Raise Steed}. With a horse in front of them, why not try? She was curious to see its effect.


    The possessor of the ability did not share the sentiment.


    ¡°You fiend!¡± he shouted. ¡°You killed these innocent people¡¯s horse for that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied plainly.


    The horse was there; why delay testing the ability? If these people were nicer, she would feel a little guilty while doing so. But, after the reception she had gotten; if she could tire, she would have a restless sleep afterwards.


    ¡°No!¡± the man shook his head strongly. ¡°I will not do such a monstrous thing! I will not make an abomination of-¡±


    ¡°You can do it willingly,¡± she interrupted him, ¡°or I can make you do it.¡±


    There would be no other options.


    The pale man glared deeply at her, probably thinking of all the ways he could dismantle her. She matched his glare with a fixed stare until he looked away, probably realising he would not win the argument. Then, with drooped shoulders, he sauntered to the fallen horse and knelt before it, gently stroking its mane before activating his ability.


    The change that came over the beast was instant.


    Like {Corrupt Armaments}, blackness spread from the pale undead¡¯s gauntleted hands to the horse, giving the beast a new, plain coat. Within seconds the formerly dead beast began flail its legs. To allow it enough space to stand, the former Guard Captain distanced himself from it. When the creature managed to support itself up, it became clear more than its colour had changed. No longer seeming ailing and old, it now appeared young and strong; its height even seemed to have increased a little. The horse now possessed glowing white eyes while exhaling a frosty breath.


    Race: ??? (Undead Horse)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: D (White)


    Turning into an undead had improved the horse¡¯s physique and given it a much greater aptitude than it previously had. Looking at the creature, which now eyed her with a look similar to its new master, she tried to think up a name for its kind. This cold-breath spewing, white-eyed beast was clearly different from the red-eyed Nightmares ridden by sentient death knights; it deserved a different name. After thinking of the lore of her former world she decided to call it a Helherst, like the horse in Nordic mythology.


    ¡°Get on, help me up and let¡¯s go,¡± she ordered her minion afterwards.


    Since the villagers wanted them gone so badly, they might as well leave as soon as they could.

 CHAPTER 80: ABHORRENCE

    The happiest day of Isaac¡¯s life was the day he became a knight of the Paladin Order. The memory of the day was still fresh.


    Standing in the Hall of Protection- the most sacred place of the Order- while donning white armour, he had been unable to keep a smile off his face; especially when the Lord Paladin called him to step forward and speak his vows while holding Virtue. Back then he had been unable to contain his excitement as his fingers enclosed the hilt of the sacred blade. In that moment, he was touching the most famous weapon on Rekke. The very origins of the sword were divine, a gift from the Goddess to her champion. This was the weapon that slew the Dark Lord and ended the Days of Gloom.


    After those dark days, the Saint declared the blade¡¯s purpose over; then, in the heart of the Imperium, she thrust it into the ground. Legend had it a magnificent hall sprang from the spot to enshrine the divine sword. On that day, the best of the Light¡¯s Army stepped forward. Each one of them took turns holding the sword and vowing on the Goddess¡¯ name they would protect the place and its treasure. They declared that that from this hall they would look upon the Goddess sphere and root out all corruption. Since then, these protectors became the staunchest defenders of the Faith; the greatest champions of justice.


    Initiates of the Order had to were put through a gruelling process of hellish training and blas¨¦ lessons aimed at forging not only strength, but a just and moral character. Unfortunately, whether the moulding was successful or not, it was impossible to know without entering the initiate¡¯s mind. Such methods were unacceptable though, as they often led to brain damage.


    Thus, the final test before promotion into the official ranks was to hold the sword and speak the vows. Virtue was a sacred item crafted by the Goddess; if one¡¯s heart was insincere and their vows were uttered half-heartedly, the sword would know and the initiate¡¯s life would be forfeit. The Goddess name was sacred; to swear on it in vain was deserving of capital punishment!


    Over the millennium and a half that the Hall had stood, many had failed the final test. Many more, after witnessing this, had fled when called to says their vows. Even among his peers- originally twenty initiates- two had died while saying their vows, causing thirteen to withdraw from the ceremony. Only one person had passed, leaving him and three others remaining.


    Paladins were meant to be the best; only few could ever meet the requirements.


    On that day, when Isaac¡¯s name was called, he had not hesitated to grasp the sacred weapon. Ever since Saana took him off the streets, this was what he had wanted; there had not been a single bit of doubt in his mind.


    When he began to speak his vows, Virtue lit up, its radiance enveloping him. This was a sign of acceptance; the sacred blade had sensed his sincerity. After he had uttered his final words, he had looked up from the sword to the Lord Paladin, unable to keep the ear-to-ear grin from his face. When the leader of the Hall of Protection offered him the golden cloak of the Order, he had to reign in his enthusiasm to stop himself from snatching it. For years he had dreamt of this moment; after finally making it here, it was a struggle to keep his feelings at bay.


    That had been the happiest day of his life.


    Eight months later, he would be handing the Paladin cloak back.


    To prevent himself from thinking on those particular events, Isaac opened his eyes; to be met with to his current circumstances. The sight of his undead hijacker dropped his mood to the base.


    The time spent as a Paladin, short as it was, had been spent hunting down the worst kinds of individuals.


    One such had been a pyromancer who went around setting fire to entire town sections. After doing so, he would stand and watch with elation, drawing pleasure from the agonised screams of his victims. With how open this sick bastard¡¯s acts were, it had not taken Isaac and several comrades long to track him down and end him.


    Another had been a group of bandits who assaulted a priestess on a road between two cities. What the priestess endured in the hands of these scoundrels was too horrible to mention, every branch of the Church had been incensed to learn what had occurred. Hunting these bastards down had been the first assignment Isaac had been put in charge of as a member of the Order. Due to his anger back then, when he caught them, instead of ending them there, he chose to shackle and hand them over to the Vigilants. The intelligence branch of the Church did not have the most stellar of reputations, even within the Church. Isaac had handed the bandits over to them specifically because he had known the scumbags would not meet a peaceful ending in their hands.


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    A third case that came to mind was a sorceress who had posed as a healer in a remote village, all the while using its inhabitants to test out curses she was developing. When the Order became aware of what was happening, it had been too late to save the villagers. All they could do was decapitate the witch to ensure she would never hurt anyone again.


    Paladins were revered across Aran, even among nations that did not worship the Goddess. It was a point of pride for every member of the Order. Even so, the job of Paladins was strenuous and stressful, primarily because it often brought them into contact with the worst of the human races. Even then, necromancers were the worst of the worst.


    Not only did they defile the dead, an act that went against everything the Goddess stood for; these monsters went further, massacring entire towns simply to bolster their sacrilegious armies. As short as his stint with the Order had been, it had been filled with constant action, most of which involved the unholy mages. He had lost more than a few comrades to this menace and that was not even the worst of it; because within moments of their deaths, they would be brought back as members of the unnatural horde.


    The act of cutting down a former companion, even when they were in such a state, never left a good taste in the mouth. That was why he hated the necromancers and undead and would spare no amount of effort to eradicate them.


    At least that was how it use to be.


    Now, with the life literally and figuratively drained from him, he could only sulk and respond mechanically to the phantom¡¯s orders.


    After all the time spent hunting necromancers, undead and their ilk; the last thing he had ever expected was to become one of them. It would be a lie to say he would have been fine with dying at the hands of such a creature, but such a fate would have been better than his current one. Against his wishes, he had been turned into a monster; a monster that defiled the very nature of life itself. To add insult to injury, this new mockery of a life was not even his to do with as he pleased; the phantom controlled his actions, preventing him from ending his life. A few days ago- when he awoke to find he had changed- that was now the worst day of his life, completely overtaking the day he had been let go from the Paladin Order.


    When he glanced at the phantom by the river with several vials, filling them to half capacity with water before making them almost overfill by adding what appeared to be vigour potions, he could not stop his teeth from gnashing. Isaac had hated everyone he had hunted down when he had been a Paladin, however, the disgust he had felt for those monsters was no where near the infernal loathing he had for the phantom.


    First off, she had made him like herself, a monster who went against the natural order. Gone was his comforting heartbeat, replaced by an eery silence. Breathing was no longer automatic, but something he had to consciously control; evens so, the breaths he let out were chilly, causing icicles to form on his gauntlets; he had decided to forgo the act all together. No longer did he hunger, thirst or tire. Then there was the fact that everything he touched, no matter what colour, was turned to a corrupting black. After a while he had learned how to prevent this. But that was not the point; the most important things about being a human had been stripped from him!


    There was the fact that the phantom had killed those poor villagers¡¯ horse and forced her to subject it to his fate, an act of pure vindictiveness if he had ever seen one; he could only wonder how the frightened villagers watching from behind their curtains had reacted to that scene.


    All of the above was reason enough to hate the undead. However, the greatest reason of all, the one that made him want to rip her head of- with hand or teeth or whatever he had access to- was what had occurred after the phantom defeated the elemental. Although he had lost consciousness somewhere between her departure and her return, the fact that she had returned could only mean one thing; the death that the Head Priestess had been waiting for decades had finally gotten her, and not in the natural way. The witch had killed her!


    He watched her as she finished filling the vials and watering down the potions. What she was going to do with them he did not want to think about; there was no way it was going to be good.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± she said. As easily as the sentence was spoken, it was not a request.


    Gnashing his teeth again, he called the poor beast he had been forced to turn into an undead steed. The horse reacted well to him as he boarded it, but when the phantom got to them and requested his hand to help her up, it neighed in disaffection. Isaac felt a kinship with the mount, brought about by their shared dislike for the phantom.


    He only hoped she stopped being as vigilant as she was. Even when the phantom was reading a book her alertness was up, making it hard for him to do anything without her noticing. Even in the rare moments when her guard was dropped, the emerald eyes of her familiar, currently perched on her shoulder, would always be trained on him. Nonetheless, he continued to observe.


    Although shackled to the creature¡¯s will in the deepest pit, he would continue to look for a way out. The moment the phantom dropped her guard, he would strike her down. Not only would that end its accursed existence but his own as well. Also, by doing so he would be avenging Saana; that was something worth dying for.

 CHAPTER 81: A DIFFERENT APPROACH

    When a person is too conspicuous, no matter what they do they will never be able to avoid attention. Because she fell into this category, she decided to switch things up. Since she and her company stand out no matter what, she decided to tune things up. The best way to stand out while avoiding suspicion was to be eccentric. To achieve this, her usual persona had to be cast out in favour of a flamboyant one.


    Being a mage in Lethia was mostly frowned upon, if not outright distrusted. The reason for this was likely the relationship between it and neighbouring Ysh. Whatever the cause for the animosity between the two nations was, it had long been confined to the annals of history. These days, there was probably no one who remembered the reason, so they hated each other because it had always been so in living memory. Considering this, it took some effort on her side to not groan at this common example of human stupidity.


    The only type of sorcerer that was socially acceptable in the so-called Warrior Kingdom, was one who practised alchemy. This likely had to do with the fact that, since the Church of Light had no presence in the country, Light Magic- and by extension, healing magic- was practically non-existent. Therefore, the only way to alleviate ailments was through herbs and potions. A normal person was capable of brewing a draught, albeit with a lacklustre effect; however, only sorcerers with their active mana could create real potions of potence. Because of this necessity, Lethia was actually a better place for alchemists than Ysh.


    Another- much more important- reason why alchemists were not shunned, was probably because they were the innovators of the methods to temper one¡¯s physique.


    Thus, she had decided to take on the persona of an alchemist. She might not be able to brew for shit, but it was not like she would be required to showcase her skills. All she had to do was sell the twenty or so diluted potions in her possession and people would naturally believe her. If ever she ran out of them and was asked to make more, she could always cite the looming Equinox as a reason not to before making a run for it first thing after it passes.


    On the morning after leaving the weary village, they reached the settlement of Tima. This was a small unwalled town with what appeared to be several hundred buildings. A fair distance from this settlement, sitting on a hill in the most clich¨¦d manner, was a castle with grey walls. Sage only glanced at it momentarily before returning her attention to the town; a place like that, she would make sure to avoid at all cost.


    While focusing on the town, she ran through her goals in her mind. First off, she had to go to the square and try to draw people¡¯s attention with her potions. Then, she would go around looking for bookshops. If there happened to be one in town, she would see if they had detailed maps of Lethia. Before that though, it would be wise to look for a blacksmith and request a helmet for Isaac, having to look at his unpleasant fa?ade from time to time had the adverse effect of souring her mood; covering it up would fix that.


    Speaking of the bastard-


    ¡°Stop the horse,¡± she ordered.


    There was a grunt from both knight and horse before Isaac tugged on the reins, bring them to a halt.


    Taking the opportunity, she untangled her hands from his abdomen and grabbed the cat on her shoulder. After setting him down on the horse¡¯s back, she told Nyx to let her into the {Void Space}, which had grown even further after she reached 8<sup>th</sup> Order; also, it could now accommodate six tonnes.


    The Space was filled with all sorts of items, from clothes to books and hundreds of gold coins; the enchantment on the Cryptmaker¡¯s storage ring was beginning to wane, so she had long moved its contents to Nyx¡¯s {Void Space}. There was also the glaring ice block, which she wilfully ignored. Giving everything a onceover, including the vials she planned to sell, she reached for a cotton shirt. Then, using [Telekinesis] she tore a neat strip from it before leaving the space.


    She should probably have told Nyx to find ground before expelling her, because she almost tumbled off the horse after exiting the Space; luckily there was flight magic to catch herself. After regaining her balance, she thrust the cloth holding hand over the Isaac¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Here,¡± she offered. ¡°We don¡¯t want to freak anymore people out, so tie it around your eyes. We can think up some excuse for why later.¡±


    The pale man peeked over his shoulder with an intense glare. She on the other made no effort to recognise this as she casually held out the cloth. The stare down lasted mere seconds, before the man accepted the cloth with a resigned expression similar to the one he had worn in the previous settlement. After he tied the cloth around his eyes they were on their way once more.


    As expected, their entrance into the town did not go unnoticed, even though there was no checkpoint to pass. Upon seeing them, the residents of Tima immediately began casting suspicious looks their way. She paid no heed to their gazes as she ordered Isaac to steer them towards the nearest plaza.


    The place they found was modest, with several stalls already set up; she counted five such stands. Two of them were fruit and vegetable stands. Their produce was probably from nearby farms, they had passed several such establishments on their way here. The rest were food stands, with products still cooking over the fire.


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    The looks these stall owners sent their way when they picked a spot near the plaza were enough to melt ice. Of course, those looks did not evolve into something physical. It probably had less to do with her masked appearance and more Isacc and the horse. Even though the undead knight¡¯s eyes were now covered to avoid scaring the masses, his armoured stature was enough to frighten people off. Standing at over one point nine metres, the top of Sage¡¯s head did not reach his shoulder.


    As for the helhurst, it too was so tall her overall height was less than the beast¡¯s back¡¯s. Another thing about the horse was that, unlike Isaac, there was no believable explanation they could come up with if they had covered its eyes, which was why she left their whiteness on display. With the frosty breath it was constantly spewing, it was easier to pass it off as a tamed arcane beast; that could work in her favour to add mystique to the alchemist act.


    Fortunately, Isaac no longer did the same thing or that explanation would be nulled as well.


    Having already decided to go the eccentric route, when she dismounted she cast [Flight], allowing herself to levitate for a few seconds before landing. Then, with [Telekinesis] she took Nyx into her arms and made him expel the diluted vials in the air, which she managed to telekinetically catch before they could fall to the ground. In that instant, her gaze momentarily left the floating vials and swept across the plaza. If there were those who had not been paying attention to her before, she now held their focus.


    Although many of the older folks seemed appalled by her display of magic, the younger onlookers seemed fascinated. One thing Sage had learned in her previous life about people, was that they were drawn to the most eccentric acts, even if they were outlawed. This was probably the reason why many reasonable people sometimes found themselves warming up to cult leaders and influencers. The only difference between those people and who she used to be, was that they scammed people in the open.


    Her goal was not to be an influencer or cult leader though, simply to pass herself off as an alchemist in order to make her stay in this place easier. She somewhat had experience, as her criminal days had begun with her selling stolen items on the streets.


    She made Nyx cough out a jersey to use as a makeshift carpet to set the potions on. When everything was set, she stopped concentrating on the vials and looked around at the gathering crowd. Then, with her hands raised, she began in a loud voice.


    ¡°Citizens of Tima, gather around for Maven Shade, alchemist extrodinaire¡¯s vigour concoctions!¡± she yelled. ¡°I promise you; this will be well worth your time!¡±


    The people in the plaza, somewhere around three dozen, gravitated towards her. Although they appeared hesitant at the sight of the emaciated-looking, eyes-covered Isaac and the overly large mount, when the two made no action to do anything they were reassured and stepped closer. Only when they were crowding around the potions, did she resume her speech.


    ¡°Behold! These special potions of mine are capable of not only sealing wounds, but preventing diseases as well,¡± she declared.


    The first statement was kind of true, although the effect was severely diminished; but the second one was an outright lie. She did not plan to be here when they figured that out.


    ¡°How can we be sure you¡¯re not selling us poison?¡± one of the people gathered, a skinny man in overly large clothes asked.


    ¡°Good question my good man!¡± she responded, maintaining a light-hearted tone.


    As expected, there were sceptics. She was ready for them. Using [Telekinesis] again, she lifted a vial and caught it.


    ¡°My bodyguard Isen will drink this and prove to you all it is safe for consumption,¡± she declared. Then she turned to the pale knight and cheerily offered him the potion. ¡°Go ahead Isen.¡±


    She did not know if it was just a trick of the morning light, but she could have sworn the corners of his mouth twitched when she had introduced herself with a fake name. When she called him by an equally false one and handed him the vial, he failed to conceal his frown. Still, he took the potion and downed it in a single gulp.


    Contrary to popular belief, vigour potions were not harmful to the undead; in fact, they did not have the slightest effect on them. Isaac showed no reaction after drinking the potion.


    ¡°As you can see,¡± she said, turning back to the crowd. ¡°There are no adverse effects to drinking the potions.¡±


    ¡°But does the potion truly heal?¡± the plump man asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied. ¡°However, the two of us do not have any wounds. Is there anyone in the crowd willing to demonstrate the potion¡¯s effect? There will not be any charge for this of course.¡±


    After much hesitation and pushing among the crowd, someone stepped forward. It was a young man with bloody bandages wrapped around his face; if she had to guess, his wounds were most likely incurred in a brawl. She called the youth forth and offered him one of the vials. This particular one was one she had strategically placed among the others. Its contents were undiluted and covered up using [Light¡¯s Trick], a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order Illusion spell. When the young man downed the potion, he instantly gasped in surprise before removing his bandages to reveal rapidly healing wounds. The crowd gasped at the scene.


    ¡°As you¡¯ve witnessed,¡± she spoke up, bringing the attention back to herself as she struck a pose. ¡°The potion does what I have told you it does, and for the affordable price of five silvers you could own one to give it to a wounded relative; or maybe you plan to keep it for yourself in the case of an emergency. Now, any buyers?¡±


    The townsmen demonstration seemed to have satisfied many of them as several hands shot up. Some of them looked hesitant though. For a commoner, five silver coins was affordable, but it was not cheap. Although her aim was not to make money, Sage would not lower the price any further in case they got suspicious. This was also the price of the lowest potency vigour potion, which was the excuse she would use if dissatisfied customers approached her before she could leave town.


    Four hours later, amidst a diminishing crowd, sixteen vials had been sold. After that, no buyers seemed to be coming forward, which was a good enough cue for her to pack up. The looks sent her way as she did so were laced curiosity instead of suspicion, evidence that her gamble had paid off. She was bound to have an easier time in Tima after.

 CHAPTER 82: REQUEST & SHELTER

    With directions from a guard, it did not take them locate the local smith. It took her and Isaac, who was leading the horse by the reins, several minutes to reach his place which was located on the outskirts. Even a distance, loud but muffled sounds of a hammer striking metal could be heard from the place.


    The building they came to stop in font of was larger than a vast majority of the structures in Tima. It had two different sections. The first was like many of the structures around town, having been made from hardened clay with a thatched roof and a moderately sized chimney poking out at the top. The other section was constructed with large stones and stood almost twice as tall as the first. This part of the building had metal sheets covering the top with an even larger chimney. Unlike the other section, it had no windows. The hammer sounds were coming from here while its massive chimney continually puffed out thick smoke.


    This was the place, no doubt about that.


    As they got closer, the metal door of the smithy opened to expel a soot-covered, tan-skinned youth around the age of fifteen. His figure was large, displaying impressive arms that held a wooden box of what was likely the latest forged items. The top of his sweat-riddled head was cleanly shaven and, if not for the thick black apron, he would have been bare chest.


    The boy only seemed to notice them after elbowing the metal door shut. He took a moment to stare her up and down, then did the same to the pale knight. His eyes lingered much longer on Isaac as he appeared to be admiring the obsidian armour, but he quickly got out of his trance and brought his attention back to her.


    ¡°Hello, you looking to buy something, or d¡¯you want to request an item be forged for you?¡± he asked. His tone was neither rude nor polite.


    ¡°Making a request is not of out of the question, but we would like to browse the wares first,¡± she replied in a tone gentler than his.


    The boy nodded. ¡°Follow me then. If there¡¯s anything you want to know, you can ask Mother. If you¡¯re requesting an item to be made for you, you can also talk to her; she will tell Father when he finishes.¡± With that said, the youth¡¯s attention returned to Isaac. When he spoke again his tone was more animated. ¡°You¡¯re a knight, right? That¡¯s amazing! There is only one knight in Tima. Right now he¡¯s protecting the baron.¡±


    ¡°The one who lives in the castle on the hill?¡± Sage asked. ¡°What can you tell me about him?¡±


    ¡°Lord Ennard?¡± the youth¡¯s tone was dull again as he responded to her. ¡°He¡¯s okay. Mother says he¡¯s not as good as the previous lord, but he¡¯s not as bad as the lords from the stories. He used to visit town every month, but this month he¡¯s not visited once. He¡¯s probably sick, been a lot of sickness here lately; but father says Lord Ennard¡¯s just too taken with the musician to bother coming down.¡±


    ¡°Musician?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the boy replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t see her since she came in the middle of the night, but my friends who did say she¡¯s beautiful like a fairy. She went up to the castle and never came back down.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sage replied. She did not ask any more questions.


    The boy looked at Isaac again and his tone- which had sounded increasingly lacklustre when talking to her- regained its excitement. ¡°Your armour looks neat, never seen anything like it. What¡¯s it made off?¡±


    ¡°Titanium,¡± Isaac responded. The bastard¡¯s response lacked the grumpiness with which he addressed her.


    ¡°Titania?¡± the youth asked in confusion.


    ¡°Titanium,¡± the knight repeated in a light-hearted tone. ¡°It¡¯s a metal lighter than iron, but stronger than steel.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s such a metal?¡± the boy asked in amazement, stopping to push the door to the second section open.


    The wooden door swung ajar and revealed a room with racks and shelves hosting knives, pots, spears, bows and woodcutter axe heads. There were one or two swords among the bunch and leather armour worked in a similar style to the one worn by the guard who had given them directions to this place. On the side of the room, opposite the one they entered, was a counter at which a plump woman with a comely face sat. She was originally humming a song Sage was unfamiliar with, however, when the they stepped into the shop, she perked up and faced them with a smile.


    ¡°Welcome to our humble shop!¡± she greeted with a pitch that was a little too loud. Her gaze scanned Sage up and down before continuing. ¡°You must be the alchemist everyone¡¯s talking about. Anything we can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Yes my good lady,¡± Sage responded brightly. Then- twirling on a single toe- she spun two-seventy degrees, stopping with both her index fingers pointed at Isaac. This act seemed to catch the shopkeeper and the boy off guard, something she pretended not to notice. ¡°We were hoping to procure to procure a helm for Isen here, but¡­¡± she looked around the shop again before responding in a dimmer tone ¡°¡­ it seems there are none here.¡±


    The woman quickly recovered from seeing her antics and responded in tone that kept its politeness. ¡°That¡¯s fine deary. Although this is a peaceful town where only the guards wear armour and carry weapons, my husband makes all the armaments around here including for the lord.¡± Her gaze shifted to Isaac before continuing. ¡°If you allow us to take measurements of your head, my husband will be able to make a helm that that fits you perfectly.¡± She paused for a while before resuming, this time with a hint of curiosity in her eyes and tone. ¡°By the way, why are your eyes covered dear?¡±


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    ¡°That was my fault,¡± Sage chimed in cheerfully. ¡°I was studying this awesome spell to increase my alchemy skills,¡± controlling her tone top dip, she continued, ¡°but I lost control of it and he took the brunt of it. So, he has to keep wear the cloth for at least a month to recover properly.¡± She motioned to scratch her head when she uttered the next part. ¡°My bad, hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the woman looked flabbergasted. ¡°Your potions can¡¯t fix it?¡±


    In response to the question, Sage dropped her hand and made her head hang. ¡°The effects of some magics cannot be cured except with very powerful potions. I¡¯m ashamed to admit that I am still a novice. I have yet to learn how to craft such potions.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the woman said, voice taking on a consoling tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that deary.¡± After saying this she immediately shifted gears as her attention landed on her son, who- after entering the shop- had hauled an dumped the wooden box on the counter. ¡°Can you take Sir Knight¡¯s measurements Ron?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the youth replied. He grabbed what looked like measuring tape from one of the shelves and walked over to Isaac and using the opportunity to resume the conversation they were having before entering the shop.


    ¡°So, what is this titanios metal? Where is it mined?¡±


    While the boy took the bastard¡¯s measurements and queried him, Sage struck up a conversation with the shopkeeper. She asked about the town, its inhabitants and local customs. None of the answers she received were out of the ordinary.


    She also wanted to know if there were any bookstores around and for directions to a decent inn. The latter she was given easily, but the former; unfortunately, there were no bookshops in Tima. The only such place the smith¡¯s wife claimed to know about was in the city of Rupheus, which an eleven-day journey from Tima on horseback.


    ¡°Lord Ennard has a library,¡± the shopkeeper saw fit to reveal. ¡°You could visit him and ask him, I¡¯m sure he would be happy to accommodate an alchemist.¡±


    To this Sage brought up her hands and waved them in rejection. ¡°The lord is such an important man, how could little old me bother him with my unimportant affairs?¡±


    Especially if doing so was guaranteed to bring about complications. She was better off looking for maps in the next town.


    Taking Isaac¡¯s measurements was not a lengthy process, although the boy kept pestering the bastard to tell him more about the metal his armour was made out of.


    ¡°How soon can we come and get the helm?¡± she asked the shopkeeper.


    ¡°That depends on the quality deary,¡± the woman responded. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a run-of-the-mill helm for the sake of just covering up, then you can come back today. But if you want something that can actually protect the head, it would be better to come and collect the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Hearing this, Sage quirked in puzzlement. ¡°The Equinox is tomorrow. Will it be safe for your husband to work then?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± the woman brushed it off. ¡°Hal loves working during the seasonal heights; says it gives the item he crafts an mystic aura, whatever that means.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then the helm of quality is the aim. How much poorer will it make me?¡±


    The agreed price was a gold coin, which she slammed on the counter before leaving the shop with Isaac at her heels; the boy looked disappointed to watch them go, a completely different feeling from what she got from the knight.


    Outside the helhurst waited stiffly while Nyx perched on its back. The horse seemed to be as fond of the cat as it was of her. When the two of them left the shop it walked over to Isaac, who took its reins, while Nyx jumped off its back and into her shadow. After that, they followed the shopkeeper¡¯s directions to the inn.


    Minutes later they were staring up at their destination, one of the only a few buildings in Tima with more than one floor. The writing on the placard hanging above the door read Nice Inn & Tavern, not a very imaginative name. There was a stable at the side with normal sized horses inside. Isaac led their horse to the stable while she walked up to the entrance and pushed it open.


    The common room she found herself was the smallest she had seen since coming to Aran. There were less than ten tables, of which one of them was currently occupied; it was a man and woman duo in leather armour. The former had a sword resting against the wall close to him while the latter wore a cloak with a bow strapped to her chair.


    For safety¡¯s sake, Sage used {Index} on them, starting with the woman.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: D (White)


    She was not a threat. Neither was her companion.


    Race: Human (Human}


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: C (White)


    Being reassured, she walked over to the counter, where a portly woman with puffed up cheeks sat.


    ¡°Could we please have a room?¡± she asked the innkeeper.


    ¡°A single room for the both of you?¡± she asked, her gaze moving between her and Isaac, who had just entered.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied, not at all carrying for the whatever assumptions were forming in the woman¡¯s head.


    ¡°Since the Equinox is upon us you will be wanting the room for two nights, right?¡± the innkeeper asked. ¡°The price is one and a half silvers for a night, so three silvers.¡±


    Sage nodded an paid the price before the woman called to her almost equally stout daughter and asked her to lead the two of them upstairs to their room. The room itself was nothing impressive, just a space with a double bed, an empty wardrobe and an empty chest. After introducing them to their room, the innkeeper¡¯s pre-teenage daughter gave them the keys and excused herself, closing the door behind herself.


    When her footsteps had disappeared, Sage let out a deep breath and flung herself on the bed. Nyx came out of her shadow to do she-could-not-be-bothered-to-care, while Isaac took the only seat in the room to continue brooding. These would be their lodging to wait out the Equinox.

 CHAPTER 83: ANIMOSITY

    The Creation, the oldest epic on Aran, starts with the birth of seven gods. The first three are the Land, the Sky and the Sea; they represent the world. Then came the Heat and the Cold, these two determined the state of the world. When the two maintained an optimal balance, that was what allowed Life to appear. Eventually, the first of the living would fade, paving the way Death¡¯s emergence.


    The period between the Creation and the appearance of the Argun is too long for anyone to have an accurate estimation especially since all surviving records were vague and incomplete. The Creation was believed to be around six thousand years old, a fact that left countless scholars doubting its authenticity due to the fact that Aran¡¯s history- as uncovered in snippets from rock art and primitive pottery- was much longer than that. Another reason why historians were sceptical was the fact that the epic had multiple renditions. Also, the humans back then weren¡¯t exactly focused on record-keeping as they were more occupied with trying to survive the Beast Era.


    Of course snippets could not be discounted as they often painted a picture of history unknown, or reinforced an accepted truth; like the fact that Tizhura clashed with the Beast God in the first ages. The result was a defeat that caused the Sky Goddess to get lost in the annals of history. The most widely accepted version of this legend had the Lion devouring the Harpy as was often propagated by the Beast God¡¯s worshipers. The conclusion did not seem farfetched though, considering the fact that these day Rakka embodied not only the Land but the Sky as well. He was the only god with more than one aspect.


    Another fact acknowledged by everyone since time immemorial was the animosity between Vestrava and Atasha. These two, unlike the others, had a physical presence on Aran. Throughout the year they travelled from the desolate continents of the north and south, though never together. While Vestrava chased the warm of the sun, Atasha strayed away from it; compounding the natural seasons and making them more hectic. The two were never in the same hemisphere and, among numerous days of the year, the they only met on two of those on the Equator, spaced six months six months apart. During these Equinoxes their opposing personalities would clash, to the detriment of all fleshly beings on Aran.


    The wind smashed against the shut window for the umpteenth time, Sage to put down her book in annoyance. Constant from wailing outside made it hard to engage in activities that required concentration. Added to the wails were the constant taps on the windows. Needless to say, the two sounds acting together were an effective focus killer. She had no clue how many times she had been interrupted, but this would be the last.


    Is there anything else to do, she wondered, looking around the room.


    On the other side sat Isaac, as he had done since they entered the room. He was stationary, with his back slumped while facing the floor; almost as if the spectacle outside did not bother him. It was not a far fetched conclusion to reach considering the fact that he had lived through more than fifty such days while she was experiencing her first.


    Another who was experiencing his first Equinox was Nyx, who was nowhere to be seen. She sensed the cat hiding in one of the room¡¯s corners. The emotions fed to her through their bond indicated that he would not be appearing anytime soon.


    The Equinoxes represented not only the highpoints of the transitional seasons, but also signified the gods of Heat and Cold trading places. They were more than just day and night having the same length, or the sun finally setting in the far north and vice versa. When the two gods passed by each other, their animosity towards each other was put on full display. Apparently this animosity could be felt on a spiritual level by all creatures of the world, especially the strong ones. During this period the beasts with strong physiques would feel be in constant alert due to feeling a deep-seated dread. As for the ones with magical abilities, any attempt to use those abilities resulted in their mana going out of control and bringing about unintended consequences.


    Although she had read about this, believing it was another matter entirely.


    At dawn, when the first winds began, she had attempted to see whether the effects as stated or whether they had been exaggerated. Maybe undead were not affected by the Equinox. The line of thought turned out to be wish fulfilment. The mere act of initiating [Mage Hand], a Zero Order spell, nearly caused her mana to go berserk. In quick response she had terminated the spell¡¯s casting, however, she incurred damage in the process. Now, since the current state of her mana was fucked up, she could only wait the for wind to die down at the next sunrise for her to be able to heal her the wounds. Fortunately they were not serious and were internal, she did not need to expand effort to hide them.


    Still, she was not happy with how everything was proceeding. With her two pastimes swept away, she had nothing to busy herself with.


    Leaving the inn was out of the question. It was said that during the Equinox, many creatures found outside would either suddenly burst into flames or have their body randomly be set on fire. Humans, undead, birds and predators; there were no exceptions to this. Statistically, the rate of unfortunate creatures that had this happen to them was abysmal, not even one percent. However, no one was willing to risk the fact that they would be among the unlucky few. For her it would probably be fine if she was frozen; uncomfortable, but the chances of survival were great. However, if she were to catch fire-


    She could go to the common room and join in on whatever topics were being discussed there. The Equinoxes were terrible times, but the people had adapted. On these two days of the year, the people usually sang songs of safety and psalms asking for protection the elements. When she had gone down to the common room to eat breakfast for the sake of keeping up appearances, the innkeeper had been muttering a song in which she asked the Dragon God to blow the Tiger away with his mighty breath.


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    That had been the only singing in the entire inn and it did not take long for it to die down. The problem with that was that there were not many of them in the inn. Not counting herself, Isaac, the innkeeper and her daughter; the only other people in the inn were two mercenaries she had spotted when they first entered. It was hard to maintain a jolly mood with such a small number.


    The innkeeper was accommodating, though- being a traditional woman of Lethia- she harboured a distrust for sorcerers, be they alchemist. While chatting with her, the innkeeper had even indirectly revealed the fact that Sage covering wearing a mask made her uneasy, the usual those who wear masks have something to hide schtick. While that was certainly true in Sage¡¯s case, she had rebutted the subtle accusation by claiming she had burned her face during and experiment gone wrong and. Playing it up with a few sniffs, she had claimed that she was not brave enough to show her disfigured face to anyone. Her acting fooled the woman, maybe even touched her. After that, the innkeeper¡¯s apprehension visibly lessened.


    The same could not be said for the mercenary duo. When she and Isaac entered the inn, the two had been too engrossed in their conversation to pay them any mind. However, the previous night at dinner the woman occasionally sneered in her direction for no reason. Her male companion had not been any better. It was fine though; she never had any intention of talking to them.


    Then there was the innkeeper¡¯s daughter. Sage took one deep breath an released it.


    The brat was the last person she wanted to strike up a conversation with at the moment. The previous night the stupid girl had laughably snuck outside their room door and tried to eavesdrop on whatever she thought might be happening inside. The brat¡¯s assumption of the relationship between the pale knight and her was highly amusing, but after an entire hour passed and she remained outside the room- believing her actions had gone unnoticed- it became annoying. She had not interacted much with children since leaving Earth, but this incident reminded her of her lack of fondness for them; they were too nosy for the own good.


    So, going to the common room was out of the question, leaving her with two choices. The first was something she particularly was not enthused about while the second involved meditation, to be alone with her thoughts. However, her thoughts were a rough path that led to a rabbit hole best left alone; she would not be treading there anytime soon. So, with a strangled groan, she went with the former option.


    ¡°Isaac,¡± she began turning to the slouching former Guard Captain.


    He responded by looking up from the wooden floor at her, she could feel his glare through his blindfold.


    ¡°What!¡± he asked hoarsely.


    ¡°Tell me about yourself.¡±


    The man did a doubletake at her request, sitting up straight and giving her a new kind of look. A frown wormed its way to his lips as his head lolled to the side, scrutinising her.


    ¡°What for?¡± the rudeness in his tone was unblemished.


    ¡°No reason really,¡± she responded, ¡°just trying to feed my curiosity. Like, why were you kicked out of the Paladin Order.¡±


    According to the information received from Sylphia, the details of the incident were vague with obvious signs of a cover-up. The only certainty in the information was that there had been an altercation between Isaac and one of the Imperium¡¯s senators.


    The Shean Holy Imperium was a theocracy. Although the senate was the civilian branch of its government, every member was a priest of standing with the consul being the Arch Priestess, the leader of the Church of Life. The head of its military wing was the praetor, who ensured the safety of the Imperium¡¯s citizens and delegated large scale operations against dangerous nations or individuals. Normally these were the highest ranks in the Imperium, only the imperator outranked the two.


    What happened between Isaac and the senator had resulted in the senator¡¯s death and Isaac being let go by the Paladin Order. Only the insiders knew exactly hat had happened. Even so, the death of a senator was no minor affair. If Isaac was the culprit, which was the only viable conclusion anyone with two brain cells would come to, he would have been rewarded by relieving his head from his shoulders. Seeing as that had not happened, the had to be a good reason why not. Sage was not particularly interested in learning what it was but, given that she had nothing better to do, she might as well find out.


    Except the bastard did not respond. After glaring a her from behind his covered eyes he simply sneered and went back to eyeing the floor. His actions made caused her eyebrow to twitch, but she elected not to pursue it.


    ¡°Tell me about your dreams. What do you wish to accomplish in the future?¡±


    The pale knight looked up from the floor again. This time his glare was more intense, she could almost see the black eyes behind the cloth angrily questioning, are you serious? He did not remain silent this time.


    ¡°I have no dreams,¡± his tone was silent, oozing of a strong loathing and heartbreak. ¡°You killed every dream I had when you turned me into this!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she replied as the accusation harmlessly bounced off her. ¡°Even though you¡¯re undead a bit different now, you are still you. In time you will gain new dreams and something to look forward to.¡±


    Her words seem to have struck a chord, causing him to have an unintended visceral reaction. Before she could react, he was in front of her, just shy of grabbing her lapels and hoisting her face him. The expression on his face suggested that had been his intent, but had found himself unable to follow through with the last part. Seeing that it was fruitless, he resorted to verbal violence, blowing cold air into her face with every word uttered.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± he hissed. ¡°How dare you spout such words after what you did to Saana?¡±


    ¡°Get out of my fucking face,¡± she retorted, shooting him a glare of her own.


    Unable to refuse, he retreated while continuing to glower at her. ¡°You destroyed my dreams, killed every hope I had for the future. And after what you did to Saana, the Church will hunt you to the ends of Aran and rip you to shreds!¡± His brows creased further as he continued. ¡°Perhaps that is my new dream, nothing will give me more pleasure than to witness it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be there!¡± she fired back. ¡°Of that you should have no doubt. When they find me, you will be the one helping me kill them!¡±


    Isaac clenched his fists and ground his teeth loudly. ¡°You-¡±


    "Fuck off!¡± she cut him off. ¡°Go back to your chair and continue brooding. I assure you; you¡¯ll be feeling much worse if we ever encounter Shean agents.¡±


    With that said she got up from the bed and made a beeline for the door. Chatting up the innkeeper was a better alternative to staying in the room with this bastard.

 CHAPTER 84: DELAYS

    ¡°It¡¯s finally over!¡± exclaimed Nyx, coming out of what had been his hiding spot for the past day.


    As if on cue, she peeked up from her book at window. Sure enough, stray rays of sunlight were poking into the room. Even the wind had stopped; so abruptly it would have been deemed unnervingly suspicious on Earth. Fortunately, this was Aran; here it signified the end of a dreary day. Her mood lightened at this. She could finally use magic!


    Like a starved beast, she grappled her mana, working it in the pattern of 1<sup>st</sup> Order spell [Heal Undead]. Different from the previous day, there was no push back, no berserking mana slipping out of her grasp and causing damage to her body. The injuries from the previous attempt vanished in an instant.


    Gently, she set her book down, got up from the bed and patted her abdomen. The dull pain was gone. Satisfied, she called the cat over to her and handed him the book, which he swallowed instantly. Then her gaze shot to Isaac.


    Since their brief dispute, they- more accurately she, since she was always the one initiating conversations between them- had not said a word to each other.


    The bastard had some serious balls to speak to her like he did. The fact that he had tried taking the moral high ground was ridiculous. Accusing her of killing Saana, of turning him into an undead? So what! Was he not the one who had attacked her when she proposed they go their separate ways in peace. Was it not the hag who had destroyed the geezer¡¯s tower and killed him unprovoked? Were they not the ones who started it? Where then, had he gotten the fucking balls to get in her face like that?


    Maybe I¡¯ve been treating him too cordially, she thought.


    The reason she had turned the bastard into her undead minion, more than to aid her in battles, was to watch him suffer up close. She would not deny that she derived pleasure from seeing his despair-riddled starved face on the first day, but since then that satisfaction had continually diminished. It was no longer as fun as it used to be. Now he took her cordiality as a reason to be rude; maybe if she was harsher with him the enjoyment would return.


    But that was something to think about another time. At the moment, what she wanted most was to leave this town.


    ¡°Get up,¡± she ordered. ¡°Take all your shit. We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Without waiting to see if her orders were followed, she turned to the cat and held out her arms. Nyx got the message almost instantly, running up to her and jumping into her arms. She caught him with one hand and tugged him under her breasts while stroking him with the other hand. Then she moved to the door and swung it open.


    Getting to the common room, she found an crowd entering. Off the top of her head, she counted more than three dozen people; filling the seven tables while leaving others with no place to sit. They all appeared to be in a joyous mood; one of them had brought a lute, he tugged at its strings as he began a song thanking the Dragon for fending off the Tiger. When she came down the stairs his voice faltered as his eyes fell upon her. However, he quickly recovered and burst into song once again, louder and jollier. Soon others joined in.


    Sage went to the counter and slammed the keys down.


    ¡°My sincerest gratitude for the accommodation madam,¡± she said, making herself sound cheery. ¡°But we have to get going.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the fat woman seemed slightly taken aback. ¡°You¡¯re not staying to celebrate?¡±


    ¡°I wish we could, but the road calls.¡±


    ¡°Oh right,¡± the woman seemed a little disappointed. ¡°What a shame, especially since everyone seems to be having fun. This time the Equinox one took one of the livestock. A sheep was lost to the Cold Doom and nothing else.¡± After saying this, her face scrounged up in deliberation. ¡°Well, there was also Daisy¡¯s horse which was sacrificed to the Great God¡¯s flame. The poor dear is not taking it well however.¡±


    Daisy, Sage had learned the previous day, was the female mercenary. Her companion was called Terence. Since the two were unfriendly towards her for some reason, she never bothered to find out what they were doing in Tima.


    ¡°Say,¡± the innkeeper looked over Sage¡¯s shoulder and leaned in to whisper. ¡°Did you and Isen make up? It¡¯s not good for a couple to fight longer than a few hours.¡±


    ¡°I want to,¡± she muttered back, trying not to let the disgust at her insinuation creep into her voice. With the next sentence she added a whine to her tone; ¡°but Isen can be so stubborn! If only he could see things my way.¡±


    ¡°All men are stubborn dear,¡± the innkeeper said, her face suddenly had a far-off look. ¡°You should have seen my husband when he was alive, never been a more stubborn man to walk on Aran I tell you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The innkeeper leaned back and looked at her. ¡°It was always frustrating when we fought, but in the end, we always made up. Sometimes you have to be the one to extend the branch of truce.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± She acceded.


    ¡°Good,¡± the portly woman responded with a smile. ¡°Good luck on the road then.¡±


    With that, she and Isaac left the inn. They found countless people moving about the streets, most of them headed to the plaza; that place was spewing more jolly noise than the inn. In the stable to the side, she spotted the two mercenaries; they both stood over a scorched carcass while the woman cried into the man¡¯s chest.


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    ¡°Come horse, we¡¯re leaving,¡± she yelled to the monstrous steed just metres from them; completely ignoring the pair.


    The helhurst expelled a harsh frosty breath through its nose in what looked like protest. However, it could not resist her order and marched up to them. Isaac stepped in front of her and took the beast¡¯s reins. Now all they had to do was get the helm and leave town.


    Unfortunately, they only travelled a few metres in the direction of the smithy before they were forced to stop when a thin middle-aged woman jumped in their way and knelt in front of them.


    ¡°Please great alchemist, I beseech you!¡± she cried before Sage had a chance to say anything.


    As much as she wanted to shove the woman away and leave, there were a lot of onlookers.


    ¡°Might there be something I could aid you with madam,¡± she slipped into character. Hopefully it was not something that would take too long.


    ¡°it¡¯s my son,¡± the woman tearfully looked up at her. ¡°A few days ago he fell ill and has been bedridden since.¡± Then she crawled forward and grabbed her coat. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t have coin but can you please spare a potion for me? Have pity on us! My boy is the only one I have in this life. I can¡¯t afford to lose him, please!¡±


    Sage removed the woman¡¯s hands from her coat and helped her up. She then looked around, spying the dozen plus onlookers, before looking back at the woman.


    ¡°My apologies lady, but that is not possible,¡± she politely tried to shoot her down. ¡°Vigour potions cost money to produce. If I give one away, someone else will come with a tale similar to yours. Then more will come until I¡¯ve donated my entire livelihood.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t spare one?¡± the woman looked devastated. However, she bounced back a second later and grabbed Sage¡¯s coat lapels with newfound determination. ¡°But you can check my boy, right? I heard alchemists know a lot about illnesses, that¡¯s how your kind are able to develop cures.¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± the woman begged, sinking back to her knees and flashing a desperate face.


    Another look around the street and Sage released a sigh. In the next town they visit she would set her boundaries straight from the begin so this shit could be prevented.


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± she responded.


    She with Nyx on her shoulder and Isaac tugging the reins of the helhurst, followed the woman to her house. It was a not far.


    The day before the previous one, Sage had noted that the there was not much disparity in wealth between Tima¡¯s townsfolk. Except for establishments like the inn and the smithy, most buildings were roughly of equal size. The same could be said about the house the lady led them to, the only difference being that it was not in the most pristine shape. Large cracks perforated much of its walls and even parts of the door. From the looks of it, the place could shield its inhabitants from an Equinox; however, she was highly doubtful it could protect from winter.


    The woman pushed the door and looked back at her. ¡°Please come in.¡±


    Sage silently followed her to a room on the far end. In this room, a young man lay on a thin bed. He appeared to be somewhere in his late teens. When she and the boy¡¯s mother entered, he turned to face them, his breath short and heavy. Sage noted his bloodshot eyes had a blue colouring at the bottom. Every so often, his hand shot to the side of his neck and scratched.


    After hearing the woman¡¯s plea one more time, she stepped forward and grabbed the young man¡¯s hand. She turned it over and looked at his nails before dropping it. Then she pried his mouth open and was assaulted by what would no doubt have been a smelly breath if not for her mask. She was treated to rows of yellow teeth, but her gaze moved passed them to his tongue, noting its unnatural size. When she was done, she stepped back and looked at the woman.


    ¡°Please Lady Alchemist,¡± said woman begged. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my boy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious,¡± she responded, spying the pale knight creep close to the boy and inspect his neck. ¡°The problem can be solved with a stable diet of spinach, beans and dairy products such as milk or cheese. He should also make sure to eat chicken and meat, especially the liver. For your son to recover, he has to eat all these. If you are unable to get these foods then talk to your fellow townsmen, I¡¯m sure they will be willing to help out after you explain it to them.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± the woman looked ecstatic, tears flowing from her eyes as she clasped Sage¡¯s hand between her two. ¡°Thank you so much! I hope the Flame blesses you!¡±


    May He never come close to me, she retorted nonverbally before bidding the woman farewell.


    It was when they were outside that the bastard knight initiated a conversation between them for the first time.


    ¡°He is not malnourished. He¡¯s missing blood.¡±


    ¡°I am aware,¡± she responded, shooting him a sideways scowl. All she had needed was a single look at the boy to concluded he was suffering from anaemia. The symptoms were quite clear to her; after all, in her past life she had contracted it a few times when she was still an amateur. ¡°The food I recommended will aid with forming new blood.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I am getting at,¡± the pale knight responded in frustration. ¡°His blood has been taken.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± she responded dully. ¡°What d¡¯you expect me to do?¡± Before he could respond, she turned to him and give him a stare. ¡°You do realise what we are right? This has nothing to do with us.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± he tried to say, but she cut him off.


    ¡°The only thing we¡¯re going to fucking do is leave this town,¡± she said with finality, causing him to harrumph and look away.


    When they stepped back on the street, she felt the bastard¡¯s eyes drilling in the back of her head; which she opted to ignore as she chose the street leading the smithy.


    Unfortunately, it was not long before a they encountered someone on the road who had heard that she had agreed to help the woman. This person, a man on the cusp of old age, then went on his knees and begged her to save his grandson who had also become bedridden.


    Listening to him, Sage tried not grind her teeth so loud he would hear them. I fuckin swear this is the last time I¡¯m doing this shit! Where the fuck had these people been hiding that they were only coming out when she was preparing to leave?


    This town was merely supposed to be a shelter from the Equinox. Now that the danger had passed, she was eager to be away from this place, especially before anyone decided to hound her for selling potions that were not potent enough. Although her defence was passable, the preferable scenario was one where she never had to use it.


    ¡°Fuck it!¡± she muttered under her breath before turning to Isaac. ¡°Go get the helm and meet me outside town, I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can.¡± Then, turning to her shoulder, she said, ¡°Nyx, go with him.¡±


    The cat gave her a hesitant look, but when she continued to glare, he gave up and jumped off her shoulder; into Isaac¡¯s shadow and disappeared. This caused a few gasps from the people in the street, background noise she was beginning to give less of a fuck about.


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± she said after watching the bastard knight drag the horse away.


    The man led her to his house, where she checked on a young man with a less sever case of anaemia than the previous beggar¡¯s son. After recommending the same diet she had suggested to the middle-aged woman, she left his house. However, this time she crept to an empty alley and activated {Invisibility}. With that, no one would see her; now all she had to do was meet up with Isaac and Nyx outside town and then she would be on her way, far from this place.


    At least that was plan¡­ before she felt the distance between her and Isaac and Nyx increase further than it should have. Cursing under her breath, she turned to the northwest of the town. In the distance was a large hill with a castle positioned on the peak.


    The dumb fuck Isaac was accelerating in its direction.

 CHAPTER 85: UP THE HILL

    The hammering sounds from his previous visit were absent when he got to the smithy. Although it was early, the shop was open. The first thing he saw upon entering was the smith¡¯s wife. The picture was not clear through his blindfold, but he was able to make out that she was dusting the counter, all the while humming a tune he recognised as the song sung by the townsfolk. Upon noticing him, she stopped what she was doing and faced him with a smile.


    ¡°Sir Knight, you¡¯re early!¡± she exclaimed in her high-pitched voice. Then her voice dropped a few octaves when she continued. ¡°Luckily Hal finished the helm. That big buffoon worked himself to near death yesterday without food and water. I had to force him out of that smithy and into bed as soon as the wind stopped.¡± The last part was uttered in an upset tone. ¡°He better not think about going out for the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°May he get better soon,¡± Isaac offered his condolences.


    ¡°Of course he will,¡± the woman said, mood lightening. ¡°My Hal is built like an ox; a day of rest and he will be back at the forge pounding iron.¡±


    Isaac nodded as the plump woman ducked under the counter and came up with a glistening steel helm. Its make was decent, nowhere near what he was used to but not bad either. He stepped forward and reached for it, however, he stopped himself just before his could touch it. Then he closed his eyes and focused. Leaning forward, he touched it carefully; first the tips, then the fingers and finally the palm. Nothing happened, fortunately; explaining away the blindfold might have worked, but he would have trouble explaining the effects of {Corrupt Armaments}.


    The price for the helm had been paid on their previous visit, thus there was no need for him to linger. He gave the woman a thankful nod and turned to leave. However, before he reached the door something occurred to him, prompting him to turn back to her.


    ¡°Earlier, the ph- my¡­ employer Maven Shade¡­ was approached by several townsfolk, begging her to help their sick children,¡± he began. ¡°Do you perhaps know anything about it? Even the smallest bit of information will be welcome; it would go a long way in helping save these ailing souls.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear!¡± the woman exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of youths falling ill lately, but I didn¡¯t think it was serious.¡± She tilted up at the store¡¯s roof in silent contemplation before her eyes returned to him. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it. Recently, some customers have been complaining about their children being too sick to get out of bed. I didn¡¯t think it was serious though because they got out that state after a few days.¡±


    ¡°And when did you first hear of these bedridden children?¡±


    ¡°Three weeks ago? A month? I don¡¯t know; somewhere around that time,¡± the woman answered while stroking her cheek in a thoughtful manner.


