ã€ŠTartarus Onlineã€‹


 Chapter 00 - Prologue

    The stage is set, and the cameras were already rolling. In fact the entirety of the show was being broadcasted live, from start to finish. That didn¡¯t seem to mean much to the well dressed, handsome middle-aged man who was shamelessly flirting with the lovely young journalist sitting across from him however.

    The flirting is actually quite amusing to the viewers in any case. Temika Astruff is a rather new journalist on the news scene, but even with only a year or so under her belt, she¡¯s already very popular. Her good looks are only part of the reason to boot.

    With deep ebony skin so flawless and smooth it almost looks oiled, her sharp features just match dreamily with those upturned green eyes and soft pink-painted lips, which seem just so slightly pouty even when she¡¯s smiling. Probably due to the fact that her lips are fuller than they had any honest right to be.

    To a far older audience, her appearance would just scream that she¡¯s of native African descent, being nearly absolutely perfect in both curves and stature. There is little doubt that she was ¡®gene-sculpted¡¯ as a fetus however, producing the pinnacle of what a human woman could be. Especially dressed in that professional woman¡¯s hot suit of a fabulous grey and beige coloring that just contrasts nicely with her skin. In truth, she far outlooks the man sitting across from her.

    And yet for all of Temika¡¯s charm and popularity, everyone¡¯s attention is most definitely on her guest. The reason for that is really two fold. The first is because of the man¡¯s identity, and the second is because of this news program itself.

    ¡°Mr. Johanne, do I need to remind you that we are streaming live right now?¡± Temika giggles, going so far as to flash a wink at the camera in good jest. Though no one can really tell if she¡¯s really into the flirting or not. Her professional image is just too perfect.

    ¡°Please, Temika, just call me Lucas. I work in the game industry, after all. No need to be all stiff and formal,¡± the man says, a slight grin gracing his features before he also turns to look at one of the nearby cameras, ¡°And if the public wants to watch, then why shouldn¡¯t I give them a show? It isn¡¯t any different from the paid programming found in the 700 channels of the Gal-Net.¡±

    That comment gets a laugh out of both the crowd and Temika herself, given that everyone understands the very thinly veiled reference to the ¡®Adult Entertainment¡¯ channels found on public broadcasts these days. Pay-per-View is definitely a thing of the past, although you do still have to pay for the privilege. And be of age.

    But that¡¯s just to show how much things have changed since humanity began its mass exodus from Earth several centuries ago. The rapid growth in population, advances in sciences and technology, and the nearly complete Irreligiousness that came as a response to harsh times founding colony worlds far from home all worked to change the way society and morals used to be. In fact, the only place where religion still has any sway is on Earth itself.

    ¡°Hehe. I had heard that you were quite the womanizer, Lucas, but I admit that I didn¡¯t expect you to be this wiley. Thankfully there is already plenty of debate on rather or not it is all a facade. Being one of the most wealthy and arguably powerful men on the corporate scene in all of the United Planets; you yet have no spouse. Neither registered in marriage, or as a mistress. Not even a lover has ever been hinted at.¡±

    Temika was smooth in bringing the subject back around, touching lightly upon probably the most engaging topic. Or at least the gossip of it. Lucas himself just smiles, though, not even bothering to respond to the questions hidden within.

    ¡°In any case, let¡¯s get down to brass tacks, as they used to say.¡± Lucas says then, straightening up in his seat and taking on a much more professional look. The change is quite jarring, and almost everyone watching unconsciously sits up straighter as well. It just goes to show how much ¡®presence¡¯ Lucas Johanne has.

    ¡°Of course, Lucas.¡± Temika also steps it up, smiling at the camera again. ¡°As you all know, I¡¯m sitting here with Lucas Johanne, CEO and Co-Founder of Astarte Entertainment, Inc. Astarte is the current forerunner of the commercial gaming industry, specializing in both equipment research and game development.¡±

    ¡°Starting with the hit classic game ¡®Voyager¡¯s Age¡¯ in the 2070¡¯s using the then-recently developed Virtual Immersion Helmet, Astarte Entertainment has pushed the boundaries of technical innovation, virtual reality and immersion technology, and game design. All while stepping clear of the complex political situation predating the Exodus in the early 2100¡¯s.

    ¡°And today Lucas Johanne is here to finally release the first details of their newest project. Obviously code-named ¡®Project Titan,¡¯ this is the first time Astarte has released any information for public consumption. Even more so than usual, there has been very little gossip or hearsay. You¡¯ve really kept the lid on tight with this one, Lucas.¡±

    Temika¡¯s introduction is very smooth yet rich with detail, all of which is spoken softly yet confidently by the popular journalist. Even Lucas himself nods slightly in appreciation to the woman¡¯s skill. And perhaps a bit of worry that she may actually take his flirting to heart.

    ¡°Thank you, Temika. Project Titan was started some seventeen years ago as a test bed for the latest Dive Pod and Virtual Integration technologies. It later ballooned into what it is today. Which, I am happy to announce, is the first public information release on our latest IP.¡± Lucas starts from that point, before pointing to the previously unused ¡®back wall¡¯ of the studio.

    Which suddenly blossoms to life in a mosaic of color and forms, until eventually words make their way to the fore. Reading ¡®TARTARUS ONLINE,¡¯ the background resolves itself into an inky blackness punctuated with several planet-like landscapes floating both near and far from each other. The details are intentionally fuzzy however, leaving each sphere showing only in their primary colors.

    ¡°Tartarus Online, the biggest VRMMO ever created.¡± Lucas says then, his voice almost whisper soft as he stares up at the big words glowing a verdant orange against the black background.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a roleplaying game, because there aren¡¯t any roles. No classes, no archetypes, no limits. It is a true virtual reality, spanning worlds just as vast as any of the planets humanity has colonized in the past two hundred years.¡± His words are spoken in a quiet cadence, almost in self-awe of what he helped to create. A true glimpse of emotion behind his usual professional facade.

    For a moment even Temika seems taken by Lucas¡¯ current demeanor, staring with somewhat wide eyes. The current man was far different from the flirt, or even the professional businessman of only moments before. It quite literally made a blush appear on her cheeks, which her dark skin tone helps conceal.

    Then she gives a soft cough after swallowing the lump in her throat, and it was like the spell was broken, bringing Lucas back to the present. At least he seems honestly bashful about his gslip in front of a live audience, although he does just laugh it off with a chuckle.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Ah, yes, excuse me. Tartarus Online is a massive virtual reality game built around the basis of old Earth¡¯s religions and mythologies. Where civilizations are built upon the bones of those that came before them, so to are myths and religions the same. And Tartarus Online will allow players to experience it all for themselves, although naturally the strictly religious tones have been reduced as not to antagonize any group or person.¡±

    Lucas has finally gotten around to the real topic of today¡¯s broadcast, and thus the uncountable number of fans from dozens of different planets, moons, and space stations are watching and hanging on his every word. That said, quite a few are put off by the talk of religion, but Lucas¡¯ smooth manner soothes those ruffled feathers quite easily. For the moment at least.

    ¡°That, of course, is in what is considered either a ¡®mythology¡¯ or a ¡®religion¡¯. Religions have always been a touchy subject, because belief and faith are powerful human motivators. But mythology is what religions used to be before they died. Yet even today we still see aspects of those previous creations. I believe the virtual movie ¡®Star Vikings¡¯ was just nominated for several Earth Premier Rewards, actually.¡±

    The crowd laughs along with Lucas at that slightly snide remark. You could almost cut the sarcasm with a knife as well. ¡®Star Vikings¡¯ is a movie released by a competing company of Astarte¡¯s, and the movie itself was actually lambasted as being a total bastard child. Like that old red-headed step-child that people like to step on. Thus the ¡®Worst Movie Production¡¯ Reward for the solar year was likely in the bag for ¡®Star Vikings¡¯.

    ¡°In any case, Tartarus Online is a totally new take on the traditional VR-RPG formula. In fact, the first month of beta testing was just wrapping up yesterday, so there will likely be more information released to the public shortly.¡± Lucas finishes up there, smiling at both Temika and to the cameras.

    Yet his sudden stop really throws everyone for a loop. There isn¡¯t any gameplay video being shown, no information on the world itself, no details of races or classes or anything. It was like Lucas Johanne just put a break on the previously moving freight train; resulting in instant bedlam. The live studio audience gets so loud that the viewers of the program can actually hear them yelling at each other over the studio cameras. All while Lucas smiles and shoots a wink at Temika, reverting back to his previous easy-going way.

    Thankfully Temika is able to keep he own smile, although she does give Lucas a slightly aggrieved look before shrugging a shoulder. No one could force Lucas to reveal anything he didn¡¯t want to, after all. Even if it left her to pick up the pieces as the audience has its own version of a nuclear meltdown.

    ¡°Thank you for that, Lucas. It does seem that Tartarus Online will be a great thing going forward. That said, actually putting out some real information on the game itself would have been nice. No doubt the audiences at home are foaming at the mouth and no doubt wishing to rip you a new one for being so nonchalant about it.¡±

    Okay, so maybe Temika Astruff wasn¡¯t against some petty revenge. Although she does it with a smile, which just makes Lucas himself grin at her. A look that is surprisingly boyish, like he¡¯d just pulled off a good bit of mischief himself. Which is saying something for a man of his true age.

    "Not a problem, Temika. As everyone knows, we at Astarte Entertainment aim to please above all else. And I have, in fact, spoken quite a bit about what the game will be about. In what form that takes though is for me to know and the rest of you to find out later. The first month of beta testing is just coming to an end, and the next two-month segment will begin in a week. After that game information will start coming out in real detail. But not a moment before.¡±

    That seemed to appease the viewers, although it left Temika to give Lucas a hot look. Which looks rather nice all its own, and thus screenshots of her staring at him will likely be splashed across other news screens and online chat boards within minutes. Lucas could almost imagine it, with a title like ¡®Temika¡¯s Cute Angry Glare¡¯ or some such. Hehe. Quite amusing, to say the least.

    ¡°Fine, fine. We here at Gaming Direct News can take a hint. Astarte has always been a bit crazy about their releases, so I¡¯ll just chalk this one up to another one of your crazy schemes.¡± Temika actually lets out a little sigh there, which makes Lucas laugh again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel that bad about it, hun. There is one more announcement I¡¯ll be making here before we wrap up for the day.¡± Lucas says in a placating manner, although it doesn¡¯t stop the twinkling of amusement from flashing in his dark eyes.

    ¡°The current round of beta testers aren¡¯t just testing the game for us. We at Astarte have developed a long-term immersion pod and matching headset just for Tartarus Online, which the beta testers are also using. Each and every beta tester currently in Tartarus Online are those with medical disabilities of the incurable or the prohibitively expensive kind. A key aspect to this development however is that Astarte Entertainment has finally broken the 12-to-1 time dilation issue.¡±

    An audible gasp goes out across the live crowd, and even Temika herself is obviously surprised. Honestly so. Which is of little surprise, given that the issue in question has been one of the most complexing of all problems with virtual reality technology. Regardless of rather it¡¯s in a game world, or Augmented Reality, time dilation has always been a decisive factor.

    When virtual reality tech first came out, a game could get maybe 2:1 or 3:1 time ratio. Meaning that for every real-world hour, a person could experience 2 hours or 3 hours of expanded time. That number steadily increased over the years as the technology was advanced and refined, until it peaked over a hundred years ago. Twelve hours to one hour was the peak. The insurmountable limit. The human brain simply couldn¡¯t handle anything beyond that point.

    Yet here it was, a rule, very nearly a law of nature itself being broken. Which was just crazy and all sorts of exciting. It was like someone had come out and said that they¡¯d blown up Luna, the Earth¡¯s moon! And Lucas was definitely looking snug there, watching everyone¡¯s reactions.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The new immersion pods, which we are calling Point Sleep Pods, or PSPs allow for a time dilation of a maximum of 24 to 1. An entire solar day¡¯s worth of time in only an hour.¡± Lucas let¡¯s the news percolate through the crowd, and even Temika is left breathing somewhat heavily at the announcement.

    An entire day for only an hours worth of sleep. If there was anything that was a game changer, that¡¯d be it right there. Already virtual immersion technology allows people do to far more work in a day than ever before. Augmented Reality glasses or cyberjack-style implants are already a common household item for the same reason. No one could ever give up the convenience and productivity that comes from such things.

    ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s enough of wetting everyone¡¯s appetites. The official press release detailing some more information will be out within the hour. In the meantime, I think I¡¯ll leave you guys alone to finish drooling all over the place, haha!¡±

    Standing up, Lucas Johanne, one of the richest and most powerful men alive gives a grin to the cameras before his form wavers oddly before dissipating in a burst of colored particles. Only Temika isn¡¯t surprised at knowing that Lucas was only there as a virtual avatar, although everyone else just couldn¡¯t get their heads around it. The hologram had been so perfect that it was impossible to tell with the naked eyes or ears that it wasn¡¯t real.

    ¡°And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Lucas Johanne, CEO of Astarte Entertainment, INC. It really does seem that the upcoming year is likely to be quite spectacular, isn¡¯t it? Even I¡¯m nearly speechless¡­ and really am wishing for time to fast forward so we could finally see it all.¡±

    Temika speaks out after Lucas¡¯ unexpected exit, drawing the viewers¡¯ attention back toward her and what was really important. For them at least. For Temika herself, her real thoughts are actually rather far away. Because she already knew some things about Tartarus Online.

    Which is only reasonable, given that her nominal fiancee is currently one of the Beta Testers in the game. Yet she didn¡¯t speak out about it, because Astarte had far more going on than just breaking time dilation records or releasing a new game. And one of them may actually give her back her own happiness.

    ¡°I am Temika Astruff, here at Gaming Direct News. Next up is the MOBA Four-Way Championships, hosted by Tyler Kelimer. I hope to see you all again later¡­¡±

    <hr>

    [AUTHOR''S NOTE]

    Hi all, and thank you for checking out my new story here!

    Tartarus Online is turning out to be a realy big project, which I''m really happy about. It''s also a bit complex, although nowhere near the mind-boggling math heavy that Universe Online was. Haha. Which is great for me.

    Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it!

 Chapter 01

    [Thank you for dying!  Have a nice day!]

    That was the first thing that appeared in front of me when my eyes snapped open.  Staring blankly, I let out a short groan that comes out somewhat incomprehensible and muffled.  Probably because my mouth has been sewn shut.

    ¡°Hah, we got another moaner here!¡±  A voice suddenly calls out, far too cheerful for me to really make sense of just yet.  Especially since I¡¯m laying on my back, feeling oddly stiff while staring at a floating blue screen in front of my face.  Beyond it should be a sky, but all there is to see is swirling grey mist.

    At least until some big, red skinned and horned guy walks into my field of vision.  His features are square and blunt, but there¡¯s actually a wide-mouthed smile on his face that at least makes him seem somewhat good natured.  Especially when matched with those pitch black eyes he has.

    ¡°Take it easy for a moment, dude.  You stiffer guys always require time to get used to this whole thing.¡±  Yeah, cheerful is definitely the way to describe this red guy, even more so when he takes a knee and holds out a wickedly sharp blade.  It reminds me of obsidian, gleaming in the poor grey light of what likely constitutes daytime here.

    That said, it doesn¡¯t stop me from making another muffled moan while trying to move my body.  Which is as stiff as a board. Ugh. Just like the red guy said, a ¡®stiffer¡¯, right?

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be that way.  It¡¯s for the stitches, promise.¡±  That cheerful voice doesn¡¯t change, but when the red guy says ¡®promise¡¯ something weird happens.  A vaguely golden string comes out of his chest and connects to mine, filling me with the knowledge and absolute certainty that he isn¡¯t going to hurt me with that blade.

    ¡°Heh.  It seems you are awake enough for my special -gift- to work on ya. Well, good for you!  A devil takes his word and bond seriously, after all!¡± The red guy actually laughs at that, but his eyes suddenly become serious as he holds that blade over my face.  ¡°Now, don¡¯t move and this will be over quickly. It¡¯ll be odd, but that¡¯s just the way things are, alright?¡±

    I¡¯m barely able to nod my head, but the red guy only grunts and suddenly the blade is passing by my lips.  I can barely feel it, like an odd pressure, before it¡¯s gone in a flash. But when my lips come apart is when things do get weird.  And I say that lightly.

    First off there¡¯s a sudden scream that rips out of my throat; a sound of primal fear and terror I¡¯ve personally never experienced.  Followed by a gagged groaning and puffing as something black and nasty comes up my throat. The red guy grabs me by the shoulder and tips me over so I chuck it across the ground beside me instead of all over myself or him.

    Once all of that is gone, I¡¯m flipped back over and take a deep breath.  That deep breath though is where things go from odd to weird. Because the swirling mist in the ¡®sky¡¯ suddenly starts to funnel down toward me, turning whiter and cleaner until only a string of it reaches my mouth and is swallowed into my body.  And I feel every moment of it burning into my stiff body, almost as if I¡¯d dumped boiling water into my stomach or something. Or acid, perhaps.

    It also goes on and on, seemingly forever; although I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just that my focus is totally consumed by it.  Or would be, except I see out of the corner of my eye the big red guy holding out a small blue bottle and is drawing some of the mist into it.  For some reason that triggers something inside of me, almost like a blinding rage.

    Overcome by the feeling, my arm jerks upward stiffly and with far more force than I should have been able to exert.  The red guy, not paying attention, ends up taking the blunt blow across his hand holding the bottle, which causes it to shatter in an impressive spray of white mist and what seems like glass shards.  All of which gets sucked right back toward me, joining the continuous daluge pouring into my wide open mouth.

    Except those blue shards are definitely not glass, because as they enter my mouth they dissolve into something far more potent than the white mist itself.  The feeling of power that comes over me is almost as blinding as that previous rage had been, but at the same time I could feel something else from it too. Like a piece of myself had come back, leaving me feel far more whole than before.

    ¡°Damn dude!  Shit, that was my last soul glass too.¡±  For the first time the red guy actually curses, and for a moment his smile slips into something like anger before it fades and he¡¯s left shaking his head.  ¡°Should have asked first. These new guys are a touchy bunch.¡± I could hear him mumble.

    Then it all ends as the swirling mist/clouds/whatever above me start to disperse.  Taking in my last mouthful of white mist, I feel something inside of my body uncoil and loosen, and my muscles all seem to unlock all at once.  It leaves me panting and flat on the ground still, but I soon raise a hand up to my face and watch as I clench an oddly grey-toned fist. Through the blue box that still hasn¡¯t gone away yet.

    ¡°What was all that?¡±  My voice comes out far more rough than I¡¯d imagined, but then again the inside of my mouth feels like sandpaper anyway.  Like I hadn¡¯t had a drink of water in forever.

    ¡°Ah, first you¡¯ll want to dismiss your message.  Just think of it going away. It can be really distracting seeing the blue mirror of it on the black eyes, ya know.¡±  The red guy has gone back to being overly cheerful, which is just as well, and helpful indeed as only a thought sends the blue screen popping out of existence.

    ¡°Good.  Now then, as your official welcoming party, I welcome you to Limbo!  The land of the lamentable dead, home of wandering souls and all that jazz.  Congratulations, you are dead! Or not so much.¡± The red guy actually starts to laugh, although I assume gallow humor is par for the coarse around here.  Especially if this really is Limbo.

    ¡°I¡¯m Tobias, by the way.  But I go by Tod for the most part.  Way better than Toby, right? Haha.¡± The red guy finally has a name!  And I actually nod, because Tod is generally a better name than Toby. At least to me.

    ¡°Sounds good to me, Tod.  So I¡¯m dead, this is Limbo, and my name is¡­¡±  And that stops me cold, because I don¡¯t remember my name.  Not one bit of it. Or most of my life, or previous life for that matter.  Except I know I know it. Yet I don¡¯t. Just thinking about it about makes my head explode in pain.

    ¡°Ack!  Don¡¯t go thinking about it just yet!  Newbies always try to do that and it never ends well.  Last guy I saw ended up killing himself again when his head popped like a damned leech-infested pimple.  The chunks were gooey, to say the least!¡± Tod interrupts me, and I blink and take a deep breath as I draw my focus away from what would probably have been a very bad ending.

    ¡°Ooohkay¡­¡±  I breath out, before finally putting strength into my limbs and rising up in a sitting position.  I was tired of laying on the hard ground. Which I find out is black rock as far as the eye can see.  And mounds of grey dead bodies piled up in hills and mountains. Some of the bodies actually squirming.  The sight doesn¡¯t bother me as much as it should have though. Guess being dead is being dead, right?

    ¡°At least you can already move, that¡¯s great.  Anyway! The grey mist above us is the sky here in Limbo, and is commonly referred to as Soul Energy.  It¡¯s what makes all of you deaders¡¯ live. Harvesting the stuff is good for making money too, which is what I was doing until you broke my soul glass.  Ugh.¡±

    Okay, explanations are good.  As is the fact that I now know what keeps me alive.  Got it. And Tod, a self-identified ¡®devil¡¯, seems more than happy to talk about it.

    ¡°Soul Energy, got it.  And sorry about that. When I caught sight of the glass out of the corner of my eye I just couldn¡¯t help myself.  It was¡­¡± I struggle to find a way to describe it, at which point I realize that things are actually really weird for me right now.

    Like, I¡¯m dead, you know?  And I should feel something about it.  Like piss scared or maybe screaming mad.  Or both. Or something else. Yet everything is muted, to use a term.  I don¡¯t feel hot or cold, I don¡¯t feel tired, or hungry. I don¡¯t feel out of breath, although checking myself I¡¯m breathing just very slowly.  And I¡¯m not even sure my heart is beating at all.

    ¡°Ah, I get you.  You dead guys always start this way.  Your emotions and stuff are muted, so don¡¯t worry too much about it.  Also, ¡®zombie¡¯ would be the term you are looking for to describe your current situation.  A dead body revived via magical means. Thank the Lords of the Pits that you guys don¡¯t rot or stink, otherwise Limbo would be a nasty place to be instead of just being bleak, ya know?¡±

    Okay, that explains a bit.  And oddly enough I¡¯m okay with that.  Like part of me already realized it and acceptance was easy or something.  Just weird. Weird is better than being truly dead though, right? So I nod to Tod to continue his explanation.

    ¡°Okay, so Soul Energy is what keeps you living.  It replaces food and drink and all that jazz. You also have a natural reservoir of the stuff inside of you, which the ¡®Awakening¡¯ opens up the first time you get unzipped.¡±  At this Tod wiggles his big red fingers over his mouth, where I¡¯d previously been sewn up.

    ¡°Now, the part of you get that is zipped up the first time is nearly totally random from what I can tell.  For you, it was your mouth. For others, it might have been their eyes. Or their nose. Or their ears. Or their fingers or toes.  It represents the sealing of a sense, and although I¡¯ve unzipped your mouth, I bet you can¡¯t taste anything. And you won¡¯t for about thirty days or so.¡±  Tod starts to explain this clinically, and even manages to pick at this black fingernails at the same time.

    ¡°First timers speech really that dull?¡±  I cannot help but ask, which causes the red guy to laugh and slap his knees.

    ¡°Yeah, I go through it almost daily.  Along with the two thousand or so others out here doing the job with me.¡±  Tod says, before he turns around and looks off into the distance where he nods to another red guy leaning over a body as well.  Only this one is thrashing around and won¡¯t sit still enough for the devil to use his blade on ¡®em.

    ¡°We all work for Helen City, welcoming the new recruits, as it were.  In any case, let¡¯s finish this up. The ¡®Awakening¡¯ process is automatic, drawing in the Soul Energy and purifying it for first timers.  We generally collect a ¡®drop¡¯ of Soul Energy using soul glass to make a bit of money on the side. It isn¡¯t harmful or anything, but Limbo doesn¡¯t like interference.  Which is why you wracked the glass quite good.

    ¡°Soul glass, on the other hand, is processed out of ¡®Soul Stone¡¯.  Which is a type of stone in which Soul Energy naturally collects and condenses.  Somewhat rare though. And fragile, as you could see. Lots of people use soul stone to quickly replenish their soul energy or to gather more, so it¡¯s a rather useful consumable by itself.  Questions?¡±

    Tod starts going off about a mile a minute, but I listen as well as I can and nod as I keep up with him.  So far so good, and I shake my head in the negative about having any questions.

    ¡°Okay, good.  Now then, Helen City is the nearest point of reference around here.  It¡¯s also known to have the most zombies as well. Other places in Limbo deal with ghost types, skeletons, and very rarely vampire types.  That is one thing I have to explain to you though. Because undead sorts in general are all mutable. You could be a zombie today but get stripped of all your meat and you¡¯ll become a skeleton.  Get blasted into bits and you could become a ghost. With me thus far?¡±

    I take a moment to think that over, and actually purse my lips.  They feel thick and heavy, but then again my mouth itself has been odd ever since the ¡®awakening¡¯ anyway.  It was like it was half numb.

    ¡°So deaders, was it?  Deaders stay dead throughout whatever form they are?  And they can both become less¡­ hu¡­ human or more?¡± For some reason I stumble over the word, as if my mind really didn¡¯t want to touch upon the subject.  Or whatever humans are. Another headache spikes across my mind, but it fades just as fast. But Tod catches my grimace and nods to himself.

    ¡°Yeah, for the most part.  And humans are what the living are called.  Or most of ¡®em. Plenty of other races in the Above World, but most of them have their own places for their dead to go.  Limbo is almost solely for humans. That said, there are more than just humanoid deaders down here. An example would be us Devils.  We actually come from one of the realms of Hell and often work as scribes or contract employees for others. A Devil¡¯s words are his bond, after all!¡±

    Tod goes off laughing to himself again, but it definitely gives me something to think about.  For example the knowledge that there may be other Limbos out there for other races or the like.  And the realms of Hell. No clue about those, but the information sounds important. Yet thinking about it actually sparks something in my head, like a long forgotten memory.

    ¡°Never make a deal with a Devil without a contract¡­¡±  The words come unbidden to my lips, which causes Tod to stare and laugh again while nodding.

    ¡°Exactly!  That golden thread thing earlier?  That was my contract. But contracts can be both simple or complex!  Just keep it in mind, yeah? Not all devils are as honest as I am, after all! Haha.¡±  Tod nods to himself, grinning to himself.

    ¡°Moving on, and this is possibly the most important part, so listen up!  That blue screen from earlier is called originally enough ¡®The Voice of the World¡¯.  Or simply the Voice. It¡¯s kinda like an automated system used to keep the various planes of reality going about their business.  Humans love to call it the ¡®rules of reality¡¯ or some shit.¡± Tod actually starts grumbling about that, frowning for the first time I¡¯d known him.

    ¡°Anyway, enough about pointless human shit.  The Voice controls nearly everything outside of free will.  And anything free will touches. Which is your person, and others.  And anything you are holding or working on. It¡¯s really powerful, if you didn¡¯t catch my drift.  At the same time, it does have an effect upon everything. Including yourself. It won¡¯t care if you curse at it, but it will respond if you try to break something you shouldn¡¯t.  Now, I want you to think ¡®Status¡¯ to yourself. It¡¯s the easiest way to see what¡¯s what.¡±

    Okay, that¡¯s interesting.  An all-powerful automated system?  Sounds almost like¡­ Ack! Damned headache again.  I can¡¯t even think of that, can I? Shit. Yet for everything I can¡¯t remember it just starts to bug me more.

    I put it aside though, and turn my thoughts to the task Tod had set for me.  Easy enough, right? Just think ¡®Status¡¯.

    [-Personal Statistics-]

    [Name: -Locked-][Titles: None][Status: Civilian]

    [Racial Type: Dead | Zombie][Rank: F | Level: 1]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 10/10][Soul Points (SP): 5 (-Locked-)]

    [Body: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)][Mind: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)][Soul: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)]

    [Feats: None][Abilities: None][Skills: None]

    [Perks: Newly Dead][Detriments: Newly Dead]

    ¡°Good, I see you brought it up.  Now I¡¯ll run through your status real quick.  You don¡¯t have a name, because your memories are still sealed.  Shouldn¡¯t have any titles or anything either. Your soul energy should be full up, and you¡¯ll have some ¡®soul points¡¯ that are currently locked too.  Soul points are something you gain every time you raise your rank. You spend on them feats, abilities, skills, and perks. Or removing detriments. That said, you can gain just about all of those without spending your points.

    ¡°You should have three starting attributes, although it¡¯s been known for others to have more.  Just not very common though. Body represents your physical self. Your strength, endurance, dexterity and the like.  Mind represents your innate intelligence, wisdom, and cunning. Soul represents your ability to control soul energy and esoteric stuff like charisma, and luck.¡±

    It¡¯s kind of hard to look at Tod through the blue screen hovering in front of my eyes, but I nod as I listen to him while reading over my status a couple of times.  Much of it is to remember it all, and another is to actually pick up on anything Tod may have missed out on. Which isn¡¯t much. There¡¯s no help file or anything to go along with it¡­ although why that memory just came to mind, I have no clue.

    ¡°Now, and this is IMPORTANT, all in Capital Letters!  Your attributes can change. And not just go up or down in number.  We call it ¡®spawning attributes¡¯, but once you reach the limit of what your overarching stats can hold, they will split into individual progressions.  Strength, Endurance, Agility or Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, ect. Each of these spawned attributes inherit the total of the previous primary attribute and thus represent a baseline.  Each point added to those new attributes will be represented as a decibel added onto it. So if you have 10 Strength and you add a point to it, it¡¯ll become 10.1 (ten point one).

    ¡°This is done because every RACE has a standard for all attributes.  For living humans, that standard is 10 points. Anything above that is considered ¡®superhuman¡¯.  And that leads us into the next subject, your Rank, which is paired with your Race. As a regular zombie, your standard is 3 points.  Which, as you can guess, is really weak.¡±

    I break in there though, unable to keep it from blurting out.

    ¡°Three points? 3.0?  Holy¡­¡± Yeah, not very intelligent of me, but I cannot help it.  Which is why there¡¯s suddenly a hot burning sensation running through my body that makes me cry out in pain.

    ¡°Ack!  Don¡¯t go saying the ¡®H¡¯ word here!¡±  Tod yells, scrambling back across the black rocky ground as he does so.  At the same time there¡¯s a distant pearl of laughter, and I realize it¡¯s coming from the other devil off in the distance that¡¯s looking this way.  Not that it helps, cause I literally just burned myself.

    It¡¯s gone in an instant though, but my insides feel rather toasted and I groan in discomfort as my hands pat my somewhat smoldering body.  Thankfully besides from feeling a bit charred, I can¡¯t see any damage.

    ¡°Jeeze, warn a guy first!  That could get nasty if there was any real intent behind it.¡±  Tod grumbles before shaking his head with something like a rueful laugh.  ¡°Saying the ¡®H¡¯ word down here will invoke ¡®punishment¡¯. Thankfully the intent behind using the word matters much more than the word itself, so there¡¯s no damage done in this case.  But if you started cursing blatantly you could get blasted to bits. And anyone around you for that matter. So just don¡¯t say it, got it?¡±

    I listen and nod, but at the same time that really scared me.  Just saying a word could cause very real damage, which sucks. Everyone curses, after all.  And it just sort of slipped out of me, which is nasty in its own way. Probably a lingering memory or something.

    ¡°Thankfully saying the ¡®H¡¯ word here isn¡¯t likely to kill you in one go.  Saying it in the Hells would invite lightning from the sky on the other hand.  Although to be fair, I hear the heavens get blasted with black flame if they invoke ¡®Hell¡¯, so there is that, haha!¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it.  Don¡¯t say the ¡®H¡¯ words in either places.  Good to know.¡± I mutter dryly, although when I open my mouth a bit of hot hair and ash escape past my lips.  Ugh. It really did try to burn up my insides apparently. Which is why it hurt so much, no doubt.

    ¡°Yep!  Now then, back to what I was talking about¡­ Oh, right.  Races and Ranks. Ranks have ten levels, 1 to 10. Each bump up in rank level allows you to place 1 more point into your attributes, to the rank limit.  As a Rank F zombie, your limit is 3 points. That¡¯s a hard limit. But when your rank level goes up past 10, it resets to level 1 and your Rank goes up to D.  At Rank D, your hard limit raises. For Zombies, that increases to 5 points.

    "For that reason you DO NOT want to spawn attributes at low ranks.  Because it¡¯d take a whole lot more ranks to raise them up later. Not to mention a whole lot more soul energy to do so.  However, attached to this is your Race. Zombies are run-of-the-mill in these parts, and are way better than either ghosts or skeleton types.  Skeletons can only get to 3 points in Body, but are stuck at 1 point in Mind and Soul. Ghosts can only get to 3 points in Soul, but only 1 point in Body and Mind.  With me so far?¡±

    Yeah, I¡¯m listening, and both dread and am thankful for being reborn as a zombie.  But it is at least better than being a skeleton or a ghost, right? Heh. Boneheads and Spooks.  Yeah, I¡¯ll save that bit of humor for later and instead settle for nodding for Tod to continue. I¡¯ve been doing a lot more listening than talking anyway.

    ¡°Alrighty!  This is where it gets real interesting, because you can change your Race!  This is done a few ways. The first is to collect or be granted a Race Token.  These are special little baubles either granted by the Voice or gifted from others.  Usually for work well done and that sort of jazz. Race Tokens will reset your Rank and level back to F, but you¡¯ll receive bonuses for any attributes and the like over the limit.  This can be good for quickly becoming stronger. Although expensive if you intend to actually try to buy Race Tokens.

    ¡°The other way is through Evolution!  Reaching the prerequisite rank and level for any race grants special evolution options that reset everything just like Race Tokens, without costing you more time and effort.  The flip side of the coin however is that your new race is always based upon your previous one. A zombie can become a zombie knight, for instance. Or a lich. Or a ghoul. The choices are varied and vast.  Especially at higher ranks. A zombie knight requires you to reach Rank D level 10 and have both the [Sword Mastery] and either [Shield Use] or [Armor Use] skills, for a full example¡­¡±

    Tod trails off there, as a nearby crunching of stone brings both of our attentions to a newcomer.  Only it¡¯s actually the other devil and his newbie. They¡¯d wandered over, and while the zombie guy gives a wave there is a scowl on his partners¡¯ face.  Which is soon mirrored on Tod¡¯s face as he stands up and pats his black trousers clear of dust. A totally unneeded gesture, given the red guy doesn¡¯t have a speck of dust on him.  Neither of the devils¡¯ do, when I look to compare them. Huh, interesting.

    ¡°Still talking your newbie into an early grave, Tod?¡±  The other devil asks with a sneer as they wander close enough to be heard without talking.  The sarcastic words actually make Tod huff a bit, red flames coming out of his nose in the process.

    ¡°What¡¯s it to you, George?  Your unfriendly attitude is why you always have such trouble calming down the newbies.  That or the fact your black thread always ends up burning you. A devil is his word.¡± Tod retorts, and I¡¯ve never thought I¡¯d see a guy with red skin go green in the face.  That¡¯s actually rather amusing.

    Thankfully I keep the laugh from passing my lips, and instead make to stand up while returning a short wave to the other zombie guy.  He probably looks just like me though, with grey lifeless skin, black eyes, and bone-white short hair. The only difference I can see is that his nose is bleeding a bit.  Rather it be from George¡¯s carelessness or his own thrashing, I can¡¯t tell though. Also the stitches are completely gone, which remind me that I haven¡¯t checked my own. Probably similar though.

    ¡°Bah, whatever.  I¡¯m done for the day and taking my newbie to Helen City.  Got a nice drop of soul energy to turn in and a drink waiting for me at the pub.¡±  George is smirking again as soon as he opens his mouth, and I catch the eye-roll the other zombie gives behind his back.  Probably not the first time he¡¯d heard the same thing repeated.

    ¡°Yah yah, get on with it then.  At least this newbie is actually listening and asking questions.¡± Todd retorts, although that only makes me feel a bit bad for breaking his soul glass.  Extra income seems like it¡¯s pretty hard to come by around here.

    ¡°Yeah, and burning himself too.  We saw the poof of holy¡­ fuck!¡± George just had to have the last word, and ended up getting burned himself for it.  And none of us, not even his newbie, stop ourselves from laughing at his expense. Except where it had been like a flash in the pan for me, for George it was like a white torrent of light suddenly speared down from the heavens.

    It was done in only a moment or two, but what it left was a man-shaped charred roast.  A moaning, groaning charred roast. That soon flakes off into ash in the rather non-existent wind and reveals a somewhat burned red skinned devil beneath.  One that is now missing half a horn from atop his head, actually.

