That night like the previous one I had my ass handed to me in the hide and go tag game. I got some good wraith step practise in though so I can’t really complain. I did know however that I had to be able to beat my current minions with ease if I was going to even start to think about my revenge against my former party and that skank of a goddess.

At the end of the chase, I prepared myself a bath and went over the gains that the pack had taken out of the houses. My bath consisted of a simple bucket filled with warm water and two towels, one to wet up and the other to dry myself off afterwards.

There were around twenty iron coins and six copper coins. Some essentials such as rope, some pans and other everyday survival gear I’d need for the trip. Heck, they even found an actual tent and some firewood.

I spent the remainder of the night setting everything up so I could just go when I woke up tomorrow. I tried the saddle Garmur and Svadilfari had found and then how the barding would make him look like. The white of his bones shone a little if the light hit it correctly and the barding didn’t cover up his skull-like head at all, stopping just in front of where his ears came out of his head.

I decided to use coal to ‘paint’ his body with, which made it look like he was horribly scarred and severely starved. I guessed it was about as good as I would get him to look like, I just had to hope that he wouldn’t come under any severe scrutiny.

The pack was a little easier to deal with as they had found some wolf pelts in the houses and we proceeded to almost wrestle as I tried to fit them properly. At the end it looked like they had a permanent snarl on with glowing blue eyes, it wasn’t going to work at all.

I sighed a little and rubbed at my forehead, how was I going to mask them? While I thought it over I proceeded to use coal to blacken the ravens. I still had to name them, didn’t I?

I took a bit of artistic license to leave small white streaks down their backs, leaving their beaks white and along the edges of their jagged bone feathers which gave them a sort of day of the dead type make-up feeling. It was kind of festive actually.

“I’m not going to name you two Huginn and Munnin. Since A, I can’t understand your crowing so you’d be kind of useless as spies in that regard. And B, I think I’ve managed to stay away from the rather cliché names from Norse mythology so far.” I talked aloud like a normal person would.

The ravens stared at me quizzically and one cocked her head to the side. Wait? How did I know this one was female? I peered at the raven and it peered right back before almost pecking at my nose.

I flinched back and the ravens began to give that laughing, cackling crowing of theirs. I stared at the two and then smirked, using my finger to give the female triangles above and below her eye sockets and then made a line along the male’s beak. “Fine then since the two of you like to laugh so much I’ll name you Joker and Harley.” I said with a smirk.

Both ravens seemed to let out angry squawks at me and I almost took a step back. The two began to claw at their faces and took off all the coal over their heads.

I peered at them a little before I thought of another pair of names. “Dust and Ashes?” I asked and the two stopped mid caw and then looked at one another. The stared at one another for a little while before looking up at me and nodding their heads profusely. “Ok, then Dust and Ashes it is.” I said though I found their names rather cliché as well, I mean I’m a necromancer after all.

With that all out of the way, I began to go over the books a little. To see which ones I had taken from Dunleavy that would prove useful. The first one I looked at was the ‘A Catalogue of Ancient Charms’. The first few pages seemed to indicate that this would be of some use but then I noticed it seemed a little more interested in telling the reader what places have the best charms to buy which made me think these charms are most likely a simple superstition.

I was about two chapters into it before I tossed it into the corner. It wasn’t as useful as I had thought it would be. Next one I went with was ‘The Catalogue of Practical Alchemy’ it seemed to be close to being of some use. It did go through the easiest to make and what those same potions did.

It showed promise but I suspected I had to actually manage to make a few potions before this would translate into a skill.

I began to think a little about some of the few games I had played featuring the undead. There certainly was warcraft three with its scourge faction that used diseases and the like. Perhaps I could create a strong acid and put that in a bottle that fits into the ribcage of birds as suicide attackers.

My mind began to flood with possibilities for a merger with alchemy and my classes. With a smile, I put it into my book satchel as I had decided to have it as, along with my two books from Campbell.

The third was ‘An Examination of White Magic’ and boy did I not enjoy the one chapter of it I read. It was practically a recruitment bible for priests and other holy energy users. There was so pitifully little of any real worth I tossed it at the other useless book when the second chapter was all about Aona and her many great deeds. I decided to make that book into a makeshift torch later.