    ¡°Around the time Lord Ennard¡¯s guest arrived?¡± he asked hastily before catching himself.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, it was around then,¡± the woman responded absentmindedly. However, after saying so her expression became alert. ¡°You don¡¯t think she¡¯s the one responsible, do you? Although, it is strange that she hasn¡¯t left the castle since arriving. My friend, whose daughter is a maid in the castle, said that she has been holed up in the baron¡¯s room and hardly leaves. Neither does the young lord for that matter. Flame knows what they are doing in there.¡± She looked scandalised when she uttered the last sentence.


    ¡°She might not be responsible,¡± he replied. ¡°But it¡¯s safer to prowl all avenues to learn as much about the illness as possible. Your son described the musician as being pretty like a fairy, which would imply she is young. Maybe she unintentionally brought a disease into town that only affects the youth. It would explain why she and the baron hardly leave their chambers, perhaps they are bedridden most of the time and only come out when they feel better.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the shopkeeper asked, surprised. ¡°An illness like that exists?¡±


    It did not¡­ as far as he knew. However, he was not going to say that to the woman; or tell her what he thought was actually going on. In his experience, such information would cause her to panic, which would prompt her to run around town telling everyone what she heard. In the end the whole town would panic and there would be a riot.


    No, it was better for serious problems to be dealt with before the common populace caught wind of them.


    ¡°Probably,¡± he replied. ¡°I will go up there to have a look.¡± With that said, he was about to turn and leave when he caught himself once more. ¡°Please keep what we¡¯ve just discussed a secret, at least until we solve the problem.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the woman nodded seriously. ¡°Please find the cause and cure it. Our humble town wouldn¡¯t be able to handle an epidemic.¡±


    Isaac nodded, unsure of whether she would keep her word. Not that it mattered though. The only reason he had asked her to keep quiet was to buy a time. The smith¡¯s wife was a chatty woman, one way or another he was certain this conversation would make it around town. However, he sincerely hoped that when the content of their conversation was finally leaked, the threat would have been dealt with.


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    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not thinking of going there Isen!¡± the first thing that happened after he exited the smith¡¯s shop was the insufferable cat propping out of his shadow and shooting him a disproving look. ¡°Master will be very angry.¡±


    It looked like it wanted to say more, but gulped at his stare and shut its mouth. Then it watched him with large eyes as he mounted the horse.


    Thank Goddess the beast had survived the Equinox. If it had been claimed by the Endless Scuffle, he would have been distraught; especially since it would mean he would only have Sage and her cat as company. For a while now he had been thinking of a name to give the horse, something that conveyed his appreciation at the fact that he was not alone in the struggle to endure the phantom and her familiar; there was not a single scenario in his mind that could be worse than being alone with the two of them again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± the cat jumped on the horse¡¯s head just as he grabbed the reins. ¡°Master will-¡±


    He grabbed the familiar by the scruff of the neck, causing it to squeal in fright. Then he brought it to eye-level, staring intensely into its quivering, almost tearful eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn what she thinks,¡± he snarled.


    Through their bond, he could sense the phantom was on the other side of town, which was really convenient. One thing he had figured out about her control over him was that her wording mattered and even then, those words were subject to interpretation. If she told him to jump, in the end it was up to him how high he would jump; unless explicitly stated. Also, the duration of her orders had a time limit of approximately six hours.


    If that was all her hold over him amounted to though, it would have been easy to get out of his predicament. Unfortunately, during her desecration ritual the undead bitch ingrained three tenets he was unable to shake no matter their distance apart or time elapsed; each more hateful than the last. First off, he could not harm himself in anyway, meaning he could not off himself to end this bemocking existence. Secondly, he was prohibited from initiating any action likely to lead to Sage being harmed, which included attacking her or revealing his and her nature to others. Finally, if she was ever in danger he would protect her, at the cost of his unlife if need be. These three rules could not be disobeyed unless directly ordered by the phantom to do otherwise.


    That was what Isaac was going for. It was why he did not care whether she caught him or not. If she did, he prayed to the Goddess that she would be so angry she would dispose of him. If she did not stop him, he would save the town from a dangerous threat. Either situation was a win in his books.


    ¡°Go cry to your master and see if I care,¡± he sneered, letting the cat go.


    The creature landed on the horse¡¯s crest, where it proceeded to give him an indignant glare before jumping off the beast and settling in its shadow.


    With the annoying creature backing off, he could grab the reins without interruption. He directed the horse to the road that led from town to the castle, tugging the reins strongly to encourage the it to be speedy. He had just caught Hal, the shopkeeper¡¯s son, in distance rushing towards him. Isaac wanted to be far from this place when the boy got here.


    In less than a minute he was able to leave town and was approaching the peak where the castle stood. While in transit, he shot the helm squeezed between his thighs a hesitant look before releasing a sigh accompanied by a frosty breath. Then he let his weaker hand release the reins and touch its top, willing his mana to flow into it. Isaac was treated to the sight of the helm exchange its silver sheen for an obsidian coat. When the transformation was done, he pulled the cloth from his eyes and pushed the helm over his head, feeling its cold metallic sides stroke his face as the visor lowered.


    Isaac was not particularly fond of helms, the way they hindered his vision. Unfortunately, he could not forgo it at the moment. The current him was weaker than he used to be when he was alive. Sage¡¯s defilement of his body had not only turned him into a filthy abomination, but also reset his cyan mana. Currently, his mana was yellow, a far cry from the 7<sup>th</sup> Order mana he used to have. The strength of the foe he would be facing was unknown. Confrontation without taking all precautions possible would-be suicidal; which, unfortunately, he could not be.


    Isaac arrived at the castle minutes after leaving town. Tall and thick grey walls draped the structures- approximately five metres high- with black iron gates barring his way. Four guards stood atop the walls, each bearing a crossbow. One of them, the most senior-looking among them, raised his hand to stop him.


    ¡°Who goes there!¡± the man shouted. ¡°State your name and purpose of your visit!¡±


    Isaac controlled the horse to stop and looked up at the man before his gaze wandered to his companions. They had their weapons trained on him. In response, Isaac raised his hands and dismounted.


    ¡°I am here to meet the baron,¡± he yelled. ¡°There is a threat in town he should be made aware of.¡±


    ¡°And what would this threat be?¡± the man questioned, his comrades not letting up on their aim.


    ¡°Apologies, but I would prefer to tell the baron personally.¡±


    ¡°Lord Ennard is not interested in seeing anyone!¡± the guard responded harshly. ¡°Say your piece and return to town!¡±


    Hearing this, Isaac shrugged internally. He had tried. Even though the odds of asking to see the baron actually working had been minimal to start with, it never hurt to ask. Knowing that avenue was completely shut, he now had no qualms about forcing his way in.


    No sooner had the guard¡¯s rejection fallen when he flung himself at the wall. Five metres was not too high for one with his physique; before the first gasps of surprise even escaped the guards, his hand was already grabbing the top of the wall. Without any difficulty he hoisted himself onto the wall and rushed them. He got three of them before they could fire their crossbows, tapping them lightly on the back of the neck and rendering them unconscious. He made sure to do it in such a manner that they would not fall off the wall to their deaths. His actions need only result in a single death¡­ plus himself if he was lucky.


    The last guard, the leader, managed to fire a shot before Isaac reached him. However, the bolt bounced harmlessly off the obsidian armour. Its ineffectiveness caused the man to yelp in surprise before he went down like his colleagues.


    With the guards at the gate taken care of, the way was clear. He would get to his target soon¡­ was what he thought before he heard a giant bell ringing.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± he cursed.


    There was no need to need to guess the purpose of the bell, as guards numbering close to a dozen stormed into the courtyard. The alarm had been sounded. The entire castle¡­ no, the entirety of Tima had been roused.

 CHAPTER 86: CASTLE STORMING

    In all honesty, Isaac never expected this to be a stealthy operation. He was an armour-clad warrior whose footsteps reverberated when he so much as jogged. As such, entering the castle, disposing of the target and leaving without anyone ever knowing he had been there was unattainable; that was the realm of phantoms.


    Still, it would be preferable if he could finish what he had come to do before the townspeople got here.


    He jumped off the wall, landing in the courtyard with a thud. Then he set his eyes on the guards. A third of them carried longbows and crossbows while the remaining two thirds hoisted spears. Each of the guardsmen expelled raspy breaths, some had shaky hands; Isaac could even make out a sheen of sweat on their foreheads. The way the spear-bearers gripped their weapons was enough to tell him of their expertise, or lack thereof.


    Seeing him standing before them, half the castle guards snapped out of their stupor and yelled ferociously as they moved into action. In the back of the group the archers loosened their bows in his direction. One of their arrows flew off course, the other would have hit him in the chest had he not raised his hand to swat it away; not that it would have done much damage if it had landed.


    Just then, the first of the spearmen reached him and thrust at him. Although the attack was decent. it lacked speed, enabling Isaac to dodge to the side easily; straight into the tip of another spear. His hand shot out and pushed the javelin out of the way, causing the man to lose balance and fall forward with a yelp. Isaac¡¯s hand flew out again and aimed for the back of the guard¡¯s neck. He went down without resisting.


    Isaac¡¯s gaze shot back to the first guard who reached him and saw that he was preparing another attack. He stepped to the side- allowing the spear tip to pass him- and pounced on the guard, knocking him out with a chop to the temple.


    Isaac could not help lament as he caught yet another spear and rendered its owner unconscious. These castle guards were ordinary men with standard physiques; a punch from someone like him would break their bones or outright rapture their organs and kill them. To prevent such a scenario he made sure to hold back as much as he could.


    Three spear guards were down. The remaining spearmen moved to surround him while the archers kept trying to snipe him. None of the arrows reached him as he managed to swat them away. Several quick glances around and he saw that the seven spearmen had completely enclosed him in their circle. He did not give them a chance to make their move though as he jumped into the air, utilising a backflip to get himself out of their enclosure. This act caught them off guard and did not register for several seconds. When it did though, they grunted in frustration and scrambled to surround him once more.


    But he was not having it this time. In his steel helm, his lips curled downwards as he marshalled his mana to activate {Chill}. The tips of the spears and projectiles flying at him suddenly lost momentum, veered off course and tumbled to the ground. Taking a quick glance at them, he spotted ice crystals on their weapons. As for the guards; they had frozen in the place, their bodies shivering; from cold or fear or both.


    {Chill} generated a cold aura around him while inducing fear at the same time. Isaac had to admit that the effect of the ability was not bad.


    A flash in the spearmen¡¯s direction and he saw their shaky hands had dropped their weapons. It was the same with the archers, as they had too had let go of their bows and crossbows. This sight caused his frown to deepen. Despite its usefulness, he had no fondness for the ability. The similarity between {Chill}¡¯s fear effect and that of {Dread} was a stake that drilled into his core what he had become.


    The soldiers were no longer in a state to fight. Where once they howled battle cries, they now whimpered with clattering teeth. Some of them- after dropping their weapons- even turned around and tried to run away. It was with minimal effort that he reached them and knocked them out. The same was done to all those he passed by. Within seconds he was the only one left standing.


    Isaac moved on, approaching the pair of large wooden doors that led inside the castle itself. He placed a hand on each door and shoved. However, the doors did not budge. Another push, harder this time, and they remained unyielding. They had likely been barred from the other side.


    This time, Isaac raised his boot and kicked in the middle of the doors. On the other side he heard something snap as the doors finally moved. They only managed to open a couple of centimetres though; the bar still held. Another kick and the bar twisted even further. He could now see its twisted form through crack of the doors. The third kick completely broke it as the doors flew wide open.


    There were more guardsmen in the entrance hall wielding swords and spears. Leading them was a helmed figure donning polished steel armour with a sword and shield, both of which were too large for someone with a standard physique to lift simultaneously. The man¡¯s equipment ousted him as a knight. Although Isaac could not see the man¡¯s expression, he could practically feel his intensity as he stepped forward.


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    ¡°Who are you?¡± the man demanded. ¡°Why have you come?¡±


    Instead of replying, Isaac charged him while pouring more mana into {Chill}. A similar occurrence to what happened outside swept the hall as the guards dropped their weapons. Unfortunately, it was only a few of them. These men, from their posture, appeared more trained than the ones he had encountered outside. Even more unfortunate, the armoured guard did not seem the slightest bit affected.


    The man roared and charged Isaac, coming at him first with his shield and following up with his sword. Isaac jumped back on both occasions to avoid the attacks. His hand flew to his back and grasped the hilt of his broadsword, freeing it from its sheath as he brough it before him.


    Due to the effects of {Corrupt}, the sword had long swapped its original shiny colour for an ebony hue. Just seeing how it had changed, he had to struggle not to grind his teeth. The sword had been in his possession since he was a Paladin squire. He kept it after leaving the Order; even when its enchantment dissipated. The weapon had been with him for years, his most faithful companion. Seeing what had become of it, the urge to lop of Sage¡¯s head off overcame him. If only it were possible to go through with the act.


    The man raised his shield and charged him again. This time Isaac defended with his weapon, but had to move back to avoid the sword swing. He further stepped back to avoid a spear coming from the side, though this attack was far from accurate. He got to the spearman and knocked him out before raising his sword to catch another blow.


    These movements were repeated over and over with Isaac occasionally veering off course to knock out more guards. By then he had figured out the extent of the knight¡¯s- whose continued failure to end the fight was sparking an ever-growing frustration- physical prowess. His physique was better than the phantom¡¯s, but not by much; it was still at Grade 4.


    ¡°Just who are you!¡± the knight shouted when Isaac defended against another attack. Seeing Isaac move away to knock out another guard, he released an exasperated breath and attacked once more; more furiously this time. ¡°WHAT DO YOU FUCKING WANT?¡±


    This time Isaac caught the knight¡¯s sword in his gauntlet and sent him scuttling away. Then he shot past him and put his focus on the guards.


    In the beginning there were around twenty guardsmen in the hall, but after some time passed the number had been reduced by three quarters. Despite their numbers, it was hardly a chore to put them down. By the time the knight recovered he was the only foe left standing. {Chill} seemed to finally work on him, as he stepped back with his shield shaking slightly.


    Seeing his demeanour, Isaac went on the offense. The knight yelped and thrust the shield between them, but Isaac grabbed it around the edge and shoved it out of the way. In response, the knight retaliated with a sword thrust. However, Isaac moved his leg fast, his boot catching the last guard¡¯s wrist, resulting in the knight letting go of the weapon. The sound of the sword clattering to the floor reverberated around the entrance hall just as Isaac smashed the hilt of his own sword against the knight. The blow caught the man on side of the head, sending him wobbling backwards. A second strike in the same spot had him drop to the floor. To make sure he stayed down, Isaac kicked him in the same place.


    After that, there was silence.


    With sword in hand, Isaac walked over to the next door and pushed it open. He found himself in the audience chamber, a large room with a blue carpet and a throne at the end. The place was empty though. Barring the door he had just come through, there were three other doors; two on the sides and one behind the throne. Isaac might not have been familiar with castles, but he had visited Count Dickmund¡¯s residence countless times, so he was familiar with this arrangement in the audience chamber. If he were to guess, the door on the right likely led to the kitchen while the door on the left led to the guard¡¯s quarters. The door behind the throne room was where the baron entered to hold court. He chose this one.


    He found himself in a corridor with stairs at the end. Quickly ascending the flight, it did not take him long to reach the second floor. Just like the first floor, there was no one. They had probably scurried off to hide when they heard sounds of battle. Hopefully they knew about the castle¡¯s secret tunnels because if Isaac did not find his target here, he would need their help.


    The second floor was not big, so it did not take him long to open all the doors. There was a washroom, a privy and several bedrooms; he found no one in any of those. Only one door remained closed, Isaac was already preparing himself to go and look for someone who could guide him around the castle.


    That proved unnecessary.


    The room he entered this time was a class above the others in luxury. First off, it was lined with satin sheets and gold embroidery. There were countless silver ornaments around the room, including a mirror in a silver frame. A black curtain hung over what was likely a pair of massive windows, preventing light of any kind from entering the room. A human would have trouble seeing in this place, no matter how good their physique was; however, Isaac could make out the details almost as well as he would be able to if he was outside.


    One the large bed in the centre lay a bare-chested young man. He had dark hair and a strong jaw women would find attractive. As for the colour of his eyes, Isaac was unable to tell due to the fact that he had them close while resting his head in the lap of an incredibly pretty red-haired woman in a blue dress, who was stroking his head lovingly.


    The two of them did not pay Isaac any mind until he had taken a few steps into the room. Then the woman looked up at him, her crimson eyes glowing in the dark. She had pale skin, almost as pale as Isaac¡¯s, full lips the colour of blood. Those cherry lips quirked upwards, exposing two long canines.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the intruder?¡± she inquired in a sultry voice.

 CHAPTER 87: BARON & VAMPIRE

    A good look at the seated woman and Isaac tightened the grip on his broadsword, his eyes narrowing in focus. Her features were a confirmation of his suspicions.


    Vampire!


    There existed dozens of types of undead. Some were harmless like ghosts, others a were annoying like their poltergeist relatives. There were those such as skeletons, who could barely be considered a threat for someone with minimal combat training. Another undead at the bottom of the deathless food chain was the zombie. Their kind only presented a threat in groups.


    Then there were the more dangerous undead, which were capable of annihilating an entire village. They were the likes of wraiths and draugr. Above them were death knights and dread zombies, which could destroy towns and sometimes cities.


    However, the abovementioned were nothing compared to the undead classified in the special class. These were capable of obliterating entire nations. Although their methods varied- from brute force to espionage- each method was highly effective and therefore each had to be taken seriously. Whether it was the Lich, whose appearance roused the armies of multiple nations; the phantom, whose terror led to their existence being scrapped from public memory; or the revenant, whose mere appearance would send all of Rekke spiralling into chaos.


    Although not as dangerous as the aforementioned, vampires were deadly in their own right. The Blood Sorceress was often regarded as the most beautiful woman to walk the face of Aran. Her childer had inherited some of her allure, enabling them to {Charm} all who were enamoured by them. Obviously, such was the case with the young baron. His now open eyes were unfocused, evidence that he had fallen under the bloodsucker¡¯s influence.


    ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit stranger?¡± the vampire asked, still on her husky tone.


    The smile stayed on her face; her orbs boring into Isaacs. In response, he shifted his gaze to avoid them. The eyes of a vampire were the vessels of their {Charm} ability. As long as he did not peer into them, he would be safe from it.


    In response to this reaction, the vampire lifted an eyebrow. her smile was gone. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a surprise,¡± she muttered, her voice bereft of its earlier sultriness.


    Talking to the monster was meaningless. There was nothing the bloodsucker could possibly say that would be of any use to him. Even if there was, due to his current state, it was not possible to use the information. In this situation, the best thing to do would be to get rid of her as quickly as possible.


    Concluding his thoughts, he sprang into action and pounced. In less than a blink of an eye he shot past the bed and its dwellers. They were not his targets. Within the confines of this room was a much easier way to dispose of the vampire than to attack her directly.


    There was not pause in his movements when he got to the other side of the room. Lifting his sword, he slashed at the dark veil which kept the vampire¡¯s greatest weakness at bay. The sound of the curtain tearing filled the room. Three quarters of it dropped the ground to reveal the windows, two large glass structures completely smeared in black paint. Light could not shine through.


    It seemed the vampire was not as careless as he had thought. Even so, this carefulness amounted to nothing. All he needed to do was put in more effort to expose her to her weakness, after all, the windows were still made of glass.


    He raised his sword again and swiped horizontally. The resistance was minimal as the glass gave way amidst cracking and shattering echoes. With the blockage gone, golden light streamed inside the room unimpeded. It charged forward and hit the bed dead on. Unfortunately, it was no longer occupied.


    The young baron stood next to the bed while clutching an ornamented sword. He glared at Isaac with misty eyes, telltale signs of being {Charm}ed. However, another feeling shared the space in his eyes¡­ animosity.


    Isaac had barely turned his back to the broken window when the baron pounced on him. He was fast, faster than the knight, and stronger too; his physique was likely Grade 3. To fend off his attack, Isaac gripped his sword even harder to avoid it recoiling onto his armour.


    The young Baron Ennard was also more skilled than his knight as he continued to attack places that were vulnerable and hard to reach. This was easily accomplished because he was unarmoured and therefore his movements were unhindered. On the other hand, Isaac¡¯s armour made him slower and less dextrous. Still, he was not slowed down so much that he would fail to stop the blows of someone whose speed was a grade below his from landing. Half a dozen seconds of after they began clashing, he managed to grab the baron¡¯s sword hand.


    ¡°Snap out of it, Lord Ennard!¡± he yelled. ¡°Come to your senses, you¡¯re being manipulated!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt her!¡± the baron responded with a snarl before moving his sword to his other hand and resuming the assault.


    Isaac gritted his teeth and defended. Shoving away the baron¡¯s sword, he could not help cursing Sage once again. If not for that vile creature, a situation like this would not have amounted to more than a slight irritation. There used to be spells in his arsenal specifically for knocking bewitched victims out of their trance. With the convenience gone, he had to resort to the old-fashioned way.


    I hope he is not to upset when next he wakes up, the thought crossed Isaac¡¯s mind as he dodged to the side and caught the baron¡¯s sword hand once more.


    This time, instead of waiting for Ennard to follow up, he delivered an attack of his own, his gauntleted fist caught the baron on the side of his face. Isaac heard a crunching sound as the baron hit the floor. A stream of blood flowed out of his horribly agape mouth, carrying a bunch of teeth with it.


    The baron was out cold, his jaw broken and several teeth out. On the bright side, he was still breathing; it counted for something. Still, he probably would not be happy when he regain conscieceness.


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    As soon as the fight ended, Isaac stepped over the body and made a beeline for the door. The vampire had run off, but she was still in the castle. As long as the sun remained up, she was unable to leave.


    After returning to the corridor he checked over all the previous rooms and broke their windows to limit her hiding options. Unfortunately, she was nowhere in sight. She could not have gone far though. He uttered a hoarse grunt as he raced for the stairs.


    If the vampire had gone into hiding, the situation would become more difficult for him. Not much time had passed since the alarm bell rang, so there were no interruptions yet. However, if he had to spend time looking for the vampire, it was almost a given that reinforcements from the town would arrive before he was done.


    If Isaac was still human, he would have been able to explain his actions with a great probability of them listening to him. Just because Lethians worshipped a different god did not mean they were ignorant of the dangers undead posed. If he was able to convince them that the bard who had been entertaining the baron for the past month was actually a vampire and responsible for the recent bouts of sickness in town, their subsequent anger would likely make them join him in searching.


    That was not possible now. He had seen his reflection and his current appearance did not inspire trust. As an undead, he could no longer cast spells; even if he could, channelling Light Magic would kill him. As for the holy spells like [Prayer], which asked for the Goddess favour; even if it was possible to cast it, he would be smote on the spot.


    Because of a single undead, his life was completely ruined. In the deepest part of his heart, he truly wished she befell the worst fate.


    At the bottom of the stairs he found the door to the audience chamber open, a contrast to how he had left it. Straining his eyes as they leapt to every crevice in sight, he stepped through the door, his broad sword raised with both hands.


    The moment he set foot in the audience chamber; he caught the flash of an oncoming object in the corner of his left eye. Reacting quickly, he knocked away the dagger with his sword before changing his stance to make the grasp on his sword firmer. Then he thrust at his attacker. He was not able to impale her though, as she burst into a cloud of bats and scattered in all directions before the sword reached her. His eyes followed the swarm as it gathered on the other side and reformed into the vampire.


    She wore a deep frown along with an intense glare. Gripping a crimson dagger in her right hand, she used it to open up her left forearm, causing crimson fluid to spurt out. The normal case of it trickling to the ground did not happen. The blood instead moved to the dagger and merged with it, solidifying into a lance. Instead of hiding, she had decided to fight.


    The vampire took a step forward and hurled the spear at him. Its speed was blinding, however he managed to dodge it. On the unfortunate note, even though he managed to get out of its trajectory, he could not avoid taking damage as it exploded the next moment. The impact sent him sent him to the ground. But he collected himself and executed several rolls to minimise the impact of the fall before getting hopping back to his feet, gritting his teeth as he looked ahead.


    The vampire stood where he had been. The exploded blood returned to her and coalesced into a scythe. She raised her left arm- which was no longer spotting the wound- and grasped it. Then she rushed forward.


    She was faster than the baron, though still lacking compared to Isaac. He jumped back to avoid the weapon¡¯s edge. However, upon missing him, the scythe scattered into countless blobs which further transformed into sharp projectiles. In response, he sprinted away before the crimson spikes fell where he had been. Where they landed, each projectile drilled into the stone floor; the sight of it was enough to tell Isaac the spikes were strong enough to bypass his armour.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± he cursed under his breath.


    {Haemamancy} was branch of magic created by the vampire progenitor, and was an ability each bloodsucker gained upon turning. The origins of this magic were horrendous. Although necromancy was the vilest art in existence, blood magic was a close second. Its practise granted great power, but the cost-


    When she was still a magician, the Blood Sorceress was notorious for conducting rituals in which thousands were sacrificed. Legend had it the first ones on her chopping block were her kin; parents, siblings and even her own brood.


    The crimson spikes turned to splotches, which moved back to the vampire where they merged into a javelin. She caught it and once again hurled it. However, this time it split into half a dozen thinner lances, each striking different at parts of his body. He was able to dodge four of them, and block another with his sword. Unfortunately, the last spear knocked against his helm.


    Luckily, he was already in mid-dodging motion. Although the spike managed to pierce the helm, it missed him. However, the actions sent it flying off his head. Isaac immediately distanced himself from it, however, the helm clattered to the floor without the blood on it exploding. In fact, the attacks had stopped. The bloodsucking woman had not moved from her spot since she threw the spear. Her crimson orbs were eyeing him in bewilderment.


    ¡°What manner of creature are you?¡± she asked. There was a hint of caution in her voice.


    He deigned to remain silent and flared {Chill} to max by. Unfortunately, his mana was only yellow, the same colour as that of sorcerers of the 1<sup>st</sup> Order. Unlike spells, abilities were only as strong as the colour of mana, meaning his yellow mana abilities were no match for those of his opponent¡¯s which- if he had to guess- was either 5<sup>th</sup> or 6<sup>th</sup> Order; likely the latter. The mana of a vampire was directly proportional to its physique, if one increased the other did as well. From the way she moved, the vampire¡¯s physique was clearly better than the baron¡¯s and she had the mana to match. Worse, {Chill}¡¯s fear effect did not work on her, being an undead and all.


    If I was still human- he thought with gritted teeth as the fight resumed. But that was no longer possible and he should not dwell on it while in battle, especially one where his opponent had the upper hand. If only there was a way to even out the field.


    Just as this thought crossed his mind, he began to feel mana leaving him. He did not have the luxury to panic, much less ponder the reason, as he was too busy dodging the vampire¡¯s blood projectiles.


    However, after a few more rounds of dodging, he noticed something strange. The blood projectiles were slower and the explosions were not as volatile; also, the vampire¡¯s movements had slowed down. He did not know what was happening and it seemed neither did she from her confused her expression. Although this situation came as a surprise, it was a happy one as the tide of the battle quickly changed.


    The vampire who had previously worn a confident look bordering on smugness now panicked as he dodged all her attack while charging. He got within an arm¡¯s length of her and let his fist fly into her gut. The bloodsucker gasped as she was sent flying back, frost gathering around the area where his punch hade landed. Not giving her a chance to recover, he chased after her sword raised, aiming to sever her neck from her shoulders. This fight had gone on long enough, it was time to finish it.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    After the last couple of days, there was no way he would not recognise the voice that came from the side. His movements came to the halt just before his sword touched the vampire¡¯s neck. His body no longer obeyed him, except his neck which he craned to look in the direction the voice came from.


    There stood the phantom with her face unmasked. The cat lodged in her arms gave him a look filled with schadenfreude. When it had left his shadow, he did not know; it could have been anytime during his storming of the castle. How long Sage had been standing in the audience chamber was a mystery as well; being a phantom, she could have well been here since the beginning.


    What was not a mystery was her frown and glare. She was pissed.

 CHAPTER 88: DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

    ¡°Congratulations Isaac, you just made my efforts in town meaningless?¡±


    Her voice was low, seething, heralded by an intense stare that made his chest constrict. Like prey caught in the sight of a predator, he instinctively took a step back. However, shortly after doing so a different kind of feeling coursed through his chest, causing him to groan while venting chilly air out his nose. He narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw, straightening his back to face the phantom.


    To leave a community at the mercy of an undead was against everything he stood for. He was no longer a Paladin or Tiih¡¯s Guard Captain; both jobs had been an integral part of his identity, but only a part. First and foremost, he was a protector. If someone was in danger, he would not avert his eyes no matter what that despicable creature told him.


    If she¡¯s upset with me, she should just kill me, he thought as he returned her glare.


    ¡°Please sock yourself in the face for me.¡±


    Isaac did not have the time to process her words, when his clenched fist rushed up to his face. The blow caught him square on the jaw, causing him to instinctively let loose a pained howl. The punch had withheld nothing and its aftermath had the entire right side of his face flaring in pain. The one saving grace was that he was no longer as sensitive as he used to be. If it had not been so, there was little doubt he would have walked away with a migraine. In spite of the sting, his eyes remained fixed on Sage, unwilling to look away.


    ¡°What the fuck were you thinking?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°I was ridding the town of a threat,¡± he replied defiantly.


    His answer caused her gaze to intensify, a glare he returned defiantly; there was no way he was backing away from this. The staring contest last for several seconds before- surprisingly- Sage looked away. Her eyes fell on the chamber¡¯s other occupant.


    ¡°You,¡± she barked. ¡°Come here.¡±


    The one in question bore a look of absolute terror, all of it directed at the phantom. The subsequent step she took in Sage¡¯s direction was sluggish and unwilling. If that had not been enough to shed light on her current predicament, then her scrounged up face was evidence of her struggle. She was not in control of her body¡¯s movements. The closer the distance between herself and the phantom, the greater the fear displayed in her eyes became. Her efforts, as obvious as they were, proved fruitless in the end. Soon she was standing in front of Sage. At this point, her lips were quivering with not only fear, but despair as well.


    ¡°Wh- who are you?¡± the she asked in a shaky voice, a vast contrast to the tone used when she had fought him.


    Sage withheld her response, instead walking circles around the vampire. An uncanny amount of mana was concentrated in her eyes as she looked the bloodsucker up and down.


    If it had been under different circumstances, Isaac would have found the ordeal comical. Here was a woman standing above one hundred and eighty centimetres wearing a nervous and timid expression inspired by a woman who barely passed shoulder; in his experience, it was usually the other way around.


    Sadly, the current situation was no laughing matter. The tension in the room seemed almost pulpable as Sage continued to circle the bloodsucker.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never met a vampire before.¡± Her voice was tinged with curiosity, the kind a cat displayed when in the presence of a mouse; the kind that chilled the mouse to the core.


    ¡°My sire is very powerful!¡± the vampire burst out. ¡°If you kill me he will-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    And just like that, she fell silent. No more words came out of her mouth, no matter how many times she opened and closed it. The realisation caused her eyes to widen further in horror.


    But Sage was no longer paying attention to her. The phantom squatted down and put the cat on the floor, after which she held out her hand towards it.


    ¡°Knife,¡± she ordered. ¡°And all the empty flasks.¡±


    Nyx spat the ornamental dagger into her palm before proceeding to carefully dump the flasks on the floor. Seeing this display and guessing what was about to come, the vampire¡¯s expression was now littered with pure terror. Her expression conveyed her situation clearly to Isaac. The vampire was trying to flee, without any success.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Sage ordered drawing closer to her. The dagger rested neatly in the phantom¡¯s right palm while she used [Mage Hand] to float one of the flasks to her left hand. ¡°And please don¡¯t scream. Its unpleasant and distracting.¡±


    Watching her drag the knife along the vampire¡¯s forearm, the rate at which he blew air out his nose increased. The floor before him glazed with frost as he watched the phantom telekinetically scoop the blood into the empty flask. He watched the vampire wince in agony and ground his teeth to the point where he felt they might crack.


    Though the vampire had opened up her own arm when she fought him, the flow of blood had stopped quickly and the gash had healed almost immediately. This time, with Sage initiating it, the flow did not stop; or at least it was not allowed to stop. Every time it dwindled and the wound began to seal itself the phantom would reopen it with her knife. The flask filled up quickly and was soon replaced by a second one. The phantom was determined to drain the bloodsucker dry.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Inhuman monster.


    Undead were abominations who deserved to be wiped off the face of Aran. Those who associated with them deserved the harshest punishments. Isaac believed this from the bottom of his heart; becoming an undead had only strengthened this belief instead of vice versa. So he should not be feeling anything from watching the vampire¡¯s silent torment. It was just that¡­ he loathed Sage so much! Every one of her actions was anger-inducing!


    ¡°You should have listened to me Bastard Isen,¡± a smug voice whispered in his ear.


    The feeling of Nyx¡¯s whiskers against his ear drew his attention to his shoulder. The annoying cat had jumped out of his shadow and latched onto his neck. At the moment, the little bastard¡¯s green orbs were a mixture of animosity and schadenfreude, which told Isaac he was deliberately sinking his claws into his skin. If not for the fact that he did not bleed, his blood would be pooling to the floor.


    ¡°Now Master¡¯s gonna deal with you.¡± There was elation mixed into Nyx¡¯s sneer. ¡°Good luck with that!¡±


    Isaac decided to look away and ignore the cat. It was what the phantom did whenever she was annoyed with him and it seemed to work better than anything else.


    Time passed and half a dozen flasks were filled. By then the fear on the vampire¡¯s face had morphed to ferocity and deliriousness.


    The loss of blood triggers the Thirst in vampires. The more blood is lost, the more it grows; until the it becomes so unbearable that they lose control of themselves and attack the nearest red-blooded creature.


    However, although it was evident this particular vampire had entered a frenzied state, she remained rooted without uttering a sound. It was clear as day that she wanted to move, but found herself unable to. Witnessing this, Isaac felt a bout of uneasiness encroaching as his gaze moved to the phantom¡­


    After filling up the sixth flask, the undead in question sealed the bottles and called to Nyx, who readily responded before proceeding to jump off Isaac¡¯s shoulder and run up to her.


    ¡°Grab the flasks, and the girl,¡± Sage ordered. ¡°There might be use for her later.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master!¡± the cat responded eagerly.


    Then he swallowed the flasks, walked over to feral vampire and sucked her in, something which caused Isaac¡¯s brows to tilt upwards. Had the cat always been able to swallow a person?


    As soon as the question came, it was cast aside when Sage vanished from her spot. Not a moment later she appeared in front of the throne and sat herself down. One elbow rested on an arm of the throne, belonging to the hand which was used to support her chin. She folded her legs comfortably and, with her free hand, beckoned the cat. In response, Nyx rushed to her and jumped into her lap. When Sage¡¯s unoccupied hand stroked his fur, he let out a satisfied purr.


    ¡°You went against my wishes Isaac.¡± The phantoms eyes, honed to a glare once again, returned to him.


    ¡°Do you expect me to apologise?¡± he scoffed.


    ¡°An apology that isn¡¯t genuine is meaningless. I¡¯d rather not have it,¡± she replied. ¡°But I¡¯m still curious. Why?¡±


    ¡°To leave a town of innocent people at the mercy of a vile undead is against everything I stand for,¡± he answered honestly, boldly staring back. ¡°If you truly wanted me to not interfere, you should have specifically ordered me against it.¡±


    For a second the anger in the phantom¡¯s eyes intensified. However, she did not lash out. Instead she took a deep breath and exhaled, allowing the anger to thaw in the process. If Isaac wanted to push her to eliminate him, he was going to have to work harder.


    ¡°This scenario is happening in hundreds of places around Rekke. What difference does it make if there is one more community being stalked by a vampire? Was it that hard to avert your eyes?¡±


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s happening in front of me, I will never avert my eyes,¡± he replied strongly. ¡°As an agent of the righteous Goddess I have sworn to protect the people and route out Her enemies!¡±


    ¡°Agent of Shea?¡± a scoff was added to her glare. ¡°You were stripped of Paladin status.¡±


    ¡°Being a member of the Order is only a formality,¡± Isaac fired back. ¡°As long as I worship the Radiant Goddess with all my heart, I will continue to be her agent.¡±


    An unpleasant smile wormed its way to Sage¡¯s lips. ¡°Do you think your goddess will still accept your worship, considering what you have become?¡±


    ¡°Undead are an abomination,¡± he said, foregoing an answer. ¡°They defile the sacred realm of the Goddess and must be eliminated!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t answer my question, can you?¡± the phantom snarled. ¡°No surprise there. You¡¯re a fucking fanatic. You choose only the parts of your goddess that you like while wilfully ignoring what you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hold your tongue, filthy undead!¡± he snarled.


    It was via the grace of Shea that life persisted. That alone was enough for him to express his gratitude. He had been a starving child on the streets when a priestess of Shea picked him up. Later he had been trained in how to serve the Goddess. His entire existence was owed to Her mercy. For that reason he would not allow anyone- ANYONE- to speak ill of Her.


    In response, Sage¡¯s glare eased into something akin to amusement. She stopped leaning on her hand and sank into the throne. The shift was less than two seconds, and in that all time she never let up on stroking the cat, or keeping her eyes on Isaac.


    ¡°You continue to talk as if you are not one,¡± she finally replied. When he did not respond back, she continued. ¡°An interesting fact to note is that there is no mention of necromancy in records from the beginning of the Arcane Era. In fact, there is no mention of the dead crawling out of their graves until the Days of Gloom. There are texts from that time-period that speak of bringing the dead back to live. But the process was deemed a failure; [Resurrection] had been tried and deemed impossible. Yet, during the Gloom corpses were walking about and those who perished before reaching the end of their lifespan could be brought back to life.


    ¡°Pray tell, what major event happened between the appearance of Argun and that of the Dark Lord? Why did an art previous deemed impossible suddenly become viable?¡± Her gaze towards him turned meaningful. ¡°Being such a loyal Shean dog, I¡¯m sure you have already figured it out. After all, was it not the reason why the Church of Life covered it up to the point where they altered the Creation epic?¡±


    ¡°YOU WILL NOT SLANDER THE GODDESS IN MY PRE-¡±


    ¡°YOUR FUCKING GODDESS KILLED THE ASPECT OF DEATH!¡± Sage yelled over him. Then, in a lower voice, she went on. ¡°The righteous Shea saw what Rakka did to Tizhura and thought she could reciprocate it with Vatran. Shea hungered for more power, but fucked up and failed!


    ¡°With no successor to the Sleeper¡¯s domain, the Authority of Death diminished. This is why undead exist, but it is also the reason why it¡¯s possible to cast [Resurrection]. If Vatran were still alive, the dead would not rise in any form!¡±


    The phantom snarled further as her expression regained its original intensity.


    ¡°So you can quit your fucking comments about undead being vile abominations. Your goddess is responsible for our existence!¡±

 CHAPTER 89: THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS

    ¡°You vile, despicable liar!¡± Isaac yelled; his breathing ragged, causing the floor to crystalise before him. ¡°TAKE THAT BACK!¡±


    How dare she insinuate the most benevolent Goddess, by whose grace the living continued to exist, was responsible for the plague of undeath? It was ridiculous, only a fool would believe such nonsense!


    The abhorrent witch wants to weaken my faith in the Goddess!


    That had to be the reason why she spouted her groundless accusation. She sought to turn him from the Goddess, to make him abandon his convictions and make him more susceptible to her influence. After all, even though she could control his actions, his mind still belonged to himself. The phantom bitch desired to completely control him and would use any means to accomplish it. What else could be expected of a vile undead?


    ¡°You¡¯re in denial; what a surprise,¡± the witch said. ¡°It is typical of fanatics to live inside their own bubble in which only the things they can accept are allowed.¡±


    ¡°Take back your words and eat them you lying whore!¡± he demanded. Whether she controlled him or not, he was not going to listen to her lies. He would not allow her to drag the Goddess name through the mud! ¡°Vatran wished to bring death to all living beings and the Goddess stopped him!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t seriously believe that,¡± Sage replied, her tone oozing amusement. ¡°If that was truly the case, then there would be no reason for the Shean Church to go so far as try and erase Vatran¡¯s name from ancient texts.¡±


    ¡°The Goddess slew Vatran to prevent him from killing us,¡± he responded adamantly. He would not accept another reason. There was no other reason!


    ¡°Wow, the bastard is in complete denial,¡± Nyx- who had been enjoying being stroked on top of the head- turned and leered at him. ¡°Is your tiny brain unable to process the truth you¡¯ve been told, Isen?¡±


    A single glare in the annoying pet¡¯s direction caused it to squeak and quickly look away before slowly turning back to stare at him with a defiant pout. As for the obnoxious cat¡¯s owner, she maintained her forced smile.


    ¡°You know what I think?¡± she began. ¡°The reason why Sheans tried to strike Vatran¡¯s name from history was not because She killed Him and attempted to embody His Aspect, but that She failed to do so.


    ¡°The gods can fuck up too, and it¡¯s in their interest to make us believe otherwise.¡±


    ¡°I will not stand here listen to you continue to slander the Most Radiant Goddess any longer!¡± Isaac said through clenched teeth, his eyes strained to their limit.


    ¡°Like you have a choice!¡± the vile witch leaned forward, eyes blazing. Seeing the wild gaze in her eyes, Isaac believed she was not far from jumping out of the throne and pouncing him. However, what actually happened was the opposite. She leaned into the throne while simultaneously inhaling deeply and then exhaled. The process served to dispel her anger, leaving only a cold void in her eyes. ¡°But we¡¯re done with this topic. Now, we¡¯ll return to your blatant disregard for my wishes to play hero.¡± Her black eyes, now reminiscent of the abyss, drilled into him; her lips now wearing a smile more false than the previous one. ¡°Congratulations Isaac. I¡¯ve decided to grant your wish. You will be a hero to the people of Tima.¡±


    Despite having become an undead that leveraged cold as a weapon, the phantom¡¯s cool gaze impacted him more than her fiery one had. Her tone, more than her words, froze his back rigid. In his time with the Paladin Order, he had witnessed this kind of shift in demeanour several times. An individual who suddenly stopped raging was similar to a dog that suddenly quit barking; more silent, more controlled¡­ more dangerous.


    ¡°Your antics have lured much of the town¡¯s population to the castle gate. However, they are unable to enter. Neither are the people inside able to leave. I have erected a [Storm Barrier] to ensure that.¡±


    [Storm Barrier] was a 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell used to box people in a certain area. For those within the barrier, it was like being in the eye of a storm. They were not safe as long as they did run to the edge and or try to escape. If they did so they would be ripped apart by the barrier walls.


    Hearing that she had isolated them from the outside only served to increase Isaac¡¯s unease. No one who employed such tactics ever did so with good intentions.


    ¡°[Storm Barrier] has a finite timespan,¡± the witch continued, getting up from her seat. ¡°So we better get busy. Follow me.¡±


    Without waiting for his response, she stepped away from the throne and walked past him. As he was unable to resister her orders, the only thing he could do was turn around and follow. Their destination was the room opposite the throne, the entrance hall. The guards he had knocked out when he broke into the castle were still laid out on the floor. Not much time had passed since he had fought them, less than ten minutes if he had to guess.


    The lying witch walked over to the comatose knight and stood over him, looking down at him before looking at Isaac. Her gaze constantly shifted between the two, as if expecting him to figure out what she wanted him to do. She was not patient enough to wait for him to interpret her intentions though. After seconds passed without a response from him, she let up.


    ¡°Well, go on.¡±


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    ¡°What?¡± he asked, his voice conveying puzzlement.


    If his heart could still beat, it would be thumping uncontrollably in that moment. He might have conveyed a confused fa?ade, but deep down he had guessed what she wanted. Silently, he prayed to the Goddess that she did not expect him to do what he thought.


    ¡°We need to get rid of all witnesses if we¡¯re going to sell the story of your heroics,¡± the phantom witch¡¯s cold tone killed this hope.


    ¡°No!¡± he vehemently rejected. ¡°I will not do it! I will not become a murderer.¡±


    The atrocious bitch showed almost no reaction, having obviously anticipated his reaction. However, her gaze was unrelenting.


    ¡°You should have thought of that before you decided prance out on your own to play hero,¡± she said, her nonchalant tone oozing chilling venom. ¡°Your abilities aren¡¯t something a normal warrior has access to. We already have a horse whose breath can freeze the air. If the townspeople learn about more of our oddities, their suspicion would grow to the point where it will draw unwanted attention.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your excuse to massacre the people in the castle,¡± Isaac sounded as incredulous as he sounded. ¡°Can¡¯t you just [Teleport] us away? They would never know it was me who stormed the castle.¡±


    The phantom remained unyielding. ¡°If we could ensure your antics remained secret, that would be for the best. Unfortunately we are past that point. There are countless townspeople who saw you racing up the mountain minutes before the castle alarm was sounded. Also, the horse is outside the castle walls with the people. Do you expect me to appear in front of them and [Teleport] it away before their eyes?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± he argued. ¡°You¡¯ve used magic in front of them before.¡±


    ¡°In Tima the spells I used were basically parlour tricks to sow their curiosity,¡± Sage retorted. ¡°Although Lethians have a distrust for sorcery, due to the simpleness of my displays, they did not perceive the spells as threatening. However, do you think it will continue to be the case if I showed them what my magic is actually capable of?¡±


    ¡°I refuse!¡± Isaac shouted. Even if she used her power over him, he would resist as much as he could to prevent himself from committing such an atrocity!


    ¡°Oh Isaac,¡± she shook her head in disproval before returning her cold eyes to him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me forcing you because I won¡¯t. Whether you kill the witnesses or not will be entirely up to you.¡±


    If it was possible for him to feel a greater chill from the undead witch¡¯s words, that statement had achieved the effect.


    ¡°What will happen if I refuse?¡± he asked, unable to stop the quivering in his voice. There was no way a heartless monster like her would just let the people go on their way without doing anything.


    ¡°I will destroy the castle and the town,¡± she responded emotionlessly before her voice took on a casual tone. ¡°There are several spells I¡¯ve always wanted to try out; like [Tornado] and [Blizzard]. By the way, do you think a combination of [Quake] and [Conflagration] would be effective in levelling Tima?¡±


    When she started talking, Isaac had been hyperventilating like when she defamed the Goddess earlier, causing the air around him to freeze. He clenched his hand tightly while gritting his teeth; his eyes strained as he glared into her empty eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fucking monster!¡± he hissed.


    If only he did not have to follow her orders. If only he had not become an undead. If only he had not been careless during their first encounter and gotten her blood on himself. If only¡­ so many if onlys, all yearnings for the same thing. If only he could kill the undead bitch!


    ¡°I don¡¯t deny that,¡± she replied. ¡°But I was willing to leave this town without making mess. You, on the other hand, just had to get involved in matters that had nothing to do with you despite knowing I¡¯m opposed to it. Now you¡¯re reaping what you sowed. You made this mess Isaac, now you have to clean it up. Learn from this and hopefully make better decisions next time.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it!¡± he repeated. However, his voice lacked its original strength. ¡°I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just get to it,¡± she said, raising her hand and channelling her mana.


    However, before she could finish, the previously unconscious knight kicked at her feet before jumping up. After that, he went into momentary crouch to pick up a spear lying on the floor with the intention of using it as a weapon against Isaac. However, unfortunately the sweep had failed, instead phasing through the phantom¡¯s body. The knight had just gotten his hand on the spear before he was forced to relinquish it as his hands flew to his throat. The knight tried to claw away the invisible force that suddenly took hold of him and was lifting him off the ground; to no avail. He could only struggle and choke in vain.


    The witch¡¯s left hand pointed to the knight in a strangling motion while her right continued to carry the cat. Turning to Isaac, her empty eyes expectant.


    ¡°Will you do it, or do I have to?¡± she asked quietly. ¡°Make you decision quickly, I haven¡¯t got all day. Also, take into account that once I start, I will not stop until everything around me is rubble. Late decisions won¡¯t dissuade me either.¡±


    Isaac winced strongly to muffle the rising squirm. Often when she spoke, the witch spouted lies. However, this time he could see it in her abyss-like eyes; she was dead serious. If he did nothing, she would kill everyone in the vicinity. She doesn¡¯t want them to see the extent of her magic? Utter bullshit! Where was that concern in the village whose inhabitants had locked themselves in to avoid them. What the despicable witch was doing now was solely to get back at him, to teach him a lesson.


    With no other choice, he raised his sword and aimed for the knight¡¯s chest. His thrust penetrated the man¡¯s armour without difficulty, piercing him straight through the heart. The telekinetic force lifting the man faded, causing his corpse to clatter to the floor. In the process, his helm came loose, revealing a middle-aged face bleeding from the corner of the mouth; bearing hazel eyes wide from terror.


    ¡°Good,¡± the monstrous bitch said, her voice as dead as he felt. ¡°Continue.¡±


    Every time he sunk his broadsword in a castle guard¡¯s chest, his own constricted. Seeing their innocent blood pool under his feet, there was nothing he wanted more than to throw his weapon away and lament his actions. Unfortunately, he had to force himself to continue. No matter how agonising it was to carry out these actions, it was all he could do to prevent a greater tragedy. The only saving grace was that none of them were awake when he killed them.


    When it was done and all the guards were dead, their blood covered more than three quarters of the entrance hall. By this point Isaac¡¯s chest felt so tight it was no longer possible to breath. Had he still been human, this would have been an excruciating endeavour. Unfortunately, his lack of needing air caused him to survive through his horrendous acts. The strain on his eyes had gotten so intense the world was presented in blurry doubles. Even so, it was no struggle to pick out the instigator, the undead witch responsible for the current tragedy.


    I will never forget this! he swore.


    The undead in action seemed unaffected by his glare. Her cool voice reached his ears, empty like her dead heart.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t got all day. Raise them and send them to take care of every living person in the castle.¡±

 CHAPTER 90: SHIFTING BLAME

    When the ordeal was complete, many of the castle¡¯s rooms- kitchen, servant and guard quarters and even the dungeon- were splayed with crimson. Much of this red was accompanied by broken bodies and scattered entrails, empty terrified eyes and gapping mouths which had long ceased screaming. Everyone in the castle- from the lowest cleaning maid to the baron himself- had perished; Sage had made sure of it. She had even sent Nyx into the shadows to sniff out hidden paths and survivors. All potential witnesses had to be purged.


    During the entire process she had used {Ghostwalk} in conjunction with [Flight] to avoid getting any blood on herself. Isaac on the other hand did not have the same luxury. He had dealt the killing blows to many of the castle¡¯s residents, which- considering he used a sword- needed him in close proximity to his victims. The end result saw him smeared in crimson.


    His expression was one of pain; a clenched jaw with tightly pressed lips, scrounged cheeks and drooping whiteless eyes. There was anger there somewhere, but Sage could not be bothered to look closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± she said, feeling Nyx return to her shadow. ¡°You can let them go.¡±


    Her words seemed like a puppeteer¡¯s scissors, the moment she uttered them he dropped his sword and fell to the ground like a stringless marionette. There was a clang as the corrupted weapon made contact with the floor, a slight distraction from the black armoured knight¡¯s knees impacting it. The act repeated itself with the ghoulish serfs in sight dropping lifelessly to the floor.


    Gone was the knight¡¯s constipated fa?ade, replaced by a void. The empty gaze of his black eyes now seemed like the windows to the Abyss than anything else. He was completely out of it, much more than he had been when he discovered he had become an undead.


    The bastard¡¯s emotional state was of no consequence to Sage, but to leave him pouting like a wounded beast could fuck up what happened next. Though, the townsfolk seeing his eyes was enough to throw any plan she had to quell the suspicions they might have developed at this point out the window.


    ¡°Put on the helm, will you?¡± she said to him.


    Fortunately, {Corruption} was able to repair corrupted armaments; it would have been a real hassle to require another helm minutes after they got this one. Also, one of the holes in the damn thing had been too close to the visor. Anyone with a good set of peepers would have been able to make out Isaac¡¯s eye through it.


    ¡°Now pick up the sack and let¡¯s get going,¡± she ordered after he had covered his face.


    The sack in question was a large brown bag sitting a short distance from them while sponging up the crimson pool on the ground. Occasionally it endured constant twisting and shape shifting as the delirious creature within fumed. Unfortunately for her, Sage¡¯s orders could get through to her even in her feverish state, rendering her unable to escape.


    The castle yard lacked the concentrated crimson of the inside, but it was nonetheless there. The guards that Isaac had first engaged upon entering lay about the greenery with slit throats and opened guts. Plopped next to them were their bloodless pale companions with shrivelled skin; those who had just been released from the pale knight¡¯s ability.