    ¡°Hahahahahaha!  That¡¯s what you get, George!  Going from a muscle-brained Hellion to a Devil via evolution didn¡¯t do anything to add any brain cells to that head of yours.  Hahahaha!¡± Todd bursts out laughing, while George was panting and trembling. He¡¯d taken far more damage than I had with that slip, probably because of the sadistic glee he¡¯d put behind it.  As Todd had said earlier, the intent matters. Making fun of others with it obviously counts on the heavy side.

    At the same time though, I was watching George.  He¡¯s shaking, rather in pain, anger, or rage I cannot tell.  But what I can tell is that his clothing is slowly becoming crisp and clean, and the burn marks across his body are fading quickly.  At the same time though I notice that his already broken horn is becoming smaller and smoother. There is something else there as well, a feeling that tugs at me.

    I reach out toward it, not with my hands but with my thoughts and mind, and as I concentrate the feeling becomes stronger and easier to hold onto.  No doubt furrowing my brows, I reach out to the feeling even more, straining to hold onto what I¡¯m feeling until something in my head seems to ¡®snap!¡¯ and suddenly the world changes in front of my eyes.

    Where previously the world was dim and somewhat misty, with swirling clouds above and black stone below, now there¡¯s like an extra layer over all of it.  A layer of silver-white, mottled grey-black, and a few sparks and dashes of color. For a moment it was like some painter had just sprayed his entire collection of dull paints over everything, but blinking my eyes it all soon comes into focus.

    [Energy Sight ability learned!]

    [Soul Energy Manipulation skill learned!]

    [Over-Sight feat gained!]

    Three messages then appear within my vision, and the world goes back to being dull and generally lifeless.  It¡¯s only then that though I realize that I¡¯m panting, and everyone is looking my way. I feel utterly drained though, and huff quite a bit as I lean over to rest my arms on my knees.  Amazingly enough even a bit of sweat drips off my nose and onto the rocky ground at my feet.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Well ain¡¯t that somethin¡¯.  Never seen a newbie grasp something like that so quickly.¡±  Todd ends up saying, half mumbling to himself while George stares in almost a daze.  The other guy looks a bit lost and somewhat fearful. He probably has no idea what¡¯s going on, which I can relate to.

    ¡°Oooh,¡± I breath out before straightening up.  ¡°Gained an ability, skill, and feat all at once.  What the Hell?¡± I cannot help but say and question all at the same time.  I really can¡¯t tell what happened.

    ¡°Hah!  No wonder you look like the dead warmed over then.¡±  George was the first to respond, going back to his asshole-ish smirk.  The guy really made me want to punch him. Thankfully Tod is far more helpful.

    ¡°Gaining skills, abilities, and feats take effort, man.  And effort requires you to spend soul energy. No freebies around here, ya know.  Now what¡¯d you do and what¡¯d you get?¡± Tod finishes his short but to the point explanation with a question of his own.

    ¡°Ah, I was watching George there heal up after his punishment.¡±  I say, motioning to the devil whom is likewise listening in. ¡°His clothing cleaned up, his burns disappeared, and his broken horn got smaller but smoother.  At the same time I ¡®felt¡¯ something, like a heat wave or the like coming off of him. But I wanted to see it more clearly, so I focused on it¡­¡±

    I end up falling off there, thinking about the feeling again.  Only this time it comes to me far more easily than before, and without even thinking about it my eyes blink and suddenly the word is full of color again.  This time though I can actually make out what I¡¯m looking at.

    The red and silver light running around Tod¡¯s body.  The red and black in George¡¯s. The silver-white mist buried inside the other zombie guys¡¯ chest.  And off in the distance other marks of red and the occasional dash of other colors that are too blurred to make out properly.

    And then the vision fades, and my insides suddenly feel very much empty, leaving me gasping for breath again.  This time though the exhaustion is too much, and I actually stumble and droop to my knees. It was like the wind had gone out of my lungs and I¡¯d finished a 50 mile marathon.  Wait, marathon? Where¡¯d that come from¡­ Ugh.

    ¡°Easy there, my man.  Using skills and abilities use up soul energy, of which you have a very limited supply right now.  Thankfully you can¡¯t overdraft yourself, so there¡¯s no harm, but you¡¯ll be winded for about half an hour until you generate some.¡±  Tod steps forward and grabs me by an arm, hefting me up with almost ridiculous ease while explaining.

    ¡°That said, Energy Sight is a fairly rare ability all its own.  It¡¯s also non-attributed, so you can see all sorts of energy with it.  No doubt there¡¯s red and silver around here, from a devils¡¯ demon energy and the soul energy all about.¡±  Tod then gives a little run-down of what I had been seeing, to which I nod in thanks for while catching my breath.

    At the same time the other zombie guy is staring at George, whom is ignoring him.  It seems that George hasn¡¯t explained anymore than the bare basics in comparison. I almost feel sorry for the guy.  Almost.

    ¡°Alright¡­ I got the Energy Sight ability, Soul Energy Manipulation skill, and the Over-Sight feat.  Which does what?¡± I ask after a few more breaths, and I could almost swear that I could see the ears of the others perk up after my question.

    Thankfully Tod was also paying attention, causing him to snort with another bout of flames coming out of his nose.  It reminds me of¡­ a raging bull, yeah. A red skinned, horned, flaming bull. For some reason that mental image just makes me want to chuckle.

    ¡°Not now, dude.  You never want to discuss your skills and the like with others unless you really trust them.  Or have a contract with ¡®em. Information is power down here, and while us Guides are down here to get you started, we are bound by contract to keep you alive for a while.  So save the questions for later, yeah?¡± Tod responds after giving George a stare, which makes the other devil put a stop to his grin. It seems the contract they have with Helen City is quite the big deal for the ¡®Guides¡¯.

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±  I say simply, starting to stretch and get feeling back into my body.  Being low or almost out of soul energy doesn¡¯t seem to be a good thing, given how stiff and dull it¡¯s made me feel.  Then again Tod did say that it was literally what¡¯s keeping me alive, so keeping a reserve is something I¡¯ll really have to think about later.

    ¡°Now that this fiasco is done and over with, why don¡¯t we head to town?  The Plains of Corpses is relatively safe during the day time, but I don¡¯t want to be out here after dark.  That and a pint sounds just great.¡± Tod finally changes the subject, and I personally don¡¯t have any reason not to follow along.

    The same could be said for the other two, although there is far less boasting or talking going on between the pair.  George must really be a dick, and I wonder how he even managed to get this far as a Devil. Then again there are all sorts, right?

    The trek to Helen City on the other hand was somewhat enlightening.  If only because we were quite far from the place. That and there is literally nothing out this way.  The Plains of Corpses is aptly named though, because other than black stone and jagged ridges that¡¯s all there is.  Mounds and hills and mountains of corpses. Dead, grey, lifeless.

    Not a hint of vegetation, or anything.  On closer look however it seems that not all the corpses here are whole.  Or even dressed, for that matter. Which when asked, Tod actually explains in his previous jolly mood.

    ¡°Corpses that are whole and wearing clothing tend to be un-awakened zombies.  They are all the same, either male or female though. For us Guides from Helen City, we dig through the mounds and pull out the ones that match and see if we can get them to awaken.  It can be quite the game, truth be told, haha!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, until one of the shamblers try to bite you.  Then you have to give ¡®em a beating to get them to back off.¡±  George actually puts in his two cents there, which actually puts me into something of a juggling match in my head.

    First off, what the hell are cents?  Why would George have two of them? And what are shamblers?  The answer to the first two questions allude me, but the third is easy enough to answer because I soon see it for myself.

    A zombie missing an arm and with his head on lopsided squirms off of a nearby corpse pile and groans in our direction.  Eyes of yellowish white stare at nothing, but even I flinch a bit. The whole front of the zombies chest is ripped open.  And what I thought was a guy is actually a woman. Or the body of one.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shambler.  Un-awakened zombies that become feral and manage to rip open their stitches.  Not always in that order. They can be quite the nuisance, especially when digging through the piles.  But they tend to stay away from those stronger than themselves or their awakened counterparts. Around here they are like the rats you¡¯d find in town.  Hoarders and eaters.¡± Tod points and tells, smiling again as he does so.

    I¡¯m not the only one listening though, as the other zombie guy makes his way over.  I give a nod in greeting as we walk on by the shambler, although it is rapidly becoming annoying at not having a name to give or the like.

    At the same time I realize that the shamblers are probably what I saw moving on the other piles earlier.  That thought brings up another question, which I¡¯m quick to ask.

    ¡°What happens if a shambler gets ahold of the body of another un-awakened?¡±

    ¡°Then they become a shambler too.  The awakening is considered a ceremony, requiring ya to have both your stitches and a whole body.  Lose either of those before you are awake and you lose your chance at a new life. That¡¯s why us Guides dig the piles daily, to pull you poor sods out of harm''s¡¯ way and set you up to go about your new life.  Often a thankless task, but most of you new guys are far more talkative than usual. Haha.¡±

    Okay, that¡¯s enlightening to say the least.  It seems that being granted this un-life has restrictions and meaning.  At the same time, many of the newbies like myself and the guy listening in seem to be subtly different from the ones that have come before us.  That thought brings on another feeling that something isn¡¯t right, or that I¡¯m missing something. But I just can¡¯t remember, and trying to force myself only brings about another splitting headache.

    ¡°I thank you, at least.¡±  I finally say after a moment, the headache fading as quickly as it had come.  Tod must have noticed the grimace on my face, because his own suddenly lights up as if he¡¯d just remembered something.

    ¡°Oh, right!  Forgot to tell you about that.  Pull up your status again real quick.¡±  He instructs, to which I nod and follow through by doing so.

    [-Personal Statistics-]

    [Name: -Locked-][Titles: None][Status: Civilian]

    [Racial Type: Dead | Zombie][Rank: F | Level: 1]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 2/10][Soul Points (SP): 5 (-Locked-)]

    [Body: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)][Mind: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)][Soul: 1.3 | +1 (10 SE)]

    [Feats: Over-Sight - Rank I (2/10).]

    [Abilities: Energy Sight - Rank I. (2/25)]

    [Skills: Soul Energy manipulation - Rank I. (1/25)]

    [Perks: Newly Dead][Detriments: Newly Dead]

    ¡°Okay, so besides the other changes to your status, including your new goodies, you should have a perk and a detriment listed by the same name.  ¡®Newly Dead¡¯, yes?¡± Tod begins and questions, to which both me and the other guy nod. I don¡¯t think the other zombie has opened his mouth the entire time though.

    ¡°Good.  ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ is counted as both because it has both pros and cons to it.  Now I¡¯m going to teach you two something, an ability called Inspect.¡± Tod says then, stopping in his tracks only to reach out to both of us.

    His hand is oddly warm against my forehead, which actually feels kind of nice.  The other guy sort of freezes up though, and I can see his fists clench up as if he were about to make a run for it.  Thankfully he doesn¡¯t though.

    ¡°Teach: Inspect.¡±  Tod intones gently, which causes his body to faintly glow in a red light before something is forced into my head.  It¡¯s uncomfortable, but after a moment it finds whatever it was looking for and settles into place as if it had always been there.

    [Learned the Inspect ability!  Rank II gained from Mentor Skill!]

    Then Tods¡¯ hands are gone from my head, and he even as somewhat of a sheepish smile on his face.  It looks really weird on a red skinned, somewhat bulky, and horned devil though. After a moment he clears his throat, no doubt from the rather curious stares we are giving him.

    ¡°Ah, yeah.  Right. You two are newbies.  Anyway, the Inspect ability allows you to discover additional information on an object.  Including parts of your status. The Mentor skill is one I¡¯ve been training up. It allows me to teach you one of my own abilities at a lower rank than my Mentor skill itself.¡±  Tod explains, going back to his friendly grin. Nearby though George actually snorts, finally turning his head to look at us.

    ¡°A devil actually teaching people.  Lords of the Pits help us.¡± George retorts, only to be startled when both myself and Tod actually flip him the bird.  In union. Which is pretty cool.

    ¡°Hahaha!  A man after my own heart!¡±  Tod laughs when he realizes I did the same thing he did, and I kind of get this goofy grin on my own face.  No clue what I look like though, although I¡¯m thankful my hands work as intended.

    Beside us the other newbie also chuckles a bit, although he turns his head quickly when George shoots him a hateful look.  Not that any of us seem to mind it though. I wonder if anyone actually likes George.

    ¡°Yeah though, it¡¯s actually pretty hard to get the Mentor skill, but it is something I thought would be helpful.  I¡¯ve been a Guide for longer than George has been alive, so I¡¯ve seen plenty of people come and go. Some go up, others go down, but it¡¯s always the same.¡±  Tod finally explains once he finishes laughing, and I nod as we start moving again.

    ¡°Now then, you¡¯ll want to open your statuses again and then say ¡®Inspect Newly Dead¡¯ while staring at that line.  Or in your mind, whichever one works for you.¡±

    [-Personal Statistics-]

    [Name: -Locked-][Titles: None][Status: Civilian]

    [Racial Type: Dead | Zombie][Rank: F | Level: 1]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 2/10][Soul Points (SP): 5 (-Locked-)]

    [Body: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)][Mind: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)][Soul: 1.3 | +1 (10 SE)]

    [Feats: Over-Sight - Rank I (2/10).]

    [Abilities: Energy Sight - Rank I. (2/25); Inspect - Rank II. (1/50)]

    [Skills: Soul Energy manipulation - Rank I. (1/25)]

    [Perks: Newly Dead][Detriments: Newly Dead]

    I do as instructed, which seems to be all I¡¯ve been doing lately.  For some reason that ticks me off a little, but I shrug the rather muted feeling away and concentrate.  ¡®Inspect Newly Dead¡¯ I speak up in my mind, causing a new blue screen to appear.

    [Newly Dead - Perk/Detriment]

    [You are newly dead!  Your soul is mutable for 30 (29ds, 8hs, 24min) days.]

    [Newly dead can only be slain by soul dispersion.]

    [Newly dead can inhabit any body or form containing Soul Energy.]

    [Newly dead have enhanced soul energy absorption rate.]

    [Memories locked until soul is properly mounted in a body or form.]

    [Advanced Titles, Feats, Abilities and Skills cannot be learned.]

    [Newly dead can be revoked early.]

    Whoah, there¡¯s quite a few things there.  And I can obviously see why it¡¯s considered both a Perk and a Detriment.  For one, it allows for almost true immortality, for 30 days. For another it gives enhanced soul energy absorption, which I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve gotten to in the discussions with Tod yet.

    At the same time it locks our memories, and disables our ability to learn advanced abilities.  Which may be a real downside, depending upon what constitutes ¡®advanced¡¯ abilities. Because those may be important, if Limbo is dangerous in any way, shape, or form.  Actually, it may be bad even if Limbo is rather peaceful. If only for the inability to move up the social ladder.

    ¡°Good, it seems the both of you found it.  The ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk is a great thing when you are starting out, that¡¯s for sure.  Always been kind of jealous of it, in fact. But it¡¯s only a safety net. The detriments though are the real kicker though.  Advanced skills are also called ¡®Professional Skills¡¯. Skills like Alchemy, Blacksmithing, and Scribing are all Advanced Skills.  They require knowledge as well as training, usually through an apprenticeship.¡±

    This time both myself and the other guy are listening to Tod seriously, because this is really important.  It seems that the downside is a real kicker, especially when wanting to go with non-combat professions. That sucks a bit, but thirty days isn¡¯t really that long of time.

    ¡°That also means that most forms of magic that require active training are out too.  Summoning, Thaumaturgy, Healing, and Enchanting are big examples. That said, there is more leeway with magic.  Sorcery, magic based upon emotion and experience is just fine. That¡¯s basically run through Energy Manipulation, borrowing power from nature and the like.  So if you wanna go tossing around fireballs, go ahead. Just don¡¯t do that here in the Plains, okay?¡±

    Tod actually starts to joke about it, but the talk about magic really catches my attention.  I¡¯ve already gotten part of that, after all. In fact, the other zombie is looking quite put off at that.  But the bastard still hasn¡¯t said a word the entire time.

    ¡°I think we get the idea, Tod.  So we are stuck being grunts or laborers until we choose a body, right?¡±  I end up asking the question that came to mind, and Tod naturally turns to flash a grin at me.

    ¡°Got it, boyo.  That said, you can technically ¡®learn¡¯ all those Advanced titles, skills, and whatnot.  You just can¡¯t get access to them. Which is really annoying if you try to do everything manually.  A Blacksmith with a rank of 5 (Rank: V), would normally spend about an hour or so on a common grade steel sword, for instance.  Doing it manually could take you twelve hours or more.

    ¡°That said, you can choose not to activate the skill and go about it, which gives a great boost to the skill should you succeed.  The Voice records it as effort without assistance, so there¡¯s a big bonus once done. It¡¯s seen as something any professional will do in order to really get their skill ranks up there.  It¡¯s even rumored that the Blacksmith Ocre crafted the Overlords Armor in the Hells while doing it all manually too. And that¡¯s a Legendary grade armor!¡±

    Heh.  A little off topic there, but I don¡¯t mind letting Tod go off because it is informative.  Probably more than it needs to be, but hey information is information. Even if it¡¯s just rumor.

    "Sounds pretty neat.  So it is possible to do actions without the skills required.  Bet it get expensive though, like through trial and error.¡± My response gets Tod nodding up and down as if his head were all on swivel, which makes me chuckle a little.

    ¡°Exactly!  Back onto the subject though. The reason why you want to hang onto ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ as long as possible is for the boost in absorbing soul energy.  For most of us, soul energy is hard to pull in. We have to worry about purity and all that jazz. You don¡¯t, so you get to skip that entire process.  Which is important, because it¡¯s the only way to grow how much soul energy your body can hold.

    ¡°Which, by the way, is quite simple.  Starting out, you have 10 points of Soul Energy.  By spending 9 points of it, you can gain one extra point of maximum capacity.  Then for the second point you have to spend 10 points of energy on it. And so on and so forth.  Really simple, yah? It gets really insane when you start having hundreds or thousands of points though.  Which is why people really dig soul stones, because it can rapidly replenish your spent points.¡±

    Okay, yeah, that makes sense.  And sounds like a boring and time consuming task.  At the same time, it makes me feel as if I¡¯d heard that bit of information before.  I just can¡¯t place when or where. Thankfully I¡¯m able to jerk my thoughts onto other matters before another headache strikes.

    Which, by the way, happens to be the end of the Plains of Corpses.  Or rather, a glimpse at the first green I¡¯ve seen in the place since I woke up.  Lots of green, in fact. Tod must have caught my distracted gaze, because he turns his head to look as well and hums to himself in a somewhat happy tone.

    ¡°Ah, we are reaching the farmlands outside of Helen City.  Can already see the fields outside the mounds there.¡± He says, pointing it out for the other newbie.  Whom is just as quick to look as I had been.

    It really is quite the sight as we make our way past the last few large hill-sized mounds of dead bodies.  The black rock of the Plains smoothly transitions to thick black soil, upon which fields have been plowed and planted.  There¡¯s also water, although it is milky white in appearance running through irrigation ditches dug between the fields.

    ¡°This here is Demon¡¯s Grain.¡±  Tod starts to point out what is being grown, pointing a thick red finger at the different fields.  ¡°Dead Flax, Soul Flowers, Ghost Vine.¡±

    Okay, so there¡¯s quite a few things that grow in these fields.  My attention wanders a bit as we step onto a well-traveled road built into the space between fields that stretch as far as my eyes can see.  The road itself is paved in black stone, likely mined from the Plains of Corpses. Almost like¡­ cobblestone, yeah, cobblestone from the Above World.

    ¡°Demon¡¯s Grain is basically wheat.  Used to make bread and the like. Dead Flax is a fibrous plant used to spin yarn and make cloth out of.  Soul Flowers are used in alchemy, a base for a variety of potions because it has a small amount of Soul Energy in it.  Ghost Vine is roughly chopped and can be smoked.¡±

    The explanations keep coming, as Tod doesn¡¯t seem to be able to keep his mouth shut.  Not that I mind, as listening to him go on like this actually is a bit relaxing to me.  Odd, I know. But it¡¯s just how I feel. At least until he speaks up about the Ghost Vine and mentions smoking.

    That has an interesting effect on me, because suddenly I have a very real craving to have something held between my lips.  Like I really need a smoke. Or a cigarette. That thought though brings about another spike of headache, and I reach up to rub my temples with one grey hand.  Only this one is quite longer lasting than the previous ones. I really want a smoke.

    ¡°Uh.  Tod, what is the cost of these things?¡±  I finally force out between gritted teeth, trying to change the subject and actually stop my head from exploding.  I haven¡¯t forgotten about Tod¡¯s earlier warning, but the damned craving is just way too strong. Like I¡¯d been starved of nicotine for far too long.  Nico...tine.

    ¡°Huh?  Oh, right.  You see, money down here in Limbo is a little weird.  There¡¯s coinage, used in trade between the various cities or in large orders.  But most people trade in soul stones. Or rather, pieces of ¡®em. Shards, we call them.  If you break a soul stone, you¡¯ll get ten regularly sized shards out of it. It¡¯s something the Voice regulates, so it¡¯s a standard used everywhere.

    ¡°A loaf of bread in Helen City costs a single shard.  Or three copper coins. A full meal without meat, three shards; or nine copper coins.  Almost a silver. A full meal with meat ranges from five shards to seven or so. Which is right at a silver or a little more.  Like I said, the money thing is a bit weird. That rates between shards and coinage changes daily. But everyone wants soul stones, so that¡¯s what most people trade in, ya see.¡±

    Thankfully Tod is quick up on the update, and starts actually explaining something useful.  For which I¡¯m grateful for as the headache finally leaves me alone. Really, having my memory sealed really sucks.  The headaches are likely to be the death of me.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been grimacing quite a while there, dude.  I hazard a guess that you are far more sensitive to the memory sealing than others are.  Just be careful with that, okay?¡± Okay, so Tod may actually be a bit too observant as well.  But then again he seems to be rather old as a devil, and experience is a big thing.

    ¡°Yeah.  I keep getting flashes of thoughts and pieces of memories.  Things that leave me wanting to know more or remember better.¡±  I explain as I glimpse the other newbie glancing my way with what looks like worry on his face.

    ¡°Using your head too much there, brat.  Dropping some points into Mind will take the edge off later.¡±  Sadly it wasn¡¯t Tod that speaks up first, and instead George actually decides to rejoin the conversation.  Only his tone is more pensive than smug, and I throw a look at the red guy.

    ¡°George is just worried about losing his pay for the day.  Guides get paid daily per bringing in at least one newbie. But part of the contract is that allowing you guys to die before you get to Helen City means docked pay.  And George isn¡¯t known for saving his income.¡± Tod actually grins again as he tells it as it is, making George scowl and look away while walking in front of the group.

    ¡°Truthfully though he has it right.  The Mind attribute does lessen the impact of the memory headaches a bit.  Soul helps too, although mostly on the emotional side of things. Emotions are weird for you dead guys though, because usually they are really muted.  But when they come out, they tend to be really strong and overbearing. Maxing your Soul attribute helps with controlling those impulses.¡±

    It makes sense, so I nod again.  At the same time though I look at George¡¯s broad back thoughtfully.  And take the time to actually look at his clothing. Which consists of a pair of black trousers, almost like slacks; boots of leather of some sort; and a long-sleeved tunic shirt that almost looks like a short robe belted closed with what seems to be a silk sash.  His black blade is nowhere to be seen. Weird clothing for weird people, I guess.

    ¡°Thanks for the advise, George.¡±  I finally say after a moment, which seems to startle the devil before he huffs and raises a hand.  Big guy definitely doesn¡¯t take thanks well, but it seems he¡¯s more than his asshole attitude would suggest.  His newbie actually looks surprised though, shaking his head abit.

    ¡°Heh.  Don¡¯t worry about George.  He used to be a Hellion, which is a race that¡¯s all about smashing shit and being as big and mean as possible.  Grunts, soldiers, and the like. Being big, mean, and stronger than the other guys is what Hellions are all about.  Which is a bit of a conflict with Devils though. So just take it as George having some rough patches.

    ¡°But no Devils come out here to be Guides without a good reason or the desire to actually help. Devils as a whole tend to be lawful neutral or evil, as such things go.  Contracts, bonds, and personal ties matter a whole lot. A Devil is his word.¡± Tod explains in a much quieter voice, although there¡¯s something like a pride in his little smile.

    ¡°A Devil is his word.¡±  George¡¯s voice echoes back to us, although he doesn¡¯t look back at us at all.  Still, it makes me smile a bit. It seems both Tod and George are far more complex than I¡¯d originally assumed.  And really, Tod is the biggest mystery right now. He seems almost too nice, too helpful.

    However, I¡¯m not in any mood to ask because over the horizon a far brighter light starts to peak.  At first I actually thought it was the sun coming up over the misted sky, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be at all.  Instead, it¡¯s a ball of light perched on top of a very, very tall black tower. A tower that actually pierces past the soul energy mist that is the sky of Limbo.

    The nearly absurd sight of it stops me in my tracks, and I stare transfixed.  I can only see the top of the tower from this point, but that ball of light really gets to me.  For one thing, I can actually feel it¡¯s warmth from here. As if it really were the sun. But at the same time something screams at me that it¡¯s completely artificial.  Possibly because of all the soul energy I can feel radiating from the thing.

    I¡¯m not the only one to stop though, as the other zombie guy also stares upwards at the sight just a step or two ahead of me.  It was almost dumbfounding, and really there wasn¡¯t anything else in my mind at all. At least until I hear both Tod and George start to chuckle.

    The sound seems to break me out of whatever funk I was in, because my eyes snap downward fast enough to make my head spin a bit.  The other guy is just the same, although he turns to look back at me, his black eyes open wide. I could all but feel the awe and fear coming from him.

    ¡°Haha.  It¡¯s always nice to see the newbies respond like that!¡±  Tod is still laughing, and George is nodding his head as well.  Which is kind of weird, given that they are both agreeing about something instead of bickering like an old married couple.

    ¡°The Sol Light is how we measure time in the vicinity of Helen City, heh.  There¡¯s no sun or moon or stars here in Limbo, so the only light is what we make ourselves.  Further from the cities the deeper the twilight becomes.¡± Tod starts yet another explanation, but I actually glance back up at the ball of light.  Or Sol Light, as Tod put it.

    ¡°The Sol Light is a magical construct built atop the Keeper¡¯s Tower.  It¡¯s the literal heart of Helen City, along with the other Keeper¡¯s Towers in the other cities.  And it radiates enough Soul Energy to be felt from vast distances, once you know what you are looking for.  That, and is what allows all these fields to grow and whatnot.¡± Tod looked like he was going to continue, but George grunts and interrupts him.

    ¡°Enough of that. We still have a ways to go before we get to the city, so we should get a move on.¡±  Yeah, that sounds just like George, but I think all of us can agree at this point. I especially want to see the city and what it has to offer.  So far there¡¯s just been an awful lot of walking and nothing else going on.

    That, and I haven¡¯t seen anyone else out here but us four the entire time.  It is almost disconcerting. The fields look well cared for, for instance, but there isn¡¯t a single farmer or worker for as far as my eyes can see.  Which says something, because even as a zombie I¡¯m quite a bit taller than even the fully grown Demon¡¯s Grain stalks.

    There are also no animals of any kind that I can spot.  Just plants, the road, and the black soil. All of which just strikes me as really odd.  Which is a feeling that¡¯s getting really old and annoying really fast.

    ¡°Where is everyone?  Are there no animals, monsters, or beasts around?¡±  I finally cannot hold it in anymore and start spouting questions.  To my side the other zombie guy nods his head, and I could almost see a big question mark floating above it too.

    ¡°Hm?  They are there, you know.¡±  Tod seems a bit put off with his reply, even as he idly motions to one side of the road.  Looking though I cannot see anything though. Before I can say anything though Tod¡¯s eyes go wide and he stops in mid-step, almost falling over in the process.

    ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t see anyone?¡± The words come quite fast this time, and in far more seriousness than I¡¯m used to from Tod.  At the same time George has stopped again, his back straightening to the point where it almost looks like he was about to bend backwards.  Almost like someone had stepped on his imaginary tail.

    Tod doesn¡¯t even wait for me to reply though, his black eyes rolling around almost frantically before he suddenly shouts.  I almost couldn¡¯t make out the words, it¡¯s so loud and fast, but I do make out ¡°[Mana Surge]¡± before all hell breaks loose.

    Which is saying something, because we are in Limbo, right?  The Realms of Hell are only a short distance, figuratively, away.  But the vast surge of ¡®power¡¯ that suddenly surges out of Tod¡¯s big red body almost knocks me off my feet.  My fellow newbie is actually blown off his feet and onto his back. At the same time the sound of glass shattering reaches my ears, and everything suddenly changes before my eyes.

    The clean and well kept fields are gone.  Burning and smoking ruins are all that¡¯s left of them.  The smell is astringent to my nose, bitter and smelling acidic.  The smoke is so heavy in the air I could almost taste it.

    Sadly that¡¯s the least of my worries, because what appears out of the gloom is a scene out of a nightmare.  Grey skinned zombie bodies are scattered all over the place, in bits and pieces; as if broken toys. Time whitened bones of skeletons are the same, although many of them are crashed.  And the bodies of little red men have been torn asunder, having splattered dark red blood all over everything in their surroundings.

    Above them all are the silently screaming souls of the dead and slain.  Each of them has been pierced through via great black chains, connecting one to the next in an endless macabre parade.  Black chains that spark with purple lights that causes the nearby translucent souls to howl in silent agony and flicker as if they were about to be snuffed out of existence at any moment.

    Even me, stunned by the sudden assault of sights and sounds and smells, can tell that those chains are bad news.  In fact, it were as if those chains were draining the souls dry, ready to consign them all to oblivion at the drop of a hat.  The sudden fear that clenches up in my chest only makes it all the worse.

    My saving grace however is the fact that I wasn¡¯t the first target.  Instead it was my silent companion, who isn¡¯t so silent once one end of those black chains whips out at him and grabs him around the throat.  At the same time, his sudden outburst of ¡®Holy fucking shit!¡¯ actually manages to save his life.

    Yeah, the punishment burn seems to hurt the black chain even more than it did him, allowing him to wiggle out of it¡¯s loosened grip and stand back up.  At the same time Tod finally steps forward and pulls the guy back, while shouting at me.

    ¡°Move!¡±  That one word is all I needed to hear as I break out into the fastest sprint of my short undead life.  In fact my suddenly motion is so terror-driven that I even reach inside myself and force my limited soul energy into focusing into my legs, giving me a sudden speed boost that sees me driving even past George, who¡¯d gone pale in the face while glancing around frantically.

    But I must have had the best idea, because soon enough both George and Tod are yelling for us to run, and to run as fast and as long as possible.  I barely make out the words, but I can hear the heavy stamping of running feet on the shattered black rock road. The scattered bodies and floating souls and the black chains make it a somewhat difficult thing, like running through an obstacle course.  None of us are complaining though.

    And then my energy flags, my already reduced soul energy running out after only a couple dozen feet.  It leaves me huffing and panting for breath, clutching at my aching chest as sweat pours down my face.  But I keep my legs moving, shambling or jogging, whichever way you want to say it.

    ¡°Fucking Scourge!  Fuck fuck fuck!¡± George is bellowing somewhere behind me, but they are all catching up as I try to force strength back into my legs to keep going.  I really don¡¯t want to look around or see what may be following us. And I definitely don¡¯t want to end up like those poor bastards already chained up by those eerie black chains.

    ¡°Shut up and keep running, George!  The main body isn¡¯t here!¡± Tod yells at the other devil, although I can hear the tightly controlled fear in his tone.  I take a moment to glance over my shoulder just as George comes bulling up behind me.

    Thankfully he doesn¡¯t brush me aside, and instead his large hands grab me around my chest only to hoist me over one of his shoulders like a sack of potatoes or something.  I can hear his bellowing breath beside my waist somewhere, but I¡¯m really so exhausted that once the weight are off my legs they are left dangling almost uselessly.

    ¡°Damned slow newbies!¡±  George curses as he continues to run.  Carrying me doesn¡¯t seem to slow him down one bit though.  Taking the chance to glance around, I find Tod only a few feet behind George, carrying the other guy too.

    Only the other zombie isn¡¯t looking so good.  The area around his throat where the chain had whipped him is an odd black-brown color and he seems to be wheezing for breath.  Only to suddenly cough up black bile that reminds me of what had happened when I first woke up.

    ¡°Shit, your guy has Scourge Poisoning, George!  I¡¯ll try to slow it down, but we need to get back to the city fast before he croaks.  Again!¡± Tod bellows between his own panted breath. He obviously isn¡¯t as strong as George is.  But I get the distinct feeling that Tod is still far more powerful than George.

    That especially becomes evident when his body starts to glow with red energy, which I take is his normal ¡®demon energy¡¯ he spoke about before.  It wraps around him, coiling and bunching up almost like a snake or a serpent, before drilling into the zombie guys body with a faint sizzling sound.  This makes the guy scream out in pain and another mouthful of that black bile, but soon afterwards that black-brown bruising around his throat starts to fade, although it never disappears completely.

    George for his part only grunts again, shifting me on his shoulder as he picks up a bit more speed.  Almost too much speed, because the world around me starts to blur. My eyes or my mind just can¡¯t keep up with everything passing below my head.  And in all honesty I¡¯m not sure I want to keep track of everything. I¡¯m just far too exhausted.

    Which is why I don¡¯t even notice it when I doze off and fall asleep.  Or unconsciousness, as the case may be. I simply black out while ignoring the yelling, crying, smell of blood and shit all around me.

 Chapter 02

    [You have survived: 01 days in Limbo!  Have a nice day!]

    Well, that really seems like deja vu.  Didn¡¯t I wake up to a similar message not too long ago?  Ugh. My head hurts, making all of this hard to think about.  In fact my everything hurts, which is probably why it takes me a little while to think the Voice message away.  Still, it¡¯s nice that it provides a usable measure of time.

    That said, saying I¡¯ve been down here a whole day is kind of pushing it.  I mean, the last I remember was being carried by an overly grumpy devil while running from black chains and some shit.  Scourge, I think Tod called it. Nasty shit, regardless of what it was called.

    Still, it¡¯s far too noisy in here for me to slip back into the blissfulness of sleep, so I force myself to focus my eyes and turn my head.  Or at least try to. It¡¯s like my whole body is being weighed down. Or that I don¡¯t have any strength.

    The slight movements I make though make me realize that something is wrong though.  For one thing, my left hand is on fire. Not literally, but it definitely feels that way.  Burning, shooting pain radiates from that part of my body. The second issue is that I¡¯m not tied up or tied down or anything.  Instead my whole body feels like I¡¯d run a damned hours-long marathon. Stiff and loose and all that shit, all at the same time.

    If I were still human or whatever I¡¯d think I¡¯d torn my muscles to shreds.  Severely overworked, in any case. Which as a zombie very much seems like an impossibility.  Who¡¯d ever heard of a zombie suffering from muscle fatigue? Not this guy.

    If there is one bright side though, it¡¯s that the pains and aches definitely helps in clearing up my head.  Pain is great in that way, although I get the distinct feeling that the lack of brain chemicals like adrenaline and endorphins are part of the reason why I feel so weird.  It¡¯s like having all the feelings of being alive without a body able to actually produce the things that make one alive. Really fucking weird.

    Thankfully I¡¯m not given any time to dwell on the unfamiliar words that pop into my head by the arrival of someone to my bedside.  I don¡¯t have to tilt my head far to see them, thankfully, although the task is harder than it sounds. My body really does feel like it¡¯s been chained down, ugh.

    ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re awake.  I¡¯ve read over your case, so I know that things seem a bit weird for you right now, but I want you to try to remain calm while I talk, okay?¡±  The interloper is a young woman, or at least I assume she is. She has light green hair that kind of sparkles like gems as she moves in the soft white light of the room.

    Wearing a white robe with a red silk sash, her skin is somewhat of a bronze tan and her eyes are a vibrant red on a black background.  Which just looks rather fetching, truth be told. That and she has those curves in just all the -right- places, like some damned Greek statue come to life.  All of which means she definitely isn¡¯t one of us Deaders¡¯. Possibly another transplant from the Hells.

    ¡°Good.  My name is Siliphes.  I am a succubus, and much like your devil Guide friend I am from the Realms of Hell.  I am also a healer working at the Guide¡¯s Guild here in Helen City. One of about two dozen, actually.¡±  She starts an introduction, to which I listen and nod at the opportune time. I don¡¯t even think I can talk right now, much less in this strange place.  All I can see are stone walls and a wooden ceiling above, in any case.

    ¡°You are a patient currently in the care of the Guide¡¯s Guild.  From what we¡¯ve been informed, your troop comprised of two devil Guides¡¯ and two newly awakened zombies were caught up by the attack by the Scourge on your way to the city.  You should be gladdened to know that all four of you made it to Helen City alive, if not entirely whole.