The last two ‘Essential Enchantments’ and ‘A Discussion of the Maintenance of swords and swordsmanship’ were rather interesting. While the latter didn’t have much in the way of swordsmanship styles it did have good tips and tricks on how to maintain swords and how best to use them to minimize the damage the blades took. Even on proper whetstone use!

The Enchantments made me rather interested in gaining the enchanter skill or class even. The uses this one had were rather great. Simple enchantments which I could carve into my minions to make them tougher or faster for example. I realized I’d have to be smart about this.

I stopped as I closed the enchantments book and frowned. If I had to be smart about this then I’d say my track record for being smart was rather poor. After all, I had managed to be tricked for four years and somehow managed to not learn all that well about the world I was supposedly supposed to safe from a demon lord.

A demon lord I suspect is a huge lie and they essentially used me as their own personal little assassin to allow their armies to conquer more territory.

I frowned before I leaned back and placed my hands against my eyes, letting out a loud exhale as I tried to quell my feelings down. I wasn’t over their betrayal, not in the slightest, in fact, I felt I just grew more determined to get my vengeance while also gaining feelings of frustration at my past self. How had I not seen the signs of the coming betrayal? I can’t believe I had been that naive and they such great actors.

I sighed and began to rub the back of my neck as I closed the satchel and put it next to the rolled-up tent which would go on the saddle.

Let’s see what type of clothing Campbell left me. I made my way to the chest at the foot of the bed and opened it and whistled. Inside was enough clothing to last me a week. With tunics, pants, socks, underwear and even a pair of gloves. They all had the same sort of style and colouring, either dark brown/beige or black, but having enough to switch out if something got too wet or dirty was good.

There was also a pair of bazuband’s, metal armour that went from my forearms to the back of my hand. A sort of concave shape that fits over my entire forearm and was stuck to a chain mail lined clove with straps to tighten it in place.

I tried them on while I had my white carapace active and found it fit over just right. I even managed to fasten it in such a manner I could deactivate and activate the carapace without anyone noticing or causing me any significant discomfort. I continued to marvel at the gifts I had gotten from Zalruk. His gifts were very good for a martial-ish wizard type build as he gave inbuilt armour at will. I’d have to figure out what he liked to drink or eat and give him something, did he eat? He is undead so maybe he doesn’t? Bah, I can’t get too distracted.

With the bazuband’s was also a leather armour that reminded me quite a bit of a sort of stylized Viking armour. It was leather with shoulder guards that had d-rings to strap on a cape to or something like that. I saw fur peak up from around the collar, over the upper arms and then a surcoat of the same greyish fur that reached down to just below my knees. This fur also served to be the outer layer on top of a chain mail armour that covered the shoulders, body and legs, in the same manner, the armour covered. With an inner layer of thick cotton to help with comfort and shock absorption I suspected.

The leather over the chest had the clear feeling of having iron or extra chain mail padding underneath as it had quite a few rivets looking metal studs around it. The leather was also expertly engraved with Norse like knot-work and symbols around the chest and the shoulders, tapering down to a V-shape that went down the middle of the front of the armour.

Then there were two pairs of the same type of boots. I was a little sad there wasn’t any armour specifically for my legs or thighs but then again this was very generous already of Campbell to let me have. Both boots came up to just below my knee and had seven belt-like straps running from the top of my foot to the uppermost part of the boot.

I smiled as I thought that these would keep my legs dry and semi-clean even when walking down a muddy road in the rain.

Then came a cape which could hook into the D-rings on the chest armour. It seemed to be black sheepskin which covered just over my shoulders, down my upper arms and then swept back to my lower back, with a bit of it going over my upper chest. I was glad it had a hood to protect me from the rain.

Then there was a broad belt that seemed around 15 centimetres from top to bottom. With a ring in its centre as it was hooked together behind my back. It was a solid piece of hardened leather that had four small D-rings which I suspected would allow me to hook objects to such as sword sheaths and the like.