    Above the castle wall the wind wailed violently, a barrier of wrath keeping out the intruders. However, she could feel it weakening. In a few moments it would dissipate completely, allowing those it had kept out to enter.


    ¡°Prepare yourself,¡± she said to the pale knight, her gaze fixed on the iron gates.


    No sooner had the words left her mouth, when the wind ceased and the [Storm Barrier] vanished. Not a moment later there came banging from the other side of the gates. Something heavy was smashed against them with a force that seemed to shake the foundations of the castle walls. The banging repeated rhythmically, causing the gates to ever so slightly dent inwards. The folk on the other side would be through any moment.


    Sage¡¯s eyes momentarily left the gates to sweep the surrounding, taking in the gory scene of butchered bodies and decayed corpses. There was little doubt that the ones trying to break in would not take it well. The murder of the baron as well as guardsmen and castle servants who were more than likely related to many of them, would elevate their blood to boiling point. Fortunately, she had already devised a way to offset that anger, a simple tale to direct it elsewhere.


    Under the continued assault of the folk on the other side, the gates finally cave and swung open. Almost immediately, a crowd shuffled into the courtyard. Many were normal townsfolk dressed in casual clothes, some of which were spattered with various liquids and spices. Clearly, they had been in festivities before the alarm bell rang. At the head of this crowd were the town guards, all with their weapons raised. The mercenary duo from the inn was present as well. All their expressions were the furthest thing from friendly.


    Fucking dammit!


    She strained her eyes to catch the bastard responsible in the corner of her vision. If the fucker had let sleeping dogs lie, none of this would have happened! By now, they would have been out of the city and on their merry way to the next settlement. Memory of them would linger in the minds of the Timafolk; but only for a while, before time eventually being eventually swept it away. But nooooo¡­ the arsehole had to fuck up everything with his holier-than-thou attitude! His actions ensured the two of them would be remembered not only for decades, but they would likely become a tale the townsfolk pass on to their descendants. Also, the death of a baron would not escape the Lethian aristocracy. News would definitely spread.


    ¡°Was this your doing?¡± one of the soldiers asked, horrified eyes scanning the courtyard.


    As brave as they looked when they entered, that bravado simmered after taking a look at the courtyard. Even the mercenary duo, who appeared confident in the beginning, shifted uncomfortably after eyeing the scene.


    Can¡¯t I just kill them all? The thought flashed through Sage¡¯s mind. However, she quickly relented.


    The killing of everyone in the castle was a necessity if she wanted to keep their notoriety to a minimum. However, the wholesale slaughter of an entire town would be going overboard. She might have deemed eliminating all potential witnesses as necessary, but she had not been enthused about the idea. More murder was not the answer to this predicament, not if there was another way to solve it.


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    ¡°Hey!¡± the soldier shouted with a nervous edge, likely due to the fact that she and the bastard had yet to respond. ¡°Answer me dammit! Are the two of you responsible for all this?¡±


    Before he could get any jumpier and possibly start an altercation that would most certainly get out of control, she sighed and took a step forward, psyching herself to get into character while making a point to ignore the sudden barrage of weapons shoved in her face.


    ¡°Well, I can see how this looks like,¡± she began loudly, projecting a casual tone. She raised her hands and indicated to the surrounding while twirling in the process. She stopped on the Isaac, whose bloody appearance did not inspire the greatest confidence in their innocence. ¡°But if you are willing to lower your weapons for a minute, I can tell you- or rather, show you- what happened. If you¡¯re willing to listen.¡±


    An uneasy shuffle went around the crowd as the guards and townsfolk looked at each other with uncertainty. However, a single voice cut through them before they came to a decision.


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust her. She¡¯s a witch!¡±


    The male mercenary stepped in front of the crowd to address them. His female companion joined him. Both had their weapons up; while the guy had his sword pointed at Sage, the girl¡¯s bow was aimed to her side, presumably at Isaac.


    ¡°Her kind are vile and deceitful,¡¯ the female mercenary added. ¡°Don¡¯t believe a word she says!¡±


    ¡°Oh, your words wound me deep,¡± Sage responded sarcastically. ¡°But I¡¯ll have you remember that I am an alchemist. Though I have to admit¡­ I am not on the level of the Nutritionist who helped you improve your physiques.¡±


    The two opened their mouths in response, but no words came out.


    She stopped focusing on them to address the crowd once more.


    ¡°As I said earlier. If you give me a minute, I will tell you what happened and reveal the culprit. All I need is a moment and you can make your own conclusions afterwards.¡±


    The crowds shared looks among themselves once more before the guard in front glared at her and lowered his weapon.


    ¡°You have a minute,¡± he spat.


    The mercenary duo did not look happy with the decision, not that it mattered. She turned around and beckoned the pale knight to her. The arsehole in question approached with slow and sluggish steps that certainly raised a few eyebrows from the crowd. She wilfully chose to ignore it.


    ¡°Please excuse my knight¡¯s demeanour,¡± she addressed the mob. ¡°He is overwhelmingly distraught by the tragedy that just occurred; as you all are, I¡¯m sure. Isen tends to lose his voice in these types of situations.¡±


    ¡­ and his voice would be gone until they left this place. The last thing she needed was for him to open his mouth and fuck up again.


    She turned back to him and ordered, ¡°open it.¡±


    Before the bastard stepped forward, not many had taken notice of the large sack being dragging along; now it appeared difficult to not fixate on it considering the its constant shifting while releasing animalistic growls.


    It was still morning and the sun was hours from reaching the peak. The bastard was standing in the shade when he opened the sack, dumping a disoriented woman with ruffled hair and a blood-stained dress to the ground. Upon regaining her freedom, the woman jumped to her feet, crimson eyes looking around while rosy lips- which failed to conceal countless fangs- dripped with saliva. Her eyes finally settled on the crowd, her feral gaze causing many of them to take a few steps backs. When the woman raised her long-nailed hands and pounced, they could not hold back frightened shrieks. Fortunately for them, they were standing in the sun. The feral woman tried to reach them, but the moment her hands left the shade they burst into flames. Hurriedly, she retracted them with a pained howl.


    ¡°Since I stepped into this town, I have been hearing about a disease afflicting the youth,¡± Sage chose this moment to continue. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I did not think much of it until some of you approached me earlier this morning to check on your ill children. I got my first suspicions upon checking the youngsters and realising the one thing they had in common was anaemia, which is caused by lack of blood. Obviously, none of the youths had any serious injuries, which meant the loss of blood was an intentional act by someone skilled enough to leave few traces. I had Isen asked around before we came to the conclusion of who the culprit was.¡±


    She raised her hand pointed at the howling vampire, whose hands had stopped burning; the wounds were visibly healing.


    ¡°This is the musician who came into town last month and holed herself in the castle at the request of the baron the baron. In actuality she is a vampire, an undead monster that preys on the innocent. This vile creature bewitched the baron and everyone in the castle, putting them under her spell so she could stay in the castle and conveniently harvest their blood! Even then, her appetite was unquenchable. Your kin who worked in the castle were not enough for her. In her insatiable thirst, she decided to target your children as well!¡±


    As she continued, the pitch of her voice elevated. Raw emotion crept into it¡­ anger. She was fucking furious at Isaac for this whole clusterfuck they had gotten into! However, as far as the crowd was concerned, she was mad at the vampire¡¯s actions. That worked for her.


    ¡°We came here to try and free the baron and everyone. But unfortunately, this monster caught onto our intensions and went on a murder spree. Blood is not only a vampire¡¯s food; it is also the source of their strength; they fling it at their opponents like a weapon.¡± After saying this she lowered her head in a remorseful posture. ¡°My apologies, we¡¯ve tried everything in our power to stop her, but we failed to prevent her from killing everyone including Lord Ennard. It was an arduous struggle, but we managed to subdue her.¡± She raised her head and looked at the crowd, hardening her eyes in the process. ¡°Believe me when I say we wanted to end her for what she had done, but we stopped ourselves upon realising that- justified as our anger was- it was not our people that she murdered. It was yours!¡± she pointed a finger at the crowd. ¡°She killed your kin, so it is only right that you be the ones to deal with her!¡±


    Over her speech, the anger that pervaded the crowd when they first stormed the castle courtyard had risen severalfold. However, it was no longer directed at her and Isaac. Instead, the crowd¡¯s bloodshot eyes lingered on the feral vampire trying her best to stay in the ever-diminishing shade. The mercenary duo too had shifted their glares to the vampire.


    Then, the lead soldier lifted his spear and charged forward with a war cry, plunging his weapon into the vampire¡¯s chest and being rewarded a shriek from her. The crowd followed his example.


    Although the vampire had a powerful physique, her delirium made it impossible for her to fend of the sheer size of the crowd as they hooked their weapons into her flesh and dragged her out of the shade.


    ¡°Get the horse and let¡¯s go,¡± she muttered to Isaac, turning away from the spectacle.


    Her departure from this place was long overdue. Even if she wanted to stay longer, the fact that they had been involved in what happened made it unfeasibly impossible.


    It was best to sneak away while the crowd was venting their emotions. Also, Sage had not had enough time to prepare her story, which left it with a bunch of holes. People were stupid and would believe anything, especially in the heat of the moment. However, when the anger died down a rare individual would start making smart inquiries; like, how the corpses of the guards in the courtyard were not in the shade. Maybe this story would spread and catch the attention of a knowledgeable person, who would then come an explain to the townsfolk what vampires were and were not capable of, casting light on the nature of the disposed ghouls.


    When that happened, Sage hoped to be as far from Tima as possible. Hopefully, she would have gotten what she came to this land for and fucked out of Lethia by then.

 CHAPTER 91: BLOOD

    The moment they got on the helhurst, it sped out of Tima and did not stop until long after the sun had set. Sage had to admit, the beast was incredibly fast and its undead nature ensured its speed never diminished. The terrain around them changed several times; from hills to the forest and then the open plain. At some point, she got fed up with the strong gusts attacking her face and took refuge in Nyx {Void Space}. When she exited the Space, darkness had fallen and the horse strode on. Although she did not have an accurate measure of how far they had gotten from Tima, she had little doubt that it was a fair distance.


    Yet the road remained empty. If they had passed by any place with a hint of civilisation, it must have been while she was in the Space. The scenery that met her after she came out was still the plains, only she had no clue whether it was the one from before she went into the Space or if the horse had passed another terrain in between.


    ¡°Stop the horse,¡± she yelled over the wind. ¡°This is far enough.¡±


    Isaac¡¯s actions were as stiff and mechanical as when they had been confronted by the crowd, nonetheless he brought the helhurst to a halt effortlessly. The beast glared at her when she got off and gave a frosty snort when she returned the glare, before looking away; it seemed the creature¡¯s opinion of her had not improved.


    ¡°Go do whatever you want,¡± she declared. ¡°I¡¯ll be resting here for a while.¡±


    With that, she telekinetically plopped up the earth, moulded it into a chair and cast [Transmute] to harden it to stone to enable her to sit on it. Then she plopped herself down, took out a book and began to read.


    It was one of the books she had gotten from the Cryptmaker. This particular one was an encyclopaedia of sorts that listed undead creatures, with illustrations and rituals to create those undead included where applicable. Although she had already read it, back then she had merely skimmed through it, checking only the parts she deemed important. Now, she flipped to the vampire pages and thoroughly perused them.


    Vampires are the offspring of the Blood Sorceress¡­ blah, blah, blah; something anyone with the slightest knowledge on the subject knew. Apart from the obvious crimes of blood sacrifices, there was mention of an unknown sin the Blood Sorceress committed that apparently angered the Sun, making Her hate her and all her progeny. Unlike in the movies on Earth, there was nothing that could protect vampires from the sun¡¯s wrath; not special herbs, not an Elixir and not Ultra-Order magic. When one became a vampire, it was a guarantee that they would never see the sun ever again.


    Being a kind of encyclopaedia, the book listed the characteristics of vampires. First were the simple ones, like their unusual attractiveness and their ability to {Charm} anyone who was attracted to them. But of course there were others. Their most recognisable ability was {Haemamancy}, which allowed them to manipulate blood- whether theirs or another¡¯s- in any manner they desired. With this ability, they were able to scatter themselves into several Blood Familiars to escape attacks or perform them. However, the latter was an ephemeral technique that undid itself after a dozen seconds. Vampires also possessed the ability to escape through shadows, though it was nowhere near as advanced as Nyx¡¯s {Shadow Travel}, or even an Umbral Felis¡¯ for that matter.


    A vampire¡¯s mana was proportional to its physique; meaning the stronger it¡¯s the body, the greater its mana quality. The vampire they had just handed over to the Tima mob was not weak by any standards, having a Grade 3 body and burgundy mana. In all honesty, Isaac had been outclassed in their fight. His physique may have been superior, but his unfamiliarity with his abilities had put him at a great disadvantage. If not for his Netherkin ability kicking in and weakening the vampire, the result would have been different.


    Another thing I was unaware of, she thought, momentarily looking up from the book.


    The only things she had known about Netherkin, apart from the fact that they could be of any undead race, was that they could weaken an enemy¡¯s Dark Magic and strengthen an ally¡¯s. Also, those who summoned and bound a Netherkin were able to engrave a single spell of every magic Order they had achieved on them. In some cases this was a godsend that allowed them to Advance.


    What she had been unaware of was the fact that they could actually weaken other undead. Did that mean they could strengthen them as well? There was a lot she did not know. Netherkin were a rare bunch that only few on Aran had come into contact with. Like the phantom, not much was known about them. However, Sage was somewhat certain she could not be affected by Isaac¡¯s ability; just like how Manakin were unable to weaken the spells of an Arcaneborne. The downside of this was that the bastard could not buff her Dark Magic either.


    Sage got back into the encyclopaedia, familiarising herself with all the traits of vampires that had been jotted before setting down in the book and demanding Nyx give her one of the blood-filled flasks. When the cat regurgitated it into her hand, she brought it to eye level and cast [Mystic Eyes].


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    The vampiric blood contained a swirl of mana she had not seen in a normal human¡¯s blood. It was relatively a miniscule amount, sparser than even the amount carried by someone with an H aptitude. However, the way the mana blended into the blood was unusual. Somehow, it seemed to be invigorating the blood. To what end, she could only guess.


    I ought to test it out, she thought to herself.


    It was a shame the encyclopaedia did not have a ritual to create a vampire, considering the fact that none were capable of the act. Even the Blood Sorceress, now that she was no longer a sorceress, she too was unable to create a new breed of vampires.


    One thing the encyclopaedia did mention however, was how the transformation to a vampire occurred. Unlike the movies, a single bite would not do; if it had been so, the sick youths in Tima would have spotted fangs long ago.


    Turning someone into a vampire required the vampire to drain the target of half their blood before feeding them their own blood. The process must be carried out in this way or it would not work.


    I can test it out, she thought. Turning to Nyx, she ordered. ¡°Fetch me a critter. Make sure not to not harm it too severely.¡±


    It only took a couple of minutes before her familiar popped out of her shadow while dragging a squirrel. The cat had sunk its fangs into the critter¡¯s back leg, injuring it in such a way that it could not escape. Despite being extremely annoying, Nyx was surprisingly smart.


    Sage patted him on the head before taking the squirming rodent and cast [Pain Nullification] before opening up a vein on its injured leg. Then she took an empty flask and held it over the open wound, allowing the blood to fall in. The creature was lively at first, but by the time the flask had filled quarter-way, its struggles considerably dimmed. She then seared its wound shut before setting it down. Then, she took the vampire-blood flask and proceeded to pour a half its content into the squirrel-blood flask. Again, she activated [Mystic Eyes] and observed the miniscule vampiric mana latch itself onto the squirrel blood and begin transforming it to vampiric blood. Afterwards, she grabbed the squirrel, forced its mouth open, and proceeded to feed it the blood mixture. Finally, she placed it on the ground and observed it with her mana-infused eyes for the next several minutes.


    It was a shame [Mystic Eyes] was a 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell. The mana she continuously consumed to keep it active for the several hours it would take for the transformation to be completed was more than she possessed. She had used up all the Spirit Potions she had gotten from the Cryptmaker as well. So, she was unable to observe the entire process from start to finish.


    Obviously, the purpose of this experiment was to learn how to create a vampire of her own. Having one serving her did not seem like a bad idea. From what she had seen, it could prove extremely useful.


    All past efforts to duplicate the Blood Sorceress¡¯ success had ended in failure; however, none of them had been performed Sage. Her instinctual understanding of Dark Magic, particularly necromancy, made her well-suited to figure it out. She was capable of grasping concepts which the Cryptmaker had stated in his notes took him years to understand. Also, she was capable of altering the undead creation ritual to achieve the variant results she desired. The Blood Sorceress might have created vampires, probably through Blood Magic- which Sage, as an individual lacking normal blood could never learn- but a few weeks or months of studying the process and she was confident she could figure out how to duplicate the process.


    She was Darkborne after all.


    After switching off [Mystic Eyes], she made a point to look at Isaac, who sat on ground the with his legs crossed. His armour was no longer littered with blood, meaning they must have passed a water source while she hid in the refuge. The knight¡¯s head sagged aimlessly and, although he still wore his helmet, his demeanour was telling enough to reveal the face he wore under it was one of anger and anguish. The helhurst kept nibbing at his shoulder, likely an effort to cheer him up.


    Race: Pallid Knight (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 2


    Mana: A (Orange)


    Title(s): Netherkin


    The events that had occurred in Tima had improved his mana. If he continued to use his abilities and familiarise himself with them, then it was possible that in a few months to a few years he could be bring his mana at least up to burgundy or cyan quality. However, in his current state he was unlikely to get anything done.


    Sage had not made a sentient undead out of the former Tiih Guard Captain to have him to be wallowing in misery. She had done it because she wanted someone who could help her fulfil her goals; someone with a functioning brain that did not require being told what to do every time. Also; she was aware it was petty, but wanted to make the bastard suffer for the trouble his actions had put her through.


    Of course the bastard had been distraught to find out he had become undead. For the briefest moment, she actually enjoyed his misery. Now, it was not fun anymore. The bastard was a stubborn pain in the arse. His actions in Tima were not what she had had in mind when she raised him as her knight.


    Maybe I should break the contract and send him to hell, was a thought that crossed her mind while she had cooled off in Nyx¡¯s {Void Space}. Be done with him and write off her first attempt of creating a sentient undead as a failure.


    However, as usual, she quickly talked herself out of it. She had bled a shitton to make a masterpiece from a rare specimen. There was no fucking way she was going to let him go just like that!


    Which left a single solution, compromise. It was annoying and she was unwilling, but she was also tired of the current predicament. Since they were going to stay together, they needed to at least tolerate each other.


    ¡°Isaac, take off the helm,¡± she spoke up. ¡°We need to talk.¡±

 CHAPTER 92: TALK

    If Sage was being honest, she could have prevented Isaac from ever taking a step in the castle courtyard; very easily in fact. As he was her undead, all she needed to do was recall him via [Contract Summon]. It had been her initial intention upon discovering him veering off course. However, a bit of ruminating and she decided to let him have his way. The reason? So she could take the opportunity to get into the baron¡¯s library.


    Also, she decided to teach Isaac a lesson. If he was going to seek loopholes in their contract to cause trouble, she would make him personally mop up his mess, even if it meant killing dozens of civilians. However, to say she was satisfied with how the situation had unfolded would be an outright lie.


    Ordering the massacre of civilians was not something she had ever imagined herself doing. Sure, she gave few fucks about the common man, but she would not go out of her way to harm them. At least that was what she had thought. Now, after she had ordered the pale knight get rid of all witnesses, she realised she did not feel an inkling of guilt. Instead, what she harboured was anger and annoyance that Isaac had disobeyed and inconvenienced her.


    I am a really messed up person. It was not the first time she had come to the conclusion, but saying it to herself in that moment made it sink in just how true the statement was.


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± the knight asked after removing the helm. His words were trailed by a huff, which- similar his horse¡¯s- sent a misty breath outward.


    In response to his act, she took off her mask, inhaled deeply, exhaled and looked at his unfriendly mug.


    This was going to be long and unpleasant.


    ¡°We need to talk about how we will act towards each other going forward,¡± she began. ¡°What happened at the castle was an unpleasant tragedy that could have been avoided.¡±


    ¡°Unpleasant tragedy?¡± Isaac asked with a hint of a scoff. ¡°You forced me to kill innocents!¡±


    His tone caused her hand to fly to her temple, rubbing it softly. This was already off to a bad start.


    ¡°If you had just gotten the helm and returned, none of that would have happened,¡± she responded; as calmly as she could manage.


    ¡°And leave the people at the mercy of a bloodsucking predator?¡± he asked amidst frosty puffs.


    She toiled to keep her ticking features in check before responding. ¡°As I stated earlier. What was happening in Tima was not unique. This kind of thing happens across all across Rekke. You eliminating a single vampire is not going to solve the problem.¡±


    ¡°But it would have protected the townsfolk from this particular vampire,¡± he snarled back. ¡°And there would have only been one casualty if not for your involvement!¡±


    ¡°There would have been none if not for your involvement,¡± she countered.


    ¡°I will never let evil slide when it is in front of me!¡± Isaac roared with simmering eyes. He jumped to his feet and point a finger at her. ¡°And your restrictions are the only thing keeping me from attacking a evil monster like you!¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Sage could not help but chuckle as she too got up to face him. ¡°Ha! That¡¯s a first. I¡¯ve been called many things before; from monster, hellspawn, to deviant and even malicious. But this is the first time someone has actually come out and called me evil. That¡¯s hilarious!¡± She offered a dry laugh to go with her statement.


    If ever the was a more accepted idea than the juvenile notion of good and evil, she was unaware of it. It was baffling how the masses ate up shit concepts like this, considering the ever-changing landscape of morality and the justifications used by the ¡°good¡± people to commit atrocities. They are evil, has been the type excuse used by powerful nations like the Shean Holy Imperium to wipe out other nation for over a millennium. They legalised necromancy, the Goddess deemed them heretics and had to be dealt accordingly. They sacrificed children to evil gods and therefore are evil themselves, they deserve to be eliminated. These justifications did not need to be true, or even believe for that matter; after all, who would dare question those at the apex? Sometimes, all it took to designate some as evil was for them to worship a different god, one who opposed your own. For example, the followers of Vestrava and Atasha did not need much reason to slaughter each other.


    ¡°If I am evil, does that make you the good guy?¡± she asked, feeling the makings of a smirk on her face. ¡°Is that so¡­ Isaac the undead knight?¡±


    His clenched fists and deepening frown indicated that her words had gotten under his skin. ¡°If not for you, this would have never happened to me.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d let me go back then, I would still be in the geezer¡¯s tower learning magic,¡± she fired back. ¡°I would have never sought you out to get even.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I let you go then that all this happened!¡± he retorted. ¡°Your killing of a duke¡¯s son, your murder of Saana, turning me into a vile abomination and forcing me to massacre innocents; NONE OF IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I¡¯D DEALT WITH YOU DURING OUR FIRST ENCOUNTER!¡±


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    In response to his exclamations, Sage closed her eyes, took another deep breath, released it and opened her eyes to stare at him.


    Well¡­ she had tried, but it seemed having a cordial discussion with the bastard was wishful thinking.


    ¡°Fuck you Isaac,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of your self-righteous bullshit. What did Bori do that justified you trying to kill him?¡±


    ¡°Bori¡­ the necromancer?¡± he asked, posture turning defensive. ¡°When I confronted him at the black market, he resisted arrest and used his disgusting art on the dead to help him escape.¡±


    ¡°Dead people he killed, or those killed by you and your cronies upon storming the black market?¡± Isaac opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. ¡°You are a moronic fanatic who lacks the capacity to think of the bigger picture, so obsessed with enforcing your brand of justice that you fail to consider the consequences of your actions. That¡¯s why the Paladins kicked you out, because you¡¯re such a fucking burden to lug around!¡±


    ¡°How dare-¡±


    ¡°And what were you going to do after slaying the vampire?¡± she interrupted him. ¡°What were you going to say to the mob waiting outside after you had stormed the castle, knocked out the majority of the guards and beat up the baron? What were you going to say? I killed the vampire hiding in the castle because I am a worshiper of Shea? To followers of Vestrava? Would you have shown them your face as well, SO THEY CAN SEE THEIR SAVIOUR IN ALL HIS GLORY?¡±


    ¡°AND YOU FORCING ME TO KILL INNOCENTS WAS SUCH AN INSPIRED IDEA?¡± He shouted back. ¡°WHY NOT JUST TELEPORT US AWAY. WHAT DID YOU ACCOMPLISH APART FROM MAKING ME A KILLER OF INNOCENTS!¡±


    ¡°OH PLEASE!¡± she touted. ¡°FROM YOUR RECKLESS ACTIONS, I HAVE SERIOUS DOUBTS THOSE WERE THE FIRST INNOCENTS YOU¡¯VE KILLED! ALSO, DO I HAVE TO REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE BEHOLDEN TO ME AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND? I AM NOT HERE TO WIPE YOUR ARSE FOR YOU. IF YOU DO STUPID SHIT, YOU WILL MOP UP YOUR OWN FUCKING MESS!¡±


    ¡°IF I¡¯M SUCH AN INCONVENIENCE, WHY DON¡¯T YOU LET ME GO?¡± Isaac shouted. ¡°WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO FORCE THIS EXISTENCE UPON ME?¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT!¡± she yelled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that life as an undead is not the easiest; after all, I GET FUCKERS LIKE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME FOR NO REASON THAN THE FACT THAT I EXIST!¡±


    Her response sent the undead knight¡¯s eyebrows flying before they drooped in incredulity. ¡°UNBELIEVABLE! ARE YOU ACTUALLY SUGGESTING YOU ARE A GOOD UNDEAD WHO¡¯S NEVER HURT ANYONE AND ARE SIMPLY MISUNDERSTOOD?¡±


    ¡°LIKE I¡¯D GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THAT!¡± she shouted back. Taking another deep breath, she calmed herself before continuing. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is I have enemies, and I have goals. You, my dear knight, are going to help me fend off the former and achieve the latter.¡±


    ¡°You clearly don¡¯t like me,¡± Isaac grunted. ¡°I absolutely loath you. Why do you have to keep forcing me to serve you when we cannot stand each other? Why not just you let me go and find someone more agreeable with your methods? If they turn out to be as devoid of morals as you, they might even thank you for turning them into a monster.¡±


    There was no need to consider such a stupid suggestion.


    ¡°I bled a lot to turn you into what you are,¡± she scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve conducted a carefully prepared ritual to mould you into your current form. The type of undead you are, that was all my effort. You don¡¯t seem to be aware of it. You have figured out some of your abilities, but haven¡¯t a clue of their extent. Do you have any idea what happened during your fight with the vampire? Have you any grasp how rare- how valuable- you are? So no! If I am ever going to dismiss you, it will not be by dissolving our contract. The day I find I can no longer tolerate your shit; I will sell you to necromancer. At least that way, I could make a fortune while ridding myself of you!¡±


    ¡°YOU FU-¡±


    ¡°This discussion has gone on long enough,¡± she shut him down. ¡°And it¡¯s not going anywhere. But the way things are going, sooner or later I¡¯ll get the urge to worm my hands around your throat in a futile attempt to strangle you, right before I pawn your arse to a necromancer who, more than likely, surrounds himself with hundreds of corpses gained through the occasional pillaging of a remote village. Clearly, that is not the type of predicament you wish to find yourself and I have no desire to let go of a useful tool. So, how about we compromise?¡±


    Isaac opened his mouth to say something, but then seemed to think better of it and closed it. Then, he placed his hand on his chin and rubbed it in a thoughtful manner. Sage waited for him to finish, allowing his pale gaunt face to turn to her, his abyssal windows scrutinising her deeply.


    ¡°Tell me of this compromise and I¡¯ll see if I agree with it,¡± he said.


    His words brought about the urge to rebuke him. As if he truly had a choice; she was just being polite because she was tired of his crap!


    Of course she was not going to say that to him. Besides, the bastard was not so stupid that he had not figured it out himself.


    ¡°First off, no more acting out on your own when my head is turned,¡± she began. ¡°Second, your handle on your abilities suck; practice and improve them, you never know when they might come in handy. If you can do this, I won¡¯t force you kill innocents.¡±


    ¡°And the Church hunters that are definitely on your trail?¡¯ he asked. ¡°Will I be exempt from fighting them?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± she replied, stifling a scoff. ¡°But you¡¯re welcome to try and talk them out of picking a fight.¡±


    ¡°We both know that will never work!¡± he sneered. ¡°Your deal has no benefits for me; like, what do I need to do to finally get my freedom from you?¡±


    She thought of her for a while- about what she wanted most in the world- before answering. ¡°If you desire oblivion that much, all you have to do is bring me an Elixir of Rejuvenation and I will gladly send you to the Abyss.¡±


    ¡°An Elixir?¡± his voice carried a trace of incredulity and ridicule. ¡°Your proposal looks nothing like a compromise, considering the fact that you¡¯re shoving impossible tasks at me.¡±


    ¡°You know what? Let¡¯s just act more cordially towards each other. Try to tolerate each other as we are going to spend a lot of time together.¡±


    Him fighting her enemies, that will still happen no matter what; it was not a matter he had a choice in. However, she could not influence his attitude or change his personality; not without some very advanced illusionist/psychic magic.


    Isaac appeared to ponder the suggestion for a moment before he replied.


    ¡°Fine¡­ for now.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± she touted back.


    Not a satisfying conclusion, but it was what it was.


    With that, she sat down, recast [Mystic Eyes] and went back to observing the squirrel.

 CHAPTER 93: TRANSITION

    Taking on and off breaks from using [Mystic Eyes], Sage was able to follow the squirrel¡¯s transformation over the next couple of hours. She watched its futile struggle as the vampiric mana spread to its body; saw it writhing on the ground, as copious amounts of its blood fled to its eyes. In the final moments of its conversion, she lifted it in her palm and felt its tiny heart¡¯s insane throttle.


    The regular heartrate of a squirrel was around two hundred beats a minute, which- in her opinion- was already a wild number. In the last throes of this particular critter¡¯s struggle, its heart beats were so fast that they blended together, making it hard to get an accurate count without an adequate method. It did not take long before the ridiculous rate proved too much for the rodent, sending it over the edge and forcing its body to shut down. Sage observed silently as the life flowed out of the creature. An aura she associated with undead soon flowed into its tiny body.  Moments later its eyes sprang to life, two crimson orbs of madness. The rodent¡¯s fiery pools glared at her with intensity as it snarled deeply, revealing rows of jagged teeth in the process.


    She had gleaned a little from observing the metamorphosis, but not so much that she was able to figure out how to the reverse-engineer the process of creating a vampire from scratch. Maybe if she observed a few more transformation, her gains would be more significant. Looking into Blood Magic would be a good idea as well. Even though she was unable to use it, it could still possibly shed light on vampires. Unfortunately, the Cryptmaker had nothing on the subject, so she would have to search somewhere else.


    With the rodent still in her grasp, she cast [Dark Drain], watched the unlife flow out of its body into her and then tossed its ashy remains aside. After that, she got up, dusted herself off and put her mask back on.


    ¡°We¡¯ve lingered here long enough.¡± Her words were directed at Isaac. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Their talk had been fairly recent; it was too soon to know if it had amounted to anything. Only time would tell whether it was a success or not.


    With that, they were back on the road. As had previously transpired, she quickly got fed-up with the wind against her face and took refuge in Nyx¡¯s {Void Space} once more. Inside, she checked the map of Lethia that she had plundered from Baron Ennard¡¯s study. The map depicted the whole of Lethia, listing many features and settlements, including Tima. The first village they had passed was unsurprisingly not shown.


    The next large settlement after Tima was Rupheus, a relatively large city; the third largest in all of Lethia. One of the books Sage had plundered was titled Lethian Places of Note. She flipped through it and sure enough there were pages dedicated to their next destination.


    Rupheus was located on a barren patch, which usually did not bode well for settlements. However, the city¡¯s advantage was that it was surrounded by various mines of gold, silver and other precious metals. In fact, the place had started out as a mining outpost that grew way beyond its initial intention. Now it was one of the economic hubs of Lethia, a place famous in all Lethia for its artistry and metal-working. Anyone in the country with aspirations of becoming a well-known smith dreamt of apprenticing in Rupheus.


    Obviously, an economic stronghold was a place ripe for exploitation, a breeding ground for smuggling and other dark dealings; the perfect place to set up a black market. It would not hurt to look around once she got into the city. Perhaps she would find what she was looking for- a way to strengthen her physique- there. Then she could leave this land and head southwards, out of this part of Rekke. If she finds nothing¡­ then she would continue on to the capital city of Io. If she finds nothing there as well, she would give up and look elsewhere. Or maybe she would just come up with her own method.


    According to the blacksmith¡¯s wife, the journey from Tima to Rupheus was eleven days on horseback. However, that metric was linked to ordinary horses. The helhurst was an undead beast that required no sleep or sustenance; also, it was stronger than normal horses. Since it could run all day and night without tiring, if they maintained their speed, they would no doubt reach the city in less than three days.


    Sage stayed mostly in the Space reading her newly acquired books, though from time to time she would leave to see where they were and ask Isaac if they had passed any signs of civilisation. On all those occasions, the pale knight responded with a shake of the head, prompting her to return her sanctuary.


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    There turned out to be little worth note in the baron¡¯s books. Many of them were about Lethian aristocracy, some were classical poetry and others told tales of illicit affairs na?ve stupid girls found enticing. Sage skimmed over most of them before tossing them aside with extreme prejudice. Soon, she got tired of all of them and returned to the old familiar books on magic theory as well the notes on undead creation.


    Somewhere along the way, she decided to check back on the spell models of [Harm], [Repair Mortis] and all those from the osteomancy sub-branch like [Bone Lance]. Slowly, a picture of the next undead she would create wormed its way into her mind. The name of her next masterpiece came to her with ease. Considering what she intended, she would name it after a famous monster from Earth mythology.


    And so, using the zombie and bone knight rituals as an inspiration, she began to create her own custom ritual circle. Naturally, the circle she formed was expected to work in theory; but an untested theory was just that. To make sure it actually worked as intended, she had to step out of the Space to test it. This meant they had to make multiples stops on the road.


    As like before, she had Nyx bring her any small critter he could find in the grass; rabbits, squirrels, rats or birds. She tried the ritual on them, making adjustments where necessary. Sometimes she spied Isaac looking on, unable to conceal the disgust on his features. He kept his mouth shut though; which was good. If he uttered a single word, she would forget her attempt at trying to make peace with him and knock his teeth out; there were few things worse than some arsehole breaking your focus on important matters with snide remarks.


    Throughout this time, she did not forget to continue turning more creatures to vampires to observe their transformation. Cracking the secret to creating a vampire from scratch would take months, maybe years; but if she could glean more from the change, she would be able to apply it to the ritual she was planning.


    The constant stops and long hours of experimenting rendered her three-day estimation null. The third day came and went, then the fourth; they hardly moved that whole time. At some point Isaac got tired of doing nothing and finally got off his arse to start swinging his sword.


    Although she was busy with her experiments, momentarily focusing her attention elsewhere did not hurt the results. Occasionally, she would set her eyes on him as he swung his sword. At first the swings were clumsy and lacklustre; however, as the time passed his moves became vigorous and defined, forms practised over a long period of time. Sage was no expert in swordsmanship, but she had no trouble telling how impressive the former Guard-Captain¡¯s moves were.


    It looked like some part of their conversation had penetrated the bastard¡¯s skull, because he began to include {Chill} in his forms, frosting over the grass around him. His efforts to improve himself satisfied her and with that, she dove back into her test; this time with a lighter mood.


    Another day passed and Sage finally decided to stop her experiments. She had made much progress, but adjustments could still be made; there was always room for improvement. But that would have to wait for another time. It was time to move on. Nyx had caught so many critters in the surrounding that she would not be surprised if they had decimated the ecosystem. If they stayed any longer, she suspected they would run out of critters.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± she said aloud as she fed the familiar her conclusive notes from the experiments.


    This time, she opted to stay outside and watch the scenes go by. There was only so long she could tolerate being stuck in a dark enclosed space without getting tired of it. Also, although she liked reading, there was a limit to how much she could take before she got tired of it. Basking in the open air was a welcome change.


    But this is not cool, she thought, her focus on her hands which were wrapped around Isaac¡¯s midriff.


    This was not an enjoyable way to travel. The helhurst was muscular, much more than it had been when it was just a regular horse. Sitting on its back was not doing favours for Sage¡¯s rump. If not for the fact that she was undead, she suspected that her entire arse would have been bruised by now. Also, having to hold onto the bastard for dear life was not something she found the least bit enjoyable.


    That settles it! When we get to Rupheus I¡¯ll buy a coach, she decided.


    Nothing fancy like the ones belonging to that merchant family, the Delsartes. All she needed was something comfortable to sit in, with a roof to protect her from the elements. Also, it did not have to be too big, though not too small either; something the helhurst could drag on its own without attracting too many eyes.


    Within an hour of the beast galloping madly, there was a noticeable change as the plains¡¯ grass became shorter and trees rarer. Even the small animals she would occasionally usually catch jumping out of the grass became less and less frequent until she saw no more.


    However, the road remained steady, they even crossed a sign that pointed to Rupheus, with an indicator of the city being two hundred and thirty kilometres away; days for most on horseback, but only several hours of trotting for them. That was the original intention; but a few dozen minutes from the sign, they came across an inn on the side of the road.


    For the past few days, the only company Sage had was a sulking bastard, an surprisingly silent cat and a scoffing horse; she was tired of all of them. With the sun setting overhead, she came to a quick decision.


    They would be spending the night here.

 CHAPTER 94: ROAD STOP

    The inn was far from the best Sage had seen, its infrastructure far from the most pristine. It was not the worse inn she had seen though. The slums of Tiih contained establishments with cracked walls made of rotting wood, the brown district of Yshta fared no different. The most obvious advantage this place had above those shitty inns, was that it did not have a door that looked like it could fall off its hinges at any moment. That more than made it an adequate place to rest her head for the night.


    ¡°Send the horse away,¡± she told Isaac after dismounting.


    There was a quartet of horses on the side of the inn quietly toiling to shuffle the miniscule amount of the surrounding¡¯s grass into their mouths. When comparing them to the helhurst, these beasts appeared wanting. Letting the undead horse linger among them would make its uniqueness easier to pick out, especially the fact that it did not to feed; something grazers spent most of their time doing when not being worked to the bone. After the crap that happened in Tima, the last thing she wanted was to rouse suspicions.


    Leaving the knight to his devices, she walked up to the porch and swung the door open, introducing her to the smallest common room she had seen in any inn so far. A quick look around and she counted four tables of moderate size; three were empty while at the closest one to the door sat four individuals, the likely owners of the outside mounts. Each of them was clad in armour with a weapon resting at their side.


    By the time she took her second step into the establishment, all four sets of eyes had narrowed in on her; tense gazes spiced with wariness and a pinch of hostility. She returned their stares, scrutinising them with {Index} in the process.


    The most glaring person at the table was a large muscular woman a red braid closing in on her middle ages. She was clad in grey chainmail with a large shield and broadsword leaning on the table¡¯s edge. A scar ran from the bottom of her left eye to her jaw.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: E (White)


    Among her peers she had the most intense stare.


    The man who sat opposite the woman was about the same age, however, he was much leaner. He had a neatly trimmed brown beard and wore a cuirass of with a shade as dull as his companion¡¯s chainmail. Also like his teammate, his sword leaned against the table


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: G (White)


    The last members of the quartet where a pair of twins, two dark skinned boys much younger than their partners. The two of them wore platemail and carried shields as well, though much smaller than the woman¡¯s. Instead of swords though, they had long spears leaning against the wall closest to them.


    Race: Human (Human0


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: D (White)


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: H (White)


    Seeing their stats, Sage looked away in relief. None of them were a threat.


    Ignoring their enduring glares, she walked over to the empty counter and tapped three times. Then she took a seat and waited.


    However, just as she was making herself comfortable, she heard a tankard slammed onto the table from the direction of the four individuals. The wooden floor squeaked and uttered a bang as a chair moved back and fell over. Then, a heavy set of steps stomped across the room towards her. A moment later, out of the corner of her vision, Sage caught the muscular woman sliding into the stool on her right. Immediately after settling into her seat, the woman slammed her tankard onto the counter and shot her a glare.


    ¡°Fine day, aint it?¡± she began.


    Her scratchy voice carried a modicum of false courtesy, a tone that failed to conceal hostility. The reason for her enmity, Sage did not know. What she was certain of was that news of what had happened in Tima could not have reached here so soon, so there was not a chance in hell that the muscle-bound woman¡¯s aggression had anything to do with it. In other words, her bitchiness was uncalled for. Sage did not bother to turn in her direction as she tapped the counter once more, harder this time.


    In the corner of her eye, she caught the woman grab a shiny object from her pocket and slammed it down. Then she loudly dragged it across the counter until it rested in front of Sage. It was a Mercenary Guild badge, one with three stars. Suppressing a sigh, she turned to face the woman. Fortunately she was wearing her mask, so she did not have force a smile.


    ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± she asked, shoving her annoyance down.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± the woman replied, leaning in. In response, Sage shifted to the left. The woman, unbothered, continued by pointing her thumb back at her companions¡¯ table. ¡°Me and my friends got a job to check around here. ¡®Lotsa people¡¯ve been going missing around these parts.¡± When she said the next part, her eyes narrowed. ¡°Know anything about that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Sage answered, knocking on the counter again.


    Her response left the woman unsatisfied, causing the muscle woman to roughly lean into Sage once more. ¡°You sure about that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sage responded with an exasperated breath; hoping its message was correctly identified. ¡°I am absolutely sure.¡±


    Her intentions did not carry through unfortunately, as the woman continued her interrogation.


    ¡°How long have you been in these parts?¡± she asked, leaning even further into Sage.


    Her eyes were bloodshot, a clear sign that she had been swinging back too many tankards. Even from under the mask, the stench of her alcohol-riddled breath tickled Sage¡¯s nostrils; if her face had been uncovered, the smell would doubtless have been much worse. Although she was not fond of the mask, in that moment it was a small miracle she would not shy away from.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only just arrived?¡± she answered, shifting her stool to the side once more. If the bitch got in her face once more, she would lose it!


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    ¡°From where?¡± the mercenary woman pressed on.


    Right there and then, Sage decided to put an end to the interrogation. There was no reason to entertain this line of questioning any longer.


    ¡°Where are all these questions headed to?¡± she asked sternly.


    Her tone seemed to stir something in the woman, causing her eyes to suddenly sharpen. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re getting defensive. Got something to hide little lady?¡±


    And she was done.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Sage spat, before turning away.


    Where the hell was the inn keeper? What the fuck was keeping them that they had to leave her in the company of this jacked up bitch?


    She made to tap on the counter again; however, before she could follow through, the mercenary woman slammed her fist down in front of her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take off your mask little missy?¡± she demanded. ¡°Let me get a good look at your face.¡±


    When the stupid bitch slammed her hand in front of her, Sage initially had the mind to set her ablaze; however, that line of action was more trouble than it was worth. If she attacked the woman, her companions- who looked half a heartbeat away from reaching for their weapons- would jump in. Then shit would fly off the rails like Tima.


    Honestly, if she could have her way, everything would be smooth sailing from here onwards. Her route to Rupheus- possibly Io as well- would be unhindered; no trouble would accost her until she had gotten what she came for in Lethia and left¡­ and until she had gotten her hands on an Elixir of Rejuvenation. Was that too much to ask for?


    Apparently, the fucking gods thought so.


    ¡°What you waiting for missy?¡± muscle bitch pressed. ¡°Go on, show me your face.¡±


    She scoffed in return. ¡°And why should I do that?¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± the bitch was leaning into her again. ¡°You¡¯re shady. Mask-wearing types like you always be hiding something. Almost three dozen people disappeared in this location over the last three months; wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you¡¯re responsible. You are, aint you? Stuffed them in your boiling cauldron didn¡¯t you? What kinda face is hiding behind that mask little missy? Warts? Crooked nose? A hideous fa?ade? Are you a witch?¡±


    When muscle bitch fired her first nonsensical accusation, Sage thought that she had a reason for it; a stupid reason, but a sensible one that would be easily accepted by the general public. However, the mercenary¡¯s ludicrous conjecture drove into her just how different Lethia was from Ysh. The general public would accept any dumb accusation launched against a magic user.


    Their absurd rejection of magic is interfering with development.


    If Lethians were half as accepting of magic as the Yshians were, their nation¡¯s development would likely reach a higher level than it was currently at, no doubt surpassing the rival neighbour¡¯s. Lethia¡¯s military might would undergo a qualitative change, as many who previously rejected magic but had aptitude for it delved into it. If Lethians were okay with the concept of magicians, they would have been the overlords of North-Western Rekke by now.


    But acceptance of magic as a whole would hinder alchemical progress. When change occurred, some things improved while others regressed. In Lethia¡¯s case, universal acceptance of other branches of magic would make a victim of alchemy. Practising magicians would no longer have to delve into alchemy to justify their study of magic. Considering how much body-tempering relied on alchemists, maybe the outcome would not be so positive.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter girl?¡± muscle bitch brought her back to the present. ¡°All you need to do is take off your mask and show me your face!¡±


    As muscle bitch uttered her last words, her hand shot up towards Sage¡¯s face with the clear intention to rip off her mask. The act was surprising, but- considering how muscle bitch was acting and the fact that she had downed several tankards- not unexpected. Unfortunately, the mercenary¡¯s speed was beyond hers, making it impossible for her to avoid the bitch¡¯s hand from reaching her mask; or at least it would have been so if she were human. As a phantom, she prepared to use {Ghostwalk} to avoid the grab.


    Fortunately, the act proved unnecessary. The mercenary bitch¡¯s hand was a mere centimetre from her face when a large black gauntlet caught the bitch¡¯s wrist. Sage must have been really irritated by muscle bitch¡¯s crap that she had somehow missed Isaac¡¯s entrance. As her unwilling loyal knight, he was programmed to block any attack that was meant for her.


    However, the moment he caught muscle bitch¡¯s hand, her cronies abruptly flung their chairs back as they got up with weapons raised. The three men¡¯s hardened expressions told a story of those ready for blood. This would not end peacefully unless a third party came to diffuse the situation.


    Luckily, that was exactly what happened. Before the situation could escalate further, the door on the other side of the counter suddenly swung open. The sound of it slamming against the side was heard around the common room before it was followed up by a raspy voice.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell ye fuckers that there aint no fighting in my establishment. Ye deaf?¡±


    The one who passed through the door was an old lady, a real crone. Her face was a wrinkly mess, with a large nose in the centre littered pimples so big they might as well be warts. Her posture was hunched and a mop of dirty-grey hair sat atop her head. The leathery appearance of her skin outed her as a true relic; not the oldest she had seen, but¡­ dear gods! She was a fucking toad. One look at a hag like Saana and it was not difficult to imagine she might have been beautiful once; but this crone, even the Cryptmaker fell short when compared to her in terms of unattractiveness.


    Her appearance was not the most eye-catching- if she could even be referred to as that- thing about her; at least not for Sage.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: B (Blue)


    Unlike muscle bitch and her trio of fucktards, the crone had some serious stats that would make her a threat Sage could not afford to ignore.


    ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am¡± muscle bitch¡¯s companion- not one of the twins- responded. ¡°Hildrun was just asking the newcomers questions and they decided to get violent.¡±


    His reply had Sage wanting to open her mouth and give him a few choice words, but the crone spoke up before she could.


    ¡°Fuck that happened!¡± she yelled. ¡°Ye think I don¡¯t hear what¡¯s happening while I¡¯m in the kitchen.¡± She glared at muscle bitch and pointed towards their table. ¡°Sit yer arse down and stop bothering me customers. Otherwise, take yer shit and leave me establishment!¡±


    For a moment, muscle bitch looked like she might explode. However, after seemingly contemplating for a few seconds, she thought better of it. Instead, the bitch just shot them a look before she swiped her tankard and badge of the counter and headed back where she came from.


    ¡°Hope ye excuse ¡®em,¡± the crone said, shifting her attention to Sage. ¡°They just anxious ¡®cause people be disappearing ¡®round these parts lately; can only imagine what manner of Cold-spawn is behind it. What can I do for ye?¡±


    ¡°A room for the night would be great,¡± Sage said.


    Honestly, she was starting to have second thoughts. But it had been a while since she had laid on bed. Rupheus would no doubt have much better accommodations, but she would be spending all her time there looking for ways to temper her body. So, she might as well experience it here.


    ¡°Room for the night is four silvers,¡± the crone responded.


    The price was high considering the state of the inn, but Sage had just come out of one argument and was reluctant to get into another, so she reached into her pockets and retrieved a few pieces of silver to slam on the table.


    ¡°Ye can choose a table and wait for yer supper,¡± the crone offered. ¡°Would ye like ale as well, maybe mead?¡±


    Sage shook her head. ¡°None of those. Can you just give us our room key and bring our dinner to us later?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s yer wish,¡± the crone grumbled, then she turned around and called out loudly ¡°MYLAH! Come out! Bring the key to room two.¡±


    Not a moment later a green figure in a dirty grey dress stumbled into the common room. She was around a hundred and fifty centimetres in height, making her the only one present who was shorter than Sage. However, unlike Sage, this girl¡¯s height had not settled as her face showed that she still had some growing to do. The little girl looked no older than ten, with a chubby face and two small fangs protruding from her lower lip.


    Race: Half-Orc (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: S (Cream)


    The child had only taken a few steps out the door, when the crone snatched the keys from her.


    ¡°Gimme that!¡± she barked harshly. ¡°Back to the kitchen and finish washing the plates!¡±


    After being scolded, the girl turned and headed back with drooped shoulders and a lowered gaze. On the other hand, the crone sneered and mumbled complains as she turned to Sage.


    ¡°What a useless child,¡± she began. ¡°Fucking great-great granddaughter ran off with some green-skin; then returned a year later diseased and dragging a tummy. Lasted long enough to leave me with that useless little shit, the latest in a line of useless shits!¡± After the short rant, she slammed the keys on the counter and pushed them towards Sage. ¡°There¡¯re the keys, now fuck outta me face!¡±


    The abrupt mood change of the crone was surprising, but Sage was mentally exhausted. Right now, she just wanted to leave and throw herself on a bed. She picked up the key with a number two written at it and looked around. The inn only had one floor with some of the exits to the common room being numbered; it did not take her long to identify the room they would be staying in.


    Getting up, she noticed the mercenary quartet shooting her death glares. Likely a future headache; but, at the moment, her experience with the annoying muscle bitch played across her mind, causing one of her middle fingers to wake up; which she then proceeded to point in their direction before walking off to her room.

 CHAPTER 95: ANOTHER DISCUSSION

    ¡°Fuck that bitch,¡± was the first thing she said after closing the room door.


    Unbelievable. Really fucking unbelievable! The bitch actually had the nerve to ask if she was a witch¡­ when the proprietor of the inn was a literal walking stereotype! How the fuck did that make sense? That musclebound shrew ought to be taught a lesson. Maybe Sage should wait until the late hours of the night to sneak up on her and beat the ever-living crap out of her!


    There¡¯s no need for such compulsiveness, she tried to cool herself.


    Having a violent reaction to the smallest slight would be silly and immature. Such actions would be detrimental to her goal of trying to stay out of trouble. Although she acknowledged her petty nature, she also recognised that succumbing to it would yield no advantages when it hindered a larger objective. So, the smart thing to do was to let it go; at least until she got her hands on a method to strengthen her body. After that, it would not be too late to look for the bitch¡¯s party and show them who is boss.


    ¡°She is only worried about the missing people,¡± Isaac chimed in.


    Of course the bastard would defend her.


    ¡°And what does that have to do with me?¡± she asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t even been here for an hour.¡±


    In response to her question, Isaac released an exasperated breath that gave the outside of his helm a new crystalised sheen.


    ¡°I hope I don¡¯t have to stress this because it has been pointed plenty of times. Your mask, your clothing; everything about you radiates suspicion. People are naturally inclined to suspect the most dubious individuals.¡±


    ¡°They can keep their suspicions to themselves,¡± she scoffed. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything as long as they keep to themselves.¡±


    Her tone carried her intention; she no longer wanted to discuss this topic. Isaac must have caught the finality in her voice because he did not pursue it.


    After saying her bit, she walked over to one of two single beds in the room and lifted the thin sheets and straw mattress. With the condition of the inn, it would not be a surprise if mites nested in them. Fortunately for her, the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell [Repel Vermin] existed. She cast it, waited a couple of minutes as the room¡¯s inhabitants escaped out the open window and put the mattress and sheets back in their original place. Then she flung herself face first on the bed and closed her eyes.


    Unfortunately, she was unable to sink into slumber; so after a couple minutes snuggling into the sheets, she released a sigh and unwillingly got up.


    ¡°Nyx,¡± she called.