    ¡°Your zombie friend took a major hit from the Scourge chains, and is still unconscious.  He will survive though, if not in one piece. The same could be said for you as well, although with much less damage.  From what we were told you suffered an Overload and fell unconscious before being hurt, so at least be thankful for not having to remember the Scourge poisoning.¡±

    Okay, so maybe this succubus, Siliphes, likes to listen to her own voice or something because she¡¯s really talking.  And talking. And talking. At least it is all informative, although it seems she has some sort of sadistic glee in being able to talk to a captive audience, because her smile is only getting bigger and bigger as her mouth flaps.  Ugh. Maybe it¡¯s a Hell thing, although I cannot be sure.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve gotten you up to speed, I need to draw your attention to your pending messages log.  That will explain things in far more detail than I can provide, and is a good experience to have if you ever expect to survive alone out in the wilds of Limbo or elsewhere.  So mentally ask for your pending messages just like you¡¯d ask for your status.¡±

    Finally given instructions on what to do, I do just that.  It seems there are quite a few hidden abilities that come with the Voice than what were originally explained to me.  In this case, it gives me something to read other than staring at the succubus¡¯ pretty face.

    [-Message Log-]

    [You have been struck with Terror!  Mental resist failed! (x109)]

    [Charge ability learned!]

    [Soul Energy Manipulation has leveled up! (x2)]

    [You are exhausted! (x5)]

    [Charge has leveled up!]

    [You are severely exhausted! (x2)]

    [Terror has been resisted.]

    [Terror Resistance feat learned!]

    [+1 maximum Soul Energy for repeated exhaustion.]

    [Exhaustion Resistance feat learned!]

    [You have been stricken with Mild Scourge Poisoning!]

    [Soul Energy has been consumed! (x23)]

    [You are exhausted! (x23)]

    [+1 maximum Soul Energy for repeated exhaustion. (x6)]

    [Exhaustion Resistance has leveled up! (x4)]

    [Scourge Poisoning has been purged.]

    [You are severely exhausted.]

    [You are recuperating.]

    The list just seems to go on forever, but I scroll through it all and cannot help but grimace.  It really does seem that my frantic dash has something to do with being under the effects of Terror.  But I¡¯ve learned a few things from it, and gotten quite a few new abilities and whatnot under my belt.  Probably not the best way to go about things, but really eye opening.

    Especially all those maximum Soul Energy points.  I thought you had to buy those, but it seems there are other ways to gain such things as well.  Useful knowledge, there. The real kicker though is that Scourge Poisoning. Which seems to consume Soul Energy at set time intervals.

    How I was injured though is the question, but if anything I can just blame George for being an ass.  Although I doubt it was his fault. And if what Piliphes says is true, the other zombie guy got it far worse.  Thankfully I¡¯m not the one that has to deal with that. Heh.

    ¡°Looks like you are done, great.  You are currently recuperating here in the medical ward of the Guide¡¯s Guild, which is a service we provide free of charge to all newly awakened.  Scourge Poisoning however is something we don¡¯t often deal with, and neither is a direct attack by the Scourge itself. It was beaten back however, so there is no danger for the time being.

    ¡°And now that you are awake, you can heal up even faster.  Your status has indicated that you¡¯ve been soul exhausted several times, which is what we call Overload.  It happens to those training in magical or combat arts readily enough, but Scourge Poisoning takes that to a whole new level.  It literally rips the Soul Energy out of your body to feed itself, and is one of the few ways that can cause a soul to disperse if you are drained completely dry.

    ¡°Thankfully you have the Newly Dead perk, which helped offset the loss somewhat.  It¡¯s automatic while you are unconscious, as a safety measure, but it isn¡¯t very efficient.  Now that you are awake though, you can control it in order to more quickly get over the exhaustion.  So what I want you to do is reach out to the Soul Energy in the atmosphere and will it to be drawn to you.  It can take a bit to get the feel of it for those just starting, but once it enters your body it¡¯ll trigger the perk and it¡¯ll take over from there.  Just make sure you are concentrating on it otherwise it¡¯ll stop.¡±

    Okay, so listening to Siliphes makes me want to roll my eyes a bit.  She really is talkative in a way that Tod and George were not. And that grin on her face kind of gives me the willies.  Ugh.

    That said, I now know how to get over this exhaustion, which is great.  It was one of the things Tod hadn¡¯t covered though. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because he hadn¡¯t gotten that far, or if it isn¡¯t something normally given to the new guys.  I¡¯ll have to ask him about that later, although I suspect the former more than the later.

    Well, whatever.  I now have something to do, so I allow my eyelids to droop a bit as I reach out with my mind to the area around me.  It¡¯s surprisingly easy, given what I¡¯ve done before. Almost instantly I¡¯m able to feel the soul energy as well, and cannot help but smile to myself as I start tugging as much of it toward myself as I can.

    The feeling of soul energy entering my body is something of a surprise.  Burning hot yet relaxing cool all at the same time. It¡¯s definitely a little different from the feeling I had during my awakening.  Yet as soon as the soul energy passes through my muscles and bones I feel something else take over, and I cannot help but gasp out loud when the burning hot sensation is suddenly forced out of my body.  That leaves just the nice cool sensation.

    ¡°Hehe, sorry, but you have to experience that for yourself.¡±  Siliphes suddenly giggles, causing me to open my eyes and look at her.  Doing so while concentrating on drawing in the soul energy is somewhat difficult, but I manage.

    ¡°Your ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk automatically filters the soul energy you are cultivating, dear.  Cleaning it up, as it were. It can be something of a shock for the newbies, but it is a feeling you need to get used to.  You will have to be able to purify it later yourself. Right now it¡¯s an automatic process, but later you¡¯ll have to do it yourself.¡±  Siliphes explains, obviously knowing what I¡¯m going through right now.

    At the same time, I remember that Tod mentioned that himself before.  How he was jealous of the ability to purify the energy. I could see why as well.  With the process being automated, I can wholeheartedly concentrate on pulling the soul energy to me, instead of having to split my concentration on doing multiple things at once.

    Still, that makes me wonder if upping my Mind or Soul stat would help the process.  As it is, what I¡¯m actually managing to pull in could be called a small string of energy.  It feels nice, like soaking in a bath, but it definitely couldn¡¯t be counted as a lot. At least to me.  But then again I can already tell that my physical soreness and legarthy is because my body is literally starved of energy.  I really have nothing left in my gas tank, which feels really bad.

    ¡°... thanks.¡±  I finally manage to croak out to Siliphes, before allowing my eyes to close all the way as I concentrate as much as I can on the soul energy.  The more I do so, the better and clearer the feeling becomes, and the more of the energy I¡¯m able to pull toward me.

    It soon becomes a small bubbling spring instead of a single line, and I almost groan out in pleasure as my body starts to relax.  That cool feeling of the soul energy passing through my body just feels way too nice, while by the time it reaches my chest it is seamlessly absorbed into my reservoir.  It¡¯s just like mediating to regain mana¡­ although I have no idea what mana is.

    That unbidden thought and new fragment of memory jolts something inside of me though, and thus I reach out toward my soul energy.  It comes easily, pulled like a gently unwrapped string from a spool of thread as I gently direct it toward my head and into my eyes.  It¡¯s the same process that activates my Energy Sight, only this time I¡¯m directly throttling how much soul energy I bring to bare.

    But the difference as soon as the soul energy enters my eyes is immediate.  Even through my closed eyelids, the entire world changes and becomes far more vivid and otherworldly.  Especially directly around me.

    Where before I had to search for the soul energy with my mind, now I can literally see it floating about.  It¡¯s dim, dull, and nowhere near as thick as the great mists of it in the sky, but once I can see it my grasp of it becomes far stronger.  This allows my absorption rate shoots way up as I¡¯m able to draw it in from almost all the way across the room.

    In fact, I could almost hear the soul energy cry out as it¡¯s pulled toward me.  The sound is otherworldly and makes me open my augmented eyes, and I¡¯m just in time to see Siliphes looking around manically, as if she never expected something like this to happen.  Neither did I, in fact. But it is really great all the same.

    I mean, the soul energy is being pulled in like toward a black hole, swirling and twisting into several large streams that get swallowed up into my body at an impressive speed.  The sight of it in my magical sight is really cool to watch, so I hungrily pull in every speck I can see.

    Then I see something weird.  As those streams of soul energy enter my body, a part of it is dispersed into the air around me.  Only it isn¡¯t the light white or soft grey energy I¡¯m absorbing. Instead it¡¯s mottled in darker grey, black, red, and a myriad of other colors.  It¡¯s like there¡¯s a film surrounding my skin that prevents the different colors from entering my body.

    It¡¯s the impurities I was told about.  Only now I can really see them, and I realize that what count as ¡®impurities¡¯ are anything that isn¡¯t pure soul energy.  The red energy, for instance, I recognize as the same ¡®Demon Energy¡¯ Tod and George have used before. The feeling of it is burning hot and raging, almost out of control.

    The other forms of energy though I have no clue about.  Green, blue, yellow¡­ almost every color of the rainbow is there, each feeling and reacting different from the next.  Except for black. Instinctively I know what that is, probably because it was the thing that really and truly granted me this unlife.  Death Energy.

    For a moment I idly wonder if necromancers would love that stuff, but the thought fades as quickly as it comes while I continue to concentrate on pulling in the soul energy of nearly the entire room toward me.  Already I feel far better than I had before, but my insides still feel somewhat hollow, thus I don¡¯t want to stop. In fact the feeling is somewhat addicting.

    Then I wonder if I can split the various energies before they reach me.  The thought comes uninvited, but unlike my previous ponderings something about it just seems to light a lightbulb in my head.  No clue what a lightbulb is, but it doesn¡¯t matter right now. Instead, I really want to see if I can do it.

    Splitting my focus even more is a struggle though, to the point where my head starts to hurt again.  I ignore the feeling and the pain while reaching out to all of the soul energy I can before, before -willing- the various energies to split apart from one another.  That¡¯s the only way I can describe it.

    Which results in something of a localized explosion.  I don¡¯t have enough concentration left over to direct my thoughts to the whole of the room, but in about a two foot area around my body everything just kind of dissolves.  All of that energy goes wild, as every other form of energy outside of the pure soul energy is forced out of the overall mixture.

    A billowing cloud of dozens of different colors is spawned almost instantly, which responds in a very unexpected way.  Some of them fuse together, while others clash in a sudden ¡®BOOM¡¯! Which just aggravates the other energies. The bed I¡¯m laying on literally breaks apart, shattered into very small pieces, while Siliphes gives a very girlish scream as she¡¯s literally blown backward.

    For all of that though I¡¯m left untouched by it, floating there in mid-air as one explosion of energy after another echo around me.  Yet at the same time I feel a far greater influx of soul energy than before as I manage to hold my concentration through it all. I almost groan in satisfaction as I stretch out my limbs, feeling oddly unbound and powerful.

    Then it¡¯s done, my body unable to hold any more.  In that instant my concentration is severed, and everything blanks out as I fall to the floor.  The sudden jerk and painful landing makes me grunt, but the exhilarating feeling of absorbing soul energy actually makes me laugh.  It was just so great.

    Well, except for the splinters of wood and shit I land on.  But hey, if that¡¯s the price I have to pain for not being in pain or feeling like a dead body warmed over, what¡¯s the harm?  Except Siliphes is staring at me in something akin to fear from where she¡¯d landed on the floor a couple of feet away.

    In fact just about everyone who¡¯s awake in the entire room is staring at me as if I¡¯m some sort of freak, and for a moment I feel rather embarrassed.  Just for a moment though, because soon enough I¡¯m lifting myself up and standing, stretching out my body that¡¯s finally feels good and strong for the first time since I started using all the abilities I¡¯ve gained since waking up.

    ¡°Sorry, that was a rush.¡±  I say with a grin, stretching my arms above my head and feeling a satisfying crack as my back pops.  Aaah, so much better!

    ¡°That certainly was¡­ a rush.¡±  Siliphes finally says as she stands herself, although she¡¯s soon straightening her clothing absently while staring at me.  Finally on my own feet, I realize that she¡¯s at least a head taller than I am as well.

    ¡°Most newbies definitely are overcome with the enjoyment of cultivating soul energy for the first time, but I doubt any of them were as¡­ enthusiastic as you were.  Or even able to do what you did. Pulling the soul energy from all around the room, and then separating it around your body? I¡¯m not sure if I should call that crazy or brilliant.¡±  Siliphes starts to talk again, but I¡¯m only able to give a shrug as I look around the rest of the room.

    The medical ward is a long rectangular room, lined on both walls with beds.  The various people, and I use that term lightly, are laying about and resting.  It¡¯s a mix of zombies, skeletons, and others I cannot even identify. Many are missing limbs or other body parts.

    The previous sounds I heard must have been them talking to each other, because now the room is almost dead quiet.  Mostly because they are all staring at me. Some of them even have their mouths open in stupefaction.

    ¡°Still, you were able to cultivate in a very, very short amount of time.  Even with the ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk, newbies take about half an hour to gain ten points of soul energy.  You have more capacity than that, and yet you were able to fill up in only minutes. Hells¡­¡± Siliphes finally brings the subject back again, and even curses a bit.

    It really makes me want to grin and perhaps even gloat a little, but I push the urge down and instead arch a brow at the succubus while shrugging a shoulder.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help you there.  It just sort of came naturally to me, although I did use Energy Sight and Soul Energy Manipulation.¡±  I tell her honestly, which causes some muttering from the rest of the peanut gallery, whatever that is.  ¡°Especially the Energy Sight, which made it really easy to reach out and grasp all the soul energy in the room.¡±

    ¡°Well, that certainly explains some of it.  But how you are able to use those abilities like that is something I have no idea about.  That said, you have a bit of a mess to clean up.¡± Siliphes has a thoughtful look on her face, before she points out the fact that I¡¯d literally caused a bit of damage.  My bed, specifically, is a total loss. It was like a giant had taken a big ass club to it. In fact there are splinters of wood all over the place.

    ¡°Uh, got a broom or something?¡±  Yeah, real smooth on my part there.

    Thus is how I spend the next half hour or so cleaning up the medical ward.  A bit of a humbling experience, but I laugh it off after Siliphes got me that broom I requested.  Along with a set of wooden bins to toss all the trash into, of which there is quite a bit. Wooden bits from the bedframe aside, there¡¯s also the mattress which was simply fodder stuffed inside a woven mat.  Getting up all the chaff and shit took forever. Especially with some of it being sprayed across the beds of the other patients.

    That said, I did get to speak to some of the others in the meantime.  Many of them are slightly older newbies who were injured during the Scourge attack.  Others were in for injuries caused by training. Almost all of them asked questions about what I¡¯d done, and some of them even volunteered to show off some of their own abilities.

    One guy, a skeleton missing his lower left arm, showed off summoning fire that flew around above his body like a flying snake.  That was cool all on its own, and I spent a couple of minutes asking questions about that sort of magic. It was Sorcery, the use of natural energy through the exertion of will.

    And apparently his missing arm had come about when a fireball blew up too close for comfort.  He was just waiting for someone to come with a set of replacement bones. Heh. The bonehead really had it nice.

    Speaking of injuries though, it seems I have a bit of my own.  My left hand, which really was hurting when I first woke up, is now missing both the pinky and ring fingers.  It looked like they were torn off, although someone had been kind enough to stitch the injuries closed after smoothing them out.  It was kind of weird while looking at them though, because I could feel a phantom sensation from them.

    But that was something to think about later.  Siliphes returned a couple of minutes after I finished cleaning up, looking much happier than when she¡¯d left.  In fact she seems to glow a bit, but outside of some perked interest I don¡¯t feel anything else at what should be an outstandingly beautiful woman.  Hmm. Looks like I don¡¯t have any sex drive as a dead guy.

    ¡°Glad to see that you are a hard worker.¡±  She says as she walks up to me, and I just shrug.  Work is work, but at least it wasn¡¯t heavy manual labor.  Could have been worse.

    ¡°Stoic, huh?  No matter. Since you are already up and about, we¡¯ve decided to go ahead and discharge you.  This leads us back to why you are here at the Guide¡¯s Guild. For the next 30 days, you have free access to all of our commonly available resources.  This includes basic skill and ability training, access to the Guild¡¯s library, and what amounts to free room and board. Which isn¡¯t much of a hassle with you dead guys.¡±  Siliphes starts to explain, to which I nod.

    ¡°The Guide¡¯s Guild¡¯s sole mission is the rescuing and recruiting newly awakened undead in Limbo for their respective city.  We have branches in all nine major cities in Limbo, and offer the same services in all of them. Once your 30 days are up, you can sign up to work as a Guide yourself or go your own way.  Any questions?¡± Siliphes finally finishes her talk, and I purse my lips as several thoughts cross my mind. I skip all of that though.

    ¡°Yeah, why go through all the hassle?  I mean, why did the Guild start at all?  It seems odd that the city pays for all of this.¡±  I ask, trying to explain the big question that came to mind.  And for a moment it looks like Siliphes is stumped, before she bursts out laughing.

    ¡°Aah, I forgot you got interrupted during your way to the city.  You see, the undead like you aren¡¯t able to reproduce so unlike a living city there¡¯s no way to increase the population or keep it up at all unless we go out and initiate the awakening process for new deaders.  It¡¯s very rare for it to happen naturally.¡±

    Ooooh, that makes a lot more sense.  For a moment I wonder why I didn¡¯t realize it sooner, before I remember my ridiculously low stats.  Ugh. It seems that I¡¯m more apt to now realize what¡¯s in front of my eyes if I stay this way much longer.  Which may be why the Guild was set up, too.

    ¡°Okay, that makes much more sense now.  Thanks. Any idea where I could find Tod, my Guide?¡±  I thank the succubus before asking what¡¯s really on my mind.  I kind of miss the old red bloke, and I bet he has way more information than what Siliphes can offer.

    ¡°You are welcome, and you¡¯re talking about that Devil?  I can¡¯t really say. I try to stay away from others from the Hells.¡±  She readily takes my thanks, but then her expression somewhat sours. Which leaves me stumped, cause I have no idea why.  Thankfully she doesn¡¯t leave me in a lurch for long, seeing the expression on my face.

    ¡°Ah, succubi are ¡®rare commodities¡¯ in the Hells.  So most of us try to escape at the earliest opportunity.  Devil¡¯s tend to be civil, but are just as likely to try to trap us in convoluted and complex contracts all the same.  Hellions are much easier to deal with, cause they are far less intelligent. Gargoyles are stoneheads, and care little for what succubi can offer, thankfully.¡±  Siliphes gives an explanation that turns into another running rant, but I listen and try to remember all the bits all the same. Information is important.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Which is why I love working here in Limbo, you know?  You dead guys don¡¯t even bat an eye at me. It is so refreshing!  I don¡¯t have to worry about my looks or go out of my way to charm the guys into leaving me alone.  Hell, you¡¯ve barely looked at my curves since you woke up! Ha ha¡­¡±

    Yeah, I get it now.  Siliphes definitely has her own issues to work on, but it seems she¡¯s happy.  Almost a bit too happy, with her face having gone red and a little bit of panting thrown in at the end there.  She soon clears her throat and settles down though, as if nothing had happened. Weird woman, to say the least.

    ¡°Anyway, you are free to go.  Just stop by the front desk to get registered and receive your starting package.  And try not to get blasted to bits, ¡®kay? Even I can¡¯t put a body back together like that!¡±

    And just like that I¡¯m all but kicked out of the medical ward.  Then only a few minutes later I¡¯m passing out of the wide open doors of the Guide¡¯s Guild and out onto the streets of Helen City.  Given my previous unconscious state, I had yet to actually see the city itself, so I¡¯m left looking around wide-eyed like a tourist when I finally do get my eyes on it.

    And what I see is both surprising and yet somewhat expected.  Helen City is built out of the same black stone as found in the Plains of Corpses, for the most part, but there¡¯s also what seems like wood and clay tiles and mortar as well.  All the colors though are in browns, greys, and black. Except for surprisingly colorful lanterns hung all over the place.

    Every building I can see is at least two or three stories tall, and liberally festooned with those lanterns which are in all sorts of shapes and patterns.  Many of them look like the paper lanterns you¡¯d find in¡­ eastern countries? Is that right? Damn my memory. Anyway, they are colored paper wrapped around some sort of light source that doesn¡¯t flicker like a flame would.  Others are crafted of bronze or stone, and many look like beasts or mythical creatures.

    It leaves me standing there open-mouthed for a little while, but I¡¯m soon brought out of it by a sour grunt from a large devil making his way to the door.  I quickly step to the side and give a little wave. The devil doesn¡¯t even say anything, rushing into the Guild. Rude.

    Still, my attention is brought back to the city, but honestly I have no idea where I am or where I am going.  The things I was given inside are less than helpful in that way, as well. A change of clothing, a big leather sack, and a small bag of 50 shards and some coinage.  Twenty copper coins and a single silver coin. It seems pretty generous, but I remember what Todd was telling me about how the currency actually works around here. All over the place, that is.

    That was all though.  I could have stuck around and asked for training or the like, but really after all the ¡®excitement¡¯ I¡¯m quite ready for something more normal.  Spending my time in a library right now just doesn¡¯t sound good. Neither does being put through a ringer with a bunch of skill trainers either.

    Which is why I¡¯m looking around like some tourist while basically scratching my head.  Except now a blinking V symbol in my vision finally catches my attention. It¡¯s vague and very nearly transparent, but it finally manages to catch my attention.

    [-Personal Statistics-]

    [Name: -Locked-][Titles: None][Status: Civilian]

    [Racial Type: Dead | Zombie][Rank: F | Level: 1]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 18/18 (+)][Soul Points (SP): 5 (-Locked-)]

    [Body: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)][Mind: 1/3 | +1 (10 SE)][Soul: 1.3 | +1 (10 SE)]

    [Feats: Over-Sight - Rank III. (14/40)(UP!); Terror Resistance - Rank I. (23/25)(NEW!); Exhaustion Resistance - Rank V. (110/125)(NEW!)]

    [Abilities: Energy Sight - Rank VI. (63/150)(UP!); Inspect - Rank II. (1/50); Charge - Rank II. (3/50)(NEW!)]

    [Skills: Soul Energy Manipulation - Rank III. (58/75)(UP!); Energy Manipulation - Rank II. (4/50)(NEW!); Concentration - Rank II. (14/50)(NEW!); Cultivation - Rank I. (43/100)(NEW!)]

    [Perks: Newly Dead][Detriments: Newly Dead]

    [-Message Log-]

    [Newly Dead Perk activated.]

    [You are no longer exhausted.]

    [Cultivation skill learned!]

    [Concentration skill learned!]

    [Energy Manipulation skill learned!]

    [Partial Feat performed: Accidental Purification!]

    [+1 maximum Soul Energy.]

    [Over-Sight feat has leveled up! (x2)]

    [Energy Manipulation has leveled up!]

    [Concentration has leveled up!]

    [Newly Dead Perk deactivated!]

    [You are no longer recuperating.]

    [Concentration: Log Saved.]

    Whoah!  Damn the Pits, it looks like everything has changed as my status pops up followed by my message log.  I¡¯d totally forgotten about those, to be honest. But it looks like the Voice has noticed, because I could almost feel the sarcasm from here.  Especially at the very end, with the ¡®log saved¡¯ thing. Ugh.

    That said, I am glad that things are a bit more full on my status.  The new skills, abilities, and feats all look good. Sadly that means I¡¯m going to have to check them all out later, cause I have only a vague idea of which does what.  Especially the difference between ¡®Soul Energy Manipulation¡¯ and ¡®Energy Manipulation¡¯. My quick and dirty hypothesis on that one is the difference from when I separated out all those other energies when I was cultivating earlier.  Which is easily to say, given all the explosions it caused. Heh. That makes it rather memorable, even by my standards.

    ¡°Excusssse me, but aresss yousss interested in a guidesss to the city?¡±  A sudden voice breaks me out of my mental tangles, and I quickly end up having my eyes drawn down to where the voice is coming from.

    What I find there, standing barely two feet or so off the ground is a giant rat.  A rat standing on hind legs, at that. With matted black furr, and a very slim but skin-scale covered tail that¡¯s probably two or three times longer than he is long.  With big buck teeth.

    Normally this is where I¡¯d likely scream in horror or some such, generally, but all I feel is some mild curiosity to the furried man.  Which thankfully is a far better form of introduction than any number of the ¡®freak out¡¯ intention others may have. That said, the rat guy really looks like he¡¯s seen better days than what he¡¯s been going through.  He¡¯s rather¡­ dirty, to put it gently.

    ¡°Actually yeah, I could.  I was carted into the city unconscious during the Scourge attack, so I know absolutely nothing about the city itself.¡±  I tell the small fellow, whom is actually kind of twitchy. Likely afraid of being kicked away or something, if I had to take a guess.  ¡°I¡¯m also a newly awakened, so I know nothing about the other races around here either.¡±

    That bit of honesty on my part seems to breath a sigh of relief from the rat guy, as his whiskers visibly perk up.  It¡¯s almost cute, in a twisted little dog sort of way. Only it¡¯s a walking, talking rat. Yeah, I¡¯ll leave the mental image there as he starts to bounce a little from foot to foot.

    ¡°Yessss, I sussspected as much.  Youssss new guysss alwaysss have that blank looksss after leaving the Guild.¡±  The rat guy says, motioning behind me with one of his clawed paws. His claws are yellowed and chipped though.

    ¡°I be¡¯sss Tresk, and be¡¯sss a Kriti, an evolution of the commonsss city ratsss, yesss.¡±  He finally introduces himself, and gives something of a bobbing nod that may have been a bow, but I cannot really tell.  The fact that he¡¯s an evolution of species of rat makes sense, but at the same time it really leaves me a bit stumped. Even rats can evolve here?  That¡¯s almost crazy.

    ¡°Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Tresk.¡±  I say after a moment, having to jerk my attention back to the matter at hand, again.  My mind really likes to wander, ugh. ¡°I haven¡¯t unlocked my name yet, so call me whatever you¡¯d like.  Also, what would it cost to get a tour of Helen City?¡±

    I move the subject along, because I really don¡¯t want cause any issues by putting my foot in my mouth.  George covered that rather nicely before, but I don¡¯t want to turn into comedian or the like. Social graffs aren¡¯t a subject I¡¯m interested in, thank you very much.  I¡¯m also getting better at ignoring those strange thoughts, as well. Trying to keep my head from exploding like an overfull tick really adds some determination there.

    ¡°Ah, yessss.  I will just call yousss ¡®customer¡¯, yesss.¡±  Tresk seems somewhat surprised, although I don¡¯t know why, but he quickly picks back up.  ¡°And I¡¯ssss will take whatever yousss are willing to offer, yesss. Being a Kriti leavesss onesss without optionsss for paying worksss.¡±

    Okay, I get the feeling that Tresk is trying to explain something there, but those really long ¡®s¡¯ sounds he makes through his toothy maw require me a few moments to process.  It¡¯s like¡­ hell, I don¡¯t know how to explain it. It¡¯s just weird. Like talking to a foreigner who hasn¡¯t gotten the local language down yet.

    Still, if Tresk is that hard up for paying work then I imagine that things are quite bad for the Kriti in general.  Which isn¡¯t a stretch, since they are evolved rats. I imagine they are like goblins¡­ which for the life of me I cannot help but remember.  Ugh. Green skinned bastards, right? Well, whatever. All that said, I could use the help and connections are never a bad thing.

    Which is why I pull my little coin purse out of where I¡¯d stuffed it in my shirt, and pull out a whole ten Shards.  Probably a bit much, maybe, but this could be a good thing. I know literally nothing about Helen City, Limbo in general, or the wider world at all.  And this is a chance to build a working relationship with what is no doubt the seedy underground of this city. Which is already underground, but that¡¯s beside the point.

    ¡°Here, Tresk.  I¡¯d like for you to guide me around the city and it¡¯s major landmarks.¡±  I say with a smile, holding out the shards in my hand. The Kriti stares at the shards with wide eyes, and even I can recognize the disbelief on his face.  Heh. It looks quite amusing, truth be told.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this counts as a lot of pay, but I don¡¯t have a whole lot of coin or shards right now.  That said, I may have more work for you later, so think of this as a retainer for your services. The one thing I do know is that I¡¯m going to need a lot of information about Helen City, important people, cultivating and probably everything else.¡±

    I don¡¯t bother to hide my intent, which seems to wake the Kriti up.  He nearly jumps up to snatch the shards from my hand, while jerking his head around as if worried about being seen or observed.  I probably should be more careful too, but there isn¡¯t anyone around at the moment. In fact the streets are oddly empty right now.

    ¡°Yesss, of courssse.  Tresk thankssss yousss much.¡±  Tresk slips the shards away before all but bowing to the ground, but I wave him off such platitudes.  Or at least I would have, if the little guy hadn¡¯t grabbed my hand suddenly before pulling me toward the nearest dark alley across the street from the Guide¡¯s Guild.

    In fact, his grip is far stronger than I would have suspected, and I almost lose my feet as he tugs me into almost a run into the darkness between two fairly large multistory buildings.  For how small the little guy is, he¡¯s rather fast as well as strong. Maybe it¡¯s a racial thing, or just that his stats are stronger than I would have thought. Thankfully the light jog I¡¯m forced into doesn¡¯t bother me at all, although the fugitive way Tresk continues to look around worries me just a bit.

    At least until we are well into the alley, which is surprisingly clean but dark.  Probably only a couple feet from wall to wall, the ground is still paved in black stone, but there isn¡¯t any debris or muck like I would have suspected.  In fact it just seems like a bit of unused space between two different properties, closed up at the far end with another wall.

    The far wall, which Tresk pulls me all the way toward.  And then he lets go of my hand, and suddenly he¡¯s standing upright to his full height.  I hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been bent over or anything before, but the straight-backed stance really does give him a different air, even if he¡¯s still just as dirty as before.

    ¡°Tresk thanks you, customer.¡±  Okay, and he talks way better now, too.  That surprise must have been seen on my face, because Tresk actually starts to laugh a little in a rumbling way.

    ¡°I apologize for the deception, but Kriti are not very welcome within Helen City.  We are¡­ tolerated, so to say, but generally disdained because of our relationship with our lesser kin.¡±  Tresk explains after his laughter has come to an end, although that smooth way of speaking now still somewhat gets to me.  It¡¯s like he¡¯s become a totally different person, and I have no idea what to think of it.

    ¡°Okay, I get that bigots are found everywhere, but why the secrecy?¡±  I finally manage to ask after a moment of gathering my thoughts. I¡¯m really not sure if my random act of kindness or the job offer is a good thing now or not.  That, and I¡¯m now in the end of a dark alleyway with a guy who is far stronger than I am.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit involved.  We Kriti often offer our services to new guys, as well as other enterprises around the city.  Part of that is just to make money, of course, but we Kriti are also about making connections.  Rats are rather social creatures, and it is a trait that continues in the Kriti even after the evolution.¡±  That¡¯s something I can follow, so I nod to show that I¡¯m keeping up.

    ¡°Kriti as a whole are not a combat suitable race.  This leaves many others dissatisfied with us as a whole.  But where we are disadvantaged in that sphere of influence, we make excellent merchants, information brokers, spies, and thieves.  This leaves Kriti as a whole with an even more poor reputation, and thus we are forced to be very careful when we move about in public.  Thus my poor performance earlier, for which I do apologize.¡±

    Tresk actually gives a real, smooth bow then, complete with a clawed hand over his chest; although even I can tell there¡¯s a bit of a smile on his whiskered and furred face.  I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a racial thing there, but the guy really does seem to be a great actor. Or a spy, thief, or something else all together. I simply am unable to tell.

    ¡°Now, we specifically greet the newly awakened in order to take measure of them.  This is both to keep records, similar to what the Guide¡¯s Guild does, but also to check out their personality traits as it may apply to the Kriti.  Being kicked away for being a ¡®dirty rat man¡¯ is no fun, I can assure you.¡± Yeah, I could totally get why Tresk¡¯s voice would be dry about that.

    ¡°Those that are aggressive or disdainful are put on our blacklists, and thus no other Kriti will willingly approach them.  If they later find their way to us for one matter or another, we will welcome them as customers but charge a premium for our services.¡±  Tresk stops there, glancing around again before stepping over to the wall. Then he rubs his hand against a stone that I can barely tell is sticking out a little.

    A bit of dust is scraped off the stone, revealing a rather deeply engraved circular mark in the otherwise smooth black stone.  If I didn¡¯t know any better, I could have sworn it was a Thieves¡¯ Mark, although why that term came to mind I have no idea about.  Another loose memory, no doubt. Sadly that¡¯s all that bubbles up to the surface, which makes me grimace a little.

    ¡°This is our mark, denoting a safe place for business.  As you are already a paying customer, then this is a show of our appreciation.¡±  Tresk says then, giving a rather toothy grin as he looks back at me.

    On the other hand I was actually taking the time to remember the mark engraved in the stone, and even reach up to touch it.  It¡¯s completely smooth to the touch, without any rough edges or grit at all. In fact I could faintly feel the energy that had made it, as if it had been done by magic.

    ¡°Inspect¡­¡±  I mutter gently under my breath, not sure if it would work or not, and thus a little surprised when another blue box opens up in front of my eyes.

    [Kriti Shadow Mark - Merchant]

    [One of several types of Shadow Mark¡¯s developed by the Kriti, this one denotes a place where trades, barters, and deals are made.  Safety is guaranteed around the area of the Shadow Mark.]

    Wow, okay so that¡¯s kind of cool.  And it seems that this is only one type of mark the Kriti deploy.  I¡¯m actually a bit curious about the others, but that¡¯ll have to wait for later.

    ¡°Oh, a bit of a surprise there, although it shouldn¡¯t have been, I guess.  Tobias is a rather odd devil after all.¡± Tresk probably was able to hear my word, but I simply smile a little when he talks about Tod.  Good to know the man has a reputation. I can probably track him down with that.

    ¡°True enough, and thanks for showing me this.¡± I say then, pleased with having already learned something that is probably quite valuable.

    ¡°Most welcome.  Now, onto business.  You are a ¡®newbie¡¯, as others like to put it, and thus have no experience here in Limbo.  You also don¡¯t have any stats yet, which from what I saw with the Scourge attack yesterday is easily explained.¡±  Tesk starts to say, even as one of his hands comes up so he can tap a claw against his short muzzle. It was like the thinking posture others would take, no doubt.

    ¡°You wish to hire the Kriti for information, and information is valuable.  Your show of kindness though is rather appreciated, and it would definitely be nice to have another ¡®friend¡¯ of the Kriti around.  So I¡¯ll be upfront and give you something of value here.¡± Tresk says then, and while I can definitely hear the humor in his voice, his tone is strict and to the point.  Just like what you¡¯d expect from a merchant. One that could swindle me rather badly, at that.

    Still, his ¡®offer¡¯ is enticing, even more so when he pulls to be a simple stone ring out of seemingly thin air.  It was like a magic trick, given the Kriti is wearing what is basically soiled rags on his body. There¡¯s like nowhere for anything to go, from what I can see.  Which makes me realize that I hadn¡¯t seen what he¡¯d done with the shards I¡¯d handed him earlier.

    ¡°This little lovely is a Ring of Inventory, although of the poorest rank.  It has a five-by-five cubed feet space inside of it, used to store objects and items of any size that¡¯ll fit.  All except living things anyway. Storage for living alchemical substances and herbs cannot be placed inside of it.¡±  Tresk says, before tossing it to me.

    I actually fumble a bit in catching it, chagrined at my lack of agility in doing so.  But at least I do snatch it out of the air before it hits the ground. Which is likely a good thing, given what Tresk was just saying about the ring.  I can imagine that it is rather expensive, even for being the lowest rank.

    Once the ring is in my hand though I can feel the magical charge on it, and a slightly cool sensation against the skin of my hand.  It actually feels a little comforting, oddly enough. Especially when I slip it onto one of my fingers, granting me access into the space inside the ring with just a thought.

    The inside is empty and dark, except for a single sheet of thick folded parchment.  A single thought pulls the parchment out of the ring and into my hand, almost feeling like the flip of a switch.  Except it¡¯s just a feeling, and there¡¯s no sound or light about it.

    ¡°Good.  Now, that is the real thing you have purchased, dear customer.¡±  Tresk says then, still smiling while nodding his head. He really does seem to be in a good mood.

