ã€ŠReincarnated Corpseã€‹


 Prologue: Within The Dead Forest, Something Shifts.

    The eastern continent was composed of many different kingdoms, each ruling their own territories which claimed the majority of the land that composed the continent.  In fact, the only piece of land not yet claimed lay north of the northern most kingdom, the Empire.  Across the vast expanses of land belonging to the Empire, lay countless farmlands, cities, towns, villages, grasslands, and forests.  No matter where one looked, the land was fruitful, green, and full of life.  Further north, past the borders of the Empire, the terrain became harsher.  While within the Empire¡¯s borders, similar to the other kingdoms, stood various forests, they were quite ordinary and though the forests were home to more fearsome creatures than just wild life, the monsters found within the Empire¡ªwith a few exceptions--  weren¡¯t much more powerful than the average warrior.

    However, once one left the confines of the Empire, heading north, the environment became harsh and unforgiving.  The forests outside of the borders were many times thicker than found within the borders, and it was not uncommon for the sun to disappear completely from the shade of the tree tops.  In such a forest where you couldn¡¯t even distinguish night and day, vicious monsters roamed freely.  If it was a party of adventurers, only those of which were composed of 5+ experienced members whose combat ability were above average would be able to survive.  If it were knights, then an elite squad or high ranking commander would be able to safely cross the border.

    As you ventured deeper into the land past the northern borders of the Empire, the environment only became more vicious and deadly.  Just on the other side of the dense forest, the land abruptly stopped and a cliff edge was formed.  The land below the edge of the cliff was far enough away so that if one were to fall off, it would mean certain death.  It was a swamp-like setting, crawling with monsters resembling giant insects and reptiles.  The waters were murky and gave off a foul and suffocating aroma reeking of death.  Where there wasn¡¯t water, there was slick and soft mud.  Even the most sure footed warrior would not be able to keep his balance on this type of terrain.  If one were to look closely, the surface of the mud seemed to rise and fall occasionally in various places, this was the result of countless giant worms crawling beneath the surface.

    Further north, past the swamp lands stood a dead forest.  The trees were few and far between.  With bark burned black, the trees consisted of little more than the trunk and a few bare limbs.  The earth beneath the trees was cracked and dry.  Surrounding the trees was a fog so thick, if you held out your arm in front of you, your fingertips would start to disappear from sight.  No life could be found anywhere within this dead forest where even wind dared not tread, as such, no sounds could be heard at all.  ¡°Silent as the dead¡± would be a good expression to use when describing it.

    In the middle of this forest was a clearing.  In the clearing, an old cemetery had been built.  When looking at it, one could only guess as to when it might have been built.  The small metal fence which originally encircled the graves completely had rusted and fallen apart.  Only a few pieces of it still stood here and there around the place, though most of it was laying on the ground, and some of it had disappeared completely, eroded and consumed by the earth.  The gravestones were sunken into the cracked soil at different angles, many of them broken and a few of them little more than piles of rubble.  Only one of the gravestones still stood upright and completely intact.  In contrast to the broken, yet still legible gravestones, which held the life spans of the people the remains buried below them belonged to; this gravestone had no traces of markings or carvings at all.  In the silence of the cemetery, which had been devoid of any sound for untold lengths of time, beneath the blank gravestone, a small rustling could be heard.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    The muffled rustling sound became louder and louder.  Before long, with the ground seemingly being pushed from beneath, the cracks in the dried earth near the gravestone became larger and larger.  Finally, chunks of dirt were pushed up and out, forming a small mound.  From the center of the small mound of dirt, a smooth white bone began to emerge from the surface.  As the ground loosened more and more, it eventually gave way and with a sudden jolt, a hand burst out from the grave.

    Though it was certainly a human hand which burst through the ground, it was lacking most of what a normal human hand had.  In fact, beside it''s skeletal structure, it lacked everything.

    Not a single bit of flesh could be found on the bone.  The clean white bone, which seemed to shine in contrast to the dark soil was without blemish or imperfection.  Even after being encased in dirt for who knows how many years, not a spec of it could be found on the bone.

    The hand folded its boney fingers into a fist, the joints making a dull grinding noise as they rubbed against each other, and once again unfolded them.  The hand repeated this movement several times before further reaching out towards the sky.  Like that, more of the arm revealed itself as the ground was pushed up and out of the way, until the entire arm was free.  Once the arm had been freed, it folded and braced against the surface of the ground.

    The bones in the arm began to shake, making a small cackling sound until finally the skull and the upper body were able to break free from the dirt.  Much like the hand, the rest of the skeleton had no traces of flesh, dirt, cloth, or anything hanging onto the bones.  The skull was in pristine condition without a single crack.  In the center of its deep eye sockets shown a dim blue light.

    Holding itself up with its arm, the skeleton twisted its body.  The spine of the skeleton made a slight creaking noise as it pivoted its body and looked around.

    Seemingly content with its surroundings, the skeleton pulled the rest of its body out of the grave and stood on its feet.  It made a few stretches which seemed out of place given the setting, and as it did its joints popped and cracked, settling into place.

    As the skeleton brings its arms down, it seems to notice something and halts its hands as they come in front of its face.  It turns its hands over, inspecting them, then suddenly looks down at its body.  At that point, the already dim light in its eyes seemed to grow dimmer.

    Like that, it stands there staring for a few minutes before it collapses to its knees as if whatever brought it to life had left and it returned to being a corpse.

 Chapter 1: Introduction and Explaination

    Hello!  My name is Cale Hamilton.  Please call me ¡°Cale¡± with affection.

    I am currently in a dark place.  There is pitch black darkness all around me.  Though I say that, it¡¯s not as if I can turn my head to look around, rather, I can¡¯t move any part of my body.  Whatever is binding my body is heavy and encases me completely.  There is pressure holding me down which seems to penetrate through to my bones.  This is what I imagine being encased in concrete must feel like.

    ¡­Huh?  Now that I think about it, I only feel the pressure on my bones.  As if invisible shackles are penetrating my flesh, binding only my skeleton to the ground.  My bindings even seem to fill the inside of my chest and stomach, pushing outward on my rib cage.

    Although this is quite the unsettling situation, and anyone ¨C even if they weren¡¯t claustrophobic ¨C would certainly feel a sense of fear and panic, something about it seemed comforting.  It¡¯s a feeling of security, like a newborn baby wrapped tightly in a blanket.

    I relax my body and shut my eyes¡­ or I try to.  While shutting my eyes, I am struck with a peculiar feeling.  It¡¯s as if my eyelids were removed and I was attempting to move something that wasn¡¯t there, similar to a phantom limb.  It¡¯s an unusual feeling and something that should definitely alarm me, but all I feel is a slight feeling of unease, and even that passes almost instantly and I resume relaxing my body.

    How did I end up in a place like this?

    Even if you ask me, I¡¯m not entirely sure myself.

    Thinking back as far as I can remember, I recall the events that led up to this unfortunate situation.

    I am in my apartment, sitting in front of my computer, anxiously refreshing the webpage on the screen.  Today is the day that the final chapter of a light novel I¡¯ve been following for years finally comes out.  Coincidentally, today happens to be my birthday, and I can think of no better present than the final chapter of this saga.  Like a kid, I continue to refresh the webpage, anxiously waiting for my present.

    The phone rings.  I glance over at it and grimace, it¡¯s my older brother.

    My relationship with my brother wasn¡¯t necessarily bad, but we hardly spoke to each other after mom died.  The main cause of this rift was undoubtedly me.

    A few years before she got sick, the relationship between me and my mother deteriorated.  It even got to the point where I stopped visiting her in the hospital, and didn¡¯t even attend the funeral.  Though it sounds heartless, my actions aren¡¯t completely without justification.

    You see, a few years before she got sick, I started to notice strange behavior.  She would secretly leave the house for hours, not letting anyone know where she was going or what she was doing.  My father was constantly at work, and my older brother had already moved out of the house, like that, they were completely oblivious to this suspicious behavior.

    One day, I decided to skip school, and lie in wait outside the house to see where she goes.  I watched as my mother came out of the house, looked around, and after confirming nobody was there, began to walk down the side walk.  I followed her as she walked, and after roughly 20 minutes, she stopped, leaned against a wall and took out her phone.

    After talking and laughing for several minutes, a relatively nice car pulled up in front of her.  The top of the car was down, and you could see inside it.  The only person in the car was the driver.  I could only see the back of his head, but I could tell he was male, had black hair, and was wearing a pair of sunglasses.  This man was definitely not my father.  My mother got into the passenger seat, leaned over, and they shared a passionate kiss.  After that, they drove off.

    I was in shock.  I can¡¯t remember clearly what I did that day after that, but I never looked at my mother the same way again.  I barely concealed the disgust in my voice whenever I spoke to her after that.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to notice my change in behavior and confront me.  I told her what I had seen and she didn¡¯t even deny it.  She broke down crying about how she felt so alone with everyone out of the house all day, and needed someone, anyone to spend time with.  My opinion of her dropped even further, and with it, so did our relationship.

    I thought for a while of exposing her to the family, but shortly after, she fell ill and was diagnosed with lung cancer.

    I couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little at the irony of it.  Although she was my mother and her sin was definitely not at the level of warranting death, it just seemed like instant karma.  My thoughts and emotions at that time were somewhat all over the place and so I tended to avoid seeing her at the hospital whenever possible.  This was definitely not easy to accomplish with the endless lectures of ''family bond'' and ''emotional support'' from my dad on a daily basis.  When I did visit, I always felt a sense of awkwardness and detachment from the situation.  Looking at my dad and brother holding her hands and crying with her, I couldn''t help but facetiously wonder if that other guy had come to see her here or if he abandoned her as soon as he got word.

    Soon I moved out of the house and entered college.  My father and brother tried numerous times to contact me and get me to visit my mother before she died, but after a while, the calls stopped coming.  Then, I received a text from my brother telling me that she had passed away, and listed the date and location of the funeral.  Needless to say, I didn¡¯t attend.

    Having been lost in my memories of the past, the call had gone to voice mail and the call screen was replaced by a notification of a new message.  I pick up my phone and after hitting play, press it to my ear.

    ¡°¡­Hey Cale¡­ I had hoped you would answer, after all, it¡¯s been a few years since I¡¯ve heard your voice.  Anyway, I called to congratulate you on your birthday.  You¡¯re 25 now right?  Time sure flies--¡±

    I take the phone away from my ear and delete the message.

    I know I¡¯m acting like a child, and that it is my fault in the first place -- in not telling them of mom¡¯s unfaithfulness -- that they were oblivious to my reasons for why I did what I did and saw me as a heartless person.  But I can¡¯t bring myself to talk to them anymore, at least not right now.

    I shake my head, dispelling any lingering feelings, and once again refresh the webpage.

    ¡­No update.

    I glance at the clock which displays the current time in cold and unforgiving numbers.

    7:32¡­

    If I wait any longer, I¡¯ll be late for work.

    With a sigh, I shut down my computer, pick up my briefcase, and head off to work.

    It is a relatively short commute from my apartment to my work place.  I don¡¯t even have to board a train along the way.

    I walk with a quickened pace through the streets in an effort to get there on time, when something caught my eye as I walked past an alley.

    It was the rare scene of a mugging taking place.  A man in worn and dirty clothing was holding onto the purse of a struggling woman.  The man was taller than the woman, and was wearing a hoodie which hid most of his face.  The woman had long, blonde hair, was wearing a red dress, and matching red heels.  Her purse which played the role of the rope in this tug-of-war match was also red.

    I stood there somewhat dumbfounded as I watched the events taking place in the middle of the alley, still hidden from the early morning sun.  It¡¯s a scene people frequently imagine encountering, but few ever actually do.

    Many people speculate as to what they might do in a situation like this, but no one really knows for sure until it happens to them.  The thought of running in like a gallant white knight and saving the damsel in distress certainly crosses my mind, but I discard the thought almost immediately.

    I am not the type of person to butt into situations I have no knowledge of.  What appears to be a mugging could easily just be a lovers spat, and the idiot running in and trying to save the woman will end up ridiculed by the very person he was trying to rescue.  Besides, I¡¯m not exactly a very intimidating person, and I¡¯ve never acted violently in my life, even if I correctly read the situation, I would only step in to get beaten up, then robbed in place of the woman.  At least she will only be robbed, not beaten.

    In any case, I¡¯ll be late for work.

    Thinking this, I turn to leave, when I notice something shinny in the hand of the male.  I take a step forward and look closer, focusing my eyes to get a better view.

    A knife.  What he was holding was, without a doubt, a knife.  This situation would no longer end with just her being robbed.  The struggling woman would be stabbed and most likely killed in order to get her to let go of the purse.

    Before I knew what I was doing, my legs had already started to move in the direction of the two in the alley.

    As I got close, the male noticed me and with a surprised look, let go of the purse.

    With her opponent suddenly letting go of the other end, the woman lost her balance and fell down against the wall of the alley.

    As a result of my in-ability to react to the sudden action of the criminal, and my lack of a plan in the first place, I stupidly stepped forward, charging head on into his range.  What happened next was something of a blur, but I remember the outcome clearly.

    I was stabbed.  The man had thrust his knife into my chest, and pulled it back out.  When he saw the blood coating his blade, and the blood pouring from my wound, he shrieked and ran out of the alley.

    My legs became weak and I collapsed onto the stone floor of the alley.  The blade must have hit an artery because my blood was already pooling in a rather large area around me. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the irony, reminding me of the time I learned of my mother¡¯s diagnoses.  What a way to die.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    My body shook, and it took me a bit to realize it was from the woman shaking me.  I tilted me head to look at her and saw a panicked expression.  Tears were rolling down her face as she shouted something at me, but I couldn¡¯t make out what it was.  The ringing in my ears muffled the sounds of her screams, and it was all I could hear.  I forced a small smile.  Dying while somebody holds you in their arms and cries for you isn¡¯t so bad.  Really¡­ what a way to die.

    My vision blurred and faded to black.

    When I awoke, I was floating in a vast and empty expanse of darkness.  There was endless nothing-ness all around me.  Far off in the distance were small lights which resembled stars.

    I turn with little effort to take in my surroundings.  There is a faint ambient glow around me, and it takes a while to realize it was caused by me.  My body seemed to give off a strange glow in the darkness.  I try to look down at it, but am unable to do so.  Despite my ability to move freely, it would seem I no longer have a body and am no more than just a head.

    While confirming my current situation, a small white ball appears some distance away from me, glowing dimly in the darkness.  It seems to twist and turn in a confused manner and it hits me that I must look similar.

    Shortly after, countless identical balls of light are spawned in, roughly forming a circle around an empty area in the center.  I am one of the balls located in the innermost rings around the empty space.

    Suddenly a bright white light appears in the center of the empty space, and takes the shape of a large egg.  It emits a warm glow which calls to me and I unconsciously start to drift toward it.

    At that point I notice that it isn¡¯t only me, all of the white lights are being drawn to it, some faster than others.  Deep within me, something tells me that I must reach the light first, and like that I rocket ahead of the rest, drawing closer the light.

    The second I start to speed up, like a chain reaction, everyone around me speeds up and try to push past me.  As we near the center, the space becomes cramped and some of the lights are pushed violently between the other lights until they are crushed and disappear.

    I feel a cold chill in seeing this, but the overwhelming need to reach the light in the center dispels any fear that is felt.  With a final, desperate push, I am somehow able to break through the front past the rest of the lights, and reach the light egg just before anyone else.

    As I come into contact with it, the egg expands, enveloping me completely, and I am pierced by a blinding white light.

    When I awake once again, I find myself bound in darkness.

    Having recalled the past events which lead him to be trapped here, Cale sighs¡­ though his body doesn¡¯t actually move.

    It was then that Cale noticed something.  It was strange to not have noticed it until now, but he had not actually taken a single breath since he had awoken.

    (When I try to breathe, I am unable to do so, it¡¯s as if I can¡¯t remember how to perform the action of taking air into my lungs.)

    A restless feeling begins to swell, but soon dissipates.

    With another breathless sigh, he attempts to move his body.

    Although what forced him down was heavy enough to feel it pressing on his bones, when he moved his hand, it tunneled through the substance rather easily.

    It wasn¡¯t long before his finger poked through to the other side, and was freed from its restraints.  With this encouragement, Cale shot his hand up, grabbing at the air on the other side.

    Satisfied with his victory over what trapped him, he pushes his hand further into the air until the entire length of his arm is free.  After this, he places his hand onto the surface.

    (¡­Dirt?)

    Confused, he braces his hand against the ground and pushes his upper body out of the dirt.

    (N¡­ no way.  Was I buried alive?  But what was with all those lights I saw¡­ a dream?)

    Cale twists his body and looks around.

    What greets him is an eerie graveyard.  Because of the fog, it was difficult to make out the entire size of the cemetery, but it seemed to be rather large.  The tombstones around him were in poor condition and a fence, which appeared to have stood around the graveyard at some point, was rotted and collapsing.  Past the fence, the fog thickened, and it was impossible to see anything.

    This wasn¡¯t the type of place you would find anywhere on earth.  It had a distinct, other worldly feel to it.  Looking around and remembering the dream he had, a single thought was born inside of Cale¡¯s mind.

    (Perhaps¡­ I¡¯ve been reincarnated?)

    In disbelief, he mutters that thought in his head.

    (No, even if that were the case, it¡¯s weird isn¡¯t it?  If I¡¯ve been reincarnated, shouldn¡¯t I be a newborn baby, lovingly held in the arms of my new parents?  Coming back to life and crawling my way out of the ground¡­ it¡¯s as if I were a zombie--)

    Standing up and stretching, he tries to rationalize his predicament, when he suddenly stops his thoughts.  As he lowered his arms from his stretch, his hands appeared in front of his face.

    (What is this?)

    Cale was shocked.  The hands that appeared before him were nothing more than bone.  No flesh at all could be found on the pale white surface.

    In a state of mild panic, he looks down at his body.  His fears became a reality.  Just like his hands, his body was nothing more than bones.  The bones were perfectly preserved and without imperfection, not even a trace of dirt could be found on them after clawing his way out of the ground.  In another situation, the body could even be admired for its peculiar beauty.

    (W¡­ what is going on¡­)

    Cale couldn¡¯t take it anymore and collapses on the ground.

    (Finally achieving the dream of being reincarnated in another world, only for it to end up like this¡­ It¡¯s too cruel.)

    He complains to himself and falls into despair.  Then, just like that, his despair was gone, replaced by a cleared focused feeling, similar to how you would feel after taking a shower and finish preparing for the day.  All traces of his earlier self-pity, uncertainty, and fear were gone.

    (Huh?  What just happened?  Could this feeling be like those humans who become undead and lose strong emotions?)

    Having read plenty of fantasy novels in his previous life, Cale was able to rationalize the cause of his unusual calmness.

    (Ha..ha¡­ this is ridiculous.  I can¡¯t even laugh.  What am I supposed to do from here?)

    With a sense of defeat, he looks around, once more taking in his surroundings.  His eyes stop on a particular gravestone.  Unlike the other gravestones in the cemetery which were crooked and falling apart, this one stood up straight, completely undamaged.  However, this wasn¡¯t the only reason it caught his eye, the gravestone stood directly in front of him, in other words, it was his gravestone.

    Out of curiosity, he leans in, and examines it closely.  There was nothing, not a scratch on it.  It¡¯s smooth surface, much like the bones which made up his body, was white and without imperfection.

    Cale, slowly reaches out his hand and touches the stone.

    At that moment, the gravestone lights up and with a bubbling, oozing sound, a black liquid seems to crawl out various areas on the stone¡¯s surface, forming numerous illegible characters, which in turn moved to create a circle around his hand.  Moving toward the center of his hand, more black liquid crawled forth to form a pentagram underneath.

    Shocked, Cale tried to pull back his hand, but it was firmly stuck against the stone.  No, it is better to say that the stone and the hand were already the same object.

    While tugging on his arm in vain, the black characters turn red and start to glow.  Like that, he was forcefully shown an unknown world.

    What appeared in Cale¡¯s head were scenes from someone¡¯s past life.  As he was being forcefully downloaded with the life of another person.  Scenes of growing up, scenes of love, scenes of war, all were being transmitted and converted into his own memories.  The final thing he saw was what appeared to be a knight.  He was looking up at the knight from beneath the ground with half opened eyes.  The knight removed his helmet, revealing a solemn face.  After saying something he couldn¡¯t make out, the knight turned and walked away, and dirt was thrown over his face.