    As soon as she called, her familiar jumped out of the bed¡¯s shadow and into her lap. Upon settling down, he looked at her with large pleading eyes. As he was basically an extension of her, it was fairly easy to intuit what he wanted. She sighed through her nose and rubbed his back and ears; eliciting a purr from him.


    She had not called him to pet him though.


    ¡°Give me my notes,¡± she said.


    The ritual circle for her next undead was done, but she felt there was still some way she could improve it. When the cat dumped the notes on the bed, she picked them up with her free hand and began to go through them.


    After that, time passed fairly quickly. Before she knew it, there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± she called.


    The door opened and in came the half-orc child. As she had been in the common room, her posture was lowered, dark eyes finding solace in the dusty floor. Sage studied her from top to bottom and realised that she had missed the fact that the girl lacked shoes earlier. However, that had nothing to do with her. Her gaze shifted around until it landed on the tray in the girl¡¯s hands, on which two wooden bowls of steaming soup and a loaf of bread rested.


    ¡°¡¯T- ¡®tis dinner,¡± the girl stuttered, keeping her gaze glued to the floor.


    ¡°Put it on the table,¡± Sage replied, before shoving her nose back in her notes.


    Without another word, the girl walked over to the table and set the tray down before excusing herself. Her exit from the room was akin to a flight from danger.


    After the door closed behind the girl, Sage gave her notes to Nyx, took off her mask and approached the table. She picked up the loaf- which she discovered was as almost as hard as concrete- and broke it in two with some difficulty. Then she grabbed a bowl and walked back to the bed. After sitting herself down, she tore a piece from her hard loaf and dipped it into the soup before shoving it into her mouth. She dipped another piece of bread in the soup and fed it to her cat. Then she turned to Isaac, who had been sitting in the armchair by the window since she settled onto the bed.


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    ¡°The other bowl is meant for you,¡± she said to him.


    He did not even turn to her when responding. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡±


    ¡°Neither am I, but we have to keep up appearances,¡± she retorted.


    To this, he took off his helm, looked at her and uttered a single question.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why what?¡± He was not exactly being specific.


    ¡°As an undead, why do you want to blend in with humans?¡± he asked, his tone as inquisitive as his gaze.


    His question stopped her hand, which was midway to her mouth, making her drop it instead to ponder. Why did she like blending in with the humans indeed? Being undead, there was no reason to be involved with their kind. If she truly wished it, she could lock herself in a cave for a thousand years without their food and drinks and she would not suffer in the slightest.


    Theoretically at least.


    If Sage had been born an undead like those who naturally spawned in the Deadlands, she would no doubt have had such a mentality. However, that was not her. She used to be human and had lived in their society. After experiencing the spontaneity of humanity, the randomness, the rawness they had to offer; how could she be satisfied with solitude in a dark cave? It would be no different from being stuck in the Abyss! That was true hell, extreme madness. She might be unliving, but she was still a conscious being who desired to feel alive. It was the entire reason why she pursued strength, why she pined for the Elixir of Rejuvenation. If she could not experience life even in her current state, she might as well not exist!


    ¡°Is it not natural to want to fit in?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That is a human thing,¡± Isaac replied sternly, ¡°which you are not.¡±


    ¡°Humans aren¡¯t the only ones who want to fit in,¡± she responded. All living beings desired to be accepted; but explaining it to the knight would take more time than she bothered to spend away from her notes. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to fit in, to be accepted?¡±


    Her words caused his jaw to tighten and his eyes to narrow, though it only lasted an instant before his features reset.


    ¡°You believe someone out there will accept an undead?¡± his asked sceptically.


    Sage shrugged. ¡°If you leave your religious bubble for even a second, you will realise how vast Rekke is and how much people¡¯s opinions vary. Somewhere out there is someone who will accept anyone for who they are and not what is often purported about their race. But of course such people are in the minority, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to hide what you are; in some cases it might even negate conflict.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you seek an Elixir of Rejuvenation,¡± he inquired. ¡°To make it easier to blend in with humans?¡±


    ¡°No, I just hate looking like this,¡± she pointed at her face. ¡°We might not be alive, but we are still conscious beings with emotions and desires. I don¡¯t like looking into a reflective surface and seeing this scarred fa?ade.¡±


    Isaac seemed to contemplate her answer for a while before perking up. ¡°In Tima, you asked me about my goals.¡±


    ¡°When you got all pissy?¡± she asked. ¡°I remember.¡±


    Her response caused him to grunt in dissatisfaction. When he next spoke though, it was nowhere to be heard.


    ¡°What about you?¡± he asked. ¡°Why do you do what you do?¡±


    ¡°For freedom.¡±


    Hearing this, his eyes widened before shortly narrowing.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± he asked, gritting his teeth. ¡°The reason you¡¯ve killed countless people is in the pursuit of freedom?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making me sound like a mass-murderer,¡± she said, feeling the makings of a frown on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight here. I¡¯ve never killed anyone simply for the hell of it. Every time I delivered a killing blow to someone, it was to keep my identity as an undead under wraps to prevent dozens of Sheans from coming after me. If not for that, my kill count would have never risen above zero¡­ probably.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your excuse for Saana¡¯s death?¡± he growled.


    This again; of course! Why was she even surprised? For a moment, she had thought her words from a few days ago had actually gotten through to him. Now she was not so sure. That said, she was not going to explode and end the conversation here. She had answered his question, so it was only fair that he replied to hers.


    But in order to query him, she had to cool down him first with the cold truth.


    ¡°What I did to the h- High Priestess Saana- was vengeance, a very human concept. She killed someone I¡­ respected; so I killed her. You were the catalyst for everything that happened, so I killed you too. I know you¡¯re angry, but answer me honestly; would you have let it go if you were in my shoes?¡±


    The pale knight looked away and sneered, telling her everything she needed to know about his undelivered response.


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve answered your question, it¡¯s time to answer mine,¡± she declared. ¡°Although you¡¯re undead, you still possess the beliefs and values you did as a human. So, with your values and your current state, what is it your wish for? And please don¡¯t say you wish for my death; such an obvious answer is not what I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    Isaac turned back to face her; a frown deeply etched onto his features. He seemed to take her question seriously though, because he contemplated it for a while before answering.


    ¡°I want to help look for the missing people.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely fucking not!¡± Sage shot down that idea immediately.


    ¡°You asked what I want and I gave an answer,¡± the knight replied grumpily.


    ¡°You want us to waste my time helping the quartet of arseholes?¡± she said, tearing off another piece of bread and dipping it into the soup. ¡°Let me guess; after that you want us to join the Mercenary Guild as well?¡±


    ¡°Guild registration involves inspection via countless magic items,¡± he stated manner-of-factly. ¡°Unless you desire to be discovered, go ahead. It matters little to me.¡±


    ¡°Then the answer remains fuck no!¡± she declared.


    Un-fucking-believable! The fact that the bastard still wanted to play hero even though he had become the thing of nightmares in would-be damsels¡¯ dreams was nuts. Only a moron would want something like that!


    Releasing a huff, Sage broke another piece off her loaf and was about to dip it in the soup, when something inside caught her attention. The sight of it froze her in her entirety, loosening her fingers and letting slip the bowl from her hands. The wooden dish clanged loudly to the floor, spilling the soup and revealing the thing she had spotted in its entirety; the all too familiar shape of a human finger.

 CHAPTER 96: THE BASEMENT

    ¡°MOTHERFUCKER!¡± she screamed.


    At the same time, she lashed out at the bowl with her foot, sending it flying towards the wall and spilling the rest of its contents. It was the last thing on her mind though, as she shoved her fingers down her throat. She had just eaten human soup! The mere thought of it had her shoving deeper to expel everything she had swallowed.


    What kind of fucked up piece of shit would do this? the thought crossed her as she reached into her throat.


    No matter how deeply she reached, there was no gag, no reaction from her gullet; the consumed food remained in her stomach. Seeing it was no use, she retracted her fingers. Her eyes strained and her vision blurred on the edges, heat emerged from her chest and rose to her throat.


    ¡°I¡¯M GONNA KILL THAT BITCH!¡± she declared.


    She stomped over to the door, raised her foot and kicked. The act sent the door clean off its hinges, flying into the common room and knocking over one of the tables. Both sets of wooden furniture hit that floor with repeated thuds that echoed continuously across the room; yet, there was no reaction from the surroundings. In fact, there was not a person in the sight. The common room had been deserted.


    Sage gave this fact a fleeting thought before her strained eyes flew to the counter; to the door behind it.


    ¡°OLD BITCH!¡± she shouted.


    Her voice rang around the room, but no one responded. Contrary to when she had previously been in here, the place was empty. The table where the four mercenary morons had sat appeared recently deserted. Bread loafs and still steaming soup bowls rested atop half touched; while the chairs had been pushed out without being moved back in, one of which had tilted over. The scene presented before her was of a hasty haphazard departure.


    The door behind the counter remained shut. Even after well over half a minute passed, there was not a single sound apart from her and the armour-clad knight shuffling into the room.


    After moments of waiting and not receiving a response, Sage felt the blaze in her chest intensify. Red seeped into the blurred corners of her perception. Like a torrent, it rapidly spread to other parts of her vision. Within seconds, it had engulfed the entirety of her sight; the scenery in front of her was now presented through a crimson curtain.


    Expelling air forcefully out her nose, she raised her hand and cast [Telekinesis]. Then, with her mind, she reached out and grasped the counter. Violently flinging her hand to the side, she exerted her influence on it, tearing it cleanly from the floor. The result saw the counter flung to the side, crashing through the inn wall and landing somewhere she could not give a fuck about.


    Stomping over to the door once guarded by the counter, she raised her foot and kicked it too. This time, her foot made contact higher than before. Instead of the door flying off its hinges, it simply fell backwards, slamming into the floor of the previously barred room.


    The moment the door yielded, a squeak came from the new room. She ignored it and focused on the new setting. A fireplace with a pot hanging over it; another fireplace enclosed by stone, clearly a blast oven; an open brown sack in the corner with flour spilling out; an assortment of pots hanging from the wall; a table on the side; a cleaver and cutting-board on the table. This was a kitchen, a much smaller room than the one she had just left.


    The scarlet veil¡¯s colour had faded by a fair bit and she was able to view everything almost as clearly as she usually did. Her eyes lingered on the bloodied cleaver on the cutting-board. Next to it lay a cylindrical chunk of meat; clearly a human forearm missing its wrist and everything below. The sight of it had curtain regaining its shade almost instantly.


    ¡°Dear Light have mercy!¡± Isaac¡¯s voice came from behind her, sounding horrified.


    Whatever he must be feeling at the sight of the scene, she did not give a single fuck. Her eyes flew to the source of the earlier squeak, picking out the half-orc girl cowering in the corner. Seeing the child intensified the tension in Sage¡¯s face. Again, she cast [Telekinesis]. This time, she reached for the girl, grabbed her by the neck and dragged her over to where she stood.


    ¡°WHERE IS SHE!¡± she demanded.


    The girl did not reply, choosing instead to claw fruitlessly at the invisible force clutching her throat. She gagged and struggled, the colour of her face darkening as blood was cut from her head.


    ¡°She can¡¯t answer if you¡¯re choking her!¡±


    Of course that annoying statement came from the bastard knight. Even more infuriating was the fact that he was right. She needed the little troll if she wanted to find the hag sooner rather than later. So, with immense effort, she reined herself- and subsequently the red- in. Then she pursed her lips and let the child go.


    After being released, the girl crumbled to the floor rather noisily. The impact likely hurt, but Sage usually was not one to give a damn; now, she had even less cause to do so. She struggled to keep the fire contained as she watched the child crouch into a foetal position and burst into whimpering sobs. The sight caused her to grunt as she stomped hard on the floor near the girl, denting the boards in the process.


    ¡°Tell me where she¡¯s hiding or I¡¯ll kill you!¡± she was not going to mince words, especially with a child.


    However, Sir Holier-Than-Thou stepped onto the other side of the couching girl with a confrontative stare.


    ¡°You want to kill her?¡± he began. ¡°She¡¯s a child!¡±


    ¡°Oh get off it Isaac!¡± she was not having his antics. ¡°Look around you; THE LITTLE SHIT CLEARLY KNEW WHAT SHE WAS FEEDING ME!¡±


    ¡°She is a child,¡± he repeated vehemently. ¡°There is no way she willingly did it. Clearly, she was forced by her great-great grandmother.¡±


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    If the bastard had more to add, she was not interested in hearing it. Before he could open his mouth and say anything else, she held up her hand.


    ¡°I fucking swear Isaac; if you say anything more defending this little scamp, I will make you drive your sword into her chest!¡±


    That made him shut up, allowing her to interrogate the half-orc child. She began by kicking her in the ribs; soft enough to not break them, but hard enough that it hurt. The impact caused a gasp to escape the girl¡¯s mouth in a brief respite from her sobs.


    ¡°Listen here you little shit! I¡¯m only gonna ask this once. Tell me where your rotten crone of a grandmother is if you don¡¯t want to experience far worse pain than that kick,¡± she threatened. ¡°Be quick before I lose my patience!¡±


    Hearing this, the child hurriedly used her shaky arms to push herself into sitting position. Her face was wet with tears while the ground beneath her continuously pooled with another liquid. The girl lifted a trembling hand and pointed to the door near the hanging pots. It was one of three- now two- doors in the kitchen; this one appeared to be smaller than the other two.


    ¡°I-i-it¡¯s the l-l-larder,¡± the girl managed to croak out among sniffs. ¡°There¡¯s a t-trap door. L-l-leads to the b-basement. Gran-ma¡­¡±


    The girl attempted to continue, but it was as if the wind had been blown from her sails. No more words came out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried. It didn¡¯t matter to Sage though; she had heard what she wanted to.


    ¡°Nyx!¡± she called, watching the growing terror on the girl¡¯s face as words continuously failed her.


    Not a moment passed before the cat popped out of her shadow.


    ¡°Watch her,¡± she ordered, pointing at the girl. ¡°If she moves from the spot, rip her to shreds!¡±


    ¡°Understood master,¡± the familiar replied, sounding a little too eager.


    He adopted the Umbral Felis form and began circling the girl, resulting in the sniffs and whimpers becoming louder.


    Sage next turned to Issac, who appeared to have something he wanted to say even though he kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± she ordered. ¡°You¡¯re gonna help me tear that crone bitch a new one.¡±


    Upon hearing her proclamation, the knight made a side glance at the meat chunk on the table before turning back to face her, his expression now one of disgust and hardened determination. The order she had just given did not conflict with his pretentious morals it seemed.


    She walked over to the door pointed out by the girl and shoved it open, revealing a tight-fit room with hanging meat. Dismembered arms, legs, torsos and even disembodied heads; all hung from the lines of the food closet. Most were fresh, some reeked an unpleasant odour; a miniscule amount had been cut into strips and hung to dry.


    If Sage had a working alimentary canal- which she fervently wished for at the moment- she would have spilled the contents of her stomach; most eagerly so. Unfortunately, no matter how much she scrounged up her face, the only thing that tried to crawl up her throat was the anger she was suppressing.


    ¡°Utter barbarism!¡± she heard Isaac exclaim, the hint of a sneer in his tone. ¡°This horrendous act cannot go unpunished.¡±


    Sage did not give a shit about punishment! Looking at the trap door that likely led to the crone, she affirmed her own intentions. First, she would pummel that warty bitch within an inch of her life, then she would use the cleaver in the kitchen to slowly saw off her limbs and feed them to her. After that, she would hang her over a cooking fire in the open or nail her ugly form to a tree for wild beasts to find. It was a shame that beasts were not smart enough to intentionally prolong the suffering of their prey. After being fed human soup, the only payback that would satisfy her was one that caused the crone suffering beyond imagination.


    You¡¯re not leaving here alive! she swore through gritted teeth.


    To add substance to this promise, she channelled [Space Lock] and released it into the surroundings. Any chance the crone had of escaping; she would make sure to cut it off.


    Like the previous times, she did not try to open the trapdoor but stomped on it. Unfortunately, this door was more durable than the previous ones and it managed to withstand her boot. She tried a few more times but the door remained sturdy. With a sigh, she stepped to the side and indicated Isaac give it a try. The bastard sent the trapdoor flying down the basement flight on his first attempt.


    After realising she was pouting and wiping it from her face, she rushed down the stairs.


    The room she entered was larger than the kitchen but slightly smaller than the common room. Torches hung on the wall to aid the eyes in the darkness, something which was of no consequence to her. Light or no light, she could see the cages around the room clearly.


    Within these cages were naked bodies of all sorts; young and old, large and small, mutilated and whole. The one thing these bodies all had in common was the numerous irregular wounds across them. Some of the wounds were akin to light scratches, while others ran so deep that they exposed bone. The ground beneath where these bodies hung had adopted crimson as its shade. Another thing the hanging bodies had in common was that they had been bled out; not a one of them appeared to be alive.


    Except for four of them. Unlike the others, they hung outside the cages. Sage recognised their naked forms as belonging to the arsehole mercenaries from earlier. They were unconscious and, despite being tied up and left to hang from a hook, relatively unharmed.


    At least it was so for the three males.


    The muscular woman had been strung up by her hands until her feet no longer touched the ground. Two deep gashes and several scratches had been carved into her torso, leaking streams of blood that gave the ground a new coat of red.


    Another difference between her and her companions was that she still maintained consciousness, though- from her quiet moans- it did not appear she would remain so for long. Her weak voice quivered dryly, a sign her vocal cords had been overused. The time since Sage entered the inn did not amount to more than a couple hours. In that time, the muscular woman had been likely tortured until she exhausted her voice. Her screams, which should have been audible from several hundred metres, had completely escaped Sage. Likely, the basement had been designed to keep any sound emerging inside from escaping.


    Different from the stern fa?ade the mercenary had shown topside, now her face carried despair and anguish. Sage descending the stairs must have been heard by her because, upon reaching the base, the woman turned to face her; revealing one gouged out eye and a missing nose. Tears streamed down her face as she opened her mouth- which was missing most of its teeth- and mouthed a single word, a desperate hope settling into her eyes.


    Help.


    The person in front of the woman also turned to face Sage with her hideous features. One thing that was different from the previous time, was that one of her hands had grown claws; most definitely the one the crone used to torture her prey. The fresh blood of her current victim dripped from it to the ground, though some of it she licked off as she turned to face Sage.


    ¡°Which maestro worked on ye girl?¡± she asked. Her question was likely about the scars; her tone carried a liveliness it had lacked back in the common room. However, nonchalance fled after swiping a look at Isaac. ¡°I see, the two o¡¯ ye aint normal. Me soup was supposed to knock ye out but no wonder it failed. And that useless girl let ye pass into me basement. Doesn¡¯ matter anyway. Two o¡¯ ye be here now. I¡¯ll catch ye and test what ye are. Might compare yer taste to a human¡¯s too.¡±


    She laughed after finishing the last sentence; the kind of cackle a witch from a bad cartoon would have.


    The temperature in Sage¡¯s vicinity dropped as she heard the knight¡¯s profuse intake and expulsion of breath; he was undeniably incensed by the scene in the basement. She, on the other hand, found herself not as triggered about the scene. Disgusted? Yes. But it was far from the strongest emotion she was experiencing at the moment.


    The sight of the crone who had concocted the sick idea of feeding her guests human flesh standing nonchalantly in front of her loosen all restrictions she had imposed on herself. The blaze she had kept down was left to rage. The crimson veil fell back over her eyes in all its majesty. She charged up a spell while shouting at the top of her lungs.


    ¡°DIE YOU ROTTEN CUNT!¡±

 CHAPTER 97: CRONE’S FORMS

    Although she had shouted for the crone to die, the spell she cast was [Paralyse]. Attack spells were used with the intention to kill, which was far from what she desired. Her intention was to capture the hag and keep her alive for a while¡­ long enough to make her regret ever cooking that fucking soup!


    Unfortunately, the instant she began her casting, the crone started hers as well. Hers too was not an attack spell. It was similar to the spells of the transmutation branch, like [Transmute] and [Stone Flesh]; the hideous hag¡¯s spell shared more in common with the latter. Whatever the crone¡¯s intention with the spell, Sage focused on finishing hers; eyes momentarily wandering about to make sure nothing was amiss. Less than an instant later, the completed spell flew out her outstretched palm and struck the crone.


    However, the old bitch had released hers as well.


    Paralyse was a spell that targeted an individual¡¯s motor system and disabling it, rendering them unable to move. Of course, this 6<sup>th</sup> Order spell only worked on the living. It was with this notion in mind that Sage chose the spell to restrain the crone.


    However, although [Paralyse] hit its target, the result of the hag¡¯s spell rendered its effect null.


    When the crone completed her casting, her spell¡¯s intent became immediately obvious as her form lost its features while her body gained size. What was once dry greyish pale skin turned even drier and got a new brown coating. The increase in size made the clothes no longer able to accommodate her form, causing them to rip very audibly. The ground trembled slightly as the crone¡¯s new appearance was revealed; a more than two metres tall rock giant.


    After taking a peek with {Index}, only then did Sage completely understand the nature of the spell that had been cast.


    Race: Elemental (Elemental- Earth)


    Physique: None


    Mana: B (Blue)


    Having studied magic for a while, she was of course familiar with transfiguration magic, a sub-branch of transmutation magic. In fact, a 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell she had learned, [Polymorph], was of this nature. If Sage wanted to, she could have learned other spells of the sub-branch as well. The problem with that though, was that transfiguration did not work on undead unless it was the result of their own ability; meaning, even if she learned a spell to turn into another creature, she would be unable to use it on herself. It was the reason why she forewent learning spells of that kind.


    When Sage began casting another spell, The elemental did not just stand there and wait for the next attack. The rock monster plunged its massive fist- about the size of Sage¡¯s torso- into the ground, dug out a rock the size of her upper body and tossed it at her. Under normal circumstances, Sage would have had to cancel his channelling to avoid the boulder; however, the usual circumstances only applied when she was alone.


    The armoured form of Isaac got between her and the stone. The knight¡¯s left hand moved faster than she could follow as it shot up to backhand the boulder, sending it crashing to the side. Then, without waiting, he charged the elemental and- with his other hand- brought down his blackened blade. The dull ring of metal on stone echoed the basement. The sword recoiled off the elemental¡¯s tough hide, although soon after a crack formed on the rock monster¡¯s surface. Unfortunately, it sealed up shortly after.


    Elementals by nature were sentient forms of the elements. Because of this, they were able to regenerate when in contact with their element. Thus, an earth elemental in a basement with no floor had plenty of material to reinforce itself with. Within a second, the crack had not only vanished, but the primordial had gained a several decimetres in height and width. The only saving grace was that this elemental was the result of a transformation spell as opposed to a summoned one. The difference between the two was that the latter was a true primordial; within the presence of its element, not only did its body regenerated but its mana refilled as well, making it nigh-impossible to defeat unless hit with enough force to crush the entirety of its being instantly. Sage was fortunate that both times she had fought Saana¡¯s light elemental, it was night. If it had been during the day, she would have been utterly fucked.


    The increase in size did not deter Isaac as he swung again at the elemental. This time, Sage noticed the frosty air that chased his swing; the bastard was using {Chill}. Good for him, she thought as she released her spell.


    This time it was an attack spell, [Bone Lance]. With Isaac basically dancing around the primordial while he swung his weapon, she had to aim higher to make sure to avoid hitting him. Fortunately, the crone increasing her elemental form¡¯s height made things easier for her. The white spear caught the elemental in the face, which did not really mean much since their kind had no real form. To one of them, the attack was similar to a blow it would take anywhere else on the body; it was not hindered in anyway. Or maybe, a blow to the head was even less of a hinderance since it was not part of its support structure.


    While Isaac continued to keep the elemental crone occupied, Sage cast another spell. This time, it was [Dispel]. This was a 6<sup>th</sup> Order spell, while the one used by the crone was definitely of a higher Order. The probability of successfully [Dispel]ling a spell of a higher Order was very little. Ordinarily, Sage would not use a spell with a high failure rate in combat; however, with her standing in the back, there was opportunity to take the gamble. A small chance of success was not akin to no chance of success; a lesson she had infuriatingly learned from the bastard knight during their last fight.


    Unlike his though, her gamble failed to bear fruit. Her spell hit the elemental to not effect.


    Dammit, she pursed her lips.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    If only she had stronger attack spells within the senior Orders. Destructive spells above the 6<sup>th</sup> Order often tended to be area-of-effect than single-target. It seemed at that stage, the focus was mostly on dealing damage to the environment than an individual foe. That was probably why the most destructive spell under Ultra Order, single target or otherwise, was in the 8<sup>th</sup> Order. Sadly, Sage did not have this spell. The only one in her arsenal was the 7<sup>th</sup> Order [Harm]; which was useless in the current situation.


    Since the elemental was dealing with Isaac, she prepared another spell with the intention of shifting things in her favour. [Polymorph] was of a lower Order than [Dispel], so the chance of it working was even less; however, she cast the spell anyway. If it did succeed, the payoff would be worth it.


    Sadly, it did not.


    Motherfucker!  She cursed internally.


    A look at the fight happening in front of her and it was clear that Isaac was in the disadvantageous position. His armour had a deep dent in the chest, so deep that his ribcage had probably caved. If he were still alive, he would have been unable to fight because of the immense pain and the consistent blood-puking.


    Seeing this, Sage made to use [Heal Undead III] on the knight. However, the sudden shaking of the ground threw her off balance before a stone spike came from out of the ground and caught her in the abdomen. Unable to use {Ghostwalk} in the midst of spellcasting, she could only accept her fate as the sharp spike punched though her. The result had her coughing and hurling at the same time, spilling black blood from her mouth onto the floor. The accompanying pain was excruciating to the point where she wanted to grab her impaled gut and scream. However, doing so would make her a sitting duck waiting to be slaughtered. What she did was try to push the pain to the back of her mind as much as she could while she passed through the spike with {Ghostwalk}. The hole in her abdomen- which was the size of her fist- remained, causing dark blood to pool out of it onto the ground.


    ¡°The two o¡¯ ye really aint normal.¡±


    She looked up to see the crone had regained her original form, which had become the stuff of nightmares considering her the clothes that previously concealed her grotesque form were missing. If Sage was not attached to her eyes and desperately needed them to handle her current predicament, the sight of the crone¡¯s naked body would have been enough to compel her to claw them out. As for Isaac, he was lying on the other side of the room with more dents in his armour. Although the crone¡¯s eyes did fly to him from time to time, the bulk of her attention remained on Sage, more specifically her open wound.


    ¡°To still stand after such a hit; if ye aint Transcended, then ye can¡¯t be human. Yer blood confirms it for me. But what are ye, undead? Let¡¯s see.¡±


    The hag cast the same spell as before, giving Sage an opening to heal herself with [Heal Undead III]. This time the crone did not turn into an earth elemental, but a fire one. When Sage saw this, she immediately cast the strongest spell in her arsenal capable of offsetting what she suspected the crone planned to do. A moment later, [Blizzard] erupted from her, engulfing the entirety of the basement. However, its reign was short-lived as her suspicion was proven right when a heatwave washed over her. The collision between the two powers of opposing elements generated a gust of no simple magnitude, the conclusion of which saw the basement ceiling unable to withstand the struggle of the rival elements. The strong gust resulted in the ceiling being blown upwards with everything in the basement being flung to the side. Sage herself managed to avoid the effect of the wind by {Ghostwalk}ing.


    The moment the wind simmered down, her eyes darted to Isaac¡¯s location. The knight had been flung to the basement wall and was being held down by one of the cages that held dead victims. Sage hurriedly flung [Repair Mortis] in his direction.


    ¡°Fucking get up,¡± she yelled. ¡°The crone¡¯s still alive!¡±


    However, she could not find her after looking around for a while. The collision between her [Blizzard] and the [Firestorm]-like ability the crone used in her fire elemental form had not only blown through the basement ceiling, but the inn¡¯s roof as well. A dark sky with little twinkles was what met her when she looked up. They were out in the open, meaning the crone could be anywhere.


    Fuck no! she thought, casting [Soar] on herself and rising above the inn. The effect radius of [Space Lock] was great enough that it would be impossible for the crone to flee out of it within the few moments that had passed. She looked around and, sure enough, she spotted the hag flying away, probably having deemed the fight unwinnable or not worth it. Although Sage hoped it was the latter, either way she was not letting her get away.


    ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± she yelled and cast [Greater Chain Lightning].


    The spell reached the hag in an instant; however, she must have felt Sage¡¯s channelling because she cast another transformation spell of her own. What the 7<sup>th</sup> Order lightning struck was an air elemental. Not only did the spell prove ineffective, but this particular elemental managed to grab the bolt and send it back to her. Although the act was surprising, Sage managed to avoid it by {Ghostwalk}ing again.


    She prepared to attack with another spell, but she stopped when she saw the crone return to her original form and descend. She grunted and followed, landing in the open field. The hunchback bitch waited for her without making a move. In the distance, she heard heavy footsteps approaching.


    ¡°Ye¡¯ve cornered me,¡± the crone said, exhaustion trickling into her voice. ¡°I don¡¯ have enough mana to [Teleport] away even if I leave yer spell¡¯s area. I cannot escape from ye. Maybe we can work out something, a way to convince ye to leave me alone.¡±


    The heavy footsteps Sage heard earlier stopped next to her, revealing themselves as obviously belonging to Isaac. He was in better condition than before and his corrupted armour was visibly healing. Last but not least, he was sneering at the crone.


    ¡°After what you¡¯ve done- been doing- you expect us to let you go?¡± he growled. ¡°No way!¡±


    For once, Sage agreed with the bastard. No fucking way in hell she was going to let her go. Even if the crone somehow produced an Elixir of Rejuvenation as a bargaining chip; she would simply pretend to accept the deal, drink the potion and then attack her. For forcing her gross cannibalistic tendencies on Sage, the crone deserved nothing but death in the most horrible way!


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± that was her answer.


    Hearing this, the exhaustion vanished from the crone¡¯s expression. A fire creeped into her eyes as she began a new spell. This one was different from her previous spells; not a transformation spell but a reinforcement type with elemental characteristics built into its pattern. It looked intriguing and Sage would have loved to take a closer look at it. Unfortunately, she did not have time to cast [Mystic Eyes] and observe in the midst of combat. Instead, she charged up another [Bone Lance] and attacked. On the other hand, Isaac charged the crone and slashed at her. However, surprisingly, she managed to dodge their attacks and retaliated with a kick to the knight¡¯s chest; sending him skittering a couple metres away. The crone¡¯s spell was completed, giving her repulsive form a metallic lustre.


    ¡°I don¡¯ have enough mana to [Teleport], but I still have enough to cast [Elemental Kin], a spell of me own making,¡± the crone stated viciously. ¡°Let¡¯s see how easy it is for ye to kill me now!¡±

 CHAPTER 98: CRONE’S LAST STAND

    The crone appeared almost no different from before; apart from the cosmetic makeover, and fact that the vibe around her had changed. If Sage had enough time, she would have used [Mystic Eyes] to take a closer look at the changes on a metaphysical level. Sadly, she was not given time as, immediately after shoving Isaac away, the crone turned to her and struck. Her speed was beyond Sage¡¯s, making it impossible for her to avoid her. Fortunately, in such a situation, she still had [Ghostwalk]¡­


    ¡­ was what she thought, before the old bitch¡¯s fist made contact with her face. A sickening crunch echoed in her ear as she felt her jaw crack. The teeth on one side of her face came loose and flew out her mouth along with black blood. The impact sent her twirling in the air before landing several metres away on her arm. Fortunately, the fall was not hard enough to break another bone.


    It still hurt like hell though.


    Not a moment after she made contact with the ground, the crone appeared above her with her foot raised. Recognising her current predicament, Sage¡¯s brain went into overload. The spell that the hideous witch had used on herself not only reinforced her body, it also rendered {Ghostwalk} inert; likely the spell was created with spectres in mind. Sage¡¯s intangibility no longer worked on the crone, and- because of [Space Lock]- {Blink}ing was impossible. Fortunately, she had access to defence spells. One such was thrown out immediately; [Force Wall]. This spell proved futile in stopping the crone¡¯s foot clamming down on her; however- and fortunately- it managed to stall long enough for her to roll out the withered witch¡¯s way.


    Taking the momentary respite from the crone¡¯s attacks, Sage jumped up whilst simultaneously casting [Flight]; allowing her to manoeuvre out of the hag¡¯s range. The hunchback hag predictably refused to let up. She jumped after Sage and took a swing at her. In response, Sage erected another Wall between them. The barrier unsurprisingly shattered on the first hit, but by then Sage had already flown further from her grasp.


    Now out of the hag¡¯s reach, it was her turn to attack. She pointed her finger at the crone and cast [Bone Lance]. The white spear materialised and shot towards the old bitch but, having returned to the ground, she managed to avoid the javelin easily before initiating another leap towards her.  Sage was obviously not going to give her chance to get close. This time she went with [Thunderbolt], a spell of a lower Order, however its speed made it nigh-impossible to dodge once released. Her choice was proven right when the thick black bolt shot out of her hand and struck down the crone.


    However, the old witch did not land on her back as expected. Although the bolt struck had struck her head-on and pushed her back towards the ground, her feet were the ones that made first contact with the ground; also, the rest of her looked unharmed.


    The fuck is going on? Sage wondered after seeing this. What sort of spell had the crone used on herself?


    She started to cast [Mystic Eyes], but found herself having to stop when the crone was once again pounced. This time though, instead of going back to the ground, Sage sensed the mana pattern of [Flight] erupt from the crone. The move was on a whole, not what Sage expected from the hag; as such, her plans for the next course of action were thrown in disarray. She barely managed to bring her arm up and block the hag¡¯s kick to her face. The impact of shin to forearm was followed by another sickening crunch as Sage was sent to the ground.


    She did not manage to land on her feet.


    Fucking dammit! she cursed inwards as she moved out of the way to avoid the consequent double-stomp. I¡¯m being fucking pummelled. Where the fuck is that bastard?


    Just as she finished her thought, an obsidian broadsword flew out of nowhere and struck the hag; an act that managed to elicit a shrill cry from her. In the process, the crone¡¯s hideous face turned even more revolting as she angrily pulled the sword from her arm. Blood- the scarlet kind- spurted out both ends of the now unoccupied wound and fed the ground.


    Sadly, the injury did not appear to be much of a hinderance to the hag. In fact, her flesh was already stitching itself back together.


    What the fuck!


    After the surprise attack, the crone¡¯s attention shifted to Isaac. The hag descended and began to engage him, which allowed Sage get back on her feet and finally cast the spell she had been meaning to for a while.


    The first thing that stood out to Sage after peering at the hag through [Mystic Eyes], was the thin layer of elemental swirls clinging to the crone¡¯s decrepit skin. Fire, water, earth, cold, light, dark, air; all the elements gathered around her in a protective barrier; they were the cause of her metallic lustre. The swirls not only protected the crone, but reinforced her body by absorbing parts of the surrounding elements and feeding them to her; the crone¡¯s healing arm appeared to be the result of this effect. With Isaac currently engaging in a fist fight with her, even though he had superior speed and strength, the fact that he was using {Chill} in tandem was a net gain for the crone. This effect was probably what had stopped the [Thunderbolt] earlier. By Sage¡¯s estimation, elemental spells that could punch through the hag¡¯s barrier had to be those of 6<sup>th</sup> Order and higher.


    Still though, seeing the workings of the hag¡¯s spell, [Elemental Kin], Sage decided to rummage through the inn debris after the fight had concluded.


    However, that would come later; now, she had a twisted witch to bring down.


    First off, she used [Dark Regeneration] to heal all injuries she had incurred.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The great thing about [Mystic Eyes] was that it not only allowed one to see the nature of a spell or ability, it also allowed one to see the affinities, aptitudes and amount of mana one currently possessed. The crone¡¯s affinities were moderate, nothing worth noting except the fact that she had all of them. Her aptitude was one Sage had already seen with the more accurate {Index}. As for the amount of mana the hag currently had¡­ by Sage¡¯s estimation, not enough to cast spells above the 1<sup>st</sup> Order. Once the duration of [Elemental Kin] was up, the hag would become a sitting duck.


    However, whether the crone had a minute or five on the spell¡¯s effect, Sage was not willing wait that long to subdue her. A second was enough to change the course of a battle, tens of dozens of seconds was more than enough to end entire battles where those beyond the 6<sup>th</sup> Order were involved. The crone might be really old and nauseatingly hideous, but she was enough of a match that Sage could not take risks.


    Isaac and the hag kept slogging each other with their fists. The lack of clothes gave the crone better mobility, which enabled her to dodge most of the knight swings; especially the ones targeted at vital areas. As for Isaac, although his mobility was not as high, his obsidian armour managed to block most of her punches while leaving only small dents.


    Watching the two exchange blows back and forth, Sage decided to add a wrench to their performance. She cast [Summon Undead], bringing forth a death knight, which she ordered to assist Isaac in attacking the crone. Next off, she pointed at the knight and reinforced him with [Major Strengthen Undead]. Under normal circumstances, it was a bad idea to cast a reinforcement spell on an ally when they were in close proximity to the enemy; however, the 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell only worked on undead, so even if it missed and landed on the crone instead, there would be no effect.


    Sage¡¯s luck was in full swing this time, because the spell caught Isaac despite his erratic movements. Also, the death knight arrived and began attacking the crone, forcing her to back off; a sword was not something she could block with her bare body. The death knight¡¯s attack allowed Isaac to gain a moment¡¯s rest from the crone¡¯s assault. Instead of joining the death knight to continue the attack, he looked to the side and went to grab his fallen sword before jumping back into the fray. However, the old bat¡¯s combat prowess was unbelievably good. By the time the knight returned to the fight, the death knight had already been dismantled and was in the midst of dematerialising back to the Deadlands.


    There are more where that one came from.


    Sage summoned another death knight and ordered it to assist Isaac. This time, Isaac¡¯s upper-hand was even more obvious. Both his speed and strength vastly outclassed the hag¡¯s. The crone managed to dodge the first of the knight¡¯s attack, but that left her open to a kick in the side. There followed a sickening crunch, similar to when she had attacked Sage, as she was sent flying several metres away. This time, she did not land on her feet.


    The recently summoned death knight arrived where the hag had landed and thrust its sword downwards. Unfortunately, the hag rolled out of the sword¡¯s way before swiping the summoned undead off its feet. The previous undead knight had been handled by disarming it and decapitating it with its own weapon. This time, the crone grabbed the sword from the undead¡¯s hand and slashed at its leg, breaching the undead¡¯s greaves and leaving a gash deep enough that the leg was only held in place by thin strips of rotting flesh. Then the hag brought up her stolen sword; just in time to fend off Isaac¡¯s attack.


    Sage snarled when she saw the hag¡¯s actions; they were more well thought-out then they initially appeared. When a summoned death knight was killed, its weapon dissipated along with it. By taking the undead¡¯s sword and merely incapacitating it instead, the crone ensured that its weapon not only remain for the undead¡¯s duration in the Main Plane, it also prevented Sage from summoning another helper from the Deadlands.


    Unfortunately for the witch, her ploy made little difference at this stage of the battle. With Isaac having been strengthened by a 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell, even if the crone had better techniques, she failed to stop him. After a few clashes with their weapons, the former Guard Captain managed to find a gap in the hag¡¯s defence and struck, hacking her sword arm off. The hag shrieked in pain as blood sputtered from the stump; her voice was cut off a second later when an armoured boot made contact with her chest. Again she was sent skittering on her back. Isaac followed with his ebony blady raised high, ready to bring it down and end her life.


    ¡°STOP!¡± Sage hurriedly shouted.


    The sword was mere centimetres from the hag¡¯s face when she issued the command. Isaac involuntarily froze, unable to move any further. His head craned in her direction; a frown present on his face. Clearly, he did not appreciate her interference. Sage chose to ignore his glare and hurriedly bound the crone to the ground with [Nether Chains]. Then she walked over to the witch¡¯s side, snatched the sword from Isaac and plunged it into her remaining arm.


    Her actions caused the crone to release another pained screech. Hearing the hag¡¯s agonised scream, Sage felt the fire in her chest simmer down. Its sensation morphed from an unbearable heat to a pleasant flutter, the kind that made the corners of her lips quirk upwards. This was what she had wanted since discovering the finger in her soup. To savour more of the feeling, she stabbed another part of the hag¡¯s arm.


    Unfortunately, with every successive stab, the crone appeared to adjust. With each subsequent jab her scream¡¯s amplitude decreased until- after the seventh stab- they vanished. She was not silent though. Her shrieks had morphed to cackles; her painfilled eyes turned to mock-filled ones.


    ¡°Is that all ye can do?¡± she managed get out between shrill laughs and bloody hiccups. ¡°Ye not versed in this are ye, necromancer girl?¡±


    Sage frowned while she stared down the now blood-coated hag. The spell she was using had dissipated, meaning she could no longer heal despite the fact that Isaac still had not cancelled {Chill}.


    The enjoyment of the ordeal was gone though. Revenge that had the target laughing in the end was the lamest kind of revenge. The whole point of revenge was to obtain satisfaction through inflicting suffering; if one did it for any other reason or obtained a different result, then it was not worth. At this point it was better to end things.


    ¡°Fuck you bitch!¡± she hissed and flung the blade away.


    The cannibal crone did not deserve a quick death!


    With her mind made up, Sage raised her foot and stomped down with all the force she could muster. Her foot landed on the crone¡¯s face, square on her ugly warty nose. The old bitch¡¯s cackles were cut off as blood exploded all over her face. Seeing this, Sage did not relent. She raised her foot and stomped down again, then again. This act was repeated multiple times; she lost count. At one point she felt the crone¡¯s face cave in. Still, she continued unrelentingly, stomping on the hag¡¯s squishy remains.


    It was a long while before she finished venting. By then the crone¡¯s face had been flattened beyond recognition, her blood and brain matter scattered on the ground.

 CHAPTER 99: SECOND KIN

    ¡°Rot in hell old cunt!¡± she snarled and spat on the corpse.


    With the old bitch dead her objective was done. The red had fled her vision during her venting, but the edges remained blurry. To deal with it she closed her eyes and took in deep breaths. After exhaling and repeating the process half a dozen times, she opened her, now entirely clear eyes and set them on Isaac, who watched her with a disturbed look.


    ¡°We fucking suck,¡± she muttered.


    The fight that just concluded, if she was being honest, was not the hardest fight she had had; that still belonged to her first encounter with the bastard. One thing she would admit though, loathfully so, was that it was the most embarrassing one so far.


    ¡°How did we get owned by crone who looked like she was a step away from death¡¯s door?¡± she huffed out.


    ¡°If I was still human, the fight would have been much easier,¡± Isaac, the bastard, threw shade. ¡°There are spells I could have used to counter her.¡±


    ¡°And if you were not present, I would not have struggled that much either,¡± she countered. ¡°Do you know how many spells I was unable to use because you were in the way?¡± Isaac opened his mouth to say something, but she interrupted him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We won in the end. Now we just need to figure out ways to fight together without being a hinderance to one another.¡± Her eyes fell back on the crone¡¯s squashed head before shifting back to the knight. ¡°By the way. Do you know who she was?¡±


    Isaac frowned and shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t a clue. Why would you think I do?¡±


    ¡°From her strength alone, she clearly isn¡¯t a nobody,¡± she reasoned. ¡°You¡¯re from this area; haven¡¯t you heard of an old crone well-versed in fighting and spellcraft? Maybe your church is after her because of¡­ urg!¡± She could not get physically sick, but it made her sick to think about the fact that she had sampled the hag¡¯s soup


    ¡°I assure you that if the church had been aware of such a despicable individual, they would have acted,¡± Isaac replied. ¡°Even if the Goddess¡¯ Church is barred from Lethia, they would have informed the Lethians. After all, even Vestravans balk at cannibalism.¡±


    ¡°Well, fuck it,¡± she said after pondering for a moment to no avail. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Above her, [Space Lock] had shattered. She reached down and grabbed the one of the crone¡¯s ankles before turning around, opening a [Dimension Door] and dragging the corpse through it.


    She had returned to the inn, which had been reduced to broken walls and rubble. A massive hole was in the middle exposing the basement and its numerous cages. A quick look into the hole and she was hit with the sight of seared and frozen corpses. There were no survivors from her earlier elemental clash with the witch; the four arsehole mercenaries had been reduced to the same state as the caged victims.


    Sage sneered and looked away.


    ¡°NYX!¡± she called.


    A second later, the familiar emerged from her shadow while still wearing the Umbral Felis form. He was not alone though, as he had dragged along the half-orc girl with his mouth clamped on her shoulder. The girl was in worse shape than the last time Sage had seen her. A huge wooden splinter nestled in her chest, the result of which was a large red stain on her dress that continuous enlarged. Her eyes gaped almost as wide as her mouth, which continuously struggled with intake of breath. All that came out with were coughs that spurted blood from the mouth. The stake had likely punctured a lung.


    ¡°Let her go and search the rubble for valuables,¡± she ordered. ¡°Specifically books. Any type of paper, you bring immediately to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master!¡± the cat acknowledged, before diving back into the shadows.


    Still clutching the crone¡¯s ankle, she hauled her hand forward, throwing the corpse into the hole. Afterwards, Sage lifted the girl and threw her after her grandmother. However, Isaac appeared out of nowhere and caught her before she could fall into the hole. He gently lay the child down before shooting a glare in Sage¡¯s direction.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± he demanded.


    She uttered a curt snort. ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m getting rid of her.¡±


    ¡°You want to kill her?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°She is a child!¡±


    ¡°Considering her guardian¡¯s diet, there is no way she is not a cannibal,¡± Sage pointed out. ¡°Do you, self-righteous prick who obsesses over justice and punishing the wicked, really want someone like that to continue walking Aran?¡±


    ¡°She is a child who was led astray,¡± he tried to reason. ¡°If we got her a proper role model, she would be put back on the right path.¡±


    ¡°That what the Imperium did to the kids of Tel¡¯sir?¡± she retorted. ¡°Put them on the right path?¡±


    He had no comeback for that. However he refused to budge despite being well aware of how easy it would be for her to move him.


    ¡°Please,¡± he said. Was this the first time she heard him beg? She could not remember another. ¡°She is only a child.¡±


    She found his plea¡­ unmoving.


    ¡°Even if I let her go, she will succumb from her wound,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Might as well put her out of her misery instead of letting her choke to death on her own blood.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have potions that can heal her?¡± he asked, anxious eyes travelling between the spike in the girl¡¯s chest and Sage¡¯s face, beseeching her.


    Sage kept her stance stern. ¡°You know as well as I the watered-down shit I have won¡¯t be able to do anything to that wound.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s really nothing you can do?¡± his asked, despair edging into his eyes.


    ¡°Why are you so concerned about the girl¡¯s fate?¡± she asked. ¡°This can¡¯t seriously be the first kid death you¡¯ll witness.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it!¡± he retorted. ¡°Children dying young is a tragedy that should be prevented at all cost!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°And yet it still happens around the world,¡± she stated casually.


    To this, he pursed his lips and glared at her. ¡°That¡¯s what you always tell yourself isn¡¯t it, that it¡¯s happening to someone else somewhere? Is that what helps you sleep at night?¡±


    His words were some of the last ones she was expecting, but a response naturally filtered out her mouth. ¡°I wish, but I don¡¯t sleep at all.¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean!¡± he pressed. ¡°This is the kind of justification you use to prevent yourself from feeling responsible for ruining the lives of others. I¡¯ve met your kind before; I bet you probably rationalise your cruel deeds by telling yourself if I don¡¯t do it, someone else will.¡±


    That was not how she rationalised her deeds at all. Whenever Sage did something, her thoughts were always along the lines of; I like it and it makes me feel good. In case of unpleasantness, her rationale was; suck it up now and benefit later. Of course a bastard who had locked himself in a black and white bubble would come to the dumbest conclusion. She did not feel compelled to correct him, just like she did not feel compelled to continue the current topic.


    ¡°What does that have to do with the child?¡±


    ¡°You can save her,¡± he stated firmly.


    His statement caused her to sneer. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say how ineffective the potions would be against a wound that large. What else do you expect me to do?¡±


    ¡°You could [Teleport] to Tiih or Yshta and deliver her to the Church.¡±


    This reply brought a sigh out of her before she stared hard at him. ¡°Isaac, if you say something that stupid again, I will make you throw her into the basement.¡±


    The bastard listened, but he did not stop making suggestions. His next one left her mouth hanging due to the sheer its sheer unexpectedness.


    ¡°You can make her an undead.¡±


    The next few seconds that passed were filled with silence; not a one of them said anything as she stared at him quizzically. Isaac himself seemed taken aback by the words that just came out of his mouth. His eyes widened once more with horrification, as if not believing what he had just said. Finally, after more than a dozen seconds had passed, she burst into laughter.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± she could not contain herself. ¡°Are you, the holier-than-thou-stick-up-the-arse knight, suggesting I turn a child into the kind of abomination your goddess despises?¡±


    Her wording threw him off balance, but he collected himself in record time to present a clenched jaw and hardened eyes, the picture of a steely resolve.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s one like me,¡± he answered. ¡°An undead who can think and feel, one who will have memories of when she was alive. An undead who will retain her identity.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sage smirked. ¡°What would your former colleagues think about your decision? How would your goddess feel if she learned you made such a suggestion?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± his response escaped through gritted teeth. ¡°There is no other way.¡±


    ¡°Then, wouldn¡¯t it be better to let her die? Isn¡¯t that better than becoming ¡®an abomination¡¯?¡± she brought up her hands to make air quotes.


    ¡°It is.¡± There was no delay in his answer.


    ¡°Then why-¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T FUCKING KNOW OKAY!¡± he shouted. ¡°She is a child who grew up in the company of a despicable human being. For her to just go like that without ever experiencing the warmth a caring guardian; I can¡¯t allow it. I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± was the only response she could muster as his outburst had caught her off guard. She took a few seconds to collect herself before speaking again. ¡°But I don¡¯t feel particularly motivated to do it. If I did, how exactly would I benefit?¡±


    The look he gave her told Sage the knight had not thought of this.


    ¡°You¡¯re a necromancer,¡± he said, puzzlement in his voice. ¡°Isn¡¯t getting one more undead what you want?¡±


    To this, she could not help but glare and snort. ¡°Do I look like your run-of-the-mill corpse raiser? If I wanted an army of cadavers following me, I would have converted everyone in the settlements we passed.¡± Isaac seemed scandalised at the notion, but he kept his tongue and listened. ¡°Every undead I intend to make will be the result of my painstaking research and experimentation. Each one of will be a masterpiece crafted from an intricate ritual and a prime specimen. Now, when you think of prime specimen, does a child come to mind?¡±


    The pale knight retreated in his head for a while before coming out with what he thought was an appropriate answer. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you want! Anything, as long as it¡¯s in my power, I will do it!¡±


    ¡°You already do whatever I want,¡± she reminded him. ¡°So what you¡¯re offering is not much of a bargain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it without complaining,¡± he replied. ¡°I promise!¡±


    Sage could have continued to press and tease him, but the child on the ground looked like she would expire any moment. Despite what she had said, the girl more than met her requirements for undead conversion. Among all the people Sage had met so far, the child had the highest aptitude. Her age might be a little inconvenient, but it could be overlooked in this situation.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°But she will be your responsibility; no fucking way I¡¯m taking care of a kid.¡±


    Just as Isaac agreed, Nyx popped out of her shadow once again; this time he was back in his original form. His ears were drooped.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any paper master.¡±


    ¡°Not one?¡± she asked, only to mutter a curse when she got a response. ¡°Not even for bookkeeping? Fuck!¡±


    It looked like [Elemental Kin] was lost to her¡­ and the girl too if she did not hurry.


    ¡°Hand me the notes I was working on earlier.¡±


    The cat obeyed. And with that, Sage opened a [Dimension Door] to the bottom of the basement. There, she once again looked around before using [Telekinesis] to clear a large portion of the ground and then transmuting the cleared area to stone. Afterwards she peeked at her notes before taking her knife from her familiar, numbing herself to pain and opening up her wrist. Her dark blood gushed out like a torrent, which she guided to create the circle she had incepted. With the help of [Dark Regeneration] it took five minutes before the circle was complete.


    Seeing that the preparations were done, she turned to Isaac who had come through the Door with her. More specifically, her eyes fell on the girl held gently in his arms. Although the half-orc was heaving laboriously, she was somehow still conscious. She had probably heard what they had discussed, even if to her it had likely felt like through a liquid medium. Sage¡¯s next words were for her.


    ¡°Listen brat,¡± she began. ¡°I¡¯m going to perform a ritual that will turn you into an undead. Right now you have two options; the first, you can nod your head in agreement and I will follow through, or you can shake your head and I¡¯ll put you out of your misery. Which will it be?¡±


    The green-skinned girl looked at her with unfocused eyes before nodding once amidst bloody-curdling fits.


    There was not a chance her decision was made with a clear mind, which meant it might not be what the girl truly desired.