    ¡°That is a full map of Helen City and its immediate surroundings.  It is lightly enchanted, granting it several useful features, although in truth they are only a poor imitation of the much more expensive ¡®Travelers¡¯ Map¡¯.  It is, however, the perfect thing for what you are looking for at this time.¡±

    Okay, so I was barely listening to Tresk at that point after he said ¡®map of Helen City¡¯.  In fact I was almost afraid to rip the damned thing when I pulled it open, causing it to unfold and unfold and unfold some more.  It was a full map indeed, and big enough that I had to spread my arms to hold it all up.

    The detail was great, even in the dim light here in the alleyway.  Helen City itself is a giant circle in the middle of a vast empty plain, constructed in concentric circles toward the Keeper¡¯s Tower in the dead center.  Almost like a bullseye, actually.

    But outside of just the physical appearance of the city spread across the parchment of the map, there is also the information.  Small blue boxes denoting the names of buildings, institutions, and features of the city. I¡¯m quickly able to find the Guide¡¯s Guild amongst it all, and focusing on it¡¯s name opens up a slightly bigger box with a short description of the Guild itself.

    ¡°Wow.¡±  Is all I can basically say, because this map is freakin¡¯ awesome.  Besides being really big, it¡¯s jammed packed with all sorts of information.  Almost mind boggling.

    ¡°Haha!  Yes, most people have the same response.  Even those whom have lived in Helen City for a while.  The city is big, and that¡¯s saying something. I think the last census placed the population at around four million residents and nearly half again regular visitors a century ago or so.¡±  Tresk really seemed to get a kick out of my reaction, but I¡¯m not complaining. It¡¯s good to know that others have a sense of humor around here. Dull, grey, and boring is the usual motto for the dead, after all.

    ¡°Okay, we are just outside of the Guide¡¯s Guild, which isn¡¯t too far from the Keeper¡¯s Tower.  Nearby you also have the Warrior¡¯s Conclave, the Wizard¡¯s Tower, and the Merchant¡¯s Association.  Those are the three big guilds in the city. But there are many more smaller specialized groups as well.  Many of them are authorized guilds of their own, like the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and the Smithing Guild.¡±

    Tresk starts giving me a quick run-down of the important groups and places, even going so far as to have me hold the big map up against the alley wall so as to point them out to me.  And there¡¯s a lot of stuff to point at. Too bad I don¡¯t an extra hand, or a dozen. Hah.

    What it all boils down to though is that just about every profession, group of skilled individuals, and big family clans have their own guild, association, or society.  The Kriti Merchant Collective, for instance, is the sole sovereign entity for the race of Kriti in Helen City. And they fall outside of the Merchant¡¯s Association.

    Tresk had to explain that bit to me, but it seems that the all formally established groups carry influence in various ways.  And they use that influence to strengthen themselves, make deals with others, or claim resources from outside the city¡¯s walls.  Thus the groups, big and small, often fight with each either. The competition can be quite bad.

    That said, there are only two big groups that do not fight for influence.  The first is the Guide¡¯s Guild, which is solely owned by the city itself. It is completely non-political, and thus is one of the best liked factions in Helen City.  The other is the city itself, run out of a city hall complex called the Helen Throne. It¡¯s the main political and administrative heart of the entire domain, and no one in their right mind would challenge it.  Publically, at least.

    When it comes to the Patrolmen and the Helen City Army, things get a bit weird.  Neither are established guilds or groups, and yet they hold both great power and political sway.  Especially the Patrolmen, who deal solely with keep security and crime within the city to a manageable level.  They deal with crime, and hold the sole court for the city under their jurisdiction. Only the Throne, the current ruler of Helen City, can gainsay the court.

    The Helen City Army on the other hand deals with territorial matters, including defense and patrolling the many small villages and groups within the territory Helen City has claimed.  It really was like a medieval society in that manner. That said, criminals dealt with by the Army have to be handed over to the city¡¯s Patrolmen to face judgement. The Army does not have a court of its own.

    By this point though my head is already spinning.  It¡¯s just too much information to keep track of right now.  Thankfully Tresk is thoughtful on that matter, offering up a grin of apology and once more mentioning my low stats.  This is only my second day of being un-alive, after all.

    ¡°Well, enough of the political stuff then.  I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like to get settled here soon, and start working toward becoming something other than a regular zombie, yes?¡±  Tresk finally brings the topic back around, to which I nod a couple of times to.

    ¡°Yes, please.  I really have no idea where to go or what to do now.   The Wizard¡¯s Tower sounds like it¡¯d be something I¡¯d be interested in, given my energy manipulation skills, but from the sound of it it is not a good starting point.¡±  I explain my thoughts on the matter, to which Tresk nods and tugs on his own whiskers in thought.

    ¡°That is definitely true.  I highly doubt you¡¯d want to be stuck in a binding contract for two centuries while being worked like slave labor to a bunch of liches.¡±  Yeah, even I can hear the repulsion in Tresk¡¯s words. It seems to be a big gripe with the Tower, which I can totally agree with.

    ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­  Ah, I know!¡±  Tresk almost yells after seeming to finally think of something.  I get the feeling he isn¡¯t used to having to put too much thought into matters, given his blatant intelligence.  But then again the social structure of Helen City is just that complicated.

    ¡°Here.¡± Tresk then points to the map, showing a small place near the western edge of the city wall.  The name pops up as well on the map, saying it¡¯s the ¡®Silver Key Magic Society¡¯.

    ¡°The Silver Key is a small magic-based society outside of the Wizard¡¯s Tower control.  They don¡¯t specialize in any specific magical practice, and are always looking for new members.  Their society leader is a Silver Lord, a type of zombie who specializes in magical research. Sadly he¡¯s more apt at administration than magical theory and study, but is rather open-minded and welcoming to those starting out.  He¡¯s also rather friendly to the Kriti, so the Silver Key would make a good place for you.¡±

    Okay, so I have no idea what a Silver Lord is, but the rest of that sounds like a good idea.  That and being a group on good terms with the Kriti sounds like a good thing to me. Heh. So far Tresk has been nothing but helpful, although I¡¯m partially sure it¡¯s just part of his penchant for being a merchant.

    ¡°Also, I do believe he¡¯d be quite willing to take you in after your accident in the Guide¡¯s Guild medical ward.¡±  Then Tresk throws me a curve ball, and I¡¯m left standing there blinking at him like an idiot. Just¡­

    ¡°... how do you even know of that?!¡±  Okay, I really don¡¯t mean to yell, but the surprise is just that much.  Like, it hadn¡¯t even happened an hour ago or so!

    ¡°Hahahahaha!  A total newbie, during his first time cultivating, nearly blows himself up because he was playing with forces and energy he didn¡¯t understand!  Hahaha. It was real fun to watch, by the way.¡± Tresk laughs at me, almost holding his belly as he does so before he points to the top of the back wall of the alleyway.

    I follow his pointing claw, and notice a large black rat sitting on top of the wall.  For a moment I don¡¯t notice anything, before I find myself staring at the rats¡¯ two large eyes.  Eyes that are a very vivid, and seemingly glowing green. You almost wouldn¡¯t spot it unless it was looking right at you though.

    ¡°Aaah, excuse me.¡±  Tresk finally gets his amusement under control after a few moments.  ¡°Aah, that is one of the city rats currently under a spirit contract with a Kriti.  You can tell with the green eyes. They act similar to a summoned familiar of a wizard or the like, allowing us to see and hear through their senses.  It is one of the main tools of the Kriti trade, so I would kindly ask you not to go sharing that information.¡±

    Tresk has calmed down, but I end up nodding and agreeing to keep that information to myself.  Especially when I point out that I could ask such a rat to meet with the Kriti if I ever needed to.  Tresk definitely agreed, and seemed happy to offer such a service as required, although he did point out that I may not be able to get in contact with Tresk himself.

    I was quite fine with that myself, as I doubt Tresk himself specializes in all the things the other Kriti could offer.  They did however seem to share a very communal sort of life, so being in the good books of one means that all the others will know sooner or later.  Which is a good thing, at least for me.

    ¡°Now, the rats here in Helen City typically have red eyes.  Green eyes like that little ones¡¯ show the mark of being bound.  If you ever run into a rat with black eyes though, run. Run as fast as you can to the nearest patrolman or army soldier you can find.¡±  Tresk then says, in a far more serious voice.

    ¡°Black eyes on a rat often means it is Scourge Infected, which makes them bigger, meaner, and stronger than other rats.  And infectious all on its own. The Kriti constantly hunt for such blighted rats, a service we perform for the city. But finding one anywhere needs to be reported quickly.  Especially after the Scourge attack yesterday.¡±

    Okay, yeah.  I could definitely get behind that policy.  Especially after remembering the attack myself.  Just thinking of those black chains makes me shudder a bit while my left hand pulses with a bit of phantom pain.

    ¡°The Scourge¡­  I¡¯m not able to say much about it, sadly.  But what I can tell you is that the Scourge effects the living and the dead in different ways.  Those that are dead end up having their Soul Energy stripped from them, which is called Scourge Poisoning.  The living however end up Scourge Blighted, which can cause uncontrollable mutations and spread like a disease.  A disease that grows stronger with every living being it infects.¡±

    Yeah, I definitely shudder at the thought that Tresk just put into my head.  The Scourge itself sounds like a bad deal, and what it does is even worse. I¡¯m happy that my body isn¡¯t living, because I may have lost my lunch otherwise.  Ugh.

    In fact, the mental disgust I have for the Scourge is way stronger than should be possible given my state of un-living.  Not even the blood and gore I witnessed during the Scourge attack got a rise out of me of such strength. It was like¡­ Hm.  How to explain? Like everybody in Limbo wanted the Scourge erased. It is that strong of a compulsion.

    I shake the feeling from my head though while fighting down the dread, horror, and disgust in my guts.  Once more I¡¯m happy that I don¡¯t have a gag reflex, although I am left somewhat gasping for breath. Tresk seems concerned, but just waits for me to catch myself, to which I¡¯m thankfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay lad.  Everyone has a different reaction when meeting the Scourge for the first time.  Sadly the memory is slow to fade, but it¡¯ll get better with time.¡± Tresk says then, which explains a few things.  And somewhat ticks me off, because no one else mentioned the -other- side effects. Just great.

    ¡°Okay, thanks, Tresk.¡±  I finally say, straightening up before putting a somewhat wane smile on my lips.  Strong front and all of that, although it leaves me keenly aware of the fact that I am really a newbie here.  A newbie in power, and a newbie in life. Or as much life as possible in Limbo.

    ¡°Now, on to easier topics.  When you get to the Silver Key Magic Society, ask for Archmagus Silver.  That¡¯s the societies¡¯ leaders ¡®public name¡¯. If asked, just say that Merchant Tresk sent you his way.  I¡¯ll send one of my rats to inform him that you are coming.¡± Tresk manages to keep a straight face while listing out his instructions, but when he says that he¡¯s going to ¡®inform him¡¯ that I was coming I get an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Which, in turn, lead me to glare at the smaller Kriti.

    ¡°And inform the Silver Lord about my magical debacle?¡±  Okay, so maybe there¡¯s a bit too much spite in my words there, but everyone seems highly amused about my incident.  It was like I¡¯d become an idiot celebrity or something. Not a good reputation to have, I assure you.

    ¡°Why of course!  It is amusing, after all.  Haha.¡± Tresk comes right out and says it, leaving me to sigh somewhat forlornly.  Ugh.

    ¡°Well, that and to let Silver know that you have quite a bit of skill in the area of energy manipulation.  Which is the core of all but the most ritualistic magical practices, by the way. Being able to expertly and precisely control energy will allow you to cast magic faster and have stronger effects.  It¡¯ll also let you carve runes, create long-lasting and powerful enchantments, and any number of other things.

    ¡°The fact that you actually didn¡¯t blow yourself up in the meantime really shows off what you could potentially do.  Researching new spells and skills typically are done in warded chambers that restrict the amount of energy inside of them, allowing for experimentation with a far lower risk of things exploding when they go wrong, you understand.  Once your thirty days of Newly Dead are up, you could become quite powerful that way since you could rapidly gain a number of professional level skills. Even I¡¯m a bit excited to see what you could do.¡±

    Wow, I didn¡¯t expect Tresk to be the sort to become so talkative, but it¡¯s good to know that I have a fan.  Especially since he does seem to have way more experience in discerning the potential of others than anyone I¡¯d met yet.  Well, except for maybe Tod, but the devil didn¡¯t mention anything in that direction.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it.  I¡¯ll live with being the brunt of everyone''s jokes for a while.  Then I¡¯ll blow something important up and no one will laugh again.¡±  Yes, maybe a little surly of me, but for some reason that sort of attention just really seems to tick me off.  Probably a bit of my past life coming back to haunt me.

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.  Anyway, off you go. Just make sure you memorize the route, so you don¡¯t have to pull out that map.  Many people would want to get their hands on it. And it was a pleasure to serve you, customer.¡± Tresk starts to shoo me off with that, but I wave it off with a chuckle and a farewell.  This definitely isn¡¯t the last time I¡¯m going to end up meeting Tresk of the Kriti, that¡¯s for sure.

    But now I have a direction and a potential future home.  Or at least a place to stay for a while. Helen City is already huge, with far more people than I would have expected.  The lands of Limbo are likely far bigger, and yet there are still the Realms of Hell right next door, figuratively speaking.  This un-life of mine is just starting, and at least for the moment I¡¯m quietly looking forward to it.

 Chapter 03

    Anyone ever felt like they were lost even while knowing where you are going?  How about being overwhelmed by the sheer length of the journey? Or threatened to be overrun by the vast crowds of people you run into on the way?

    Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happening to me.  Two hours of walking through Helen City, and I¡¯ve yet to actually get to where I¡¯m going.  The city is just that damned huge. And now packed with people as well.

    That started about an hour ago, when the Sol Light reached its brightest point.  Pretty sure that shows that it is noon, but I¡¯m not absolutely sure. But it was like a dam had been burst, because suddenly the streets were absolutely crowded with all sorts of people.

    Not just people either, because there are also carts and carriages out on the streets as well.  Ranging from simple pull-carts made of bleached white or silver bones to great extended length carriages of paneled wood, gilded in gold and silver.  The beasts of burden are also as mixed and varied as the vehicles they pull too.

    Giant hump-backed lizards with dull claws and triangular scales.  Large skeletal horses with ghostly green or purple flames in their eye sockets and spectral flames around their hooves.  A two-headed ogre, collared and chained to a carriage, pulling it even while arguing with itself in loud booming voices that made no sense.  Or at least not to my ears. The coachman for that one just looked rather bored, to be honest.

    The weirdest one I came across was most definitely the work of a necromancer however.  Instead of a carriage, it was a large sarcophagus so big that it required twenty armored and armed zombies to carry.  Except these zombies were not like me, awakened. Instead they were dead, blunt things; moaning in groans of instinctive effort as they marched straight and true without even looking around.

    The sight had definitely given me the creeps, and I wasn¡¯t the only one to turn aside to let it pass.  Many people in the crowd had fearful, but also somewhat disgusted looks on their faces as that sarcophagus passed by.  But no one said anything aloud about it.

    It was definitely an interesting thing for me, but after it was gone I was still jostled and pushed forward along with the crowds.  And I swear, I¡¯m all but certain that I¡¯ve seen more people here than the entire bloody time I was alive previously. It was just the absolute feeling of being harried and the building up of anxiety in my guts that told me so.

    Which is why I was really really happy to finally escape the crowd by ducking down the side street that¡¯d lead me right to where I¡¯m going.  Perhaps the distance off the main roads wouldn¡¯t inspire confidence in this Society, but I for one am happy for the peace and quiet a secluded location would provide.  Which isn¡¯t to say that there isn¡¯t traffic on this side street, it just wasn¡¯t as crazy as the main roads.

    At least finding the Silver Key Magic Society was easy.  It was probably a medium-sized compound of several buildings built around a 8 or 9 story tall tower all enclosed inside of a tall black stone wall.  With a real, honest to the pits gatehouse. The sort with towers, solid gates, grates and portcullises. And a big ass piece of heraldry in the form of a giant silver eye with a black key where the pupil should have been hanging amongst the stonework.

    All of which matches the information Tresk had given me, so I know it¡¯s the right place.  I still take my time in approaching though, taking in as many details as I can. Like, the surroundings are strangely quiet, as everyone seems rather intimidated by the massive edifice.  Also that the gates are guarded, both in what I¡¯d assume are warriors wearing silver uniforms as well as magic users in silver robes. Many of them are holding staves or wands, as well.

    More than that though, the closer I get to the gate the more of a buzzing, fuzzy feeling I get.  Like the entire gate and the walls are charged with a whole lot of magical energy. Probably enchanted, although I cannot tell.  And I¡¯m not about to risk burning my eyes using my magical sight either. All told I¡¯m not sure if I should be impressed or dejected by the sight of it all.

    Steeling myself, I make my way toward the gate.  Yet once I get within a range of about a hundred feet I start to slow down, each step becoming more laborious than the last.  Twenty feet closer, and I start to pant for breath with each step I take. Yet looking around, there isn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary.  No one else walking the street, as sparse as it is, seems to be affected. Or even mindful that I¡¯m struggling.

    All of which just ticks things off the ¡®Weird as Hell¡¯ list for me.  Yet there isn¡¯t anything to do but continue on, even as I feel as if my body is being bound in chains.  Not really though. It was like the gravity had increased just in the area around me, making everything harder to move.

    Each step makes it even harder, and once I reach the fifty feet mark I feel as if my limbs are screaming at me, muscles and bones taxed to the max.  It makes me pause and grit my teeth. I¡¯d never be able to make it to the gate just relaying on this body. Which is probably the point, although I definitely miss that bit of information at the moment.

    So instead I reach for my soul energy, which likewise has become sluggish inside of my body.  Like someone had applied a layer of soap or grease to it, making it hard to grasp and hard to move.  I have to literally grunt out in concentration to grab it and move it the way I desire, even stoking up the faint feeling of anger at this ridiculous crap to keep my mind on the task.

    That said, I really didn¡¯t have a good thought in mind for what I was intending outside of forcing my soul energy to reinforce my body.  I had to get to that big gate, I had to move, but my body is too weak to resist the pressure. Not just my body though. I could feel the pressure messing with my energy, and my control.  It was like it was affecting all of my stats.

    The thought just made me even more angry though.  I know, in a sort of disjointed way, that I wasn¡¯t thinking straight or anything.  But I also couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Even though my emotions are suppressed as a newly awakened undead, I just didn¡¯t have any real control over my mental or emotional state.  My stats themselves can attest to this, cause I have about as many points as an ant would in the living world. Only the weird Voice makes it so that I¡¯m a thinking being in this state.  Or a moving one, for that matter.

    Thus it¡¯s no real surprise that my first attempt at forcing my soul energy through my body doesn¡¯t do much.  It simply dissipates outside of my body in a rather showy bit of silver-grey light and waste. The second and third time does the same, making me grit my teeth even more in frustration.

    I was missing something.  An idea, or a concept that¡¯d keep my soul energy either trapped or bound to my body.  As a complete novice in magic in general, I simply have no idea what it could be. But I did have a starting point, I only realized after wasting another five points of my soul energy.  That left me with 8 points of soul energy to use.

    [Abilities: Charge - Rank II. (3/50)]

    I¡¯d gained that ability during my terror-driven flight against the Scourge only the day before.  It was like an automated action, created when I¡¯d forced soul energy wildly into my legs while running.  Yet unlike these failed tries of mine, the soul energy had stuck within my body and worked.

    Thus there had to be at trick to it.  Which left me only to try to figure it out the hard way.  I don¡¯t have the time, concentration, or energy to test things in a controlled manner.  Or the patience, with how clouded my mind has become.

    So I simply dump a whole soul point into activating the ability and use my body to feel what changes it causes.  And while the effect is really weak, I still end up being moved several feet forward as the ability kicks in automatically just like it¡¯s namesake.  Which only serves to put me even more into a bind, because pressure only gets stronger and stronger the closer I get to the gates.

    If I hadn¡¯t been so wrapped up in my struggles I might have realized that the Silver Key guys guarding the gates are pointing and staring at me as if I were some kind of freak.  I might have even realized that this was some sort of test or the like. Or that it was simply a misunderstanding on my part. But I miss it completely.

    All of that, to simply find that a weak sort of barrier forms just inside my skin to keep the soul energy contained.  It likewise was made of soul energy, but of a sort that reflects the ¡®used¡¯ soul energy back into the body. It was easy to feel once you started looking for it.

    And it gave me just what I needed, an idea to grasp onto in my nearly wild state.  Pulling on my soul energy again, this time I try to mimic that barrier, starting with my chest and working through the rest of my body in as slow and methodical manner as possible.  It costs me another point of soul energy when I accidently loosen my grip on it, but overall it just takes some five minutes of me standing there on the street looking like an idiot to get it right.  Or so I¡¯d assume.

    Thankfully using soul energy like this doesn¡¯t seem to have a cost to it.  It isn¡¯t actively making an effect or causing a change to the world. Inside my body, the soul energy was simply being held under my will.  And stretching my concentration to the limit. Hells, I could barely see the gates now through my clouded eyes.

    But one step closer was one step closer, and I wasn¡¯t about to stop now.  Which is why I drain myself dry by forcing the last of my stored energy into my body, focusing it to reinforce my body and keep me upright.  In comparison to holding that barrier, getting the soul energy to work as intended was a piece of cake.

    And the effect was definitely immediate.  The pressure just seemed to weaken upon me all of a sudden, and I could walk again.  Not that it wasn¡¯t still an act of labor, but in that disjointed and quiet place in my mind I could all but see myself moving robotically forward.  I wasn¡¯t focusing on anything but what I had to do. And leaving sweat-sodden footsteps in my wake.

    And then I make it, stepping within just ten feet of the gate.  The pressure just came to a sudden end, and without that external stimuli I lose all concentration.  This causes all the soul energy I¡¯d been holding, the barrier and that inside my body, to explode outward all at once.  This expulsion of silver-grey light startles the gate guards, and the passersby, but I really wasn¡¯t paying attention. I was too damned exhausted to do so.

    In fact I end up on the ground, having collapsed in a heap right there in front of the gates.  My body feels like an empty sack of meat, and my mind was ringing. I barely keep myself conscious, but I do end up with some foolish goofy grin on my face.

    ¡°I¡­ hah.. Made it.¡±  Yeah, real smooth me.  Trying to talk through my panted breathing was a bit much though.  Don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m panting, given I¡¯m supposed to be dead anyway.

    ¡°Heh heh hehe.  It seems you did indeed.¡±  A loud and somewhat arrogant voice suddenly calls even before the guards could get to me, and for a moment it was like the entire world went still.  One of the gate guards, a mage in a silver robe with the black key symbol on it had suddenly stiffened up before jerking around in a salute, right fist to chest and bowing in the direction of the gate.  I can only assume the others had done the same, but I¡¯m just too tired to look.

    ¡°It seems that an interesting one had been sent my way.  You are the newly awakened one our Kriti friend warned me about, yes?  Hmm, indeed, I can tell that you are just as crazy as he said. Hmm hmm hmm¡­¡±  The voice hums to himself, but all I can do is roll my eyes a bit. Just listening to the guy made me seem like I was some crazy bastard or something.

    ¡°Well, this is the second time you¡¯ve done something impressive without blowing yourself or others up, so I guess that¡¯s a good thing.  No matter. You, go pick the newbie up and take him to one of the cultivation chambers. He should regain himself quickly there.¡± Yeah, I couldn¡¯t see who the guy had pointed out, but I could definitely feel being hefted up like a sack of grain or potatoes though.  Not entirely nice, and already becoming way too common for my taste.

    ¡°Right away, Sir Silver Lord.¡±  Male, deep voice, strong guy.  Those were the thoughts in my head after the guard had picked me up.  I sort of just zoned out after that though, even though my eyes were still open.  That, and a vague thought of ¡®Wasn¡¯t this the guy I was supposed to meet?¡¯. Yeah, brain on a frying pan doesn¡¯t really work well in keeping your thoughts in proper order.

    The trip into the Silver Key Society was just a blur to my senses then, at least until we got to where we are going.  If only because the sudden onrush of soul energy had me groaning in some sense of satisfaction. It was so thick and so pure that I didn¡¯t even have to start cultivating for me to feel it start filling me up.

    ¡°You new guys are always like that here in the cultivation chambers.  Hah.¡± The guard laughs to himself as he sets me down on the ground on my back.  This gives me the first chance to actually see the fellow, which doesn¡¯t lead to any big surprise or anything.

    Obviously a zombie, the guy was taller and way more buff than I am.  His skin tone is also traced with a bit of metallic silver coloring instead of just dead grey as well.  Wearing a uniform of a tunic and matching trousers, it comes off as kind of dashing. Except for the big sword hanging from his back, which is no doubt very real and very dangerous.

    ¡°Cultivation¡­ chamber?¡±  I manage to ask, although my voice is still really croaked.  At this point I¡¯m just going to have to get used to being really wore out all the time.  Even with a max of 18 points of soul energy, it seems that it is only a pittance of what others can use.  I cannot even imagine the cost of what that pressure field outside the gate takes just to going like that.

    ¡°Hm?  Oh, a cultivation chamber is a room specifically enchanted to help gather and purify soul energy.  These are for Silver Key members only, but we¡¯d already gotten word that a surprising newbie was supposed to stop by.  Haha.¡± Okay, so that explained a bit, although the way the guy was laughing was starting to tick me off a little.

    ¡°I¡¯m Holdt, by the way.  And no, the suppression enchantment on the gate wasn¡¯t targeting you.  It¡¯s a general defensive enchantment against those targeting the Silver Key in general.  If you had been just walking down the street, nothing would have happened. Or if you had been wanting to come to one of us guards.  The enchantment is very specific.¡±

    Oh well, shit.  That bit of news just makes me grunt in frustration, and I cannot help but glare up at the fellow whom is grinning like it was a good joke or something.  Which I suppose it was, and my own misunderstanding.

    ¡°That said, it does work as a good test all the same.  Never thought I¡¯d see a new guy work out a physical enhancement ability like that.  So good work! Hahaha. I¡¯ll leave you to rest up here now. I¡¯ll be outside the door when you are done.  You still have to see the Silver Lord.¡±

    The big guy just waves merrily and walks out, causing the big stone door to slide shut behind him.  That left me and my frustrations all alone, but I can already feel the emotions fading fast. It was like I couldn¡¯t hold onto the anger or anything for very long.

    Just as well, because I had more important things to do.  Like actually cultivate and regain my lost energy. Oh, and check my messages, given the flashing V icon flickering in my vision again.

    [-Message Log-]

    [You have been Suppressed!  Resist failed! (x200+)]

    [Concentration has leveled up! (x3)]

    [Soul Energy Manipulation has leveled up! (x2)]

    [Body Reinforcement ability learned!]

    [Body Reinforcement has leveled up!]

    [You are exhausted! (x8)]

    [Exhaustion Resistance has leveled up!]

    [+1 maximum Soul Energy for repeated exhaustion. (x2)]

    [Feat performed: Under Pressure!]

    [+1 maximum Body, Mind, and Soul stats.]

    [New Title gained: Unpressured, Rank I.]

    [You are recuperating.]

    [Unpressured, Rank I. - Title]

    [10% reduction in stresses caused by outside influences.]

    [10% increase in Concentration while under outside influences.]

    [10% increase in Manipulation skills while under outside influences.]

    [5% increase in learning Abilities and Skills while under outside influences.]

    [+5 maximum Soul Energy.]

    [This Title can be evolved.]

    ¡­ and I stare.  And stare. And stare some more.  For a moment it was like my brain had froze up, because I really couldn¡¯t understand what I was seeing.  It was like my expectations had been turned upside down, then body-slammed into the ground. Then out from the resulting crater crawled some sort of abomination that shined in some ho¡­ Oh, can¡¯t go saying that word.  Ugh.

    Anyway, you get the gist.  I just simply couldn¡¯t understand it for what felt like hours and hours, but was closer to only a few minutes.  Especially that title, which is just freakin¡¯ weird.

    Then I laugh, because why not?  I laugh and laugh myself ragged, curling up while clutching my sides.  And the subject of my laugh wasn¡¯t even the title, which while cool, was totally put against the fact that I¡¯d somehow managed to raise the MAXIMUM limit of my stats.  Which may not seem like much in the long run, until you realize that I¡¯ve yet to start leveling up my rank or evolving.

    Going from 3 points of stats to 4 points may not seem like much, but it was the same as paying at least 100 Soul Energy points to level up to Rank D.  If I was understanding the conversion properly, because I could be wrong there. My guide Tod never did get into the math of what the actual cost was, only that I had to cultivate and increase my maximum energy to level up.

    I suppose I could have asked at the Guide¡¯s Guild while I was there, thinking on it now.  I never did take advantage of any of their free services, either. Hmm~ Something I¡¯ll have to try and keep in mind for later.

    Still, I work myself down from my nearly insane, even to my own ears, laughter before I reach out to the purified Soul Energy in this cultivation chamber.  It was far more dense than what I¡¯d played with at the Guide¡¯s Guild, and it responded easily to my pull. And again I¡¯m left sighing out in pleasure as the energy soaks into my body, just not able to stop myself.  It really was like soaking in a warm bath.

    At the same time I feel that my ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk doesn¡¯t have to kick in so strongly here either, as there is already a great filter keeping out all the other forms of energy I cannot use.  Yet. This allows me to split my focus on checking on my status while cultivating.

    [-Personal Statistics-]

    [Name: -Locked-][Titles: Unpressured, Rank I.][Status: Civilian]

    [Racial Type: Dead | Zombie][Rank: F | Level: 1]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 3/25 (+)][Soul Points (SP): 5 (-Locked-)]

    [Body: 1/4 | +1 (10 SE)][Mind: 1/4 | +1 (10 SE)][Soul: 1/4 | +1 (10 SE)]

    [Feats: Over-Sight - Rank III. (14/40); Terror Resistance - Rank I. (23/25); Exhaustion Resistance - Rank VI. (9/150)(UP!)]

    [Abilities: Energy Sight - Rank VI. (63/150); Inspect - Rank II. (5/50); Charge - Rank II. (3/50); Body Reinforcement - Rank II. (35/100)(NEW!)]

    [Skills: Soul Energy Manipulation - Rank V. (12/125)(UP!); Energy Manipulation - Rank II. (4/50); Concentration - Rank V. (78/125)(UP!); Cultivation - Rank I. (52/100)]

    [Perks: Newly Dead][Detriments: Newly Dead]

    Everything looks good on that side of things for the moment, although the new abilities and rank ups are a nice bonus.  Especially the increase in my stat and soul energy limits. Which are probably not being done in the proper way, but whatever.  This is working for me, although I feel like I¡¯m stumbling onto shit rather than doing it in a good way. Eh, I blame my insect-like stats.  And probably more than a little luck, although I cannot count myself lucky.

    After dismissing my blue status screen I focus myself on really recouping my energy, reaching out for more and more of the soul energy around me.  Things pick up there, and I even close my eyes while concentrating, just allowing everything else to go so I can luxuriate in this great feeling. Hmmm, I really wanna stay this way for a while.

    But eventually I start to feel bloated and full, but unlike before I don¡¯t lose concentration just because of the jarring feeling.  Instead I slowly let go of the surrounding free soul energy, and it quickly relaxes back into its natural state before I open my eyes and stand up.  Aaah, I really do feel much better now.

    [Concentration has leveled up!]

    [Cultivation has leveled up!]

    I have things to do though and people to see, happy with my efforts here.  Not to mention that bit of a bone to pick for making an ass of myself out in front of the gates.  Yeah, okay, so I¡¯m still a bit annoyed at that. A little forewarning from anyone would have been nice, ya know?

    Making my way to the thick stone door to the cultivation chamber, it takes me a moment to find the slightly raised switch to open it up.  When I do I¡¯m left standing nearly face to face with Holdt, who clearly has a surprised look. Which instantly makes me suspicious.

    ¡°Done so soon?  Some of the newbies can take hours to fill up.¡±  Okay, so that explains that, allowing me to relax a bit before shrugging at him.

    ¡°Soul Energy Manipulation, Concentration, and Cultivating skills.¡±  My own reply is rather telling, because Holdt¡¯s eyes go really wide before he grins and then starts to laugh.

    ¡°Oh boy, okay, so I can tell why you were sent this way.  Haha! It isn¡¯t enough for you to perform those skills or abilities just once or twice in order to be granted them, you have to be able to figure out the trick and keep doing it to gain ranks!  And you¡¯ve only been awakened what, two or three days? Shit man, that¡¯s really impressive!¡±

    Holdt laughs and grins and then looks me up and down as if he¡¯d found a treasure or something.  Far more intrusive than I am used to, I have to fight down the urge to cross my arms in front of my stomach for some odd reason.  Eeeh.

    Still, I do feel myself arching an eyebrow at the big grinning guard, unable to keep the somewhat-scowl off my face.  It really did feel like I was a child at this point, wandering around without understanding what I¡¯m doing or why. All while everyone else watches on in apt amusement and a sort of cat-like curiosity.  Like playing with their food or something.

    ¡°Holdt, two days.  I¡¯ve been awake two days, and most of that was spent unconscious due to the Scourge attack.  I¡¯ve gotten almost no explanations of what is going on, what I¡¯m supposed to do, or even if these strange skills and abilities I¡¯ve been getting actually mean anything.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been tossed around this place, here in Limbo, since the start.  And everyone seems highly amused at the fact. I¡¯m a dead guy in a dead body that just happens to be thinking and walking around under his own power, with the stats that even a human baby couldn¡¯t survive with.  So. I. Would. Really. Like. It. If. You. Could. Stop. Laughing. In. My. FACE!¡±

    Whaoh, it just all came out all at once.  I didn¡¯t mean to rant or yell at the guy, but it did give me some real satisfaction to see that grin come off his face really quickly.  That and the look of fear that came into his eyes for a moment as he steps back two spaces or so.

    Then it was over, and I felt a lot better.  Holdt, on the other hand, actually looks somewhat sheepish as a hand comes up to rub the back of his head.  It seems my outburst had gone further than I¡¯d expected.

    ¡°Yeah, okay.  Sorry about that.¡±  Holdt says after a moment, holding up his hands.  Which was probably as much as a direct apology as I could expect to get out of the zombie.  ¡°Look, everything is odd here in Limbo to begin with. I¡¯m only a couple years awakened myself, and all of us go through the hazing period.  Newly awakened deaders don¡¯t really have the intelligence or wisdom to be counted as ¡®alive¡¯.

    ¡°It¡¯s the ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk that¡¯s keeping you going.  It suppresses your emotions in order to make sure you don¡¯t go crazy due to your instincts.  Because of this newbies only have a few things they have to do before their 30 days are up. They have to cultivate, rank up, and invest in their stat points.  At least until they have 8 points in order to be counted as real thinking beings. Any less than that and they degrade to become frenzied undead, relegated to being corralled and controlled by necromancers.¡±

    Okay, so that really did explain a few things.  Which I¡¯m thankful for. That and the fact that I now have a very real time limits.  It really doesn¡¯t feel so good, now that I¡¯ve really been told about it. At least I have some concrete answers to my questions now.

    ¡°Thank you for explaining it to me.  So I really should be focusing on upping my stats right?¡±  I thank Holdt, who starts smiling again before nodding his head.

    ¡°Exactly.  Or more specifically upping your stats at as low a rank as possible.  Preferably to the max of 10 points, not one higher or lower.¡± Holdt says then, although that leaves me scratching my head as to why.  Thankfully I¡¯m not stuck waiting for long.

    ¡°Anything below 10 points gives you a serious detriment depending upon the stat.  ¡®Feeble¡¯ for Body, ¡®Dumb¡¯ for Mind, and ¡®Deadened¡¯ for Soul. All three of which are really nasty to deal with and overcome.  And that¡¯s only if you have 9 points. The ones for 8 points are even worse, and can take a really long time to get over. That¡¯s because without the boosting nature of cultivating with the ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk, it takes far more effort to cultivate at those lowered levels.  Or doing much of anything really.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Holdt stops there, and starts mumbling to himself for a moment.  I don¡¯t get what he¡¯s saying, but he is also suddenly staring off into space above my head for some reason.  Ugh, is the guy crazy or something? Then he snaps back to me and lets out a big sigh all of a sudden.

    ¡°It seems I¡¯ll have to cut our conversation short here.  The Silver Lord is still waiting to meet you and made it abundantly clear that he¡¯ll finish up the explanations.¡±  Holdt is now seeming much more serious, and I cannot help but feel that I got him into some trouble. I had no idea that Silver Lord had been watching us from wherever he was though.

    ¡°Okay, thank you, Holdt.¡±  I say simply, shrugging my shoulders at the man.  Nothing to do about it for the moment. ¡°Lead on.¡±

    Leading on Holdt does, and this time I¡¯m actually able to take a good look about the place.  The building we are currently in is still made of black stone, which seems to be the local speciality.  Only this time the surfaces have been smoothed into a mirror shine, and every now and again I can vaguely make out flashes of light flowing along the stonework.