    With a loud bang, his body was thrown from the gravestone and landing on his back, he lay on the hard ground.

    (Was that the person this body belonged to?)

    Showing an amazed expression, although nobody would be able find any difference from the normal expression of a skull, Cale thought about what was shown to him.  If he wasn¡¯t certain before, he was certain now.  He had been reincarnated in another world.

    The memories in his head were fuzzy and hard to make out, many of them already forgotten.  It was hard enough for him to recall his own memories of the past, and now he was trying to bring forth the memories of another person.

    From what he did remember, this world is ruled by multiple factions, constantly warring and vying for control of each other¡¯s resources.  It was a fantasy like world where demons, monsters, and magic existed.  Where the strong were recognized and the weak perished.

    Cale, who had led a boring life with nothing to look forward to, felt delighted to be thrown into such a brand new and exciting world.  The only problem was¡­

    (It¡¯s unfortunate that I¡¯ve been given a body like this, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers.  I¡¯ve been given a second chance and, in all fairness, my dreams have been answered, all I can do is press on.)

    With new found resolution, Cale stands up and heads toward the edge of the cemetery.

 Chapter 2: The Beast Girl Elina

    (I really can¡¯t see anything¡­)

    Approaching the outer edge of the cemetery, Cale comes to a stop and peers through the dense fog.

    (It¡¯s almost as if I could grab it--)

    He submerges his hand in the white mist and it immediately comes into contact with a hard surface.

    Shocked, Cale draws back his hand.

    (W¡­ what was that?)

    While suddenly coming into contact with an unknown object you¡¯re unable to see, even from arms length away, is definitely surprising; it is not what caused his alarm.  As soon as his hand touched the object, he felt something leaving his body.  It felt as if all the blood in his entire bloodless body were rushing to his hand and out the center of his palm, entering the object.  Though it felt like this, when he drew back his hand, it immediately came to a stop; and the fatigue or loss of energy he felt was almost non-existent.

    (Could this perhaps be some sort of cursed object?  Does it work similar to the gravestone?  But I was able to remove my hand this time¡­)

    Thinking this, Cale inspects the palm of his skeletal hand, only to find the same polished whiteness that the rest of his body holds.

    (¡­Nothing¡¯s there¡­  As I thought, it must have to do with the object.  It activates on touch.)

    Arriving at this conclusion, he moves closer to view the unknown object within the fog.  The second his body becomes completely submerged in the fog, the dim blue lights within the depths of his eye sockets begin to brighten.

    [¡­.]

    Something like a small voice can faintly be heard from deep within his conscience, but it sounds far away and he brushes it off, thinking he is just hearing things.  In the next instant, he becomes aware of everything surrounding him.

    (This feeling¡­.  Amazing¡­  I can feel everything¡­  The ground, the gravestones, these trees¡­)

    Cale looks in the direction of the earlier unknown object, now clearly recognizing it in its entirety.

    (I can feel the size and shape of it¡­. As if it were an extension of my own body¡­)

    He brings himself close enough to the tree so that he can see its bark.

    (Though I was slightly surprised last time and the suddenness of it, I wonder what happens when the process completes?)

    Thinking this, Cale once again places his hand against the tree.  As soon as contact is made, a blood red pentagram spreads from under the center of his palm, expanding to roughly 3 times the size of his hand.  Just like before, he can feel something like blood rushing to his hand, then out into the tree.  Looking closely, he can see fine beads of black liquid making intricate designs as it flows from the palm of his hand, past the pentagram, and weaves its way through the bark of the tree.  After that, the pentagram grows dim and fades away, and the black liquid disappears into the tree.  This entire process takes roughly 10 seconds.

    (Hmmm¡­. Though I feel a little fatigue from the process, it is still at an almost undetectable level.  I wonder wha--)

    Suddenly the tree begins the rattle.  The shaking of the tree transfers to the ground around it, mimicking a small earthquake.

    (¡­wha!)

    With the ground moving, Cale loses his footing and falls over.  Looking up, he sees the fog around the tree turn black and melt into the bark.  It gathers up large amounts of the surrounding fog, creating a small clearing within the sea of white mist.

    With his vision cleared, he takes in the sight before him.  The bark which had been burnt, dry, and cracking; now seemed to be covered by a slick tar, black as night itself.

    With enormous cracking sounds, which were closer to explosions, countless black twigs flew from both sides of the tree, wrapping around each other and intertwining to become one massive branch.  At the end of the newly formed branch on each side, the twigs bundled up to form large, closed fists.  The center of the tree ripped open in several places, and the tears resembled a face similar to a jack-o-lantern.  With a great rumbling noise, it rips its roots from the ground, placing its roughly formed feet on the surface of the dirt.

    (N¡­ no way, a Trent?)

    The Trent stood over him at approximately 4 meters in height, its shoulders slowly moving up and down, simulating steady breathing.  From deep within the Trent, a low moan could be heard here and there.  It sounded like an old abandoned house, the rotted wood creaking and groaning as it struggled to support the weight it had been holding up for countless years.

    (¡­It doesn¡¯t seem to be hostile¡­ does this mean I created it?)

    Cale rises to his feet and looks over the Trent.

    (Hmmm, it¡¯s similar to a standard Trent¡­ but what¡¯s with this sinister look?  It¡¯s something straight out of a horror movie, people will mistake me for the bad guy you know?  Or wait¡­ could it be?  Have I come back as a demon lord?!)

    ¡­¡­¡­..

    His head hung in shame at his delusions, Cale pushes the thought out of his mind.

    (But if this Trent was created by me, I should be able to give it commands right?)

    Thinking this, he calls out to the Trent.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    (Huh?)

    Confused, Cale stands there, opening and closing his jaw.

    (Don¡¯t tell me¡­ I can¡¯t speak?!

    ¡­no, I mean it would make sense.  After all, I no longer have a voice box or lungs, or a tongue¡­ But aren¡¯t certain undead supposed to be able to speak in this condition?  Perhaps through some sort of unknown magic?)

    (Well, I wonder if the fog might clear at a higher elevation¡­)

    ****************************************************************************************************

    --Cale¡¯s perspective--

    I think about the Trent holding me up in the palm of its hand, lifting me above the tree tops and out of the fog.  As I¡¯m thinking that, the Trent suddenly starts to move.

    It stretches out its hand on the ground in front of me.

    I wonder if it¡¯s okay¡­

    I step onto the hand and it rises into the air.  The Trent lifts me above its head, high above the tree tops.  Up here the fog is much less dense, and I am able to relatively far.  Looking around, I notice that the tree line stops some distance away, and the terrain changes into a muddy, swamp-like setting.

    I motion with my hand and imagine myself being set back on the floor.  Like that, the Trent lowers me back to the earth and I step off of its hand.

    Though it¡¯s uncertain what I¡¯ll find there, I would like to leave this forest soon.

    Thinking that, I make my way toward the edge of the forest.

    ***************************************************************************************************

    The Empire is the largest kingdom on the eastern continent.  Covering the majority of the northern half, it is comprised of several major cities as well as hundreds of villages.  The capital, Wescher, is a massive city at the heart of the Empire.  Housing a population of over 600,000, one can imagine its size.  At the center of the city is a massive castle.  Its stone walls towering over 90 meters tall, 20 meters thick and supported with several re-enforcing magics, it was built to be impregnable.

    Surrounding the castle were rich, luxurious mansions, housing the nobles.  The multi-story mansions were made of beautiful white stone, which seemed to reflect the sun and shine like a gem during the day.  Surrounding each of these buildings were wide open yards and gardens.  Throughout the gardens were beautifully arranged flowers and trimmed hedges, anyone who passes by could see how much time and thought had been put into the landscape in order to compliment the mansions.   The clean streets were wide and made of cobblestone.  Every so often you would see thin marble obelisks with a glass orb adorning the top of them.  At night, these would be lit with magic, illuminating the streets and sidewalk.

    The noble¡¯s merchant district was a huge and open cul-de-sac.  Around the outer rim were 2-3 story buildings with glass windows, advertising several beautiful and expensive items.  Back from the edge, set up in a ring surrounding the center of the cul-de-sac, were various luxurious stands made of expensive wood and cloth.  They often had glass show cases and one could find food, miscellaneous and foreign items while browsing these carts.  At the center of the cul-de-sac was a large, circular stage made of polished granite.  The granite was covered in intricate, natural patterns, resembling an expensive art piece.  Around the stage were numerous exquisite chairs, expertly crafted with fine mahogany, with a cushion inlaid in the seats.  The chairs could seat an audience of roughly 1000 and surrounded the stage completely except for a narrow gap connecting the stage to the perimeter of the chairs, resembling an aisle.

    Aside from holiday shows and major events, the stage was mainly used to display and sell slaves.  This was a common and legal practice in the Empire, especially among the nobles.  Though humans sometimes were sold into slavery, most slaves were beastmen and other demi-human races.  As such, the faction which played the biggest role in managing, and maintaining the legality of the trading of slaves was the church.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    The church is a central power in the Empire which rivals the royal family in influence.  It originated as a means to band the humans together in order to fight the demons whom were stronger and once ruled the continent.  Obtaining power from the gods through the church, the humans were able to push the demons back and establish civilization which today, spread across almost the entire continent.  Having been repelled, the demons set up communities on the western continent which is now referred to as the demon continent.

    Though the war ended hundreds of years ago, due to the influence of the church, the discrimination against demi-humans never died off.  Thus all demi-humans except for the few who hid in large forests, were bred and sold into slavery.

    It is noon and the chairs surrounding the stage in the merchant¡¯s district are all occupied.  There are even a crowd of nobles standing up around the outer perimeter of the chairs looking toward the stage.  On the stage, a single large bald man is standing with a small hand-held magic device.  He is wearing an expensive red robe, trimmed in gold embroidery.  He raises the magic device to his mouth.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!!!  Welcome!  To today¡¯s auction!!¡±

    His voice is amplified by the device and can be heard even in the stone shops on the outer edge of the cul-de-sac.  After the voice, a thunderous applause resounds throughout the district.

    ¡°Today we have a total of 100 beastmen and 45 elves.  The beastmen consist of 80 adults and 20 children.  Among the 80 adults, 50 are female and 30 are male.  Of the 30 male, 15 are warriors and 15 are craftsmen.  Of the 50 females, 20 specialize in cooking, 15 specialize in gardening, and 15 specialize in household chores.  Of the 20 children, 9 are male and 11 are female.  As for the elves, all are adults, 23 female and 22 male.  10 of the females specialize in household chores, 5 in archery, and 8 in crafting.  For the males, 7 are archers, and 15 are warriors.¡±

    As soon as the bald man finishes his summary, another round of thunderous applause was heard along with loud cheering.  It was a given that female slaves were preferred over male slaves due to a common service they were able to provide, and with this auction, the number of female slaves were far greater than male.  Even with the elves, it was rare to see so many at a single auction.  Elves had a long lifespan and therefore took a long time to be bred, so at most there would be 20-30 of them at a single auction.  What¡¯s more, though it was forbidden to say aloud, the elf women were extremely beautiful.  They stayed young for over 100 years and not a single one of them would lose to the most attractive human female.

    The men in the crowd had begun drooling upon hearing the news.

    ¡°Without further ado, let the auction begin!! Bring out the slaves!!¡±

    The audience burst into cheering and applause so loud it would put the thunder god himself to shame.

    **************************************************************************************************

    My name used to be Elina, though I know now that I will never be called that again.

    My family and I had been deep within a forest far away my entire life.  A few months ago, our small community was raided by the humans.  We tried to run, but weren¡¯t fast enough.  Their dogs were able to chase us down and surround us.  My father lunged at the dogs, trying to open a path for me, my mother, and my brother to escape, but there were too many of them.  He was torn apart right in front of us.

    When the humans caught up, they separated my brother and I from our mothers arms, and many of them mounted her there in the forest.  I closed my eyes.  Unable to move from shock and grief, I was dragged away.

    After I was captured, I was stripped and brought to a dark room.  The humans threw me in there along with several other children, all the same race as me.  In the cold room, the other children lay still, some crying, some barley breathing.  I didn¡¯t look for my brother.  I knew he wasn¡¯t here.  When the humans dragged me and my brother, he screamed and resisted, and was cut down.  I remember the sound of the blade cutting through his flesh.  I sat up against a wall, hugged my knees, and cried.

    We were fed one bowl of brown soup per day, or it felt like a day, I couldn''t tell from within the dark room with no windows.  After 50 or 60 bowls, the humans took us out of the cage and placed shackles around our wrists and ankles.  We walked in a line outside and down some streets.  I kept my head down.  The only thing I saw were the heels of the person in front of me.

    After walking a while, I heard cheering in the distance.  As we got closer, the cheering became louder, and then we could see the source of the noise.  I couldn¡¯t help but look up.

    Humans.  So many of them.  They are wearing clothing made of fine material, each of them looking at us as we pass, seemingly appraising our bodies.  We pass some wooden carts and the crowd in front of us parts, letting us through.  I see a massive flat rock, the rock has intricate and beautiful patters swirling together across the surface, and standing on top of it is a bald human.  Surrounding the rock are a bunch of other humans, sitting in chairs.  There is a long line of beastmen in front of me.  Like me, they are naked and in chains.

    The bald man calls them up one by one, he poses each one of them and points to various places on their bodies while talking to the other humans that are sitting down.  When he finishes talking, the crowd gets loud and several of them raise signs with markings in the air.  The bald man begins speaking quickly and the signs begin falling until there is one left.  After that, the human holding up the last sign walks to the rock, grabs the chains of the beastman and walks with them out of the crowd.  This process repeats for everyone in front of me until it is my turn.

    ¡°Next up, we have a female child of the beastmen!¡±

    The bald man calls out to me and waves his hand around.  I know he wants me to walk toward him and stand in position like everyone else did, but I can¡¯t move.  I stand there frozen in place and the bald man grows aggravated.  He stomps over to me and yanks on my chains, forcing me to the center of the flat rock.

    ¡°This slave has not been bred.  She has been captured from a forest 3 months ago.  Our experts tell us she is between the ages of 13 and 15.¡±

    There is murmuring throughout the crowd.  I am 14.  I grimace at how they accurately guess my age.  I look at the faces of the humans.  Most of them have no expression at all, some of them have hard faces, some are smiling at me.  I feel a shutter in my spine.

    ¡°As you can see, her body is still healthy and in good condition.  The grey fur with black stripes and the unique characteristic of having longer fur on the head, resembling hair; show that she is of the Briggard lineage.  As such, she will grow to be quite a high quality female.  Her fur is undamaged, and her stripes extend to the end of her tail.  We can also guarantee that she is still a virgin.¡±

    The bald man says this to the humans, pointing at me in various places, and grabbing me a few places.  I don¡¯t move, I don¡¯t resist.  There is nothing I can do.

    He then turns me around, bends me over, and spreads me with his hands.  I close my eyes.  There is a burning pain coming from them, wanting to cry but being unable to squeeze out anymore tears.  He stands me up straight, turns me a little, and repeats the process again.  This happens four times so that everyone in the circular audience can see me.

    ¡°We will start the bidding at 5 gold coins!¡±

    Immediately all the humans that are sitting down raise their signs in the air, looking at me with hungry expressions.  I shut my eyes again.

    ¡°10 coins¡±

    ¡°15 coins¡±

    ¡°20 coins¡±

    Like that he counts up 5 at a time.

    ¡­¡­¡­..

    ¡°95 coins¡±

    ¡°Sold!!¡±

    I open my eyes again and see that a thin man with blonde hair and squinted eyes is the last to be holding up the sign.  Everything he is wearing is white.  A white rob, white gloves, white pants, white shoes.  He looks at me.  A smile slowly spreads across his face and his eyes open slightly.

    A cold feeling comes over my body.  He stands from his seat and approaches me.  Every instinct in my body is screaming at me to run away from him, but I am unable to.  Even if I could overcome the fear and move my body, where would I go?  How far would I get?  It¡¯s hopeless.

    He stands in front of me and takes my chains into his hand.

    ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Saying that, he turns, and with him tugging on the chains binding my wrists, I¡¯m forced to follow behind him as we walk outside and away from the crowd.

 Chapter 3: Cale VS. Un-named Beetle

    --Cale¡¯s perspective¡ª

    I¡¯ve finally reached the edge of the forest.  Once I started heading in the direction of the swamp, the Trent followed me.  It seems it will act as a guardian until I give it an order.  During the walk over here, we got lost several times, and I had to have the Trent lift me up to get a sense of our location, but finally we made it.

    Me and the Trent are standing just outside the edge of the forest, watching the swamp.

    Bleah¡­ The ground is moving up and down, shifting and curling as if something were using it as a blanket.  Every now and then a bubble of swamp gas will surface in the water and spread out in a green cloud.  I imagine it would be toxic if you breathe it in, though I don¡¯t know if it will effect me¡­ or the Trent.

    Crawling out of the water are a mass of giant bugs, centipedes, giant flies, beetles, and some bugs I¡¯ve never seen from my previous world.

    ¡­.Really¡­. It¡¯s a horrific scene, if not for this undead body, I would have run screaming.  I wonder how strong they are¡­  I look at my Trent.

    ¡­¡­¡­............

    ¡­..No good, I have no way to gauge the strength of monsters in this world.  Maybe I should just send it in to attack.  If it dies, I should be able to make another right?  Hmmmm¡­..

    Well, it¡¯s fine.  With my mind, I tell my Trent to attack the bugs.

    With heavy footsteps, the Trent stomps toward the bugs.  As it gets further into the swamp, its footsteps leave deeper and deeper impressions until it is sinking up to its knees.  Out of the impressions, countless smaller bugs crawl onto the surface of the mud and scatter, trying to find a place to burrow back in; similar to stepping on an ant bed.

    After trudging a few steps through knee deep mud, the Trent suddenly stops and directs its attention down to the place in front of itself.  Almost immediately a giant earthworm shoots out from the mud, lunging at the Trent.

    Right when the worm comes within range, the Trent swings one of its massive arms down on top of the worm, slamming its body into the mud.  I can feel the ground shake even where I am, and around the Trent, the mud is thrown high into the air; creating a rather large crater with the Trent and the worm at the center.

    Whoa!  So strong!

    Could this Trent be on the level of a boss monster?!  As I was thinking that, I notice more and more bugs coming out of the water, stopping at a distance from the Trent.

    Looks like they¡¯ve noticed us¡­.

    They come out of the water in groups, crawling over each other in sickening piles of writhing blackness.  The build up and fall, spreading more and more deeply over the mud and¡­.

    ¡­.Wait, isn¡¯t this too many?  An endless stream of bugs were still crawling out of all the water spots as far as I could see.  You couldn¡¯t see the mud anymore through all the bugs, and they kept coming.  As If that wasn¡¯t enough, the bugs capable of flying leapt from the ground and hovered in the air over the army.

    Aren¡¯t different types of bugs supposed to naturally be enemies with each other?

    Just as I thought that, the ground shook.  This is!

    Footsteps.

    From off in the distance, behind the bug army, I see something approaching.  The tremors get larger the closer it gets, and then I am able see it clearly.

    A giant beetle.

    It looks almost like a rhinos auras, it has a giant horn sticking out from the center of its head.  Its legs are as thick as my Trent¡¯s legs, but as a whole, the beetle is much larger.

    Massive!

    That¡¯s the only word I can use to describe it.  Four or Five of my Trents would have to be standing in a line to equal the length of it.  Two would have to stand side by side to equal its width.

    This is no joke¡­

    The beetle comes to a stop some distance away and lets out a loud roar.  It¡¯s so powerful it creates a gust of wind which whips across the swamp and even reaches me.  As if on queue, the bugs suddenly begin attacking.  The flies and wasps swarm my Trent, while the bugs on the ground slither and crawl up its bark and slip into any crevice.

    The Trent fights back, slamming the ground repeatedly with loud and destructive smashes, but it is slow.  The ones that fly are easily able to avoid all of its attacks and most of the crawling bugs have already latched onto its body and crawled inside.  In almost an instant, my Trent is completely covered in them and its movements soon come to a stop.  With a stiff body, it collapses in the mud.