    No anti-suicide tenet, Sage decided. If the girl found her existence unbearable, she was welcome to end it.


    After the thought crossed her mind, she ordered Isaac to place the girl in the centre of the circle. When all that was done, she raised her hand and cast [Create Sentient Undead].


    As it had been with the time she used the ritual on Isaac, torrents of her mana left her and gushed into the circle. Just like the previous time, darkness emerged from the circle and began to seep into the child, eliciting pained grunts accompanied by bloody coughs from the girl. Her eyes were tightly shut as tears streamed down her face, evidence of the amount of pain her transformation was putting her through. It was minutes before the process concluded; by then Sage¡¯s mana pool was scraping the bottom.


    The girl in the now inert circle appeared no different from before; apart from the fact that the wooden stake was pushed out by her body while the wound rapidly closed itself. Then her eyes opened, revealing their pale blue colour to the world. Her head swivelled to the side as she jumped to her feet and rushed to the freshest looking corpse, that of the mercenary woman. The girl opened her mouth to reveal rows of jagged teeth, which she effortlessly sank into the dead thigh.


    Sage fought to keep a straight face while she watched the scene with {Index} activated.


    Race: ??? (Undead)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: S (White)


    Title(s): Netherkin


    Rakshasa was probably not the best option for a cannibal.

 CHAPTER 100: SHADOWS

    ¡°No, stop!¡± Isaac shouted. He rushed up to the child and dragged her from the corpse. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that anymore.¡±


    For a child to witness their guardian¡¯s despicability, to be forced to partake in their horrendous rituals; that was not how life was meant to be. This child- her name was Mylah if he remembered correctly- had been an unwilling accomplice in her great-great-grandmother¡¯s evil deeds. Now, the old woman had been dealt with; cruelly, but her fate was deserved. So there was no more reason for the child to engage in those disgusting practises anymore.


    At least that was what he thought before he saw the huge lump the girl had come away with. Also, it was difficult not to notice that the rate at which Mylah¡¯s wound was closing had exponentially increased afterwards. This, he could tell right away, was the work of the phantom.


    ¡°What sort of abomination did you turn her into?¡± he demanded.


    Sage met him with a frown, but she did not refuse a response. ¡°The ritual circle I used contained elements of ghouls, characteristics of skeleton knights and what I¡¯ve gleaned so from my vampirism tests. It was probably not the best choice for an undead considering the current predicament.¡±


    Isaac shot her a glare. ¡°You think!¡±


    What in the world was wrong with her? After the hysterics she pulled off when she discovered the finger in her soup, how could she subject a child to an eternal fate of subsisting on human flesh?


    And the child, when Isaac dragged her away from the dead woman¡¯s thigh, her eyes had been unfocused; now they had cleared up, making the girl aware of her surroundings. Her eyes flew around the destroyed basement, coming to stop at the broken body of her ancestor. He could almost hear the gears in her head grinding as her mind toiled to put together a picture of what had happened. When comprehension dawned her eyes, they shook and her mouth quivered. Her teeth he could see were back to normal; two small tusks jutting out her lower lip like before.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he whispered when her sorrowful quivers began.


    He wrapped an arm around her quaking form, not knowing how much comfort it was for her considering his cold nature. His eyes returned to the phantom with an even more intense glare.


    ¡°Well,¡± the undead witch responded with a shrug. ¡°I told you I¡¯m not taking care of a kid. She¡¯s your problem now¡±


    Then she turned away, no longer paying attention to him. Afterwards, she called her familiar¡¯s name and the little monster- always eager to please- popped out of her shadow immediately. Isaac watched as Sage bent down and picked Nyx up, scratched him at the back of the ears and asked him to cough up a spellbook. Then, in the presence of mutilated corpses, she found a place to sit down and began flipping through the pages.


    There were so many things Isaac wished to say to her. However, he knew they would amount to naught, so he quelled his raging emotions and asked a question unrelated to what he truly wanted to say...


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    For the next few seconds, the phantom was content with ignoring him. She flipped through dozens of pages before finally stopping at one of the last ones. Then she folded the book and showed him the page she had chosen. On it was a spell model with a pattern more complicated than he was used to, one that was difficult to make head or tails of. However, the label atop the page displayed the spell¡¯s name. Reading it, he could not help recoil; for it was one of the most feared spells in existence.


    [Death].


    Among all the spells necromancers had access to, the 9<sup>th</sup> Order spell alone is said to embody the deceased Vatran. Although an attack spell, [Death] caused no damage to its targets; once someone was hit with it, they would simply drop to the ground, dead. A reason the spell induced terror, even among the high-ranking members of the Church, was that those struck by [Death] would stay down permanently. [Resurrection] could not bring them back; also, it was impossible to make an undead of the person.


    ¡°I just struggled to subdue a hunchback hag,¡± the phantom stated with pursed lips. ¡°That, more than anything, is an indication that I need to Advance; especially if I¡¯m determined not to experience such nonsense again.¡±


    Listening to her, Isaac did not have a response. Had she not just Advanced recently?


    Barely two months had passed since he had first encountered the undead. Back then she did not use spells higher than the 5<sup>th</sup> Order. In the short time that had followed, she had climbed an unbelievable three Orders. Now she wanted to Advance again?


    She is an undead, he had to remind himself. Their kind did not incur the risks the living did.


    Even so, the fact that Sage could Advance so fast was a frightening fact to consider. If she continued at her current pace, would it not mean that by next month she would enter Ultra-Order? A Transcendent Sage; there were few thoughts as unpleasant as that one.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The phantom went back to her notes and he focused on consoling Mylah. The distraught girl mourned, but there were no tears; having been raised as an undead, she had been stripped of the ability as he had. She could not weep for the sight before her eyes, for the destruction of her home and the death of her forebearer. Even if she had been a terrible excuse for a human being, it was normal to weep for family. Though the girl mourned, no tears were shed for what she had become; not one rolled down her cheek to commemorate the sorrowful event that was the loss of her humanity.


    What have I done?


    Where had the idea to turn the Mylah into an undead come from? Never in his life had Isaac ever thought he would suggest such a thing. Undead were the bane of the living, an blight against the natural order of things. They stood against everything the Goddess stood for. The only interaction that could happen between the living and the undead was of destroyer and destroyed; no other relationships were allowed. To suggest someone be turned into an undead, even if it was to save them, was the height of blasphemy. Could it even be called saving when the person became the antithesis of all that the Goddess embodied? Isaac understood all this.


    And yet, he had pled for an undead viler than most to convert a child whose only sin was being born in the wrong family. Because of him, Mylah was now condemned to the fate of being a flesh eating-abomination. What was he thinking when he asked the phantom to use her abhorrent arts on the girl? He deserved to be punished for his sin. If only the goddess could hear his prayers and smite him from the heavenly seat of Feyheim.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m done,¡± Sage¡¯s voice cut through his thoughts.


    His gaze returned to her as she called the familiar¡¯s name. Nyx once again popped out of her shadow and she handed him the book. After that, she stood up from her seat and turned to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she declared. ¡°Make sure nothing interferes.¡±


    Isaac watched her lie on ground, tighten her jaw and seal her eyes shut. She took a single breath and exhaled; in preparation, he assumed.


    Being a former sorcerer, he was no stranger to Advancement. The first was a minor inconvenience, nothing worth worrying about. However, the feeling rose with each subsequent climb. At the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order, the pain was already greater than most experienced. The 4<sup>th</sup> Order- the first of the middle Orders- was a completely different realm of pain one had to endure. To get to the higher Orders was exponentially worse. Isaac had experienced it when he entered the 7<sup>th</sup> Order. It was one of the worst things he had experienced in his life; on par with the phantom¡¯s poison. For those who had gone through an Advancement, particularly those who had ascended beyond the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order, it was understandable why some sorcerers did not survive the transformation of their mana.


    When the phantom felt she was fully prepared, she cast her spell.


    For a brief period after the complicated spell was completed, there was calm. Sage lay on the ground with her eyes shut, her posture one of leisure. Shortly after, she bit her lip to quell any sound that might escape from her mouth. She was not able to keep it going for long though, as moments after she opened her mouth and released pent-up grunts. Soon the grunts turned to groans. A minute into the Advancement all inhibitions were cast aside. Sage opened her mouth to the limit and let her screams pierce the night. Her voice was so loud that Isaac was forced to let go of Mylah to plug his ears with his fingers; an act the girl replicated.


    Then, things took an unusual turn.


    Without warning, for no reason at all; he was suddenly struck by an ominous feeling. At his side, he picked out the girl¡¯s gasp from Sage¡¯s shrieks through his smothered hearing. A quick glance at her and he saw her eyes wide open, staring at the surroundings. Following her line of sight, he was met with the mindboggling scene of shivering shadows.


    The sky above was empty of clouds and the stars consistently rained their radiance on Aran, so he was certain what he was seeing was not a trick of light. Even if he believed it to be so, witnessing shadows from different directions all elongate towards the screaming undead would have killed that belief. Even his and the girl¡¯s shadows moved of their own accord, hands reaching for Sage.


    The shadows chased much of the light away as they made contact with the screaming undead. Their peculiar behaviour cast the area in disarray, sending birds and insects nearby scurrying away in panic. A yowl was heard from nearby as the distorted shadows expelled a miserable-looking Nyx. The night itself trembled in conjunction with the undead sorceress¡¯ shrieks, while the shadows grasped at her. Isaac was certain they were doing something to her; what it was, he was unable to tell.


    As someone who was once a member of the Paladins, he had witnessed some of his seniors¡¯ Advancement to the 9<sup>th</sup> Order. Theirs had been nothing like what was happening before his eyes!


    What in the world is she?


    The fact that Sage as a phantom was capable of spellcraft was already beyond the norm; this spectacle exposed something else entirely. There was way more to her than he had originally thought, way more than the High Priestess had believed.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the screams ceased and the shadows returned to normal.


    Sage continued to lie on the ground, her eyes tightly shut with tears- her kind it seemed were capable of them- rolling down her temples. A minute passed where everyone remained rooted to their spot. Then Sage brought up her hand and wiped her tears away. Afterwards, she sat up and looked at the sky. Then she opened her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs.


    ¡°FUUUUCCCKKK!!!!¡±


    She paid no heed to her curse being thrown back at her by the surroundings. Using her shaky hands to hoist herself to her feet, she stumbled twice in the process before she eventually managed it.


    The first to say something after she got up was the cat.


    ¡°Master,¡± he cried happily, rushing to her. ¡°You¡¯ve Advanced once again! Congratulat-¡±


    ¡°Save it!¡± the undead sorceress cut him off, anger leaking through her voice. The cat shrank back as her glare fell upon Isaac. ¡°Call your horse. We¡¯re leaving this damn place.¡±


    Without another word, she raised her hand and cast [Dimension Door]. Isaac grabbed the girl¡¯s hand and followed Sage through the portal. They appeared topside, about ten metres from the inn.


    The phantom¡¯s face was still etched in a frown as she turned to look back at the rubble.


    ¡°Fuck this place,¡± she muttered.


    Then she raised her hand and a spell erupted from her. Just as she finished, a pillar of fire rained down upon what was left of the inn.


    The scene nearly caused his eyes to fall out of his head, particularly when he saw the colour of the flames.


    Black, like the dreadful accounts of yore.

 CHAPTER 101: A SCION’S RIGHT

    One thing Sage had not accounted for when she told Isaac to call the horse was the fact that they now had an extra body in their group. Although the undead beast was very capable of carrying her, the bastard and the child together; there was limited space on its back, all three of them could never fit. So, she chose to take refuge within Nyx¡¯s Space. Apart from being a refuge from the raging wind during the helhurst¡¯s galloping, it also served as a convenient getaway from a shellshocked girl.


    How the child felt about becoming an undead, she did not know; her initial reaction had not given off positive vibes though. As Sage had stated, she had no interest in dealing with the child. Whatever emotions she might be harbouring after learning that not only had her home been destroyed- her grandmother was dead and she had become an undead with a craving for flesh- was not for Sage to deal with. That was all the knight bastard.


    Detracting from her current train of thoughts, she raised her eyes and looked around the space, noting its increase in size. {Void Space} was now twice its previous size and could hold up to ten tonnes of weight. As her familiar, Nyx¡¯s mana had obviously improved to match her own. As a result, {Void Space} was not the only ability that had improved. {Devour} had progressed to the point of being able to be used on a Grade 1 beast, {Shadow Travel} allowed movement between shadows up to three kilometres apart and {Misfortune}¡­ had unsurprisingly gotten stronger as well. It also appeared now that it could be directed at a chosen target. When she found time, she would have to talk to Nyx about it to make sure there were no other effects.


    Then of course there was her. Sage Maverick¡­ Phantom¡­ Darkborne.


    If she had to describe the Advancement she had just gone through with one word, it would be torment. At this point, saying it was beyond any pain she had experienced before felt redundant; those had been her sentiments on the previous one and would undoubtably be her feelings after the next one.


    This Advancement however, had felt like it was not only ripping apart the molecules of her body, but also reaching into her soul. So agonising it had been that, at one point, she earnestly began contemplating death; having experienced it before, she had little trouble concluding it as being preferable to what she had been experiencing. The excruciating pain must be why the majority of talents who reached this stage did not survive the transformation. If she had been a human undergoing the process, she would have succumbed as well. Luckily, pain could not kill the deceased.


    It was worth it, she thought, using {Index} on herself.


    Race: Phantom (Undead}


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: SS (Green)


    Title(s): Darkborne


    While her mana reaching the pinnacle of ordinary existences was no surprise, the increase in her physique was an unexpected boon. She was unaware of a similar occurrence happening anywhere else, so it was probably not caused by her increase in Order but likely due to her nature of being a phantom or Darkborne; maybe even both. Or maybe the increase was owed to her phantom nature, her Darkborne state and reaching the 9<sup>th</sup> Order in conjunction. Sage had her assumptions, however not knowing would not lose her any sleep if she could tire.


    Now that she had reached the 9<sup>th</sup> Order, she could finally learn the spells she had been looking forward to since she began learning magic; starting with [Gate]. It was without a doubt the best teleportation spell in existence. The spell could open a portal to anywhere, even if one had never been there; as long as you had a distinct picture in mind. With this spell in tow, even the outer planes were not out of reach. It was possible to open a [Gate] to the Primordial Plane, the Deadlands and the Overgrowth to mention a few. Though, it was ill-advised to do so as the chaotic environment of the first plane would rip apart anyone dumb enough to enter, the second was inhospitable to the living and the third was the domain of a god. Still, [Gate]¡¯s usefulness could not be discounted, as it was able to bypass [Space Lock]. Also, the portal could be held open for a long time, allowing masses of people to pass through. It was how the Cryptmaker had moved his horde around.


    Other spells Sage was looking forward to learning were mostly upgrades from 7<sup>th</sup> Order elemental spells she knew; namely [Inferno], [Whiteout], [Cyclone] and [Earthquake]. They were greater versions of [Conflagration], [Blizzard], [Tornado] and [Quake] respectively. Another elemental spell she was eager to engrave was [Wrath], which devastated the land by raining down lightning constantly. Sadly, she did not have access to all their spell models, but they would probably not be hard to find; for 9<sup>th</sup> Order spells that was. When she finally manages to ingrain all of them, her strength would sour to new heights. She could not wait for that moment!Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    One more Advancement to go.


    It would be a long time before she could attempt that one though, especially considering the fact that the Cryptmaker never got his hands on the model of an Ultra Order spell. Being the studious fellow that he was, he did however not fail to jot down everything he had learned about them.


    According to his notes, there were three types of spells. The first were the Zero Order spells. They were the likes of [Candleflame] and [Shocking Touch]; the lowest of the low, but could be useful if used wisely. When cast, these spells did not occupy any slots. Thus, the shift in mana caused by invoking these spells was not permanent. If one did not cast another spell within three days, their mana would revert to white.


    The second types of spells were those from the 1<sup>st</sup> to the 9<sup>th</sup> Order. Once someone successfully channelled these spells, they were ingrained in to their core and could not be unlearned. Spells of this nature had to be ingrained like a house of cards, where the lower Order spells would serve as a foundation for the higher Order ones. Also, the spells of the lower Order had to be at least five more than their higher tiered counterparts. Failure to adhere to the arrangement would result in one¡¯s mana going berserk and imploding.


    Aptitude played a part in the number of spells one could learn, with a higher aptitude allowing for more spells.


    Ultra Order spells too occupied slots, though in a different manner.


    To reach 9<sup>th</sup> Order, one had to have learned at least six 8<sup>th</sup> Order spells; if one counted the spells at the very bottom, there had to be at least forty-one 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells ingrained.


    Considering the uniformity of ingraining spells, one would expect the criteria for learning spells of the Ultra Order to be having learned forty-six 1<sup>st</sup> Order spells; however, it was actually lower at forty-five. One only needed to know five 9<sup>th</sup> Order spells to learn an Ultra Order spell. However, to ingrain a second Ultra Order spell, they had to learn another five 9<sup>th</sup> Order spells and so forth; meaning it took five spells of the 9<sup>th</sup> Order to support a single spell of the Ultra Order.


    Ultra Order magic had an extremely long cast time, the shortest of which was believed to be over a minute. The fact that they needed so long to be deployed was a testament to how powerful they were; capable of altering entire landscapes and climates. An example of this was [Meteor Rain] which, if used properly, could decimate an entire region.


    Most people would assume that, since Ultra Order spells took so long to cast, the mage would be left vulnerable. It was a mistake made by many in the past. Transcendent sorcerers were capable of channelling two spells at the same time; meaning, they could cast another spell while preparing their Ultra Order signature.


    One more painful push and that would be Sage, she would stand on top of the world; not only as a Transcendent, but a Demigod as well!


    She basked in the dream for a while before coming out of it.


    It had been a while since she entered the Space, so she decided to borrow Nyx¡¯s eyes to get a view of the outside. The cat was riding in the helhurst¡¯s shadow, making it hard to make out the surroundings in the beginning. She quickly adjusted though and, sure enough, saw a walled city standing in the distance. Having grasped their location she switched back to her own vision and stood up, walked to the edge of the space and reached through. There was a startled squeak from her familiar as she appeared beside him in the undead horse¡¯s shadow.


    Now that her mana had turned green, as a Scion she obtained a manipulation ability. Hers was obviously {Shadow Manipulation}, the ability to control shadows in any way she pleased. She could elongate shadows or shrink them at her whim, could enter and move through them like her cat. Also, she no longer had to let Nyx eat her to step into the {Void Space} because she could now access it through the shadows.


    Before the cat could have any other reaction, Sage picked him up, cast [Flight] on herself and flew out of the Shadow while turning intangible. This act surprised the horse, which had an abrupt reaction that nearly threw off its riders.


    ¡°This is far enough,¡± she said, deliberately ignoring what had just happened. Her words were directed at Isaac. ¡°Ditch the horse. From here on we¡¯re on foot.¡±


    While it had been okay to move about with a frosty-breathed horse in villages and towns, to do so in a city like Rupheus would be too eye-catching. Looking at it from a distance, it size was nowhere near Yshta or Tiih, but it was still a city of immense size; probably home to some knowledgeable individuals. This place was the homebase of the dead arsehole mercenaries, meaning it housed a Guild building as a gathering point for their rugged kind.


    Those in the mercenary profession were knowledgeable; a trait one had to have to survive long in their business. As such, there was a need to compile a bestiary of all creatures they encountered. If any half-competent mercenary saw the helhurst, they would want to make a detailed report of it.


    There was no protest as the two promptly dismounted; one with a frown and the other with a vacant facade. The frowny one turned to the mount and whispered to it to explore the grassless fields before turning to Sage.


    ¡°What now,¡± he grumbled.


    Ignoring his tone, she grabbed his shoulder and told the little girl to hold her arm. Then she {Blink}ed¡­ all the way to the foot of the wall.


    Now that her mana had reached the 9<sup>th</sup> Order, it was possible to move across even larger distances. To {Blink} two to three kilometres away was not difficult. Both Isaac and the girl were unprepared for her actions though, which caused them to nearly lose their footing. Fortunately, they both managed to stabilise themselves quickly; Isaac by finding his balance and the half-orc girl by holding tighter onto Sage¡¯s arm. When she was certain no one would be toppling over, Sage walked into the wall¡¯s shadow and out the other side. Then she let the two go and looked around.


    Dawn was upon them. They had foregone the line likely forming up at the gate and entered Rupheus.

 CHAPTER 102: CITY & INN

    The part of the city they found themselves in was neither extravagant nor dilapidated. It was a street in what appeared to be a middle-class neighbourhood with modest housing on the sides. As the sun had yet to take to the skies, although the sounds leaving the houses told her the residents were awake, the street was almost empty. Apart from her meagre entourage, there was only one other presence in sight; a stumbling man who did not seem able to part with the ground for longer than three steps. If he had seen the manner in which they had entered the city, he gave no indication of it; probably due to intoxication.


    As soon as she identified the man¡¯s ailment, Sage lost interest in him. She let Nyx slip from her arm as her eyes roamed the surrounding. Where to?


    They had burst into a part of the street that was in the midst of making U-turn back in the direction it came from. On both sides of the street, the houses shared the same modest style with no discernible change. As it was her first time in the Rupheus, her knowledge of the city had exclusively been gotten from the library books she had nabbed, therefore it was surface level. Although it was obvious the place they found themselves in belonged to the middle class, she was lost as to where it was exactly. As such, she had not a clue where to go.


    It¡¯s not that difficult to find out, she thought. A quick search ought to do the trick.


    To the two on her sides, she worded; ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    A dozen minutes¡¯ journey into the interior and the scenery underwent a slight change. They came to a crossroad at which the houses on the other side appeared slightly better-looking than those in the direction they had come from. The other side contained more than just residences though, such as the occasional shop nestled between houses.


    The first shop Sage spied was unsurprisingly a hardware shop. The sign hanging above the door depicted an axe on one side, a hammer on the other and nails encircling the name of the shop. The establishment undoubtably sold common household metalware to its customers. Again, not a surprising fact considering Rupheus apparently had more forges than any other city in North-Western Rekke.


    Thinking of forges; ever since they entered the city, she had been able to hear the sounds of hammering. When her backs had been to the city wall, the sounds had been negligible; however, as she continued to streak inland, they had gotten louder. Also, the sun had revealed itself by now and the streets were beginning to fill up. Across the city, even from the direction they came from, more noises from hammers striking anvils came.


    A tourist¡¯s nightmare, Sage thought with a frown. Earlier she had failed to think about what a city famed for its metal-working entailed. Now that she was finally experiencing it, she very much wished to plug her ears and leave.


    Unfortunately, that was not an option. Rupheus would be the first Lethian city she ever visited and it was one said to have a thriving black market. Because of that, she would not be leaving until she had scoured the entire underground market and made certain the there were no necromancers there who might be working on an undead strengthening method. It was a long shot in the dark, she knew; but it was all she could afford at the moment.


    When she spotted a pair of city guards on patrol, she made up her mind to approach them. As defenders of the city, surely they knew the outline of the city. It would be great to learn how to get to the slums, a place with easily accessible scoundrels with possible knowledge of the black market.


    ¡°Excuse me sirs¡­¡± she began to call as she ran up to them.


    However, she had not taken two steps before the uniformed men turned to her with frowns.


    ¡°Get lost slumtrash!¡± one of them hissed, his hand reaching warningly for the sword at his waist. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for beggars!¡±


    The man¡¯s words brought her to a halt, causing her to look around. Noticing a fair number of people on the street looking in her direction, her eyes left them and landed on herself with the intention of puzzling out what they found interesting.


    The clothes she wore were not in the best state. After the fight with crone, they had gathered a fair amount of dust. There was the fact that her shirt had a hole that exposed part of her abdomen; nothing significant that revealed her scars, but it was glaring enough. When the witch¡¯s [Ground Spike]-like ability punctured her, it had burst through to the other side; so there was a hole on the back of her shirt too which had been fortunately covered up by her coat. Unfortunately, said coat was ripped on the edges. Added to that was the fact that one of her boots was covered in a blackened smear; the dried mixture of the crone¡¯s blood and brain matter. Combining all these factors, she grudgingly acknowledged that she had not looked this unpresentable in a while.


    Her eyes returned to the city guards who were already turning away, feeling her facial muscles tighten in a frown. She might not be dressed in her best attire, but for the guards to assume she was a beggar¡­ how fucking rude!


    ¡°I am simply looking for directions.¡± she said, pushing her annoyance down. Her original intention had been to tip them a few silvers to loosen their lips before striking up the conversation. That was no happening anymore! ¡°I¡¯m unfamiliar with this area, so would you kindly point me to the slums? Though, before that, can you point me to an inn?¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    The last request was added after a quick scan of her companions. Isaac looked fine, his black armour pristine as always and his figure towering enough to cause the guards to cast him weary eyes. From the way their alert gazes shifted between her and the pale knight, Sage could almost hear the gears in their heads screeching as they tried to figure out whether Isaac was with her or not.


    The child on the other hand, looked beggary. Her grey dress was not only littered with dark dirt spots, but it was in complete tatters. Basically, she was wearing a rag. Then there was the fact that she her feet were dirty from walking around barefoot. Added to the timid demeanour presented by her low cast eyes, she was the perfect model of a neglected child of the slums.


    Giving the child better clothing was something she had not put thought into since announcing her aversion to taking care of the child. It was also something the bastard who begged for the child¡¯s life had failed to take note of.


    Dragging around a child with rags for clothing and a demeanour to match, was not among the smartest things to do in public. The two guards did not point it out because they were either incompetent or did not give a damn; while the commoners in the street were likely too self-absorbed to think about it. If it had been someone with keen eyes and the tenacity of the bastard back when he still drew breath, they would take a single look at the half-orc girl before declaring her a victim of trafficking.


    Although there were plenty of disagreements between the different nations and philosophies of Rekke, one thing everyone agreed on was the fact that slavery was an abominable practice. In fact, the idea of owning and selling another human was deemed so horrible that the god Argun Himself chimed-in and declared anyone caught participating in the flesh trade would become subject to immediate execution. As the patron god of the Methos, the Magic God¡¯s word carries a lot of weight on the continent; and considering the fact that the Imperium agreed with them on this matter, no one would dare partake in the horrendous business.


    At least in the open.


    Even if something was outlawed, it did not mean it had been abolished. As with all actions deemed illegal, there were always those who flew under the radar to disregard the verdict, especially when doing could yield massive profits.


    The sad truth was that the slave trade, despite being outlawed, was a thriving business. As much as they denied it, the percentage humanity who got off on the desire to subjugate another to their will was not little. They were the kinds of people who were enticed by the idea of purchasing a helpless being to mess out around with. Humanity as a whole was a cesspool of sick fucks with sick desires, most of which they hid in the dark out fear and shame. Unfortunately, darkness was a perfect cover for the most heinous acts.


    The appearance of Sage¡¯s new undead was one of a child nabbed from the shittiest part of the slums and beaten into submission, forced to learn make to themselves appear small and while remaining silent; to appear irrelevant. That was probably how the half-orc girl would a look in the eyes of a keen individual.


    That had to be changed.


    ¡°You want an inn?¡± the second guard chimed in. ¡°A dirty beggar like you? And how will you be paying your lodging?¡±


    ¡°With the paltry amount that I have gathered over my days of begging,¡± she responded.


    The guard seemed oblivious her sarcasm as he responded, scoff in tow. ¡°Take the north-western road and keep to it. At some point you will see an inn on the right side.¡± He spat on the ground and scorned at her. ¡°Though I doubt they will let in a dirty beggar like you in even if you offer to pay with your body. As for the slums¡­ fuck outta here! You know damn well where your neighbourhood is. And what¡¯s with the mask, you trying to hide your ugly face?¡±


    The last sentence was said as he turned around to resume his patrol. His partner shortly followed after, but not before repeating the act of casting an glary eye at her and spitting on the road to indicate his disgust.


    Watching them leave, Sage forced her hands to remain unclenched while she clenched her jaw. The two fuckers were the rudest guards she had encountered since coming to Aran. For a moment, she had the urge to order Nyx to tail them so she could beat them up later, but she stopped herself. They were just a bunch of morons who were not worth her time. She had more important things to attend to.


    The fuckers surprisingly did give her the wrong directions, something Sage made sure of by immediately asking another weary-eyed pedestrian once they were out of sight.


    It was a few minutes later that they reached the inn; not the most luxurious one she had seen as she as they were still in a middle-class neighbourhood; however, it was elegant enough that the cannibal crone¡¯s road-stop establishment was a sty in comparison.


    However, before she could take a step onto the inn¡¯s porch, a beefy guard with a menacing look stepped in front of her.


    ¡°No beggars al-¡±


    Sage did not bother listening past his second word before turning to her right. ¡°Isaac.¡±


    ¡°- in the Horn Mug I-¡±


    The bouncer failed to complete the last word when the ebony-clad knight stepped up and stared him down. Maybe it was the fact that Isaac¡¯s face was hidden under the helm, or that Sage felt a burst of {Chill} from him, but the man guarding the inn¡¯s entrance did not say another word as they walked past him.


    By now Sage was fed up with dealing with assumptive morons. The moment she stepped through the doors, she rushed to the counter and slapped five pieces of silver on the counter before anyone could say anything


    ¡°A single room please,¡± she said. ¡°Have a washing basin brought it at the earliest convenience.¡±


    For a moment, the middle-aged man at the counter seemed at a loss for words as he examined her and her entourage. A while later. his eyes came to rest on the coins on the counter, causing him to shrug and scoop them up. Then he reached under the counter and came out with a key labelled with a seven.


    ¡°Take the stairs,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°First door on the left. The Horn Mug inn only serves breakfast and supper, so you will have to get your lunch elsewhere¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sage responded while accepting the key. She then turned to Isaac and gave him a look. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a walk around town for a while?¡± she suggested. ¡°Make sure to keep out of trouble.¡±


    From the way the bastard looked at her, it was obvious that he was not smiling under his helm. The glare did not last long though and shortly after he turned on his heels and stormed out of the inn.


    That left Sage with a child she had no interest in taking care of. However, for the sake of avoiding unwanted attention, she was willing to make a small sacrifice. Just this once.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± she ordered.

 CHAPTER 103: MYLAH

    Mylah kept her eyes down as she followed the woman. She placed her hands in front, gripped them tightly to calm the shivering of her arms; the shivering of her entire body. Each time her feet met the wooden stair-boards, a loud creak deafened her ears, a stark contrast to the woman¡¯s soundless ascent.


    Mylah did not want to follow her, she wanted to get as far away from her as possible; to find a hole to hide in which the scary woman would never find her. But her feet disobeyed her.


    Stealing a glance at the woman¡¯s back, she recalled her not sounding happy when she had ordered Mylah to follow her. That was a bad sign. When her grandmother used to be in a bad mood, it often ended with Mylah receiving a beating. After that, her grandmother would retreat to the basement to calm herself.


    Will the scary woman beat me too? She wondered, toiling to suppress her shaking. Or will she do something more? Like ki- ki- kil-


    Even in her mind, she was unable to finish the sentence.


    When Mylah did something that made her grandmother mad, she would receive a hiding. The more upset her actions made her grandmother, the more intense her beating would be. Some of these beatings would leave her bedridden for days, or unable to move properly for a week. Despite all of it, Mylah had never been in danger of losing her life. Mylah was an infuriatingly useless girl, as her grandmother always reminded her; but no matter how angry she made her grandmother, a hiding was all she would receive. You are a useless shit! She remembered grandmother barking once, but you are family. If you were not, you would be in the basement. No matter how much her actions- or inactions- upset her grandmother, Mylah knew that the worst she would ever receive from her was bruises.


    It was not so with this woman.


    She had already tried to kill Mylah, had actually killed her grandmother, and turned Mylah into¡­ she was still trying to figure out what.


    When the woman grabbed her and the armoured knight earlier, Mylah had frozen up, her breath caught in her throat. It had only been minutes after they entered the city that she managed to release the breath. She could never do that before, but now she was able to hold her breath for as long as she wanted.


    Mylah recalled even earlier, shortly after the unbearable process she was put through. When she had gotten up from it, she had been grasped by a hunger unlike any she had felt in her life, causing her to attack the dead body of the mean woman who came to spend the night at the inn with her friends. Never in her life had she eaten raw meat, never had she thought it would ever taste as good as it had; the fact that it sped up the healing of the wound she had sustained made the experience all the better.


    Mylah was not the same as she used to be. Breathing was no longer important to her, but she felt stronger than ever; at least when she was out of the open. Earlier when they were outside, she tried not to show it but the sun against her skin had a nauseating effect.


    They reached the top of the stairs. The woman took the left side, sliding the key she had gotten into the lock of the first door and turning it.


    She changed me, Mylah thought as she followed her inside the room. Maybe it meant she would not be killed like her grandmother. She could only hope.


    The room she followed the woman into had two beds with brown sheets, a wooden table with two chairs and a chest next to each bed. It, just like the rest of the inn, was cleaner than the one she grew up in.


    When the door closed behind her, Mylah closed her eyes and braced herself for what the woman had in store for her; hands tightening even further to keep the shaking from being noticed. She must not let the woman see how scared she was. The days when her grandmother use to catch her shaking had always been the ones where she got worst beatings.


    To her surprise, the woman paid her no mind even after the door closed. She went to one of the beds and sat herself down; reached into the bed¡¯s shadow and pulled out a book. Then she put both legs on the bed and leaned against the headboard to read comfortably.


    Despite the woman not showing any intention to attack her like the previous night, Mylah did not dare to move. She stood in the middle of the room, her eyes occasionally wandering about but mostly glued to the floor while she twiddled her thumbs. In her experience, if she stayed still like this until told to do something, there was less of a chance she would anger the woman.


    Minutes passed but the woman never looked up once from her book, causing Mylah nerves to climb. What exactly did the woman want?


    A knock on the door brought her out of her ruminations. On the bed, the woman gave her verbal consent and the door was flung open to admit two girls almost as old as the woman looked without her mask; minus the stitches. Between them, the two girls carried a large basin filled with water.


    ¡°We¡¯ve brought the water you requested,¡± one of them said, her eyes darting between Mylah and the woman.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the woman said. Although her voice was polite, she still did not look up from her book. ¡°Leave it in the middle of the room.¡±


    Mylah shifted to the side to allow the girls to place the basin where indicated, then she hurriedly cast her eyes back on the floor to avoid a look from one of them.


    After the two girls fulfilled their duty, they left without a word. That was when the woman finally put her book down. Mylah kept her eyes glued to the floor as she felt the woman¡¯s gaze pierce her. Is she going to drown me in the basin? It probably would not work now, but still¡­ If her heart could still beat, it would be pounding heavily right now.


    ¡°Take off your clothes and get inside.¡±


    Mylah obeyed, not that she could do anything else. She cast her clothes to the side and climbed into the basin. Then she sat in it, closed her eyes and coaxed her unneeded lungs to take in a huge breath; allowing some of her tension to melt away. The woman¡¯s intentions were now clear. At least for now, she did not want to hurt Mylah; she simply wanted her to take a bath.


    It had been a while since she cleaned herself. Feeling the clear water against her skin, it was not a bad feeling. Her focus was fully on running the water around her body, which was probably failed to notice objects flying her way until they knocked against her temple.


    ¡°Wash yourself with those,¡± the woman¡¯s voice came from the bed.


    Mylah grabbed the objects that had been thrown at her and examined them. The first was a dark red cloth softer than any fabric she had ever held in her hands and the second a soap unlike any she had seen. This soap was a solid round block which carried the scent of flowers. Stealing a quick look at the woman, who had returned to her book, Mylah wondered; where had the woman gotten the such a soap? Also, was it okay for Mylah to use something this nice? Would it not anger the woman at a later date and cause her to raise her hand against Mylah?


    As if reading her thoughts, the woman released a huff and looked up from her book once more.


    ¡°Go on,¡± she said with feigned patience. ¡°Use the soap up for all I care. I have more where it came from.¡±


    Although she had received permission, Mylah proceeded to only smear a little on her skin. It was bad to take advantage of someone¡¯s generosity, especially when they did not like you; that was her reasoning as she proceeded through the next minutes running the cloth around her body softly, careful not to ruin in case she angered the woman.


    A sigh from the bed caused her to look up eyes wide, breath in her throat, as she witnessed the woman drop her book in her shadow. Then she removed her mask before turning to face Mylah. Her scarred face had a displeased look.


    ¡°Did the old bitch not teach you how to wash yourself properly?¡± she asked.


    The woman got off the bed and approached Mylah while her hand reached in the direction of the table, causing one of the chairs to fly into it. Witnessing the scene, Mylah¡¯s hands instinctively flew to her throat protectively, only to realise what she was doing, at which point she stopped herself. The woman would not be pleased if she knew what she was thinking.


    Said woman placed the chair next to the basin and sank into it. ¡°Give me the soap and washcloth then turn around.¡±


    Mylah obeyed. She had no desire to add to the irritation she heard in the woman¡¯s voice.


    In the minutes that passed woman was not gentle with washing her; in fact, the force with which she pressed the cloth against Mylah¡¯s skin was hurting her. Even so Mylah remained silent, not so much as daring to wince.


    More time passed. The once clear water had now turned brown- nearly black- from the woman washing her. She beckoned Mylah to get out and handed her the cloth, telling her to dry herself off. Then the woman reached into her shadow and came out with a small crystal bottle holding what looked like a thick liquid.


    ¡°Wipe it over your body,¡± she ordered.


    Again, Mylah proceeded to obey without saying anything. Once she opened the bottle and got a whiff of the substance inside¡¯s odour, she stopped hesitating as well. She scooped up a handful and smeared it onto her arm, rubbing the liquid into her skin before dumping more onto her hand and repeating the process with her other arm. After she had applied the substance to her entire body, she reached for her dress; only to be stopped. She then watched in puzzlement as the woman used her [Mage Hand]-like spell to throw her dress in the water and then lift the entire basin, sending it to the open window and dumping its contents outside. Then she put the basin down and took Mylah¡¯s hand.


    Like the woman had done earlier before the sun rose, she took Mylah through the shadows. This time they appeared in a place she was unfamiliar with. It was an empty space with a heap of clothes on one side, a pile of gold on the other, a stack of books in a corner; and a frozen block of ice holding a- was it a body? She immediately cast her eyes elsewhere to avoid offending the one who brought her here.


    The woman walked over to the clothe pile and reached inside, rummaging through the attires until she came out with a green woollen jersey and a pair of brown shorts. She turned around and threw them at Mylah along with a rope slightly longer than her arm.


    ¡°Wear these,¡± she commanded. ¡°The shorts will be loose around your waist so use the rope to fasten them.¡± When Mylah was busy getting dressed, she added. ¡°There aren¡¯t any shoes your size in here, but we¡¯ll fix that later today, as well as get you a few more clothing. For now, look around for a pair of sandals¡±


    Mylah nodded while keeping her head down, new thoughts flooding her brain.


    This woman was not a good person, in fact she was not even a person. Since entering the city, Mylah had to fight the urge to lick her lips whenever she looked at someone, a reaction she did not have around this woman and the armoured man; probably because they were not humans. Mylah too, was no longer a human. Spells like [Candleflame] and [Mage Hand], which she had struggled to learn, were no longer available to her. They had been replaced by abilities that manipulated flesh and bone, ones she was uncertain how to use.


    Near the book pile leaned a mirror large enough to cover more than half her body. In it, an unfamiliar half-orc girl stared back with wide blue eyes. Astonished, she leaned closer to get a better look at the foreign entity reflected in the mirror. No scars, clean clothes and while the bright azure eyes were downcast, the face carried an eased expression.


    Maybe being around the scary woman would not be worse than growing up in her grandmother¡¯s inn.


    Her thoughts were interrupted when a hand from behind grabbed her shoulder. Darkness covered her eyes for the briefest moment before she found herself back in the inn bedroom.


    The woman let go of her shoulder and went back to the bed. ¡°Now that you¡¯re done, take the basin downstairs and ask for more water.¡±

 CHAPTER 104: MERCENERY GUILD

    The Mercenary Guild was the largest nonaffiliate organisation in Rekke, a place for adventurous spirits who loathed being tied down. Many among its members were people who held great strength, so it came as no surprise that the Guild had a lot of influence on the continent; the only organisations with more sway were the institutions erected in praise to the gods; like the Church of Life.


    As the guild owed no allegiance to any state or creed, it was practically welcome everywhere. Thus, there was not a functioning nation in Rekke that did not have at least a single Guild building. Because of this, the Mercenary Guild had the widest spanning information network in the world. Due to this and other reasons, it was the first place Isaac decided to visit after being dismissed by the phantom.


    The Rupheun branch was surprisingly larger than its Tiih counterpart. The inside was even more impressive, with nearly two dozen tables in the main hall. As with the Tiih branch, most of the seats were occupied by uniquely dressed individuals who swung back tankards and discussed issues animatedly. The roof above their heads hovered two storeys high, but it was visible from the ground floor; the designers of the building had foregone placing a ceiling in middle of the hall to showcase its magnificence.


    From his vantage on the bottom floor, he could see the tables lined on the upper floor, along with its inhabitants who were garbed and equipped better than the ones in his vicinity. That place was likely the sitting place for elites.


    After sweeping the hall for a few more seconds, he withdrew his inquisitive gaze and let it settle on the reception. It was situated close to the base of the stairs, a table-counter too large and too long for a single person. That was probably why two people sat at it. As was the custom with hired receptionists, both women behind the counter were pretty with gentle smiles capable putting most who approached them to ease.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± he began, stopping short of touching the counter. ¡°Is it possible to get news of everything that happened in Ysh this passed month?¡±


    The moment the words left his mouth, the noise in the hall sunk by a decibel and he was suddenly aware of eyes drilling into the back of his head. Both receptionists too stared at him, their ever-smiles now missing. Seeing this, Isaac had the urge sigh but kept himself from doing so. An act that was inconsequential for most would not be the same for him; he would definitely cause a stir when his frosty breath leaked through his helmet.


    ¡°My sister wishes to visit the country,¡± he clarified. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m here. I want to know if it is safe to cross the border or not. If it is not, I need something to dissuade her.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the receptionist he stood closer to replied. At the same time the glares drilling into the back of his skull withdrew. As for the receptionist, her features softened as she continued with a concerned voice. ¡°It would be wise for her to not go. Ysh is a savage land that allows the disgusting practise of magic; a place where witches walk in the open and curse pedestrians on a whim. Some say the witches of the ruling class occasionally pick commoners off the street use them for their vile experiments. The place is a hellhole; not a suitable place civilised people should visit.¡±


    This is what they think of Yshians? Isaac thought as he listened.


    The animosity between Ysh and Lethia went back long before he was born; it was ancient history known to every citizen of the two nations. Although he grew up in the Tiih slums where knowledge of anything beyond the city was scarce, the hateful sentiments for Ysh¡¯s neighbour flowed freely. Apparently, all Lethian nobles were barbarians who walked around with cleavers in their hands to chop off the hands of any commoner who dared to look upon them. Some of the old slummers even made a long grab to accuse the Lethians for their dire circumstances; an unfounded notion, but one that was accepted among many of the destitute in Tiih. Even Isaac had not been excluded. After being taken in by the Church, it had taken years to cast off his prejudices.


    He was glad he had done so.


    As one who could now look at the picture from an almost unbiased point, he could confidently state that the hostility between the two nations made little sense. It made even less sense that it had been ongoing for a couple of centuries, especially when no one actually knew how it started. After so long sneering at each other from across the border, would it not be better if they cast their animosity aside and join hands? Maybe if they did so, then instead of stealthily eliminating every promising prospect on other side and denying it, the countries would grow into much more prosperous nations which housed more than a single Transcendent each.


    ¡°She is a strong-headed girl, so I cannot convince her without proof,¡± he said. ¡°Which is why I am here.¡±


    ¡°Very well then,¡± the receptionist responded with a helpless shrug. Shortly afterwards her initial smile returned to her face as she placed her open palm on the counter. ¡°Information of that nature is fifty coppers. It is required that you present your badge when you make the payment.¡±


    ¡°About that-¡±


    Even though he was aware of the results beforehand, he made an act of patting down his armour. It had no pockets; even if it did, there would be nothing inside. He had not needed money since becoming an undead, so he was broke. Sage on the other hand seemed to have a multitude of coins, probably acquired after committing a horrendous act.


    If Isaac¡¯s stomach was still capable of complaining, he would rather starve than ask her a single copper.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°- I don¡¯t have money on me at the moment,¡± he admitted. ¡°I¡¯m also not a mercenary.¡±


    ¡°Then I apologise, but I cannot hand out the information,¡± the reception withdrew her hand. Her smile still remained, though it had dimmed somewhat. ¡°Only members of the Guild are allowed to browse information, and only after they pay the fee.¡±


    That was news to Isaac. Back when he was the Guard Captain of Tiih, although he had not been a member the guild provided him information free of charge.


    Had that been a privilege brought about by his status?


    ¡°Is there anything I can offer for the information?¡± he asked. ¡°What if I leave and come back with money; would your guild be willing to part with the information for a silver, maybe a couple?¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°Apologies sir, but Guild policy dictates that only registered members can purchase information. There is nothing I can do about it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he thought out loud.


    Unfortunately, it could not be helped, so he moved on to a different topic.


    In front of the receptionist he pulled off his gauntlets, exposing pale bony fingers. With them, he lifted both gauntlets and shook them upside down, causing four metallic objects to clatter onto the counter. They were badges; two with two stars and two with three; the previous night he had managed to swipe them without the phantom¡¯s notice.


    Someone had to inform the Guild of what had happened. Of course Isaac could not tell them the truth, but he could the lay crumbs that led to it. Fortunately Sage had dismissed him, so he did not have to think of a reason to convince her to allow him to make a stop here.


    ¡°I recently returned from a village in the south called Tima,¡± he began as he shoved the badges to the reception. ¡°A few days out of Rupheus, just near the old woman¡¯s inn, I stumbled upon four mangled corpses, mauled by beasts likely. Although I sent them off in a manner befitting of Vestravans; as per Guild protocols, I¡¯ve collected their badges and brought them here to inform you of their fate.¡±


    When he had approached the reception, this was probably what he should have started with. To go from delivering the badges of the deceased to asking for information, was a more natural progression than what he had done. Unfortunately, he was not adept at deception. As one who had lived most of his life with honesty, there was little he knew in the art; not that he wanted to learn either. An art such as that was better suited for blackhearted individuals like Sage.


    ¡°Excuse me for a minute,¡± the receptionist said before ducking under the counter. A moment later she popped back up with an authentication device. She reached for the first badge, but froze after her fingers came into contact with it. For a moment her gaze left the badges and settled on Isaac, puzzled. She quickly returned to her task though and ran each badge through the device before her attention returned to him. ¡°The owners of these badges were assigned to an issue that had been troubling the locals of late. If they are really dead, the guildmaster needs to be informed immediately so another, more capable, party can be sent out. After the guildmaster is made aware of the news he will likely want to speak to you; so do you have time?¡±


    Isaac shook his head. Being questioned by the guildmaster was likely to result in him letting slip something he should not. As much as he wanted to tell Guild the truth, if he did so he would attract too much attention; to himself and the phantom. Anything with that could potentially be detrimental to Sage was something he could unfortunately not go through with.


    The quartet of mercenaries had been far from the friendliest bunch Isaac had met on the road; however, as registered mercenaries, the Guild deserved to learn of their fate so they could pass the news on to their next kin. As one who had been in organisations where facing death was routine, he knew the importance of giving closure to the families of those who died on the job.


    Also, it was the least he could do after failing to help them despite one of them begging to be saved.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time,¡± he said. ¡°Though I wish I could have gotten the information I wanted. I guess I won¡¯t be able to convince my sister not to cross the border.¡±


    It was a shame that he could not learn what had happened in Ysh, specifically Tiih, after his fight with the phantom. The Mercenary Guild was not the only place with the information though. There were brokers in the dark who would happily bring him up to speed for a higher price and less formalities. If he could lower himself to asking Sage for money, he would receive the information he wanted in no time.


    I guess I won¡¯t be learning what happened for a while, he concluded as he turned from the counter.


    ¡°Going to Ysh is a horrible idea,¡± a voice spoke behind him just as he turned away.


    It was not the receptionist he had been engaged with; she was hurriedly climbing the stairs when he turned back. The one who had spoken was the receptionist who had not said a thing since he approached the table. In her hand was a sheet of paper, which she offered to him.


    ¡°Currently there is a corpse witch going around killing nobles and blowing up churches over there. The witch apparently fled over the mountains to our side; probably a lie concocted by Yshian aristocrats so we can open our borders to their spies. Still, on the off chance that she is really here, a bounty has been issued to the Guild across Lethia.¡±


    Silently, Isaac accepted the paper and brought it close to her visor. Unsurprisingly, it was sketch of Sage¡¯s face. He immediately delved into the words below it.


    Name: Sage Maverick


    Description: 1.60m tall, black hair, black eyes


    Others: Face usually covered to hide scars, has a black cat familiar.


    Bounty: 350 gold (Dead or Alive)


    Beware, the subject is an undead of the 8<sup>th</sup> Order with Grade 4 physique; labelled extremely dangerous.


    An actual bounty of the phantom had finally been issued. Honestly, Isaac was not surprised. Sadly, their information was outdated. Those who tried to hunt her down based on the perimeters listed on the page, if by some miracle they managed to track her down chances were that it would not end well for them; that was what he theorised knowing what he now knew.


    ¡°Since this is a bounty, it¡¯s already pinned to the Guild¡¯s assignment board, right?¡± he asked. Considering the receptionists¡¯ initial reaction, the only likely reason this information was being volunteered was that it was public knowledge. ¡°Can I take this sheet with me? I¡¯ll have an easier time convincing my sister with it.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± the receptionist replied politely. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he nodded and turned away.


    If the situation was urgent, he would be rushing to show Sage the paper. However, the phantom¡¯s whereabouts were clearly not known or a bounty would not have been issued, so there was no reason to rush. Isaac would be giving her the sheet, but much later. For now, he would make the most of his break from her to tour the sights.

 CHAPTER 105: CARRIAGE PURCHASE

    After bathing, Sage did not waste time taking the child to a clothe shop for extra wear. She made sure the child got form-fitting shirts, pants and dresses. Of course she did not forget to get her to try out a few sandals and boots.


    The total price for everything amounted to a slightly more than two gold coins. She had no trouble paying this amount, as Nyx¡¯s Space contained an entire pile.


    After that, she decided to do something she had been set on for a while, which was to buy a carriage. It took asking for directions a few times before she got to a wagon stable.


    The place was situated on the fringe of the middle-class district, just shy of the richer neighbourhoods. It was a building of relatively large size that stood alone, divided into two sections. The first, larger, section housed the wagons and the smaller one kept horses.


    After greeting the proprietor and telling him her reason for coming, the portly man practically jumped out of his armchair and nearly spat out his smoking pipe in excitement.


    ¡°Welcome, welcome!¡± he greeted merrily. His hesitant demeanour at what she could only assume had been her masked appearance was gone. Instead, he began rubbing his palms together as he continued to speak. ¡°You came to purchase one of my wagons, you say? Please, look around to your heart¡¯s content. And if you¡¯re in need horses to pull it, don¡¯t hesitate to check out the horses in my stable. I assure you that every one of them is a thorough bred!¡±


    She nodded and began to inspect the carriages. The first ones she focused on were those outside. At first glance she counted half a dozen of them, ranging from one slightly larger than a vegetable cart to something the size of a camper. After circling them for a while though, she shook her head. Although they seemed to be of decent make, they were not the quality she wanted. Not that she knew much about wagons and carriages, but the price tags on these ones was a little too low with the best one fetching only five gold; lower than the cheapest 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell. Also, they just did not look comfortable enough. An uncomfortable vehicle for a constant traveller was a no go; she had spent enough time on the hell-horse to know.


    ¡°Are there no other carriages?¡± she asked. ¡°Ones of a better make?¡±


    Although she asked the question, her neck was craned in the direction of the open wagon house. The carriages in there definitely looked better than the ones outside, which was probably why they were the ones being shielded from the elements.


    ¡°Oh!¡± the man exclaimed, his expression turning even more elevated. ¡°This way then!¡±


    Sure enough, the man led her inside the building; which, surprisingly, was large enough to house another four carriages. Up close, it was easier to confirm that the sheltered wagons were definitely of a higher quality than the previous ones. The maker of this particular set seemed to have been passionate in his making of them. Not only were the wooden surfaces better polished and the wheels crafted of better steel, but the sides also featured intricate patterns. Although some of the wagons¡¯ patterns were clearly made with common metals, the carriage on the furthest side¡¯s appeared to have been fashioned out of silver. It was the one that immediately caught her eye. Apart from the driver, this carriage only had capacity for two passengers, which was just about her ideal size.


    ¡°Can I look inside?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Go ahead, please,¡± the man replied eagerly.