    This specifically seems to draw my attention, so while we are walking I activate my Energy Sight ability, letting me get a far better look.  And a look it is indeed, because my vision is suddenly shrouded in otherwise imperceptible light. Every stone is smooth and sleek on the outside, but their insides are all engraved and filled in with a something that is highly conductive to the soul energy running through them.  Even the mortar is speckled with that conductive substance, allowing the soul energy the ability to freely flow from one stone to all of its neighbors without hardly any resistance.

    Then moving my gaze, I can see the same sorts of engraved patterns everywhere.  It¡¯s in the floors, the walls, and the ceiling. Even the windows, which have what seems to be normal glass, is marked in the same way.  The glass itself is conductive all its own, making me think that it might actually be the same sort of soul glass Tod had yesterday.

    The patterns though, that flow of soul energy¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.  It brought to mind descriptions of wiring and ¡®electricity¡¯, but I¡¯m missing any sort of context on those faint memories.  All I know is that this building houses a colossal amount of power, and it is all being used for something or another.

    ¡°Hells¡¯ man, Energy Sight too?¡±  Holdt¡¯s voice suddenly brings me back to the here and now, and I turn my gaze to the older zombie.  Doing so shows that his entire body is shrouded in soul energy, far more dense than I¡¯d seen before.  Only it¡¯s spread out evenly across his body, instead of being clumped up like the other zombies I¡¯d seen at the Guide¡¯s Guild.

    ¡°How can you tell?¡±  I ask curiously, even as I scan him with my gaze.  It must have been a common enough thing though, because Holdt doesn¡¯t even blink while looking over his shoulder at me.

    ¡°Your eyes start glowing when you use the ability.  All of you magic types do, actually. As a rule of thumb, if you encounter someone with glowing eyes then it means they are using an ability that has to do with their eyes.¡±  Holdt says then, to which I nod and try to memorize. It is without doubt another piece of information that¡¯s good to know.

    ¡°Now I know why Silver Lord is so impatient to actually meet you.  Four abilities or skills, in not even two full days of awakening. That¡¯s some insane learning speed there.¡±  Holdt sounds a bit dejected at that, and his broad shoulders actually fall. All I can do is laugh dryly though.

    ¡°All I¡¯ve been doing since awakening is trying things, Holdt.  Trying to move my soul energy around, trying to see the odd things I¡¯ve been feeling.  Trying to grasp onto the energy all around me. Trying to run for my life or trying to reach the gates outside¡­ I really try at everything.¡±

    There¡¯s no easy way for me to describe it, but that¡¯s really all I¡¯ve been doing here for myself.  I¡¯ve either been following directions of others or trying things out for myself. Two full days of doing just those two things really.  Yet I also feel that I want to try more. To do more things. I just don¡¯t know why I feel that way.

    ¡°Hmm.  Well, something to keep in mind.¡±  Holdt says after a moment of what I¡¯d assume was thought on his part.  That just makes me chuckle, drawing his gaze back at me again.

    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just seems a little funny.  Here I am, the newbie, and yet you are asking about how or why I¡¯ve been doing these things.  Tod, my awakening Guide, told me that sorcery is a type of magic based upon feeling and desire.  Yet I feel that all of my skills and abilities are the same. I want to go forward with them, using them, and desire an outcome with them¡­

    ¡°It was like outside the gates, while being pressured.  I wasn¡¯t really thinking, because I couldn¡¯t. But I used what I had to do what I could to just take another step forward.  I¡¯d actually used my ¡®Charge¡¯ ability while being suppressed to get an idea of what to do, and just went with it. Gained the ¡®Body Reinforcement¡¯ ability for my efforts, as well as bunch of other stuff.¡±

    I still do try to explain myself to Holdt, if only to actually explain it to myself.  In truth I still don¡¯t know what Soul Energy is, or how or why it works the way it does.  Or this system the Voice has set up for everyone. Just too many questions and not nearly enough answers.  The feeling I have though is that it will all make sense later, and that there is more to it than what I¡¯m seeing.

    ¡°I just feel that the desire of wanting to do something counts very much toward actually being able to accomplish it.  Or maybe it¡¯s just me.¡± I end with a bit of self-depreciation there, because who am I talking to? I¡¯m just a newbie here in Limbo.

    But while we were talking I didn¡¯t realize that we¡¯d entered what appears to be a central hall.  Tall pillars reach toward the arched and domed ceiling high above, while the previous black stone has been replaced with colors of grey and red and purple, all in swirling patterns that draw the eye.  Even those colors are accented with gold and silver, the actual metals, which glint in the grey light produced by sconces mounted on the walls. I¡¯d missed those on the walk earlier.

    The hall itself is just as engraved and coursing with power as the rest of the building seems to be.  To my Energy Sight, it was like the brightest and most colorful day a person could ever have. Almost too bright, to be honest.

    ¡°Ho ho, it really seems that I¡¯ve been given a gift this time.¡±  The sudden loud voice breaks me out of both the sightseeing and the conversation I was having with Holdt, both for two totally different reasons.

    First off, Holdt himself has dropped to one knee, bowing his head to the old man who¡¯d just appeared.  Secondly because just a glance at the man was more than enough to make my eyes snap shut in pain, making me grimace and all but stumble back a step or two in recoil.  It was like a handful of needles had just been shoved into my damned eyeballs! Or they¡¯d been ripped out of my skull and doused in acid while still connected to my brain.  Something painful like that.

    Just that single glance though answered my lingering questions though, because the old man was very much the Silver Lord of the Silver Key Magic Society.  If only because even as a zombie, the man was entire silver in color. Like he¡¯d dipped his entire body in liquid silver metal and then let it soak all the way into his bones.

    Except it wasn¡¯t metal.  It was Soul Energy, so highly refined and compressed that it¡¯s very nearly a solid substance inside of his body.  And it all radiates power like a damned sun in my Energy Sight. Far too much, in fact. That makes the backlash from my Energy Sight none too pleasant at all.

    [Over-Sight has leveled up!]

    [Energy Sight has leveled up!]

    I honestly can¡¯t even see the floating text messages that hang in front of my eyes when I finally do open them again a few moments later, as everything in my vision is just too blurry.  What I can make out though is a silver colored old man who is suddenly way too close for comfort. Staring at me like I was some sort of exotic critter, to boot. Not creepy at all, right?  Especially with those glowing eyes, that really stand out as my vision starts to clear.

    ¡°Hmm hmm¡­ Yes indeed.  Energy Sight, Soul Energy and Energy Manipulation, Concentration, and Exhaustion Resistance.  Good. Really good!¡± The old man starts talking again, although rather it is to himself or to others I can¡¯t tell.  He seems way too excited though, especially because it seems like he is reading my own damned status!

    When I take another step back though he takes one forward, still staring and leaving me getting gradually less creeped out and more freaked out instead.  So much so that I hold up my hands to try to widen the distance. Yet I¡¯d barely even opened my mouth as well when his eyes suddenly widden and I could swear that I saw a flicker of blue in his otherwise silver gaze.

    ¡°Unpressured?!  A Title!¡± Glad I¡¯m not the only one who had to pick their jaw almost literally off the ground, because Holdt had about fallen over himself as he jerked around at the Silver Lord¡¯s yell.  Which means I now have two guys staring at me in amazement.

    ¡°Cut that out already!  Hell, if you wanted to know my status I could have just told you!¡±  I end up yelling at the old man, snapping a bit. Eccentricities are something I am definitely not able or willing to deal with right now, damn it all.

    My yell does the trick though, because the Silver Lord jerks back and Holdt has a slightly forlorn look on his face while watching the two of us.  Shit, it¡¯s like everyone is a spectator to this damned sport here. Ugh.

    ¡°Ah, my apologies.  It isn¡¯t often that I get to Gaze at such a promising newbie.¡±  The old man says then, straightening himself up and reaching up as if to stroke a beard that isn¡¯t there.  In fact his fingers are already spread and in the motion before he suddenly stops, chagrin at the fact. Heh.  Seems I¡¯m not the only one with embarrassing issues. I just manage to hide my snicker though.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been getting that a lot apparently.  Doing things others are either told not to do or just fumbling my way around.  And yes, I got the title after walking through that enchantment on the front gate.¡±  My voice comes out a bit colder than I would have wanted, but I¡¯m rather already tired of all of this.  Maybe it¡¯s time for a nap, even though I don¡¯t feel physically tired at all.

    Still, the old man, this Silver Lord just laughs it off and waves the issue away.  At the same time he turns to Holdt and motions for the man to get up. No use in standing on ceremony or the like at this point, I guess.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.  You could say that hazing the newbies is the national pastime of Limbo in general.  You are rather close of having a frenzie though, so I¡¯ll spread the word to let the others know to back off.¡±  Silver Lord says then, as if utterly unperturbed.

    Except I¡¯m not, especially when he mentions ¡®having a frenzie¡¯, which doesn¡¯t sound good.  It showed too, because my glance to Holdt is intercepted rather quickly by the old man. It was probably written all over my face or something at this point.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it.  A frenzie happens when your emotional limit is reached while under the effect of the ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk.  Suppressing your emotional state isn¡¯t the same as getting rid of it, after all. You¡¯d just go crazy for a little while.  Happens to most newbies.¡±

    Okay, that¡¯s a bit of a relief.  Like, I really don¡¯t want to go feral or anything.  I¡¯d much rather be thinking and dead emotionally than otherwise, you know?  Becoming a shambler zombie simply because I couldn¡¯t stay in control would suck quite badly.

    ¡°Thank you, Silver Lord.¡±  I finally say, giving a rather sloppy bow to the man whom is once more trying to stroke a beard that isn¡¯t there.  This time he doesn¡¯t catch the action though.

    ¡°I also performed a feat, ¡®Under Pressure¡¯, which boosted my maximum stat point limit from 3 to 4 to go along with that title.  I currently have a maximum of 25 soul energy points as well. None of them bought with cultivation.¡± That last bit comes out a little bitter on my end, given the sheer exhaustion I¡¯ve had to go through to gain those points.

    ¡°Oooh?  That¡¯s something I cannot see with my Gaze.  Much like your Energy Sight, it only shows what¡¯s on the surface, as it were.  Abilities and Skills are fairly easy, as are Titles; but Feats and stat details are not.  We need a Person Scrying Stone to get your full status recorded.¡± Silver Lord says then.

    ¡°Alright.  First though, do we have some place where we can sit and speak?  I¡¯ve either been bedridden, carried around, or on my feet since I was awakened yesterday.  I¡¯d really like to be able to sit down and go over what I should have been told before.¡± Okay, so maybe that came out more of a plea than anything, but I don¡¯t really care.  Today has just been crazy from the get-go.

    ¡°Sure, sure.  You come along too, Holdt.  I¡¯m assigning you as this one''s¡¯ proctor for now.¡±  The old man says then, before turning and all but gliding away across the great halls¡¯ floor.  I have to hurry to catch up with the evolved Silver Zombie, and Holdt himself is only a step or two behind me.  I have no idea what a proctor is, but Holdt is all but grinning ear to ear when I glance back at him.

    Still, it seems we are in for another bit of a walk, and I take the time to quiet my thoughts and emotions.  This rollercoaster ride was really starting to get to me. Although I have no idea what a rollercoaster is. Ugh.  Just another thing to add to my list of annoyances.

    Starting from the beginning, I died.  No clue how, or why. No clue of what sort of life I lived before, except it was a mortal one and that of a human.  Limbo seems to be a place solely for the human dead, after all.

    I awakened as a zombie, which is the most balanced of the options possible.  With a real meat-and-bone body, I have a balanced set of stats in comparison to the others.  Both Skeletons and Ghost types have a harder time reaching their max. Which is a good thing for me.  On the other hand nothing has gone the way it was supposed to.

    Running into the Scourge really seemed to throw everything off.  Tod and George, the devils¡¯ from the Guide¡¯s Guild were taking us to Helen City in order to talk and explain more before it all went to shit.  In fact I really should have asked Tresk, the Kriti I¡¯d met, where I could find one of the two. But thoughts like that are fleeting for me right now, no doubt a side effect of my low stats.

    Then there was all this trouble here at the Silver Key.  That suppression enchantment was a nasty piece of work, although I get the feeling it only felt that way because of how weak I am.  It¡¯s probably meant more as a deterrent than a solid defense itself. Against what, I have no idea though.

    At least Holdt seems like a good enough guy.  Silver Lord though¡­ I¡¯m really not sure. He¡¯s way too eccentric for me right now.  Tresk seemed to trust him, so I¡¯ll just have to deal with it for now. So long as I can keep myself in check, in any case.

    All the same, the growing sense of frustration and stagnation is really starting to grind on me.  It was like I really wanted more. To do more and explore more and go out and experience more. Yet I don¡¯t know why.  Why the feeling is slowly building up or why it is so important to me.

    Just thinking about it brings on one of those nasty memory headaches, which I grimace through silently.  It isn¡¯t hard, as Silver Lord himself is quite happy to hum as he walks along and Holdt doesn¡¯t seem the sort to be overly talkative in higher company.

    Thus with my thoughts swirling around in this manner we are finally brought to a room closed off by a pair of double doors.  Made of some sort of ebony wood, they almost match the surrounding black stone. Except for the intricate carvings etched into them.  Circles and geodesic patterns that feel strong to the point of being overbearing, obviously enchanted. I don¡¯t even need to use my sight to figure out that much.

    Silver Lord simply waves his hand in front of the doors to cause them to open though, revealing a room that is lavishly decorated and arranged as a sitting room for guests or company.  All the furniture is craft of rich woods and stuffed leather, while the light comes from a sparkling crystal chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling. The light is soft and golden, in comparison to the usual silver I¡¯ve seen thus far.

    ¡°Here we go.  This is my personal sitting room, so take a seat.¡±  Silver Lord says then even as he moves into the room, walking over to a large cabinet placed against the back wall.  Glancing at it, I find that it¡¯s filled with bottles. Wine or other sorts of alcohol, perhaps.

    I do move to take a seat though, a bit gingerly as I test the cushions.  They are soft and surprisingly comfortable, and I almost sigh as I sink into the damned things.  Holdt on the other hand barely contains himself and bounces onto the cushion beside me, causing the sofa to shift a bit.

    ¡°Hmm, where to start¡­¡±  Silver Lord says then as he returns with a bottle and a set of glasses.  He isn¡¯t holding them though, as they just sort of float around in front of him as he moves to take a seat across from us.

    ¡°How about where Holdt left off earlier?  He was telling me about the detriments of not having my stat points up to 10 before my 30 days of ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ are up.¡±  I ask, pointing out the first of the things I really wanted to know about.

    ¡°Yes, Holdt was doing a good job with that.¡±  The old man agrees with a nod. ¡°Okay, so getting stats below 10 are bad, but getting stats above 10 can be just as frustrating.  Us scholars call the issue ¡®Soul Flux¡¯. Soul Flux happens during the true awakening because most deaders were humans of average ability and intellect.  Their stats while alive were only 10 points or so, and suddenly being empowered beyond that limit can cause a variety of issues once those memories are unlocked in your current form.

    ¡°It is like a child suddenly gaining the strength of an adult.  Only it isn¡¯t just limited to physical strength. Magical prowess is directly tied to the mind and soul, after all, and is something most living humans have never experienced before.  It can be toxicating, frightening, and any number of other emotions all at once.

    ¡°There is all of that.  Then there¡¯s the issue that your current body is not YOUR body.  In fact, all the random bodies, skeletons, and gore you¡¯ll find out in Limbo aren¡¯t and never were living bodies to begin with.  They are manifestations of Soul Energy given form by Limbo itself. And your soul has spent its entire existence being inside just your own body.  That shapes your soul just as much as your memories do. So there is a disjoint at that point. All of which lead to Soul Flux.¡±

    Wow, so the old man really knows how to talk and explain such things.  I can see why he¡¯s a magical researcher. Or at least tries to. If I remember correctly, Tresk said the Silver Lord was more apt at administration though.  So maybe he¡¯s just good at talking.

    ¡°So the issue isn¡¯t that being stronger is bad when the memories are unsealed, but that going from average and alive to being stronger and very much dead has a strong effect on the soul.¡±  I try to boil it down, and get a nod and a smile for my efforts. That¡¯s good then.

    ¡°Just about, yes.  Every undead alive in Limbo has to deal with some form of Soul Flux after their 30 days are up.  Crying uncontrollably tends to be a rather common occurrence.¡± Silver Lord says then, giving a sly look to Holdt beside me.  Holdt, for all his previous excitement, suddenly flushes in obvious embarrassment, making both myself and Silver Lord laugh a bit at his expense.

    ¡°Still, the reactions get progressively worse the more powerful your stats are when it happens.  Mental breakdowns are rather common, as are hysterics. No one wants to believe they have died, after all, even if they were granted this new form of living.  The worse case however is that the soul rejects their body outright, which can cast them out as a ghost.¡± That last part sounds bad, and Holdt is solemnly nodding his own head at that.

    ¡°I saw a newbie do just that just this past year.  Training here in the Silver Key as a magic user, just like you.  When his 30 days were up, his Soul and Mind stats had already surpassed 10.5, spawning several new attributes.  He didn¡¯t just become a ghost though, but a Banshee. We had to put him down before he, -she-, caused too much harm.¡±  Holdt breaks in there, which causes Silver Lord to grimace a bit at the memory.

    Oh, damn.  That sounds bad.  But what really gets my attention is the ¡®she¡¯ part in Holdt¡¯s words.  That makes me blink at the guy.

    ¡°Wait, that newbie was a woman?¡±  Okay, so maybe it could have been put more delicately, but both Holdt and Silver Lord just break out laughing at the surprise in my voice.

    ¡°Haha.  Yes. You see, only Ghost have a definitive gender when they are newly awakened.  Mostly because it reflects their true soul form. Zombies and Skeletons are both considered without gender until your ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk ends.¡±  Silver Lord explains then, a bit of mirth still etched on his lips.

    ¡°You see, this is part of the process.  Your body right now is generic, in every sense of the word.  You look like a man, but without any striking features or muscle definition.  I¡¯m not sure if your Guide¡¯s ever mentioned it, but your body right now is rather mutable.  You could become a skeleton or a ghost, or even regain another zombie body should things go that direction.

    ¡°That mutability changes into a fixed form when the perk ends, and your soul is seated properly into your body.  You are responding well as a male though, so I assume that you were a guy in your previous life.¡± Silver Lord says then, actually grinning a bit.

    All I could do is shrink my neck, because that really explained a few things.  Like why all the newbie zombies I¡¯d seen at the Guide¡¯s Guild all looked the same.  Not exactly the same, but every one of them was grey skinned and without any striking or definitive features.  In comparison both Silver Lord and Holdt had much more individuality.

    ¡°So being too strong at that point can be a bad thing, just as much as being too weak.¡±  Silver Lord brings the conversation back around, and I just shake my head to get my thoughts back into order while listening to him.

    ¡°On the other hand, Holdt also mentioned the fact that you want to be as low Ranked as possible when you do hit those limits.  The reason for that is mainly two fold. The first is that your body will change with each rank up, becoming more and more different from this base generic form.  This just makes it harder for your soul to seat properly, thus causing Soul Flux. The second is because you will be missing out on a whole lot of evolution options that unlock at lower Ranks.¡±

    Now that is something I really want to know more about.  Tod had mentioned evolutions and the like before, but there is a very real lack of detail in his description.  Which is why I sit up straighter on the sofa and wait somewhat expectantly, bringing even more amusement to Silver Lord.

    ¡°Yes yes, an exciting topic without a doubt.¡±  He starts slowly, then laughs out loud when I actually flip him the finger.  ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get on with it, hold your galva lizards.¡± Silver Lord clears his throat then.  No clue what galva lizards are, either.

    ¡°Evolutions are a natural progression that happens when a person fulfills specific requirements.  Those of us native to Limbo all start on the same level, as a part of a dead race and Rank F. Starting at Rank D, you get the option to evolve, assuming you meet the requirements.  The most basic example for you would be going from a regular Zombie to an Elite Zombie.

    ¡°Elite Zombies require 4 points in your three starting stats, and a defining skill or ability you excel in.  A skill or ability at least Rank V, as the case may be. Which is pretty easy to achieve, given that you don¡¯t have to evolve as soon as you Rank up.  You can put it off until any point before you Rank up again. Evolving in that case resets both your Race and your Rank to their base. You¡¯d become an Elite Zombie, of Rank F level 1.¡±

    Silver Lord stops there, and I start bobbing my head in a nod showing that I¡¯ve been listening.  I really can¡¯t say anything about it though, because I simply don¡¯t know what to think about the whole thing.  Ranking up and evolving seems simple, but I know for a fact that it is anything but. Still, my studious listening seems to please Silver Lord, who smiles and continues on.

    ¡°By evolving into an Elite Zombie, your maximum stat limit is increased by two points and you¡¯ll gain a one time boost to your defining skill or ability.  So from 4 points to 6. At the same time though you will have to spend twice the cost to level up your rank, and you will be unable to evolve again at Rank D.  Your next step will only be available at Rank C, including its much more harsh requirements. That, and besides being a bit stronger, there are no other perks to evolving into an Elite Zombie.¡±

    Once more Silver Lord stops there, only because he¡¯s suddenly interrupted.  When he¡¯d sat down, he¡¯d seemingly forgotten about the bottle and glasses he¡¯d brought along, which had been floating around his seat this entire time.  Until now, that is, because the bottle had bumped into the back of his head with enough force to cause a slightly metallic ¡®dong¡¯ sound. Which catches Holdt totally off guard, making him burst out laughing at the scowling expression Silver Lord shoots the misbehaving bottle.

    It really did seem as whatever magic he was using has its own sense of humor though, cause when Silver Lord tried to grab the bottle, it flew away from him and was bobbing up and down as if laughing itself.  It was just so unexpected and amusing that even I chuckle at the sight.

    ¡°Blasted spirit magic¡­¡±  Silver Lord spits out as he shakes his head and motions to the coffee table set between our seats, seeming to force the offending bottle and glasses to float over and sit themselves down.  ¡°Really convenient, but with a Hell¡¯s mind of its own.¡± Oooh, it does seem that Silver Lord can grumble with the best of them!

    ¡°Here, have a drink.  Just a sip at a time though, this stuff is potent.¡±  Silver Lord says then, bringing us around to the drink he deftly pours into the glasses.  Only about a quarter full for each of us though. The liquid itself is such a deep red that it is very nearly black, but I can¡¯t smell anything about it even when I take the glass offered.

    In fact the glass is much more interesting to me at this point, because just touching it allows me to feel the gentle currents of soul energy inside of it.  Thus the drinking glass itself is made of a single piece of Soul Glass, and probably very very expensive all its own. Which leaves me to wonder just how much it really costs.  A small vial seemed to be quite the expense for Tod yesterday after all.

    Still, there is little point in dallying.  Raising the glass to my lips, I gently sip the contents.  And am instantly reminded that my sense of taste has been dulled this entire time since my awakening, because what hits my tongue suddenly sets a damned fire to the whole of my mouth.  Almost literally, because what I¡¯m forced to swallow isn¡¯t liquid by the time it reaches the back of my throat. Instead it is a very rich and pure form of distilled Soul Energy that wastes no time at all in drilling into my stomach and then through the rest of my body.

    Thankfully Holdt sitting beside me is just the same, cause his face goes as red as mine feels it is.  That and the smoke leaking from between his lips and out his nose and ears. I have little doubt it¡¯s the same for me too.  Silver Lord by comparison simply seems to be enjoying his glassful as it were some fine wine or something.

    [Distilled Soul Energy ingested!]

    [+1 maximum Soul Energy.]

    Wooooooo!  That¡¯s really a rush, as that fiery feeling just runs right through my body, agitating my own reserves of Soul Energy until they all but boil over inside of my body.  Then there¡¯s a sort of feeling of ¡®expansion¡¯, and my maximum goes up. That leaves me a bit wild eyed, while Holdt seems a little chest fallen. Silver Lord on the other hand is amused and chuckling to himself, still holding his glass and drinking it far more easily than either of us in front of him.

    ¡°This drink is called Red Soul, and it is a liquor produced from Demon Grain that¡¯s distilled by a high ranked alchemist using energy from soul stones.  Highly refined, it can actually be taken as a tonic or potion to quickly replenish your soul energy reserves. Or enjoyed as a good liquor that it is.¡±

    Yeah, probably more information than I needed right now.  But it doesn¡¯t stop me from taking another sip. This makes me endure the burning sensation all over again.

    [Distilled Soul Energy ingested!]

    [+1 maximum Soul Energy.]

    Shit, at this point I¡¯m wondering where I can get some of my own.  Red Soul is all but spoiling me at this point, even though I am worried a bit about the cost.  Just about everything in Silver Key screams of wealth and resources. Far more than the Guide¡¯s Guild did, at any rate.

    ¡°Ah, good stuff.¡± Silver Lord finally finishes up his glass, but I cannot even take another sip just yet.  My insides are still burning at this point.

    ¡°Now then, back onto the topic at hand.  You want to reach 10 points in your stats, as low a Rank as possible.  Without evolving. Most newbies never get that far, due to limits of time or resources.  The Guide¡¯s Guild does good work for what it does, but they are rather limited all the same.

    ¡°But you, my dear newbie, have already learned the real secret of reaching that point.  Through training and performing feats recognized by the Voice, you can gain increases in your maximum stat limits without ever ranking up at all.¡±  At that point Silver Lord is actually pointing at me with his free hand, a wide grin on his face and a somewhat crazed look in his eyes.

    ¡°Pushing your limits is the only way to do it.  And this works not just with physical feats either.  Intellectual feats or feats of skill work just as well.  Until you reach the 10 point limit and your stats start spawning, any feat you perform will give you a maximum boost in all three!  This is a secret revealed only to the smartest, most skilled, or luckiest of newbies!

    ¡°It is also why the Silver Key Magic Society is still so small compared to others, because it costs real resources and money to be trained in this manner.  Yet I do not recruit anyone but those who can do what you did very much by accident. Holdt, tell him.¡±

    Silver Lord¡¯s sudden aggressive words really shock me there, as well as the secret itself.  That was huge information all its own, and for a moment I feel kind of rueful and pitying to everyone who never learned of it until later.  If only for a moment. I have too much focus and perhaps even ambition in my soul to regale others so highly for long.

    ¡°Yes, Silver Lord.¡±  Holdt joins the conversation at that point, turning to look at me.  ¡°I was newly awakened three years ago, and like you I was brought to Helen City by a Guide from the Guide¡¯s Guild.  Their introduction was proper, but I was hot blooded and didn¡¯t like the crowds that constantly swarm inside the Guild itself.  So after learning a few fighting skills with the great sword I left the Guide¡¯s Guild to explore Helen City itself.

    ¡°I wandered the whole of the city for days, cultivating in dark alleys and meeting all sorts of people.  I eventually made my way to the neighborhood here outside of the Silver Key. At the same time though I¡¯d angered several of the small criminal groups around the city, stepping into messes I had nothing to do with, trying to help or settle disputes, things like that.¡±

    At this point Holdt stops and takes a breath, before looking toward Silver Lord who in turn nods in approval.  It seems that something was more than what was being said, but I get the gist of it thus far anyway. It isn¡¯t my place to pry, one way or another.

    ¡°The Silver Key has always been a small to medium Society here in the city.  It has almost no reputation in the city at large outside of a few magical circles.  Even the Wizard¡¯s Tower ignores the Silver Key, if only because Sir Silver Lord himself is rather powerful.¡±  Okay, that¡¯s all good to know, and I nod in understanding toward Holdt.

    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d wandered down the street here outside the front gate pretty much by accident.  About two hundred feet away from the gate though I was ambushed by several of the groups I¡¯d angered during my days of roaming.  They proceeded to beat me, right out there in the open.¡±

    At this point Holdt has a somewhat distant, slightly sad, and frustrated look on his face.  The emotions mix back and forth, before he shrugs his shoulders and sets them aside. What replaces them is a somewhat happy smile of fondness or the like.  I cannot tell.

    ¡°A random passerby tried to break up the fight, and was knocked down and hurt in the attempt.  I ended up standing over her prone form and fought back. I¡¯d yet to reach Rank D, but I¡¯d maxed out all of my stats and had a decent enough skill in the great sword to hold most of them at bay for a while.  Until one of the goons shot me with a crossbow bolt center mass.¡±

    Holdt stops there, and instead pulls up his tunic, revealing a rather ghastly wound nearly centered in his chest.  Only instead of scar tissue, the wound had been filled in with the nearly same silver metal that appears to make up Lord Silver¡¯s body.  And the expanded veins of silver that run into Holdt¡¯s own body.

    ¡°The shot almost threw me to the ground, but I held my stance and kept fighting.  Eventually all the yelling and skulduggery attracted attention, and the Silver Key guards arrived and put down the fight in short order.  The woman who I¡¯d been defending spoke up for me, given that she lives just down the street so the Silver Key guys brought me in to treat my wounds.

    ¡°It was at that point that Sir Silver Lord himself showed up to ask what all the fuss was about.  He used his Gaze ability to check my condition and realized that I¡¯d performed two different feats very much by accident.  ¡®Defender¡¯ and ¡®Last Stand¡¯, which netted me two more stat points. I was recruited into the Silver Key after they patched me up, and have remained here ever since my true awakening.¡±

    Oh boy, it really seems that Holdt had gone through quite a bit himself.  Still, those two feats sound interesting. Silver Lord on the other hand has a smile that¡¯s like a kid having a favorite toy in his grasp.  A bit unnerving, truth be told. Which is why I promptly ignore it.

    ¡°Yep.  That¡¯s basically how I recruit everyone for the Silver Key.  The kids either bring themselves to my attention or they get sent my way by those who are in the know.  Tresk himself promised that you were quite promising, and that praise seems rather apt.¡± Silver Lord himself takes over again here, giving Holdt a grin before turning back to me.

    ¡°But Tresk had originally said that he suspected you had already performed such a feat.  That¡¯s why he sent you this way to begin with. Yet you¡¯d only gained ¡®Under Pressure¡¯ at the gate.¡±  Silver Lord points this out, and I blink before a light bulb goes off in my head.

    ¡°Ah!  Yeah, before I left the Guide¡¯s Guild, still in the medical ward.  I was cultivating for the first time and started kind of playing around with the energies the ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk was keeping away from me.  The Voice said I¡¯d performed a ¡®Partial Feat: Accidental Purification¡¯.¡± I explain to Silver Lord, who perks up and listens before nodding his head.  At the same time his hand comes up to stroke that imaginary beard, and I cannot help but wonder if he¡¯d once had a long beard in his past life or something.  Or if he had just recently gotten rid of the thing.

    ¡°That explains it then.  Partial Feats are simply incomplete.  Either by not having enough knowledge or were brought out of the state before it was accomplished.  It¡¯s held in reserve though, so you can complete it at any time afterwards. ¡®Accidental Purification¡¯ though, huh?  Already looking into cultivating without the ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk then?¡± Heh, it was like Silver Lord could see right through what was on my mind at the time.  Or rather, what the result would be.

    I had just been playing with the power during that time, after all.  I had wanted more Soul Energy, and thus stripped it from all the other energies already being held outside of my body.  Explosive, and dangerous, to be sure. It was effective though.

    ¡°Ah, well, we can deal with that later then.¡±  Silver Lord says then, and for a moment I¡¯m all but petrified by the grin he¡¯s suddenly showing.  Part maniacal, part cruel, and part very much sadistic. Even Holdt scoots back in the seat beside me at the sight of it.

    ¡°Now you should go ahead and finish your drink, my boy.  Afterwards we will discuss the training I¡¯m going to put you through.  And you already have a very good basis, with that Exhaustion Resistance and the fact that you¡¯ve yet to buy a single point in Soul Energy capacity yourself.  Hahaha, hehehe¡­¡± Okay, that laugh is really, really creepy and a quick glance at Holdt tells me that it is only going to get worse. The guy is basically pale as a ghost and is actually sweating while watching Silver Lord.

    ¡°Hehe¡­ You even have the Title of Unpressured.  That just makes it more exciting! I¡¯ll jack up the gravity and energy suppression enchantments and see how far you can go¡­ Yes, that¡¯ll work just perfectly.  Hmm¡­ Need something for Energy Sight too, and Concentration of course¡­ Oh, all the options!¡±

    Oh shit.  Did I really just come to the home of a crazy guy?  Tresk, I swear, I may just strangle you if these fears prove true!  And I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get that crazy laughter out of my head.  Damn it all.

 Chapter 04

    [You have survived: 07 days in Limbo! Have a nice day!]

    A week. I¡¯ve been alive and in Limbo for an entire week. A week that has gone from crazy to very much insane. And not always in the good way either.

    You see, the craziness all started after I was sent to the Silver Key Magic Society by a merchant and information broker by the name of Tresk. A Kriti, the humanoid evolution form of the species of rat monsters living in Helen City, Tresk was very helpful and friendly when I showed no disgust for his being. I personally don¡¯t think talking anthropomorphic rats are all that strange anyway.

    Now, you might ask how things have gone insane when I was sent to this place in order to learn and grow stronger, right? The answer to that is in the reception and the ¡®training¡¯ I¡¯ve received since joining the Silver Key. For nearly an entire week that¡¯s all I¡¯ve been doing. Training and training and more Hell¡¯s damned training!

    I¡¯ve been crushed, burned, electrocuted, frozen, bashed, speared, slashed, melted, and very much blown up. I¡¯ve been blinded, suffered hearing loss, and had my nose blown off. Even my limbs were not spared, forcing me to crawl around for a while like the zombies my race is named after. All while being forced to study from texts transcribed into plates of iron in order to withstand all the cruel shit I¡¯ve been put through.

    ¡®Myaker¡¯s Geography of Limbo¡¯, ¡®A Beginner¡¯s History of Limbo¡¯, ¡®Sorcery for Dummies¡¯, ¡®Bee-Pi¡¯s Guide to Monsterology¡¯, ¡®Limbo, Hell, and the other Dark Planes; a Testimony¡¯, ¡®Thaumaturgy 101¡¯; and a whole bunch of other books, scrolls, and studies. All of them crammed into my head in one form or another. And none of them by simply sitting and reading.

    All under the direct supervision of Silver Lord, the leader of the Silver Key Magic Society. A seemingly old man, he¡¯s several centuries awakened and is a rather advanced evolution of zombie called a Silver Zombie. I¡¯d come to find out that ¡®metallic¡¯ evolutions are both hard to get and rather rare as well.

    Yet this old man is utterly sadistic. Not in the pure abusive sense, but in the fact that his own magical research focuses upon newly awakened undead, their development, and their potential to amass power and reach rare evolutions early in their ranks. So Silver Lord takes great enjoyment in designing training programs for the specially selected recruits in the Silver Key.

    And here I am, his favorite new test subject. Which is an apt description, even if it really doesn¡¯t do what I¡¯ve been subjected to proper justice. It really is too damned bad, because otherwise I¡¯d be shouting it out at the rooftops just to get over my own pain and frustrations.

    All of which leads to my latest bit of craziness, as I¡¯ve once more gone into a frenzy on account of all the stress I¡¯d been dealing with. Thankfully after the first time the ones after it don¡¯t really come off in a bad way. To compare it with a situation for the living, it would be like going out and getting drunk after a long day of work. Or bad week, as the case may be.

    For us newly awakened though, a frenzy occurs when our emotional limits are surpassed. Usually the ever-helpful perk ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ suppresses our emotions to a great extent, but the perk itself doesn¡¯t remove the emotions that build up. And build up, and build up even more while under stress and pressure. Thus a frenzy happens, in which case the emotions all come boiling out and there¡¯s quite a bit of punching and crying and yelling at the top of our lungs involved.

    Then it¡¯s over with and we go on with our day. Or in this case, my day. Which are 24 hours, 7 days a week. Not having to sleep is really great from a time management standpoint, you know.

    For all of that and my own infernal complaining, I really can¡¯t argue against the results. Even Silver Lord, this old bastard, is very happy with my progress. In fact he¡¯d just spent the last night digging through the Silver Key records to find if any new recruit has done so much in so short a time. He suspects that I am breaking records in all sorts of ways.

    I for one am not interested in all of that though. All I care about is getting stronger and learning more. And not just in the fields of magical study, either. Which thankfully the Silver Key can provide, because while they are classified as a Magic Society, they don¡¯t reject martial or craft skills training either. Silver Lord will use anything and everything to advance his own studies, after all. Well, I really should be saying ¡®we¡¯, because I am a part of Silver Key now.