    N¡­ no way¡­

    Without stopping, the bugs turn towards me and begin their advance.

    Not good!

    I turn around and run back into the forest as fast as I can.

    After running through the forest for what seemed like several hours, I was finally able to find the graveyard again.  I ran into the cemetery and stood next to my grave in the middle, watching the forest line.

    Seems like they didn¡¯t follow me.

    I¡¯ve been like this for a few hours now, and thinking this, I lower my guard a little.

    But what¡¯s with that level of difficulty?!  Shouldn¡¯t I start off in a beginner zone?  Or is that only games¡­

    Complaining about various things, and lie back on the ground.

    Those bugs were like an army, and what was with the size of that beetle?  Able to make hurricane winds with a roar¡­ isn¡¯t that already on the level of a dragon?  How am I supposed to fight a battle like that on my own¡­

    ¡­no, that¡¯s not right, I don¡¯t have to fight them on my own.  I can make Trents.  But even so¡­ all the Trents in the world wouldn¡¯t beat that endless bug army¡­ They move slowly and can¡¯t attack the bugs once they latch on¡­

    Ahhh, it would be great if there were something in the forest other than just trees¡­

    ¡­¡­..

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    That¡¯s it!

    Like that, I think of a brilliant plan.

    I am currently digging up one of the nameless graves in the cemetery.  Why am I doing this?  Well I was wondering what else I could use to battle the bug army with and had the great idea of making undead minions like I did the Trent.  The fact that I just realized this after standing in a graveyard for several hours, I¡¯ll keep to myself.

    Anyway, I¡¯ve finally reached the skeleton in the ground, and uncovered it¡­ for the most part.  I take a deep breath, well figuratively, and place my hand on the skeleton.  Just like with the tree, a pentagram spreads from under my hand, and a black ooze begins to crawl all over the skeleton.  It seeps into the white bone and disappears along with the pentagram.

    The next moment, the ooze bursts through the bones and engulf the skeleton in black.  The skeleton shakes violently for a few seconds and a small white light is lit at the back of its eye sockets.  I back away, and the skeleton pulls itself out of the grave.  Standing up, it faces me and stands still.

    Waiting on orders it seems¡­ I guess everything I make like this will act the same.  It took even less effort to raise it than when I raised the Trent¡­

    Well, better start digging up the rest of them.

    Getting the skeletons I animated to help, the process of digging up and turning the others became quicker and quicker.  After digging up the entire graveyard, I had a small army of 135 skeletons.

    Some were buried with a sword or knife, though they were rusted and almost falling apart; but most of them were empty handed.

    Well, I don¡¯t know how well they¡¯ll be able to fight like this¡­  I look around and spot pieces of iron laying here and there around the perimeter of the cemetery, remnants of a fence that once stood.  I order the skeletons to pick up any scrap pieces they can find and use them as spears.

    With that 35 skeletons are armed with rusty swords, and 50 are armed with rusty iron rods; the rest are unarmed.  Looking over my new army, I hang my head.

    ¡­.well, it¡¯s better than nothing.  Even if they are poorly equipped, it¡¯ll work.  With my skeleton army at my back, we march into the forest.

    In the forest, I approach the first tree I notice, and turn it into a Trent.  It was the same theatrical scene as the first time I made one.  The tree sucks in the surrounding mist, turning it black, then bursts from the ground with vigor and its body takes shape, towering over me and the skeletons.

    ¡­.even though you got insta-killed¡­.

    Well, anyway, it definitely sucks more power than the skeletons, but I feel I could make thousands before running out¡­  I wonder if it replenishes¡­ I couldn¡¯t really tell because only making one Trent doesn¡¯t use a very noticeable amount, but I should be careful until I know for sure.  None the less, I will need more Trents for my plan to succeed.

    Like that, we walk through the forest, clearing the fog and making Trents as we head towards the swamp.

    Reaching the edge of the forest, my army now includes 35 skeleton swordsmen, 50 skeleton spearmen (questionable), 50 skeleton fighters (aren¡¯t they just unarmed skeletons?), and 100 Trents.  With this, I¡¯m able to feel a noticeable dent in my magic power, but even so it¡¯s at most something like 5%.

    We emerge from the forest, and the swamp looks just like it did before my first Trent attacked.  Good, it would have been bad if we were suddenly thrown into the fight right off the bat.

    I have my minions take a circular formation.  With me at the center, the skeleton spearmen surround me, followed by the swordsmen, then the fighters, and finally the Trents.  Though the swordsmen are the fewest in number, I had them be on the outside of the spearmen because with spears, they will have a longer reach and range of attack, the swordsmen¡¯s job is to keep small bugs from coming too close to the spearmen.  The Trents on the outside will constantly pound the ground in and endless AOE attack, and should any bugs slip past them, the fighters will rip them off the Trents and kill them.  My only worry is that the spears won¡¯t be long enough to reach the aerial attacks.

    Well¡­ it should be fine, if this fails, I won¡¯t be able to escape.  But it¡¯s just as well, I couldn¡¯t command the army from back at the forest, the swamp spreads out further than I can see.  And I have to do something, I can¡¯t just stay in the forest forever.  So like this I decided to bet everything on this assault.

    With everyone in formation, we begin to move slowly into the swamp.

    It doesn¡¯t take long for the bugs to notice our presence.  Much like last time, they crawl forth from anywhere and everywhere out of the swamp, covering the floor in front of us and slowly move to surround us.  The smaller bugs are crawling over each other in massive chaotic piles scattered all over the ground, the scene is repulsive.  We come to a stop some distance into the swamp, and once the bugs completely surround us, they stop as well.

    Again, like last time, I feel soft tremors which grow stronger and stronger, and crack a smile¡­ though it doesn¡¯t reach my face.

    Good, I would be troubled if the boss didn¡¯t show his face.  I figure the bugs are all acting as one under its command, if I take him out, the bugs should scatter and become much less of a threat.

    The beetle roars.  It¡¯s just as fearsome as I remember it, I feel the wind whip past the Trent wall and knock down a few skeletons.  I immediately order the Trents to start their attacks.

    Like that the area is surrounded with explosive smashes.  With our legs sunken and encased by mud, it actually makes it easier to keep our footing.  Feeling my surroundings, I monitor the fight.

    Though the soft mud is weakening the impact of the Trent¡¯s smashes, the bugs are still struggling to break through.  Their oversized bodies are working against them in this kind of situation.  Every now and then a few smaller bugs will slip through the onslaught of pounding, but the fighters are able to pick them off and kill them.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.The giant flies and wasps begin swarming overhead.  They pass the Trents by flying over them, then dive in to attack the skeletons.  The swordsmen¡¯s reactions are slow and they can¡¯t hit them with their rusted swords, though I don¡¯t think it would do much damage even if they were successful.

    The overhead swarm swoops down and picks up several skeletons, they then rip them apart in the air over us before aiming for more.

    Not good, if this keeps up, we will eventually lose¡­

    I heighten my concentration on controlling 5 of the spearmen and wait for the next aerial attack.

    Once again, the bugs dive in to grab skeletons.  When they do, one swoops in to grab a skeleton near my group of 5 and I simultaneously thrust at it with all 5 spears.  Two of the spears are too heavily rusted and break on contact with the fly.  One of them is too blunt and is unable to penetrate.  However, the other two break through and skewer it.  With two spears sunk into its body from two separate angles, the fly is unable to fly away. Controlling the spearmen, I bring the fly into the army and kill it.

    Finally!  This is where the battle turns!

    With the fly now dead, I have to spearmen hurriedly move it towards me.  When I¡¯m close enough, I reach out my hand and touch it.

    Success!!

    The pentagram forms and the ooze coats the massive fly in black.  Once the pentagram disappears, the fly shakes and comes to life.

    Alright, now I just need to keep it alive until I get a few more¡­

    I have the fly stay low and work to protect the spearmen from incoming aerial attacks.  I take control of a couple more groups of 5 spearmen and like that, slowly start building up my own bug army.

    Around 30 minutes into battle, I¡¯ve turned around 50 aerial bugs, and roughly 30 other smaller miscellaneous bugs; and am able to use them to protect my skeletons from being grabbed and ripped apart.  Though I¡¯ve lost roughly 60-70 skeletons, the bugs are stronger and more than make up for the losses.  I continue to convert the corpses of the bugs that die within the circle of Trents and further build up my army.

    However, all good things eventually come to an end.  All too soon the giant beetle lets out another roar and the bugs back off.

    Tsk¡­ I guess the beetle bastard is semi-intelligent.  Seriously¡­ what¡¯s with this difficulty¡­.

    I look through a gap in the Trent wall and see the boss beetle.  He is moving mud with one of his front legs while looking at us.  Wait¡­ that, isn¡¯t he getting ready to charge?  He was a rhinos auras after all?!

    With a speed you wouldn¡¯t think possible in all this mud, the rhino-beetle rushes towards us.  Panicking, I break the circle formation and turn it into a triangle, after all this is how you deal with Calvary right?  Even if it fails, I have several Trents run toward the front to act as a buffer.  Before we are able to completely set up, the boss rams into the front of the formation.

    With the sound of splintering wood, I see Trents thrown into the air.

    ¡­.seriously?  What kind of power is required to throw several 4 meter tall trees through the air?

    With more Trents moving forward to help, we are somehow able to stop the advance of the boss, though we are now disorganized.  As if reading my mind, the beetle once again roars and the surrounding bugs resume their attack.

    Not good, not good.  I hear the sounds of Trents near the boss being ripped apart and hear the swarm of bugs closing in on us.  If only I could do something about the boss¡­

    Thinking that, I call a couple of Trents over, somewhat rebuilding our earlier circle formation, though there are large gaps this time, and it is much less circular as the majority of the Trents are busy holding the boss at bay.  I call one of the Trents to me and step into its hand.  I command the aerial bugs under my control to fly close to me and protect me from enemy air.  With that, I have the Trent throw me towards the boss beetle.

    I¡¯m flying through the air, surrounded by flying bugs.  They are keeping the enemy flies away from me, as well as keeping the path clear.  Following the trajectory, I near the beetle and fall on its back.  Having landed on its back, a place my palm down onto it, hoping to convert it.

    [C...tions  ¡­.t  me¡­]

    [Insuf¡­.  ¡­.irements.]

    The pentagon forms, but grows dim and fades before the ooze appears.

    Damn, I guess that would be too easy huh?  But what was that?  I could briefly make out a voice for a second¡­  While I¡¯m thinking this to myself, the beetle under me suddenly rolls over.

    Unable to do anything in response to the sudden beetle¡¯s sudden action, I fall into the mud with it, sucked underneath its back.  Buried in the mud, I can¡¯t see anything, but I can still feel everything that is going on around me.  The beetle, rolls back over and stands up, then raises its leg to stomp me.

    I immediately order a nearby Trent to act as a shield, but the beetle¡¯s leg smashes through it and pounds me further into the ground.

    Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t crumble into dust.  In fact, it¡¯s as if nothing happened.  Am I surprisingly sturdy?

    While I¡¯m lying there wondering about things, the beetle notices that I am still alive(?), and proceeds to stomp on me again and again.

    ¡­. What a simple minded fellow, I take back what I said about him being intelligent.

    Though it doesn¡¯t seem like I am taking any damage, this is still a problem.  I can¡¯t move.  But with the beetle¡¯s attention focused on me, the Trents are freed up to move.  I order them to group up next to the beetle and simultaneously hit it knock him over.

    The Trents do as they¡¯re told, and after grouping up, they swing their arms into the side of the beetle.

    The result is, they were able to move it!  The beetle rolls a small distance away, and I have the Trents form a wall between us.  I pull myself out of the mud and look around.  The flies I had guard me in the air were on stand-by while I was in the ground and without air support, the skeletons in the circle were being eviscerated.  Without a sufficient amount of skeletons, and with the fewer numbers of Trents forming a wall, the bugs are beginning to cover the Trents.

    This is bad, I have to do something quick¡­

    We need some way to take down the beetle, but the Trents can¡¯t penetrate the beetle¡¯s thick shell, and if the skeleton¡¯s rusted weapons barely got through the flies, there is no way they will go through the beetle¡¯s armor.  We need something that won¡¯t break when it hits the beetle at a high velocity¡­..

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    ¡­no way.

    There is only one thing I can think of that has proven to be at least as strong, or stronger than the beetle¡¯s armor.

    Like that, I got back in hand of the nearest Trent.

    I need to make this attack count, so to put maximum power behind it, I am using two Trents; one foot in the hand of each.  With me controlling them, I should be able to have them thrust me into the beetle at the same time, reaching maximum momentum.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    I can¡¯t even laugh.  Currently I am standing with one foot on the hand of each of the two Trents, while placing my hands together above my head, trying to make a point.  The human (skeleton) spear¡­ no part of this is cool.  I look like someone posing before a swan dive.  I thought liches were supposed to be badass undead magic chanters, how did it end up like this¡­

    Giving thanks in my heart that nobody is here to see this, I prepare for the attack.

    The boss beetle is right in front of the Trent wall, watching us and getting ready for another charge attack.  Controlling the two Trents holding me, I brace for the attack.

    Kicking up mud high in the air, the beetle takes off towards us.  It charges through the mud at the speed of a truck.  I have the Trents crouch low and we wait for the right moment.  The beetle nears us, and begins to duck its head for contact.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Now!!

    Right at the climax of the beetle''s charge, I have both of the trents thrust me forward with all their strength into its head.

    The force is tremendous and with the sound of its outer shell cracking, I break through and enter the beetle.  I can feel it rampaging, rolling around and stomping as I tunnel around inside its head, ripping at everything around me.

    After a few minutes of fumbling around inside of it, I finally feel the beetle collapse.  I remain inside until I confirm it is no longer alive, before crawling out from where I entered.

    As I remove myself from the beast, the innards don¡¯t stick to me and slide right off.  Now that I think about it, the mud didn¡¯t stick either.  I guess it¡¯s a good thing I can¡¯t get dirty, but I wonder if it¡¯s a common trait for skeletons to have?  I look over at the remaining skeletons, but they are so black from the ooze, I can¡¯t tell if they have traces of mud on them or not.  Ah well.

    Most of the bugs have stopped attacking, all but the ones that were already in combat.  Controlling the survivors of my army, I¡¯m able to finish most of them off, while the others retreat back into the water.  The worms were mostly non-existent, but with the Trents, they are the easiest to deal with so I¡¯m not worried.

    With things having calmed down, I walk up to the corpse of the giant beetle.  I wonder if I should turn it into a minion?  I can¡¯t tell if my magic power is recovering or not yet, at with the amount required being different per creature, I don¡¯t want to unknowingly spend too much of it.  Plus with the beetle dead, it should be fairly easy to make my way through the rest of the swamp.

    In the end I decide not to turn it.  It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going anywhere, and if I encounter something stronger up ahead I can always come back.

    Like that, me and the remnants of my army travel across the swamp.

    Every now and then we would be attacked by a few bugs or worms, but we were able to easily deal with them.  For the most part, it was uneventful.

    Eventually we came across a large rock face.  It was a straight drop Cliffside stretching left and right as far as the eye could see.  Looking up, you can see the top, but it must be over 50 meters high.

    Well¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to climb it¡­.

    I stand in front of the rock wall, thinking of a way to reach the top.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.Well, I guess I can always just try that¡­

    If the Trents were able to throw me into the beetle hard enough to penetrate its armor, then they should be able to throw me high enough to reach the top of the wall¡­  Yeah, let¡¯s go with that.

    So with the plan thought out, I step back into the hands of two Trents and face the remnants of my army.  Within my head, I give a farewell speech of sorts.

    ¡®Well, if this works out, it may be the last time I see you all.  You guys have really helped me and we have even been through war together.  I¡¯m going to miss you guys!¡¯

    The undead stand there just like before, unmoving.  Well, I didn¡¯t really expect any response anyway.

    Alright, let¡¯s do it.

    I turn back towards the rock face and while controlling the two Trents, throw myself into the air.

    Like an arrow, I cut through the air and fly towards the sky.

    Success!!  I rapidly approach the top of the wall and¡­

    ¡­..Huh?

    I pass the top of the wall with no signs of slowing down.

    !!!!

    Like that, I fly high into the air over the land at the top of the wall, so high I can barely make out the differences in the tops of the trees which are covering the ground.  Finally my upward momentum comes to a halt and I start falling.

    ¡­. Well if I was stomped on by that beetle and thrust through its shell with this momentum and came out unscathed, I should survive the fall¡­. Right?

    ¡­.Ah, now that I think about it, I had several giant flying bugs¡­

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

 Chapter 4: Life as a Slave

    --Elina¡¯s perspective¡ª

    Hell.  That is the only word to describe where I am.

    It¡¯s been almost a month since I was purchased by the man in white.  After he bought me, we got into a carriage and rode to his house.  When we arrived, he pulled me from the carriage and threw me on the ground.  He told me:

    ¡°Animals should crawl on the ground where they belong, humans are the only ones who are allowed to stand on two feet.¡±

    I didn¡¯t argue with him, I did as he said and crawled behind him as he held my chain and dragged me into the house.  Once we got inside, he pulled me over to a stone staircase and walked me down it.  He went too fast, and being unable to keep up, I stumbled and rolled down a few steps, brushing his legs on my way down.

    He suddenly kicked me hard in the side and I rolled down the rest of the steps.  My bones ached from hitting the stone steps on the way down, I had gotten several small cuts, but was able to protect my head.  The man in white came rushing down the stairs at me.

    He grabbed my wounded areas hard, pressed into them and said to me:

    ¡°Oh my, what a clumsy pet you are.  You didn¡¯t get hurt did you?  Let me check for any scrapes or bruises, we can¡¯t have you getting hurt on your first day can we?¡±

    Shaking with fear, I shook my head at him.  He stood and once again pulled on my chain, walking me further into the dark stone room.

    We arrived at a cage, and that is where I¡¯ve been up till now.

    Locked in here, I have something like stale bread or rotten fruit thrown at me to eat every couple of days.  I only asked for food once, after that time, I learned never to do it again.

    Each and every day from the second day I¡¯ve been locked up in here, until now; I¡¯ve been visited by the man in white and others.  If I¡¯m lucky, they just use me and are done with it, but some like to ''play'' with me, especially the man in white. Or rather, the man in white would only ''play'' with me and without ever touching me directly.  He just coldly watched my reactions to the tools he would bring with those cold narrowed eyes.

    The 15th day I was locked up, the stench around me got to be so bad I asked for water to wash myself.

    ¡°Oi oi oi, it wants a shower!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ll give it a shower!¡±

    ¡°Aww man, now it smells like piss!¡±

    ¡°You fucker, I don¡¯t want to smell your piss when I use it!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s a cat right?  It should be able to just lick itself clean!¡±

    ¡°You!  You better not reek of piss when we come back or I¡¯ll break your legs!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha sick!  It¡¯s actually licking the piss off itself!¡±

    ¡°What a disgusting creature.¡±

    ¡°Shit guys, we better go, Gellar is calling us.¡±

    Gellar.  The man in white¡¯s name is Gellar.

    Like that, I never asked for anything again.  I never spoke unless forced to.  I shut myself down and escaped from my body.  Like that, I was able to deal with my situation.  Anything that happened to me just happened to my body, not me.  Or so I rationalized it.

    Gellar was by far the worst.  He wouldn¡¯t let me shut myself off.  He would make me talk to him.  Every time he visited me, I would be beaten or cut.  On one occasion, he brought a pair of shears and cut off part of my tail.  He would never admit it was him doing it.  It was always an accident, or I clumsily got myself hurt and he was trying to help me.  He never lost that smile of his, always smiling as he tortured me, trying to make me feel like nothing was wrong.  But his smile would never reach those eyes, the cold eyes like that held no emotions at all, as if observing a piece of meat would fill me with shier terror... I could feel my mind breaking every time he came to visit.

    There are those who say people who commit suicide are cowards.  I couldn¡¯t disagree more.  I wish I had the courage to bite my tongue and kill myself.  But I¡¯m a coward.  I did nothing as my father was killed, nothing as my mother was raped, nothing as my brother was killed trying to protect my mom.  I was too scared to move, I just shut my eyes and wished for it to all go away.  Maybe this is my punishment.

    I hear a sound.  I don¡¯t react, I¡¯ve stopped crying a long time ago.  I just with for it to pass quickly.