    With that response, she did not stand on ceremony. She walked up to the carriage, pulled the door open and took a peek inside. The wagon was surprisingly well furnished, with cushioned seats and headrests. The pair of small curtains that lay on the seats were probably covers for the windows.


    After looking around some more to make sure nothing was out of place, she turned back to the fat proprietor, whose eager impatience was clear as day. The man probably had not received a customer in the past week.


    ¡°There is no price listed on this one,¡± she began. ¡°How much does it cost?¡±


    ¡°That,¡± the man heaved his heavy body to rush up to her. ¡°That will be twenty-five gold!¡±


    It was not as expensive as she thought it would be. She had originally though a wagon would cost at least forty gold. Relieved at the lower price, she went into her coat and came out with a huge pouch which caused the proprietor¡¯s eyes to almost bulge out. Ignoring his reaction, she walked over to the man, asked him to hold out his palms and placed the coins in his hands one by one.


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    ¡°That¡¯s the full amount,¡± she said after she finished. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    With the edge she put in her question, it was more of a dare. Merchants had the tendency of inflating their prices when one was not in the know. Considering this guy¡¯s unctuous behaviour, if he had not been starved of customers for a while, he probably would have tried to get her to fork over more coin. She watched him as his eyes changed from elation to contemplation; ready. Sage was not even sure the price that was touted had been the correct one; not that she actually cared. However, if he so much as tried to drum up extra charges, she would knock out his fat arse, take back her money and take the carriage anyway.


    The man must have sensed her rising hostility because after a minute of contemplating while giving her side glances, he shook his head. ¡°That is all for the wagon; though, if you don¡¯t have horses to pull it, you are welcome to check out my stable next door.¡±


    ¡°That will not be necessary,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the man seemed a little disappointed. ¡°Then can you excuse me for a minute while I call my sons to get the other carriages out of the way so yours can pass?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait here,¡± she told him.


    However, the moment he was out of sight- although she could still hear him- she walked up to the wagon and touched it. At the same time, Nyx jumped out of her shadow and landed on her shoulder, joining her in giving the vehicle another once-over.


    ¡°This is our new mode of transportation?¡± he asked. ¡°No more riding on that stupid horse? And Isen will be the driver, right? Hate that guy!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered simply.


    She reached under the side of the carriage and tried to lift it gently. The vehicle was not heavy, weighing approximately only slightly more than a tonne; so it was no task to lift one side. With her improved physique, she could probably pick the entire thing up. But of course she was not here to try it. The portly man could return any moment with his helpers, so she had no time to lose.


    Using her newly-gained ability to manipulate shadows, she let the wagon¡¯s shadow swallow it up, dumping it into Nyx¡¯s Space. The reason she had brought him along as opposed to sending him to watch the bastard knight to prevent another fucking mess, was because she was unable move things in and out of the {Void Space} if her familiar was too far away.


    When the wagon had completely sunk and its shadow disappeared. She [Teleport]ed away, appearing back in her in room. The half-orc girl, who she left here before venturing out to buy the carriage, immediately got up from her seat and hurriedly gave her a bow.


    ¡°W- welcome back Mistress,¡± she said just as quickly.


    Mistress? Was that what the girl decided to call her? Sage had not asked to be called such; in fact, what people call her had never bothered her. But if ¡°Mistress¡± was the title Mylah wanted to call, then fine; she would not dissuade her. Besides, the girl was too timid to have a proper conversation with.


    She responded to the child with the merest nod before turning around and shedding her clothes. Afterwards, she reached into the shadows and came out with new ones. This pair, which had been bought earlier at an armour shop, was made from hide.


    The reason she had dared to buy a wagon and actually [Teleport] away, was because she never showed her face. Once she changed her clothes, she would be practically impossible to find. Originally, she had planned to go searching for the carriage with Isaac and have the bastard drag it back to the inn. However, that was too eye-catching. It was why she had gone with this plan instead. If the fat man had not left the wagon stable, her intention had been to knock him out with [Sleep] before taking the wagon and leaving.


    Even with that plan though; as long as the transaction was fair, she had always intended to leave him the money. In her experience, as long as everything was accounted for, people tended not to pursue weird experiences. However, they did have a habit of telling their family and close ones; which was why she left Mylah at the inn. Hybrids on Aran were so rare that the child¡¯s presence could lead a trail back to her if they actually decided to search.


    Before now, Sage had not been shy about displaying the fact that she was a sorcerer. With her physique having improved however, now was time as any to switch up her persona; which was why she had bought leather armour for herself. From here on, she would be posing as a combatant. The only downside of this idea was that she was not adapt at fighting with weapons. When she had time, she planned to get Issac to teach her.


    The leather shirt and pants were a tight fit, but they worked well enough. After extricating the mirror from the Space and taking a look at herself, she was content. Although she looked nowhere near as good in leather as the half-elf did, her appearance was still passable. Lastly, she put on a leather mask that covered everything below the eyes. Her face was still something she needed to cover up after all.


    After checking herself out again she nodded in satisfaction and put the mirror away. Then she turned to the girl, who had been in the same spot since her arrival.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving again,¡± she said. ¡°Wait here for me and don¡¯t leave the room.¡±


    When she comes back later, she would do the investigation she had been putting off. Till now, she had still not gotten to examining the girl and learning the scope of her abilities.


    That would come later though. For now, she wanted to take a look at the slums and other places of ill repute. Surely those places could lead her to the black market; if they were not already part of it. Also, they might be able to lead her to an info broker. Gods knew she needed more of those in her life. They could make her search- and, by extension, her life- much easier.


    Speaking of brokers¡­ she should pay Sylphia a visit one of these days to learn if she had gotten any news regarding the Elixir.


    Without waiting for a response from the girl, she walked over to the window and activated {Ghostwalk}; passing through the room into an alley.

 CHAPTER 106: RUPHEUN BROKER

    Sage grunted as she glared at the house in front of her. It was a small building located barely outside the slums of Rupheus, likely only holding two or three rooms. No one with a rational mind would ever believe this was the base of one of the city¡¯s most prolific information brokers; Sage would definitely not have believed it she had not spend the last two hours visiting slum gangs and subsequently following up with trips to shops rumoured to fence stolen goods.


    Her visit to the slums and its gangs had started on a bad note. However, after minutes of persuasion- which included a bit of violence- they had willingly cooperated. They had even offered her some of their valuables. Sage had only accepted their cash though; the rest was drugs and other nonsense not worth having.


    While the slums had been initially hostile, the fence shops had been the opposite. The people who managed these shops had smiles so wide they could not be genuine when they welcomed her into their shops, before bombarding her with all sorts of useless items they desired to unload on her at ridiculous rates. But when she asked what actually interested her, they balked and changed their tune, becoming more restrained. When she had followed up by asking for directions to the best information broker, almost all of them had pointed her to her current location.


    She lifted her hand and tapped the door lightly with her knuckles. First twice, then thrice and then twice again; this was the secret code given by some store keepers after parting with a few silvers. After she was done, she took a step back and waited. Less than three seconds later the door opened slightly to reveal the youthful face of a pre-teen boy.


    ¡°Er¡­¡± he stared her up and down. ¡°Can I help you ma¡¯am?¡±


    She took a deep breath before responding. ¡°Don¡¯t you recognise me? It hasn¡¯t been that long since we last met. Is your father in?¡±


    What a stupid fucking password! At first, Sage had been extremely sceptical, but when she visited a few more shops and received the same phrase, she had no choice but to grudgingly accept it. It did not hurt to try it and if it did not work, she could always return to the shops to retrieve the silver she had spent.


    ¡°He is in and well,¡± the boy replied, opening the door wider. ¡°Please come in.¡±


    After she stepped through the door, the boy closed and barred it. Then he requested she follow him.


    As she had guessed while outside, the place had no more than three rooms. The first was the living room which she had entered through, the second was a small kitchen with a tiny fireplace and the third was a bedroom with only a miniature stable and a medium-sized hay-bed. There was also an out-of-place large wardrobe, which the boy immediately walked to after leading her into the room. He flung the doors open and stood to the side, revealing a stairway leading down.


    ¡°He is waiting for you in there?¡± he said to her.


    Sage nodded and entered the wardrobe. The stairway she entered was the spiralling sort with walls on both sides and torches lining them. Reaching the bottom, she found herself in front of a door that was ordinary in almost all aspects except the fact that it was made of metal. She did not hesitate to open it.


    The room she entered was much bigger than the all the rooms at the top combined. In this underground room- or rather cave- five men laboured, hauling crates into a tunnel. Although they turned to her when she first entered, their eyes only lingered for a second before they went back to their job. For the two spear-carrying guards watching the working men, it was different. Unlike the serfs, when she stepped into the room, their gazes did not retreat after a while but persisted as they approached her.


    ¡°The boss is waiting,¡± one of them said after they got within a metre of her. ¡°This way.¡±


    Sage followed them without uttering a word as they led her to the far side of the room, where she was obstructed by another door.


    ¡°In there,¡± the guard pointed sternly. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny or we will enter.¡±


    His words caused her to roll her eyes, not caring if they saw. Were the threats of a Grade 3 warrior supposed to scare her? She deigned not to pay any more attention to the man and his partner as she grabbed the doorknob and twisted.


    The door opened to reveal a room different from the ones she had just passed. This one actually exuded luxury; from its gleaming metal to its polished wood. Silver ornaments lined the table, which was covered by a cloth that looked so smooth it was probably made of silk.


    The person on the other end of the table sat in what was almost a throne, wearing gold rings on all his fingers. He was a fat bald man in a brown suit so nauseatingly ugly that even the someone with horrible aesthetics would refuse to wear it; if this guy¡¯s sense was not completely retarded, the reason he donned it must be because of the magic fluctuations it exuded. In his right hand was a thick cigar, the edge of which constantly knocked against a silver ashtray, while his left hand grasped a clear glass of liquor, the source of which was a crystal bottle on the side.


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    The man did not say a word and remained silent until she took a seat.


    ¡°So you are the one who has been asking about me?¡± he asked.


    Sage deigned not to answer. Of course he already knew she was coming here; she was not surprised.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: C (Brown)


    Davor Harn; according to the ones who directed her here, that was the broker¡¯s name. He was basically an underground kingpin known to have a hand in every shady enterprise in Rupheus. From smuggling to theft and the illegal activities of nobles, he was involved in all of it. According to one of the shopkeepers she had spoken to, the man even had ties to the clergy. Clearly, Harn was not a man of small influence in Rupheus.


    What Sage had not expected was that this man was actually magically active, the first such person she encountered in Lethia if the cannibal crone was not counted. If it was so, then perhaps she would be able to purchase spells from him.


    ¡°What brings you here today?¡± Han¡¯s voice brought her out of her thoughts. It carried a little impatience, probably from the fact that she had yet to say anything.


    ¡°There are several inquiries I would like to make,¡± she began. ¡°Regarding several items and pieces of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Then you have come to the right place,¡± the man replied. ¡°However before we begin, I would like to tell you up front that different sorts of knowledge are valued at different prices.¡±


    She nodded. Of course she knew.


    ¡°First,¡± she began. ¡°Are you in possession of Nutrition programs?¡±


    Nutrition was a branch of alchemy that dealt with creating diets and exercises to strengthen the body. Compared to regular alchemists, Nutritionists were extremely rare and much more revered than normal alchemists. In Ysh, the aristocracy had a tight hold on them to prevent the formulae and training methods from becoming widespread; to the point where they even forced magical contracts onto the buyers to prevent them from sharing their training regiments with others. In all honesty, their actions were a shitty means maintaining control of their powerbase.


    From what Sage had seen so far travelling Lethia, the number of people with physiques beyond Grade 5 were on average at least five times that of those in Ysh. It could only mean there were less restrictions on Nutrition regiments in Lethia than there were in Ysh.


    ¡°I am,¡± Harn responded casually, taking a swig from his glass before following it up with a pull from his cigar. ¡°Which grade are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°All of them,¡± she replied without hesitation. ¡°I would like to get my hands on the methods for Grade 4 to 1, male and female.¡±


    Her response caused his smile to dwindle a little. ¡°That¡­ is quite the request. I can give you the programs for Grade 4, 3 and 2 for males and Grade 4 and 3 for females, but I don¡¯t have the others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she told him. ¡°How much will these programs cost altogether?¡±


    The man tapped the smoking butt of his cigar against the silver ashtray, taking a seconds of contemplation before responding. ¡°Grade 4 training programs cost on average five gold while Grade 3 costs around thirty. Grade 2 costs somewhere around a hundred; so the total price will be one hundred and seventy gold.¡±


    Fortunately, much of her face was covered; so she did not have to put in much effort to hide her expression from the man.


    The price that he had quoted was not false. One of the shops she had visited before coming here was an alchemist¡¯s shop with no shady side-business and likely no connections to Harn. There, she had asked the for hypothetical prices Nutritionists charged and the responses she had gotten were in the range given by Harn. Still-


    The prices were a fucking rip-off! What sort of black-hearted arseholes sold what was basically instructions at such exorbitant prices and then later charged for ingredients needed to carry out those instructions? It was a fucking scam!


    Fortunately, Sage was simply interested the methods and not in need of them. There was no need to buy them here, she could obtain the information elsewhere.


    ¡°Do you have access to spell models of the 7<sup>th</sup> Order and higher,¡± she changed the subject.


    This question made the false smile on the man¡¯s face to die and caused him to bring the cigar to his lips to take a long drag. Then he thrust it into the ashtray and gave her a stern look. ¡°You know very well the status of magic in the land. Practising it alienates everyone and paints a target on your back. Why would I harbour such knowledge if it can prove detrimental to myself?¡±


    She was not playing this game. ¡°Cut the crap! Not only are you a black-market dealer, you¡¯re also sorcerer. So, do you have spell models or not?¡±


    ¡°Only up to the 6<sup>th</sup> Order,¡± the man said after staring at her silently for a while.


    The response was disappointing, but it was something. ¡°I¡¯d like to check them out.¡±


    After she said this, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing to ask what she had been most eager to learn after entering the city.


    ¡°Is there a necromancer in these parts?¡± she asked. ¡°One researching something, with a bit of expertise in alchemy maybe?¡±


    This questioned caused the way Harn eyed her to turn wary, although he did his best to hide it. He picked up his cigar and took a drag from it before taking a huge gulp from his glass.


    ¡°The answer will cost you ten gold,¡± he said silently.


    Although her new leatherwear was tight and did not offer space to pocket items larger than a paper, Sage made a showing of entering her pocket and came out with a large coin purse. She then opened its drawstrings and dumped ten gold coins on the table. To this Harn sighed and responded.


    ¡°There are no necromancers around Rupheus,¡± he said. ¡°However, there has recently been zombie sightings near Io. If you want clues to a necromancer, that¡¯s a good place to start.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, standing up. There was nothing else to do here. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then. Though I still wish to see the spells in your possession. As for the Nutrition programs, I¡¯ll come for them at a later date.¡±


    The last part was a lie; Harn was probably not fooled by it.


    Ten minutes later, after shaking the tail set on her the moment she left the broker¡¯s place, she strolled into an empty alley. Looking around to make sure there was truly no one present; she performed the Zero Order spell [Contract Summon]. The summoning circle appeared and a second later a bewildered Mylah materialised.


    ¡°It¡¯s afternoon,¡± she said to the child. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    While they do that, she planned to take the time to understand the child¡¯s abilities.

 CHAPTER 107: RAKSHASA

    Since the inn she had decided to hole up in did not serve lunch, Sage turned to the local taverns. She chose one on the more affluent side of town, an establishment where everyone was so elegantly dressed that she stood out in her leather armour. Fortunately, the disparity did not cause an altercation as she was able to walk past the guards, up to the counter and- after a few queries to the child which were met with nods- order their food.


    When she entered the inn, her initial intention had been to get their food and go, as she was obviously not going to lower her mask to eat in front of everyone. It turned out that, although the tavern was not the epitome of class, it was a well enough off establishment to provide rooms for private dining. Learning this, she immediately changed her mind and opted for one of the rooms. After being escorted to the room by one of the tavern girls, she did not have to wait long before their food was delivered.


    Mylah¡¯s meal consisted of a single large slab of meat that had been thoroughly cooked and peppered with fragrant spices. The child¡¯s dish was the complete opposite of Sage¡¯s, which was made up of potatoes, butternut and green vegetables. Until the rawness of the previous night faded, she had decided to lay off meat.


    The moment the tavern girl left them, Sage dropped her mask and stabbed a potato with her fork, bringing it to her lips and inserting it into her mouth. Chewing the tater a few times, she could not stop the corners of her mouth from quirking up. A single bite was enough for her to acknowledge this was the best meal she had had since coming to Aran.


    She looked up from her plate and saw Mylah sitting there- just sitting there- her eyes occasionally darting between Sage and her plate. From the expression on her face, it was obvious the child was eager to dig in; however, when her gaze settled on Sage, the hesitation on her face was clear. She was waiting for permission to eat.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Sage told her, stifling a sigh.


    This was why she hated kids. Instead of thinking for themselves and taking initiative, they waited to be told everything! After this I¡¯m fucking done, she swore. When she was done examining the brat, she would be sure to port her back to the bastard who begged Sage to turn the child.


    As she thought this, she looked in a certain direction, frowned, before looking back at the child.


    She watched as the girl forewent the cutlery at her side and picked up the meat chunk with her bare hands. Then she opened her mouth, revealing rows of teeth sharper than her tusks, and made short work of the meat. By the time Sage swallowed her second bite, the meat was gone. From the look on her face, Mylah was not satisfied.


    ¡°More?¡± Sage asked simply before going for her third bite.


    ¡°Yes Mistress,¡± the girl replied timidly, her eyes cast downwards.


    Fortunately, the private rooms came with a small bell one could ring to summon the tavern help. Sage put back her mask and reached for it.


    Minutes later the tavern girl entered once more, this time carrying a plate with six slabs. By then Sage had already finished her food, so she was content to lean in her chair and watch as the meat dish was placed in front Mylah. The look on the tavern girl¡¯s face as she did so was one of puzzlement. When she finished placing the plate and gazed at the child, Sage could almost hear the gears in her head creaking while she wondered where the child was going to put all the food. However, she did not say anything as she left the room again.


    After the door closed and the footsteps vanished, Sage got up from her seat and walked over to the other side of the table. She grabbed the girl¡¯s untouched knife and used it to pick a slab off the table, which she flung to her empty plate. Immediately, the cat who had been salivating from the shadows leapt out of them and onto the plate. Then he started nibbling at the meat.


    ¡°Nyx is in his own world, pay him no mind,¡± she told a gapping Mylah. Then she pointed at the stuffed plate. ¡°Go ahead, the rest is yours.¡±


    Again, the child looked hesitant, but she did not stand on ceremony. When she lifted a slab of meat from her plate, her teeth had morphed back to their jagged forms.


    Sage watched her eat for a while before she raised her hand and touched the top of Mylah¡¯s head, causing the child to tense up. She kept her hand there, not moving it until the child realised she did not intend to do anything. After being reassured, the child returned to her meal. It allowed Sage to close her eyes and do what she intended.


    Physical contact was a way to utilise the bond to examine the abilities of a contracted creature. Since she learned [Summon Familiar], Sage had been using this method check up on the improvement of Nyx abilities. This method though could only be used by the dominant party in the contract; as such Sage was unable to use her bond with the half-elf to gain in-depth knowledge of all her spells, while the opposite was possible; not that she would ever allow it.


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    The creature Mylah had become, which Sage had named rakshasa, had four abilities. The first of these was {Mend}. This ability had the effect of closing all wounds she obtained. One unfortunate side-effect of the power was that it made the undead child susceptible to hunger. From what Sage could tell, use of the ability not only consumed mana, but also had the effect of increasing the girl¡¯s hunger. A boon to this ability however, was that regeneration improved after consumption of meat. Only meat, that was all she was capable of eating now; the fresher, the better; more so if it was sourced from a human.


    If the child had not been a cannibal, part of Sage would have probably felt bad for turning the child into this sort of undead. However, considering the girl was a cannibal, there was nothing to regret. And after the child got used to her new state, she would appreciate the fact that her disgusting habit actually benefited her, as opposed to before.


    The second ability was the opposite of {Mend}, called {Rend}. This one was used to tear flesh and intensify injuries. As long as foe had a scratch or an open wound, Mylah could use this power to enlarge it. It was similar in many ways to the spell [Harm]. {Rend} shared a connection with {Mend}, the nature of which she was unable to make out at present; probably only when the child got stronger would she be able to tell. Like its sibling, use of {Rend} also increased hunger.


    The third ability was {Osteomancy}, the ability to manipulate bones which was shared by bone knights. At the moment, the only thing the girl was capable of was changing her teeth, and maybe setting her own bones. The ability was only in its infancy though; theoretically, it was possible to develop it until, just like bone knights, Mylah could use it to manipulate not only her bones but all exposed bones in the same way a bone knight could; to the point where she could fashion armour and weapons out of them.


    The last ability of the girl was called {Shadow Tread}, which- when her mana improved- would allow her to escape through the shadows. Sadly, it did not appear to be as powerful or versatile as Nyx {Shadow Travel}, much less Sage¡¯s newly acquired {Shadow Manipulation}. Still, it was good enough to allow Mylah to escape perilous encounters, which she would definitely encounter in her new unlife.


    Having learned all she could about the child¡¯s current powers, Sage retracted her hand and returned to her seat. Her actions caused Mylah to momentarily pause, but quickly returned to attacking her food when Sage took a seat. There were three chunks of meat left on her plate, they would not last three minutes.


    Although she had returned to her seat, Sage¡¯s examination was not done. There was one last thing to do for her to get the full scope on the creature she had created. She cast {Mystic Eyes} and looked upon the child.


    Mylah was definitely unique compared to the undead Sage had met. Her aura was that of an amalgamated undead; giving off the impression of a ghoul, a bone knight and tiny bit of vampire. The addition of what she had gleaned from vampire transformation into the rakshasa ritual had been minimal, but it had been effective enough. Because of this, it was highly likely that the child¡¯s mana was proportional to her physique. The downside to this was that the paltry rays from the window seemed to have a negative effect on the child; not like the vampires, but enough for the day to have a minor weakening effect on her.


    In her eyes, the child¡¯s enormous mana was presented, greater than any she had encountered barring her own. Not that she could make a comparison; the first thing that Sage noticed after turning her [Mystic Eyes] on herself was that her aura was not showing. Her mana was not visible either. Even with the spell, nothing could be gleaned from herself. Similar to how rocks appeared in her sight, she was basically a part of the environment.


    Phantom, that was the only explanation for why she could no longer see her auras. Up to this point she had not been much of a phantom, a fledgling some would call her. Her abilities had not been up to par when compared to what was said of phantoms. However, something must have happened to change that, allowing her to finally escape the observation of [Mystic Eyes]. Was it her physique improvement, or the awakening of her Scion ability? What she was sure of was that it had to do with her Advancement. This was the first time since becoming a 9<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer that she had used the spell. Before then, she had not been able to avoid its prodding.


    Her earlier estimation of three minutes turned out inaccurate as the child took less than half the time to clean up her plate. It was the same for Nyx, who was now licking the plate. Sage cancelled [Mystic Eyes], picked him up and dropped him into her shadow; she did not feel like explaining to the tavern staff where a cat came from. Afterwards she put on her mask and rang the bell. Shortly after, the same tavern girl returned to collect their plates and billed them fifteen silvers, thrice the price of their inn accommodation. Sage had hundreds of gold though, so the price could not even be considered spare change to her.


    With her belly full and the child fed, she had no more need to remain in the tavern. She left the establishment promptly after, her thoughts on visiting a smithy. Since she was going to pose as a combatant, it was only right to get herself a weapon. The ornamented dagger she nabbed long ago could serve as one, but its blade was too thin; she doubted it would survive a single clash against an actual weapon.


    Before that though, she craned her head to the right just as she left the tavern.


    Not far from them stood a black armoured knight, his towering figure catching the attention of everyone who entered the street.


    After moving all around Rupheus for whatever reasons the last couple of hours, a few minutes prior she had felt him approach their location.


    As she approached his helmeted form, she noted the sheet of paper clutched in her hand. She briefly glanced at it before her gaze settled on the knight¡¯s visor.


    ¡°What brings you here Isaac?¡± she asked.

 CHAPTER 108: DEPARTURE OF THE WANTED

    After exploring the city for hours, getting a view of important landmarks such as the lord¡¯s palace and the Vestravan cathedral, Isaac decided to end his tour and return to the phantom. It was not something he was happy about, but there was nothing he could do about it.


    Not that the thought of escaping the witch had not occurred to him, but he was not foolish enough to not know that the outcome of such an attempt would be disastrous. As the two of them were bonded, not only were her whereabouts clear to him but the opposite was true as well. No matter where he went, she need only pay attention to the bond in order to find him.


    It was this act of paying attention to the bond over the last couple of hours that informed him that Sage had not been idle after their separation. She had been going all over town doing whatever; he did not care to know. It was probably something sinister that he would not be able to stop. In his current state, it would be wise to accept that there were certain acts he was unable to prevent where the witch was concerned. Knowing that fact did not make him feel better though.


    He tracked the phantom¡¯s presence to a tavern on the rich side of town; the undead witch was likely inside delighting herself in unnecessity. There was no need to enter and watch the spectacle, so he chose to stay outside and wait.


    It was not long before Sage emerged. Her attire was different from the one she wore when they had parted. Instead of cotton clothes, she now wore leather ones; hide armour. She no longer donned the full facial mask but had replaced it with a leather type that left everything above her nose exposed.


    Trailing her was the child Mylah looking completely different from the last time he had seen her. She wore actual clothes instead of rags; a woollen jersey with cotton shorts and hide boots on her feet. The phantom had actually done something to clean the child up; which was not that surprising if he thought about how the phantom always tried to avoid attention. Lugging a dirty child around was a definite eye-catcher.


    ¡°What brings you here Isaac?¡± she approached and asked him.


    ¡°Take a look at this,¡± he said to her, not bothering to beat around the bush.


    He unfolded the sheet in his hands and showed it to her, making sure she could see it clearly.


    The child next to her gasped, her eyes widening as she juggled them between the phantom and the paper. The person who the sheet concerned though, did not have too much of a reaction.


    ¡°Oh,¡± was all she said before turning away. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Is that al-¡± he cut himself off and looked around, making sure there were no pedestrians close by. After confirming it, he leaned in and whispered; ¡°this is a wanted poster of you!¡±


    All this did was make her shrug. ¡°So? After the crap in Tiih, there¡¯s no way they don¡¯t have it out for me, especially the Sheans.¡±


    Definitely the Sheans. If Isaac had not been consigned to his current fate, he would definitely have joined the Church in hunting her down. Unfortunately, it had not turned out that way. The most harm he could inflict upon the the witch was to sneer at her whilst wishing she met a horrible end in the near future.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Sage continued. ¡°It¡¯s not like they will be able to find me. I am a phantom. Tracking spells don¡¯t work on me, divination is useless and even if I¡¯m found I can simply disappear.¡±


    So that was why she was not panicked? There was no way to catch her, Isaac did not know whether to feel disappointed or relieved.


    ¡°Where did you get this anyway?¡± she asked, snatching the paper from him. ¡°I¡¯ve been all over town and I¡¯ve not seen one of these sheets.¡±


    ¡°The Mercenary Guild,¡± he responded softly, bracing himself. It was a shame he could not lie to her.


    ¡°And just what were you doing there?¡± she asked, her eyes narrowing in on him.


    He took a deep breath, then released it, spotting chilly fog leaking through his visor. Luckily, it was still autumn and relatively hot. Out in the sun, the fog was not thick enough to be seen by anyone who was not in close proximity.


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    ¡°I was returning the badges of the mercenaries who perished,¡± he replied before falling silent. Then he waited for her response.


    It began with an intake similar to his own, though hers was done in conjunction with closing her eyes. When she released her non-chilly breath into her mask, her eyes viciously shot open and glared at him. The voice that came out of her mouth was measured, as if trying to determine whether to pounce or not.


    ¡°What, did you say was the cause of their deaths?¡±


    ¡°I told them I found their eaten corpses on the road, near the inn.¡±


    This time she simply sighed before turning away. He spied her hands clench and unclench, dropping the paper to the ground. Although he could not see her eyes anymore, Mylah who had been trailing her could and from the child¡¯s expression, it was not good. Or maybe the child was just jumpy; she definitely looked the type.


    ¡°I should have known you would do something like this the moment I left you to your own devices,¡± she said after a while, releasing a sigh. In a softer tone, she complained to no one in particular; ¡°why is everyone I travel with a dumbass?¡±


    Surprisingly, after saying this, no more words left the phantom¡¯s mouth as she began to walk away; with Mylah panickily looking between the two of them, trying to decide whether to follow Sage or stay with him. He made her choice easy by rushing after the phantom.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± he asked, though hesitant to hear the answer.


    She paused to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to destroy the Guild if that¡¯s what you think. There¡¯s nothing to gain from doing something so stupid, especially since they don¡¯t know anything yet. However, it won¡¯t stay the same for long. Once they get to the burned-down inn and investigate the scene, they will immediately know that you¡¯ve fed them a load of bullshit and come after you.¡± Another pause, then; ¡°why the fuck did you have to do something so idiotic Isaac?¡±


    ¡°The deaths of those people had to be reported,¡± he replied. ¡°It would leave a terrible taste in my mouth knowing that somewhere out there, their families were anxiously awaiting their return. The sooner those families are informed of their kin¡¯s tragic fate, the better sooner they can mourn and heal.¡± He looked down at Mylah, seeing that she was not truly paying attention, before returning to the phantom and continuing. ¡°Everyone who died in that nightmarish inn deserves to be honoured.¡±


    ¡°I fucking honoured them by burning their corpses!¡± Sage hissed, a little too loud. She looked around to make sure there were no eavesdroppers before turning back to him. ¡°That¡¯s how Vestravans send off their dead!¡± She paused and took another breath before exhaling and resuming. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just stayed your hand and left it to fate? Someone would have eventually walked that road and found the smouldered remains of the inn. After that they would have made their own conclusions¡­ which would not have involved you!¡±


    ¡°I-¡± he wanted to say something but got cut off.


    ¡°Save it, I don¡¯t care anymore.¡± Then she resumed her march.


    The finality in her tone brought an involuntary sneer out of him as he followed her; the little girl breaking into a short bursts every five seconds to keep up. After minutes of silence in which their destination remained ubiquitous, he decided he had had enough of it and posed a question.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    The phantom harrumphed, but she did not deny a response. ¡°You putting yourself in the crosshairs of the Guild ultimately shines a spotlight upon me. Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m going to get all my affairs in order so I can fuck out this city before the mercenaries the Guild likely sent out by now, return.¡±


    ¡°Is there a need to rush?¡± he asked. ¡°The journey by regular horse takes a couple of days. Even if they leave today, it will take them at least five days to make a full trip and back.¡±


    ¡°That would usually be the case,¡± the last word was said pointedly. ¡°But, one can never be too sure. The Mercenary Guild will definitely send out their fastest party, who might or might not have faster means of transportation. Maybe that party has a secret senior mage capable of using [Teleport]. Perhaps they have already gone and come back and are currently delivering their report. Either way, I¡¯m not sticking around to find out.¡±


    With that, the phantom led them around town to all sorts of stores. Bookshops, where she bargained her non-magic books for new ones; a weaponshop, where she picked out a shortsword and buckler for herself; and finally a clothing store. The last one, instead of entering it, she turned to him and gave him a fistful of gold and silver.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be seen in that armour anymore,¡± she told him. ¡°Get yourself some normal attire. Meanwhile, I think I saw something that can cover your eyes without arousing suspicion. I¡¯ll retrace my steps and go get it.¡±


    Then she pushed the child towards him and was gone.


    Isaac was no fashion specialist; it only took him a little over a dozen minutes to pick out his clothes and leave the shop, grabbing Mylah¡¯s hand and leading her in the process. The two of them were on their way to back to the inn when the phantom caught up to them.


    ¡°You¡¯re finished right?¡± she asked, her eyes on the pile in his hand. She did not wait for a response. ¡°Great, we¡¯re done with this place. Follow me.¡±


    As usual, Isaac was unable to disobey while his legs carried him in her direction. She led the them into an abandoned alley, where she grabbed their shoulders and cast a spell. The world turned dark for a moment. When it was bright again, Isaac found himself surrounded by dying straw, with the city of Rupheus in the distance. He did not get a chance to react to the annoying cat jumping out of Sage¡¯s shadow and landing on her shoulder; at that moment he was distracted by the sight of the phantom¡¯s shadow enlarging and expelling a carriage.


    While reaching over her shoulder to scratch the cat, the witch¡¯s eyes fell upon him.


    ¡°Call your horse.¡±

 CHAPTER 109: SPIRIT PROJECTION

    ¡°¡­ and after Master caught the filthy light elemental in the [Forbidden Zone], she banished it with [Darkness],¡± Nyx sat on the child¡¯s lap, recounting the events that had gone down at Bori¡¯s tower.


    Mylah in response opened her mouth in an O shape, her eyes gleaming with admiration. ¡°Mistress is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± the cat followed up.


    Sage, who was sitting next to them, stifled the urge to sneer. Amazing? The her from back then might have been stronger than a common mage, but she had been a long way from being a force to recon with. Back then she had not even entered the higher Orders. The child¡¯s great- great- great- however many fucking generations- grandmother would have easily folded the her from back then.


    The desire to never find herself in an unwinnable, unavoidable fight; that was why she continued to improve her strength.


    Currently in her lap resided the Cryptmaker¡¯s open spellbook. After carrying the item for so many months, she had finally reached its last pages. When excluding the monstrous spells at Ultra Order, magic of the 9<sup>th</sup> Order was the most powerful. There were not many sorcerers with the aptitude to reach the height of mortality, which was why it came as no surprise that the models for the level were extremely rare. The fact that the departed necromancer¡¯s book contained six such spells was already an accomplishment as is, especially considering the fact that Kezan could only learn four of them.


    The spells recorded at the end of the book were [Death], [Gate], [Summon Undead III], [Raise Dead IX], [Spirit Projection] and [Earthquake]. For a necromancer, all these spells look useful but if she had to guess, the four that the Cryptmaker had bothered to learn were [Gate], [Raise Undead IX], and [Earthquake] for certain. As for the spell to fill the last slot, it was a tossup between [Death] and [Spirit Projection]; though, considering the personality of the Cryptmaker and his ability to evade the Mercenary Guild and churches, it had likely been the latter.


    Although she had embarked on a similar arcane path, Sage did not share his limits. She planned to learn all the 9<sup>th</sup> Order spells in the book¡­ except [Raise Undead IX]; raising random corpses was not on her to-do-list.


    [Death] had already been ingrained. Among all the senior spells she had learned, it had been the easiest. When she was channelling the spell, it had almost been as if instead of her trying to cast it, it had been trying to force her to cast it. That moment had felt righter than anything, she had been overcome with an exhilaration would have been the highlight of her transition if not for the hell that followed after.


    Flipping back and forth between the last pages, she wondered which spell to ingrain next. Honestly, it was not a big deal which she would learn first. With the hellhurst playing the part of a slightly above average destrier, she would have enough time learn them all before they got to Io. Even so, her eagerness towards some spells was more than others.


    Of the four remaining spells, her choices had been narrowed down to [Gate] and [Spirit Projection]. The first spell was capable of opening a portal to anywhere, one which could be stretched wide enough and kept open long enough for armies to pass through. Not that Sage ever intended to have an army, but the spell¡¯s unrestricted teleportation and the fact that she herself would not have to [Teleport] with anyone she planned to send off made it an attractive prospect as the next spell to learn. The downside of the spell was that the conjured [Gate] could be used by unintended and unwanted folk.


    [Sprit Projection] on the other hand, was a spell that allowed one¡¯s consciousness to leave their body in the form of a spiritual apparition. In this form, one was intangible like a ghost, with an added bonus of being invulnerable to magic. Not even a Transcendent mage could do a thing to a spiritual projection. Because of this, the spell was often used by apex sorcerers to scout certain areas, especially when they planned to visit the place and were uncertain of the level of danger in its surroundings. However, just because nothing could be done to your [Spirit Projection], did not mean it could not be used to track down your body. Also, a [Spirit Projection] could not cast spells, meaning just like it could not be attacked, it too could not attack.


    But I¡¯m a phantom, she thought after some contemplation. Even if the Sheans managed to stumble upon her spiritual manifestation, they would be unable to track her actual form down due to her nature of being untraceable.


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    With that in mind, her choice was made.


    The next couple of hours passed with her peering intensely into the book, trying to ignore the conversation between the child and the cat. The fact that Nyx was chatting up Mylah was a good thing for Sage; it saved her from being annoyed by the cat in his eternal bid for attention. But, it would be appreciated if they tuned it down. If she was not too preoccupied trying to grasp the final parts of the spell, she would have shouted at them to can it.


    Despite the noise in the carriage, she eventually figured out the pattern and did not wait to simulate it with her mana. However, before getting on with it, she first closed the book and let it keep resting on her lap. Crossing both hands on top of the spellbook, she leaned back into her cushioned seat and closed her eyes. Only when she was adequately relaxed, when she was certain leaving her physical form would not result in her body toppling over, did she cast the spell.


    Everything went black the instant the spell was completed. It did not take long to return, at least that was how it felt to her. Looking around, she noted that the inside of the carriage still looked the same and the girl and the cat remained in the position she had last seen them in, a confirmation that not much time had passed. Of course, the first detail she actually noticed was the resting form of a youthful leather-clad woman with facial scars. Another thing she noticed was that she was submerged in the carriage floor up to the knees; not that she could feel it.


    Suddenly, a scream sounded from her side. Turning to the source, she saw the half-orc child had fled to the corner, a shift of less than thirty centimetres. Mylah was wide-eyed as she covered her mouth with one hand while pointing with the other. No words came from her though.


    The cat in her lap had a different reaction. He took one look in Sage¡¯s direction before turning back to the child. ¡°It¡¯s just Master¡¯s new spell,¡± there was a blas¨¦-ness to his voice as his rested his head on his paws. ¡°Nothing to freak out about. This happens all the time.¡±


    From his front seat steering the wagon, Isaac had pulled back the curtain to gauge the situation inside the carriage. After seeing her and hearing Nyx words though, he frowned, groaned and pushed back the curtain; returning to what he had been doing.


    After the short-lived commotion died down, Sage decided to take a look at herself. The most noticeable difference between her spiritual manifestation and her actual form was that her projection was in a dress, the black one she had worn after robbing the Tiih shops. Unlike back then however, the gown¡¯s accompanying elbow length gloves were not present to hide the stitches on her arm. Her hand moved to the top of her head to determine if the sunhat was there but only touched emptiness; that meant it too was missing¡­ or maybe not; because she could not touch other parts of her body either.


    Bring out the mirror Nyx, she turned to the cat and wanted to say. However, she stopped the words from leaving her mouth when she realised how stupid the idea was. An item that could hold her entire reflection would not be able to fit in the tiny space of the coach. That left her with the next best option, going into the Space. The moment she wished for it she was suddenly inside Nyx {Void Space}, in front of the mirror. This was the biggest advantage of being a [Spirit Projection]; one only needed to hold a clear picture of where they wanted to go- or who they wanted to see- and their incorporeal form would appear there.


    A small worry she had when she decided to take a look at herself in the mirror was that there would be no reflection, similar to spectres and vampires; however, that worry ended up being unfounded.


    Her full form was reflected in the mirror; her in a black dress that covered her to the feet. The hat was unsurprisingly missing, the turtle-neck sleeve was not hauled up to her nose and the diagonal stitch across her face was on full display; with the two supporting stitches running from the sides of her mouth to her jawline below the ears magnifying its impact.


    According to the information written about the spell, one¡¯s spiritual form was not a manifestation of their actual appearance but a perception of themselves. The fact that she appeared almost no different from her actual form meant that this was how she perceived herself; a girl with scars so hideous they made whoever looked at her recoil. She hated looking like this; how she wished the Elixir of Rejuvenation would appear in front of her at that moment


    She closed her eyes and tried to sigh, only to find herself unable to draw breath. Disgruntled she uttered a growl before leaving the Space. She appeared at the front of the carriage, materialising on the very edge. If she were in her physical form, she would no doubt have tumbled off the wagon. Fortunately, as a projection she had more freedom than spectres. When her rump could not find space on the seat in front, she settled for sitting on air.


    The pale knight, seeing this, simply sneered before going back to tugging his reigns.


    Such a reaction had no effect on her. She did not materialise in front of him to strike up a conversation, but merely to give him a heads-up.


    ¡°I¡¯m off to see a friend,¡± she said to him. ¡°Continue on the road to Io; I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    If he ever responded, she never found out; she was not with the carriage anymore.

 CHAPTER 110: WOES OF SYLPHIA

    ¡°Has the undead made contact recently?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sylphia replied while maintaining her calm. Taking a drag from her pipe, she exhaled through her nose and added; ¡°sh- it hasn¡¯t contacted me since the last time you came asking.¡±


    That had been the previous day. Ever since the Paladin summoned her to the Shean Church branch of Yshta, the woman had been budging into her establishment every day at unexpected times to ask the same question; which always received the same answer.


    ¡°You have not heard news of it recently?¡± Ana pressed.


    Her behaviour was the same as always; a glary stare, a deeply etched frown and a quaking fist ready to be brought down on Sylphia¡¯s prized table and destroy it for the umpteenth time. Although she was capable of fixing the damage left in the Paladin¡¯s wake, it did not make the ordeal any less annoying.


    What in the gods¡¯ names did I do to deserve this? she asked herself as she inhaled her pipe¡¯s smoke, deeper this time.


    ¡°No,¡± she replied while exhaling the fumes. ¡°I used my sources everywhere, but can¡¯t locate h- it.¡±


    Sage Maverick was likely not in Ysh anymore. After killing one revered figure and seemingly abducting another, there was no way she would stay in the country. The undead woman had most likely climbed over the Highlands into Lethia.


    Although Ana was a bit of a fanatic, she did not appear to be a moron; which meant she likely had thought of this probability. The problem with reaching this conclusion though, was that she could not budge into Lethia demanding locals cooperate with her; the Church of Life had no authority among Lethians. It was the probably why the blonde bothered her everyday instead; hoping against indomitable odds she would catch ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ on the doorstep of the Enchanted Flower.


    ¡°Are your underground criminal friends so inept they can¡¯t spot a single undead?¡± the Paladin sneered.


    Even after weeks of negative responses, this was always how Ana reacted.


    If they¡¯re inept, what does that make you?  Sylphia wanted to say. You are part of an organisation that spans all of Rekke but also can¡¯t find that undead.


    Sylphia quelled the desire to let those words spill out by jamming her pipe in her mouth, pulling smoke into her lungs before pushing it out her mouth and nose. If she went ahead and said something of that nature, she would definitely be left with another broken table. The only thing she could say was fortunate in that scenario was that she would not be directly attacked; probably. The Paladin had not made threats of bodily harm since Savandor returned.


    ¡°I apologise for my sources falling short of your expectations my lady,¡± she responded calmly.


    For a moment, Ana¡¯s gaze intensified. She opened her mouth to say something, but then seemed to think better of it. The Paladin closed her mouth and took a deep breath through her nose. When she exhaled, she seemed to have calmed down a little. Abruptly, she pushed back her sofa and shot to her feet, an act that elicited a surprised yelp from the priestess who the whole time had been silently standing behind her like an attendant.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for now,¡± Ana decided, her eyes never leaving Sylphia. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡±


    Then she swivelled her blonde head around and stomped out of her study. The elven priestess, Krystelle, followed behind her after taking a few uncertain looks at Sylphia.


    When the door closed behind the two Church agents, Sylphia dropped the smile she had forced on for them. She listened for several seconds until their footsteps faded before letting out a groan.


    After weeks of these types of ambushes, she was getting tired of them. If not for the fact that the Paladin was a member of a religion almost all of Ysh ascribed to, she would have barred her long ago from the establishment. The way she budges in like she owns the place¡­ and she¡¯s asking me to use my resources to locate her fugitive while not offering compensation. The only saving grace was that Ana was not harassing the employees of the Enchanted Flower, otherwise she would have truly forbidden the silver armoured bitch from entering. The reason why she cooperated with the Sheans to a degree, was to avoid any backlash from rejecting them. However, if Ana went after her people¡­


    Knowing the Church- and really all organisations with a lot of power- if she barred their entry, they would have strong-armed her into a corner; at which point she would have had no hope but to either abandon her establishment, or fight back by revealing the dirty deeds of the clergy in these parts. In fact, she had half a mind of doing so, though to Ana alone. If she revealed the activities of priests in Yshta to Ana, maybe the Paladin would get off her back and spend the next week purging the local branch. Imagining the frustrating woman¡¯s face if she revealed the information, caused Sylphia¡¯s lips to quirk upwards.


    Your colleagues are tolerable because they are getting laid on a regular basis, she imagined herself saying in that moment. Maybe what you need is a good fuck as well to stop being a bitch.


    Of course, the reason such a scenario could never leave the confines of her imagination, was because those words would definitely kill the Paladin¡¯s inhibitions; which would result in receiving a punch from her. As someone without an ounce of athleticism, Sylphia reconned a single punch from someone who¡¯s physique was likely nearing the limit of mortality would be enough to put her down permanently, probably by sending her head scuttering off her shoulders. As she was attached to her head being on her shoulders, she did not particularly fancy antagonising Ana to the point where such a scenario became reality.


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    Also, ratting out the clergy members who visit the Red District would be foolish considering the heaps of coin they dumped into her establishment. Besides that, if she revealed her clients¡¯ names, she would gain the reputation of a snitch, which would undo all the goodwill she had accumulated over the years. The last thing needed was for a single act done in a heated moment to bring down her entire business. People were already wary as it was with the Paladin budging in everyday without bothering to don a disguise.


    She leaned back into her couch and placed her feet on the table, took a lengthy drag from her pipe and expelled it; trying to rid herself of her frustrations at the same time.


    It only worked partially.


    Maybe I need a good fuck as well, she thought, reaching for the knob of her drawer.


    She only managed to pull the damn thing open when a change occurred in the room.


    A figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the study, hovering above the table. It was female, or at least she thought so with how it wore a dress, a very familiar black dress. It had scars across the body. Face, neck, arms; even the barely exposed feet bore stitches. The dress likely concealed more scars on the legs, was what she concluded.


    Recognition of the figure came to her when she remembered a poster Talia brought in the study several days ago. The stitched face of the individual was the same as the one the sheet. The distinctive dress too was a confirmation of the identity of the person.


    No alarm, Sylphia thought as she forced herself not to react.


    Her study was the most valuable place in the entire establishment. As such, she had made sure it was the most well-guarded as well. The materials she had commissioned for the study alone had almost been as valuable as half the materials used to construct the rest of the building. She had even begged Savandor to enchant the place with all sorts of magic circles and traps, among which had been anti-teleportation circles. While it was easy to [Teleport] out of the room, doing so from the outside into the room was impossible. In the event that a more powerful teleportation spell, like [Gate], was used, the traps in the room would activate and an alarm would go off.


    None of that happened when woman responsible for most of her current woes appeared. Sylphia quickly caught onto the reason why.


    The way the woman¡¯s figure hovered above the table with her dress fluttering in the absence of wind; from the way she could see through the translucent woman¡¯s body; from the fact that the woman had appeared before her without material covering her face; it did not take long to figure out what she was looking at.


    A [Spirit Projection].


    Sylphia smoked her pipe deeply to keep herself from reacting. This time, she pulled even longer than other times to calm herself. As one who traded in information, even showing an expression was detrimental. In all honesty though, she did not want the woman to know her actual thoughts on what she was witnessing. The fact that the undead woman could use [Spirit Projection] was no small shock for her; after all, the last time they met the woman was still in the 7<sup>th</sup> Order. Now, in the span of a less than two months, she had leapt over the 8<sup>th</sup> Order and entered the 9<sup>th</sup>. This woman was more dangerous than the Church thought.


    She exhaled and forced a smile on her lips as she watched the woman glide over to the recently deserted seat and made herself as comfortable as an apparition could appear.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while Madam Sylphia,¡± the ghostly woman said, flashing a smile that would have been pretty if not for the scars and stitches.


    ¡°What do I owe the pleasure of your visit Lady Maverick?¡± Sylphia replied casually.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t met in a while,¡± Sage responded. ¡°So I came to check. What¡¯s the progress on tracking down the Elixir of Rejuvenation.¡±


    Sylphia took a long drag before responding. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s been a while since there have been rumours of Elixirs anywhere.¡±


    Years it had been since news of anyone finding an Elixir in the wilderness. This quest to find one was so hopeless it should have never been attempted in the first place. Taking Sage Maverick up on her offer had been a dumb choice even before the Sheans started hunting her; however, the reason she had done so was because, as part of their agreement, she would not be held accountable if nothing was found. Now, if she could turn back time, she would have flat-out rejected her.


    ¡°Nothing at all?¡± Sage asked. She did not sound happy.


    ¡°I did warn you that this endeavour would end up being fruitless,¡± she responded after taking another drag from her pipe.


    Really, the Great Alchemist vanished long ago. Perhaps all the Elixirs he left in the wild had been found and there were no more. Either way, ¡®Lady Maverick¡¯ would have a better chance getting her hands on an Elixir of Rejuvenation if she travelled to Methos and kneeled in front of Tavina Ruuh to beg for one. If, by some miracle, she could gather enough money to pay for one, the Grand Magister might even overlook the fact that the request came from an undead.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Sage said after a minute of silence. ¡°I¡¯ll be back another time.¡±


    Hearing this, Sylphia felt a headache coming on. If Sage had appeared a few minutes earlier, all hell would have broken lose. For the undead woman to keep visiting her on a regular basis like the Paladin was, there was no way it was not a recipe for disaster. It was luck that the two did not meet this time, but what about the next time, or the time after that; if one pushed luck far enough, it would eventually fail. The last thing she needed was a Shean fanatic tearing up her establishment because she got an unexpected visit from an undead fugitive¡¯s apparition.


    ¡°I would not advise it,¡± she said quietly.


    ¡°Oh?¡± the apparition quirked up an eyebrow. ¡°Is it the Sheans? Were they here? What did you tell them?¡±


    ¡°There was nothing to tell.¡± Sage had concealed herself well all the times she had visited her; apart from that first time. The revelation of the Ysran girl had the Church hounding them as well. This, the undead did not need to learn from her. ¡°Just your name.¡±


    ¡°And the reason for my visit?¡±


    ¡°Never,¡± she lied. ¡°Confidentiality is the most important part of information trade.¡±


    Sage looked at her for half a minute before she silently dematerialised.


    Sylphia waited a whole five minutes until she was certain the undead would not be returning before letting out a sigh. I¡¯m sick and tired of this shit.


    It would be great if she could just tell both the Paladin and the undead to go to hell, but that would cause a new breed of problems. She needed to take a break from all this before she before she formulated a plan on how to deal with the two pains-in-the-arse.


    But before that¡­ Remembering what she was about to do before she was interrupted, she reached into her drawer, grabbed the bell and rang it.

 CHAPTER 111: PHYSIQUE

    The elf whore was lying, Sage thought as she brought up her up her buckler, catching the oncoming broadsword with it. The resulting impact had her stumbling back several steps, but she quickly managed to catch herself.


    There was no way Sylphia had not told the Sheans why Sage elicited her services. The Church of Life¡¯s influence in Ysh was great, and the fact that they lost an individual revered by many in their midst was no smaller matter. No matter how inept the Sheans were, their fanatical personas would not half-arse a search so badly that they would go easy on someone who clearly had information about the culprit.


    In order to set their eyes elsewhere, the brothel madam would definitely have offered them information they deemed satisfactory enough to back off. It is what Sage would have done if she were in the same position. Screw confidentiality, survival came first. There was no honour among thieves; everyone who operated even partially in the shadows had a similar mentality. There was no way Sylphia was any different.


    After regaining her balance, she rushed forward with her buckler poised ahead of her, catching another blow from the broadsword. This time, she ground her boots deep in the earth to lessen the recoil. It worked; taking the hit this time only pushed her back a step, allowing her to rebound quickly. She rushed forward with her shortsword raised and swung at her opponent.


    Unfortunately, Isaac sidestepped before the blow could connect; countering with a blow of his own, catching her in the side. She uttered a short cry as she felt her ribs crack, the result of which caused her sword to drop to the ground.


    It was the third day since they had left Rupheus. Because she had decided to pose as a combatant going forward, she commissioned the pale knight to teach her how to use a sword.


    It seemed easy in theory. Back in her old life, she had dabbled in mix-martial arts. Sword fighting was basically just that but with knives.


    Learning to wield a sword properly is not about thrusting forward or slashing sideways; it is about one¡¯s stances, their forms, the ability to anticipate your foe and devising an appropriate response. Isaac¡¯s unenthusiastic and obnoxious lecture stated all this and much more; she had stopped paying attention midway. A lot of the points he made held similarities to what martial-arts instructors taught on Earth. The anticipation part she already had a good grasp of; after all, she had been able to avoid many of the dreary bastard¡¯s attacks during their actual fights. How hard could it be to incorporate that into counteracting with a shield and sword?