    Finally calming down from my latest frenzy, I drop gasping to the floor of my own personal cultivation chamber. I¡¯d received it two days after I¡¯d joined the Silver Key as a welcome gift from Silver Lord himself. He¡¯d specifically enchanted it too, reinforcing it for some of my more crazy experiments and my frenzies. And allowing its use as a true training room, to boot.

    Especially with a really strong version of what is known as a ¡®Suppression Field¡¯ enchantment. A combination of gravity manipulation and a soul energy field magics, the Suppression Field has been in constant usage since I¡¯d been dropped in here. In fact Silver Lord has had to come and increase the enchantments strength twice since I began training in here, much to his own chagrin. Not even he expected to have to do so much in so short a time.

    It leaves me weak and gasping for breath though, because just moving around takes a whole lot of effort and energy on my part. The frenzy state doesn¡¯t help that any, because it will use up all of my strength and resources during the rampage. So not only am I physically wore out, my soul energy reserves are depleted as well. The state of exhaustion has become so regular though that I barely feel it anymore.

    I really don¡¯t feel it when I relax my body and then start yanking myself from it. A ghostly double of my head, chest, and arms starts to emerge from my physical body, and I cannot help but breath a sigh of relief as the physical exhaustion and pressure falls away. It feels rather liberating, truth be told, although it would no doubt freak quite a few people out if they really saw me this way.

    In fact only Silver Lord and Holdt, my assigned Proctor, have ever seen this ability of mine. I¡¯d discovered it quite by accident while studying the all but unhealable damage the Scourge had caused me during one of my self-training segments a couple of days ago. The Scourge had ended up ripping several fingers off of my left hand, leaving me otherwise whole. But I¡¯d been noticing an odd feeling from those fingers, thus leading to this discovery.

    That odd feeling, it turns out, was actually my soul form not being able to recognize the fact that I no longer had those fingers. It would have stayed that way too until my true awakening in three weeks time if I hadn¡¯t started playing around with the feeling. And eventually ended up pulling myself from my own body.

    Normally counted as an extreme case of disjunction between the soul form and the body that causes a reject to take place, I was willingly able to pull myself out and exist in that state until I go back. The first time was really freaky actually, and it is still a little disconcerting.

    Like now, I¡¯m sitting ¡®half out¡¯ while my zombie body rests on the floor. Yet because I¡¯m still connected to my body I can see, feel, hear and everything from my physical body. Yet I can also see and feel through my ghostly soul form at the same time. I can still feel the constant pressure of the Suppression Field too, although it is much less pronounced than before. It¡¯s like the senses from my physical body have taken a back seat to the senses received in my soul form.

    Yet for all of the separation, both of my forms carry the same limits of stats, resources, and abilities or skills. Their application is different depending upon which state I¡¯m in, but everything else works just the same. It¡¯s crazy and weird and all sorts of awesome at the same time.

    Silver Lord himself has never seen anyone do what I¡¯ve been doing. To his knowledge no one in the whole of Limbo has willingly separated their spirit from their body before, and yet still be able to go right back in as if nothing had happened at all. I can though, which is just great.

    If only because my current zombie body isn¡¯t my original. In fact it¡¯s my third, and I¡¯m already about ready for my fourth. Switching out bodies that have become too damaged to heal has become the greatest boon ever when paired with Silver Lord¡¯s crazy training schemes. And he has taken complete and utter advantage of that fact. Which probably makes him the happiest man in all of Helen City at this point. So when I said earlier that I¡¯d been blown up and have taken all sorts of damage, I mean it literally.

    Now, the perks of having gained this ability are great, but the downsides are just as bad. First, because this spirit/soul form is not my natural state in Limbo, using it requires the use of Soul Energy when I¡¯m completely separated from my physical body. This means there is a very real time limit, and it restricts what abilities and skills I can use. The first and only time I ever tested running out of Soul Energy was not a pleasant experience. Even Silver Lord was frightened by my nearly broken soul that made its way screaming back into my zombie body. He¡¯d had to use his own power to help stabilize my condition before I was out of danger. So no pushing the clock, EVER.

    Secondly, I have to have a designated anchor. A body as it were. It doesn¡¯t matter rather that body be a zombie, a skeleton, or a ghost form. It has to be a form I¡¯ve inhabited at least for three hours, in order to ¡®brand it¡¯ with my soul energy. This allows me to come and go as I please, otherwise I cannot disconnect myself completely from the body. We¡¯ve yet to start experimenting with living bodies though, and even the ghost form is a little weird.

    A ghost form is naturally the body of a ghost type of dead beings here in Limbo. Spectral and all of that, they have the weakest physical manifestation of any of the types commonly available. In my spirit form, yeah, I think I¡¯ll stick to calling it my spirit form from now on, I can naturally generate a Ghost form all by myself. It basically just congeals around my spirit and allows it to stabilize. That said it leaves me weakened, costing both Soul Energy to make and to maintain. Which is a very rapid drain.

    At this point though I¡¯m simply using this ability to rest a bit. And to check on my pending messages and status. I haven¡¯t done so in several days, so there¡¯s no doubt a long backlog waiting for my attention.

    [-Message Log-]

    [Study ability learned!]

    [Study has leveled up! (x6)]

    [Scholar skill learned! -Locked-]

    [Sorcery skill learned!]

    [Sorcery has leveled up! (x8)]

    [Thaumaturgy skill learned! -Locked-]

    [Rituals skill learned! -Locked-]

    [Magic Chanting skill learned!]

    [Magic Chanting has leveled up! (x4)]

    [Chantless Casting skill learned! -Locked-]

    [Dismantling skill learned!]

    [Dismantling has leveled up! (x10)]

    [Dismantling has evolved into Material Processing skill!]

    [Material Processing has leveled up! (x2)]

    [Herbalogy skill learned! -Locked-]

    [Alchemy skill learned! -Locked-]

    [Soul Energy Manipulation has leveled up! (x6)]

    [Energy Manipulation has leveled up! (x9)]

    [Soul Energy Manipulation has been subsumed by Energy Manipulation.]

    [Energy Manipulation has evolved into Energy Manipulation II!]

    [Concentration has leveled up! (x6)]

    [Concentration has evolved into Concentration II.]

    [Active Meditation ability learned! -Locked-]

    [Inspect has leveled up! (x9)]

    [Energy Sight, Demon Sight, Spirit Sight, and Inspect have been subsumed by Over-Sight!]

    [Over-Sight has evolved into All-Seeing Gaze!]

    [Cultivation has leveled up! (x4)]

    [You have been exhausted! (900+)]

    [Exhaustion Resistance has leveled up! (x5)]

    [Exhaustion Resistance has evolved into Exhaustion Resistance II!]

    [Feat performed: Under Pressure II -> IV!]

    [+3 maximum Body, Mind, and Soul stats.]

    [Feat performed: (Extreme) Magic Training!]

    [+1 maximum Body, Mind, and Soul stats.]

    [Feat performed: (Partial) Accidental Purification -> Energy Purification!]

    [+1 maximum Body, Mind, and Soul stats.]

    [Feat performed: Spirit Separation!]

    [+1 maximum Body, Mind, and Soul stats.]

    [Feat limit reached! Please evolve for more.]

    [New Title gained: Magus, Rank I. -Locked-]

    [New Title gained: Purifier, Rank I.]

    [New Title gained: Maximizer, Rank I.]

    [New Title gained: Separated, Rank I. -Unique-]

    [Unpressured Title has leveled up! (x2)]

    [Unpressured, Rank III. - Title]

    [13% reduction in stresses caused by outside influences.]

    [13% increase in Concentration while under outside influences.]

    [13% increase in Manipulation skills while under outside influences.]

    [8% increase in learning Abilities and Skills while under outside influences.]

    [+15 maximum Soul Energy.]

    [This Title can be evolved.]

    [Magus, Rank I. (-Locked-) - Title]

    [5% increase in learning magic based Abilities and Skills.]

    [5% increase in spell power.]

    [5% increase in spell control.]

    [+5 maximum Soul Energy.]

    [This Title can be evolved.]

    [Advanced Title locked.]

    [Purifier, Rank I. - Title]

    [5% increase in energy purification speed during cultivation.]

    [5% increase in energy perception during cultivation.]

    [+5 maximum Soul Energy.]

    [This Title can be evolved.]

    [Maximizer, Rank I. - Title]

    [+1 maximum Stat limit per Rank up.]

    [+1 maximum Stat limit per evolution.]

    [This Title can be evolved.]

    [Separated, Rank I. (Unique) - Title]

    [Able to separate their spirit form from the physical body.]

    [Gain the Spirit Separation Ability.]

    [Gain the Soul Study Skill.]

    [10% increase in Spirit Separation duration.]

    [Only one of this Title may exist.]

    [This Title can be evolved.]

    [Spirit Separation Ability learned!]

    [Spirit Separation has leveled up! (x2)]

    [Soul Study Skill learned! -Locked-]

    [+120 maximum Soul Energy for repeated Exhaustion!]

    [You are recuperating.]

    There you have it, an absolutely massive list that scrolls before my eyes. I find it a bit crazy that I could gain so many levels and skills and whatnot, but Silver Lord had said it was actually pretty normal for the newly awakened. Starting out is way easier than trying to move forward down the road, according to him.

    I¡¯d spent less than a week earning what it could have taken others the whole month to achieve. That in itself was a sobering thing, yet for everything I was really having a blast. Especially now, because I¡¯ve finally achieved my starting objective and can finally reap the rewards.

    As in finally putting some damned points into my stats. This entire week has pushed me past all sorts of limits in order to build up feats as recognized by the ever mysterious Voice, simply to up the limits to a standard of 10 points. Until then, Silver Lord wouldn¡¯t let me put a single point anywhere, because then the difficulty would be raised for the training.

    Now that is no longer an issue, and I can finally go from being the weakest of the weakest to being average for a human adult. A great boost from a bug-like existence, without a doubt. Heh.

    There¡¯s that, and also the fact that I can finally get into combat training once my stats are properly up to snuff. It is something that is not done for anyone that hasn¡¯t raised their stats, period, due to the dangers involved. Unlike studying magic, which is primarily a mental exercise, combat is far more physically demanding and brutal.

    Even if I can jump from one body to another, it¡¯s still a non-starter. The risks are just too high that I could ¡®die¡¯ before ever being able to do so. Part of the reason, as described by Silver Lord and later collaborated by Holdt, is that the various combat Abilities and Skills affect not just the physical body, but also the soul of the target.

    It¡¯s a quirk of how things work here in Limbo, and in the Realms of Hell as well, because otherwise no one would truly be able to die. The soul damaging aspect is also reflected in magical attacks as well, but only against the target and not the user unless they are doing something very stupid or desperate. So I haven¡¯t so much as touched a weapon since awakening a week ago.

    In fact my only ¡®combat¡¯ ability is Charge, and I gained it through utter accident while running for my life. It isn¡¯t an attack ability though, but is instead considered a support ability. One I haven¡¯t really used all that much, either.

    Now, let me check my status here real quick before I start cultivating in order to actually start doing the real stuff. Hehe. I¡¯m just so excited now!

    [-Personal Statistics-]

    [Name: -Locked-][Status: Civilian]

    [Titles: Unpressured, Rank III; Magus, Rank I. (Locked); Purifier, Rank I; Maximizer, Rank I; Separated, Rank I. (Unique).]

    [Racial Type: Dead | Zombie][Rank: F | Level: 1]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 1/200 (+)][Soul Points (SP): 5 (-Locked-)]

    [Body: 1/10 | +1 (10 SE)][Mind: 1/10 | +1 (10 SE)][Soul: 1/10 | +1 (10 SE)]

    [Feats: All-Seeing Gaze - Rank I. (3/250)(UP!); Terror Resistance - Rank I. (23/25); Exhaustion Resistance II - Rank I. (90/100)(UP!)]

    [Abilities: Charge - Rank II. (3/50); Body Reinforcement - Rank II. (35/100); Study - Rank VII. (78/175)(NEW!); Active Meditation - (Locked)(NEW!); Spirit Separation - Rank II. (45/100)(NEW!)]

    [Skills: Energy Manipulation II - Rank I (40/100)(UP!); Concentration II - Rank I. (8/50)(UP!); Cultivation - Rank V. (273/500)(UP!); Scholar - (Locked)(NEW!); Sorcery - Rank IX. (377/450)(NEW!); Thaumaturgy - (Locked)(NEW!); Magic Chanting - Rank V. (12/125)(NEW!); Chantless Casting - (Locked)(NEW!); Material Processing - Rank III. (34/150)(NEW!); Herbalogy - (Locked)(NEW!); Alchemy - (Locked)(NEW!); Soul Study - (Locked)(NEW!)]

    [Perks: Newly Dead][Detriments: Newly Dead]

    Oh yeah, my status is starting to look good even if I say so myself. Getting a bit cramped though, but whatever. That said, even I cannot help but start fretting while looking at my stats. With a limit of 10 points, I not only have to spend 450 soul energy points to get them maxed, I actually have to raise my rank level to 10 in order to do so.

    That¡¯s also something I¡¯ve yet to really understand, as well. Why do I have to raise my rank level in order to actually be able to purchase stat points? No one I¡¯ve asked really knows, it¡¯s just the way it is. On the other hand, I did learn that I can pay for just about anything in increments too, which is handy. That means I don¡¯t have to have the total cost in soul energy all in one lump sum.

    Especially since I actually have a rather small reserve of soul energy. I hadn¡¯t been spending any of my points on expanding my maximum limit, so I¡¯ve only gotten what I¡¯ve gained from being constantly exhausted and the bonuses from my titles or the like. Holdt even admitted that he¡¯d had over 500 points himself when he finally maxed out his stat points to 10.

    That¡¯s a little frustrating, but I¡¯ll deal with it later. Now that things have gotten to this point, I¡¯ll have much more time to really work on it. And hopefully stay out of Silver Lord¡¯s clutches for a while yet. Ugh. I know the man means well, but his own desire for new ¡®data¡¯ as he puts it is just as crazy as crazy can get.

    Now though I need to set my thoughts and emotions aside and start concentrating on cultivating. Which is way easier than it used to be in my spirit form. My spirit form is just way more attuned to soul energy than any physical body could be.

    ¡°Brrkashi.¡± I say, speaking both through my spirit form and my body. It¡¯s the key word to shutting off the Suppression Field enchantment, and I could almost hear the dense and engraved stone of my cultivation chamber sighing in relief as the pressure finally goes away. For that matter I do too a bit, allowing myself to really relax now without feeling like I¡¯m being crushed.

    ¡°Atti.¡± Another word, and this time the true Soul Energy Gathering Array activates. This complex enchantment, set out in a series of array patterns, is the true heart of any real cultivation chamber. Thus I can instantly feel the influx of soul energy being drawn in and purified inside the room, boosting the levels up to very high levels.

    High enough that I could see dense clouds of soul energy starting to form. It is a much higher amount than the previous cultivation chamber I¡¯d used before. Which is just to be expected, because I¡¯ve been cultivating like a madman while training. Even if that cultivation hasn¡¯t gone to actually increasing my power.

    Reaching out to that soul energy however is like drinking water now, and the pleasurable feeling it causes is just as great as any time before. Actually that feeling of pleasure has only intensified as my sensitivity has increased. Thankfully I can¡¯t become addicted to it. Heh. That¡¯d likely be bad.

    Setting myself into concentrating, I start pulling all of that soul energy into myself and let it wash away all of my exhaustion and weariness. Aaah! A hot shower really has nothing on this¡­

    Less than ten minutes later and I¡¯m already topped up to my maximum of 200 soul energy points. It feels great having so much energy at my literal and figurative fingertips. Sadly I¡¯m just going to have to spend it all as quickly as I gain it now however.

    [Spend 150 Soul Energy Points for Rank Level Up?]

    This time a totally new type of message enters my gaze once I make a mental query, and I only have to think ¡®yes¡¯ before I feel a sudden rush of soul energy leaving my body. Where it is going, I cannot tell, because it seemingly vanishes into empty space once it leaves my skin. The feeling is not entirely comfortable, and I cannot help but groan a little.

    [You are now Rank F - Level 6!]

    [You may now purchase 5 stat points per attribute.]

    [Rank F - Level 7 will cost you 60 Soul Energy Points.]

    I quickly check my status to confirm what the Voice has said, and don¡¯t see any difference from what I¡¯d been told. That¡¯s great. As they say, ¡®trust but verify¡¯, right? Haha.

    Now then, I¡¯m down to 50 soul energy points, so I have to go back to cultivating in order to get this over with quickly. Thankfully these first levels don¡¯t cost too much, although I¡¯ve heard that each Rank up costs double the previous amount. And that itself doubles again if you¡¯ve already evolved.

    For the next few hours I repeat the process, filling up my Soul Energy points then depleting them as quickly as possible. My rank level skyrockets, until I finally reach a complete level 10. Adding another level would immediately jump me to Rank E, which I do not want to do.

    Yet what comes next is going to take even longer. Body, Mind, and Soul; these three stats have been nearly the sole focus of my efforts and my own damned bane this entire time. Finally getting out from under them is going to be great for me. Even if gathering all the required points is going to take three times as long as it took me to raise my rank level. The costs are all the same, but there are three times as many. Heh.

    Thus just like that I spend most of the day cultivating and spending points, jerking my body, mind, and spirit up to the standard. Even though I¡¯m adding the points, I don¡¯t feel any different until the very end because it requires an integration period. This was something that Silver Lord informed me of just yesterday in fact.

    Living beings achieve their upgraded statuses after having boosted their attribute stats while they sleep. Well, us dead peeps don¡¯t sleep. Instead we end up unconscious for a time period that is roughly counted as fifteen minutes for every attribute point added. Which for me will be roughly 405 minutes of unconsciousness.

    Almost seven hours of being unconscious. Ugh. Thank the Pits that today was set aside just for me to do this, because otherwise I¡¯d be dreading ¡®sleeping¡¯ for so long. The waste of time itself was bad enough, although it seems that most here in Limbo don¡¯t really feel that way.

    Intellectually I know that I am already dead, and this body of mine doesn¡¯t have a lifespan or time limit. I could exist practically forever here in Limbo. Yet my instincts are telling me that hurrying up is still the best option. That taking time off would be a detriment. I just don¡¯t know why. Hmm.

    Well, no matter. I cannot continue that line of thought without suffering another damned headache anyway. Just another reason why I¡¯ll be happy to have the next three weeks come and go quickly. The time is useful, but not having my memories really grates on me every time I¡¯m reminded of something seemingly important.

    [Attribute Integration available. Please lay down in a restive and secure environment.]

    And with that message I slip my spirit form back into my zombie body and stretch out as comfortably as I can. Silver Lord never did say how the process works, but Holdt had let slip that it wasn¡¯t entirely a comfortable thing. At least when I wake up. But I¡¯ll just cross that point when I get there.

    For now it¡¯s time to sleep. Or as close as I can come to it now.

    ~{+}~ | ~{+}~ | ~{+}~

    Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

    Waking up was just as if a switch had been flipped and my eyes snapped open. Yet it wasn¡¯t just my eyes that opened. All four limbs of mine are jerking around uncontrollably. Actually, make that eight limbs. Even my spirit form is having spasms, jerking in and out of my physical body at random.

    At the same time it¡¯s like all the pain and pleasure receptors in my body are going haywire at the same time. Burning, stabbing, pulsing¡­ the pain and everything else I¡¯m feeling just arcs through my body in totally uncontrollable ways. Yet at the same time my mind is racing with thoughts and feelings and ideas and too much other shit to keep track of.

    Then there¡¯s the sensation that the world around me is completely different from before too. Like I could see more, sense more, feel more. Colors are different, more vibrant, and even the taste of the air is a far cry different from before.

    ¡°Aaargh!¡± I cry out, utterly unable to control my tongue into making my thoughts make intelligible sounds. That¡¯s along with the thumping of my limbs on the stone floor, acting like some mad drummer having the time of his life in with some crazy music only he understands.

    My yell does however bring other attention to my plight, because my cultivation chambers¡¯ door opens up and Holdt rushes in. Followed soon after by the old bastard, Silver Lord himself. He¡¯s even grinning, damn it.

    Holdt though just rolls his eyes and gives me a shrug. It seems that both of them knew that this was going to happen to me, but kept quiet about it all. Perhaps another part of their hazing, or just for a personal laugh or something. I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care. I just want it to stop!

    ¡°Gaaahraa!¡± I yell out again, even as I try to force my eyes into glaring at the other two men. It doesn¡¯t work very well, because Silver Lord just starts laughing while Holdt¡¯s shoulders slump as he lets out a sigh.

    ¡°Sorry man, orders.¡± Holdt says in way of apology, motioning to his boss. ¡°It¡¯ll pass soon though.¡±

    ¡°Indeed it will, lad. The integration process strengthens your stats, but you still have to suffer through actually being able to use them. Haha.¡± Silver Lord steps forward then and talks while leaning down to get a good look at me. Sadly he¡¯s still too far away to get hit by my flailing limbs though. I really want to punch him right now.

    Ugh. I feel like a damned flopping fish stuck out of water. Of all the sadistic torture and training shit I¡¯ve done, this really takes the cake. If only because of the absolute lack of sense of control. Like, who doesn¡¯t have control of their own body? The sudden loss of it¡­

    ¡®~Feeling nothing, empty and hollow. A deep coldness from the neck down, where even the act of breathing cannot be felt. Endless bitterness and anger and despair, staring at a large hologram projected against the wall. A man in a white coat, talking about great damage to the body and the practical miracle of being alive at all. And the cost, that absolutely massive cost for any sort of relief or treatment¡­~¡¯The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°AAAH!¡± This yell rips out of me much more powerfully than any of the others. The sudden pain in my head, and my current lack of control conspiring to push me into a frenzy where all I can do is lash out.

    Lash out I do, if not with my body, than with my magic. Two hundred Soul Energy points spent in a single moment, igniting the surrounding free soul energy and the very air itself around my flailing body. All while I watch in some distant way, as apathetic as some distant spectator.

    The explosion of magic and power catches both Holdt and Silver Lord by surprise. Holdt, who thankfully is further away, is only slammed backwards by the blast wave and is banged against the black stone wall beside the open doorway. Silver Lord though takes the brunt of the attack nearly point blank in his face.

    Yet as the explosion washes over Silver Lord a force field of his own silver-grey tinted magic springs into being around his body. It still forces him a few steps back, but there isn¡¯t anything worse for wear that I can tell. Well, besides the surprise on his face and the shine in his eyes.

    Then it is all over, and I¡¯m back to being utterly exhausted and this time physically tired too. There¡¯s no good feeling at this point, and I simply allow my eyes to drift up to the ceiling of the room while I pant for breath. Yet my mind is an utter painful mess, causing my face to scrunch up in pain and fear.

    ¡°Snap out of it, lad!¡± Silver Lord yells at me then, his booming voice jerking my thoughts out of spiral they were in. That¡­ memory, it just hurt so damned much. Yet I didn¡¯t want to let it go. It was important, and I knew it.

    But my eyes do finally turn to focus back on Silver Lord, who seems to have a somewhat exasperated look on his face. That¡¯s when I knew that he knew what was going on with me. I knew it the same way I knew the back of my own hand. That his every movement and even his habitual grasping at a beard that¡¯s no longer there was a tick that expressed his own inner thoughts.

    That sudden understanding was the first sign that I had that things really were different for me now. Because otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have been able to pick up such unconscious cues. Things I¡¯d been missing before, or forgetting, actually start to come back to me and I simply understood them. It was like the difference between an animal reacting to the world compared to a person who can actually think things through.

    ¡°Well, it seems we¡¯ve found your bane.¡± Silver Lord drily speaks then, dismissing his barrier. Holdt behind him is just now picking himself off the floor, although the cracks in the stone wall behind him attest to just how strongly he¡¯d been slammed into it.

    ¡°Not sure if it was how you died or just a really strong emotion from when you were alive, but you really do not want to lose control of your body again.¡± The old man is now talking to himself, his gaze a little distance. ¡°Hmmm, I¡¯ll have to take some things off the training schedule now. Can¡¯t risk you blowing up because of more memory fragments. Although¡­ yes, yes, that might work quite nicely¡­¡±

    Oh great, there he goes again. His crazy ideas for more training are no doubt going to be quite rueful for me later. I just tune him out though and change my gaze to Holdt.

    ¡°You okay there?¡± I croak out, again reminded that I¡¯m utterly empty of energy again. The feeling of exhaustion is already fading though, as my resistance to the effects kick in. Exhaustion Resistance isn¡¯t rare, as far as abilities go, but it is hard to achieve good results in it even for magic users. No one wants to be helpless and defenseless after all.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Think a rib snapped though.¡± Holdt sounds fine to me, although he¡¯s poking at his side as if it were just an odd thing instead of a very real injury. At least until he closes his eyes and his body starts to glow silver for a moment. I can feel the soul energy running through his body from here, even without using my Gaze to actually see it.

    ¡°There, fixed up nicely.¡± Holdt smiles once the light fades and he opens his eyes again. That was a neat trick of self-healing there, which I haven¡¯t gotten around to learning yet. And done without a chant or formula, so it was probably some sort of sorcery spell, as well.

    ¡°Ah! Sorry, my thoughts were wandering again.¡± Silver Lord finally stops mumbling to himself and brings his focus back to the present. He¡¯s still grinning though, so I can only fret for what he has in store now. He doesn¡¯t say, and instead pulls out a large white crystal. It¡¯s jagged and looks like it was mined out in one single piece, like quartz.

    ¡°This here is the Person Scrying Stone. It has the unique ability to show a person''s status information to others. At least to a degree. This one is very basic and unrefined, so it¡¯ll just show your core stats and some other things.¡± He explains, before stepping over me only to drop the stone onto my chest.

    It comes to rest with a ¡®thump¡¯ that I barely feel, given how oddly light the stone itself is. That said, I can feel it drawing on my meagerly restored soul energy points. It takes about a minute for it to gather enough, before it lights up and projects a big blue screen above my prone body.

    [-Personal Statistics-]

    [Name: -Locked-][Status: Civilian]

    [Titles: Unpressured, Rank III; Magus, Rank I. (Locked); Purifier, Rank I; Maximizer, Rank I; Separated, Rank I. (Unique).]

    [Racial Type: Dead | Zombie][Rank: F | Level: 10 (MAX/UP)]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 1/200 (+)][Soul Points (SP): 5 (-Locked-)]

    [Body: 10/10 | (MAX)][Mind: 10/10 | (MAX)][Soul: 10/10 | (MAX)]

    And there it is, the entire reason I went through all this trouble. Three sets of maxed out stats. It¡¯s been a veritable grind to get to this point, but I know it is only the beginning. I¡¯ve graduated from being as weak as a bug to simply being ¡®living¡¯ average.

    That said, everything is still weird. My senses have blossomed in a way that¡¯s hard to explain. Like I¡¯m picking up on more information from my environment, causing everything to seem really crisp and clean to my eyes, ears, and nose.

    Then there are my magical senses. Or rather the nebulous sense of the energies hanging around doing jack all. Previously I¡¯d had to concentrate and reach out for the soul energy, for instance, and yet now it¡¯s right there just on the edges of my regular senses. A feeling that it is so much closer than before. It¡¯s really odd, and I doubt I¡¯m explaining it properly. That¡¯s just how it seems to me.

    Not just the energy in the atmosphere either. I can more clearly feel it coursing through the stonework underneath and around me too. All of those lines of power, guided by the engravings inside the reflective black stone blocks that make up the vast majority of the central tower of the Silver Key Society¡­ It really isn¡¯t natural, yet at the same time it feels as if it is. And there¡¯s a whole lot of power I can feel even without gazing at it.

    More than that though I can feel my mind becoming more and more clear as things settle down. Like a haze has been lifted from my brain. Or that disjointed feeling when you¡¯ve gotten drunk or inebriated from medication. I¡¯m already able to focus more easily and remember small details that I¡¯d totally missed before.

    I also have no doubt that my body itself has gone through a fundamental change as well. Even exhausted, I feel stronger and more limber than ever before. There¡¯s also no doubt that I¡¯m also not quite so clumsy as I used to be either, although I don¡¯t know what the difference is at this point. Strength, flexibility, endurance, manual dexterity¡­ Yeah, really going to need to test those. And see if it carries over when I switch out this body for a new one.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s all looking good there, lad.¡± Silver Lord says while smiling happily, staring at my limited status that is still being projected into the air above me. I give a grunt of agreement before reaching up to take hold of the crystal, holding it out to the old man.

    ¡°Yeah, feels weird though. And I¡¯m exhausted again.¡± I cannot help but let slip a bit of a complaint while looking up at the far older zombie. ¡°Care to explain what a bane is? I really don¡¯t like the idea of having any weaknesses, and that¡­ memory fragment was bad.¡±

    ¡°Banes are weaknesses that manifest as a Detriment during the true awakening. They are totally random, but are based upon your previous life. Or death, as the case may be.¡± He explains while taking back the Person Scrying Stone.

    ¡°They can be anything as well. Taking extra damage from fire or fire-based magics. Or water. Or being unable to generate lightning based magics. The loss of functionality in a limb. Or a frenzy condition like you just experienced. It is entirely dependant upon the person, and very rarely is there someone without a bane.¡±

    Even while explaining it to me, that smile on his face just gets wider and wider until it¡¯s turned into a full blown grin. The sort of shit-eating grin that is common enough whenever Silver Lord has gotten another ¡®crazy idea¡¯. Ugh. I have a bad feeling, again.

    ¡°It¡¯s very rare that we get a look at a possible bane before the true awakening, you know. That said, there is in fact two different ways of getting rid of the bane. The first is to spend your five Soul Points to erase it from your Detriment list.¡± Oh yeah, Silver Lord really does have something in mind because his hand has come up to stroke his imaginary beard again.

    ¡°The second is to learn abilities or skills that directly oppose it. Which is hard when the bane is in effect, as you can imagine. Who wants to be doused in fire or be held under water when they take extra damage from it, right? Hahaha. But this is a chance to exploit the ¡®Newly Dead¡¯ perk!

    ¡°Your bane won¡¯t take effect until your true awakening, and I already have a good idea what it is. You don¡¯t want to be ¡®Constricted¡¯ or ¡®Trapped¡¯! To have no control over your body! Hehehe. So I¡¯m going to teach you both mundane and magical means of escaping confinement. Hahaha!¡±

    Okay, so maybe that won¡¯t be so bad. Just listening to Silver Lord leads me to thinking of things like lockpicking and escape artist tricks. Slipping handcuffs and ropes and the like. Magic just means there are more options there, which could come in handy.

    Actually, thinking more about it leaves me to believe that such skills could really be useful. Clearly the first thing that comes to mind are criminal enterprises, where being able to slip away in all manner of ways would be useful. But there¡¯s also things like magically binding contracts and magic-diffusing enchantments that are used to secure cooperation too. Being able to bypass those would be a good option to have.

    All of which are advanced skills, but I¡¯ve already gotten several of those anyway. They are all locked to me right now, but that doesn''t mean I cannot use them. I just have to do it all manually, without any assistance from the Voice. The experience will still carry over though, so it isn¡¯t as if I¡¯m losing anything.

    ¡°Okay, that doesn¡¯t sound bad at all.¡± I definitely agree at this point, although I just know that Silver Lord is going to go crazy with it anyway. He always does.

    ¡°Yes, but more than that! Your weird Spirit Separation thing brings it to a whole new level! Why just slip physical bonds when you can slip magical or spiritual bonds as well?! Just imagine it! Hehehe¡­

    ¡°Shadelings, an evolution of Ghosts, have the ability to slip into shadows and traverse through the Shadow Realm for short distances. It appears as if they are teleporting. Could you do something similar with your loose form? Or how about piggybacking in the bodies of others without their knowing?! Oooh, the ideas! I swear, you are the most surprising pupil I ever could have wished for!¡±

    Damn, the old man really has gone nuts, and even Holdt is backing up slowly. He¡¯s smart enough to want nothing to do with Silver Lord¡¯s current madness. Neither do I, for that matter. But I¡¯m barely able to leverage myself into a sitting position while the old zombie continues to rant.

    ¡°Banshees, another evolution of Ghosts, at least for females, also have the ability to possess others weaker than themselves. It¡¯s a dangerous ability that can cause damage both to the possessed and to the soul of the banshee herself though¡­ Yes, we can test that right now! Holdt, get over here!¡±

    Shit, there it goes. These spontaneous experiments are probably the worst Silver Lord ever does. And I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the only one who blanches, because Holdt has gone white as a sheet of paper while shaking his head almost to the point of cracking his own neck.

    ¡°Wait, hold on! I¡¯m still exhausted here. I need to cultivate before I can separate. It takes a constant upkeep of Soul Energy to maintain. And I don¡¯t want to fragment again.¡± I yell out at the old bastard, which brings him back to the present, thankfully.

    The first and only time we tested that Silver Lord himself had to intervene to keep me from practically dying. Again anyway. Unsupported by my soul energy reserves, my spirit form literally started breaking apart into little pieces while I was rushing back into my body.

    Thankfully the old coot has some skill in necromancy and studying souls, so he was able to trap and gather my ¡®broken bits¡¯ and put them back in when it was all said and done. The experience still gives me nightmares. Or would, if I slept and actually dreamed. Feeling myself break apart and all that pain is something I never, EVER, want to go through again. EVER.

    ¡°Aargh, fine. You cultivate then and test your current limits. Come on Holdt. While he¡¯s doing that, we¡¯re going to go grab another body for him to play with while I arrange for the proper trainers to come around.¡± Silver Lord starts to grumble, but I really dodged that one. Holdt did too, even though he gives me a wane smile.

    ¡°Yes, Sir Silver Lord.¡± My Proctor says, falling in behind the old man as they make their way out of my cultivation chamber. Hell, Silver Lord didn¡¯t even bother to look at me once he made up his mind. Same as always there.

    Left alone once the thick stone door is closed, I let out a sigh. I¡¯d gotten what I felt is a stay of execution, but I know Silver Lord will want to test it as soon as possible. Well, it is a curious idea all the same. What if I could do those things? Or something different? Just the thought is extremely exciting.

    Still, there¡¯s little point of thinking about it right now. Instead i need to focus on the here and now and recoup my strength. I¡¯m so tired of being bloody exhausted all the time.

    Thus I reach out to the surrounding soul energy, intent on getting on with my cultivation. Except that it responds way too quickly and fiercely. The sudden onrush, an absolute deluge, rushes into my body like a sledgehammer!

    I groan and end up collapsing backwards onto the floor again, stunned by the force and ferocity I¡¯d just experienced. Always before I had to reach out and grasp hold of the soul energy as tightly as possible to draw it to me. The effort and concentration required me to focus everything I had on it.

    Yet this¡­ this was totally not the same. It was like I almost crushed my damned fool self with the weight of all the soul energy I¡¯d grabbed onto. And it responded far more quickly and smoothly than before. Ugh.

    It seems that my boosted Soul stat is the culprit. I already knew that upping my soul stat would give me increased sensitivity to magic in general, and help provide a boost in cultivating. I just didn¡¯t know that it would force me to learn how to control it too. Thankfully I already have the fundamentals in controlling soul energy down. Both Energy Manipulation and Sorcery skills depend upon minute control, after all.

    So this time I change my tactic after sitting up again. Instead of grabbing all the soul energy in my chamber, I instead spread my senses out to fill the whole of the room. Then instead of pulling on the free soul energy, I focus my will on gently guiding it to me.

    Aaaaahhhh. Much better! It¡¯s only a trickle of soul energy at this point, but it still feels far better than being hammered by it. And it gives me a good baseline to start increasing my pulling speed.

    Except I¡¯m not able to increase the strength by much. Instead, I end up capping out to my maximum after only a few minutes instead of the ten or so it used to take me. That¡¯s some insane cultivation speed! Damn.

    Shit. It just goes to show how limited my maximum really is at this point. Two hundred points may sound like a lot, but it¡¯s barely a drop in the bucket for others. Holdt probably has a couple thousand himself. Silver Lord then could have upwards to a hundred thousand points! Which probably is even smaller than what others who are far older have.

    Hmmm¡­ I¡¯m really tempted to start buying more for my maximum, but at the same time I¡¯m a little resistant to the idea. Like it¡¯s a cheap way out. Useful, no doubt, but I¡¯m not entirely sure that it doesn¡¯t have any drawbacks of its own. Gah. I¡¯ll have to ask Silver Lord about it later. He probably knows. I just don¡¯t want to end up exhausted all the damned time anymore.

    Anyway, since I¡¯m done with cultivating at the moment, I stand up and check out my body. Without feeling like my body is being tied down with lead weights, I¡¯m finally able to experience the truth growth of my strength. I feel light, can move easily, and am able to bend in all sorts of ways I could only struggle to do before.