    People are walking down the steps, there are three of them, Gellar¡¯s subordinates.  They often come to visit as a group, they were the ones I had asked for water.

    They open my cage and one of them walks over to me.

    ¡°Get up, you are coming with us.¡±

    I don¡¯t know what to do, Gellar said I could never leave this cage.  I don¡¯t move.  The man comes up to me and kicks me in the stomach.  I vomit out what little food I have and collapse in it.

    ¡°Geh, this thing is seriously disgusting.  Do we even want to bring it?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, there are still ways we can have fun with it.  Plus it¡¯s going to be a long trip.¡±

    The man picks me up by the hair, lifting my face out of my vomit.  All I see is disgust on his face.  It probably wont be long until I''m ''thrown away''...

    ¡°Listen up, come with us or we will go tell Gellar that you are refusing to obey his order.¡±

    I shudder.  And I thought the shaking was gone¡­ He lets go of my hair.  I put my arms out to brace myself, but they are weak, too weak to support my fall.  They buckle and I fall back into the mess on the floor.

    ¡°Hahaha what a freak, I guess it likes the taste of its own puke!¡±

    One of the men in back laugh.  I struggle to lift myself up to my hands and knees.  Like that, I crawl behind the group as they lead me somewhere unknown.

    *********************************************************************************

    --Gellar¡¯s perspective¡ª

    I bought a new toy at last month¡¯s auction.  As soon as I heard it was not bred, but captured; I knew I had to have it.

    The ones that are bred aren¡¯t near as fun.  They are used to the treatment and don¡¯t know of any other lifestyle.  What was that someone said?  If you don¡¯t know what it is, you can¡¯t miss it?  It¡¯s something like that.

    Anyway, I enjoy all of the faces I can get my toys to make, and the ones from the wild are capable of making many, many more.

    I¡¯ll never forget the first time I broke in the new toy.  It was squirming and screaming, making all kinds of sounds and faces.  Of course I made sure I could closely look at each one of them.  I had it on its back with its arm out to the side and kept my face close to it, smiling gently, letting it know everything was alright, it was already over, and I would never let it get hurt again.  I would say this over and over until it finally relaxed the tension in it''s body ever so slightly.  A quick tug of a lever and the sling was pulled.  With a *pop* its shoulder was splendidly dislocated.  A muffled scream of agony could be heard, what a pleasant sound, I never get tired of hearing it.  After relishing it for a bit, I have my nearby attendant re set the shoulder while I once again work on getting it to relax the tension in its body.  I repeated this process until it passed out.

    Eventually its expressions began to blend together and it wouldn¡¯t react like it used to.  No matter how much you take care of them, every toy breaks eventually.  While thinking of what I could do, I noticed the gardener outside and got a brilliant idea.

    The next day, I brought a pair of shears with me.  The look on its face when I opened the cage and showed it the shears was priceless.  I brought its tail in front of its face, and made it watch as I cut a length of it off.  Just remembering it still excites me.

    However, now no matter what I do, there is no reaction.  I¡¯ve tried various things, boiling water, fire, branding it, nothing has any effect.  I¡¯ve grown bored with it.  I guess it¡¯s time for a new toy.

    Greg, Edward, and Dalton are about to go out on a reconnaissance trip north of the capital¡­  The king had tasked them with investigating the forest outside the norther border.  Several adventurers will be accompanying them. I normally provide someone to service them while they travel, but I think this time I¡¯ll just let them take that toy.  I¡¯ll let them do whatever they want with it on the condition that they dispose of it before they get back.

    *************************************************************************

    --Elina¡¯s perspective¡ª

    After following the group of men upstairs, Gellar was waiting for me.  He crouches down and tilts my face with the end of a metal rod, forcing me to look at him.  If I hadn¡¯t thrown up downstairs, I probably just would have.  He is wearing that same smile he always is and speaks to me in a calm voice.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be meeting each other anymore.  Though it pains me to admit it, I¡¯ve grown bored of you, so it¡¯s time to set you free.¡±

    I know better than to believe anything he says.  I don¡¯t react.  He sighs and stands up.

    ¡°Well, I guess you guys should be on your way.  Be sure to take care of it for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.  We¡¯ll be leaving then.¡±

    With me crawling behind them, we leave the house.

    There is a small caravan of carriages lined up in the street.  The man holding my chain yanks me toward a smaller one with iron bars and a thin cloth draped over it.  Unlocking the iron door, the throws me inside, shuts it and walks toward another carriage with the other two men. Not long after, the carriage I''m in jerks and we set off.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    We travel for a while before we stop and the men get off to talk to others.  After the talk and the other party left, they unlock my carriage and one of them grabs me by the hair and pulls me out onto the ground.

    Without particularly making an effort to look around, I can tell we are on the outskirts of some village.  There a few people walking around here and their.  When they notice me, most of them make a look of disgust and turn their head but to my surprise, there were a couple who had a faint look of something like sympathy as they shook their heads slightly and looked away.

    Though I haven''t met many humans, it''s the first time I''ve ever seen that kind of look from one of them.

    .....

    I''ve long since stopped allowing myself to feel anything, but something small stirs in my guts.

    I don''t know what it is but it''s an unpleasant sensation, a part of it feels like when I see the smile of Gellar.  There''s a small spark and a burning sensation in my stomach with a slight feeling of nausea, but there''s also strangely the urge to laugh.

    Ah, I hate them.  All of them.

    Pulled by the chain I''m walked through the streets.  The people who walk by me take a wide distance with some of them holding their noses.  Some even complain to the 3 I''m struggling to follow and they apologize for the stench and kick me a few times.

    They make their way toward a more narrow and run down part of the village, dragging me along behind them.  Sitting in a cage for so long with barely anything to eat, my arms and legs struggle to keep up with their pace and my hands and knees which are scraped raw from the dirt and rocks I''m crawling over start bleeding.  When I falter, they would yank hard on the chain attached to the iron choker around my neck.  It felt as if my neck would snap and the iron cuts into my skin as I''m dragged across the ground.  A stench fills my nose as my face hits the ground, it must be the discarded waste thrown into the alley from the nearby houses.

    Eventually we arrive at what looks like a run down inn.  The three chain me to a post in the stables next to the inn and walk inside.

    The sun has begun to set, and I curl my body as much as I can on the ground in an effort to keep warm.  I''m alone and there is a rotting smell from the small pile of hay next to me.  Shutting my eyes just like this, I make a silent wish that I''ll never have to open them again.

    ..........

    My wish went ungranted.

    Something pokes my shoulder and stirs me from sleep.

    Enduring the flood of pains and soreness across my entire body as my consciousness returns, I open my eyes.

    It is the face of a child.

    A human child is crouching in front of me.

    I stare at him and he stares at me.

    From the curious look on his face, I guess he has never seen a demi-human before.  I guess this town can''t afford many slaves.  Or maybe something else sparked his curiosity.  Whatever it is, it''s probably wishful thinking that he will just leave after waking me up and staring at me.

    Without saying anything I brace myself for whatever it is that''s coming next.

    He brings out his hand from behind his back, revealing a chunk of bread.  He puts it up to his mouth and makes the motions of chewing with his mouth, then he puts it up to mine.

    Is he trying to feed me?

    The bread he is holding looks much more appetizing than the moldy scraps that would be thrown into my cage from time to time.  There was a faint smell coming from it that made my stomach stir.

    Seeing me just staring at the bread without moving, he once again puts it up to his mouth, acts like he is chewing, then holds it to my mouth.

    Is this something those three thought up?

    .....there''s no point thinking about it.

    Without any expression on my face, I slowly open my mouth and he sticks the bread inside.

    It¡¯s warm.

    Though my fur somewhat protects me, the nights are starting to get colder.  And being outside at night while naked is painful.

    I take another bite.

    There is a burning sensation in my eyes, and I realize I¡¯m trying to cry.  Why?  Am I so happy to be fed?  Or is it something else?  Something like crying, things like that have already been taken from me long ago and I am just quietly waiting for my death.  I truly don''t understand the reaction of my body.

    Suddenly and intense nausea violently attacks me and I vomit out the two bites of bread that haven''t even had time to make it to my stomach.  After that I just keep heaving but nothing comes out other than snot and the tears I thought had already dried up.

    The child gets scared and runs away and after a while my consciousness darkens.

    In the morning I was woken up by a punch in the stomach.  I almost vomited, but was able to somehow keep myself from heaving again.  The man laughed and untied the chain from the post.   Together with the other two, we returned to the outskirts of the village and throwing me into the slave carriage, they boarded their own.

    With a jolt, the carriage moves and we once again set off.  Over the trip, we stopped by several more villages.  As we traveled, the men scarcely touched me.  Honestly even I can barely stand my own stench anymore and It''s amazing they continued to approach me for that purpose even until now. As we travel, the nights got colder and colder so we must be heading north.  A repeat of what happened in the first village never came, no one approached me with food again.  The men would sometimes give me grass to eat, and I was told to drink my urine if I was thirsty, though sometimes they would give me water.

    Eventually, after a few months we came to another stop, but this time it wasn¡¯t in a village.  The other carriages following us stopped as well and the men had a conversation with others outside.

    ¡°We¡¯ve reached the border, from here on out there will be powerful monsters.  We must stay on guard at all times.  These guys aren¡¯t like the ones in our forests, they are the real deal.  We need to work as a team and scout ahead.  The emperor has tasked us with renewing the map of the land north of the borders and gathering intel, let¡¯s all come back from this richer and unharmed.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡°Ooh!!¡±¡±¡±¡±

    Everyone outside confirmed in unison.  After some planning, they board the carriages, and we enter the forest.

    Recently I¡¯ve developed a cough.  I guess I caught a cold.  The men have completely stopped approaching me and the only food I get are the scraps people will sometimes through through the iron bars instead of on the ground.  Except for the occasional coughing fit, I just lay still in this cage like a corpse.

    I¡¯ve found I¡¯ve been able to fall asleep much more easily lately.  I must be getting close to death.  It¡¯s amazing I¡¯ve survived as long as I have.  Death must be waiting until it¡¯s satisfied with my punishment before taking me away.

    It¡¯s been a few days since we¡¯ve entered the forest.  During that time, we have been attacked six times.  I wasn¡¯t able to see what attacked us, but they must have been strong, as far as I¡¯ve heard three adventurers lost their life.  It seems the 3 men are still alive.

    It is daylight outside and we are traveling on an uneven dirt road.  The three men said it had gotten cold, so they took the cloth draped over my carriage to further warm theirs.  Because of that, I can see outside the carriage now, but the cold wind cuts through my fur like knives and worsens my condition.  At this point I can barely feel any part of my body.  I rock and bang my various cuts and bruises but I don''t feel anything anymore, I wonder if I''ll finally be allowed to die soon.

    ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    The caravan comes to a stop and the 3 men get out.  Recently they just ignore me, but this time the walk directly to my carriage.

    I just stare at them blankly.

    "Is it still alive?"

    "I think so, I can faintly see the chest moving."

    "Wow as expected of beast-kin huh."

    "Tenacity of a cockroach."

    "Hahahaha!"

    I barely register what they are saying as I just stare in their direction.

    "Tsk, no response at all, guess it''s just about done for."

    "Yeah well it''s being disposed of after all so it''s to be expected."

    "Well, this place is as good as any, we are just about done with the expedition so we should probably ditch her before we start heading back."

    "Yeah."

    They seem to be talking about me, but I can''t register what they are saying, maybe my brain has started to freeze over.

    ...hm?

    My eye catches something behind the three men.

    Off in the distance, between the leaves of the trees, I catch a glimpse of white as the branches rustle.

    The men have opened the iron door to the carriage and one of them unsheathes his sword.

    "Guess I''ll take care of it, just dumping the body in the bushes around here should be fine right?"

    "Yeah I don''t think it matters."

    The branches far behind them rustle again and something emerges between the trees.

    Ah

    When I saw one of them take out their sword, I wondered if they were going to kill me, but that seems to be the case after all.

    The men don''t seem to have noticed as one of them approaches me, raising his sword.

    Rather than look at the weapon that will take my life, my gaze is only focused on the thing approaching from behind the three men.

    Finally.

    Finally you have come.

    Death was finally here to take me away.

 Chapter 5: First Encounter With Humans

    --Cale¡¯s perspective¡ª

    Right now I¡¯m crouching behind some bushes, using [Vision] to monitor what¡¯s on the other side.  That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve finally come up with a name for my ability to ¡°feel¡± my surroundings.  Ah, I¡¯ve also decided to name the pentagram ability [Turn].

    I¡¯ve been in this forest for two days now.  Falling out of the sky, the branches of the trees did little to break my fall.  I hit the ground hard, sinking up to my waist in the bed of the forest.  After pulling myself from the ground, I stood and looked around.

    A lush, green forest.  It¡¯s a little dark due to the large amount of trees blocking the sunlight, but it¡¯s definitely a better setting than the foggy forest and swamp.

    Without a particular aim or destination, I began walking through the forest.

    During my journey, I noticed my magic power regenerating.  It seems there is a lag time between using it and when it starts to replenish itself.  Does it have something to do with my state of mind?  Perhaps I have to calm myself for it to begin regenerating¡­ though my undead body pretty much keeps me in a constant state of tranquility. I wonder if meditating would speed it up?

    Anyway, while wandering through the forest, I began exploring one of the two abilities I¡¯ve developed in this world.  That is the ability to extend my sense of touch to everything in my surroundings.  Initially the radius of this is roughly 40 meters, with me at the center.  However, I found that if I focus on the area just outside the perimeter of my [Vision], I¡¯m able to extend it up to 60 meters.  The only draw back is that, though only a small amount, it costs magic power to maintain the extended [Vision]; so I decided to only use it when the situation requires it.  After all, my magic power doesn¡¯t regenerate while I¡¯m using it, so it¡¯s not like I can just keep the extended [Vision] up forever.

    Other than my discoveries on this skill, the time since I arrived in this forest have been pretty un-eventful.  I tried placing my hand on a tree to make a Trent, but like the time with the beetle, the pentagram disappeared before the ooze had a chance to come out.  I guess it really needs to be something dead huh¡­  I also heard that broken voice again.  Trying to understand what it was saying, I repeatedly used [Turn] on the tree while focusing on the voice.  Though I felt like it got somewhat clearer, in the end, I wasn¡¯t able to make out what it was saying.

    A few hours ago, I was walking through the forest while using the passive version of [Vision] when I noticed a strange animal ahead of me.  It was quite large, not as big as a Trent, but still much larger than me.  While concealing myself, I closed the distance between us until I was able to see it clearly.

    It looked¡­ sort of like an ape?  It definitely had the upper body and arms of a gorilla, but its legs were bent at an angle and it stood on hooves.  It had a long tail which seemed to originate from the middle of its back.  Though most of its body was covered in grey and brown fur, the tail wasn¡¯t furry, it looked hard, almost like metal; and was pointed at the end.  Its face resembled a panther, or lion.  It had whiskers and cat-like ears.

    Interested in the new creature I found, I decided to follow it around a bit. And that brings me to where I am now.

    Crouched behind the bush, I watch the creature stalk the prey it¡¯s been following for a while now.  The animal it¡¯s been stalking almost completely resembles a wolf from my world, there are only a couple of differences.  The first difference is its size.  It¡¯s almost as big as the cat-ape chasing it.  Even for dire wolves, it¡¯s oversized.  The other difference lies in the color of its fur.  It¡¯s a dark green, with black dots scattered across its entire body.  Without [Vision], I¡¯m not sure if I would be able to see it from a distance in this forest.

    With the cat-ape finally cornering it, the wolf faces the cat-ape and bares its fangs.  The cat-ape lets out a ferocious roar and runs towards the wolf.  As it draws near, I feel it activate something.  A dark mist begins to form around the hands of the cat-ape, quickly shaping itself into a blades.  I¡¯m reminded of a certain energy sword an alien had wielded in a video game I used to play.  With long dark blades covering each of its hands and extending its reach, the cat-ape nears the wolf.

    Out of options, the wolf desperately lunges at the cat-ape, attempting to sink its teeth into its neck.  However, in an instant the cat-ape swings its bladed arms in two short strokes, drawing an ¡®X¡¯ through the wolf in the air.  The wolf falls at the feet of the cat-ape and bleeds out within seconds from the two large gashes spanning the length of its body.

    So even the animals are able to perform certain spells.  Though it¡¯s just enhancing the body to create a weapon, it seems useful.  I wonder if I can learn it¡­

    As I¡¯m thinking about the dark blade ability, the cat-ape disperses them and bends down to start its meal.  Well, based on my experience with the bugs; if the corpse is too mutilated, I won¡¯t be able to use [Turn] on it.  I guess now is my queue.

    Though the cat-ape is bigger than I am, and certainly looks intimidating; when compared to the boss beetle, or even my Trents, it comes up short.  I don¡¯t want to rely too much on my body¡¯s durability, but I can¡¯t imagine this guy having an attack stronger than that giant beetle¡¯s stomp.  With resolve, I emerge from behind the bushes, and approach the cat-ape while on guard.

    It doesn¡¯t take long at all for it to notice me.  Turning towards me and letting out a low growl, it re-materializes its blades.

    I cautiously approach.

    When I come within a certain range, it suddenly sprints towards me.  Closing the distance faster than I can react, it immediately swings its arms, attempting to cut me in half.

    I brace myself for an impact, but when the blade makes contact with my skeleton; as if it were an illusion, it phases right through me without a hint of resistance.

    ¡­?  There¡¯s no damage?

    The wolf was definitely just killed with the same attack.  That was no illusion.  So why is it not having an effect on me?

    ¡­.Dark Blade¡­  If the magic in this world is attribute specific, then that blade would definitely be a dark attribute magic.  Being an undead, it would make sense if I was immune to dark magic¡­.

    As I¡¯m lost in thought, the cat-ape once again swings its dark blades at me, and they pass right through without a trace.  Looking at the cat-ape, I see shock in its eyes.

    Well, that¡¯s how it is.

    I step forward and grab the arm of the cat-ape.  The shock on its face changes to fear and it struggles to break free of my grasp.  Another thing I¡¯ve come to realize since coming to this world, is that my physical strength is abnormal.  After all, when I first came to this world I dug my way out of an arms-length deep grave of petrified dirt.  And with minimal effort I might add.  Like such, something like the cat-ape won¡¯t be able to break free from my grasp.

    It jerks its hand back, and as it does so, lifts me off the ground.  With me still latched onto its arm, it swings me around, trying to shake me off.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.I guess even if I¡¯m strong, there¡¯s still a size difference¡­¡­

    As I¡¯m stupidly swung left and right at ridiculous speeds, I reach further up the cat-ape¡¯s arm with my free hand, pulling myself closer to the main body.  When I successfully climb up the arm, I move to the beast¡¯s back and wrap my arm around its neck, choking it.  It gasps for air and as I tighten my choke hold, it begins to lose strength and collapses to its knees.  From there I break its neck, and upon releasing it, it falls to the ground.

    That could have gone smoother¡­ in the future, I should take time to plan ahead¡­

    Without reflecting, I get to work using [Turn] on the two corpses.  The process is just like it always is.  The red pentagram, followed by the black ooze which seeps into the body, then returns to coat them in black.  When the process is complete, they both stand before me, waiting for orders.

    I wonder if I can get a better understanding of how to use the dark blades if I control the cat-ape and use them¡­

    Thinking this, I focus my conscience on the cat-ape and command it to summon its dark blades.  Like that, I can feel the magic power inside of it release from its hands and take the shape of a long blade.

    When it releases the magic power, the feeling is similar to when I use [Turn], but as far as shaping it goes, I¡¯m at a loss.  I try copying the feeling of the cat-ape forming the dark blades, but I¡¯m unable to even produce the black mist.  After several attempts, I give up.

    Well, I can revisit it later.  For now, let¡¯s try that.

    With that thought, I turn my gaze to new wolf minion.

    Hahahaha!  This is the image I¡¯ve been waiting for!

    Currently, I am a badass skeleton riding atop a giant black dire wolf.  I grip the rough black fur as I straddle it bear back while it runs at high speeds.  The wolf jumps over roots and dodges trees, nimbly weaving through the forest, and a ferocious dark beast with giant blades on its arms follows close behind us.

