Katai watched as the Questor nodded at something Hiram had said, the two talking in low voices. They were strategically positioned, far away enough away from the scout group that they couldn’t be overheard, but close enough that they could respond to any threats.

He sighed as he looked around, noting the others keeping their distance from him. Well, at least I’m alive... I don’t understand how he found me so quickly though. Was he here for the Necromancer, or for me?

It didn’t really matter at this point of course — his life as a Blood Mage had ended before it even began.

He watched as Hiram said something to the Questor, bowing his head and then looking over at the group. Unexpectedly he nodded at Katai, a ghost of a smile on his face. The look in his eyes was one of sadness. Not pain or anger. Not even a promise of retribution. It was simply a look of sadness.

Strange.

“Alright, the good Captain has agreed to have you all enter my service for the foreseeable future. Looks like we’ll be spending plenty of time together!” The Questor sounded cheerful as he made his way over to the horses that were waiting for them.

Of course, they hadn’t asked to go with the man, but when a Questor says you’re needed, you don’t ask questions.

Looking around, Katai watched the reactions of the group.

Yoto of course was as steadfast as always. His only response was a subdued nod before returning his attention to scanning the nearby foliage.

Lariss however cast an angry gaze at Katai, no doubt blaming him for their situation. Which was partly true, but he still resented her animosity – he certainly wasn’t to blame for the Necromancer, or the attack on their village.

On the other hand, Silas nodded at the Questor and then turned to him with a pained smile. He wasn’t very good at faking his feelings. But it let Katai know he was still on his side.

If all of his comrades had turned on him, he wasn’t sure what he would have done. Thankfully, Silas had become the one person he could depend on. A role reversal that surprised him, as usually that was him — the mature, dependable Katai.

He grimaced back at Silas. His half-hearted attempt at a smile slid off his face as soon as he turned away. Grabbing his horses’ bridle, he gave the familiar brown mare an appreciative pat and mounted up. Somehow, she’d gotten through the village attack and his desperate night-time mission to the cave. Now she was taking him out on another dangerous journey. Was it strange that a horse was probably his second closest friend, after Silas?

Perhaps the fact that she always gave her best effort and didn’t judge him for his skills or his Class had something to do with it. Best not to mention that to Silas though, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Follow me.” Kenemen announced once they were all mounted. With a glance back at the cave, Katai nudged his horse into a walk, feeling a pang of sorrow as they departed.

Perhaps one day he’d earn his freedom, or escape from the Questors and the Empire altogether.

That was a fanciful dream, one he hardly dared entertain. Where would he go that they couldn’t find him?

They travelled through the light vegetation of the forest, moving quickly in the broad daylight. The Questor, Kenemen, had told them that he’d been through the wreckage of their village and it had been completely deserted. The bandits must have spent the night there, and once the storm blew over, left with everything of value.

Hiram would have been thoroughly relieved to hear the good news. Though he’d still have to take care of any undead they stumbled across. Once the Warriors did a sweep through the village, the rest of the village folk would be able to return and take stock. It would be a long-time rebuilding, but they would survive.

It was a bittersweet pill for Katai to swallow, knowing that everyone could return to their homes, without him.

As their path curved around the base of Tolman’s Hill, Yoto called out a warning. They slowed, looking to see what had caught the hunter’s attention. The eagle-eyed Warrior had spotted a body further ahead, sprawling awkwardly in their path.

It was definitely a corpse. Flies swarmed around it in a thick cloud. Its head lay twisted unnaturally, spine clearly broken.

Seeing the body, Kenemen narrowed his eyes. He looked over at Katai, considering for a few moments before coming to a decision. This was the perfect opportunity for a demonstration.

“Everyone hold up.” He announced, holding his palm up and motioning for them to stay in place. Turning to Katai, he asked, “What do you know about magical theory?”

“Uh… there’s lots of different types of magic? But the most common are the four elements; water, wind, fire and earth.” Katai stuttered momentarily, surprised at the odd question. He wasn’t going to admit it, but that was the sum of his knowledge, which was about average for a Tiaston villager.

“Yes, well that is correct, but that’s only the starting point of basic magical theory.” Kenemen slipped into lecturing mode, comfortable with the group’s attention. “If you look at the four basic elements, each has a weakness and a strength against another element. For example, water is strong against fire but weak to earth. The same goes for higher order elements.”

Kenemen looked around, seeing four captivated eyes staring back at him.

“What are the higher order elements?” Lariss was brave enough to ask.