    Clenching my fists in front of me, I can finally really feel the strength of my hands. The change really is like night and day, and leaves me feeling exhilarated. It¡¯s great. Hahaha! Thus I spend more time than I probably should have doing jumps, tumbles, handstands and all sorts of gymnastic flips. Things I doubt I ever did while alive, and definitely haven¡¯t done since awakening here in Limbo.

    Like all things though, these fast and precise movements start to tire me out. It takes me only a moment to realize that these advanced movements are draining me of my soul energy points slowly but surely. It¡¯s like instead of stamina every motion above a certain limit requires the use of soul energy. Which sucks, damn it all. I really want to keep playing.

    That said, the drain is slow and costs per motion seems to be somewhat predictable. An all-out run around my circular cultivation chamber costs roughly a point for twenty feet, for example. Three rapid backflips cost a point as well. Doing a drop and roll, regardless of direction costs a point as well.

    Suddenly stopping in the middle of an action ends up not costing anything, too. Yet changing from a forward roll to a handstand then a backflip ends up costing three whole points instead. It really does seem that the more complex the motion, or having several chained together ends up costing more. I end up testing this theory, by switching from backflips to rolls to handstands and a number of other movements I¡¯d never done or even seen before.

    Some, like a one-legged jump off the wall, don¡¯t have a cost. Yet if I build up speed to a run then jump off the wall with both feet the cost increases. The same for a a two-legged jump from a dead stop on the floor. All of which seems just really weird to me.

    It gets even weirder when I start using my few physical abilities. Charge and Body Reinforcement. Both of them have both a set ¡®start-up¡¯ cost in soul energy and also a sustained cost to continue using them. But these costs are controllable. I could use up as little as a single soul energy point, or dump my entire soul energy reserves into them.

    And they work, for the most part, with any other motion I desire. Charge, for instance, works just as well as doing front flips as it does just flat out running. So long as I¡¯m moving in a mostly straight line, Charge works.

    Body Reinforcement is much more involved though. It¡¯s an all around enhancement to my physical body. It enhances my bodies durability, strength, and flexibility. This in turn increases my speed and motor control, allowing me to perform angled dives and even a limited bit of wall-running. Hehe. That part was cool, and totally unexpected.

    Yet the costs involved start getting just as crazy as my actions. Not even a minutes¡¯ worth of constant motion drain my reserves dry, leaving me once more sitting on the ground while I cultivate to recoup my lost energy. But I didn¡¯t do all of that for nothing!

    [Athletics skill learned!]

    [Athletics has leveled up!]

    [Overdrive feat learned!]

    Hahahaha. I cannot help but laugh as I check out my two new abilities. Athletics, as it turns out, is an overall skill reflecting my ability to use my body. It provides a minor boost in all aspects of my body, while also slightly lowering the costs of complex physical actions. Which is yummy, right?

    Overdrive though¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s just as crazy as everything else I¡¯ve been doing. Overdrive is a body enhancement feat in the same vein as Body Reinforcement, and yet the boost it provides is massive in comparison. And so are the costs. It costs an entire 50 Soul Energy points to activate, and for every minute of usage it costs another 10 points.

    After Overdrive is done with though, it lowers my Body stat points by 1 for every minute I¡¯d used it. Not permanently, but as a cool down cost. I regain the usage of those points at a rate of 1 point per 10 minutes of rest. So Overdrive is very much a weapon of last resort. I actually hope I never have to actually use it outside of training.

    That said, I do test it for about two minutes. Running, jumping, all the good stuff leaves me bouncing off the walls. Almost literally. The boost Overdrive provides is ridiculous. I can actually touch the 12-foot high ceilings from a dead jump in the middle of the chamber with it activated. The loss of those two stat points really sucks though. I could literally feel myself weaken, which is not a fun experience at all.

    Thankfully I didn¡¯t have to experience it for too long, because I cheated a bit. I pulled my spirit form partially out of my resting body and was very much glad to see that the stat drain didn¡¯t seem to affect my spirit body. That and the sensation of weakness didn¡¯t follow me out either. So double plus.

    On the other hand, my spirit form was very much weaker than my physical body even with the same amount of stat points. It wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d had to deal with before, when all of my stats were so low, but I can instant tell the difference now. In a way it¡¯s similar to how ghost type undead work, so it isn¡¯t too odd. Just different.

    On the other hand, my spirit form is very compatible with my Mind and Soul stats. Insanely so. Previously it had been easier to cultivate and use magic in my spirit form, but now it is even more. Just a thought brings the soul energy right to me for cultivating, without expanding my senses at all.

    Another thought, although with more focus and concentration, is all that is required to ignite the soul energy into a fireball. Which I promptly throw at the wall furthest from me because it grew way too big for me to control! Damn! I really have to learn how to control myself like this now.

    On the other hand the cost to cast that magic also went up, so while there are plusses there are also negatives to this newfound ability. Which seems to be the constant for everything I¡¯ve been experimenting with. Everything has a downside in one way or another. Still freaking cool though. Haha.

    Done wasting time at this point, I work to refill my soul energy points before standing up again. Moving to open the door, I find Holdt and Silver Lord waiting outside already, leaving me feeling a bit sheepish for leaving them waiting for so long. Silver Lord doesn¡¯t seem to mind though, staring at me in that ravenous manner of his.

    ¡°That was a big explosion we heard even out here. You testing out your new limits?¡± Holdt was the one to actually speak up here, more curious than crazy thankfully.

    ¡°Yeah. Casting magic in my spirit form is way easier, and harder to control.¡± I explain, barely glancing at the limp zombie body that he¡¯s holding. ¡°And I learned the Athletics skill while testing out my body¡­ also got the ¡®Overdrive¡¯ feat.¡±

    ¡°Both of those are fairly common, although Overdrive is very expensive. It¡¯s higher ranks are very powerful though.¡± Silver Lord cuts in at that point, before walking in past me. I can tell from his face that he¡¯s way too impatient to wait any longer.

    That just makes me roll my eyes and motion for Holdt to enter as well. He lets out only a slight sigh and a smile before once more all three of us are closed off from the outside world. Along with a new body for me.

    These bodies are all unawakened zombie bodies from the Plains of Corpses, which are treated like a common resource here in Helen City. They are cheap and plentiful, but also useful in various ways. Necromancers use them to practice their magics, while alchemists can use them to render out various materials. Others, like the small population of Ghouls in the city, actually eat them as their primary food stock.

    I¡¯d gotten the full run-down the first time I¡¯d had to switch to a new body. It had been a rushed job, because Silver Lord had literally blown my original zombie body to bits while experimenting with my then newly discovered ability. He wanted to see if I could control my body remotely while in my spirit form. That didn¡¯t work so well, sadly. That said, no harm done. Heh.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve waited long enough now! Holdt, put that body down and stand in the center. I¡¯m going to set up a warding just in case anything goes wrong¡­ this time.¡± Yeah, so even the old man can learn a thing or two when dealing with newly discovered abilities.

    As for me, I simply move to sit down and wait. Watching Silver Lord use different types of magic is probably the best time I¡¯ve ever had while here in Silver Key. And goes to show just how much of a magical scholar the old zombie is.

    Based on his current evolved race, you¡¯d think that Silver Lord specializes in magic focused on metals. Silver, mithril, and the like. He does, but that isn¡¯t all he is skilled in. Instead he¡¯s skilled in a wide range of Thaumaturgy, Sorcery, Necromancy and other more specialized fields. I¡¯ve seen him use elemental sorcery, wards, barriers, and engraving enchantments. And Alchemy, too. Even some things I still don¡¯t have names for.

    Those skills though are what almost single handedly raised up the Silver Key Magic Society to what it is today. Even now his works are still what bring in the most profit to the Silver Key as well. From what Holdt has said, Silver Lord is one of the top enchanters in Helen City, but he only charges half of what the Wizard¡¯s Tower does for the same work. It makes him very popular in those circles.

    This time I get to watch him set up a series of wards around the chamber. Compared to enchanting, wards have a time limit to their effects. They also don¡¯t have the same cost in material or energy, thus making them useful in situations where permanency isn¡¯t required. All the same, I still stare in a bit of wonder as I watch the old zombie draw the runic words in thin air in long chains or sentences. Each rune represents a concept of magic, and chained together they create an effect that¡¯ll last as long as their supplied energy holds out or it is canceled by their creator.

    In this case I can make out the runes for ¡®soul¡¯, ¡®retain¡¯, ¡®field¡¯ and ¡®shield¡¯. The rest I have no clue about, given my limited knowledge on the subject. But the runes are being repeated several times, which means this ward will be quite strong in these aspects.

    ¡°This is a soul cage ward, a bit of advanced necromancy. It¡¯s used to both capture and hold raw souls for later use or to safeguard them against damage. Healers often train to use this ward just in case their patient cannot be healed in time, while necromancers tend to use it to house souls for later use as raw materials.¡±

    Okay, that explains a lot. Not sure how I feel about the way the magic is used though. Not that I can say anything. Bodies and souls tend to be material components with a great number of uses here in Limbo. And souls are a form of currency in the Realms of Hell, as well.

    For all of his stoicism, Holdt is looking decidedly nervous at this point. He¡¯d been subjected to such experiments before, as have I, but I cannot fault my zombie senior for this one. No one likes the idea of being possessed or controlled after all.

    ¡°Okay boys. This ward is set up to contain both of your souls, and should be powerful enough to resist just about anything you two can throw at it. Now get to it, we don¡¯t have all day! Hahaha!¡± There goes Silver Lord with that damned laughter of his.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Holdt finally says, although he looks far less confident than he probably should. His stats are way beyond mind, after all.

    As for myself, slipping out of my body was simple and easy. My spirit form responded to my thoughts far more smoothly than I¡¯d ever experienced, although the feeling of constantly sucking up my soul energy reserves is more than a little annoying. As is passing through the wards, because they actually resist my entrance for a short moment and then felt as if I were being squeezed on when I finally did.

    ¡°My spirit form doesn¡¯t seem to be my soul in raw form, Silver Lord. The ward resisted my entry.¡± I point out as I ghost myself toward Holdt.

    ¡°It¡¯s your soul energy, I believe. Raw souls do not have any soul energy points, although some are strong willed enough to use the ambient soul energy around them to create magical effects, but not spells¡­ Hmmm. Definitely interesting.¡± Listening to Silver Lord put forward his thoughts actually manages to relax me, while Holdt just shrugs.

    Holdt for his part is generally quiet and stoic in a way that made me appreciate the big man. Since our first meeting days ago I¡¯ve gotten quite close to him, but he isn¡¯t one for frivolous talk. He still holds to his own training daily as well, and unlike us ¡®magic types¡¯ his focus is on fighting skills. In fact his current race is a ¡®Stalwart Zombie (Silver)¡¯, which is surprisingly fitting.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Holdt finally says, giving me a wane smile before closing his eyes.

    ¡°Yes yes, just try not to resist, Holdt. I highly doubt this possession will be the same as others, but at the same time it might have other effects. So easy does it, lads. Just be quick about it.¡± Talk about getting in the last word there, Silver Lord.

    Still, there¡¯s no reason to dally anyway. So I simply rush up to Holdt¡¯s body and reach out to touch him with one of my ghostly hands. The instant I do I can feel his resistance to my entrance, although it is weak.

    That in itself just feels weird though. All of the bodies I¡¯ve taken control of thus far have had no resistance at all. They readily accepted my spirit form, allowing me to brand them easily. But they were also all empty vessels, without souls or egos of their own.

    Holdt on the other hand has both, and is stronger than I am. I could feel his unconscious repulsion, thus I simply hold on hand on his arm until my presence becomes more comfortable to the older zombie. Then I slip inside as his resistance decreases.

    ¡°Oh wow¡­¡± My voice and Holdt¡¯s voice comes out of his mouth comes out at the same time, and he snaps his eyes open while I sit inside of him and watch. Yet at the same time I can ¡®hear¡¯ his thoughts, and he can hear mine too. Or at least those on the surface, which is more than enough to know that he feels just as funky as I do.

    ¡°This is weird. We are both in here.¡± Holdt says then, still in the primary position before smoothly switching with me.

    ¡°We are. Holdt has to resist resisting me though. He naturally wants to push me out.¡± I say then, before lifting his left arm and clenching the fist. The feeling of strength isn¡¯t any higher than my own though, which is the first clue to realizing that my stats are affecting his body.

    ¡°My own stats take precedence when in control as well.¡± I say then, before checking the rest of the details quickly. Being inside Holdt¡¯s body is just weird as fuck, and not just because we are sharing his head together.

    Surprisingly Holdt is actually having fun with this whole thing, although he never shows or says it on the outside. Training with and watching me train has been a joy for him, which he equates to having a younger sibling. Something of a fondness he¡¯d had as a living human, it turns out.

    Those thoughts come quickly and leave just as quickly, as Holdt flexes his own mental muscles to hide more such bits of information from me. On the other hand I feel that I have nothing to hide, which is why I share a memory of me flipping off Silver Lord behind his back. The mental amusement is well worth the discomfort of sharing Holdt¡¯s body for the moment.

    ¡°Okay, this possession is also sucking up my soul energy points. And it fluctuates. I think that the more Holdt resists or doesn¡¯t has a direct correlation to the costs involved. That and moving his body¡­¡± Even as I¡¯m speaking I start taking more direct control of Holdt¡¯s body.

    I walk around the interior of the ward, jump a bit, and even do a frontflip then a backflip. Both cost more than doing them in my own body, and way more than if Holdt himself were doing them. His higher skills result in far more efficiency.

    ¡°Good, good! Hehe. Now test using your magic, lad. Then I want you to do that partial separation trick and try to cultivate.¡± Silver Lord instructs then, rubbing his hands together while watching everything with that keen Gaze of his. No doubt he¡¯s receiving far more information than my own experiences can provide. Silver Lord¡¯s Gaze is way more advanced than mine is.

    Magic, as it turns out, was a bit harder to accomplish. Which is a direct response to the difference in wills between myself and Holdt. Holdt knows all the theory for various types of magic, but he¡¯s never had the patience to really train up those skills. Or to be a bookworm.

    Thus we have to do a bit of back-and-forth with our thoughts to sort out how this would work. Being on a time limit doesn¡¯t help, so we decide on something simple. A single flame cupped in the hand. At least sharing the mental image is far easier this way than trying to explain it. Plus we are talking to Silver Lord about what is going on all at the same time.

    Finally though we get the magic to go, but what surprises all three of us is that it turns out to be a raging inferno that causes us to drop the magic rather quickly. The spell had taken soul energy from both myself and Holdt, thus doubling or even tripling the resulting power. Which is all sorts of cool, but rather distressing for me. Holdt has way more soul energy than I do.

    ¡°Amazing! Joint Casting is often used in Ritualistic magic, but the effeciency is rather bad regardless. It basically adds a percentage of the casters power to the joint effort. Yet this possession directly added the two parts together, resulting in far more power!¡± Of course the old man had to basically dance in his place outside the warding, very much pleased with this discovery.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to run low on soul energy here. Let¡¯s me try to cultivate and get this over with. I don¡¯t think I like being a roommate in Holdt¡¯s head. Great guy and all, but hearing his thoughts is starting to grind already.¡± I speak up then, ready to get this done and over with.

    Which is why I let Holdt take back control of his body so he can sit down. You can cultivate standing up, but any lapse in concentration would end up with you on your ass and the cultivation session broken. So people either sit down or lay down to do so.

    Pulling myself partially out of Holdt¡¯s body then proves to be an interesting exercise all its own. His body didn¡¯t like having just part of me inside of it, and that sudden resistance pushed me out all at once a couple of times before Holdt was able to suppress it. Silver Lord actually laughs at that, because the direction I get flung out of us totally random. Having my head come out of Holdt¡¯s crotch was not very amusing to me. Bah.

    Once settled I gently reach out to the soul energy still condensed inside my cultivation chamber. I rarely turn off the gathering array, leaving the room constant full with a much higher density than the outside. Thus just a gentle nudge of my intentions is enough to start the process.

    Then my world turns into blinding pain and screaming for just an instant before I black out.

 Chapter 05

    Silver Lord is an old and experienced zombie.  His own convoluted path through his evolutions and cultivation has seen many up and downs.  He has missed opportunities, but have gained just as many. After centuries of diligent work, he¡¯s finally at the stage where he can do almost anything he wants.

    Power is all that matters in this world.  Rather that power be in the strength of arms, the roar of magical arts, or in pure and unknowable information.  With power you could do whatever you want in Limbo and beyond. Without it you can only suffer.

    Silver Lord in this case is powerful.  He has worked for decades to leverage his unique evolution and magical skills in order to build up his Silver Key Magic Society.  Devoting large parts of his efforts and personal wealth on raising up those far younger than himself. To teach them the proper steps in order to avoid the pitfalls he himself fell for.

    While also advancing his own area of study.  Or his crazy experiments, whichever one fits better.  Hahahaha.

    That said, the current situation has left Silver Lord is somewhat of a slump.  Holdt, a nearly three-year member of the Silver Key and a pupil with a decent enough talent, is currently smoking quite badly while laying on his back, very much unconscious.  Thankfully there doesn¡¯t appear to be anything actually wrong with Holdt, besides some minor internal damage that is already well on its way to healing up.

    On the other hand, the first class newbie is in a far worse state.  A brand new recruit sent to him via a courtesy call from a Kriti of rather high standing, the lad was every bit as crazy as Silver Lord himself is.  Just in different ways. Utterly unafraid to try new things and learn skills far above his means.

    Which is why the newbie is now a nearly broken soul trapped inside of the magical glow of an active ward.  A bit of foresight that Silver Lord is very happy to have had, as the Soul Cage ward had caught the poor boys soul before it could scatter.  That said, even Silver Lord cannot help but shudder at the memory of that hellaciously painful scream the newbie had issued just before exploding.  Or imploding, really.

    Hells, it not only looked painful, but sounded painful as well.  Which is just too much for Silver Lord¡¯s poor heart. Or would be if his heart was beating and all that jazz.  Being an undead has its advantages.

    Still, the damage is done and thankfully contained.  Although there is a little bit of guilt involved, Silver Lord himself is actually quite happy with the outcome.  His ¡®All-Seeing Gaze¡¯ had captured quite the show, which will no doubt push forward his research by a great amount!

    Hmmm, what should he name the study?  ¡®Interpersonal Cultivation of disparate Skill Levels causing Soul Energy Deviation¡¯?  No, too unwieldy. How about: ¡®Separated Spirit Form Backlash - A Cultivation Study¡¯? Hmm, no, that doesn¡¯t work either.  Naming things had never really been Silver Lord¡¯s strong suit.

    ¡°Blast it all¡­¡±  The old zombie finally mutters, his attention coming back to the present.  Especially where his glowing silver eyes focus upon the swirling soul held within that magical cage of his.

    ¡°Not sure if I should be happy the failsafe worked or be sad that he had to experience that.¡±  Yeah, okay, so maybe there was a bit of compassion under that maniacally crazy exterior. If only a little.

    Especially when the old zombie pulls the captured soul into his hand and starts to toy with it like a squishy ball.  Thankfully the ward is quite powerful, and doesn¡¯t even break when Silver Lord starts to tug on it, pulling on it to stretch it like a piece of putty.  If the newbie were awake in that state, he¡¯d have never had let it happen. If only.

    ¡°Well, one more experiment won¡¯t hurt.  Hehe. He might even thank me later!¡±

    Oh yeah, if only.

    ~{+}~ | ~{+}~ | ~{+}~

    [You have survived: 09 days in Limbo!  Have a nice day!]

    The usual welcome message was there when I finally opened my eyes.  I could tell because of the glaring blue against my vision, yet for the moment I cannot concentrate on it enough to actually read the words.  I just hurt too damned much.

    And by hurting I mean HURTING.  My everything hurts. My body hurts.  My mind hurts. And I¡¯m pretty sure I can faintly hear my soul crying somewhere in the background.  Which is really annoying, because it faintly sounds like some woman who was ravished then casted aside.  Not exactly a cheerful feeling to wake up to in the morning.

    Not that I should be waking up anyway.  I¡¯m already supposed to be dead, and the dead don¡¯t sleep.  Ugh. It doesn¡¯t help that my memories are fuzzy on exactly why I was asleep anyway.  If you can count unconsciousness as sleeping.

    ¡°Looks like you are alive, that¡¯s good!¡±

    A far too cheerful voice suddenly booms in my ears, making me wince at the sudden pain that shoots through my head.  Freaking Hells.

    ¡°Oops, sorry.¡±  The voice says then in a far softer tone, which I¡¯m thankful for.  At least until a blurred silver figure appears above me. I just can¡¯t seem to focus my eyes properly right now.

    ¡°The disorientation should pass here soon.  I, uh, may have kept your soul outside your body for longer than I should have¡­¡±

    Silver Lord.  Old, silver, and crazy as a bat.  Yeah, that¡¯s the one. I¡¯m not sure why it¡¯s taking so much effort to actually think, but whatever.  At least I know who to blame.

    ¡°Tsk!  Don¡¯t glare at me like that.  I may have played,¡± cough, ¡°experimented,¡± cough, ¡°with your soul while I had it in my grasp, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll thank me soon enough!¡±

    Oh shit.  Those words really snap me awake, and I sit up with a jerk that just about makes me double over with a groan of pain.  But this time the pain starts helping to clear my head and my vision comes into focus. Which is when I realize that I¡¯m no longer in the same body I was in before.

    Even for generic run-of-the-mill zombie bodies, there are slight differences between them.  Height, weight, general looks, and even the lengths of the fingers and toes are all different.  And my hands right now are way too big compared to before.

    That and the distinct stitches of black thread are dead giveaways.  Which is odd, because I¡¯d never seen a zombie stitched up before. They are all generated with perfectly whole bodies unless they were munched on by a shambler or ghoul or something.

    ¡°This body¡­¡±  I start to say.

    ¡°Ah, yes, another experiment.  It was the perfect opportunity to see if you¡¯d set properly into an altered body!  Hahaha. And it seems to have worked. Feel anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Besides hurting far more than I should, no¡­ Now what in the damned Hells happened?¡±

    Okay, so the pain is making me more snappish than usual.  Which should be understandable, given I really hadn¡¯t had to deal with true pain all that much since awakening a little over a week ago.  Being dead doesn¡¯t lend itself to physical feelings like pain or pleasure all that well. Discomfort, sure. But not right out pain.

    Silver Lord, on the other hand, is grinning like an idiot when I finally work my head up to actually look at him.  That just leaves a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. As does the fact that I finally notice that I¡¯m no longer in my cultivation chamber.

    In fact I¡¯m in what could be called a torture cellar.  Nicely. At worst it might be called a madman¡¯s laboratory.  Which really does not inspire confidence.

    If it weren¡¯t the vast and myriad number of wickedly sharp tools, hammers, chisels, and weapons hanging from the walls, then it is definitely the number of restraining racks sitting in all sorts of positions around the room.  Or the number of large workbenches, each of which have a number of contraptions and gadgets and gizmos that I cannot even recognize sitting upon them. Oh, and that ghastly green-white light that covers everything from a set of glowing orbs hanging from the ceiling.

    ¡°Oh that.  You suffered severe backlash while cultivating because Holdt inadvertently sucked all your soul energy from you.  My Soul Cage ward caught you though, so that¡¯s great! On the other hand I¡¯d never had the chance to toy,¡± cough, ¡°experiment with an awakened soul before!¡±

    Thus Silver Lord starts going off on the various experiments he¡¯d conducted on my soul.  Mainly with how mutable it was. Or how it could fragment and be regrouped in controlled conditions.  Also rather it could be ¡®implanted¡¯ into other things outside of (un)living bodies.

    From all of that I only got one thing: the old bastard tested just about anything he could personally think of outside of outright destroying me.  Which is good, cause I really don¡¯t want to die again. Then the bad, because he¡¯d kept at it for over an entire day. Thus the whole ¡®kept you out for so long¡¯ bit.

    By this point though I¡¯m just in too much pain to really care.  Or I¡¯ve just gone numb to the craziness. Perhaps a bit of both.

    That doesn¡¯t stop me from raising my arm up and back only to slam my fist into his proud, gloating face though.  It really was fitting that my first act of violence would be to this old bastard as well. I really do feel violated at this point.  Ugh.

    Sadly my punch does nothing much.  In fact it was like I¡¯d slammed my fist into a metal plate, complete with a soft ¡®dong¡¯ sound.  Which does absolutely nothing to help the pain I felt coming from the hit.

    That said, my hand is really large at the moment.  Big enough to close Silver Lord¡¯s mouth and leave him looking somewhat stunned.  At least until he starts laughing again!

    ¡°Hahahaha!  You¡¯ll have to try harder than that to hurt me, brat!¡±  He cannot help but brag, looking even more smug now than before.

    ¡°I get it though.  I may have gone overboard¡­ In fact Holdt has been waiting this entire time too¡­¡±

    No sooner had Silver Lord spoke up that someone starts banging on the door.  Which is impressive, given that it¡¯s another stone thing, and the sound of it is like someone slamming against it with a battering ram.  Or several somethings, from the multiple booms echoing into the chamber here.

    ¡°Oh dear¡­ Stop, stop!¡±  Silver Lord suddenly starts to fret, running off toward the door with a speed I¡¯m hardly able to follow with my eyes.  Old bastard can really be fast when he wants to be.

    ¡°Stop banging on the enchantments before you break something!¡±

    He¡¯s yelling even as he hits the switch to open the door, only to backpedal several steps as not just Holdt but several other people storm into the chamber as well.  I recognize a few of them, although at the moment I cannot really remember their names. My head hurts just too much.

    Yet there are others I haven¡¯t met at all at this point.  A group of sixteen, all of them wearing the garments of the Silver Key Magic Society.  And all of them looking quite peeved and angry.

    Each of them hold their prefered weapons and look ready to actually use them as they stare at Silver Lord and me and the room in general.  Too many eyes to keep track of at this point. Yet for all of that they slowly relax once Holdt waves them down.

    ¡°What in the Hells¡¯ have you been doing, Sir Silver Lord?  You know that messing with Awakened Souls¡¯ is seriously Taboo!¡±  Holdt starts yelling at Silver Lord, the first time I¡¯d ever seen the zombie yelling at his leader.  Or yelling at all, in fact.

    ¡°Not even the Fallen Gods would approve of it!  Much less Agamemnon should he hear of it! We do not need the City Throne investigating even for hearsay here!  We have enough problems with the Wizard¡¯s Tower!¡±

    That finally seems to tire Holdt out, although several of the others with him are nodding or adding words themselves.  Ugh. It¡¯s hard to keep track of it all, but it really does seem there¡¯s more going on with the Silver Key than I had known before.

    ¡°Alright, you all can stop now.  I¡¯m not -that- crazy.¡± The old man finally speaks up there, holding up his hands before motioning to me.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t directly cause any damage to his soul, so no harm done,¡±  Silver Lord says then, only to point at me with another proud, gloating look on his face, ¡°In fact I gave him the Fragment!  Hahaha!¡±

    Those words wipe off the angry and aggressive looks on the crowds faces in an instant.  What replaces those looks are equally vivid ones of surprise and horror. Neither of which mean anything to me, because I have no idea what this ¡®Fragment¡¯ is.

    ¡°By the Pits, Aremis!¡±  One of the others yells then, a magic user by the name of Tretis that I¡¯ve trained with before.  He¡¯s actually one of the oldest Silver Key members, and likely one of the few that¡¯d ever use Silver Lord¡¯s real name.

    ¡°Insane, utterly insane¡­ You gave the newbie the Fragment of Divinity?!  How?! We¡¯ve had that thing for over a century but have never been able to use it!¡±

    Woah.  Did he really just say ¡®Fragment of Divinity¡¯?  Like, what in all the Hells is that? The fact that it sounds really impressive and all sorts of important doesn¡¯t help my scrambled thoughts at this point.

    ¡°Haha!  That¡¯s the point!  It¡¯d only work on raw souls, but not just any raw soul.  It required an Awakened Soul. Hehehe.¡± It doesn¡¯t stop Silver Lord from dancing a little jig, even while being watched by a various assortment of eyes.

    ¡°Trying to use the Fragment on raw souls just caused them all to collapse and absorb the bits into itself.  We knew that while trying to use it before.¡± The old man starts to explain then, having stopped his crazy dancing, thankfully.  Not sure if I want to even keep that memory, it was just too absurd.

    ¡°But when I brought his Awakened Soul in here in the Soul Cage the Fragment actually responded!  Nearly broke out of the containment enchantment we¡¯d set up. Hehe.¡±

    Those words just cause a whole bunch of groans from the crowd, while Holdt has actually sneaked out of the mass of people and made his way over to me.  He looks pensive yet relieved, and is only partially listening to Silver Lord or the others.

    ¡°Glad to see you are okay, boy.  Silver Lord really could have gotten us all in deep trouble this time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can see that.  Don¡¯t remember any of it though.  But I hurt right now, which isn¡¯t normal.  This body is also weird.¡± I say just as quietly back to Holdt, holding up my hands to show off the stitches and whatnot.  And the fact that they are way too big for this bodies¡¯ arms.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take a look in a bit, lad.  You should listen to this though, it¡¯s important.¡±  Holdt says, motioning to the crowd and Silver Lord again.  This just makes me perk up my ears while I watch.

    ¡°I reinforced the enchantment to keep the Fragment contained before starting my experiments with the raw soul.  Fairly standard stuff, you know. Any Necromancer or Spiritualist would have done the same¡­¡±

    Like anyone really believed him at that point and I cannot help but grimace.  The old man had already told me what he¡¯d done, but it seems he¡¯s really hiding some details from the others.  Rather that¡¯s out of his own sense of shame or guilt I cannot say though. I just think he didn¡¯t want to get into any more trouble than he¡¯s already caused.

    ¡°I finally had to go back to the Fragment afterwards and decided to put it to use.  We never would have gotten another chance¡­ Hehe. And I¡¯m so glad I did! I got so much data in the process!¡±

    Then suddenly Silver Lord is right in front of me again, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me up.  He motions to me with his free hand almost wildly, still grinning like a madman.

    ¡°He¡¯s just fine!  I kept him together with several Soul Cage wards and energy from soul stones,¡±  Silver Lord says then, almost fast enough to cause spittle to fly. ¡°Go ahead and check your message log, boy!  Let us know what it says!¡±

    Yet even before I could say or do so I pick up Silver Lord muttering to himself: ¡°Please, please be worth it¡­¡±  Yeah, really a lot of confidence there. He¡¯s just good at hiding his faults, apparently.

    [-Message Log-]

    [You have been exhausted! (x*****)]

    [Your Soul has dispersed!]

    [You have died.]

    [You have been resuscitated!]

    [Your Soul has been forcibly stabilized. (x*****)]

    [Your Soul has been refined with precious materials!]

    [Integration of ¡®Fragment of Divinity¡¯ proceeding.]

    [¡®Fragment of Divinity¡¯ has been consumed.]

    [Exhaustion Resistance II has leveled up! (x6)]

    [New Perk gained: Expanded Soul!]

    [New Perk gained: Strengthened Soul!]

    [New Detriment gained: Solid Soul!]

    [Expanded Soul - Perk.]

    [Your soul has been expanded through the refinement of precious materials!]

    [Your soul can now hold Soul Energy inside of itself as a reserve.]

    [10% increase to Soul Energy absorption rate.]

    [10% increase to Soul Energy refinement rate.]

    [+100 maximum Soul Energy.]

    [+10 maximum Soul Reserve.]

    [0/10 Soul Reserve.]

    [Strengthened Soul - Perk.]

    [Your soul has been strengthened through the refinement of precious materials!]

    [You can now maintain your Spirit Form with no Soul Energy cost.]

    [Your soul is more resistant to destruction through damage or dispersion!]

    [+100 maximum Soul Energy.]

    [+10 maximum Soul Reserve.]

    [0/20 Soul Reserve.]

    [Solid Soul - Detriment.]

    [Your soul has been solidified through the refinement of precious materials!]

    [Your Spirit Form is now your true body.]

    [Physical bodies now require additional cultivation in order to reflect your true stats.]

    [+100 maximum Soul Reserve.]

    [0/120 Soul Reserve.]

    [Feat performed: Soul Refinement!]

    [Feat Limit reached.  Pending!]

    [New Title gained: Crystal Soul, Rank I.]

    [Crystal Soul, Rank I. - Title.]

    [5% increase in Soul Study effects.]

    [5% increase in learning Soul based Abilities and Skills.]

    [+1 Soul Points per Rank up.]

    [+1 Soul Points per evolution.]

    [This Title can be evolved.]

    [+250 maximum Soul Energy for repeated Exhaustion! (MAX)]

    [Your physical body has base stats of 10 points.]

    [You are recuperating.]

    It takes me several minutes to read through the log, reading it aloud for everyone to hear.  It isn¡¯t a common thing, because no one wants to reveal so much about themselves. But in this case I don¡¯t really care about revealing these things.

    In truth I need help, because I barely understand what my message log is telling me.  I¡¯d gained perks, a detriment, and even a new title. Yet they really don¡¯t make much sense to me right now.

    Part of that is from how crappy I feel, but I don¡¯t understand what it means about ¡®refinement¡¯ or even ¡®Soul Reserve¡¯.  These are things that I¡¯ve never touched upon before, and I really don¡¯t think most of the others have either. They all look as confused as I am.

    Even Silver Lord himself looks a little pensive, his hand coming up to stroke that beard he doesn¡¯t have.  At least if his thoughts are on this issue then I don¡¯t have to worry about not figuring it out. For all of the old man¡¯s craziness, he at least is knowledgeable enough to come up with a theory.

    Of course it doesn¡¯t help that the others outside of Silver Lord and Holdt had yet to see my Spirit Form before.  That in itself is already a brand new ability, unique to me. That and raw souls are supposed to be unable to contain Soul Energy anyway, which makes my new Soul Reserve just all sorts of crazy in and of itself.

    ¡°Well, it looks like we have more experimenting to do!¡±  Silver Lord yells then, making me grimace in pain while the others give a series of lackluster chuckles.

    Yeah, way to ruin the mood there old man.

    ~{+}~ | ~{+}~ | ~{+}~

    [You have survived: 17 days in Limbo!  Have a nice day!]

    More than a week has passed since the ¡®Soul Incident¡¯ and the entire Silver Key Magic Society has become a madhouse.  All the Society members, except those in critical positions or posts, have been recalled to the headquarters. This swelling of the ranks have filled up the entire place and nearly every day I¡¯ve been introduced to one or two members I hadn¡¯t yet gotten the chance to meet yet.

    It¡¯s actually pretty amazing, because even though the Silver Key is considered a small to medium sized Society as far as Helen City¡¯s various groups go, it still has some 200-odd members at last count.  Many of them already over a century of age as well. At that age they are naturally powerful enough to wander the outside world on their own and pursue their own subjects of interest.

    Those interests are very wide in scope as well.  Cooking, alchemy, blacksmithing¡­ Even a guy who happily works as a lumberjack in a place called the Black Forest.  From what he told me, the Black Forest is almost smack dab in the middle of the distance between Helen City and the city of Zeus¡¯ Rest far to the east.  It¡¯s quite the distance, which took him a while to get back here when the summons went out.

    The reason for this recall of Silver Key members, surprisingly enough, is me.  If mostly for Silver Lord to show off his new brightest pupil. Ugh. On the other hand the various skills and abilities the members take it upon themselves to teach me is a major bonus.  Not that I can use most of them yet, but that¡¯s beside the point.

    In fact, the training offered has gone from the useful to the crazy and back around again.  Like seriously, why would I ever need a skill like ¡®Chess (Game) Strategy¡¯? Sure, the game is fun, but outside of amusement I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever play it in a serious way.  That¡¯s just one example of a nearly useless skill that I¡¯ve been taught recently.

    By this point though it feels more like the whole of the Society has turned out in order to spoil their little brother.  It is heartwarming, as far as it goes, but it is getting into embarrassing territory here. Sure, I¡¯m willing to let them show off then try to learn what they have to offer, but bloody Hells¡¯ are these guys as crazy as Silver Lord in their own ways.

    Part of that is probably because of the fact that Silver Key doesn¡¯t have many rules.  Most of those are centered around ¡®Do Not Harm Your Fellow Members¡¯ and ¡®Do Not Cause Trouble for the Society¡¯.  This lax set of rules has bred a family feel to the whole Society, while the hands-off style of administration means that everyone can go do their own thing so long as they respond to a call from the Silver Hand in times of need.

    Or just getting together to have a damned party.  Really, I didn¡¯t know that the dead could hold such a bash.  With all sorts of foods and drink and a 21-piece band of Society members playing a wild and rhythmic set of songs.  Shit, I didn¡¯t know the dead could get drunk either!