    We are moving so fast that it becomes difficult to process all the information that hits me through my passive [Vision], and my surroundings blur together.  It¡¯s exhilarating.  Even with my undead body, I still feel some excitement.  Without a set destination, I continue riding the wolf through the forest until nightfall.

    We encountered several other beasts and monsters as we moved through the forest, but with speed enhanced from [Turn] and endless stamina characteristic of the undead, we easily outran them all.

    The surrounding forest becomes dark, I have the wolf come to a stop and dismount it.  I have it lie down, and I sit down next to it, leaning my back against it.  Like that, I look up at the stars through the gaps in the tree tops, and for the first time, it really hits me that I¡¯ve come to another world.

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    I don¡¯t dislike it.  Though I felt uneasy in the beginning about being undead, this body is strangely convenient in many ways.  Back in my old world, I only dreamed of places like this.  Awesome adventures with magic and exotic creatures.  It¡¯s something only found in novels.

    ¡­..That reminds me¡­..

    In the end, I was never able to read the final chapter of that web novel!!!

    With that I cursed the heavens and complained about various things until dawn.

    As the sun rises into the sky, the forest begins to light up, though not by very much.  I don¡¯t need to -and can¡¯t- sleep as an undead.  Though I don¡¯t feel any fatigue, sometimes I like to sit down and relax while I think about things.  Plus, having an early sleeping schedule for years left me with the habit of stopping whatever I¡¯m doing when it gets dark and settle down for the night.  I guess it¡¯ll take a bit to get used to all this extra time.

    I stand up and stretch out of habit.  My bones crack and pop as I roll my shoulders.  Looking around, I breathe in a deep breath.  (Figuratively)

    Alright, let¡¯s try to find something interesting today.  I have my wolf stand up, and hop on its back.  Like that, we set off into the forest, the cat-ape following behind us.

    In order to thoroughly inspect my surroundings with [Vision], we don¡¯t move nearly as fast as we did yesterday.

    While trotting through the forest, all most immediately I notice something with [Vision].

    A corpse.  Its structure closely resembles a human. Without delay, we head over to it.

    Climbing down from the wolf, I approach the corpse.

    It¡¯s repulsive.  Even after remaining almost completely unfazed by hundreds of thousands of centipedes and other bugs crawling all over each other and out of a swamp, I find myself disgusted with this sight.

    The body has been thrown here haphazardly, as if it fell off of something and was left to rot.  Its limbs were mostly broken, bending at several crooked angles.  In a few places, you could see the bone protruding from the skin.  One of the corpse¡¯s eyes had been gouged out, and its face had several cuts scattered across it.  Large patches of its hair had been torn out and some of it was still clinging to the body.  The corpse had a horrid expression on its face, and I can only imagine what had happened to put it there.  This was clearly not done by a wild animal.

    It was the corpse of a grown female.  It looked as if she were in her 20¡¯s or 30¡¯s.  Though you could tell from the long hair and breasts that it was a female, she was a race I had never seen before, but always wanted to meet.  A catgirl.

    Meeting one like this brings me no happiness.

    Her tail bent at several unnatural angles, and from her wide open mouth, you could tell at a glance that several teeth had been pulled out.  Cuts and bruises littered her entire body, some were even scarred over, showing that this happened to her over a long period of time.  She was completely covered in blood, and some of it was still wet.

    She had been left here recently.  Thinking this, I look around.

    Up a small hill, right above the body, were several long lines stretching into the distance.  Intermixed in the lines, where hoof prints, I assume from horses.  They are on several horse and carriages, and from the direction of the hoof prints, I can tell which way they are heading.

    Seems like the first people I meet will be criminals.

    Strangely, what I feel isn''t rage, or a strong sense that I need to enact justice.  Just.... it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  To go this far to the point of it being obsessive...

    Maybe the first people I meet aren''t criminals, but demons.

    I call cat-ape and with his help, we dig a small grave for the girl.  After burying her, I mount up and with determination, follow the tracks.

    Following the tracks, I am riding the wolf at a rather high speed.  I have extended my [Vision] to its maximum range, and it only takes a few minutes for the caravan to be detected.

    With [Vision], I sense several people up ahead.  There are 5 carriages lined up, each with 3-4 people in them.  One of them has a smaller connected carriage which only has a single rider laying down; perhaps that person is sick?  I order cat-ape to take a position in the trees off to the side of them in order to ambush and distract them if things go south.

    When I get just out of sight of the carriage at the back of the caravan, I dismount the wolf and order it to remain on standby just off the path.

    Like that, I move into view of the carriage.

    This is...

    Three men are standing in front of an iron cage, one of them is brandishing a sword.  Inside the opened cage is a catgirl that looks young enough to be a child.

    What''s going on?  Is that something three grown men are needed in order to fight against?  I can''t understand.

    Anyway, there''s no way I''m gonna miss my chance to get to know someone from the legendary catgirl race.  And no mater how I look at it, this situation is undoubtedly one where a heinous crime is about to take place, so there''s no reason for me not to interfere, or rather, the first humans I meet are 3 grown men surrounding and attempting to kill a child.  I am ashamed.

    The catgirl looks at me with a blank expression but I can definitely see relief in her eyes and then she shuts them.  Relief?  Yeah, relax, I''ll promptly save you.

    I quickly approach the wagon.  As I do, the man notices me.

    ¡°What in the hell?!¡±

    The other two men unsheathe their swords as they turn around.  I have almost completely closed the distance between me and the wagon, and I can now clearly see the girl.

    Broken.  Fresh cuts and scars marring her greasy and filthy grey and black fur, her body so bruised, you could see the discolored lumps through her thin fur coat.  Extremely malnourished.  Her arms and legs were thinner than mine.  If I couldn¡¯t feel her chest moving with [Vision], I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if she was breathing.

    ....

    It leaves a bad feeling.

    ¡°Edward, it¡¯s just a single skeleton.  I¡¯ll take care of it!¡±

    One man steps forward with a comment to the one next to him, while the 3rd one runs toward the other end of the caravan, most likely to warn the others.

    ¡°What the fuck is a single skeleton doing by itself.  They normally roam in groups, and always at night¡­ Keep your eyes peeled.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯m still pissed about that last fight we had, that shitty beast made a fool out of me.¡±

    The man in front of me readies his sword.  He is tall.  Slightly taller than me, he has broad shoulders and thick arms.  Not an ounce of fat can be seen on his body.  He looked to be in his 40¡¯s, his face was hard. He had the look of someone who has walked several battlefields.

    Kicking off with his back foot, he closes the distance between us, swinging his sword at me.  It¡¯s lightning fast, it¡¯s the swing of an expert swordsman.  He aims for my neck, intending to decapitate me.  In an instant the sharp blade of his sword makes contact with my bones.  It makes a sound similar to swinging a sword at a rock.

    ¡­huh?

    Weak.  So weak.  I didn¡¯t even feel an impact. No I''m not trying to boast or anything, it was the same as when the darkness blades went through me, but the sound that rang out was definitely that of an impact.

    No but with the beetle I definitely felt the impact when it stomped on me, though it didn''t do any damage... it didn''t seem like there was any kind of darkness attribute to the sword, could it be because it isn''t a blunt weapon?

    Are humans just really weak?  ¡­no, maybe this is a low level one, but the swing just now seemed like something you would see the experts do in movies...  Well, they had to gang up on a single little girl, maybe it was necessary for them to after all?  But she looks just like a corpse...

    hmmm....

    Well he''s a bad guy anyway so... let¡¯s play with you a bit, shall we?

    I grab the wrist of the hand holding the sword against my neck.  Gripping it in my hand I give a gentle squeeze.

    There¡¯s an audible crunch, and the bones in his wrist shatter in my grasp.

    ¡°AAAGGHHH!!!¡±

    He screams and loosens his grip on the sword, dropping it on the ground.

    Uwaa..

    I swear I could feel a chill run up my spine just now.  The bones broke just like that, are you made of glass?

    Could it be?  Are humans no different from how they are on Earth here in this world too?  Can they not even use magic?  Maybe they are actually a pitiful existence?

    No, in the memories from when I touched the stone, I definitely saw humans using magic.  And my body should be a human skeleton as well...

    With his free hand, he desperately tries to free himself from my grasp.

    ...He totally can''t budge it at all

    "You monster!  Let go!"

    Well, I''ll think about it later, not like I can communicate with them anyway.

    Just like that I lift the man by his arm and toss him into the air.

    "!!!!"

    As if shot out of a cannon, he flies up above the tops of the trees and disappears from sight.

    ....Is that where he turns into a star... to think I''d see such a thing, should I say ''as expected of a fantasy world''?

    I look at the remaining man.  He is standing at a distance, sword in hand and on guard.  His eyes are darting around restlessly, looking towards the caravan.

    Waiting for reinforcements?  I should probably grab the girl and get out of here before they show up...

    Thinking that, I step forward.

 Chapter 6: A Child of The Church

    --Priest¡¯s perspective¡ª

    Genius.  Prodigy.  Those are the words I¡¯ve been branded with since birth.  My parents are high ranking church officials, as such, I was raised in the presence of the Gods.

    For some reason, the Gods adored me.  From at an early age, I was to devote myself to learning holy magic and become the church¡¯s greatest weapon as the one closest to God.  For this reason, I was cut off from human interaction.  Isolated in the church, praying to the Gods, receiving their blessings; that is how I¡¯ve lived until now.

    Though at times I wished to see the outside world, I wasn¡¯t unhappy.  My mother and father were proud of me, the other priests held me in high esteem, and ¡®devoting themselves to God¡¯ is a priest¡¯s happiness in life.  Even the times I asked to be let outside were just out of simple curiosity.  I mean, I was the hope of the people, their weapon against evil.  Every year, on my birthday, they would shower my parents with offerings.  Sometimes, I was even given something interesting.

    Growing up in the church, I was taught many things.  I was told about the war against the demons, how when all hope seemed lost, a group of humans with pure souls called upon the Gods; and with their power, wiped away the demon army.

    It was a fantastic tale of good and evil!  But even though the Demon army was exterminated, many of them fled and took refuge in a land far away.  Every now and then there are demons that find their way back, and it¡¯s the church¡¯s duty to eliminate them.  For me to be like one of the heroes in the stories¡­ I was honored to be chosen by the Gods, and was determined to be a powerful weapon they could use against evil.

    Aside from demons and undead, I also learned of the existence of demi-humans.  Apparently, during the war, some humans chose to forsake our Gods and instead worship the demons.  Forming a cult, they met with the demons, and the demons bestowed power onto them, turning them into half human, half demon races.  Thus the demi-human races were born.  Races born of heretics.  Evidence of the past failures of mankind.

    Hearing about this, I was shocked.  How could humans forsake that which protected them, and worship those who sought to destroy them?  And what of these new races?  Even if only half, aren¡¯t they still demons?  Shouldn¡¯t we work to eliminate them all the same?  I asked these questions and got an unbelievable answer.

    Not only were we protecting the demi-humans, we were breeding them and increasing their population.  I was told that the church was selling them as slaves.  When I asked what that was, I was shown one of them.

    That was the first time I met a demi-human.

    She looked almost like a human.  The only real difference was her long and pointy ears.  My face turned slightly red when she was walked in completely naked, but I quickly recovered.  She had a perfect body and a beautiful face, but her eyes were dark and held no life.  She had bruising over some parts of her body, and on her back were long scars; ruining her perfect skin, like tears in a painting.

    Somehow I felt something heavy in my chest.

    What was this?  Whenever I looked in her eyes, my legs became weak, and my stomach turned.  I couldn¡¯t be near her anymore and had her quickly taken away.

    Why did that happen to me?  Why did I react like that?  I thought about it for a while after that, and reached a conclusion.  It was irritation.  I was mad that the priests would bring something like that, man kind¡¯s mistake, and wave it around right before the Gods.

    Like that, I voiced my opinion to the church, suggesting we get rid of all the demi-humans in order to show our devotion to the Gods.

    They were outraged.  They accused me of calling their faith into question.  They said the power of my position had gone to my head and I thought myself to be the voice of the Gods.  In the end, I had even more restrictions placed on me.  The priests hardly spoke to me from that point on, and even my parents looked at me with reproachful eyes.

    Just where exactly was I wrong?  They are the ones who are mocking the Gods!

    Without the church or family, I turned to the only ones I had left, further devoting myself to my faith.  All day, with nothing else to do, I would pray and train my holy magic alone in a single room.  Aside from the occasional maid that cleaned the room and brought my meals, I was visited by no one.

    On my 15th birthday, I was finally allowed to leave the room.  I was told that a demon had invaded from the north and was rampaging throughout the country. It was a high ranking demon that was destroying villages, nearing the capital.

    I was excited.  Not only would I finally be able to exterminate a demon, but I was finally about to see the world outside the church.

    My expectations were easily crushed.  The only reason the church brought me with them was because they were specifically ordered to by the emperor.  The total subjugation force sent out consisted of 30 royal knights, 5 holy priests, and me.  During the trip, I was constantly kept in a royal carriage.  Unable to even look outside, I road without speaking to anyone or seeing anything the entire way.

    The carriage I traveled in was even built so that you could spend the night inside.  Like that, I never visited an inn or was allowed outside of the carriage until we got close to the demon.

    We had finally arrived at the next village in its path.  As we got closer, I could feel the ground begin to shake.  Soft screams in the distant grew louder the closer we came, and then, it came into view.

    People around the carriage flew into panic.  I could hear voices of disbelief.  A few lost themselves and even ran away.  It was then that my carriage was finally opened, and with fearful expressions, members of the royal guard urged me outside to fight.

    Gigantic.

    I stepped outside the carriage and what I saw stole my breath for a moment.  An enormous beast.  The beast was demonic, surrounded by a dark aura.  It stood nearly five times as tall as the highest roof in the village.  Without care, it savagely kicked over houses and stomped helpless villagers into the ground.

    Terrifying.  The people around me, even the priests were terrified.  With shaking legs, they prayed to be saved from this monster.  All will to subjugate this demon had disappeared.  After all, this is probably the first time any of them had fought an actually demon, at least one of this size.  No, perhaps to them subjugation was already an impossible task.

    Even though they are supposed to worship and believe in the Gods¡­

    I was surprised.  Certainly there is a great evil before us, but aren¡¯t we true believers of God?  For their faith to be thrown away just by looking at this demon¡­ Unforgivable.

    With resolution, I walked past the cowering priests and knights.  My head held high, I approached the demon; and when I came within range, I drew upon my holy magic, striking it.

    The magic power within me was drawn out, and like that, a beautiful white light appeared above the demon.  As if forming a blade of light, it sharpened and swung down at it, ripping through its body and purging the darkness.

    The beast let out a pained shriek and turned towards me.  With eyes red as blood, it seemed to look through me, to my very soul.

    But I wasn¡¯t afraid.

    My soul was something that belonged to the Gods.  Even though this was the first time I had seen a demon, I was not afraid.  With a smile, I called out to the Gods.  I offered my magic power to them and like that I was enveloped in a bright yellow light.  The yellow light further purified my magical power, and as if absorbed by the Gods themselves, dissipated into the air.

    A moment later the Gods smite the demon.  A large bright light came down upon the beast.  It was as if the sun itself fell upon the village.  The bright light burned away all darkness, all things impure.  It was the judgement of the Gods.

    When it faded, nothing was left of the demon, not even ashes.  As if it had never been there, the demon had disappeared.  But the damaged buildings, the corpses which were thrown about and littered the floor, were evidence that it had been.

    Even though I had just witnessed the might of the Gods which I hold faith, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to be happy.  The scene before me, the broken families, the lost homes, the chaos of the village.  It served as a reminder that even though you extinguish evil, the destruction it causes, the despair it can engrave unto one¡¯s soul; cannot be so easily purged.

    I turned back and looked at the subjugation party.

    Why were they looking at me like that?

    Shock.  That¡¯s the best way I can describe their faces at that time.  They looked at me in disbelief.  I, still just a kid; stood against and defeated the demon which had caused grown men, experienced in the art of war, to turn and flee.  Their eyes, which previously had looked down on me as a pampered and privileged child of the church, had now looked at me with awe and fear.

    On the ride back to the capital, one of the priests rode with me on the carriage and nervously talked to me about various things.  The way he was shaking the whole time was comical.

    Once we finally reached the capital and I arrived back at the church, the priests who had accompanied me along the way frantically ran inside to give their report of the subjugation.  In response to hearing this, the church officials looked at me with wariness .  My treatment within the church became harsher and even more restricted.  And like that, almost a year passed.

    Today, like every other day, I spend alone in my room.  In the mornings I get up and wash myself, dress myself, then I pray to the Gods until breakfast.

    The door opens and Lily comes inside.  She is carrying with her a tray. The tray holds a plate, napkins, and silverware.  On top of the plate is a mound of rice with eggs steaming next to it.

    I look at Lily and smile.  She is the maid who is in charge of cleaning the room and bringing my meals.  We have become close over the past few years.

    ¡°Good morning Lily¡±

    ¡°Good morning Christina¡±

    It took forever to get her to call me that.  As a servant of the church and to nobility in general, it was forbidden to address your masters in such a familiar way.  For the longest time she had insisted on calling me ¡®Miss Fairfield¡¯.  She will still call me by that name in public, but with just the two of us, she addresses me by my first name.

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    She sets the tray down on a small table.

    ¡°Smells good.¡±

    I walk over, taking in the scent of the food.

    ¡°Of course, the chefs prepared it for you at my request.  It is the least I can do to make sure you have acceptable meals.¡±

    I smile wryly.  As a maid who has worked here for decades, she has ties with the rest of the help.  Everyone views her as an older sister, and she has a certain amount of authority among the servants.  I¡¯m sure if it wasn¡¯t for her, I would be eating some bland porridge or soup right now.

    ¡°As always, thank you Lily.¡±

    ¡°Please, I am unworthy of such thanks.  To keep such a cute little girl locked up in here all the time¡­ I just can¡¯t stand it.  Even though you are the treasure they flaunt so easily to the public, to treat you like this¡­¡±

    I sigh.  This isn¡¯t the first time we have had this conversation.  Even though we have discussed it so many times already and have already decided it can¡¯t be helped, for her to get so agitated on my behalf¡­ it makes me a little happy.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been over it before.  There¡¯s no helping it.  Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m completely alone, I have the Gods, and you¡­¡±

    I look at her and give the most sincere smile I can.  Looking at me, she covers her mouth with her hand for a moment, her eyes shaking from fighting back tears.  Finally, she embraces me.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m always here for you.  Remember that!¡±

    Seriously¡­ even though this is nothing new¡­

    I feel my face becoming hot.

    ¡°I¡­ I will.¡±

    Like that Lily and I talked while I ate.  After I finished, she took the tray and left the room.  With a full stomach, I practiced my holy magic.

    Holy magic is unlike any other type of magic in that it only affects darkness.  Because of this, I can safely practice all of my magic without damaging anything.  However, on the same note, I am unable to see the effects of the magic I am practicing.  I have to rely on feeling alone.

    A few hours after breakfast, there¡¯s a knock on my door.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door opens and three men come in.  The first one is a tall man with brown hair and a scruffy beard.  The armor he is wearing shows he is a royal knight.  The person behind him has black hair which is long and reaches his shoulders.  He has a more refined appearance, but wears similar armor to the first man, showing he is also a member of the royal guard.  The last man is a familiar one.  He is a member of the high council of the church.  He is fat and bald, wearing a loose fitting white silk robe.  His face displays a look of extreme displeasure.

    ¡°Good morning miss Fairfield, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.  My name is Edwin Gustav, commander of the royal guard.  I come today on behalf of the emperor, requesting your assistance in a reconnaissance mission north of the border.¡±

    The man in front approaches me saying this.  I look at the church official and he looks back at me with furious eyes.  It seems they can¡¯t disobey a direct order from the emperor.  But why would the emperor go through the trouble of personally requesting me?

    Thinking about various things, I remain silent.  As if reading my mind, the commander speaks again.

    ¡°As with any mission past the borders, there is the risk of running into demons.  Once past the borders, especially the northern ones, strength of the monsters and demons rise considerably.  After hearing of your accomplishments regarding the recent subjugation of a higher demon, the emperor feels it best that you be the one to accompany us on this journey.¡±

    The commander looks at me with a bright smile.  Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like he is a bad person.  Although it was sudden, to be able to leave the church, of course I would be happy to go.