    It turned out to be very hard.


    Their first sparring match saw her battered with so many blows that she ended up with welts all over. Isaac was clearly more invested in this part as he did not miss an opportunity to strike at her, probably wishing they were using their actual weapons instead of the dull ones she had created via [Transmute]. Seeing his smug face continually grow smugger as more blows landed on her, she failed to keep her anger in check; causing her to order him to stop before bashing him with her weapon multiple times.


    That first spar had been a bad experience for everyone barring Nyx, who appeared to have enjoyed the carnage. Sage was not above owning up to her faults though, even if only to herself. Since then, she had made sure to keep a tighter lid on her temper while becoming more earnest in her desire to learn.


    If she really thought about it, learning a how to wield a sword would not only benefit her while she played the part of a combatant, but also in actual situations where someone countered her magic. There existed an 8<sup>th</sup> Order spell called [Anti-Magic Field], which was often used against magicians by those who preferred close combat. Of course, usage of such a spell was extremely rare considering the fact that the one initiating the spell would have to have an enchanted item capable of casting the spell or be an 8<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer themselves. The latter was even unlikelier since [Anti-Magic Field] affected the caster in the process, and no sane mage would neuter their opponent at the cost of themself.


    Dammit, she thought as she bent down to pick up the sword, wincing in the process. She cast [Heal Undead II] on herself before jumping up and initiating another attack.


    The reason she had been able to dodge the knight¡¯s attacks during their fights was because she had been distancing herself from him then. As a spellcaster, being in close proximity to an opponent was not smart; thus creating space was the name of the game. However, a fight could not be won by continually dodging; if one wanted to win, they had to attack. For a swordsman, that meant getting within the opponent¡¯s range.


    Should I use a bow instead? She asked herself as Isaac managed to knock the sword out of her hands once more. On Aran- barring magic- it was the most popular ranged weapon. Maybe copying the half-elf was the better path for Sage, because this shortsword-and-buckler gig was not going well.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± she said just as Isaac¡¯s sword was about to strike at her chest. The bastard really had not had the intention of stopping even after disarming her.


    With the sparring session finished, she threw the buckler down and walked over to the carriage, where the cat and the child were sharing a raw rabbit.


    Because of the nature of her race, the undead child needed constant feeding like a human. When the familiar caught the critter earlier, Sage had told Mylah to set up a fire to cook the rodent; as she had grown up in an inn, the girl had to at least have some cooking experience. However, the girl in her stuttering voice had replied by saying she actually preferred raw meat. The statement did raise her eyebrows but she let the child have her way. Now, judging from Mylah¡¯s elated expression as she tore through the rabbit, she had not lied; she probably enjoyed it more than the steak from that renowned tavern.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Sage tried not to think about whether the child use to have the same preference when she was human.


    ¡°Here,¡± Isaac said, pulling a handkerchief from nowhere and wiping the child¡¯s face of bloody smears. ¡°You should not eat fast like that; it messes food everywhere.¡±


    Whether he was bothered by the fact that Mylah had been consuming a raw meat or not, he did not show it; not that she gave a shit about his feelings on the matter. What she did care about fact that he was taking care of the child, which she had already iterated she was not going to do.


    ¡°How was my swordplay today?¡¯ she asked him.


    He left the kerchief with the child before turning to her with a neutral face. ¡°Terrible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the third day,¡± she responded, killing the urge to snarl at his reply. ¡°In time I will master it.¡±


    He shrugged reflexively ¡°Maybe you will. But you don¡¯t have much talent with the sword. You should consider switching to another weapon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bad with a sword?¡± She responded, a little haughtier than she intended. ¡°The only reason I failed to land a hit on you all these times is because you have a better physique. If we were on equal ground, or had I the better physique, I would have had the upper hand.¡±


    The bastard harrumphed, pushing mist out of his mouth. ¡°Somehow, I doubt that,¡± he muttered.


    Sage wanted to retaliate, but she held herself back. There was no reason to get into a quarrel because of a small matter. What she had to do was improve her swordplay to the point where she could beat the shit out of him. Unfortunately, that would take months to achieve. By then, she would have already either found a method to increase her undead physique, or developed one. At that moment she would withhold it from the bastard just so she could use it and beat the crap out of him with her bare hands!


    Speaking of physiques, she walked over to the front of the carriage- where she chased away the child and the cat- and sat down before turning back to the knight. ¡°How are physiques improved?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve improved your physique before,¡± she clarified; ¡°how exactly does the process work? I know the basics, like consuming herbs and going through an exercise and diet routine; but I don¡¯t know the details. Can you explain it to me?¡±


    The pale knight appeared to think about it for a while before shrugging, though with a frown. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Everything there is to know,¡± she answered, ignoring his attitude. ¡°For starters, what¡¯s the herb you eat before starting the workout plan?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Aether Grass,¡± he replied at first, but shook his head as soon as the answer left his mouth. ¡°No, the Nutritionists mix Aether Grass with other substances to bring about a different effect. They call the modified version by another name, Idyll Grass.¡±


    Sounds like the name of a happy drug, Sage thought, but nodded nonetheless without verbally commenting.


    She was familiar with Aether Grass. Apparently, it was grass found in Feyheim, the realm of Shea; an ingredient capable of healing anyone who ate it while boosting their strength for a period. Though said to be common as weeds in the fairy realm, it was an extremely rare substance on Aran, such that it had taken the geezer years to track it down in order to complete his ritual.


    It would probably be wise to check those Netherkin summoning notes again. Perhaps there was information of use in them.


    ¡°What are the effects of this Idyll Grass?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It poisons the body.¡±


    That reply was nowhere close to the one she expected. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°From what I know, there are several variants of Idyll Grass,¡± the knight began to explain; ¡°each of which is toxic to the body. However, it also has the side-effect of stimulating the type of muscle growth which is vital for physique improvement. Once consumed though, it is a race against time where you either propel your body to new heights, boosting your immune system and flushing out the toxin; or succumbing to it and dying.¡±


    ¡°That sounds dangerous,¡± she frowned. ¡°Why would people go through with it?¡± In comparison, a sorcerer¡¯s Advancement seemed way safer. Maybe she was lucky to be an undead after all.


    ¡°If you follow the Nutritionist¡¯s plan and stick to it, completing the training won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Isaac replied sternly. ¡°The vast majority of those who are unable to complete their training and die in the process are those who go to unqualified Nutritionists or those who try to get a nutrition plan from illicit places. Some of those places don¡¯t even get the make the Idyll Grass properly.¡±


    So anyone buying from that Harn guy is basically fucked? Although Sage had wanted to buy the plans for reference instead of usage, it was well that she had decided not to purchase from the man in the end.


    ¡°Is every plan supposed to be personalised?¡± She asked, remembering the nutrition plans from her old world.


    The pale undead nodded after a pause. ¡°Different people have different reactions to the same substance; also, based on an individual¡¯s mass, the dosage of Idyll Grass they need to eat for optimal effect would either have to be increased or decreased. The wrong amount is always fatal.¡±


    ¡°I see why some people skip that shit to purchase an Elixir of Strength instead,¡± Sage said after a minute in contemplation.


    She turned away just as he uttered a scoff. ¡°And just how many on Aran have access to that avenue?¡±


    She chose not to respond, her gaze fixed on the road ahead of the coach. The area they were passing through was flat with no trees, which made it easy to spot another carriage from a distance. That they travelled a road from one of the country¡¯s biggest cities to its capital meant that it was a usual occurrence to meet travellers on the way. It was why she had not rushed the hellhurst to make it to Io; that and the fact that the wagon would probably not be able to endure.


    Seeing that other wagon was getting closer, she put her mask on and looked at Isaac, who had already slipped into his helm.


    ¡°Our break¡¯s over,¡± she said to him. ¡°Time to leave.¡±


    There was no response from him, but he did leave to go and get his horse; which had taken its free time from pulling the carriage to freeze some of the grass in the surrounding. Hopefully, the oncoming carriage would not spot the ice.


    When Isaac started leading the horse to the wagon, it gave an unhappy neigh though it complied nonetheless; but not before shooting Sage the stink-eye. The damn equine was still stuck-up on their first encounter.


    By the time Isaac finished fastening the horse back to the cart, the other carriage was already less than a hundred metres from them. Sage walked over to the open side of the carriage, where the girl and cat had migrated to after she chased them from the driver¡¯s seat, and told them to scoot inside before entering the coach and closing it. Shortly after, their wagon began to move.


    Sage let out a breath as she heard the other carriage pass by them.


    If they kept up their current pace, they would reach Io just before sunset tomorrow.

 CHAPTER 112: IO ENTRANCE

    When the sun rose the next morning, the terrain had changed. From the flat plane laden with straw, they entered a hilly landscape where the grass had more life. These hills were fairly small, but their impact on the carriage was felt; it did not take long for Sage to tire of the constant ups and downs. So annoyed with it she was that she ordered Isaac to slow the carriage to lessen the impact.


    Despite their reduced speed, they were still on schedule. Every time the coach made it to a hill summit, a city entered her view overhead. She could not see the city walls, but that was because the hills ahead obscured them. The Lethian capital seemed to have been built upon these hills, as the buildings were visible in the format where those behind stood on higher ground. The structure at the highest point was what could only be described as a castle, with a temple-looking building just below it. Even from the distance approaching a dozen kilometres, with her improved eyesight she could almost make out the buildings clearly.


    Almost there, she thought before drawing the curtain close and returning to the spellbook.


    The passed days had been spent doing more than trying to land a hit on Isaac. She had familiarised herself with the other 9<sup>th</sup> Order spells recorded in the book, managing to ingrain [Summon Undead III] and the coveted [Gate]. As for [Earthquake], she had yet to try casting it due to the environmental devastation it would cause; she had decided to learn it after leaving Io.


    This would be her last stop in this country, she had decided. If there was no necromancer in the surrounding, then fuck it; she was going to build up her own undead strengthening method from the scratch. Though, if that was the future that came to pass, she would make sure to pay the Ruphean broker another visit to deliver a quick beating as thanks for him wasting her time.


    Time passed and when she next drew back her curtain, the walls of the city were visible along with the entrance. As with other cities she had travelled to, there stood a line from the gate extending several hundred metres. Seeing it was enough for her to order Isaac to steer the carriage offroad, not caring for the gazes received from other travellers on the road.


    Off the road, the carriage hit a bump every other second, much more than when they had been speeding. This time she endured it until they got to a spot that was reclused enough for there to be no witnesses, though she still looked around to make certain there were no other sentient presences. When she was assured, she ordered the knight to stop the coach before climbing out; Mylah following behind her. Then she told Isaac to unfasten the horse and let it run free, after which she swallowed the carriage with her shadow and dumping it into Nyx¡¯s [Space].


    ¡°I feel uncomfortable looking like this.¡±


    The statement of course came from Isaac. Instead of his armour, he wore brown woollen pants with a white cotton t-shirt and dark leather boots. The paleness of his skin was such that it challenged his shirt in whiteness, a stark contrast to his jet-black hair and abyssal eyes. Obviously, the man¡¯s eyes were too bizarre to expose in public, so she provided a pair of shades she had bought in Rupheus to conceal them. She had been amazed to see sunglasses in this world, but not really surprised considering people on Aran wore spectacles. Later, after learning of Isaac¡¯s moronic visit to the Guild, she had backtracked to buy them for him. Wearing sunglasses would be conspicuous considering their rarity, but not as much as if the bastard put on a blindfold.


    ¡°Had you not acted impulsively previously, you wouldn¡¯t be feeling like that,¡± Sage could not help retorting.


    After painting a target on his back in Rupheus, the bastard obviously could not be seen in his armour anymore; which was why she had him change into his current clothes. The fact that he was unhappy about it had little to do with her, considering he was the reason the change had to happen.


    Mylah still wore knee-length shorts and a jersey, though it was a different set than the one she had worn before. The boots on her feet were still the same though.


    ¡°Yes, Isen,¡± the cat in Mylah¡¯s arms chimed in. ¡°Maybe if you were a good little servant for Master, you wouldn¡¯t be so miserable all the time.¡±


    Isaac short him a death glare- causing the cat to wince and look away- before returning his gaze to Sage.


    ¡°What about my sword?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Too well made, too eye-catching,¡± she replied. ¡°Anyone with a working set of peepers need only take a look to realise that; and need I even mention the black blade?¡±


    Isaac was not happy if his grunt was any indication; and Sage could not care any less as she grabbed hold of his shoulder, using her other hand to clutch the girl¡¯s one into her own. When she felt she had a firm grip on the two, she {Blink}ed to the foot of the wall.


    Using [Gate] in this situation would have been the preferable option. However, although the sun was just shy of touching the western hills, it was still day and the garrison were likely still vigorously patrolling the wall. If one of them happened to walked by, they would definitely not miss a dark portal appearing out of nowhere. Appearing with {Blink} was the less conspicuous option; she reduced the chance of discovery to zero by combining it with {Invisibility}.


    Whether there was a guard patrol atop of the wall at the spot they appeared, Sage did not know; nor did she care to find out. Still holding onto the other two undead, she activated {Ghostwalk} and passed through the wall.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    There was nothing much to say about the part of the city they had burst into. It was not rundown, but it was also not luxurious. So, although she could tell it was not one of the good neighbourhoods, she could not tell if it was the middle-class district or the better part of the slums. The place was not deserted either. One of the first things she noticed upon passing through the wall was a group of men hovering around something. Through the gaps of their placement, she could make out a pair of die; they were gambling.


    Immediately she lost interest in them as she proceeded to lead the two to the nearest alley, which she fortunately found unoccupied. Here, she let go of them and subsequently let go of {Invisibility}. Then she looked around again to see there were witnesses. Seeing none, she let out a relieved breath and turned to the duo.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll parting with you guys here,¡± she stated, taking out a coin pouch and tossing it to the knight. The purse contained twenty gold coins, enough to live comfortably for a year. ¡°Keep the child fed, and don¡¯t go causing any trouble. And Nyx, you¡¯re coming with me.¡±


    Her announcement caught both the knight and the girl off guard, such that Mylah¡¯s jaw slackened while Isaac¡¯s brow creased. As for the familiar, he jumped out of Mylah¡¯s arms and settled into her shadow without saying anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Isaac asked, incredulous; ¡°where to?¡±


    ¡°To do what I came to do,¡± she responded. Although she did not show it, she was really fed up with Lethia. That was why she had decided to hurry with her search and leave when its complete; whether she succeeded or not. ¡°Again, do not make trouble for me. I won¡¯t be gone more than a couple hours, at most a day.¡±


    She gave him an intense stare as she said it, to show him how serious she was. Io, of all the cities in Lethia, was the one place where they should not start trouble. With the city¡¯s ruler- the country¡¯s king- being a Transcendent, he was the last person whose eyes she wanted to attract. Her current level was just shy of Transcendence, but the gap between the two was a chasm. How deep that chasm was; she had no desire to find out until she was ready to cross it herself.


    She left the two before any more words could be exchanged, her destination clear; the Mercenary Guild. However, unlike the Isaac, she was not going to bother the receptionist. She was just going to enter the place, listen to some gossip and look at assignments on the board. If she acted like she belonged, no one would question her presence.


    With the help of random strangers, it only took her thirty minutes before she was standing in front of the Io branch. It was certainly bigger than other Guild branches she had seen; though to be fair, the only other city¡¯s branch she had seen was Tiih¡¯s, a smaller city than the Lethian capital.


    She stood in front of it and took one deep breath before deciding to enter.


    The inside was a large hall with dozens of tables where individuals clad in all sorts of eccentric armours convened. This place, like the one she had visited in Nervahn, doubled as a tavern; so there were tavern girls rushing all over the place carrying trays of food and jugs of alcohol whilst they did their best to avoid some mercenaries¡¯ gropy hands.


    Many of these convening mercenaries were so loud their voices carried over the entire place; one of the noisiest being a red-haired man in similarly coloured scale armour. At this table sat five other strangely dressed fellows, all of whom listened to his drunken ramblings with sheepish grins. The man was likely the leader of their gathering, considering the fact that he had a Grade 2 body while the others capped at Grade 3. His was one of the more impressive physiques in the place, Sage realised as she looked around. She spotted only five others who matched him, with only a single person surpassing him.


    The person with a physique above the red-haired man¡¯s was a dwarf clad in greyish black armour. He was the classic type dwarf with a black beard that flowed from half his face to below his waist; Sage could not tell its exact length since the table obscured her view of the rest of his body.


    Race: Dwarf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 1


    Mana: H (White)


    Sitting opposite him was a woman, also of dwarven heritage. Since she was facing away from the man, Sage was not able to see her face, but activating {Index} while gazing at the back of her shaggy brown head offered up her information nonetheless.


    Race: Dwarf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 5


    Mana: B (Blue)


    She was one of only four people in Sage¡¯s sights with active mana, and the one with the highest attainment. None of the other three were higher than the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order, but their physiques were all above than Grade 5. Considering the type of land Sage was in, by her guess the three were actual mercenaries while the dwarf woman was an alchemist who moonlighted as a mercenary. Also, the amount of contact between the two dwarves was too close to be only companions.


    After staring at them for a while, Sage withdrew her gaze and looked elsewhere. She also started paying attention to the rumours being filed around the place. One of the more coherent ones had to do with a four-star mercenary seducing a marquis¡¯ daughter; he was currently rotting in the dungeons. Another was about zombie sightings in the mountains of north-east of Io. The loudest topic in the place was about a parade to be held the next day in celebration of the forty-seventh anniversary of the king¡¯s marriage to the bishop of the Vestravan church.


    The one that caught her ears was the second rumour. That Harn guy was not lying about that it seemed.


    She filtered through a couple more gossip topics, none of which were worth remembering, as she made her way to the noticeboard. There were several people standing around the board when she got there, all of whom towered over her. Due to her height disadvantage, she had to wait patiently until they were done eyeing the board and before she got her turn. She pushed her dissatisfaction down as she moved around their departing forms.


    The first notice to catch her attention was of course her wanted poster. Having seen it already though, she did not linger on it.


    The second posting that caught her attention was an inquiry on an individual clad in full black armour. This one had a reference from Rupheus of course, since they were clearly the ones looking for the bastard.


    After skimming through a bunch of other notices, some of which were requests for combat tutors while others were basically asking for glorified fumigators, she spotted the one she wanted.


    Investigate the north-east of Io. Solve the zombie sightings.


    Reward: 150 silvers.


    A really cheap job for one to be risking their life for, especially if the reward had to be split between a party. Not that she cared about the reward; she could not even claim it. However, the fact that the Guild had hung a mission to check out the place meant there was something there.


    Feeling assured, Sage turned and made for the exit.


    However, she did not make it far when a trio blocked her path, two men and a woman; all unsurprisingly taller than her.


    ¡°You are going to look for the undead right?¡± the man in front asked, flashing a smile meant to¡­ charm her? ¡°We¡¯re going there too. Wanna join us?¡±

 CHAPTER 113: TO FIGHT FOR UNLIFE

    ¡°Whose brilliant idea was it to come looking for zombies in the in the middle of the fucking night!¡± Sage yelled.


    For hours since meeting this trio she had kept her mouth shut and gone with the flow. She had been silent when the trio¡¯s leader Jarris bade them to come to the hill and search the chin-high straw like one would prowl for a needle in a haystack; she had not said a thing when the archer Rick started shooting arrows in the sky banking on luck that they would hit any hiding ghouls. She had even bitten her tongue to avoid saying anything when the woman Anith grabbed a shovel from her back and started digging for zombies hiding in the ground.


    But this, this was fucking ridiculous.


    ¡°Zombies always come out at night Maven,¡± Jarris fired her a reassuring smile. ¡°We just need to search a look longer, a bit more effort and we¡¯ll find one.¡±


    The way he smiled¡­ did the dumb fuck actually believe what he was saying? Either way, she no longer felt the need to address him politely.


    ¡°Ghouls can¡¯t turn invisible you fucking imbecile.¡±


    ¡°Watch how you talk to him bitch!¡± Anith dropped her spear to practically run up to her. If it weren¡¯t for Sage raising her shortsword the woman would have no doubt smashed into her.


    ¡°Hey, hey!¡± Jarris stepped in between them. ¡°There¡¯s no need for this to get violent. Stand down Anith. And Maven,¡± the trio leader turned to face her, ¡°lower the sword.¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± she harrumphed. Sheathing the sword, she turned from them and started looking away. ¡°But I¡¯m done with this shit. I¡¯m going back to the city.¡±


    These dunderheads weren¡¯t going to catch a zombie anytime soon. Even if there really were zombie¡¯s wandering these parts, the imbecilic nonsense of these idiots would chase them away. These clowns were no longer worth her time. What an absolute waste of time.


    ¡°Come on Maven,¡± Rick spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡±


    ¡°That is exactly how I¡¯m being.¡± She did not bother to look at him. ¡°You can share the spoils among your selves when you find the zombie, Good luck on your endeavours.¡±


    She would pretend to go to the city and backtrack with {Invisibility} and {Lightfoot} activated to avoid detection; then she would search for the damn zombies rumoured to roam around these parts herself. It was what she should have done a while back.


    In fact, I should¡¯ve never agreed to come with these morons.


    Her journey to circle back only produced several steps before tit was cut short.


    The direction she had been heading in, where there city¡¯s dark silhouette jutted from the ground; in that direction several shadows figures appeared. The were at least a dozen of them, including the sextet led by the noisy red-haired guy in colourful armour and the Grade 1 dwarf and his 8<sup>th</sup> Order companion. All of them had their weapons drawn as they gazed upon her with eyes filled with hostility.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, just a little longer and we¡¯ll catch an undead.¡±


    Slowly, she turned to face the speaker. Jarris easy-going smile was dropped as he drew his sword. Next to him Rick drew back his bowstring while Anith held up her shovel and unslung her shield.


    ¡°You thought we would not recognise a foul corpse when we saw one,¡± the woman sneered.


    ¡°H-how?¡± Sage gaped at them.


    ¡°We Lethians recognise corpses by sight!¡± the red-haired mercenary called from behind her. ¡°But we all played dumb in the Guildhall and lured you here so we can take care of you.¡±


    ¡°That so,¡± Sage responded. ¡°And why are the bunch of you ganging up on a single undead. Isn¡¯t it a bit excessive?¡±


    The dwarf warrior grunted. ¡°We aren¡¯t fools. When Preta failed to identify you with magic, we knew we weren¡¯t dealing with a normal undead.¡±


    ¡°Graven¡¯s right,¡± the dwarf sorceress chimed in with her wand pointed at Sage. ¡°All high level undead can mask themselves from my magic and they¡¯re usually spectres or mages. You are clearly not a spectre, which means you¡¯re a mage. You are the necromancer, aren¡¯t you?¡±


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    Sage smirked as she raised her hands in the air. ¡°Guilty as charged. I knew that you knew that I was an undead, but I went along with your plan anyway. It makes no difference to me how many of you there are. You¡¯re so weak it¡¯s all the same to me.¡±


    ¡°Why you-¡± Anith gritted her teeth as she stepped forward, only to be stopped by Jarris.


    ¡°You see,¡± the leader of the trio who led her to this patch chimed in. ¡°We knew that you knew that we knew that you were an undead; but do you know why we didn¡¯t change the plan.¡±


    ¡°Enlighten me.¡±


    ¡°Because you necromancers are so arrogant and sure of yourself you think nothing can scar you. Well today we will show you that our preparations are more than adequate.¡±


    And with that he sprang into his action, leaping forward and striking forth. Sage stepped back, well aware of the others coming from behind her, and activated {Ghostwalk}. Jarris¡¯ blade swept through her, the weapons from behind passed through air; it was unfortunate that her foes avoided harming each other.


    Quickly {Blink}ing away to a spot vacant of the Ioan mercenaries, she turned to face them and cast [Greater Chain Lightning] at the group. However, the black bolt¡¯s journey was cut short by a transparent barrier before it could make an impact. On the other side of the [Void Barrier] the dwarven sorceress lowered her hand as her companions rushed out from behind her, weapons raised along with their furious voices; a determined look in their eyes.


    Witnessing this, Sage frowned. This fight might not be as easy as she expected it to be. Better get help to deal with the oncoming flood.


    Again she lengthened the distance between herself and her foes with {Blink}; gaining an opportunity to call forth a helper. The space beside her tore up, making way for a rotten behemoth to step out. The bloated creature stood close to three metres tall with layers of drooping skin wilting away to expose greenish meat. And it had a god-awful stench.


    Race: Corpse Giant (Undead- Ghoul)


    Physique: Grade 1


    Mana: E (Yellow)


    The moment the behemoth was summoned, without hesitating, it charged the oncoming band. The first to meet it was the dwarf warrior who caught its boulder-like fist with his hammer. A blow that would flatten the average man¡¯s spine was shrugged off with after causing no more than a shudder.


    The red-haired mercenary sailed past the two forces in an attempt to get to Sage; while forgetting that the corpse giant had another free hand. He did not even get a chance to react as giant ghoul¡¯s backhand caught him in the back as he dove past it. There was a sickening crunch as Red Hair was sent off like a rag doll with the shrill cries of his companions to send him off.


    The other mercenaries tried to close the distance to get a hit on Sage, but of course she was not going to allow it. The second spell she cast was [Cyclone]; the 7<sup>th</sup> Order spell materialised in the form of a whirlwind that swept her enemies of the feet while continually moving in their direction. The mercenaries swept up by the powerful winds caught cried for salvation, that Sage would not offer as she erected a [Void Barrier] to fend of the oncoming [Flame Spear].


    ¡°What paltry magic you have,¡± she mocked the caster. ¡°Maybe if you had thought to climb the border for some proper education you would be halfway decent.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± the dwarf sorceress yelled as she raised her hand for yet another spell.


    Sage was not having it.


    ¡°Goodbye,¡± she waved as she used {Lightfoot} to get a foothold in the air and set off of [Quake] under the Lethian sorceress¡¯ feet.


    The dwarf woman gave a shriek as the earth beneath her opened and swallowed her, making her cry as short-lived as her fall. The ground shook and as cracks spread from the large one the dwarven sorceress fell into, catching many of the remaining mercenaries off guard as the lost the foot and fell into the cracks. Very few survived, including the dwarf warrior who had actually been winning against the corpse giant. When he heard his partner scream, upon catching another of the behemoth¡¯s blows with his weapon, he frantically looked back.


    ¡°PRETA!¡± he yelled in dismay. Then, turning back with rabid eyes, he snarled. ¡°You-¡±


    Nope. Sage snapped her fingers.


    BOOM!


    The corpse giant exploded, converting its rotten flesh to pellets that decimated the entire area. The explosion ceased at the same time as the [Quake] and the [Cyclone]. There was no one left standing, all the mercenaries had been reduced to mincemeat; except the dwarf. After all, he had a Grade 1 physique. However, he was no in the best of shape with half his abdomen, the side of his face, an arm and both legs missing.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t won yet abominable witch!¡± he hissed with difficulty as the last of his lifeblood spilled onto the straw. ¡°We accounted for the fact that we might lose and sent word to the king. He¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    ¡°I knew that was the course you¡¯d take in the event that you failed to beat me,¡± Sage smirked ash she stepped on his heaving chest. ¡°I too am eager to face him since I too am on the cusp of Transcendence.¡±


    The sound of something falling through the air caused her to retract her foot as she witnessed a tanned muscular man impact the ground in a manner that caused it to tremor more than her spell had. The man straightened and looked at her while flexing his arms.


    ¡°Ho Ho Ho undead witch,¡± his tone was surprisingly jolly. ¡°You manage to deal with everyone here. Now you have to contend with-¡±


    Nope. Sage tired of his speech almost immediately. [Death].


    Just like during her Advancement, almost as if the spell was willing her to cast it, she let it use her as a medium to fling it to the Lethian king. Immediately the feral man¡¯s words were cut shot as he toppled over, unmoving,


    That¡¯s it, Sage wondered, even she was surprised at the outcome. Despite her doubts though, the Transcendent remained dead.


    Hmph, she could not help thinking. On any other today this shit would not happen. Happy April Fools day.

 THE REAL CHAPTER 113: SEARCH

    ¡°Why are we going to look for zombies at night?¡± Sage asked.


    Not that it had not been her initial intention, but she was originally going to go alone before the trio basically glued themselves to her with their leader saying it was also their intention to hunt at night,


    His name was Jarris, a fellow in chain mail with a sword at the hip and a wooden shield on the back. He had a chatty mouth to go with his ever-smile, which made it pretty easy to get along with him. When he asked questions, she only needed to answer in a few words and his active mind would build up the rest of her story.


    Despite this assumptive nature, he was surprisingly competent, as shown by the four-star mercenary badge that he had flashed for the Io City Guard to make them open the gates so they could pass. Considering the fact that under normal circumstances, the gates would remain closed until the sun rose again, this act was pretty darn impressive.


    There was also the matter of his readings from the {Index}.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: C (White)


    Not a threat to someone like her, but definitely someone who could be considered an elite among the commonfolk. Besides, physique was simply a base measurement of strength; only when combined with skill could one know how good someone truly was; meaning this guy might be so skilled he could actually threaten her. Although she seriously doubted that was the case, it was a possibility nonetheless.


    ¡°For the same reason you are, right?¡± he replied in a questioning tone; before proceeding on without awaiting an answer. ¡°Undead usually come out at night, so probability is higher we spot one after sundown. It¡¯s what everyone is thinking, which is why other teams will also choose this time to head out.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± she asked, not having to fake being confused.


    ¡°A bunch of us have pooled together some coin to see who can find this elusive zombie,¡± Jarris revealed. ¡°The case has gone unsolved for nearly a month, everyone failed to find anything; including that dwarf couple.


    ¡°Do you know they just strolled recently into town? Witnessed the guy fight and he¡¯s a beast¡­ a six-star mercenary. The only way you to obtain a higher ranking is to transcend mortality, which is basically impossible. Not everyone can be like our king!¡±


    The last sentence was said with the passion of a fanatic, which the leader of the trio realised as he let out a few coughs before continuing in a calmer tone.


    ¡°Even that guy and his obvious witch lady could also not find traces of the undead reported to be in the area, imagine that!¡± the last two words were uttered louder than the others, something he caught onto once again as he reined his excitement in while his gaze bore down on her. ¡°You¡¯re a newcomer too, right Maven? Never seen you at the Guild before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she answered as casually as she could. ¡°My old branch sucked, so I decided to move here; only arrived today actually.¡±


    ¡°Where from?¡±


    This time it was not Jarris you asked, but one of his two companions; the man. He was of a thinner build, clad in studded armour. His belt was lined with numerous knives while a large crossbow and quiver hung on his back. Unlike his leader, he was reserved and constantly eyed her with his fingers never far from his belt.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: H (White)


    ¡°Tima,¡± she replied simply.


    This man, named Rick, scoffed. ¡°Never heard o¡¯ it.¡±


    That¡¯s why I chose it. ¡°It¡¯s a small town in the arse-end of nowhere, closest city to it being Rupheus. Takes a fourteen-day journey by horse to cover the distance between the two.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re a village brat,¡± the female member of the trio chimed in with a sneer. ¡°Probably grew up on a farm, didn¡¯t you? What, you got tired of ploughing and getting ploughed and decided to try your hand at mercenarying instead?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sage narrowed her eyes at the woman.


    She was shorter than her companions, but still more than ten centimetres above Sage¡¯s eye-level. Her skin was dark in contrast to her pale lips, with dark hair and dark eyes that burned with intensity. Although she wore mail and plate armour, the gaps between were wide enough to reveal the muscular figure underneath. On her back she carried a wooden shield larger than Jarris¡¯ along with an axe.


    Race: Human (Human)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: H (White)


    As observed by her comment, she was by far the unfriendliest of the trio.


    ¡°Pay no mind to Anith,¡± their leader jumped in, probably to prevent the potential conflict that might ensue. ¡°She¡¯s had a bad day. Apparently, the kid she was sweet on is getting married to another girl.¡±


    ¡°That must suck,¡± Sage responded, feigning concern while shooting the woman a nasty glare.


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    ¡°Definitely,¡± the man said, seemingly not noticing. He leaned in until his mouth was next to her ear before continuing in mutters. ¡°Especially after she used three jobs¡¯ worth of pay to hire an alchemist so he can make a love potion for her. Guess it failed to do its job huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sad,¡± she responded. In a really pathetic way. She had to fight the urge not to face palm.


    The love potion was perhaps the most iconic potion known to man as it was a feature in almost all fantastical romances about love between different races and castes. The brew that was said to be completed by adding one¡¯s blood to it before giving it to the intended target. Anyone who drank the potion, or consumed anything containing it, would fall madly in love with the one who completed the potion¡­ forever. This was fairly standard knowledge even among those unfamiliar with rudimentary alchemy. Sadly, this was where their knowledge of the potion ended.


    If one actually thought about the implication of what a love potion could do, they would realise that such a potion was not something a run-of-the-mill alchemist could craft. A potion that brought about a permanent effect when consumed, was a really big deal; only two people in history were said to be capable of brewing such potions.


    Of course, she did not give a damn that the woman had not bothered with critical thinking when she went to a random alchemist for the task, so she kept her silence. Shooting her a side glance, she gave her stealthy sneer. Dumb bitch. The actual thing costs upwards of a thousandfold what you offered the crook!


    She was certain Anith caught her sneer, but she did not bother to find out if it was really the case as she turned to Jarris and changed the subject.


    ¡°How much is this money pool you guys set up?¡±


    ¡°Sixteen gold, I think,¡± the trio¡¯s leader replied, his voice back to standard volume.


    ¡°Sixteen gold, twenty-one silver and sixty-seven bronze!¡± Rick intervened fiercely.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jarris agreed casually.


    The amount explained why these guys took an such a low paying assignment. It did not matter if the official pay was something suited for a one-star squad when the money they made on the side was more than a dozenfold.


    However, she was not happy to hear that they might encounter other mercenaries whilst searching for zombies. If they did manage to find traces of undead, cleanup would become troublesome if others get involved.


    The group had left the city through a different gate than the one she sighted on her way in. This particular gate was located north of the city, which was truly convenient for them. After leaving the city they went mostly east and sometimes north. In the sky the clouds raced to obscure the stars, but ultimately failed to prevent light peeking through the cracks and shining a clear picture of the hilly grass fields; a grey picture, but a clear one nonetheless. At least that was what she imagined the trio saw. For her, the scene was only slightly darker than what she would be seeing if the sun was up.


    Yet, the only moving things she could spot apart from herself, the trio and their shadows were the critters that nestled in the grass.


    ¡°So the sightings were around here huh?¡± she asked, stopping to look around.


    Jarris shrugged. ¡°Probably, I don¡¯t know. Maybe if we keep going we¡¯ll eventually see it.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± was the only response she could manage.


    The four of them continued on, moving further away from the city. Even so, the terrain remained the same; all they encountered were grassy hills. The trees were few and far between, but ultimately not worth noting. There were no hidden grottos for zombies to pop out of anywhere.


    As time passed, they decided to separate, each of them on their own hill prowling the fields for anything that could be amiss. At this point, their exploration had devolved to searching for a needle in the grass. They were not going to find anything looking this way.


    ¡°I quit,¡± Sage declared, putting her hands up.


    She had sent out Nyx, but even he- with his familiarity to shadows- had yet to find anything. She did not know how much time had passed since they left the city, but some of the constellations she had gotten familiar with during her time on Aran had shifted across the sky by a fair margin. What they had been doing all along was wasting their time and she was not willing to continue doing so.


    ¡°Maybe if we go a little further, we might find something,¡± Jarris tried to keep his enthusiasm.


    But at this point even a child would be able to pick out the barely concealed frustration in his voice. His teammates certainly picked up on it as they too looked like they wanted to call a quits. Then one of them came out and suggested it.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we come back and search tomorrow,¡± Anith said. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll find a zombie then, and if Vestrava smiles upon us more coin will have been added to the pool.¡±


    ¡°What, so you can hire another alchemist to make you a stronger ¡®love potion¡¯?¡± Sage could not resist the jab.


    The result earned her a fiery look from the woman, as Anith began to move towards her with eyes promising pain. However, before anything could happen Jarris stepped between them.


    ¡°Now now girls,¡± he said in a mediator tone. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go search a bit more and return if nothing appears or stands out?¡±


    This, everyone begrudgingly agreed; even Sage.


    The only places undead naturally spawned at were those saturated with death. Which as far as she knew, there was no such place anywhere near Io; which made it pretty obvious that if the sightings were real there was someone behind the event. She had come all this way to meet this master. The sooner she met them, the better; so one more look would not hurt. Besides, Nyx was still out there looking. Although he had found nothing yet, she trusted his capabilities more than hers and this bunch¡¯s combine. In this endeavour his was not useless.


    And so they soldiered on. This time they did not bother look separately, as none of them truly expected to find something.


    Why were they even scrutinising the grass? Did they expect to find the undead crawling on its belly like a snake; trying its best to go unnoticed by them?


    After going about in silence for a while, Sage spoke up. ¡°How do we split the pay if we do encounter a zombie and trace it to its source?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Since you didn¡¯t add to the pool, you walk away with the assignment reward, while we get the pool prize.¡±


    Although Jarris tone was as light as ever, there was a heaviness in his eyes assuring her his words were not a jest. Looking at the other members of the trio with their now stern expressions and stiff hands that were mere inches from their weapons, she surmised they truly had no intention of letting her share in their pool money.


    Real mercenary of them, she groaned. Is that cash pool even sanctioned by the Guild? They don¡¯t look like the type of organisation that would allow gambling on the side.


    Not that she had ever had any hope of getting any cash out of this. Even if their investigation turned out successful, she would not be able to claim the official reward seeing as she was not member of the Guild.


    Still, the trio¡¯s quick shift in attitude irked her; so she opened her mouth, ready to tell them she did not care if they shoved their paltry sum up their arses in the kindest tone she could conjure.


    The words never left her mouth. Before she could utter them, a reaction from Nyx side got through to her. Unfortunately, she was unable to keep the discovery of the creature a secret as it rapidly advanced from the west towards them. Within less than three seconds the trio were alerted to the approaching being, causing them to draw their weapons.


    The four of them did not need to wait long before a figure appeared on a hill not too far away. It was a humanoid with multiple lacerations and tattered clothes, oozing a mixture of blood and pus in which pus held the higher concentration. Both the nose and lips of this creature were missing, replaced by a field of teeth marks. Then there was its stench; as it got closer Sage fought the urge to pinch her nose shut while she used {Index} on the creature.


    Race: Zombie (Undead- Ghoul)


    Physique: Grade 3


    Mana: D (White)


    Their quarry had found them.

 CHAPTER 114: MINOR STRUGGLE

    The first few seconds after the creature appeared the trio were left frozen by the unexpected turn of events. Just when they were about to give up and return the city, the undead that had eluded them finally showed up. The three of them were professionals though, and their stiffened reactions were promptly discarded for active ones.


    Jarris¡¯ blade came free of its sheath as his other hand went for the shield on his back. Likewise, Anith untangled her shield and axe to support him. The two of them charged the rotting creature while Rick brought his crossbow to shoulder-level in order to support the frontline fighters. The tactic was as basic as could be but would probably be effective. Their opponent was a mere zombie which did not seem to have a single ounce of intelligence; therefore, it would likely not take them long to bring it down.


    Of course, that was under the assumption that Sage would stand aside and watch them work; which, unfortunately, she would not. Her entire reason for coming this way was to meet the necromancer rumoured to be lurking around these parts. As the zombie provided a way to the necromancer, she was unwilling to lose it to these schmucks.


    The moment the trio sprang into action she had already begun her channelling. The spell was completed almost instantly and she aimed it at the one closest to reaching the undead. Just before she released the spell, she caught Jarris¡¯ shift in demeanour as he almost stumbled but picked himself up really fast to attempt a jump to the side. He must have sensed her casting, an impressive feat for someone who had not awakened his mana. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough, the spell caught him in the back, sending him sprawling on his stomach.


    Obviously the other two members of the trio were caught off guard by this turn of events, completely throwing them off their act. Anith came to a halt and looked at the downed Jarris, the half of her face that Sage could see clearly displaying shock. Fortunately for her, her shield was still held up, enabling her to keep the undead¡¯s puss-bloated arms from hitting her body. Then, with a grunt, she shoved the creature hard with her shield, causing it to stumble and fall backwards. She did not pursue though. Instead, she made a one-eighty and charged Sage, her eyes burning with fury.


    ¡°YOU FUCKING BITCH!¡± she yelled as she raised her axe overhead.


    Similarly, Rick had also realised what had happened, prompting him to turn his crossbow on Sage. His bolt reached her long before Anith did. Unfortunately for him, it passed through her.


    As she watched Anith¡¯s rapid approach, she once more grasped her mana and began preparing another spell. However, a short contemplation caused her to change her mind and cease her casting. Watching the woman approach with her large shield, she formulated another plan.


    Anith was a warrior with a Grade 3 physique. That was one degree lower than the bastard Isaac; the same level as her. The woman was perfect for testing her newly acquired sword skills on. So, she hoisted her buckler to shoulder-level and unsheathed her own weapon, preparing to take her on. To the side, she spied Rick notch another bolt to his weapon, preparing to take another shot at her.


    There was another who needed to learn combat and the marksman looked like an ideal foe.


    ¡°Nyx!¡± she shouted.


    With the depth of their bond, it was not difficult for the familiar to understand her intention. Before the marksman fired his shot, an Umbral Felis jumped out of his shadow onto his back, eliciting a scream from the man.


    Sage did not turn to see what happened next as she caught Anith¡¯s blow with her buckler. She felt the buckler dent inwards, sending a sharp pain up her forearm. No bones were snapped, but it did not stop her from grunting and gritting. Shoving the woman¡¯s weapon away, she thrust her shortsword towards her abdomen, an attack Anith obstructed with her shield. The tip of the sword sank into the wood, rendering it stuck. Sage caught a gleam in Anith¡¯s eyes as the woman took this as an opportunity to swing her axe horizontally with the clear intention of cleaving through her neck. She was prepared though and ducked backwards while simultaneously kicking the wooden shield away, all the while maintaining her tight grasp on her weapon. The sword came free as the axe passed mere centimetres above her. Both of them were sent stumbling from each other but they both managed to catch their footing.


    Taking advantage of the momentary respite, Sage¡¯s attention wandered to the familiar and the crossbowman who were entangled in their own struggle. Now Rick only held the crossbow with a single hand, while the other grasped a dagger with which he tried to stab the shadowcat. Unfortunately for him, Nyx was adept at dodging; he avoided the attacks by sinking into the man¡¯s shadow before peeking out with only his head and latching onto Rick¡¯s ankle with his teeth. The marksman uttered a pained grunt as he tried to use his other leg to stomp the familiar¡¯s head, to no avail. All his foot met was ground.


    Sage would have continued to watch a little longer had Anith not initiated another attack, causing yet another collision between her buckler and the woman¡¯s axe. This time the woman¡¯s axe penetrated her shield and she felt its bladed tip bite into her flesh. It stung, but she had felt worse before. Gritting her teeth behind her mask, she tried to maintain composure as she gazed into the woman¡¯s enraged face.


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    ¡°Fucking witch!¡± Anith spat. ¡°You damned bloodcurdling, flesh-eating bitch! This is all your doing, isn¡¯t it? You are the one behind the undead roaming around, aren¡¯t you? You foul bitch!¡±


    Sage did not bother with a response as she let her buckler go. She then grasped her sword with both hands and swung it with as much strength as she could muster while still keeping her balance. The blow was once again caught by the large shield, but the impact resulted in a large crack forming along with splinters flying.


    Anith pushed back her sword and began her own set of attacks. Now that Sage had dropped the buckler, the woman likely assumed it would be easy to cut her. Unfortunately for her, this place was an open field in a vast space, Sage could jump backwards an innumerable amount to avoid the sword before she was cornered with nowhere to go.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Anith¡¯s frustrated call sounded after a minute of unfruitful attacks. ¡°Stop dodging and face me head-on witch!¡±


    From where the woman¡¯s partner tangled with the familiar, a pained yelp came. It was Nyx, who failed to dodge an attack, causing the underside of Rick¡¯s crossbow to hit him and send him tumbling several metres from where he had been. Seeing this caused Sage to release a silent sigh as she raised her sword to catch Anith¡¯s axe. Unfortunately, she had nothing else to block with as the wooden shield was rammed into her face. Luckily, she possessed other means to avoid the impact. Before the shield could make contact, she {Blink}ed, appearing a few metres away.


    This time, facing another of Anith¡¯s attacks, she did not try to dodge or even use her sword to defend. Instead, she removed one hand from the sword and pointed it at the woman, preparing a spell. This fight had gone on long enough.


    The spell she chose this time was the 6<sup>th</sup> Order Illusion spell [Terror]; which, this time, fortunately worked as intended. Anith¡¯s weapon was just a few centimetres from reaching her when it froze up. The spell did not only affect the woman. Rick came to an abrupt halt in the middle of his follow up attack against the cat. Not waiting to see how long it would take them to recover, Sage followed up by casting [Paralyse] twice, downing them like she had done their leader.


    With that, the battle was won. She took a step back to examine area.


    The members of the trio now lay in the grass, each of them wearing an unwilling expression of sorts. Anith¡¯s eyes burned with hatred as she glared at her, while Rick grunted and hyperventilated whilst futilely trying to move his body. Jarris, who was the furthest from her, too had a hardened expression; however, he was too busy trying to fend off the zombie as best as a paralysed man could to show it to her properly. On the other hand, not counting the brownish-green fluid smeared onto his face and armour, the zombie did not appear to have harmed him too much. Although, that did not seem would be the case for long, as the creature kept trying to force its bloated thumbs into his tightly shut eyes while it drooled onto his face.


    ¡°Enough!¡± she declared. ¡°Get off him.¡±


    Hearing her, the mindless rotting being ceased its actions and climbed off the man. The trio, witnessing this, had their eyes simultaneously widen before their glares towards her intensified.


    ¡°Sso it really wass you?¡± Anith managed to spit out with difficulty. ¡°You¡¯re ressponssible!¡±


    Sage deigned not to respond as her eyes darted across the surrounding, scanning the area carefully. Earlier, the trio had said that there would be others looking for the zombie in order to win the pool money; the last thing Sage wanted was to have them walk into this area and witness the current scene.


    She raised her hand and cast one of the spells she had recently learned, [Summon Undead III]. When the spell was finished a rip appeared in space and expelled an ashen grey figure with arms that were disproportionately long and ending with claws. The creature had no legs as it hovered above the grass, hairless and ugly.


    Race: Wraith (Undead- Spectre)


    Physique: None


    Mana: B (Green)


    The last encounter she had had with such a creature had been unpleasant. This time though, the wraith was under her control and she could command it how she pleased.


    ¡°Search the surroundings, lure away anyone who approaches,¡± she ordered. ¡°As for those who refuse to leave, kill them!¡±


    Unlike the Netherkin wraith, this one was not sentient; so there was no response as it {Blink}ed away to do its task.


    ¡°What are you going to do with us?¡± Jarris hissed at her. Having been paralysed longer, the spell must have worn off a bit; which must be was why he was not slurring his words.


    There was no set limit for the amount of time one hit by [Paralyse] would stay under the paralysis effect. Stronger physiques shook off the effect faster, but that was not the only variable. There were known cases where those with the lowest physiques were able to shake off the spell relatively quickly. To avoid such a case, Sage hit the three with yet another round of [Paralyse] before spending a few attempts to successfully [Polymorph] them into mice, all off whom she grabbed by their tails and raised to eye level.


    ¡°I have yet to decide what do with you,¡± she told them sternly. ¡°It won¡¯t be long though. Try to behave in that time, will you? Unless of course you prefer I feed you to my cat.¡±


    Said cat earlier injuries, which had been leaking tendrilled smoke, had long since sealed themselves. Now, he was busy gathering the trio¡¯s clothes and items that had been dropped after their transfiguration. He was cleaning up the scene so those who came by later would not find something amiss.


    Satisfied with the mice¡¯s reaction to her threat, she turned to the zombie, which continued to stand aimlessly on the same spot. Both is odour and appearance were an insult to the senses, something that made her keep a fair distance as she addressed it.


    ¡°Take me to your master,¡± she ordered.

 CHAPTER 115: NECROMANCER AT LAST

    While leading her to where she presumed was its master¡¯s hideout, the zombie left a lot of devastation in its path, leaving Sage to wonder how it was possible that the necromancer had yet to be tracked down. The trail of broken grass left by zombie was one that even an amateur tracker would be able to follow with ease.


    The necromancer probably not been found yet because no one¡¯s been taking the sightings seriously, was the only conclusion she could come up with.


    As far as she was aware, unlike the cannibal crone¡¯s inn, there did not seem to be any mysterious disappearances around these parts. It was probably the commoners in the surroundings who had first sighted the undead, which would explain why the reward for the assignment was so low.


    However, if the pool prize kept increasing more mercenaries would join in, and the likelihood that one of them was competent enough to follow a makeshift trail like the one being made by the zombie even after a couple of days was not low.


    Sage herself chose to not deepen the disturbance by activating {Lightfoot}, which allowed her to tread atop the grass tips without disturbing them. The [Polymorph]ed trio hung lifeless in her hand, offering no resistance after her threat to feed them to Nyx; every few minutes she had to recast the spell on them to prevent them from changing back. As for Nyx, he went about his usual routine of moving in the shadows; leaving no mark on the surroundings as well.


    Sage followed the zombie for what seemed like half an hour, during which a large chunk of her mana was used up. By the time they reached their destination, less than half of it remained. Under normal circumstances, this would have been enough to warrant her caution; causing her to hesitate or even avoid going forward with her act. Fortunately, she was going to meet a necromancer, the type of magician who would always be disadvantaged against her. Also, if this necromancer turned out to be more than a corpse raiser and extremely powerful, her current capacity was more than enough for her to escape.


    It turned out that the zombie¡¯s master was not as careless as initially believed as his hideout was located west of the city, a ways from where the sightings occurred. The zombie led her to an unassuming hill no different from the rest of the surroundings. As soon as they got there, her familiar immediately notified her of a cavern mouth hidden on the side facing away from the city.


    Finally, she sighed in relief before ducking into the shadows to Nyx location.


    When she popped out, she found herself at the mouth of a cave, but one that was so small she had to crouch in order to pass through. Before she entered, she paused to address the undead.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± she ordered before continuing.


    There was a well-concealed magic circle at the mouth of the grotto, which she managed to bypass with ease by {Ghostwalk}ing. The inside of the cave presented more traps; other magic circles which contained paralysis and binding effects near the opening and offensive ones the deeper she went. The last magic circles ingrained into the cave wall were [Contagion] and [Drain Life], spells effective against the living but not much use against use against the dead. Although she was immune to the spells¡¯ effects, she still chose to keep her intangible state when she passed by the circles.


    From the mouth to the heart, the distance travelled inside the cave was less than thirty metres. After the few seconds it took her to cross that distance, she found herself in a lit chamber of moderately large size. Inside, she spotted a what looked like a fireplace with a pot hanging above it, stone shelves with books and flasks, large stones that could be used as seats and a large stone table in the middle set on top of a ritual circle. In one of the cave¡¯s corners half a dozen bodies lay, while another cadaver was sprawled atop the stone table with a hooded figure standing over it. Instead of focusing on the corpse though, the figure¡¯s gaze was fixed on the chamber¡¯s entrance where Sage had emerged, alert grey eyes glaring beneath the hood.


    At the same time the formally silent corpses begin to stir, all armed with stones, rusted knives and their dismembered limbs in some cases. Although their expressions were vacant, their bloated figures all seemed ready to charge her at moment¡¯s notice. Something she quickly noted after using {Index} was that all of these zombies¡¯ physiques were in the fourth Grade, a fact that would have had her heart skipping a beat if it still functioned.


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    ¡°Who are you?¡± the figure asked. A hoarse masculine voice, an old one. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    From his cautious demeanour, it was easy to infer that the man had been expecting her, which did not surprise her in the least. If the zombie outside belonged to him, then the fact that it had returned to this place would not have been missed by him.


    Seeing as she had bypassed all the traps, Sage felt it safe to dispel {Ghostwalk}. However, the moment she did so she was assaulted by the stench of the cave, causing her eyes to water. If the smell of the zombie outside was an insult to the senses, then the stench of this cave was blasphemous to existence itself. If her mask was filtering any of the horrendous odour, then it was not much of it. Its stench was so bad it was physically constricting her; by far the worst she had ever encountered. Even when she ceased her breathing, she found herself unable to stave off its criminal assault to her nasal receptors. The ordeal had her abdomen heating up with the overwhelming desire to expel her entrails.