    Thankfully I stayed away from the alcohol, although I tried a bit of everything else.  I didn¡¯t need to eat or drink in order to live, but really some of the options are really delectable.  The in-house produced ¡®Fizzy Orange Soda¡¯ was really good, for example, and was made by a female zombie who used to make it back in the living world above.  She¡¯d missed the taste so had worked to reproduced it down here, although it has taken her quite a while. The current batch was #359. Haha.

    Outside of the party-like feel though, everyone is really serious when it came to my unusual status within the Society.  This all stems from the unusualness of my own personal ability and the fact that I received the Fragment. Of which I finally got the full story out of Holdt after several days renewed testing Silver Lord and others had put me through.

    So I came to find out ¡®Fragments of Divinity¡¯ is a literal name for shattered pieces of an Old Gods¡¯ soul.  The sort of shattering that happens upon their death and destruction. Which is a really big deal, as far as Gods go.

    That said, the Fragments can be found all over Limbo and even beyond.  They are rare, but not really useful in most cases, and can be found in Dungeons or out in the wilds.  Unawakened creatures here in Limbo seem to like to collect them due to their powerful auras, so groups can gather them with some regularity.

    To most people though they are just shiny baubles.  Expensive shiny baubles at that. The Silver Key had gotten theirs while exploring an old ruin in the search of something else, but they hadn¡¯t been able to use it in over a century.  It just remains completely inert to most stimuli.

    Now though the Silver Key knows how to put the Fragments to use, but only under extreme circumstances.  The oldest members and Silver Lord actually went out and bought another Fragment to experiment with, only to find that none of them could absorb it either.  And this was done after conveniently extracting several of their Awakened Souls to try.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The reason for this is the Perks I¡¯d received when I absorbed that first Fragment.  Perks are hard to get, either through the Voice or through buying them with Soul Points.  The relative increase in strength caused by gaining them though is worth far more than what a Fragment actually costs on the open market.

    All of which has left Silver Lord and the other stumped.  Silver Lord¡¯s original hypothesis that it required an Awakened Soul didn¡¯t work, thus they are all now focused upon me.  That said, even I cannot absorb the second Fragment.

    It gave a weak response in my presence, but it was nowhere near as strong as Silver Lord had seen the first time.  No one can figure out why that is, either. My own personal thought is that I¡¯d need to either Rank Up or Evolve before I can take in another Fragment.

    That theory though cannot be tested yet, since I¡¯m still in my Newly Dead period.  So instead of waiting around and doing nothing, all the members decided that I should be their training buddy instead.  Or their captive test subject, as the case may be. Gah.

    At least I cannot complain about the results.  Especially where my ¡®Bane¡¯ is concerned. Hehehe.  I¡¯ve learned far more about being able to slip out of all sorts of restraints, which is surprising fun, truth be told.

    [-Personal Statistics-]

    [Name: -Locked-] [Status: Civilian]

    [Displayed Title: Unpressured, Rank IV]

    [Racial Type: Dead | Zombie/Spirit Form] [Rank: F | Level: 10 (MAX/UP)]

    [-Spirit Form Stats-]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 750/750 (+)] [Soul Reserve (SR): 150/150] [Soul Points (SP): 5 (Locked)]

    [Body: 10/10 | (MAX)]   [Mind: 10/10 | (MAX)]   [Soul: 10/10 | (MAX)]

    [-Physical Body Stats-]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 750/750 (+)]

    [Body: 10/10 | (MAX)]   [Mind: 10/10 | (MAX)]   [Soul: 10/10 | (MAX)]

    [-TITLES-]

    [Unpressured, Rank IV (UP!) | Magus, Rank I. (Locked) | Purifier, Rank II (UP!)]

    [Maximizer, Rank I | Separated, Rank II. (Unique). (UP!)]

    [-FEATS-]

    [All-Seeing Gaze - Rank II (UP!) | Terror Resistance - Rank II (UP!)]

    [Exhaustion Resistance II - Rank IX (UP!) | Overdrive - Rank III (UP!)]

    [Magic Overload - Rank IV (NEW!) | Getaway - Rank III (NEW!)]

    [-ABILITIES-]

    [Charge - Rank III (UP!) | Body Reinforcement - Rank V (UP!)]

    [Study II - Rank IV (UP) | Active Meditation - (Locked)]

    [Spirit Separation II - Rank VII (UP!) | Spirit Touch - Rank IX (NEW!)]

    [Shield Bash - Rank II (NEW!) | Power Throw - Rank I (NEW!)]

    [Aimed Shot - Rank I (NEW!) | Power Slash - Rank I (NEW!)]

    [Dispel - (Locked) | Hide - Rank IV (NEW!) | Sense Trap - Rank I (NEW!)]

    [-ACTIVE SKILLS-]

    [Energy Manipulation III - Rank IV (UP!) | Concentration II - Rank IX (UP!)]

    [Cultivation II - Rank VI (UP!) | Magic Chanting - Rank IX (UP!)]

    [Chantless Casting - (Locked) | Material Processing II - Rank VII (UP!)]

    [Alchemy - (Locked) | Athletics III - Rank I (UP!)]

    [Lockpicking - (Locked) | Blacksmithing - (Locked) | Locksmithing - (Locked)]

    [Contortion II - Rank III (NEW!) | Knot Slip - Rank IX (NEW!)]

    [Ward Breaking - (Locked) | Cypher Decrypting - (Locked) | Disenchanting - (Locked)]

    [Cooking - (Locked) | Gambling - Rank II (NEW!) | Negotiation - (Locked)]

    [Mapping - (Locked) | Light Armor Use - Rank IV (NEW!)]

    [Light Weapon Use - Rank V (NEW!) | Throwing Weapon Use - Rank III (NEW!)]

    [Shield Use - Rank II (NEW!) | Magic Weapon Use - VI (NEW!)]

    [Enchanting - (Locked) | Wards - (Locked) | Runecrafting - (Locked)]

    [Carving - Rank I (NEW!) | Writing - Rank II (NEW!) | Mathematics - Rank I (NEW!)]

    [Drawing - Rank I (NEW!) | Painting - Rank I (NEW!) | Stealth - Rank VII (NEW!)]

    [Trap Making - Rank II (NEW!) | Trap Placement - Rank I (NEW!)]

    [-KNOWLEDGE SKILLS-]

    [Scholar - (Locked) | Sorcery III - Rank II.(UP!)]

    [Thaumaturgy - (Locked) | Herbalogy - (Locked) |  Soul Study - (Locked)]

    [Knots III - Rank I (NEW!) | Mechanics - (Locked) | Spatial Study - (Locked)]

    [Rune Study - (Locked) | Material Sciences - (Locked)]

    [Necromancy Study - (Locked) | Chess (Game) Strategy - Rank I (NEW!)]

    [Combat Stances II - Rank III (NEW!) | Martial Study - (Locked)]

    [Geography - Rank II (NEW!) | Written Languages - (Locked) | History II - Rank III (NEW!)]

    [Artistic Mediums - Rank I (NEW!) | Artistic Techniques - (Locked)]

    [Stealth Techniques - (Locked) | Trap Techniques - (Locked)]

    [-PERKS-]

    [Newly Dead]  [Expanded Soul]  [Strengthened Soul]

    [-DETRIMENTS-]

    [Newly Dead]  [Solid Soul]

    There you go.  All of it requiring me to scroll up and down on that damned blue screen that shows up in front of my eyes.  It¡¯s a far cry from the simple set of text it used to be, and while it leaves me feeling accomplished, I¡¯m really getting annoyed with the length of it.

    Sadly there isn¡¯t anything I can do about the full status.  It¡¯s only going to get longer in the future too. Ugh. At least I¡¯ve learned the trick on pulling up just the information I want though.

    [-Physical Body Stats-]

    [Soul Energy (SE): 750/750 (+)]

    [Body: 10/10 | (MAX)]   [Mind: 10/10 | (MAX)]   [Soul: 10/10 | (MAX)]

    That, for example.  Which by itself just speaks volumes of how different things are at this point.  Like the fact that my -body- has its own set of stats in comparison to my real ones.  And how I had to purchase those stats instead of inheriting them from my Spirit Form.

    Thankfully it seems I get a discount on purchasing the stat points though.  They only costed 50% of what they otherwise would have. Which in itself is an exciting bit of information, when coupled with my recent studies into the magic of Necromancy.

    Necromancy itself is both looked down upon and yet highly useful here in Limbo all at the same time.  For one thing, there are all sorts of bodies around. Rather they be full corpses, skeletons, or even wandering ghosts.  It¡¯s a Necromancer¡¯s paradise when it comes to materials.

    Then there¡¯s putting all those bodies to use.  In the Living World above, it takes a good bit of magical power to raise a corpse into a simple zombie or skeleton.  That and magical materials holding Soul Energy, which tend to be fairly rare and expensive. Yet here those things aren¡¯t uncommon at all.  Hells, every single person in Limbo cultivates Soul Energy, so there¡¯s no need to buy those magical materials anyway.

    Thus all that is required is a body and a bit of know-how.  Which even I learned manually, the ¡®hard way¡¯. Which wasn¡¯t all that hard in comparison to the other magics I¡¯ve been learning.

    Inject Soul Energy into a readied body, cast the control spell you want to use, and BAM!  A newly risen undead worker completely under your control. Hahaha.

    Okay, so it¡¯s a bit more involved than that.  For one thing most manifest bodies here in Limbo are weak.  Like, between 1 and 3 stat points weak. Which is the difference between a bug and a newborn baby.  And without the boosting that [Newly Dead] gain to offset it.

    Controlled undead produced in such a manner aren¡¯t hardly able to stand or walk under their own power.  They just flop around like a fish out of water. Amusing to watch, but definitely not very useful.

    So the whole other research branch of Necromancy is the strengthening of such bodies in preparation for granting them their un-life.  Far more complicated, it often requires pumping great loads of Soul Energy into the body as precisely as possible in order to ¡®forge¡¯ them and increase their stats.  Different techniques produce different results with different efficiencies as well.

    It can take thousands of Soul Energy points in order to raise a body up to the 10 point limit for a Rank F undead.  In the Body stat, at least. Getting Mind up to 10 points is even harder and more costly, while actually upping the Soul stat is nearly impossible.  Heh. True undead don¡¯t have souls anyway.

    That, it turns out, is why us Awakened are simply called ¡®Dead¡¯ races instead of ¡®Undead¡¯ by the way.  All undead are under the control of Necromancers, because they are produced instead of being birthed by Limbo.  Well, outside of ¡®frenzied¡¯ awakened, but that¡¯s a whole different thing.

    Producing usable bodies to create undead is the hardest part of the whole process.  It¡¯s the most time consuming and arguably the most expensive too. Necromancers will actually fight over pristine, high-spec bodies just to cost some time and effort off the entire process.  That or actually sell the ones they¡¯ve been working on.

    Now this is where my new odd ability comes in.  Because I can slip into the body, and up it¡¯s stats fairly easily by buying them directly with my Soul Energy points.  As you might have guessed, it is a total cheat, because the time required and the efficiency are both great. Hahaha.

    Then I just leave the body and it goes back to being inert and powered up.  The stats the body gains do not go away once I¡¯ve left it. They remain and thus can be augmented again later.

    In fact it is such a handy ability that other members of the Silver Key that dabble in Necromancy or study it as their primary occupation have started paying me to actually power-up bodies for them.  Which is naturally a nice windfall for me, even with me only getting about 50% of what they¡¯d pay at other traditional ¡®Body Parlors¡¯. Which comes out to about 500 soul stones a body.

    That¡¯s a whole lot of money, in fact.  That¡¯s 5,000 soul shards a pop. In truth I don¡¯t even know what to do with all that money yet.  It doesn¡¯t stop them from paying me though, although the large sack of soul stones in my cultivation chamber is getting rather heavy at this point.

    I have been using the soul stones, as well.  Containing so much soul energy inside of them, I naturally use them to replenish my own soul energy points while ¡®working¡¯ in this way or training.  Hells, I haven¡¯t been in an Exhausted state since I started carrying some around with me. Which is exactly why they are used as currency to begin with.  They are just endlessly useful.

    On the other hand, what really gets me is another aspect of Necromancy.  Simply called ¡®Sculpting¡¯, it¡¯s the science of changing the physical appearance of the undead in question.  Like, the mish-mashed body that Silver Lord had put me in several days ago was a test of his Sculpting of the body, if in an extreme way.

    Using the same techniques as improving the bodies stats, a Necromancer can change the look, gender, and size of the undead.  This is actually where I have a problem, because I¡¯m wearing the body already and cannot affect it in the same way. Thus I have to study this side of Necromancy myself.  That said it is all up to personal preference for the Necromancer.

    For all of that though, the other members of the Silver Key are very supportive.  Some of them even want me to open up a business using this ability, although I¡¯m naturally weary of doing so.  I¡¯m nowhere near naive enough to believe that I¡¯d be left alone if I started stepping on others toes, after all.

    On the flip side, I¡¯ve also recently started actual combat training.  Outside of my obvious skill for magic, I was put through several tests to see what sort of fighting style I¡¯d naturally be inclined to.  Turns out I¡¯d be good as a ¡®magical rogue¡¯ as my trainers put it. Light armor, light weapons or ranged attacks. Short, fast, and penetrating attacks.

    Assassinations are the next step up, but I haven¡¯t gotten there yet.  That sort of training requires advanced skills and more abilities than I can gain at the moment.  Plus I¡¯m not even sure if I want to go through all the effort just yet anyway. I really enjoy learning magic far more.  Heh.

    All said my time here at the Silver Key has been very rewarding and prosperous.  I¡¯ve gained far more than I ever could at the Guide¡¯s Guild or by joining one of the major groups in the city.  I¡¯m especially happy to not have to spend centuries being a lowly peon at the Wizard¡¯s Tower. Haha.

    It does seem however that my time is coming to a close here though.  While most of the members of the Silver Key have been called in due to my presence here, it seems the outside world has continued moving along.  A spot of trouble has actually come up in an area controlled by the Silver Key outside of Helen City in fact.

    Which is why myself, Holdt, a ranger by the name of Lusov, and a woman ¡®Healer¡¯ named Agatha are on our way out of the main gate of the Silver Key Magic Society.  The three others are all armored up and carrying large packs strapped to the back. Not to mention the assortment of weapons, both visible and not.

    As for myself, I¡¯m carrying my sack of soul stones and a simple wooden staff.  Besides the decent enough clothing and a pair of heavy but comfortable leather boots, I don¡¯t have any other equipment or supplies.  We¡¯ll be picking them up before we leave the city, actually.

    ¡°Okay lad, we are going to make a run to the bank before we hit up the various stores on the way out of Helen City.¡±  Holdt speaks up, even as I glance up at the huge gate above our heads.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be good not to have to carry around all of these stones, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    ¡°No doubt lad.  Carrying that much wealth on your person is a very bad idea in most cases.  Normally I¡¯d say just to stuff them all into that ring of yours, but it¡¯s already full.¡±

    That was definitely true.  My Ring of Inventory was full of a wide assortment of stuff.  Most of it is equipment or materials used in magic or alchemy.  Hells, even stacked on top of each other there¡¯s a literal tonne of stuff in the ring.

    For all of that though, Holdt and the others also have their own Rings¡¯ of Inventory.  All of them far bigger than my own. It holds all their personal or prized possessions.  Naturally they could carry their loaded packs in them too, but for the moment it¡¯s more ¡®natural¡¯ for them to carry them around.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised though.  I mean, who¡¯d let Goblins actually run a bank?  Aren¡¯t they supposed to be nasty, greedy creatures?¡±

    That was one bit of information I learned just before we left, and I¡¯m still scratching my head over it.  Goblins are the pests of the monster world, after all. Rather it be here in Limbo or the upper living worlds.  Tribal, weak¡­ you really wouldn¡¯t associate them with a bank.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±  This time it¡¯s Lusov that starts laughing, although he¡¯s also nodding his head.

    ¡°I was the same way the first time, lad.  Sadly Limbo doesn¡¯t have gnomes or dwarves in the traditional sense.  And I definitely would not trust my money to Dark Elves. Or my life, for that matter.¡±

    The others grunt in agreement as we start walking down the street, heading toward one of the main roads in order to get to the center of the city.  Just getting through and then out of Helen City is expected to take all day, so we aren¡¯t in any hurry to rush.

    ¡°These Goblins are Contract-bound by Devil¡¯s, so there¡¯s no worry there.  Since they are suppressed via their Contracts, their greedy natures actually work quite well.  They keep impeccable records¡­ although only they can read them. Goblin script is damned wiggly-worms for all I can tell.¡±

    Huh, well, you learn something new every day.  I¡¯m naturally not really the biased type anyway, so I¡¯ll just shrug and go with ¡®Eh, it¡¯s Limbo¡¯.  Just another weird thing, one of many I deal with on a daily basis.

    Once out on the main road heading east-to-west, I¡¯m once more reminded of just how crowded Helen City is.  It¡¯s the same sort of crowds that I experienced getting to the Silver Key in the first place. Only this time I¡¯m not being carried along, as the steady presence of the other three in our group opens up a path all its own.

    Part of that is because we are all wearing the mark of the Silver Key plainly for all to see.  The civilian population doesn¡¯t want anything to do with organized groups like us, if only out of fear.  Many societies and organizations aren¡¯t as friendly as the Silver Key is; especially the big ones. Arrogance is the natural byproduct of having power.

    So the actual travel down this main street is a far more relaxing experience than it was the last time.  In fact, it got rather boring after a while. Not only am I stronger than I was before, I¡¯m also much calmer and more confident.  The heavy pressure from the first time just isn¡¯t around to keep me satisfied, I guess.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys tell me about Helen City and the shops or whatnot?  All this walking in silence stuff is getting to me.¡±

    Okay, so I finally break down and start asking about which shops are good, who owns what, and which streets to avoid.  Subjects that any streetwise kid would know growing up, much less a (figuratively) adult that¡¯s just new to the city in general.  And I wasn¡¯t disappointed.

    ¡°Helen City has countless organizations within it.  Many are craftsmen groups, banded together in search of profit and protection.  Not every craftsman is a good merchant, after all. Just about no one without support can survive either.¡±

    To my surprise it was actually Agatha that speaks up, introducing the details I¡¯d either missed before or just simply were told.  Like how medium-sized groups like the Silver Key actually tend to own the entire street they are based upon. Or that the criminal underworld is just as flourishing here in Limbo as it is anywhere else.  It really does seem that any place that has laws naturally has those that break them on a regular basis.

    ¡°Large freight wagons are only permitted on the main streets during the early morning and late evenings, as well.  This gives the street sweepers, usually undead under the control of necromancers the chance to clean up before the civilians start their day.

    ¡°You see that zombie wearing the black and red tunic?  That¡¯s the colors of the city, marking him as an official working for the Thrones¡¯ administration.  A low ranked one though. Higher ranks are outlined in silver and then gold.

    ¡°That side street right there is known as Cobbler¡¯s Cob.  The entire street is owned by an association of cobblers that produce some of the best footwear in the city.  You¡¯ll really appreciate those boots while out in the wilderness.

    ¡°Daisy¡¯s Inn there may not have the best rooms in the city, but they definitely have the best deserts.  Be ready for pay for them though, as importing refined sugar and other ingredients is expensive!¡±

    On and on Agatha talks, pointing out just about everything in the direction we are walking.  An oblique glance reveals wry looks on the faces of Holdt and Lusov, which tells me they hadn¡¯t been talking just for this very reason.  No doubt Agatha is all sorts of competent as a healer, but she is definitely a chatterbox. Wish someone had told me beforehand though.

    ¡°... and over there is¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Agatha.  We are almost at the bank.¡±  Holdt finally interrupts, which I am thankful for.  I¡¯ve met some chatty people since awakening in Limbo, but good Gods.  That woman can talk. Heh.

    Thankfully though I don¡¯t have to wait and see the bank in question.  It¡¯s big enough to be spotted well down the street. For good reason too.  I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen so much gold and crystal in one place before.

    Gaudy would definitely be the word, because the bank is a massive six story tall edifice of chiseled and smoothed black stone that¡¯s then clad in gold and vibrant blue-green crystal.  Even in the grey light of the Limbo day, the building reflects a nearly blinding array of colors. It even makes my damned eyes sting looking at it.

    ¡°Seriously?  Goblin-run be damned.  Who raided the dwarven mountains?¡±

    Yeah, okay, so maybe I should be more creative in my cursing, but Hells.  I was expecting something much more austere. Maybe a fortress, or a hole in the ground.  Not the shiniest damned building in all of Helen City!

    ¡°Haha!  Thankfully the inside is nowhere near as bad.¡±  Holdt gets a good laugh out of my reaction, while I shake my head.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the goblins who designed it though.  It was the banks¡¯ backing, although I cannot tell you exactly who.  Probably a collection of Fallen Gods¡¯ of Wealth or the like. In that way it¡¯s as much a temple as it is a place of business.¡±

    Okay, that makes much more sense, but still annoys me something awful.  I¡¯ve grown accustomed to the black stone and sharp edges of the usual Helen City constructions.  Sleek looking and functional, I¡¯d call it.

    Actually getting into the bank proved to be both simple and annoying at the same time, if only because of the vast crowd moving in and out of the several set of doors.  The crowds are constantly moving, which is good, but the lines are just too bloody long to make it a quick process. It was like, like¡­ Hm. I cannot think of anything to compare it to, although what I want to think is right on the tip of my tongue.

    In fact I¡¯d noticed that I haven¡¯t been having so many memory slips anymore, either.  Strengthening my Soul stat had really helped solve that problem, although I cannot help but wonder if that¡¯s really a good thing or not.  At least the bits and pieces from before left me with a concrete connection to my past life.

    Well, except for that last big one.  I never want to feel such pain or dispair again.  Once was enough, thank you very much.

    With such thoughts bouncing in my head we finally get through the doors, and I am glad to say that the interior is far easier on the eyes than the exterior was!  In place of the usual shiny black stone is instead grey tinted granite, lactured over in some sort of wax that kept it spotless and shiny even with an endless parade of feet walking upon it.  Slim and elegant pillars hold up the vaulted ceiling above.

    The walls though are lined with dozens of chest-high booths of stone and topped with a wooden flat top.  Above them hang enchanted chain meshes, which can be dropped at a moments notice to protect the bank tellers and everything behind them.  Tall stools are required though, given just who and what those bank tellers are.

    At that point I get my first real surprise, because the goblins working at the booths are not what I would have expected.  Instead of green or brown skinned, these goblins are almost as white as weathered bone, and appear far more elfin than usual.  Not quite beautiful or even pretty, but far from the ugly monstrosities their race usually brings to mind. Their ears though are very slim and pointed and very tall, pointing into the air over their generally bald heads.

    Thankfully they aren¡¯t wearing suits or the like, or I may have really had pitched a fit right then and there.  Instead they are all wearing clean robes of grey, brown, and yellow. None of them have any sort of markings, but each of the goblins wear a stone and bone piece necklace, probably denoting their tribes or something.  Each necklace is different.

    ¡°Come on lad, no use in staring.¡±  Holdt finally breaks me out of my surprise, and I sigh as I follow the lines to one of the nearest tellers.

    The goblin behind the booth barely even glances up from where he¡¯s scribbling on a very, very long scroll.  The total disinterest actually amuses me for some reason, and I have to keep from grinning a bit. Holdt though just seems used to it.

    ¡°Name?¡±  The goblin finally speaks, in a surprisingly mellow tone.

    "Holdt Kyfer, Silver Key Magic Society.  Here to sponsor a newly awakened for a Limbo Access account.¡±  At least Holdt seems to know what he¡¯s doing, although I still cannot help grumbling a bit to myself at not having a name.  It is rather inconvenient, to say the least.

    ¡°A newbie?¡±  This time the goblin actually looks up for longer than a second, glancing at me before nodding his large head.

    ¡°Registration will be 1,000 shards.  This fee is non-refundable.¡± The goblin starts saying then, obviously by rote.  No doubt he says it every time someone registers here at the bank.

    ¡°The Limbo Access account is our premier account type for all sorts who may wander the lands of Limbo.  Both your wealth and your goods may be stored at any bank branch in the entirety of Limbo, free of charge.  Withdrawals over 500 shards has a 5 shard fee, while any over 10,000 shards is a 10 shard fee.

    ¡°Conversion of soul shards to soul stones or to coinage is free of charge for the Limbo Access account holder.  We also offer financial consultation, low interest loans, and stock options for this associated account type. We also provide the best security of any banking institution in all of Limbo.

    ¡°Any questions?¡±

    Wow, okay, a total spew there of banking jargon.  Thankfully I¡¯m not that dim-witted, and thus am able to nod along with the goblin.  In fact the account sounds really good, if a bit expensive. However if Holdt has decided that this is what I need, then I¡¯m not going to gainsay him.

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±  I finally say after a moment''s¡¯ thought.

    Even before the goblin could ask me to pay the fee or anything else I¡¯m already lugging the large sack up onto the tabletop in front of him.  The bag spills a bit, but I¡¯m not too bothered by the rolling stones falling out of it.

    ¡°2,500 soul stones to be deposited.  Just take the fee from it.¡± I say in as grand a way as possible, grinning as it raises an amused series of chuckles from Holdt and the other two behind me.

    The goblin though just stares for a moment, before clearing his throat in an entirely too rough a manner.  That, and the stare of wonder and greed on his slightly wrinkled face is a bit cute when he picks up a few of those spilled soul stones.  Heh.

    ¡°Ah, yes, right away!¡±  The goblin actually jumps down from his high stool then and rushes off to who knows where in the back.  At that point Holdt finally lets full his own grin of amusement and a laugh.

    ¡°These goblins are all the same.  They see such large amounts of wealth on a regular basis, yet they still cannot help but become excited.  It¡¯s fun to watch if nothing else.¡±

    That I can agree with.  Thankfully it doesn¡¯t take long for the Goblin to return, carrying a few objects piled up high in his thin arms.  Shoving them up onto the tabletop was even more amusing, before he finally regains his seat that puts him at roughly chest level with the rest of us.

    Then the goblin starts pulling bits of what he¡¯d carried over apart and sets them down neatly beside my bag of soul stones.  The objects include a small silver-metal colored chest, two gold cards, and a spindle-looking device on a stand tipped with a wickedly sharp needle.  Also a diamond-like tipped engraving pen, which the goblin picks up last and holds onto.

    ¡°Thank you for waiting,¡± the goblin says then, ¡°Now I just need a drop of your blood.  The Blood Dias here is a magical tool used to bind your bank card to your person and your account, and will be absolutely painless.¡±

    It¡¯s at that point that Holdt gives a grunt and interjects into the conversion.

    ¡°Excuse me, but a blood binding won¡¯t work on the lad here.  He was awakened as a weird variant of the ghost type, so the body he has currently is not true one.¡±

    Holdt¡¯s words both confuse me and yet make sense, although I do have to wonder if variants like he described really exist.  I¡¯ve yet to see anyone outside of the norm myself, at least as newly dead are concerned. All the same though the goblin ends up blinking at Holdt with his large black eyes, before looking at me.

    To the silent question I simply shrug and hold up my hand, willing my spirit form to separate from this body.  My ghostly hand rises up out of my arm at the elbow, although when I go to wiggle my fingers both hands respond all the same.  A neat trick, if nothing else right?

    ¡°I see¡­  Let me go grab the proper tool then.¡±  The goblin teller didn¡¯t seem all that impressed, but that isn¡¯t a problem for me anyway.

    Waiting a few more minutes leaves me tapping my foot on the hard stone floor however.  I was quite impatient at this point, and the others could tell and thus try to regale me with bits of conversation.  I wasn¡¯t really biting, but I appreciated their efforts all the same.

    ¡°Here we are, a Soul Extractor.¡±

    The goblin finally makes it back, only this time he¡¯s with four others that are hauling a large contraption along on their shoulders.  Just looking at the heavy, boxy thing makes one of my eyes twitch, although a glance at Holdt shows him being as stoic as ever. Ugh.

    ¡°The Soul Extractor will take a small piece of your essence in order to use it to bind your Bank card and account properly.  Just lay your ghost hand in the slot for a moment.¡±

    Finally we can move along!  I follow the instructions after willing an arm to come out and lay my spirit form hand into the contraption.  Almost as soon as my palms and fingers rest inside of it the box buzzes with power, and I can feel a sort of tingling sensation assault my fingertips.

    The noise and the feeling becomes progressively stronger though, and even my goblin bank teller and the others who¡¯d hauled the device start to stare at the thing.  Especially when it starts to light up in a bright silver color. The noise and the light also attracts all sorts of attention our way.

    Then I feel a sharp jab into the palm of my hand, making me grit my teeth before the device suddenly stops.  I yank my hand out of the damned thing, staring at the neat ¡®hole¡¯ it had punctured in my palm. Thankfully there is no blood or anything, but it still stings and is only slowly healing over.

    ¡°Interesting¡­ Your soul must be very tough there, brat.¡±  A voice suddenly calls out from behind the goblin teller.  That voice is odd however, distant and whisper-thin yet loud in the ears all at the same time.

    ¡°Lord Bank Manager!¡±  My goblin teller shudders at that voice, and jumps down from his seat only to hit the floor with his knees and his forehead at almost the same time.  The other goblins are the same, bowing to the figure who slowly steps out of the shadows behind the booths.

    On the first look, this ¡®Lord Bank Manager¡¯ appears like an old man, whip-thin and nearly infirm.  His hair is silver and cut short, while his long silver beard is tucked into the simple leather belt at his waist.  Yet his clothing is luxurious in comparison, trimmed in gold and glittering jewels of all sizes and colors.

    Yet when I blink my eyes again, what I see is totally different.  I see a glowing golden silhouette, shadowed in a swirling black outline.  Golden skin, silver robes, and eyes that flash swiftly through all the worldly forms that precious gems or jewels may take.  Emerald green one moment, then sapphire blue the next, and so on.

    When I blink again though the golden visage is gone, replaced by the old man once more.  Yet that single glance has left me with a piercing headache, and I cannot help but reach up to massage my temples.  With four hands, as I uncontrollably use my ability.

    ¡°Ho ho, I see.  It seems that that Silver Lord really found an interesting brat this time.¡±  The old man, whom I¡¯m pretty sure is one of the Fallen Gods, says then with a slim smile.  ¡°No matter.  Your secrets do not matter to me.  Only your wealth. And I feel that your wealth will be great indeed in time.  Ho ho.¡±

    The headache fades quickly at this point, and I finally raise my eyes to look at the old man again.  At the same time though I glance around at the others with me, only to find them stock still and completely silent.  Staring at nothing in front of them. Like they¡¯d been frozen in time.

    In fact the whole of the bank has gone silent and still, and I¡¯m reminded of Holdt¡¯s previous words.  That the bank is as much a temple as it is a place of business. It sure rings true at this point.

    ¡°Fret not, boy,¡±  The old man chuckles at seeing my wild glances, ¡°I am Plutus, a God of Wealth.  I run the bank here in Helen City, though I rarely have cause to show myself.  Your unusual soul strength caught my attention.¡±

    Okay, that explains a bit.  I let out a sigh of relief before bowing to the literal god before me.  No reason not to be respectful, given he doesn¡¯t have any harmful intentions toward me.

    ¡°I see, and thank you, Lord Plutus.¡±  Yeah, real smooth there, me.

    ¡°Ha ha.  Don¡¯t worry about it boy.  It is just an idle curiosity.  You aren¡¯t the first -otherworlder- to walk the hall of my bank, and I do not expect you to be the last.  But you have a very interesting fortune, which really is interesting. Hmm¡­¡±

    For a moment there I could swear that I felt the god peering into my soul.  His gaze was just that sharp and strong, and I¡¯m unable to resist it at all.  Well, except for something buried in the very center of my being, which responds with a slight buzzing feeling.  That in itself wouldn¡¯t have mattered, except for the sudden FORCE that comes slamming down on the interior of the bank, centered around Plutus himself.

    That breaks whatever gaze the god was using, and I find myself standing there sweating buckets.  As for Plutus himself, he¡¯s actually kneeling on the floor, his head bowed to the point I¡¯m just barely able to see his grey hair.  Whatever that force was, it was definitely targeting the fallen god way more than it was interested in me.

    ¡°Aaaah¡­  The Voice really doesn¡¯t want to give up its secrets that easily it seems.¡±  Plutus only says after he stands up again, although now he looks far more tired and a bit fretful than before.

    ¡°I apologize, boy.  I hadn¡¯t expected to see that you¡¯d already absorbed a Fragment.  Or that the Voice of the World would care so much about my probing.  None of the others had the same reaction.¡±

    At this point I¡¯m entirely confused, and I¡¯m not above trying to dig out some answers while I have the chance.  Sadly it must have shown on my face, because I¡¯m interrupted before I was even able to open my mouth. Damn it.

    ¡°I cannot say more at this moment.  Your Newly Dead status would only interfere anyway.  Once your month is up you will understand. All of you will.¡±  At this point the god glances around before nodding his head, as if having come to a decision.

    ¡°I wish to keep an eye on you, because you will have great fortune along your journey.  To that end I wish for you to accept a boon from me.¡±

    I¡¯m really not able to keep up with this god now, but that doesn¡¯t seem to matter as he walks up to the booth between us and gently touches the Soul Extractor.  This causes a silver-white wisp to rise up from it, which he cups gently in one hand while pulling out a very shiny yet dark silver card from his robe with his other hand.  Seeing the card I cannot help but twitch, because I recognize what the card is made of.

    ¡°I see you have gotten quite knowledgeable already.  Yes, this is the fabled ¡®mithril¡¯, which is hard to come by here in Limbo.¡±  The god says then, a smile on his lips as he places the wisp of my soul onto the card.  It¡¯s sucked in as if the card is a thirsty traveler finding water in a desert, and starts to glow faintly before it disappears.

    ¡°This is the banks¡¯ Mithril-ranked Bank Card.  Holders of this type of card are waived all fees and are able to access all of the banks¡¯ features at any bank location in Limbo.  Ho ho. At the same time this card is imbued with a bit of my divine magic, so I can keep an eye on you.¡±

    The god explains what it is, before he holds the card out to me.  I hesitate for only a moment before reaching out to take the offered boon.  It really would be far more useful than anything else at this point.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Plutus.  I¡¯m not sure about this ¡®fortune¡¯ you keep mentioning, but this will really be helpful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it boy.  I¡¯ll take care of the details here, but we really should wrap up quickly.  Time doesn¡¯t like to be messed with so much, you know.¡±

    And then everything is back to normal, as the sounds and motions of the world come back into focus in all a single moment.  The goblins on the floor look up in wild-eyed wonder while Holdt, Lusov, and Agatha all stare at the old man who¡¯d suddenly appeared and taken the goblins place at the teller booth.  Only I am left staring at the light weight silver hard in my hand.

    ¡°There you go, registered as Silver Key member #515.  Your account is now active and ready for your first deposit.¡±  Given that it is an actual god doing the work at this point, I cannot help but chuckle a little as Plutus voice draws me back to him.

    Yet for all of his godliness, he¡¯s easily able to do the work the goblins had been doing.  Actually he¡¯s quite a lot faster at it, as my entire wealth is soon dumped into that tiny little chest that the goblin had brought along before.  At the same time the card in my hand buzzes, and a number is shown on the top right corner depicting how many shards are available in my account.

    That¡¯s a nifty feature all it¡¯s own, and leaves me happy as everything finishes up.  Well, except for the goblins who are still bowing toward the old man. Even I can get the hint though.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Bank Manager.  My apologies for causing such a disruption.¡±  I say smoothly, not about to blurt out who the old man really is.  He¡¯d frozen time to keep the others from knowing, and I¡¯m not about to break that secret right here and now.

    ¡°A small matter, a small matter.  Just be sure to let Silver Lord know that I send my greetings, alright?¡±

    ¡°Oh, absolutely.¡±

    Yeah, I¡¯m really going to have a long, long talk with Silver Lord when I get back to the headquarters.  I¡¯m pretty sure running into a real living god was not part of the job description when I joined the Silver Key.  Nor the fact that said god actually seemed to know more than he was able to let on.

    Being called an -otherworlder- is definitely something I¡¯m going to be digging into if I can.  I don¡¯t like surprises like this, and not getting answers until my true awakening just doesn¡¯t sit right with me.  Since I cannot dig into my own memories on the subject, then I¡¯m going to go digging in other ways.

    Plutus, as if seeing through my sudden determination, simply grins.  A grin every bit as mischievous as a childs¡¯ that has pulled a good prank.  Even if it meant getting his bottom spanked by the all-powerful Voice of the World in the process.

    And it all smells of trouble to me.  Ugh.