“The elements are broken down into a simple classification system by the Mage’s Guild, which ranks them by rarity. The basic elements are in the lower order. The middle order contains elements such as metal, sand, ice and combinations of the basic elements, such as lava. The top order then contains the rarest elements, such as Crystal, Life, Spirit and Void.”

Katai gave the man a questioning look and opened his mouth, but was beaten to it by the Questor.

“I know what you’re going to ask, but first—a demonstration!”

He pointed at the body that lay on the forest floor, some distance away.

“Katai, your Lacerate skill if you please.”

Katai raised his eyebrows, eyeing off the body incredulously. Is he expecting me to mutilate a corpse? How would that even work, it probably has no blood left!

He’d given the Questor the details of all of his skills soon after he’d been sentenced, there’d been no point in hiding them. The only response to the small list had been a frown and some muttering about needing to train.

“Ah, yes but of course — we need some additional motivation. Yoto would you send an arrow into it? That should be sufficient.” Kenemen’s voice was calm, almost detached as he ordered the strike.

Yoto hesitated, looking at the man as if to say; really - I signed up for this? When Kenemen simply looked back at him expectantly, his shoulders drooped.

Shaking his head, Yoto drew back on his bow and let fly, the arrow blurring as it tore through the air. It struck the body with barely a noise, disappearing into the bloated belly.

The corpse twitched.

Collectively, the group froze as the body started to get to its feet, its limbs twitching sporadically as it staggered upright. The only one unaffected seemed to be Kenemen, who called out loudly.

“Pay attention now! Katai, whenever you’re ready.”

But Katai wasn’t listening.

He was staring in horror. Watching as the corpse shambled towards the group.

Its flesh was a pallid grey, as if the monstrous creation had been carved from stone of the surrounding mountains. Its limbs were stiff and uncoordinated, one of its legs clearly broken, and its head flopping about as it moved—the broken neck barely holding it together. The undead creature didn’t seem to notice however, as it continued to shuffle along.

It sniffed deeply, then continued towards them, its head rolling about as it searched. Perhaps it had an increased sense of smell? Something seemed to be guiding it towards them, and it seemed unlikely to be sight with the way it was acting.

It was only a few meters away when Katai realised how close it had gotten. Even with its awkward shuffle, the shock of seeing it come alive had given it time to advance.

He looked over at Kenemen, who simply waved him on impatiently. It didn’t look like he had any choice.

He spurred his mount forward, the horse reluctant to approach the decaying corpse, but Katai was firm and moved them into range. It was strangely disconcerting not being able to sense the undead as he approached it. He’d gotten so used to sensing everyone around him that the absence was making him a bit uncomfortable. That surely meant the creature had no blood, right? If his Sense Blood skill didn’t work, why would Lacerate?

Putting that thought aside, Katai gripped his sword tightly. He was prepared in case his skill had no effect. Concentrating, he activated Lacerate.

A tearing sound came from the creature, followed by an unearthly screeching. The creature was crying out in pain? It sounded like fingernails dragging along a blackboard, a soul-piercing shriek of anguish. Katai watched in open-mouthed surprise, as great tears split the grey skin, huge gashes tearing through the creature. No blood emerged from the huge cuts, but they seemed to gouge so deeply that the undead flopped to the ground, weakly trying to get back to its feet.

Katai looked at the Questor in bewilderment. One strike had disabled the creature, and it had felt almost effortless. Was he using his own blood to power the skill? Did the undead have no defence against his blood magic? He had so many questions!

He dismounted and stepped up to the weakly struggling corpse. It snarled and gnashed its teeth helplessly as he raised his blade for the killing blow.

“Hold up!” the commanding voice stopped him from delivering the blow. “Make sure you use any skills you have, before you deliver the final blow.”

Katai hesitated and stepped back. Turning to the Questor he asked, “Why? Surely in a battle you should be conserving energy — stamina and health, as much as possible?”

Kenemen nodded, “Yes, if you’re running low or in a difficult battle, that is correct. However, any time you can get away with it, it’s better to use your skills as much as possible. Using them during fights has been proven to increase the rate at which they level, even if they’re not particularly challenging battles.”

The polished voice of the Questor seemed to carry a hint of condescension — or at least that’s what Katai thought. The upper-class accent did not sit well with him, nor did the way he expected his commands to be followed without any explanation. But he could hardly complain — the man was one of the most powerful common-born men in the Empire.

Looking over at the others, he activated his newest skill, Battle Cry. Energy coiled in the pit of his stomach and travelled up into his lungs. It built up until his lungs were fit to burst, before exploding out with a shocking loudness. The tell-tale feeling of stamina loss came over him, the effect instantly recognisable from his Warrior training sessions. Not a huge cost, but enough to add up if he used a few of his other skills.