    The place where shit comes to die, or death comes to shit, was a phrase alluding to place that smelled so horrible no one would willingly tread there. This cave though¡­ even death and shit would not come here. She could not spot a single insect in the vicinity and to make it worse, the mice in her hand were actually puking blood. That was how bad it smelled!


    Immediately she dropped the polymorphed trio and began casting [Aeriation]. It was a 2<sup>nd</sup> Order spell often used for ventilation and clearing away toxic air; not the kind of spell Sage would have learned if not for the fact that she needed it to fill up slots. However, in this moment she finally found a use for it as she used it to funnel out the cave¡¯s horrible air for the outside¡¯s fresh breeze. After doing so, she shifted her attention to the three mice, who appeared to be in a catatonic state. [Dispel] fell upon them, returning them to their original forms. As soon as she released them from their polymorphed state though, she made sure to prolong their drowsy states with [Sleeping Circle].


    When all that was done and she no longer had to worry about them, she turned to the hooded figure, who for some reason had chosen not to attack during the time she had been busy. Seeing him and his limping corpses just standing there brought a familiar heat out of her. She reached above her leather mask and wiped, her eyes sending glares at the hooded man.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!¡± she shouted.


    In conjunction with her voice, the shadows conjured by the lamps trembled; she only took slight note of it as her attention was wholly on the necromancer. Originally, she had intended to make a cordial introduction before moving on to what she had come for; however, one whiff of that fucking stench and the plan was cast out the window. What kind of roachlike-bastard would choose to live in such a shithole?


    ¡°You trethpathed in my abode and athk what¡¯th wrong with me?¡± the old voice under the hood sounded incredulous. ¡°Ith that what patheth for mannerth thethe dayth? Have I been itholated for too long?¡±


    The zombies standing by his side still made no move to attack, an indication that he was still digesting her appearance; yet to decide whether she was a foe or not. He seemed to be prepared for the former though as the way his undead stood by him was such that if a fight broke out, they would easily be able to move in front of him, shielding him from any attack she might launch at him. It would have decent tactic if not for the lack of intelligence on her capabilities.


    ¡°Why are you here thorthereth?¡± the man repeated. ¡°What ith it that you want?¡±


    Sage opened her mouth to say something, but decided to exhale in the newly made fresh atmosphere instead; allowing herself to calm down. Her eyes momentarily swept over the sleeping unpolymorphed trio, bare and asleep on the floor. With a single flick of her hand, she cast their belongings from the Space out of their shadows. When her eyes fell back on the hooded necromancer, although she could not see his expression, the tension in his posture was evident.


    Race: Half-Dwarf (Human)


    Physique: Grade 4


    Mana: C (Brown)


    Going by his stats alone, there was nothing to worry about. Another sweep of the surrounding with [Mystic Eyes] and she was certain there was nothing present that could threaten her, allowing her to loosen up as she addressed him.


    ¡°You needn¡¯t fear sir,¡± she began calmly, making sure her tone was nothing like her previous outburst. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing rumours of a fellow necromancer in these parts and decided to check it out. Tell me, how did you augment your undead?¡±


    A close look at the man¡¯s zombies and one could easily make out the rags they wore use to be peasant clothes. Another look at their makeshift weapons and it was clear as day these corpses had not belonged to combatants. They had probably been farm serfs and slum dwellers, one of the odd ones who vanished every month; people whose disappearance no one ever paid attention to.


    One such person having a Grade 4 physique was rare but- against all odds- likely. All of them having Grade 4 physiques though, that was impossible. Looking at the ritual circles drawn underneath the stone table and she could infer that it likely had something to do with the augmentations. The more she stared, the more obvious it became; a fact that left her unable to stop the smile that crept to the corners of her lips behind the mask.


    After crossing half of Lethia, she had finally found what she had been looking for.

 CHAPTER 116: VANUS REITH

    ¡°Ith that what you came for?¡± Vanus inquired, cautiously glancing at the masked intruder.


    Somehow, she had managed to get through all the traps he had set up in his abode without triggering them. If not for the fact that the zombie he had given specific orders to head north east of Io to maintain the illusion that the undead came from there, he would not have realised something amiss. Somehow, this invader must have taken control of the zombie and ordered it to lead her here.


    When he had first noticed the creature veering off course, his immediate thought had been to flee. Of course, as a 5<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer he was not in possession of a spell capable of carrying him to safety. Fortunately, magic circles were a thing and he possessed one specifically set up to take him to the Frost Wilderness north of Lethia. It had been pricy to set up and its usage would be even pricier for someone of his attainment. However, no price was too much for his life. Even so, the thought of paying such an exorbitant fee, abandon much of what he had been trying to accomplish here and suffer a setback tallying in the decades had caused him to hesitate and thought of other possibilities.


    The only ones capable of controlling undead were fellow necromancers and Sheans. The latter were not allowed within the borders of Lethia and the duration of their control was a few minutes. Another thing he considered, was the fact that when Sheans and necromancers took hold of another¡¯s undead, the connection with the previous master would be severed; something that had not happened in this case. To say Vanus had not been terrified when he realised that, even though he still maintained his bond with the zombie, his orders were being ignored was an understatement.


    However, another feeling had bubbled up in him at that moment, curiosity. The desire to know what kind of being was capable of such a feat was what had stopped him from fleeing. Still though, Vanus had been a necromancer for a long time; he had not lived to his age by being careless. Therefore, even though he had decided to stay, the setup for the teleportation circle had been completed. He was standing on it at the moment, the intruder¡¯s view of it obscured by the stone table. A single hint of danger and he would activate it immediately; even if it meant sacrificing his health and aptitude.


    That moment had not come yet, but he kept vigilantly watching for it.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the invader affirmed in a friendly tone, as if to make him forget the outburst she had just had.


    He looked her up and down in her leather armour, checking the mask that coved the lower half of her face. There was a stitch running from her forehead to between of her dark eyes and then to unknown parts beneath the mask. He also noticed a shifting in her shadow, most likely a familiar.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to my rethearch if that ith what you dethire,¡± he immediately relented. He was under no illusions that he was a match for the intruder despite how young she appeared to be. If he handed over what she came for, perhaps she would depart and leave him to his devices; that was the hope. ¡°If give me an hour to duplicate my noteth I will share them wholeheartedly with you.¡±


    In response the intruder sighed, which almost caused his heart to skip a beat. Then, before he could react, she cast a spell that allowed her to grab a stone seat and bring it over to her so she could settle down.


    Telekinethith! Vanus¡¯ eyes widened when he witnessed the scene. The person in front of him was a senior magician! He was definitely not her match! Maybe he should activate they magic circle now!


    ¡°I have no intention of robbing you if that is what you think,¡± she said as a cat jumped out of her shadow onto her lap. ¡°This will be a transaction, so I plan to compensate you for your research.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the cat chimed in, it¡¯s emerald eyes mockingly staring him down. ¡°And you can step away from that circle. If master wanted to harm you, all she would need to do is put up a [Space Lock]. A measly teleportation circle would not be able to save you from her.¡±


    ¡°That was completely unnecessary Nyx,¡± the intruder reprimanded her familiar, though her actions of stroking its fur suggested she was not in disagreement. Her eyes left the cat and returned to him while her free hand went to her face and removed her mask, revealing the extent of her scars. ¡°I am Sage by the way. Sage Maverick.¡±


    ¡°Vanuth Reith,¡± he responded as he removed his hood. Then he stepped away from the circle to the closest seat.


    Even if the intruder could cast [Space Lock], it would take time- at least as second- to cast. By sacrificing the present zombies, he would be able to buy enough time to rush to teleportation circle, travel to its twin and destroy it before he could be followed.


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    This train of thought was disrupted when the intruder¡¯s eyes left him and scanned his zombies with a clear displeasure.


    ¡°These guys are stinking up the place,¡± she said softly, her voice oozing disgust. Without warning a [Dimension Door] sprang up behind her, which she indicated to with her thumb. ¡°Go on, get out of here.¡±


    In the next moment, Vanus could only watch dazed as his zombies obeyed her orders. Previously the only spell that was cast had been [Dimension Door] and nothing else. Somehow, without spell craft, she had managed to get hold of his zombies; and just like before, without breaking his connection to them.


    An ability? he thought after coming out of his stupor. Ith she not human?


    Now that he took a closer look at her. There was something off about her, apart from her scars. It was her skin, her eyes; small details that would be missed by those who did not delve into the art of raising the dead. It was likely this Sage Maverick was an undead, a fact that gave rise to another terrifying thought. There might be a necromancer behind her, an even more formidable entity.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to trade,¡± he said, resigned to his fate. At this point there was nothing he could do but go through with the intruder¡¯s wishes.


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± she smiled, an act that did not do face any favours. She shifted the cat to her shoulder and bent over- all the while the familiar kept its eyes trained on him- and pulled several books from her shadow. After coming back up, she placed them on her lap and returned her dark gaze to him. ¡°I¡¯ve got notes on an undead transformation ritual. Seeing as you¡¯ve reached the end of the line with your aptitude and your life, turning you into an undead could rid you of it. If you¡¯re lucky, you could even improve your aptitude, allowing you to reach higher heights than before.¡±


    The Undead Conversion Ritual? Vanus thought. Of course, as a necromancer he was not unfamiliar with it. The knowhow of converting to undead was highly sought after by every necromancer, especially those near the end of their lives. Its value was higher than what the intruder wanted.


    The drawback though, was that one needed to cultivate an aura of death where the ritual would be carried out. The most important component to such a ritual was corpses, multiple human corpses no older than three days old; the fresher, the better. Meaning he would have to leave his abode to kidnap and slaughter an entire village, angering many do-gooders in the process.


    Vanus might be reaching the end of his lifespan, but he was still far from being that desperate.


    Sadly, he could not reject the notes. Doing so would likely anger the invader and then his life would be forfeit.


    ¡°That ith thufficient,¡± he said, leaving his seat and heading to shelves illuminated by green flame. He grabbed all the papers, loose and bound, and placed them on the table. ¡°All my rethearch ith here. You can have it all.¡±


    He did not mention copying them first like before. As the intruder revealed herself to be more dangerous than previously thought, the only thing he wanted at the moment was for her to take the notes and leave. The loss would be painful, but he would recuperate after a few years¡­ deep in the Frost Wilderness far from this place.


    Sage smirked as she got up from her seat and walked over to the table. Then, after placing her own notes down, she removed several books from the shadows and dropped them onto the table. One opened as it fell, baring its blank pages for all to see. The intruder then reached for the books and papers Vanus had placed on the table and cast a spell. Vanus did not recognise it, but felt it shared similarities with the 3<sup>rd</sup> Order spell [Note] which he had intended to use earlier in order to copy this research. The spell being used was of a higher level, so he could only assume it was the 5<sup>th</sup> Order version, [Transcribe]. He watched as his books and papers rose into the air and the pages flipped around before the same phenomenon happened with the empty books. A minute passed and the books closed and landed on the table. What would have taken Vanus the better part of an hour to complete was done in a fraction of the time.


    ¡°There,¡± Sage said, as she scooped up the books and shoved all but one in her shadow. That one she carried over to her seat and cracked it open as she settled back. ¡°The exchange is complete. Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll just sit here and sift through these notes.¡±


    She¡¯s not leaving? he thought as his eyes darted around the cave, trying to find something to distract himself with. His gaze stopped at the three nude and unconscious figures on the floor. ¡°What about them?¡± he pointed.


    To this, she snorted dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Use them to create new undead if you please; they have good physiques if nothing. You can even feed them and let them go if you want, though I would appreciate if you waited at least a few of days to do that if you opt for the latter.¡±


    ¡°I will be taking them then,¡± he replied. ¡°Thank you for the contribution.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure,¡± she answered, her eyes momentarily darting from the pages to the bodies. ¡°If they wake up, you will be no match for them. Let¡¯s remedy that.¡±  She raised a hand in their direction and let loose a spell, causing black chains to sprout from the ground and bind the unconscious bodies. ¡°There,¡± she breathed, her hand going to stroke the cat perched on her shoulder.


    Vanus picked up the trespasser¡¯s notes and went back to his seat. However, instead of going through them, he kept his gaze on Sage, watching as she flipped through the pages with an ever-deepening frown.


    ¡°Ith there problem?¡± he asked, struggling to keep the weariness out of his tone.


    His research had yet to be perfected. Perhaps the reason for her frown was that she had realised it. What if she decided to express her dissatisfaction in a tangible manner?


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem,¡± Sage responded, looking up. There was something in her gaze he could not place. ¡°It¡¯s just that this ritual of yours seems to share several similarities with a departed friend¡¯s. Does the name Bori Samedi mean anything to you?¡±


    An image of a bald man even older than him flashed through his mind and he could not help his jaw slacking.


    ¡°You know Bori?¡±

 CHAPTER 117: FLAW FIX

    ¡°So you do know him?¡± Sage said.


    Vanus¡¯ reaction to Bori¡¯s name was less subdued than his previous interactions with her. He practically leapt out of his seat when she mentioned the geezer¡¯s name, his open maw emphasising the gap where his front teeth would have been. Such was the contrast between his current and earlier behaviour that- for a moment- she almost thought the rapid shift would cause his old heart to give out; or maybe the last locks of hair on his head to fall off. The man had practically jumped out of his seat.


    ¡°Bori ith an old friend,¡± he replied animatedly. ¡°We go way back; even had the thame teacher. It¡¯th been yearth thinth I¡¯ve theen him. How ith he theeth dayth?¡±


    So that it? Sage only deigned to hear the first part of his answer, filtering out the rest.


    While skimming through the recently acquired research, she had been unable to help picking out the similarities between Vanus strengthening ritual and Bori¡¯s summoning ritual. It mostly lay in the type of runic symbols involved to certain materials such as Aether Grass and Dark Orbs. The two ingredients, which were core materials in the Netherkin Summoning Ritual, also played a pivotal role in the strengthening ritual created by this old man. The fact that the two of the had the same teacher made sense why their rituals shared similarities.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Vanus¡¯ smile took an upside-down trend. ¡°You thaid departed. He¡¯th dead? When?¡±


    ¡°Two months ago,¡± she replied. There was no need to withhold information in this situation. ¡°Sheans did him in. Tracked him down to his tower. I barely escaped with my skin.¡±


    ¡°Tho that¡¯th what happened,¡± he seemed to contemplate for a moment. Then his suddenly perked up and looked at her, fixing her a stare very different from the ones before; one rife with fascination. ¡°If you know Bori then you mutht be¡­ did hith ritual actually thuctheed? Are you-¡± The last part went unfinished.


    ¡°Yes, his ritual worked,¡± she confirmed regardless. ¡°Very well in fact.¡± A little too well¡­ or maybe it was the Netherkin wraith chasing me. ¡°I am Netherkin.¡±


    Never Darkborne. That title was the harbinger of disaster. The last thing she needed was the entirety of Aran on her heels for nonsensical crimes like being a potential risk. No one ever need know what she was, no matter how well meaning or friendly they were. In her opinion, the old adage held true: If more than one knew, everyone knew.


    ¡°Bastard be damned,¡± the balding man muttered. ¡°He actually did it. At leatht he died accomplishing hith life¡¯th work. I on the other hand¡­¡± the frown returned to his face.


    Yeah, she agreed nonverbally. Even if she had just been skimming through his notes, the issues with his ritual were clear to her. Every attempt on strengthening the undead was successful, but the effect only lasted a couple of hours before the zombies¡¯ gradual degradation over the next couple of months. No wonder his zombies appeared to be wilting even more than regular zombies. The thought of those repulsive creatures caused an involuntary sneer; they really disgusted her.


    She returned to the notes, this time intending to read them more thoroughly. When she had left the bastard with the child, she had stated that she would be gone for a day at most, so there was still time left before she goes to meet up with them. Hopefully, Isaac took her words into consideration and did his utmost to stay out of trouble. Io was not the type of city they could start trouble in.


    Vanus, it seemed, was not done with his enquiries.


    ¡°What happened to the Sheans who attacked you. How are you thtill in the Main Plane?¡±


    ¡°The Sheans are dead and I found a new anchor,¡± she answered simply before returning to the notes.


    That seemed to set the message and he left her to go through his notes while he sat back in his chair.


    Time flew by in which Sage managed to comb through the entirety of the notes. In that time, the problems became obvious to her. There were certain symbols in the magic circle that did not go well together and the placement of ingredients likely affected the ritual as well. She cast a glance on the owner of the abode before returning her eyes to the papers and pages.


    If she wanted to, she could probably solve the flaw in his ritual, and she would; just not now. Not here. There was nothing to gain from doing it here. She already had the what she came for, there was no benefit in helping old fart Vanus iron out his ritual¡­


    ¡­ or at least that was what she had initially thought before contemplating a little more.


    She might be a more accomplished magician than he was, but she was still a newcomer to these lands. Magic was something she had picked up a couple of months prior, a time range that was but a fraction compared to how long the old necromancer had spent on his spellcraft. Considering the decades, or centuries, he had spent on sorcery, he must have acquired quite a bit of knowledge; knowledge that might not be useful to him but could mean the world to her. Besides-


    ¡°The ritual uses a Dark Orb and Aether Grass,¡± she slipped the notes in her shadow and asked. ¡°How much do you have here?¡±


    The question seemed to catch him off guard, causing him to take a while before answering. ¡°Er¡­¡± That was all he said.


    Of course he was hesitant considering how rare the materials were. One was from the realm of a God while the other was a crystalised piece of the Primordial Plane; not really items that could be replenished on a whim.


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    ¡°How about I help you fix the ritual if you share some of it with me?¡± she asked. ¡°There is also something I want to inquire about.


    That got him thinking.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± he still sounded hesitant, but then his eyes suddenly fell on her, serious. ¡°Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied, getting up and removing Nyx from her shoulder; the fact that he had remained there all this time, silent and unmoving, was impressive. She put him on the ground and approached the stone table. Vanus¡¯ original notes and those placed down by her for the bargain where shifted to the shelves using [Telekinesis]. With them gone, the view of the magic circle on the table was unobscured.


    ¡°The biggest problem with this circle is the imbalance between the Darkness and Earth,¡± she began, pointing at the symbols depicting the two elements. ¡°Sure, undead have a lot to do with the Dark Element, but strengthening is an Earth attribute. First off, we need to find a good equilibrium between the two, and then find a way to incorporate the materials to optimise the ritual.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Vanus came on board, also coming to stand on the edge of the table. ¡°Where do we thtart?¡±


    ¡°First off, we need to draw a better circle,¡± she stated while wiping the stone table and frowning. ¡°And with something other than chalk. There are much better magical conductors out there. Seriously, don¡¯t you have ink in you possession?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he replied, a little self-conscious. ¡°But it¡¯th troublethome to cleanup afterwardth.¡±


    That¡¯s why you half-arsed it? This part she did not say out loud, though she still wondered why he had not gone with the better options. After all, between cleaning up ink stains and using more mana than necessary, which was the bigger pain?


    ¡°Fuck it,¡± she muttered, shifting her gaze towards her comatose former companions. ¡°Let¡¯s use blood. There¡¯s no better conduit.¡±


    Having caught onto her intentions, he gave the unconscious trio a once over before his gaze returned to her. ¡°You want to use them?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± she responded. ¡°Unless you were actually considering letting them go.¡±


    He was a necromancer who had lived a long time, so he would not have considered something as careless as letting witnesses go, would he? She shook her head at the very thought. They were less than five kilometres from the Lethian capital, a city in which dwelled combatants with Grade 1 physiques, likely fire-chucking Vestravans and worst of all, a Transcendant ruler. No amount of loose screws would make a necromancer commit such an act of idiocy.


    ¡°Of courth not,¡± the old man¡¯s vehement denial proved as much.


    ¡°Great.¡± She removed the [Nether Chains] from Jarris and brought him to her, producing a dagger from her shadow. Despite the fact that he had never learned magic, he had an aptitude for it. Meaning his blood was the best conduit out of the three.


    She drew a cut along his left wrist, allowing the blood to spill out and quickly catching it with [Telekinesis]. When she felt she had gathered enough, she looked down at the paling mercenary before gazing at the silent Vanus.


    ¡°You know healing magic, right?¡± she asked. ¡°Unless you¡¯re fine with him bleeding all over your floor.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. Few outthide the Sheanth are capable of it,¡± he replied as he moved over to the shelves, searching. ¡°But I have a few Vigour Potions here. Catch.¡±


    Sage caught the thrown potion and applied it to the open wound. When the wound had closed, she dropped the drained form onto the floor before moving on to recreating the magic circle with a few alterations and additions.


    ¡°Done,¡± she heaved after a dozen minutes. Turning to him, said. ¡°Now to see how well it works. You still have a zombie that has yet to undergo the ritual, right?¡±


    That was another downside. The ritual would not work a second time on the same undead. There was nothing she could do to change that part.


    After the necromancer¡¯s confirming nod, she groaned as she prepared for what would come.


    The next part she was not looking forward to. As an undead she could stop breathing whenever she wanted, which was exactly what she did as she raised her hand to open a Door connected to the grotto¡¯s exit. Then. shifting her gaze back to the old man, she began to use her hands to indicate her intentions. No way in hell was she going to talk and whiff those vile creature¡¯s odours again.


    Vanus seemed to get her message as the next moment an undead stepped through the portal. It was the one that had been laying on the table when she entered. The necromancer directed the ghoul to lie on the table while she closed the Door to make sure the others did not come through. Then she moved from the table and cast [Mystic Eyes], indicating for him to do his thing. This was his ritual after all.


    Vanus nodded and scrambled once more for the shelves, coming off with a small black shard and a patch of dried grass. The ingredients were not in the best condition it seemed. But I guess all that matters is that they work.


    Before he could place the materials, she quickly intervened; holding up her hands in an asking manner and causing the wrinkling man to frown. He relented though and gave the ingredients to her. Enclosing the materials in her hands, she began to exert pressure on them, using as much strength as she could muster to crush them. When she was satisfied with the result, she scattered the powdered ingredients around the circle while making sure they fell in the blood. After that she once again moved back and used her hands to indicate the old fart continue.


    Vanus raised his hands and powered his mana into the circle, causing it to flare up. Sage attentively watched as the blood moved towards the corpse, into its gashes. This scene elicited a gasp from the withering necromancer, which she deigned to ignore. Her focus remained on the body; watched its veins become more pronounced and darken; saw the energy of the Orb shard along with the fading energy of the grass merge into the undead. The process took the better part of a minute, but eventually it was done. The zombie that had originally spotted a Grade 4 physique now boasted a Grade 3 one.


    The transfixed Vanus finally regained his voice. ¡°Amathing. Thith is different from all the other timeth before.¡± Entranced eyes fell on her. ¡°Did it work?¡±


    Sage shrugged. ¡°I- fuck!¡±


    The moment she opened her mouth, a nauseating stench flooded it, causing her eyes to sting. With a glare towards the offending individual, she opened another [Dimension Door] and telekinetically tossed it into the portal before turning back to a perplexed Vanus.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± she disregarded his expression. ¡°I think it did, but to be sure we will have to wait a few hours and see how it holds up. If the degradation doesn¡¯t occur, then it¡¯s a success¡­ probably.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He was practically leaping at the prospect, clearly unable to wait for the time to pass and see the results of the modified ritual. He flashed her a gaping smile that was ruined by his wrinkles. ¡°Even if it doethn¡¯t thucceed, the ritual ith clearly better than the one I had previouthly devithed. Meaning, it might take longer for the degradation to show. Either way, you¡¯re welcome to the materialth.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she responded with a nod. ¡°Now, about the other thing...¡±


    Her shadow widened and elongated, allowing her to pull the item she wanted to inquire about and dump it on top of the dried circle. With the appearance of the object, the temperature suddenly plummeted. She did not find it a bother though, as she returned her attention to Vanus, who gapingly stared at it; a block of ice encasing a body.¡±


    ¡°Have you perhaps heard of a method that could bring him back?¡± she asked.

 CHAPTER 118: THE UMBRAL BANQUET

    ¡°This-¡±


    There was more the withering necromancer wanted to say, but could not seem to find the appropriate words. His large eyes occasionally darted between Sage and the encased body, his mind likely trying to comprehend to scene he had been presented with.


    ¡°He¡¯s been in there since that day,¡± she explained. ¡°Back then I lacked the capability to bring him back.¡±


    Her words snapped the old man out of his stupor and he gaze came to rest solely on her. ¡°You are theeking to bring him back, as in [Rethurrection]?¡±


    ¡°If possible, yes,¡± she admitted. ¡°But we both know that is not a viable option. The Sheans guard the spell model for [Resurrection] even more fiercely than they do their healing spells. He was on his last legs anyway, so bringing him back as he was might not be optimal. The best way would be if I could bring him back as an intelligent undead with his memories intact. However-¡±


    She paused here, allowing the unsaid words to ring between them.


    Vanus scratched his hairless chin for several seconds in contemplation before delivering his reply; compounded with a shake of the head. ¡°It¡¯th impothible. He hath been dead for too long.¡±


    Creating and intelligent undead and bringing someone back from the dead; in both cases these phenomena became impossible after three days. According to the Cryptmaker, after that much time passes, the soul leaves the body, completely cutting off their connection. If one attempted to resurrect a corpse after more than three days, nothing would happen. If they tried to make an undead of said corpse, it would be mindless.


    Sage obviously knew this and had gotten the response she expected. Even so, she had grasped at the tiny probability of a different response and tried her luck.


    Yes, Vanus thought it impossible to bring back an individual after three days. It was most certainly the general concession regarding the matter in Rekke.


    But she was not convinced.


    There were things that were impossible for certain people, that she believed. However, impossibility in general? That was something she had shaken off a while back when she met that arsehole in the Abyss. Since then, she had experienced a new world and met creatures considered myth in her old one; all the while learning to wield of force the old her would never have believed actually existed. Yes, in this world magic existed. In Sage¡¯s opinion if that was real, then anything was possible!


    Unfortunately, this turned out to be a dead end. She could not help the sigh of disappointment that escaped her. It would probably be a while before she came upon useful information.


    Suddenly, the old fart perked up. He opened his mouth, paused, shut it, opened it again and repeated the process. Then he held up his hand before he rushed back to the shelves and frantically rummaged through items placed there. Sage watched him for several minutes before he found what he was look for, releasing a triumphant squeak as he came away with a sheet of paper that had swum in too many liquids. Vanus marched back and slapped it on the table, exposing a what appeared to be a pirate symbol; except instead of bones crossing underneath the skull, it was knives.


    ¡°What is this?¡±  she could not help asking. Who made this tasteless design?


    ¡°An invitation,¡± the necromancer answered. ¡°I retheived it a while back, but I don¡¯t plan on going. Even forgot about it.¡±


    Sage looked at the paper, noting the words scribbled beneath the faux pirate sign. A date and place; a little over a month from now in a city named Burth, which she had never heard of.


    ¡°An invitation to what exactly?¡± she asked, returning her gaze to the old man.


    ¡°The Umbral Banquet, the first in over three centuries.¡±


    The Umbral Banquet, she repeated internally, thoughtfully.


    Apparently, its origins dated back to the Gloom, where Harvesters- priests of the fallen Vatran- gathered to discuss what would happen next. The gathering had concluded with the Dark Lord showing up and declaring his intention, setting off the darkest period of the age.


    The Banquets that had followed though, had been necromancers sharing knowledge and discussing alliances or some grand endeavour that had often resulted in one or more kingdoms falling.


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    ¡°What could I hope to gain at such a useless event?¡± she frowned.


    There was a reason why the event had not been called in so long. The Banquet, which had originally featured the Dark Lord announcing his intention to succeed his father, had gradually become a farce where everyone tried to upstage each other. The most prevalent occurrences at those events were arguments that often ended with the death of one party, on the positive side; or descended in an all-out brawl between all parties. Over time, more accomplished necromancers stopped showing up because they considered the whole thing a mockery. Worst of all, the reason no Banquet had been called in so long was because the last one ended in a Shean raid that killed nearly everyone.


    Why would she want to go to such an event?


    Even if I did go, I¡¯ll likely be the highest ranked necromancer, she thought indignantly. The odds of learning anything from the other goers is negligible. Not enough to risk my life for!


    ¡°Thith one will be different,¡± Vanus answered. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, thith Banquet wath called by Mau Ngava.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she could not help the surprise slipping into her voice, sprinkled with doubt.


    Mau Ngava, the Cryptmaker¡¯s idol, the Deathless King himself. He was the most notorious lich known, destroyed over a dozen kingdom and escaped the Sheans just as often. Rumour had it that his undead army numbered in the hundreds of thousands, capable of overwhelming all but the strongest nations.


    What reason would someone like that have to call a meeting now associated with second-rate sorcerers?


    ¡°Is this information credible? Where did you hear it from?¡±


    ¡°A death lord.¡±  The balding necromancers shivered. ¡°One of the Deathleth King¡¯th minionth he claimed to be. He wath the one who delivered the invitation.¡±


    That certainly gives the claims more credence, Sage thought in contemplation while chewing her bottom lip. The death lord was a Transcended version of death knight. There were not many who could command such a power, much less use it as a messenger.


    ¡°This is actually happening?¡± she sought confirmation. ¡°The Deathless King is coming out of his hiding-hole to host the Umbral Banquet?¡±


    Vanus nodded his old head. ¡°The death lord confirmed the attendanth of the Blight Monarch and Blood Thorcereth.¡±


    ¡°The Blight Monarch? I¡¯ve heard that name somewhere,¡± she muttered to herself.


    If she remembered correctly, he used to be the king of a desert kingdom named Semet, once located in the far south of Rekke. It was said that he was so potent with curses that the day he died, those who wrapped his corpse were struck with dozens of curses that quickly spread to the populace. By the end of the first day, the city was dead. After the second day, the entire country was in ruins. The fall of Semet was the catalyst to his dark resurrection. Apparently, he still lingered in the ruins, attended by ghoulish servants that once served him in life. And the brave fools who wander into his territory, they are never heard from again.


    Blight Monarch; and the Blood Sorceress¡­ the progenitor of vampires, someone who most definitely knew how to create them. Now that Sage knew who would be attending, she could not refrain from going. An event with at least three Transcendents in attendance, what kind of event will that be?


    ¡°And you¡¯re abstaining because¡­?¡± she could not help asking.


    Vanus responded with a snort. ¡°Blight Monarch, Blood Thorcereth, Deathleth King; theeth are big nameth known not only in the necromanther and undead thircleth. For more than a millennium their nameth have been yoothed to frighten children into behaving.


    ¡°When thuch big fellath gather, it¡¯th thomething big; tomething that can affect the whole continent.¡± He shook his head in disproval before continuing. ¡°That¡¯th too dangerouth for me.¡±


    ¡°O-kay,¡± she responded, holding up the sheet. ¡°Can I have this?¡±


    ¡°Help yourthelf.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, slipping the paper into her shadow. A thought suddenly struck her, that had her turning back to the necromancer. ¡°How did they even find you? You haven¡¯t been here for aeons, have you? Or do give your whereabouts to every other necromancer you meet?¡±


    These questions sent him into a gaping fit of laughter. ¡°Nothing of the thort,¡± he assured. Then, when the cackle was done he continued in a more serious tone, ¡°If I had to gueth, they have a way to locate every necromanther. Conthidering who the Deathleth King ith, that method can pothibly bypath anti-divination thpellth yoothed by necromantherth.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a comforting thought,¡± Sage frowned. Thank goodness I¡¯m a phantom. That must be the reason why she had not received an invitation. She certainly would not appreciate a visit from a Transcendent.


    Still, she was grateful to learn of the event. An event with Ultra Order sorcerers in attendance; where she would have the opportunity to query the most accomplished necromancer on the feasibility of bringing back individuals after much time had passed; where she could discuss vampirism with the Blood Sorceress herself. Hell, she might even get a chance to glimpse a model of the vaunted Ultra order spells.


    ¡°I take it you¡¯re going?¡± Vanus asked.


    ¡°Definitely.¡± She replied, a little more excited than she would have preferred. There was no way she was not going!


    It was still a month away though, so there was no need to fixate on it. For now, it would be more productive if she tried to acquire more 9<sup>th</sup> Order spells. As strong as she currently was, she was under no illusions that her strength would stand out in a feeding pit that hosted Transcendents. Although she had little hope of reaching their level come Banquet, there were still ways to minimise that gap; even if only slightly.


    Which was why she had to perfect the Undead Strengthening Ritual. After all, her intention for wanting to learn it was not so she could use it on throwaway minions like Vanus was doing. She had every intention of using it on her own undead and herself as well!

 CHAPTER 119: FAREWELL & RETURN

    ¡°There,¡± Sage said with a heavy sigh. ¡°Done.¡±


    In the past several hours she had returned to flipping through notes. This time it had not only been Vanus¡¯ research, but Bori¡¯s as well. She had also delved a few times into the Cryptmaker¡¯s materials; all to make sure there were no defects with the modified ritual circle. After all the time she had spent making adjustments to the ritual, taking cues from the spells used to temporarily strengthen undead, she was mostly sure she had eliminated the negative effects of the ritual. Undead this ritual was used on would no longer break down.


    That said¡­ she raised the sheet with a perfected circle to eye-level and frowned. It¡¯s rank is too low.


    It was to be expected. The ritual was created by a 5<sup>th</sup> Order necromancer, meaning it could only effect undead up to a certain standard. For those with Grade 5 and 4 bodies, they could successfully be upgraded. For Grade 3s however, she had her doubts. A ritual equivalent to a 5<sup>th</sup> Order spell was unlikely to elevate the undead physique to a level equivalent to the 7<sup>th</sup> Order, the senior tiers.


    Casting a side glance on the cave floor, she released a snort before putting the paper away.


    With Jarris and Anith¡¯s comatose forms on the floor, testing whether they could make a Grade 2 undead with the ritual was within reach. Sage had not bothered with suggesting they try though. She honestly did not care whether it would work or not. Her aim had been ironing out the previous flaws of the ritual; whether or not it worked beyond what it was supposed to, was none of her business. Though, if the old fart was smart, he would not try. In the realm of Summoning and Contracting, it was common consensus that bonding with a creature beyond oneself was a recipe for disaster. Only the truly desperate or insane made the attempt; like Bori with his ritual.


    No matter the precautions the geezer had placed upon the ritual, if it had worked the way it was supposed to and he had summoned a Netherkin- for example, the wraith- unless the creature bore him no ill will, it would have still ended badly. Sure, the wraith had only been in the 5<sup>th</sup> Order while Bori had been a rank higher. It was a Netherkin though; its grade was bound to improve at some point. According to the notes of the geezer himself, Netherkin would reach at least the 9<sup>th</sup> Order or Grade 1, way beyond what he would have been able to handle.


    At least the ritual worked on Rick, she thought; her eyes darting to the new pale and compliant minion who was back in his gear; Sage had no use for the trio¡¯s items, so she had gifted them to the necromancer. But that was because he was a Grade 4. As for Anith and Jarris, since they already possessed Grade 3 physiques, the old fart should be satisfied with simply adding them to his undead retinue. After all, the more accomplished Bori only had two minions with physiques above Grade 5 and none at Grade 3.


    Turning her eyes back to the unconscious duo, she sighed once more. This was to be their fate. Truthfully, she held nothing against them- well, Rick and Jarris at least- but this was better than having them running back to Io and returning with more mercenaries, or worse. She was not up for fighting pyromantic Vestravan priests or a Transcendent.


    ¡°You should leave this place,¡± she turned to the old fart. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s sniffed it out yet, but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡±


    Why had he even set up a place so close to the capital? Although Sage was curious, it was not enough to ask. Matters that did not concern her did not garner enough interest to delve into. Besides, everyone had their own reasons; seclusionist individuals such as necromancers were likely not fond of those who pried into their affairs.


    ¡°Hm,¡± the old fart scratched his chin in contemplation. ¡°I wath actually thinking the thame thing. Now that the ritual hath been perfected, there ith no more reathon to stay here.¡±


    With that, he began clearing out the shelves, placing the materials on the table. In that moment he must have forgotten the fact that she was averse to the scent of his zombies because he called them back inside via [Dimension Door]; fortunately, she was quick to realise his intention and opted once more to stop breathing. The zombies then began assisting Vanus in gathering his stuff, some of which were located in another cavern linked to the one they currently resided in by a crack too small for anything bigger than a rat to squeeze through; but, with a second [Dimension Door], they were able to enter and gather everything. It seemed the sealed off room was where the old fart rested.


    Minutes passed in which she observed silently before the necromancer and his helpers had gathered everything.


    ¡°Everything¡¯th in order,¡± Vanus proclaimed. Then, turning to her, he asked. ¡°What about you?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ll return to Io,¡± she replied, this time grappling to keep her features straight while the ghoulish rotting stench violated her oral and nasal cavities. ¡°But I will send you off first. There are just so many people your band of zombies can avoid before you are spotted. Better if I take you to the wherever your [Teleport]ation circle leads to. But before I do that I need to know where it leads to.¡±


    ¡°A cavern in the Frost Wilderness,¡± the old fart revealed without qualms.


    ¡°In the north?¡± Although the question was rhetorical, the necromancer nodded all the same.


    The Frost Wilderness was exactly as it sounded, a frozen hellscape teeming with Ice-attribute Arcane Beasts. Rumoured to be grounds of the tigers, Atasha¡¯s brood. It was not exactly the forbidden den that the Overgrowth was, but its landscape and reputation were frightening enough that humans had opted not to settle there. I guess that¡¯s the reason why he has a hideout there. No one would catch the old fart there.


    When she got onto the circle, she did not hesitate to activate it. Unlike with Vanus, she met the qualification to use the circle properly, therefore only a portion of her mana was taken and not whatever else the old fart would have had to sacrifice to make the [Teleport]ation work. Probably his vitality, if she had to guess. The old man must have a Blood Magic spell in his arsenal.


    Less than an instant after the circle activated, the scene around her changed. The place she [Teleport]ed to was unlit, but her eyes adjusted quickly. The small cavern was gone, replaced by a large one spotting a ceiling three metres above her, with frozen stalactites hanging from it. Like Vanus¡¯ other hideout, this one too had shelves, seats, a table and what looked like a bed; all made of stone. There was a pond located in the middle of the place, though- like everything in sight- it was frozen. Lastly, she noted a boulder resting up a slope, most likely blocking the entrance to the cave.


    Seeing that there was no immediate threat in the vicinity, Sage opened a [Gate] leading to the grotto. She only needed to wait for a couple of seconds before the necromancer and his zombies shuffled through with his belongings and the comatose duo. The first thing Vanus did upon crossing over was look around before releasing a sigh of relief, which then morphed to a grateful look when he gazed at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± she responded. ¡°I assume you¡¯ll be staying here for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yeth,¡± the old necromancer replied heartily. ¡°Thinth there¡¯th no more reathon to work on the ritual, I will find thomething elth to do. Perhapth I¡¯ll take a look at the Conversion Ritual. Like you thaid, if I¡¯m lucky it could be the path to the higher Orderth.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, waving her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be off now.¡±


    With that she stepped into the [Gate] and closed it.


    As soon as the [Gate] disappeared the cat popped out of the shadows, stretched, yowled, and stared at her with its near-luminous emerald orbs. ¡°You were awfully nice to him.¡±


    She shrugged in response. ¡°It¡¯s no skin off my back.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Nyx was unconvinced by her answer.


    ¡°And¡­¡± she bent down to scooped him into her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll need him later. After all, how else are we get to the Banquet?¡±


    The Umbral Banquet would be held in some place called Burth, a location she had never heard of. It was probably not in the north-western region either. It could be on the other side of the continent for all she knew, and that was a distance she would not be able to cover in a month. The only viable way to reach the place was by going with Vanus¡­ and go he would.


    Now that the old fart was no longer occupied with his ritual, it would not take long for him to realise that opting out of the event was not something he could do; not when the host could infer his exact location. Since a Transcendent had appeared before him to deliver the invitation, refusing to go was nothing less than spitting in the Deathless King¡¯s face. The old fart would probably not even be able to make his refusal known. Sage was certain that when the day came, another of the lich¡¯s minions would head out once more to pick up everyone. When that happened, only other Ultra Order necromancers would be able to refuse.


    Deathless King must have a lot of mana to do so many pick-ups, she could not help think. There were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of necromancers in existence. Unless he had 9<sup>th</sup> Order sorcerer minions, there was no way he would be able to accomplish it even if he was a Transcendent magician. Since he is who he is, he probably does.


    Holding Nyx in her arms, she traversed the shadows and appeared outside the grotto, where the heat of the autumn sun fell upon them. The flaming sphere was almost at its peak, signifying that she had spent more time in the cave than she realised. Taking a whiff of the fresh air she had been starved of the last couple of hours, she savoured it for a moment before taking a quick look back and casting [Quake]. The localised tremors destroyed the entrance and most likely the inside, burying all evidence of Vanus¡¯ dwelling; it would be a problem for her if they could use the place to trace him.


    With that done she changed into long black pants with matching boots and a t-shirt. These she covered up with a white fur coat and matching hat. After using a red scarf to cover everything from nose to neck, she was ready to return to Io.


    ¡°Already?¡± the cat whined. ¡°Can¡¯t we stay longer. I don¡¯t want to see bastard Isaac so soon.¡±


    ¡°If his presence nauseates you, then stay in the shadows,¡± she scolded him. ¡°Or go to the brat. The two of you seem to be getting along lately.¡±


    ¡°Jealous Master?¡± the cat turned to face her and his expression was almost a leer.


    She scoffed in response.


    ¡°No need to worry Master,¡± he spoke in a false consoling voice. ¡°Despite how hideous you are, you will always be my favourite.¡±


    ¡°You will never be my favourite,¡± she retorted. ¡°The bastard¡¯s more bearable than you.¡±


    Hearing this cat¡¯s eyes began to glisten. ¡°Master-¡±


    But she was not having it. Ignoring his pleading eyes, she quickly said. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    And with that she [Teleport]ed.

 CHAPTER 120: GLIMPSE

    What the hell! was Sage¡¯s first thought when she appeared in the not-rundown district she and the others had initially entered Io through. There was no one in the alley she had [Teleport]ed to. Even if there was, she would have simply knocked out the other party before leaving the place; making them believe her appearance had been a dream or imaginary figment when they regained consciousness. Her reaction was obviously not because the place was empty. Rather, it was the cacophony of noises that assaulted her the moment she appeared.


    Cheers, drums, trumpets; she heard all manner of noise-polluters from several blocks away, loud enough to leave her ears throbbing. She pursed her lips and winced, turning to the direction of the source.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on here?¡± she spouted verbally. Could she have missed something?


    ¡°It¡¯s the parade Master,¡± the cat responded, his eyes as mirthful as his voice was sardonic. ¡°The one with the king and high priestess... don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± she whispered, ignoring his tone.


    The previous day at the Guild Hall she had heard something of the sort. Today was to be a parade commemorating the forty-seventh anniversary of the union of the Lethian king and Vestravan bishop; or something like that. Much time had happened since then, which was why the event had slipped from her mind.


    The Lethian King. One of only two Transcendents in the entire north western region. As these thoughts flowed into her mind, the flame of curiosity rose in her abdomen. She had yet to meet such a being? How would he be reflected through her {Index}?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see,¡± she said as she set foot out of the alley into the deserted streets. Midway through taking another step, she stopped and looked at the cat in her arms for a moment before throwing him out. Caught off guard but the act, the familiar let out a surprised to squeal as his paws hit the ground; after which, he shot her a bereaved look. ¡°Change your form,¡± she simply ordered as she turned away.


    Honestly, she had intended to have Nyx assume another form for a while now. But because he mostly stayed in the shadows, she never got around to actually doing it. This time she was not taking chances though. Although she was eager to see the Transcendent, she was not as eager to have him see her. The average Lethian would likely not be able to tell her cat was actually a familiar, but there were those who would be able to; some who might have read about who always covered her face while accompanied by a black cat.


    Said cat let out a soft groan before shifting to a crow, immediately flapped its wings and perched onto Sage¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel good,¡± Nyx whined.


    ¡°At some point we¡¯ve all got to do things we¡¯re uncomfortable with,¡± she stated, looking down.


    Even from the sight of her shadow, she knew that she stood out. People would still see her as a witch, which- unless they planned on attacking her for the sin of having an aptitude for magic- meant they would keep their distance. Most likely they might perceive her just as another alchemist; the only respectable job a Lethian sorcerer could pursue.


    It doesn¡¯t matter what they think I am anyway.


    If not for the parade she had forgotten about, the first thing she would have done after getting back to the city would have been to find the bastard and the brat so she could leave. Now, she simply pushed the schedule back a dozen minutes¡­ maybe an hour.


    The presences she met on the way to the street that was the source of the noise, the one main street that wrapped around Io like a coiled serpent, were few and far between. Yet, each of them gave her scrutinising looks; probably due to how her clothing differed from that of those who would normally be seen around these parts. Or maybe it was not the clothes themselves, but the fact that she had piled up as much as she had close to noon; the recent passing of the Equinox had not flung them straight into winter! Or maybe it was not her choice of apparel, but the bird often thought a harbinger of death comfortably perched on her shoulder. Whatever the truth was, she did not care to find out.


    It took less than ten minutes to make it to the street. The sides were a jampacked mass resembling what would happen if several livestock were stuffed onto a square metre of grazing land. There was practically no room to manoeuvre, and half the noise made by the crowd seemed not be the cheering, but the complaints of lack of space.


    Sage took one look at the situation and shook her head. She was not going into the crowd to possibly be tugged on and be assaulted by unwashed auras. Also, as she was wearing a white coat, the last thing she wanted was to get it dirty in a struggle for breathing room. Instead, she began to look for alternatives, places where she could settle that would still afford her a glimpse of the main street. The most obvious solution was to get to higher ground, but even the roofs were occupied. It seemed everyone was pretty eager to see the king, she judged from the excited chatter that mingled with the cheers and complaints.


    The section of the main road Sage chose to come to was one where the drums seemed to be moving towards. With every passing second, they got louder, closer; and Sage still did not have a clear view of the road. Quickly, she looked left and right, checking to see if there was anyone watching, before retreating from the street. When she was certain there were no witnesses, she urged Nyx to take flight. Afterwards, she activated {Invisibility} and {Blink}ed above the main street where she hovered with the help of [Flight]. With the now-crow familiar circling above her, she looked down at the street.


    Her view was certainly clearer from this angle. At her current altitude she had little trouble making out the outline of the street, the jampacked crowds on the side- some of whom had little brats riding their shoulders- and a marching band of tens of dozens that roamed the street alone. The latter group pounded and fiddled their instruments with a ferocity that left her ears ringing at every instant; the rising cheers from below did not alleviate the strain on them.


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    The approaching marching band wore uniforms of red, gold and black. The first thirty or so vigorously beat their drums in merriment, while the following three dozen fervently pumped their trumpets. The group behind these two was one comprised of red robed sorcerers, likely Vestravan pyromancers. At first glance there appeared to be more than fifty of these clerics, who dazzled the crowd with pyrotechnics; some of which involved conjuring flame dragons that sent the crowds into a cheering frenzy.


    Following these three groups were a hundred mounted knights in golden armour and crimson capes, each with the crest of a golden crown smothered by a black dragon. This group in extravagant armour was most likely the king¡¯s personal guard as they hauled a banner with the crest on their cloaks and another; one of a black dragon spouting golden flames on a crimson field.


    These Lethians certainly do not skimp on festivities, Sage thought as her eyes fell upon the guard in front. He was a bear of a man with brown hair tied in locks and a shaggy beard to match. His frame was much larger than his fellow knights and when he opened his mouth to speak, his voice boomed across the place as he uttered words that must have been repeated a dozen times prior.


    ¡°PEOPLE OF IO, CITIZEN¡¯S OF LETHIA! PRESENTING TRENSCH LETHWELL, THE GREAT TRANSCENDENT; AND THE LADY BISHOP HIRAGORA, THE FLAME¡¯S DESCENDENT! PRAISE BE THEIR UNION, FOR IT HAS KEPT THE BORDERS OF LETHIA FREE OF THE SCOURGE OF RAMPANT MAGIC AND FAE WORSHIPERS.


    ¡°ON THIS ANNIVERSARY OF THAT MOMENTOUS DAY, MEALS AND BEVERAGES ACROSS THE CITY WILL BE FREE. THEREFORE, EAT! EAT AT THE CROWN¡¯S EXPENSE AND REJOICE! CELEBRATE YOUR KING AND QUEEN!¡±


    At this moment, the crowd¡¯s already loud cheers elevated to an even higher level; obviously because of the announcement of free food and drinks. Sage scoffed at their enthusiasm as her gaze fell upon the parade stand on the tail of the caravan. More opulent than anything else, this massive structure- drawn by six horses- was lined with expensive looking tapestries. On it two massive chairs were propped as high as could be with five men and women surrounding them, making it appear as if they were propping the two seated folk up. These were clearly the king¡¯s descendants Sage guessed from their appearance; the king¡¯s descendants but not the queen¡¯s.


    Different from the other folk on the stand who possessed brown hair and pale skin, the queen¡¯s skin was dark and her hair pitch. Two golden orbs radiated with intensity as her stoic face inspected the crowd. Her crimson robes seemed to flare to life when she shot fire out her ornate staff, demonstrating a pyrotechnic level above that of the rank-and-file priests.


    In Sage¡¯s opinion, appearance was ofttimes not a good indicator of kinship. But looking at the woman, she was quite sure the king¡¯s offspring could not be hers. Like their sire, they were human while she¡­


    Race: Dragon


    Physique: Grade 1


    Mana: S (Green)


    Title(s): Firekin


    The Great Flame¡¯s offspring alright, Sage could not help thinking. The bastard scored a dragon as his queen.


    Too bad humans could not mate outside their races.


    Speaking of the king, Sage¡¯s eyes darted to the figure who sat on a slightly higher pedestal. He appeared to be on the cusp of middle age, a figure with short hair and a trimmed beard. He might not have been as big or as brutish-looking as his Grade 1 announcer, but his vibe was magnitudes more intense. Even though his clothes covered most of his body, she could almost sense his arms bulge out of his shirt; almost feel the power contained by his form. His presence bore upon her shoulders like the sky itself. This feeling and the sudden urge to flee though she had yet to be seen, these were enough to ensure her of this being¡¯s status. An apex existence, one who had transcended mortality.


    Despite that urge to flee, curiosity made her stay.


    How would this being be reflected through her {Index}? A question she repeated as she used the skill once more.


    Words flashed before her eyes, but only for an instant before her vision turned white and a sharp pain flashed across her mind. In response, she let out a little groan, masked by the cheering crowds as she stabilised herself to maintain her {Invisibility}. The last thing she needed was for the camouflage to be broken and have her floating exposed in the middle of the road. What would the Transcendent, his dragon queen and their scores of guards think if she appeared before them during their parade? She had no desire to find out.


    What the fuck was that? She questioned while massaging her temple. It was as if the {Index} had glitched out. That had never happened before! And those words, what-


    She stopped her train of thought as her eyes returned to the Lethian king. He was looking right at her.


    That¡¯s impossible! Her {Invisibility} ability was much better than spell. Even if he was a Transcendent, there was no way he should be able to detect her, at least not without Ultra Order magic which he clearly had no access to. And yet¡­ his glare, matched by a frown, left her under no illusions that he had picked up on her presence.


    Shit! Gotta run! she thought quickly, preparing to {Blink} away. She would move to Isaac and Mylah, whom their bonds told her were further up the road. Then she would grab them and [Teleport] away from Lethia and never return!


    Or at least that was what she would do if he sprang into action.


    Contrary to her expectation, the king simply watched her for a few seconds; or the spot she was in. His sight was not lined with her face, which lent credence to the fact that he could only feel her presence and not actually see through her ability.


    Afterwards he leaned down and whispered something in one of his descendants ears. The order appeared to confuse the fellow, but only for an instant before he produced a quill and a paper. At this point even the queen had noticed something was off as she tersely watched her husband scribble on the paper before folding it into a plane and flinging it¡­ right at Sage. The damn thing was so fast she did not get a chance to react. It¡¯s sharp point impacted her side in a manner that felt akin to a needle stab. She winced but managed to grab the plane before it plummeted to the ground.


    This action of course did not go unnoticed. The dozens of mounted guards, the weakest of whom had Grade 3 physiques, narrowed on her spot. Some of them raised and drew their long bows and they would have released if not for a curt command from the king; even the crowd seemed to hold its breath here. Only half of the order managed to reach her though as she {Blink}ed away, appearing back in the alley she was before.


    When she was certain no one was present, she undid {Invisibility}, unwrapped the plane and read the words clearly intended for her. Come to the palace; an invitation.


    Perhaps a few more hours in Lethia will do me good, she thought as she watched Nyx¡¯s swoop down to her.


    Although it had only been for a brief moment, the words reflected through {Index} were vivid in her mind. Brief, different from what she usually saw.


    Order: #86


    After gestating them, she recalled another set of words: Previously I have offered this choice to ninety-eight others. Words said so long ago on the onset of her journey. From the very beginning she had expected such a day would come; the day she met an outsider like herself.