    I nod.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll accompany you.¡±

    The commander lets out a hearty laugh and turns to walk out the door.  Before he leaves, he looks over his shoulder at me.

    ¡°Well?  Aren¡¯t you coming?¡±

    ¡°Ehh?  Right now?¡±

    Seeing my slightly flustered reaction, the commander smiles wryly.  I take back the part about him seeming like a good person.

    ¡°Well, we have run quite late in preparing, and due to certain complications¡­¡±

    He glances over at the high official.

    ¡°¡­our meeting with you was delayed until now.  Sufficient supplies and accommodations have been prepared for your comfort along the way.  If you need anything from this room, please bring it, but we are running late.¡±

    I shake my head.  He nods, turns, and I follow the three men out of my room.

    Leaving my room, we walked straight out of the church.  With a despicable look, the church official saw me off.

    We boarded a carriage and rode through the city.  Along the way I talked with Commander Edwin.  Apparently news of my past achievements have spread and I am quite a well-known figure throughout the Empire.

    We travel through the city, stopping along the way.  Every time we stop, more carriages join the line until we have a caravan of around five wagons.

    I ask the commander who the other people are and he tells me they are adventurers who have signed up to join the expedition.  Like that, we leave the city.

    Along the way I meet the other adventurers and speak with them.  Some are interesting people but others I don¡¯t get along with.  In particular, those that have demi-human slaves are the ones I have a hard time talking with.  Two of the five carriages hold demi-human slaves.

    It''s irritating.

    I''m told to tolerate it but I just can''t understand.

    The demi-human girls are little more than corpses anyway, why not just kill them?  They are an existence that is born from evil and therefore should be exterminated.  But they keep them around and feed them to keep them alive and torture them...

    And when I realized they were doing that with them too I almost lost control of myself.

    That''s the very action that created that evil offspring of human and demon, and now they are repeating that and I and apostle of God am told to look the other way?

    Disgusting!

    They are clearly evil as well, I need to exterminate them along with the demi-humans.

    But my power only effects the dark attribute...  While they carry enough sin to be tainted with it, the others are not, and so I am powerless...

    My holy magic won''t work and anything I say is brushed off.  It''s times like this when I feel small...

    All I can do is pray to the Gods to show me a way, a way to help humanity that is walking down the wrong path.

    Thinking about various things, our trip continues toward the northern border.

    We¡¯ve finally reached the border.

    It¡¯s been about 3 months, but we have finally arrived.

    The northern border.

    Entering the forest, we were the carriage in the middle of the caravan.  Behind us was a wagon full of experienced adventurers, and behind them rode the three owners of a demi-human girl.

    From the shrieks and screams, I knew the cart behind us had a demi-human slave with them.  You could hear her screams all the way from the front of our cart.

    It got so bad in fact, that the commander had to stop the caravan, go back, and tell them to keep it down.  After that, it got much worse for a few moments, then suddenly became very quiet.

    Out of mild curiosity, I looked out the back of our cart, towards them.  That¡¯s when I saw two men dump something from the side of the wagon.  Though I only saw it briefly, the image of it was burned into my memory.

    A demi-human female.  She looked to be older than me.  Her face was shredded, her limbs broken and bending at so many angles that she looked like a pile of flesh.  She had cuts and bruises all over her body, and one of her eyes had been gouged out.

    At last, one of the demi-human slaves had been exterminated.

    But what was this feeling?

    It was not a beautiful thing like in the stories where heroic knights and priests call on the Gods power to purge evil, it was like ravenous dogs crowded together and ripping apart the flesh of their prey.

    There was no dignity in it.  It was a violent, repulsive act.  Is it really something one can be proud about?

    Unsure of my thoughts, something heavy lodges itself into my chest and I can''t seem to get rid of it.  It''s a very ominous feeling that wraps around the core of myself.

    Shuddering, I shake my head and banish the image from my mind.  The image of that girl.  Of that demi-human.

    Ahh, I need to encounter a demon.  Even though we have been past the border for a few days now, and have even been attacked a few times; they were beasts every time.  Not a single demon or undead were anywhere to be found.  If I could just extinguish some evil¡­ I¡¯m sure I could get rid of this feeling.  All I need to do is devote myself to the Gods.

    From then on, I ride silently while praying.

    Then, it happened.

    It was midday and I was sitting next to the commander in our carriage when I heard someone shouting behind us.

    ¡°We are being attacked from the back!¡±

    It was the voice of Dalton, one of the three.  Hearing his shout, the commander turned around and looked at him with a hard expression.

    ¡°What is attacking, and how many?¡±

    Coming to a stop, Dalton stands up straight and salutes.

    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s a skeleton.  Greg spotted it, him and Edward are currently fighting it.¡±

    Hearing that, I jump up.  At last!  Even if it is just a skeleton, I must personally exterminate it.  It is the only thing that will help this feeling that has been lodged in my chest since a while ago.

    Without saying anything, I jump down from the carriage and run off in the direction of the skeleton.

    ¡°¡­.field wait!¡±

    The commander shouts something behind me, but I don¡¯t listen to it.  I need this.  I¡¯ve never needed something so badly in my life.

    Once the last carriage comes into view, I see the skeleton and one man.  Weren''t there supposed to be two people fighting it?

    The skeleton takes a step forward and the man breaths out as if resolving himself before charging forward with his sword held high.

    Oh no!  He is going to kill it before I get the chance!

    ¡°Ahh.. don¡¯t!¡±

    As soon as the man comes within range of the skeleton, his sword cuts through the air on a path intersecting its spine.

    I can only stand there and watch as the prey I so desperately needed is stolen right in front of my eyes.

 Chapter 7: The Rampaging Undead

    Hey everyone.  I was planning on releasing this sooner, but it ended up being much harder to write than I thought it was going to be.

    The overall feeling I wanted was ¡°epic¡±, though I don¡¯t know if I was successful in achieving it.

    The chapter covers many different perspectives and sometimes makes jumps chronologically.  Please let me know if you get lost reading it.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    --Edward¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    I¡¯m facing an unknown enemy.

    Though it looks like a skeleton, one of the lowest forms of undead, it is just a disguise.  There isn¡¯t any other explanation.

    The skeleton.  It is the most common form of undead.  They normally roam in groups and can sometimes evolve into more powerful undead, but a common skeleton is at the bottom in terms of strength.  Even the lowest ranked adventurer could overpower a group of ten.  This is why when one lone skeleton was spotted approaching the caravan, I thought nothing of it; and let Greg, my subordinate, handle it.

    The result was not as expected.

    Greg ran towards the skeleton and swung his sword in a perfect line, intersecting with its neck.  A clean kill.  Or so I thought.

    The skeleton didn¡¯t even move to dodge it, which was to be expected considering the skill difference; but when the sword came into contact with its neck, instead of shattering the bone and decapitating the skeleton, it had no effect.  Instead, it sounded as if he had swung it at a rock.  A loud clang rang out and not even a scratch had been left on the bone.

    That¡¯s not possible.  I¡¯ve trained Greg personally.  He is a first rate swordsman, focusing more on strength than agility.  In terms of power, even my swing would lose to his.  Yet this low tier undead was completely unharmed¡­

    The skeleton grabbed hold of Greg¡¯s wrist, catching it in its grasp, he was unable to escape as the skeleton mercilessly ripped him apart.  I watched in shock.  How could this happen?  Even if we are beyond the borders of the Empire, this strength is too strange.

    If it were a skeleton that had evolved into a Lich or Death Knight, I could understand; but it would have a completely different appearance.  This thing, without a doubt, has the appearance of a normal skeleton.

    That is when I decided; that the undead in front of me must be a high class demon disguising itself.  With cold sweat running down the back of my neck, I ready my sword.

    ****************************************************************************

    --Edwin¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    ¡°We are being attacked from the back!¡±

    Someone behind us is running and shouting.  I recognize the voice, it is Dalton.

    Again¡­

    We have been attacked multiple times since we¡¯ve entered the forest.  Every time it happens, we have to fight with everything we have.  The beasts in this forest are ridiculous¡­  I¡¯ve lost three men so far.  I turn to face him.

    ¡°What is attacking, and how many?¡±

    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s a skeleton.  Greg spotted it, him and Edward are currently fighting it.¡±

    I breathe a sigh of relief.  Just a single skeleton huh?  Greg and Edward should be more than enough to handle it.

    Just then, I see movement from my peripheral vision.  Miss Fairfield of the church has jumped off the carriage and is running off towards the fight.

    ¡°Miss Fairfield, wait!¡±

    I call out to her, but she doesn¡¯t acknowledge me, and continues to run.  I¡¯ve noticed she has become anxious lately, but I didn¡¯t think it was to this extent¡­

    Seriously, how am I supposed to protect this troublesome girl¡­

    Thinking that, I turn to my subordinate sitting next to me.

    ¡°Cliff, round up everyone and make sure they are prepared for battle; then meet me at the back carriage.¡±

    ¡°Sir¡­ even for a single skeleton?¡±

    I smile wryly.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.  She is the idol of the people.  If I allow her to get hurt out here¡­ I won¡¯t have a future when I return.¡±

    Cliff nods and climbs down from the carriage.  Raising his voice, he proceeds with rallying the adventurers.  With a sigh, I jump down and head for the back of the caravan.

    ********************************************************************************

    --Takke¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    A man is running at me with a sword.  His eyes betray his sole intent to take my life.  He is moving at a speed I previously thought impossible for humans.

    I watch him close the distance.  My reaction speed feels like it has dulled.  My mind is clouded.  Deep inside me there is a fire that is growing larger and larger, and I am unable to suppress it.  All I want to do is rip this man apart.

    He comes within range and swings at me.

    I ignore the sword completely and reach out my hand to grab him¡­ but I am unsuccessful.

    This guy is much more experienced than the other.  Although the strike from the previous man and this one are about the same in power, the man in front of me slices at an exaggerated angle.  He uses his momentum to dodge my hands and maneuvers around my body, putting himself in my blind spots while connecting his attacks.

    How skilled.  Though his sword does no damage when it makes contact with my body, without being able to touch him, I can¡¯t do any damage as well.

    Realizing the stalemate, he jumps back, putting some distance between us.

    ¡°As I thought, you are no normal undead.¡±

    He says this with a loud voice, seemingly confirming something.

    ¡°W..what is it?¡±

    A surprised voice is heard from our surroundings.  We both turn our heads and look at the owner of the voice.

    A young girl.  She is wearing a white dress with pink ribbons decorating it.  The dress has long sleeves, covering most of her arms; and the bottom of it hangs below her knees.  She has blonde hair pulled into two long pony tails reaching half way down her back.  Her eyes are a calm and clear blue, as if the sky itself was trapped within.  Her skin is so white, it¡¯s likely she would receive a sun burn even in this dimly lit forest.

    She looks at me with wide eyes, holding an expensive looking staff in front of her.  The staff was almost as tall as she was, and the top of it held various precious gems of several different colors.

    ¡°Ah Miss Fairfield, perfect timing.  This guy seems to be a powerful demon.  I¡¯m not sure why it has this appearance, but the power it possesses is without a doubt that of a high level demon.  How about it?  Your magic can take care of it right?¡±

    Hmm, it seems they are acquaintances.  For such a young girl to be involved with criminals¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯ll overlook it just because you are a child.

    ¡°Ah, uh, y-yes!  It shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­ no, in the face of the Gods, all evil shall be exterminated!¡±

    The girl looked confused, but somehow resolved herself¡­ Gods huh?  What kind of demons do these people worship...?  The rising rage within me suddenly burns wildly.  Is it directed at this girl?  I feel like I¡¯m losing something¡­ or forgetting something.  Wasn¡¯t I angry about the three men abusing that cat girl?  Even if this girl is an accomplice¡­ no, this is something different.

    The man smiles at the girl.

    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll keep it distracted, you attack.¡±

    ¡°U-understood.¡±

    Hey, is it really okay to just tell me your plan like that?  I wonder, do they think I can¡¯t understand them?

    Like that, the man once again rushes at me, while the girl behind clutches her staff and mumbles to herself with closed eyes.

    ***********************************************************************

    --Christina¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    What is this?  The prey I¡¯d thought was stolen from me is calmly taking Edward¡¯s blows as if they weren¡¯t even there.  He ignores them completely, focusing solely on attacking him.

    I don¡¯t understand¡­ Edward is a first rate swordsman and a high ranking adventurer.  If you consider only combat prowess, he is above everyone in the caravan.  Yet this single skeleton is shrugging him off as if he weren¡¯t there¡­

    It¡¯s abnormal.

    I stand there watching the unbelievable exchange for a few moments, then Edward suddenly pulls back.

    ¡°As I thought, you are no normal undead.¡±

    Huh?  It wasn¡¯t an undead?  No, I mean, when you think about it, it¡¯s obvious that¡¯s not the power of a skeleton.  But what is this?  I¡¯ve never heard of a monster change its appearance before, at least not to this extent.

    I give voice to my inner thoughts.

    ¡°W..what is it?¡±

    They both turn and look at me.  I look into the dim blue lights, deep within the skeleton¡¯s skull.  There¡¯s an uncomfortable feeling and I can¡¯t look away¡­ I begin to feel anxious.

    ¡°Ah Miss Fairfield, perfect timing.  This guy seems to be a powerful demon.  I¡¯m not sure why it has this appearance, but the power it possesses is without a doubt that of a high level demon.  How about it?  Your magic can take care of it right?¡±

    Edward¡¯s voice snaps me out of it.

    ¡°Ah, uh, y-yes!  It shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­¡±

    I answer back, regaining composure.  That¡¯s right, why do I feel anxious?  I have the power of the Gods supporting me.  I was just a little surprised at the abnormality of the situation.  Even if it is a high demon, it won¡¯t be a problem.  I continue in a voice full of confidence.

    ¡°In the face of the Gods, all evil shall be exterminated!¡±

    He says that he will distract it while I attack with holy magic.  I nod and begin chanting.

    I close my eyes and focus all of my concentration on the flow of my magic power.  I bring it out of me and as it is circling around my body, I bless it, turning it a brilliant white.  From here I begin with barrier magic.

    As with all holy magic, a holy barrier will only effect demons and undead.  If Edward is going to fight with the skeleton, then it would be best to restrict its movements first.

    Finishing the spell, my magic disperses and a thin yellow light surrounds Edward and the skeleton.  It is a relatively small barrier, about the size of a single story house.  Immediately, the skeleton¡¯s movements are dulled greatly, and Edward¡¯s attacks are even able to stagger it.

    As expected, it¡¯s strong¡­

    Normally a holy barrier would completely eradicate lower tier undead and demons.  If a normal skeleton were to be caught in one, it would immediately turn to ash.

    Without delay, I switch to an attack magic called [Smite].  It is the most basic holy magic attack, all priests are able to cast this.  However, the closer you are to the Gods, the more purified your magic power will be; and the more purified your magic is, the more damage it does to ¡°dark¡± beings.  As the one closest to the Gods, the attack power of my [Smite] is on the level of 3rd tier holy magic.  Or so I¡¯ve been told.

    Calling upon the Gods, I once again bless and purify my magic power.  I hold my staff in front of me and target the skeleton.  Like that, the magic once again is dispersed and a sharp blade, forged by a holy light, cuts through the skeleton.

    Holy magic has the special ability to purge all things ¡°dark¡±.  When an undead or demon are hit with the magic, from their wounds, holy flames burst forth and consume their entire body.  With the barrier up, I could have just wait for the skeleton to slowly succumb to the holy power surrounding its body.  Attacking it was overkill.  That¡¯s why, having successfully landed an attack in its already weakened state, I relaxed and waited for the holy flames to envelope its body.

    ¡­!

    [Smite] had hit the skeleton¡¯s ribcage, drawing a line through several of its ribs.  The bones had almost been cut clean in two.  Receiving the attack, it staggered back, seemingly in pain.  The holy fire burst from the cut like it was supposed to, but immediately after, a pitch black ooze shot out from within the bones.

    Tsk.

    It covered the holy flames completely.  Bubbling and sizzling from the heat.  More and more of the stuff, as if it had a mind of its own, crawled out of the bone and threw itself on the flames.  In no time at all, the holy fire was smothered completely and went out.

    Having extinguished the flames, the ooze soaked back into the bone and the cut that was made closed itself back up, as if it had never been there at all.

    To be able to extinguish those flames, even in a holy barrier.  It¡¯s at least the level of a high demon, or possibly a demon lord?  If that¡¯s the case, I can¡¯t let my guard down.  But that attack just now definitely damaged it.  Its movements have become worse and its attention is on me now.  It sees me as a threat.

    It walks in my direction, but every time it takes a step Edward knocks it back.  Even without the barrier it couldn¡¯t touch him, with its surroundings coated in holy power and having just taken that attack, it¡¯s not even a threat anymore.

    Thinking this, I prepare to cast more attack magic, when I hear footsteps behind me.

    ****************************************************************************

    --Edwin¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    I run to the back of the caravan.

    When the last carriage comes into view, I notice a holy barrier.

    That child¡­ she didn¡¯t need to go that far on a simple skeleton¡­

    Just as I¡¯m reprimanding her in my mind, I see a bright flash.  No way... did she just use [Smite]?  Wasn¡¯t it just a single skeleton?  It should have been killed when the barrier was erected¡­

    I come within range.

    Huh?  The skeleton is standing within the barrier.  What¡¯s going on?  And that [Smite] just now¡­ don¡¯t tell me she missed?

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Confused, I approach Miss Fairfield.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°Commander, don¡¯t be fooled by its appearance.  This guy is a demon with considerable power.¡±

    Edward calls out while engaging the demon(?).  It is slow and clumsy, and he easily avoids all of its attacks.  However, Edward¡¯s attacks at most, only make it lose its balance, staggering it back a couple of steps.  I never thought I¡¯d see a skeleton overpower a first rate adventurer¡­ I guess it¡¯s true that its real identity must be a demon.

    ¡°I have damaged it with [Smite], with Edward keeping it within the barrier, if I keep attacking, it will fall.¡±

    Miss Fairfield says this with a hard expression, then goes back to preparing holy magic.

    Wait, does that mean.. she didn¡¯t miss with smite?  To survive an attack from Christina Fairfield, the pride of the church, and within a holy barrier¡­. just how strong is this demon?

    ¡°Commander.  We have arrived.¡±

    Cliff announces his and the other¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Good.  Although it looks like a skeleton, the enemy is a high ranking demon.  Stay vigilant.  Miss Fairfield has already put up a barrier and slowed its movement.  We will surround it and keep it inside as she attacks with holy magic.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Understood!¡±¡±¡±

    The adventurers respond in unison, then take positions around the undead.  A few of them stare in amazement when Edward swings his sword at it with all his strength, only to have it stumble back a step or two.  The rest are on guard.  Cliff and I join them as well.

    We alternate teams of three.  We are used to this kind of fighting from the monsters that have ambushed us.  As the first team attacks with Edward, [Smite] cuts through the skeleton.  It cracks the skull in half, splitting it down the middle.  That¡¯s when I see it close up.  A black ooze erupts from within the skull and douses the flames, extinguishing them in a matter of seconds.  As soon as the flames are put out, the ooze returns to the skull, and as if made of liquid, the cut open skull seals itself back up as if nothing happened.  The sight sends chills down my spine.

    The adventures engaging it stop their movements in fear.

    ¡°Fools!¡±

    I rush in as the skeleton moves to grab the stalled adventurer in front of it.  Just when its fingertips reach him, I swing my sword down on its arm hard from over my head.  My hands go numb for a second, as if I had just tried to cut stone.  The skeletons hand is forcefully pushed down and I shove the adventurer out of the way.

    I notice the others around me.  They¡¯re wary.

    ¡°Hey what was that?  It¡¯s completely fine?¡±

    ¡°It extinguished ¡®God¡¯s flame¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Monster!¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be killed!¡±

    Some of the adventurers are calling out in scared voices.  Aren¡¯t you supposed to be men?  Well, there are women too¡­

    ¡°Listen up!  Its movements are dulled.  It¡¯s not a threat.  Every time it receives an attack, its movement speed drops.  If we keep it up, we can kill it with little effort!  Cliff, Edward!¡±

    ¡°¡±Sir!¡±¡±

    We form a three man team and keep the skeleton at the center of the barrier.  Every time it is hit, its movements become worse.  Seeing the three of us overpower it, the others regained their confidence and everyone kept it surrounded.