Battle Cry has reached level 2.

Silas and Lariss both startled as the effects came over them. Nothing could be seen as the effect took place, but the two had undoubtedly felt something judging by their reactions. Yoto seemed unperturbed as usual, and Kenemen hardly bothered to notice, his disinterested gaze remaining on Katai.

Katai briefly considered the Bond of Blood skill, before dismissing the idea. No-one knew that he and Silas had forged a bond and he intended to keep it that way. Seeing how quick Kenemen was to pass judgement, Katai wasn’t going to take any risks with his friend. His friend’s freedom and safety were far more important than learning about one of his newest Blood skills.

Settling on his lowest levelled offensive skill, he activated Lacerate once more. The skill ripped through the undead like a scythe, exposing bone and innards, its dead flesh opening up with barely any resistance. The revolting stench of the decomposing body wafted over the group, hitting them like a physical blow. The thick scent of death was too much for Katai.

Lacerate has reached level 5.

You have defeated Lesser Undead (level 45).

Congratulations! You have gained 2 Warrior and 1 Blood Mage levels.

3 Attribute points awarded for reaching level 15 Blood Mage.

Wiping his mouth after he finished emptying his stomach, Katai looked up as the others drew closer. Lariss looked like she was going to vomit too, but she steadfastly gritted her teeth and approached the body with the others.

“Why… why did I do so much damage?” he asked, pausing to spit on the ground.

“Undead are creatures of the Void, as are Necromancers. All Life-based magic is naturally strong against Void, as your resistances should indicate.” Kenemen answered with a sour look upon his face. It appeared the man wasn’t immune to the rank smell.

“Let’s keep moving and we can talk on the way.” With that said, Kenemen wheeled his mount and move back in the direction they had been travelling.

Katai looked at the corpse and called out, “Aren’t we going to bury it?”

“No, there’s little time. We must find the necromancer and stop this filth from spreading any further.”

Katai followed Kenemen as he walked up the steep trail. They’d dismounted at the base of the hill, sparing the horses the climb.

As they climbed, his feelings began to change into something unrecognisable. He felt different. Distant.

He could feel the earth beneath his feet and branches as they slapped against his face. But it was all muffled, as if coming from a distance. It was like he was in a dream.

He recognised the trail they were following. He knew exactly where it led and he feared what they were going to find.

He dreaded having to confront the quiet fear that had been niggling at the back of his mind.

Cresting the final rise, he heard Silas gasp. Looking over the piles of disturbed earth, he knew.

The undead they had fought; they were former villagers.

That meant…Salah.

He’d been able to deny it, up until he’d entered the clearing. He’d avoided the thought of her desecrated body rising again, her radiant smile ruined by death. Rotting eyes, sunken flesh, greying skin. Even now, he couldn’t bear to think of it. He couldn’t believe it was happening.

But no, here was the evidence.

He realised he’d fallen to his knees before her grave, the open pit devoid of a body. His shaking hands reached out to touch the ground, hoping it was a dream, a nightmare, anything but the truth.

But no, he could feel the earth, firm and dry beneath his fingertips.

His whole body shook, anger seeping deep into his bones. A righteous and savage fury. He focused on one thing—one thing that he knew he could do. The thought blazed in his mind, a white-hot fury searing it into his memory.

The Necromancer will die.

Whatever it took. No matter the difficulty or the danger, he’d suck the very life out of the wretch and burn him to ash.

He’d make him pay for everything that had happened to him, his wife and his village.

Watching the dismayed and angry reactions of the group, Kenemen was expressionless. He was giving the young man the purpose he needed, but it still felt heartless to him. Even if it needed to be done. With an effort of will, he turned his stony gaze away, looking blindly out into the forest, as cries of grief and rage rang out behind him.

If Katai was going to survive, he’d need to become indispensable to the Empire. Otherwise he’d end his short life as a slave, executed as soon as his usefulness came to an end.

Katai's Status

Katai D’Castro

1st Class: Warrior – level 29 (+2)

2nd Class: Blood Mage – level 15 (+1)

Skills

Lunge (Expert) – level 5

Parry (Expert) – level 3

Bash (Proficient) – level 3

Battle Cry (Novice) – level 2 (+1)

Sense Blood (Proficient) – level 2

Lacerate (Novice) – level 5 (+1)

Bond of Blood (Novice) – level 1

Attributes (+3)

Strength: 18

Dexterity: 18

Constitution: 26

Intelligence: 15

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 17

Magical Aptitude

Blood (Life): 62%

Water: 9%

Resistances

Spirit: -16%

Void: 31%

Blood (Life): 62%