The graveyard in which they rest was always silent, neither they nor their leader liked noise, chatter, or interacting with anything, the only time they ever bothered to do something was when there was a battle

And it just happens that an invader was suddenly sensed, making them jump out of their tombs, ready to assault whoever dared encroach upon their repose

​​

Seeing who it was however stopped their approach, none could forget this thing after all, not with how easily a comrade 'died', for the lack of a better word, under his hand

Seconds later the door to their leader's shack cracked open, a cloaked figure walking out, face obscured for the most part

"To what do I owe this unwelcomed visit"

He spoke, admiral blue eyes shining under the hood as they stared at the shadow ahead

"Come now, that is not the way to greet a benefactor"

YuJu's double replied, hinting at the surroundings which no doubt was the new guild, one like any other for it housed mainly undead as its members

"Speak your purpose"

The man was not at all gratified or welcoming, he wanted to get rid of this nuisance as quickly as possible

"Well, I can tell why you're living with corpses just by that attitude, but I guess I can get straight to business"

Pointing toward the place of residence humans would soon come to he explained the first purpose of his visit

"First, I am here for pay back, something simple too, out in that direction is a human settlement housing what remains of them, your payment is not to kill any of them"

"That's not happening"

The leader was quick to refuse, not only did he not want to pay anything he also couldn't jus miss out on making more soldiers

YuJu didn't respond with a threat like last time but gestured to the undead surrounding him

"You want to make more of these?"

His tone was condescending, as if he looked down on the mighty creatures who helped rule this land

"Let's say you do, then what? How will you fight the wraiths invading this land? What would your weak followers do in the face of the powerful enemies they can't even touch"

Insulting as his words may be the leader did not seem angry, instead patiently listing to the cunning shadow before him, as if expecting a solution to the problem he was also agonizing over

"Humans numbered in the hundreds of thousands fought and lost, unable to cause even minor harm to the Haunting Mist, what would making an undead army of those humans do? No matter how many you have it wouldn't make a difference, in this world quantity would rarely ever beat quality"

His word struck sense into the man, but what could be done to raise his and his followers' levels quickly? Even if he killed all the humans it might not be enough, and his power didn't seem too effective on wraiths either

"So just give up thoughts of expanding the size of your army, instead, focus on the ones you have, how you ask?"

The undead leaned in, curious as to what would make them powerful as well

To this YuJu smiled, his voice betraying the unseen smile as well

"Well your best bet is none other than Dark Harvest, a skill that can optimize an undead's body making them all the more powerful by consuming energy similar to what their made of"

Those eyes under the hood looked gloomy all of a sudden, not at all liking where this conversation was headed

"Does it need a class"

"Yes, all skills do if you want to get them through the system, but just as you can learn swordplay without having the skill, you can also learn some skills through normal means, not that the system would assist you in them"

"What is the system"

The man asked all of a sudden, making YuJu pause for a second

'This one really likes being direct huh'

Be that as may he still answered truthfully, with a proud tone even

"I have no idea"

"....."

The man was disappointed, from the way this shadow was speaking he thought there may finally be a clue to what this entire mess was about, turns out he was just as clueless, though more knowledgeable in utilizing it

"This Dark Harvest skill, how do I learn it"

"You can't, your not an undead, your followers on the other hand can easily get the grip over it, it comes naturally to them after a while of fighting their own kind anyway"

Bang!

The door was slammed shut all of a sudden, all the undead falling back into their tombs without a sound

"....."

YuJu's smile turned awkward, kind of understanding why the fellow did this but stunned by it at the same time

'Does he hate owing favors that much?'

The man probably guessed he was about to sell him the method to quicken the pace of the undead's growth, which was why he ended the conversation without another word

'Haah, whatever, Il get him to owe me for something else later on'

It was time he announced the reason for his second visit anyway

"What is the name of your guild"

His shout resounded across the empty valley, words knocking on closed doors without a response for quite some time

"..."

He didn't leave however, short on time as he may be, it was of par importance he knew the name for his upcoming plans

"....Mute"

"A peculiar name, well, have a good evening, and expect a lot of noise the upcoming week"

With a hushed laugh YuJu's double dispersed into the air, he himself already leaving the premise of the valley, heading back toward the settlement

The journey back was uneventful, passing by the fiery land and arriving at the settlement after a day and some

Upon return YuJu felt the place giving off a gloomy vibe, not at all like the happy atmosphere he had left it in, as if days of fearing the invasion were back

'Did they send in higher level wraiths?'

He turned to look but the stalemate between the forest and mist was ongoing with the suppressing help of the watchtowers

Mia soon came to greet him however and he had the chance to get to know what was happening

"Oh, it is because news of plague has spread across the settlement"

"Plague? What plague"

What sort of disease could spread during such a time? It was abnormal, especially since none of this happened during the past

"Well, people are speaking of a new disease which infects your eyes, turning them yellow, then you would start to grow an itching rash all over your skin, one that turns unbearable as the symptoms of bleeding fingers, overgrown hair, and steaming mouth subsequently appear"

YuJu heavily frowned, never hearing of such a thing before, in fact it didn't even sound like a plague bit more so like some sort of transformation

"It is not verified news Master, just a rumor, the only reason people are believing it is because many people reported it while the suspected patience disappeared all of a sudden"

"Hmm, get Dag to keep watch over the situation, have Sofia assure the residents and keep the situation under control, cant have them panic just as the new arrivals come"

"Yes Master"

"Speed up the construction of the tunnels as well, we need to get the watchtowers operational before everyone gets here, speaking of, has Ellis gone to clear out the way for them?"

"Yes Master, she set off as soon as you did, not even waiting for her wounds to heal up"

"Typical Ellis, well, no matter"

Knowing how eager that woman was to protect her race he didn't pursue the matter, there weren't many dangers present that would threaten her anyway, not in the immediate vicinity at least

"Go back then, I will be lurking around for a while"

Mia nodded, but paused for a second before hesitantly asking

"Master, may I know if Sabrin is doing well?"

The well being of the maid was important to her, after all they both belonged to the same house and a sense of camaraderie was slowly built in the short few times they met

"She is fine"

Assured of her friend's safety she heaved a relieved sigh then snuck into the hotel building where she would keep Sofia safe, and under surveillance

'Things are not smooth sailing, still manageable for the most part'

He stared back at the settlement, eyes heavy with doubt

"A plague at a time like this? I don't believe it, who is scheming under the scenes I wonder"

When the human race was under siege everyone should be united, be they caring or not for their race, otherwise who could escape the mist which spared not a living soul

"Whoever it is should be prepared to be sacrificed as well, I will not have selfish people ruining the survival of an entire race"

His words were grave, laced with threat to those who sought merely their own benefit