    We continued like this for a while until finally the skeleton stopped moving.

    It had just been hit and instead of regenerating, it just stood still as the black ooze stained its bones without seeping back in.  The dim blue light in its eyes grow darker and darker until it could no longer be seen.

    With that, the mood lightens, and there are even a few cheers, though no one completely lets their guard down yet.  After all, it is still standing.  Then, suddenly, the atmosphere becomes heavy.  The surrounding air gets dense and it¡¯s hard to breathe.

    ¡°Get bac--!¡±

    I hear Miss Fairfield scream something, unconsciously my body jumped back.  And then, in front of me, hell had unleashed itself upon the world; and at the center of it stood the king of the dead.

    ****************************************************************************

    --Takke¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    The first time I was hit with that girl¡¯s magic, was the first time I felt pain in this world.  When she created a barrier, it just felt like my body became heavy.  It was like an anime I used to watch as a kid, where the characters increased the gravity of a room to train in.  But when she attacked me with that magic, it felt like someone had ripped open my soul.  A piercing pain, much greater than when I was stabbed, spread throughout my entire body.  This was followed by fire.  It was as if someone had lit my entire body on fire.

    [Detecting holy magic]

    [Resolving¡­  Releasing ¡®Dark Aura¡¯]

    [Holy magic extinguished.  Repairing¡­. Repair complete]

    I hear a faint, toneless voice¡­. No, it¡¯s more like messages that appear in the back of my mind.

    Like that, the pain completely disappears.  Holy magic¡­ that girl is dangerous.  I look at the girl and begin walking towards her.  But my body is heavy, even heavier than before, and the man¡¯s blows are starting to have an effect on me.  Every time I gain some ground, the man hits me with his sword and I stumble backwards, losing what little distance I gained.  Even if I focus on the man, it is impossible to beat him.  I have no spells, and even if I called my undead, this girl would kill them instantly.

    I grab at the man wildly in frustration, only to miss and be hit by his sword.  Then, things get worse.

    More humans showed up and ended up surrounding me.  Every time I lunge at one, he would jump out of the way and others would knock me from the side.  Then I am struck by the holy magic, and experience that searing pain again.  The first time I was struck in front of them, they hesitated.  Not missing that opening, I tried to reach out to one of them, but an older man knocked my hand away.

    Unable to even move from the center of the barrier, I can only wait for the attacks to come in.

    The process repeats itself over and over.  I try to move, I get pushed back, the magic hits me, the mind numbing pain, the messages.  Over and over.

    My mind starts to go numb.  My vision is getting blurred.

    I look at the ground.

    I am standing on lush green grass.  ¡­huh?  Why am I wearing shoes?

    I stare down at my shoes for a moment, I feel like I shouldn¡¯t be wearing them, but I can¡¯t think of a reason why I find it strange.

    I look up, I¡¯m on top of a grass hill, there is flat grassland as far as I can see, surrounding me.

    ¡­. How did I get here?

    I look around.  It is a peaceful scene, the overgrown grass dancing in the breeze.  I take in a deep breath.  Breathing¡­ It somehow feels nostalgic¡­

    Suddenly my heart grows heavy.  The pain in my chest causes me to collapse to my knees.

    I feel a weight in my hands.  When I look at them, I see I am holding a girl.  She is older, maybe in her 40¡¯s, she smiles at me with red cheeks.  She is of the beastmen tribe.  She has chestnut colored hair and fur, with slightly darker colored patches of fur scattered across her body like freckles.  She is dressed in leather armor.

    I¡¯ve never seen her before, but I feel like I know everything about her.  I look at her with a confused face.

    She laughs.  It is gentle, and full of warmth.  This feeling when I see her¡­ I love this girl.

    Closing my eyes, I grab at my chest with one of my hands, trying to sooth the pain.  When I open my eyes again, the girl in my arms has changed.  Her eyes no longer hold any light.  Her face is distorted.  Looking down, I can see she is covered in blood.  She has been stabbed several times.

    The pain in my chest flairs again.  Growing stronger and stronger.  I look up.

    The grass is all dead, I can see fires burning high in several places.  There are several thousand soldiers, all holding swords and spears.

    It was them.

    They killed her.

    My heart thumps wildly in my chest, I tighten my grip on the girl in my arms.

    They would follow him even after his betrayal.  What fools.

    I¡¯ll kill them, I¡¯ll kill him and anyone who follows him.  No one will save you, no one will help you.  Pray to your Gods, call them down.  To those Gods who took her away from me, I¡¯ll make them suffer a fate worse than death.

    These thoughts consume my mind.  I can no longer discern if they are mine or someone else¡¯s.

    The army lets loose thousands of arrows, which disappear into the night sky.  As I look towards the stars, I close my eyes, and my conscience fades to black.

    ***************************************************************************

    Deep within the forest north of the Empire¡¯s northern most border, a battle is taking place at the back of a caravan.

    Twenty warriors are surrounding a single skeleton.  They are fighting within a holy barrier.  Just outside of the barrier is the priestess Christina Fairfield.  She is continually casting holy magic, attacking the skeleton at the center of the warriors.

    They have been fighting like this for several minutes.

    Suddenly, the skeleton at the center stops moving.  The blue light at the back of its eye sockets goes out.  Thinking that they have won, the warriors breathe a sigh of relief.  However, deep within its eyes, a light begins to brighten.  This light is a deep red.  Looking at it, the red seems to spread out in all directions and paint the entire world in blood.  If you looked into these eyes, it would mean certain death.

    The air around the skeleton becomes heavy.  As if it were a pool of liquid over a speaker, it vibrates and pulsates.  The air reeks of death and is difficult to breathe in.

    Small cracks begin to form on the skeleton, spreading and branching out like dead trees.

    The priestess in back, with a premonition of disaster, calls out.

    ¡°Get bac--!¡±

    As she says this, one of the warriors is already jumping back, escaping the ominous aura surrounding the skeleton.

    In an instant, the holy barrier breaks, and the bones of the skeleton shatter.  From them bursts forth a dark black liquid.  The liquid surrounds the skeleton, reforming the bones that were broken in black obsidian.  The ground under the skeleton¡¯s feet is covered with a black, tar-like substance.  Some of it comes off the skeleton, forming a dark black mist around it.  The fog was so dense, you could no longer see the figure of skeleton within.

    The entire area was coated in a thick bloodlust.  The minds of the warriors surrounding the skeleton were thrown into chaos.  Several of them fainted on the spot, while the ones who didn¡¯t, stood there with shaking legs, unable to move.

    The blackness around the skeleton spreads.  Everything it touches turns black and is brought into the world of the dead.  The unmoving warriors surrounding are slowly covered by the expanding darkness.  The ones who are closest to the skeleton had fainted, and their entire bodies are consumed by the black tar.  As if controlled by strings, they rise back up in an inhuman way.  Though they were humans just seconds ago, they now had faces devoid of flesh and are covered in black.  In the back of their eye sockets is a blood red light.

    They let out a hollow roar and attack the ones closest to them.  They lunge at them, biting into their necks and ripping them apart.  When the blackness reaches the new corpses, they are converted into undead and join the attack on the living.

    Half of the warriors have already been converted.  The remaining ones have collapsed in terror, messing their pants.

    The area smelled of piss and death.

    The man furthest from the darkness had not lost himself, but couldn¡¯t move.  He stood there with trembling legs, unable to draw his sword.

    As if brought forth by the Gods themselves, a brilliant golden light comes down from above.  The light envelops the black fog completely, vaporizing all of the converted warriors.  Narrowing itself and becoming more dense, the light begins centering over the skeleton.

    The black sludge combines with the fog to shield the skeleton from the light.  Like that, the light pushes and is pushed by the darkness, both vying for control over the other.  The black liquid begins wrapping around the light, crawling its way up, surrounding it.  Then, the light narrows itself into a small beam and penetrates the black ooze completely, illuminating the skeleton beneath.

    The skeleton bursts into flames.

    As if being sucked into a black hole, the liquid around the skeleton quickly rushes back into its body.  As the fire burns, the ooze bubbles and melts, dousing the flames until they are put out.

    Eventually, the light finally goes out, and the blackness around the skeleton settles.

    The battlefield is silent for a moment, and then there is the sound of something hitting the dirt.

    The priestess fell to her knees, looking at the skeleton with wide eyes.

    Shaking, the skeletons body began to move.  As it did, the blackness covering its bones, crumbled and fell, revealing the white beneath.  Its red eyes fade, replaced by the original blue.

    Suddenly a giant black wolf leaps over the surviving warriors and runs toward the skeleton.  Leaving no time for people to react, the skeleton mounts the wolf and rides out of the circle of people.  It stops by the back cart, grabbing the hand of the demi-human girl inside.  It lifts her onto the wolf, and like that they ride down the dirt road.

 Chapter 8: Nightmares and Broken Dreams

    Hey guys!  ¡°Where were you?!¡± ¡°You spend a week rewriting a chapter, then you make us wait another week for a release?!¡±   ¡°We¡¯ll drop your novel you know!!¡± ¨C is what you are probably saying at this point.

    I¡¯m sorry!  I had to work a bunch, and this weekend I didn¡¯t do anything (Except read overlord).  I noticed it was about to be a week since my last release, so I hurried to get this done.  I¡¯ll have the next chapter out within 3 days.

    A lot of this chapter is dreams.  As a vivid dreamer, a lot of the scenes in Elina¡¯s dream were takin from past nightmares I¡¯ve had, and adapted to fit her.  Anyway, the setting will change without warning during the dreams, so prepare for that.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    --Elina¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    It¡¯s dark¡­. Where am I?

    I feel like I¡¯m submerged in a pool of liquid.  It¡¯s hard to move, and my strength is leaving me.

    There is a warmth in front of me.  It is slowly drifting away, and as it goes, the cold darkness surrounds me completely.  Part of me wants to chase after it, but it¡¯s troublesome to move.  I want to stay like this.  I¡¯m tired.

    Suddenly, I feel two hands touch my back.  They push me forward, towards the warmth.

    Somehow, my feet find ground and I¡¯m walking.  But it¡¯s slow.  My limbs are sluggish and I can hardly move them. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m walking on sand at the bottom of the ocean.

    And then, faintly, I can see a light in front of me.  It is dim, but it¡¯s there.  The warmth is coming from it.

    As I approach, I am hit by an emotion.  Tears run down my cheeks.  It feels nostalgic, like I¡¯ve finally come home after so many years.

    I near the light, and just as it comes within my grasp, I feel the floor under me disappear.

    I fall onto my knees, as if I tripped.  There¡¯s a scrape and blood is coming out.  I rub my knee and look around.

    I¡¯m in a lush and green forest.  The sun is bright in the sky and I hear the cicada¡¯s singing around me.  This place looks familiar.  I¡¯ve been here before.

    There is a scream.  I turn and look in its direction.

    My mother.  My mother is on the ground screaming.  Holding her hands out in front of her like she is being attacked.

    I try to run to her, but roots burst from the ground and wrap around me, keeping me in place.

    Then there are five knights surrounding her.  It was like they appeared out of the air.  No, perhaps I couldn¡¯t see them before.

    I struggle against the vines, but I¡¯m unable to break loose.  The more I struggle, the more tired I feel, any more than this and I¡¯ll lose the will to break free all together.

    One of the knights unbutton their pants while the others spread my mother¡¯s legs.  She is screaming and kicking at them, but there are 5 of them, and her efforts are in vain.

    Dropping to his knees, the man enters her.  He moves his waist back and forth as the men around him laugh.  My mother¡¯s screams stop, she lays her head back and turns it to the side, looking at me.

    Her eyes are dead.  Slowly, she reaches out one of her arms to me.

    I can¡¯t do anything for her.  I¡¯m scared.  I can¡¯t move.  I want to shut my eyes, but I can¡¯t.

    The men around her turn more violent.  They kick and stomp on her as they take turns with her.

    Then they become something else.  They grow in size and become deformed.  They turn into monsters, becoming feral and laughing wildly.  As if fighting over a piece of meat, they rip her apart and eat her.

    I turn my head away.

    What enters my sight is my mother.

    She is right in front of me, looking at me with a bright smile.  She brings her hands up and cups my face.

    As I look at her, blood begins to drip from her eyes and nose.  Her body becomes ragged and beaten.  There are holes bore completely through her, and bone is exposed.  Her smile turns to a look of disdain, judging me, asking why I did not save her.

    I can¡¯t answer her.  My tongue is fills my mouth and won¡¯t move.  I can¡¯t make a sound.

    She slowly opens her mouth until her cheeks rip open, and her jaw dislocates, enlarging the opening until its half her face.  Her tongue looks like that of a serpent¡¯s, and it slithers out of her mouth, nearing my face.

    In an instant, she places my head in her mouth; and unable to resist, my vision goes black.

    The pitch black darkness fades.  There are steel bars in front of me.  On the other side, is a long dark hallway.

    At the far end of the hallway, I see a silhouette coming towards me.

    Looking at it, chills run down my spine.  I get up and turn to run, but as soon as I take a step, I trip and fall.  Something had grabbed by ankle.

    I look down at it.

    A hand make of black fog was coming out of the ground, wrapping my ankle in its grasp.

    Scared, I crawl backwards, kicking at the hand grabbing me.  As I kick at it, another hand comes out of the ground and grabs my other ankle, rooting me.  I hunch over and try to peel back their grip, but more hands come from the ground and grab my wrists, pinning me to the ground on my back.

    I look down my body.  I¡¯m naked.  Past my feet, I see the silhouette approaching from outside the bars.

    I can¡¯t move.  It¡¯s hard to breathe.  I feel my skin crawling, and waves of cold pass through my body.

    The silhouette passes through the bars as if they weren¡¯t there.  It stands over me, and I can see two white eyes open up on its face.  The pupils at the center of them were small and piercing, the eyes were blood shot, and seemed to shake violently.

    Terror washed over me.  My head was throbbing, my vision seemed to get narrow and darkness creeped in from the edges.  My heart beat so loud, it was the only thing I could hear.

    The silhouette seems to melt into the ground at my feet until its sunk to just below the waist.

    The hands forcefully spread my shaking legs apart.

    And then, it enters me.

    It fills me up.  My entire body.

    It reaches all the way to my head.  I feel as though I¡¯m being possessed.  My brain lights on fire.  I try to scream, but my mouth is stitched shut.

    The black fog comes out from between my lips, out of my nose, cutting off my air and suffocating me.  Struggling to breathe, I can only wait for death.

    At that moment, a new set of hands burst from the ground and drag me down.

    I¡¯m below the floor of the cage.  Somehow, I¡¯m able to see through the ground, as if it were transparent and I see the shadow circling the floor, looking for me.

    A hand moves past my eyes and covers my mouth.  The hand is made of bones.  It¡¯s a brilliant white.  Something that belongs to a skeleton, not a single piece of flesh could be found on it.

    With the boney hand covering my mouth, and its other hand wrapping around my stomach, my fear and my anxiety disappeared.  I felt its hard ribcage pressing against my back, but it was a comforting feeling.  Laying there like that, I felt safe.

    Finally, I close my eyes.

    ********************************************************************

    --Takke¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    What should I do with her?

    It¡¯s been a few hours since I escaped the caravan with this cat girl.  It was really a close call back there.  I blacked out, and when I came to, I was surrounded, with barely any Magic Power left.  Using the wolf, I was somehow able to escape, and even save this girl, but now what do I do?

    If left in this condition, surely she will die.  It¡¯s a wonder she hasn¡¯t died already.  She is naked, and from her shivering, I can tell she is cold.

    Now that I think about it¡­ I don¡¯t feel temperature¡­  It¡¯s like my body adjusts according to where I am, creating the perfect temperature wherever I go.  I¡¯ve thought this before, but this body is really convenient.

    However, because I didn¡¯t need them, I don¡¯t have any clothes, and haven¡¯t made anything to resemble them¡­ not that I could if I tried¡­

    And that brings me to my current problem.  Without anything to warm her, she will probably catch a cold and die¡­ if she doesn¡¯t die of internal bleeding.  Also, with this body which is devoid of flesh, I can¡¯t use body heat to warm her.

    I thought maybe my undead might give off heat, but when I ordered the wolf to curl around her, her shivering didn¡¯t stop.  I guess it¡¯s a trait common in all undead.  After all, corpses don¡¯t give off body heat.

    Without any ideas, I command my undead to guard her, and I go off to find something to warm her.  Maybe I can find an animal and get its fur.

    I got about 20 meters through the forest before I hear screaming behind me.  It¡¯s definitely the catgirl.  She¡¯s screaming hysterically.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Did she wake up?

    I run back as fast as I can.  When I get there, I see her kicking and screaming.  She is flailing her arms in front of her, trying to protect herself.  Her eyes are shut tightly.

    I hurry over to her.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    I try to ask her what happened, trying to console her, but as expected, I can¡¯t speak.

    If she keeps screaming like this though, she will give off our position.  While I¡¯m not too scared of monsters coming, if those adventurers are looking for us, they may hear her.

    I come up behind her and cover her mouth.  I wrap my other arm around her in order restrain her, keeping her from hurting herself.

    Almost immediately, she calms down.  Her breathing steadies, and she relaxes her muscles.

    I stay like that, holding her for hours.  Whenever I tried to separate from her, she starts to become agitated, then starts screaming again.

    Well, if it¡¯s like this, then I can¡¯t leave her.  If she doesn¡¯t make it, then at least she has some peace before she goes¡­

    So like that, I abandon my goal of searching for something to warm her.  I have my undead surround us, blocking the wind, and sit there with her in my arms through the night until dawn.

    *******************************************************************

    --Christina¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    When the skeleton left, it was as if a weight had been lifted from everyone¡¯s shoulders.  Even though comrades had been lost, everyone couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved.

    That was the effect the skeleton¡¯s presence had.  No¡­ calling it a skeleton isn¡¯t right, it was a demon.  A high demon, more powerful than even a demon lord.  For that last spell not to work¡­ It¡¯s unbelievable.

    Commander Edwin rallied everyone together afterwards and we said a few words for the dead.  Edward¡¯s arm had been caught in the blackness, and before it could overtake him completely, my spell turned it to ash.  Thus, he is missing half of his left arm, though the wound never bled¡­  Edwin¡¯s subordinate was caught up in the center of the blackness, and was one of the first that were turned undead.  Everyone that had died, with the exception of Greg, was ash.  So it didn¡¯t take long to bury the dead.

    After boarding the carriages, we proceed to ride toward the edge of the forest with caution.

    It was decided that we would not chase after the demon.  We were to report back to the king as soon as possible.  When this was decided, everyone looked at me cautiously.  When I showed no reaction, they sighed in relief.  Were they expecting me to disagree?  Is that something I would have done?

    I think about chasing after the demon.  There is a part of me that wants to, but as for the reason why, I don¡¯t understand it.  For some reason, watching the demon carry off the Beastman girl, I couldn¡¯t see it as an enemy.  In fact, the heavy feeling that had been in my chest the entire way, seemed to be lifted entirely.

    And the fact that, when I saw it riding off, for just a moment, I smiled ¨C is something I¡¯ll never tell anyone.

    **************************************************************

    --Takke¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    I watch as a burning red invades the black sky, then is washed away by a calm blue.

    I look down at the girl in my arms.  It is a peculiar sight.  I have to look through my ribcage to see her face.  She had inched up into it during her sleep.  It was as if she was sleeping inside of me.  Surrounded by bones, this battered little girl slept so defenselessly.

    I ordered my undead to search for an animal and bring it back, as well as find a pond or some water.  I wasn¡¯t sure if they could perform tasks this complicated, but I figured I¡¯d at least try it.

    To my surprise, one of them came back with a dead animal.  It was a small bear¡­ well small compared to the cat-bear.  However, by the time it had come back, it was already well into the night and the girl had already found her way into my chest.  I couldn¡¯t skin it without waking her, and even if I did, the fur would be covered in blood.  Besides, while she was in my ribs, for some reason, she stopped shivering.

    Well, it¡¯s good that she stopped.  Maybe she¡¯ll make it through this?

    The wolf came back, I was able to understand that it found some source of water, but as neither one of us could speak, I wasn¡¯t confident of what exactly it had found.  I guess I¡¯ll have it lead us there when the girl¡¯s situation improves¡­

    Now that I think about it, I can¡¯t just keep calling them wolf and cat-bear.  I need to name them huh¡­

    Hmmm, it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s something simple right?

    I decide to name the wolf ¡®Kuroken¡¯(black dog) and the cat-bear ¡®Kumaneko¡¯(bear cat).  Not the most original names, but they¡¯ll do.

    I convey their names to them, and they accept them without reaction.

    I wonder if they understand what names are?

    I feel the girl move against my bones.  Looking down, I confirm she is still asleep.

    I¡¯ve been watching her for a while now, but the shape her body is in still gets to me.

    She¡¯s been through a lot huh¡­

    I curse my undead nature.  I can¡¯t use healing spells.  There is nothing I can do for her.  Seriously¡­ isn¡¯t now supposed to be the time where I play the cool MC that can heal any injury in this world?  ¡­I guess it¡¯s not like in the web novels¡­

    I tighten my grip on her a little.  She stirs a little bit, then snuggles her face further up into my ribcage, relaxing further with a small sigh.

    C¡­cute!!

    This girl might unexpectedly be dangerous!

    ¡­Haaa¡­  Well, although I feel I could never get tired of watching her sleep, she has to get up eventually.  I need to at least get her cleaned up.

    ¡­and find her some clothes..

    Thinking this, I gently shake her to wake her up.  She makes an irritated face and squints her eyes, like a child refusing to get up.  She presses her hands against my ribs, trying to stretch in the cramped space.

    She really looks like a cat¡­

    She opens and closes her hands against my ribs, as if pawing my bones.  Eventually, her eyes flutter open.

    She turns her head, looking at her surroundings.  She has a confused look on her face.

    Then her eyes meet mine, and she becomes still.  Her eyes get wide for a moment and she jolts up, hitting her head against my ribs.  She is finally able to get out, and in freeing her head, she falls down on her back.

    She sits up on the dirt, looking at me, looking at the undead next to me.  Like that, we sit there for what seems like several minutes.  We just look at each other, neither of us uttering a word.

    ¡­well, I can¡¯t talk¡­.

    Suddenly, she breaks down.  She curls up into a ball, shoving her face in her knees and cries.

    She sits there crying, and I sit there watching.  Unable to say anything, unable to console her.  Unable to fix it.

    After a while, her crying becomes sobbing, and then stops all together.  She doesn¡¯t look up, she doesn¡¯t move.  She just sits in silence.

    I can understand that she has been through something terrible, but we won¡¯t get anywhere just sitting here like this.  I''ll have to move things along...

    I rise to my feet.

    She flinches, then slowly looks up at me.

    Her face is stained with snot and tears¡­ as well as many other things.  I walk over to Kuroken.  I see her eyes follow me as I walk.  They are hollow.  There is no feeling behind them, no life.

    When I mount up, for just a moment, I see a worried look in her eyes.  But it is immediately extinguished, stomped out by that dead look, no doubt forged over her time as a slave.

    I hold out my hand towards her, inviting her to come along.

    She looks at it, not moving for a long time.  I wait there patiently.  If she doesn¡¯t take my hand, she will die.  There isn¡¯t any other choice for her.  If she seeks death, then I will leave her here, but if she wants to come, I¡¯ll look after her until she can function on her own.

    She starts to move, then hesitates.  She seems to be running a lot through her mind.  Finally, she lets out a breath and stands up.  Without attempting to hide herself at all, she walks towards me unsteadily.

    I wonder if she doesn¡¯t feel the need to be modest because I¡¯m an undead?

    She stumbles and falls.  With her legs shaking, she staggers to her feet and continues to walk towards me.  When she comes within range, she holds out her hand.

    I take the small, wobbling hand firmly in my grasp, and in one motion, pull her up on the wolf, sitting her in front of me.  Reaching my hands around her, I let Kuroken lead us to the water he discovered in the night.

 Chapter 9: A Lake, A Serpent, and Unspoken Words

    As promised, here is the next chapter.  I was going to have it out yesterday, but I ran into some problems writing it.

    Let me know if I should refer to Kumaneko and Kuroken with ¡®he¡¯, or ¡®it¡¯.

    Well, here you go.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    --Elina¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    I am riding on the back of an undead monster.  Behind me, a skeleton is wrapping its fleshless arms around me, gripping the pitch black fur of the wolf.  The wolf jumps and jolts, dodging trees as it runs.  Every time there is a sudden change in direction, I get thrown around.  Eventually, I had to hold onto the white bone arms in order to keep from falling off.  The wolf stinks of death, to the point that it would be unbearable if I was not already accustomed to stench of this level.  It¡¯s just as well, unable to clean myself for almost a year, I didn''t smell any better...

    The wolf abruptly comes to a stop, then jumps forward; changing directions.

    As it jumps, my back is pushed into the creature riding behind me.  The hard surface presses against open wounds and bruises on my back.  There is pain, but I''ve grown accustom to pain, and this much isn''t enough to make me cry out.

    Taking my mind off the pain, I recall the events that led to this unbelievable situation.

    A skeleton.

    The first time I saw it was back in the carriage.  I remember it walking down the dirt road, its dim blue eyes fixed on me.  The only thing I could think, was that death had come for me.  That death had taken pity on me and forgiven my cowardice, granting me the death I sought.

    I couldn''t help but feel relieved.

    It was going to end.  I didn''t have to bear it anymore.  I didn''t have to think anymore.  I didn''t have to feel anything anymore.  With the feeling of an enormous weight being lifted, I closed my eyes and let my consciousness be swallowed by darkness for the last time.

    However, my wish was left un-granted.

    When I opened my eyes again, the sun was bright in the sky.  Looking at my surroundings, I was still in that forest.

    I couldn''t understand it.  Hadn''t death come for me?

    Why did I believe that so strongly?  Haven''t I learned by now?  Learned not expect anything...  Haven''t I already accepted that I am being punished?  That there is no salvation for me?  That not even death would save me?  Then why?  Why...why did I feel relieved?  Why did I let myself fall into that same process of build hope and having it crushed?

    I could only blame myself.  I cursed my own ignorance.

    At that moment, I remembered what situation I was in before I passed out.  I panicked and looked around in a hurry.  If I had passed out for a long time, then the three men would get angry, and get even more violent with me.  The most I could do is apologize and hope they let me off with a light beating.

    That was when I noticed the gaze looking down on me.  Looking into those dim lit lights at the back of its hollowed out skull, I jumped back in shock, but was unable to get away.  I was surrounded by bones, but after a brief struggle, I was able to force myself out.

    I sat there, breathing heavily, staring at the skeleton.

    It was the same one that had been walking on that dirt road.  Next to it, were two giant undead beasts.  There was a sinister aura surrounding them, thickening the air.  Was it controlling them?

    I kept my focus on the skeleton.

    It didn¡¯t move at all.  It did nothing, said nothing.  I waited for an explanation.  Waited for it to tell me why it took me.  Did it save me?  No¡­ perhaps it wants to make me an undead.

    But why?  Why do I feel so relieved?  Why can¡¯t I shake that feeling?

    I told myself I would never allow myself this feeling again, that it would never last.  As soon as I let myself feel hope, it is immediately stomped out, and my situation becomes ten times worse.

    I knew this, and yet, I couldn¡¯t help it.  Looking at the skeleton across from me, sitting across from this undead¡­ my heart lightens, my body relaxes on its own, I feel relieved.

    Giving in to the burning in my eyes, I hugged my legs and cried.

    How long had it been since I last cried.  Cried without restraint.  Without the fear of someone seeing me.  My eyes grew red and swollen, but I couldn¡¯t stop.  I couldn¡¯t help that feeling.

    How absurd.  For a skeleton to give me hope.  To see it as some kind of savior.

    ¡­I know this.  I know it, but there¡¯s nothing I can do.

    Eventually, I stopped crying.  In response, the skeleton gets up and walks to his wolf.

    I flinched a little at his sudden movement, but when I understood that he was leaving¡­

    I was scared.

    I¡¯m a coward after all.

    I¡¯m scared of dying.  I¡¯m scared of being abandoned.

    Didn¡¯t this skeleton come to save me?  No¡­ that is wishful thinking.  In what world does an undead corpse come to save a weak and insignificant slave?  I can¡¯t believe I let myself believe that.  After everything that had happened, after everything I¡¯ve learned; I should know better.

    I sat there reprimanding myself.

    Then, it mounts the wolf, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw it.

    It extended its hand to me.

    It invited me to come with it.  It offered me an escape from death, an escape from my fate; a fate which I had accepted as truth long ago.

    I looked at the hand for a long time.

    That hand, devoid of any flesh, or blood¡­  how envious.  This creature had left its living body behind.  Anything that tainted it, or bound it to this world was discarded.  A clean slate¡­

    ¡­I wonder if it remembers its past¡­

    I was considering various things.  Part of me wanted to discard everything, even if I wasn¡¯t myself, even if I was under the control of this skeleton, I wanted to forget, to start over.  But that part had always been there.  It had been whispering in my ear the entire time.  It had told me to end it myself, to end all the pain and take my life.

    Only, I am a coward.

    I couldn¡¯t help my mother and father, I couldn¡¯t help my brother, I didn¡¯t even resist when they were slaughtered in front of me.  All I could do was shut my eyes in fear; fear of my own life.

    How selfish I had been.

    No.   Even if it was to become an undead, taking my life on my own¡­ I¡¯ve never been able to do it, and I probably never will be able to.

    If I don¡¯t take that hand now, it would mean my death.

    Thinking that, I had grabbed onto that skeletons hand, resigning myself to the mercy of the undead before me.

    There is a tap on my shoulder as I¡¯m lost in thought.

    It makes me jump, bringing me back to the present.

    I tilt my head and look up at the face of the undead behind me.  It is looking ahead, off into the distance.  I see it raise its arm to point in front of itself, and my gaze follows, directed by the boney finger.

    Ahead of us¡­ it was somewhat hidden by trees, but you could see it.  It was a lake; a lake in the center of the forest.

    **********************************************************************

    --Takke¡¯s Perspective¡ª

    Led by the wolf for roughly half an hour, we finally arrive at a small lake.

    To think something like this was in the forest¡­

    Though I say it is a small lake, it is still rather large.  It looks like I couldn¡¯t stand at the center of it with my head above water.

    Along the ride here, the catgirl never said a word.

    ¡­well, that¡¯s to be expected¡­

    Running up next to the lake, I dismount from Kuroken.  Once I am safely dismounted, I hold my hand up for the catgirl to take, attempting to help her off the wolf.

    She looks at me with a bizarre expression.

    Should I not have done this?  I mean, of course she would feel uneasy about people touching her after what she¡¯s been though¡­

    Right when I was about to draw back my hand, the catgirl unsteadily takes hold of it.

    I guess I was over-thinking it?

    In a fluid and gentle movement, I slide her off the wolf.  As she slides off, I reach my free hand under her other arm and guide her feet to the ground.

    Once her feet are safely on the ground, I release my grip on her, but when I do, her legs shake and she starts to fall over.  Quickly, I take hold of her arm again, keeping her on her feet.

    She looks down at her shaking legs.

    I feel her lose strength.  Placing my hand on her chin, I divert her attention away from her legs and have her look at me face to face.  She is expressionless.  Her eyes are glazed over.  If it weren¡¯t for her trembling legs, she would look like a corpse.

    I look her in the eyes and shake my head, then point towards the lake.

    She doesn¡¯t give me any reaction.

    I wonder if she understands¡­  Maybe it¡¯d be easier to¡­  Alright, let¡¯s do it.

    I place one arm around her upper back, and move my other arm to the back of her thighs, sweeping her legs out from under her.

    When I make contact with the back of her thighs, she stiffens a little, but immediately goes back to her stoic, doll-like state.

    Holding her in my arms in a princess cradle, I walk towards the lake.

    Right as I¡¯m about to step into the water, I hesitate.  A thought hits me.

    I wonder if it¡¯s safe¡­

    The forest has many dangerous and hostile beasts roaming around, a lake which is located in such a forest should be no different¡­

    I stand there and extend [Vision] to its maximum range.  Once extended, it covers the entire lake.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Patiently, I wait and feel for any movement in the water.

    We stood there for several minutes while I studied the lake.  The entire time I stood holding her, the catgirl never moved.  Staring off in the distance, she seemed to be in another place.

    Nothing¡­. I guess I was just being overly cautious¡­

    Slowly, I step into the water and move further and further into the lake until I¡¯m submerged up to my waist.  Holding the catgirl in my arms, I float her on the surface, only her head above water.

    We come to a stop, and I stand her up in the water, placing her feet on the bed of the lake.

    She is shorter than me, the water comes up to her chest, just enough to keep her modest.  With the help of the water, it seems she is able to stand on her own.

    But she doesn¡¯t move; only stares at the surface of the lake.

    I guess it can¡¯t be helped.

    Thinking that, I lift one of her arms to the surface of the water.  With gentle motions, I run my boney fingers along the fur on her arm, spreading the grime and filth into the water around us.

    Since I don¡¯t have a brush or cloth, it takes some time to get it all off of her.  Well, even though I say all, there¡¯s only so much I can do with water and bone...  but as I continue washing down her arm, the finished product is considerably cleaner.

    As I reach her hand, I feel a gaze on me and look up.

    She is looking directly at me.

    Our eyes meet each other¡¯s for an instant before she turns her head and hurriedly looks away.

    It seems she¡¯s back¡­

    At that moment, there is a low grumbling sound.  It comes from beneath the water between us.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    ¡­¡­¡­

    ¡­.

    She¡¯s hungry?

    The grumbling noise from beneath the surface was definitely the sound of her stomach growling.  Well¡­ it would make sense.  Just looking at her, you can tell she is malnourished.

    Now that I think about it, when I was carrying her, she was extremely light; as if I weren¡¯t carrying anything at all.

    I can¡¯t leave it like this¡­

    ¡­ah!  There¡¯s that!

    I command Kuroken to run back to our earlier spot, and retrieve the animal that was going to be used for its fur.  With this, we¡¯ll be able to get her something to wear as well as something to eat.

    Acknowledging my order, Kuroken turns and runs back through the forest.

    Noticing the sudden movement of the wolf, the catgirl looks up and watches it disappear into the trees.

    I hold my hand in front of her, forming a thumbs up; letting her know it¡¯s ok.

    She just looks at me and tilts her head.

    ¡­It¡¯d be so much easier if I could talk¡­

    I finish cleaning her arms and move on to her hair.  I turn her around and gently lean her back.  As I submerge her hair in the lake and wash it, she looks up at me.  Her eyes seem to search mine, but they aren¡¯t suspicious¡­ more like the eyes of a curious child.

    Then her nose twitches.  Her mouth opens, and her eyes shut half way.

    ¡°Choo!¡±

    She sneezes.

    She sniffles a little bit, then lets out a sigh.

    Seriously¡­. She is too cute¡­

    Wait a minute¡­  Wasn¡¯t she shaking due to the cold yesterday?  And if it¡¯s cold in this forest, then this lake must be even colder.

    ¡­¡­..

    W, well, it¡¯s not like I could just leave her covered in filth, and if she were to get out of the lake now, it would only be colder.  Right, I¡¯ll just make sure to have something warm for her to cover herself with when she gets out.

    Speaking of which, I wonder how much longer Kuroken is going to be¡­  I should have put off washing her until after I found something for her to wear¡­ I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.

    Hmmm, if she is going to eat meat, then I¡¯ll have to cook it, which means I¡¯ll need fire¡­  It¡¯ll also be good to have it to dry her off and keep her warm if Kuroken doesn¡¯t come back in time¡­

    Then it¡¯s decided.  I¡¯ll make a fire.

    Just as I finish washing the catgirls hair, I command Kumaneko to use [Dark Blade] on some nearby trees in order to gather firewood.

    While I¡¯m making the fire, she can finish washing herself.

    I stand her back up and have her face me.  I make the motion of washing myself, then I point to her.

    She stares at me without moving.

    ¡­¡­.no good huh.

    I take her hand and place it on her shoulder, moving it around in a scrubbing motion.  After a bit of hesitation, I feel her start to move it on her own and I let go.  I back away from her as she cleans herself, moving from her shoulder to her chest.  Satisfied, I leave the lake and proceed to make a fire.

    Kumaneko is able to gather a good amount of wood in almost no time at all.  Standing in front of the pile of wood, I think about how I¡¯m going to make the fire.

    There aren¡¯t any lighters, and I don¡¯t have something as convenient as fire magic, so I¡¯ll have to start it the old fashioned way.

    I bend down and pick up two pieces of wood.

    I choose one with a flat surface, without bark; and one that is thin and cylindrical.  Falling to my knees on the grass next to the lake, I hold the flat piece on the ground; and with long, quick movements, move the end of the other piece of wood up and down the flat surface.

    To my surprise, it didn¡¯t take long at all for a thin cloud of smoke to start rising from the wood.

    I guess it¡¯s the difference in strength¡­

    A narrow rut formed on the flat surface of the wood after just a few passes, and the smoke grew thicker until flames suddenly burst from the rut, spreading across the log.

    I quickly stood and picked up another couple of logs from the pile, placing them carefully over the fire.  Slowly, it spread to the additional logs and the flames grew.

    With this, it¡¯s about the size of a campfire¡­ I guess.  But that was easier than expected.

    It didn¡¯t take five minutes to make the campfire, even though I¡¯ve never made one bef¡ª

    I sensed it.

    With [Vision], I felt it move.

    Why?  Nothing had moved until now!  Why all of a sudden?

    Out in the lake, a long creature had picked itself up off the bed of the lake, and was slithering toward the catgirl.

    Fast!

    It was moving quickly, there¡¯s no way I would make it to her in time.

    Frantically, I call out to Kumaneko and order it to intercept.  It takes off towards the lake at high speed.

    I run toward the lake as well, waving my arms in front of me, trying to get her attention.

    Behind you!

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Run!

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Get out¡ª

    <Get out of the lake!>

    Suddenly the catgirl looks up from washing herself.  She sees Kumaneko running at her and sees me waving my arms.  Her ears twitch, and she jumps to the side.

    As soon as she does, a large, snake-like animal can be seen shooting out of the water, its jaws lined with several rows of sharp teeth.  Had she acted a second later, it would have taken off the top half of her body.

    Snapping its jaws in the space she used to be, its long body follows its head in an arch, leading back into the water.

    Having just dove out of the way of the monster¡¯s attack, the catgirl lost her footing and was flailing around in the water, struggling to make her way to the shore.

    Kumaneko has reached her and is looking for it.  I quickly transmit its location to Kumaneko as I run into the water.

    My bones easily cut through the lake without resistance, and I¡¯m able to reach her in a matter of seconds.

    I take hold of one of her flailing arms and pull her to me.  Bending down, I pick her up, holding her firmly in my arms.  Like that, I turn to run out of the lake.

    Behind me, the monster is approaching with ferocious speed.  However, Kumaneko comes from the side, throwing its body into the serpents¡¯, knocking it off its course.  As I leave the lake with the catgirl, the monster circles back around and jumps out of the water in front of Kumaneko, opening its jaws to attack.

    Reacting at a speed not befitting an undead, Kumaneko forms [Dark Blade] around his arms in an instant, dodges the monsters attack; and as its long body passes, cuts it into several pieces.

    On the grass, just out of the lake, I hold the trembling catgirl in my arms.  She is soaking wet and her teeth are chattering.

    Confirming the death of the monster with [Vision], I set her down by the fire.

    How careless.

    Because of my stupidity, this girl almost died.  I bring her into a freezing cold lake, and then leave her there.

    Of course the lake would be dangerous.  This entire forest is dangerous.  How could I have so easily assumed¡­

    Is it really ok for me to look after this girl?

    I turn to move away from her, but something grabs my ankle.

    Laying there, her entire body shaking uncontrollably from the cold, her arm is held out, her fingers wrapped tightly around my ankle.  Her eyes are locked onto mine; and inside them is determination.  I was slightly taken back.  This little girl, who was so expressionless and without emotion, for her to have this look¡­

    The bones in my body relax, resembling a sigh; and I sit down next to her.

    Sitting beside her by the fire, I hold her hand as her tense and trembling body slowly relaxes.