In the middle of the ring engraved into the leather was a metal coin around the size of my palm or ten centimetres if I had to guess. Upon this was engraved something I thought I’d never see in this world. A Norse Vegvísir, a rune used to symbolize the hope that the bearer would always find their way to where they wanted to go. It resembled an eight-spoke wheel without the wheel and each spoke ending in a different symbol at each end.

The last I found was a smaller belt which had a brown leather bag which would be at the right side of my waist and it too had a Vegarvísi medal on it’s front right under the leather strap which the closing button would go through.

Then on the other side was a sort of small thigh guard leather piece which had five small flasks strapped to it with a small pouch sewn into the piece next to the horizontal line of flasks with a slightly larger pouch underneath them. Along the left side of this piece were three rings which I realized were there to tie weapons to.

Sure enough, I found a longsword, short sword and dagger in their sheathe at the very bottom of the chest. I arranged the clothing so that I just had what I’d wear left on top of the chest while putting all the extras and food and the like into saddlebags.

I think I have about enough food for around a week. I looked over the map and began to peer at it to try and see if there was any town nearby that I could get more supplies and the like. Maybe some more info too?

I didn’t see much but I thought that if I headed straight down south then I’d come to the capital of the Alocian empire Veta. Which was situated just right between two mountain ranges that hemmed in the desert entrance that the same empire held one half of.

I’d have to traverse through this desert and as down to the south-easternmost tip of the continent to get to Isca. Isca was situated in the middle where a trio of large rivers converged and then headed down to the sea. It would definitely be a long journey that was for sure.

I’d just have to be sure and hope I made good time. I looked sidelong at Svadilfara who was lying lazily near the front door to the house and smiled a little. Since he was dead couldn’t he just run indefinitely? Well, perhaps I’d just have to keep myself going for the while as I had most likely one of the most long-lasting horse in the world.

Perhaps I should go and get him to evolve up a rank again? Would I get a choice in what he’d become then? I mentally rubbed my hands like some sort of supervillain as I cackled in my mind. A legion of Death knights riding horses like Svadilfara at my command, oh the mental image sent a shiver down my spine with delight.

With that in mind, I looked at the map, looking for a suitable place to set up a home base. Should I go the full Arthas route and go up north and build up my forces there? Or somewhere else… The dessert? No, there are already other empires and kingdoms controlling parts of it so that would only invite disaster.

I sighed and rolled up the map and put it into its map case, I noticed it would fit onto my broad belt and smiled. I’d just have to get through that decision after I was done with getting Trolgar out of his predicament. I just hoped he was all right.

I sighed once more as I realized I was supposed to be a “villain” here in this new life. Well, I could be practical and follow a personal code or something. I mean why wouldn’t I try to save the life of someone who saved mine without any prompting to?

It left a bad taste in my mouth and while I’d surely do some rather twisted stuff in the future I’d not go the same route of returning goodwill with betrayal like Aona and her little posse had done.

With those thoughts I went to bed to get up bright and early for the coming trip I was certain I would be heading into.

“I’m an absolute fucking idiot.” I muttered to myself when I left the house the next day. All decked out in my new clothing and armour, the saddle over my shoulder and the saddlebags in my other hand.

I was currently surrounded by not only Wolves, wolfmen and lycans, but Chernobog, the Warg and werewolf were also in the mix. I swallowed a little as the pack I raised surrounded me protectively and Svadilfari with the two ravens on his back stood at my side.

“I don’t suppose you’ll let me leave?” I asked a little nervously. I was certain I could get out before they arrived to attack the town again. I mean didn’t the wolf give until the evening of the seventh day?

“We will.” Chernobog’s bark breaking voice came from him as he made his way to me. “I just realized that you’ll need something on your travels.” He said as he reached out towards me.

I figured that the pack wouldn’t be able to do anything to him so I mentally told them to let him pass. He handed me eight small purple gems that seemed to have no lustre or “life” I’d say in them, like the light that goes out of one's eyes when you die sort of missing feeling to them.

I looked up at Chernobog who seemed amused at my expression.

“Those are simple stones that can hold magic within them. You could use them to give your...” He paused and I saw a look of disgust appear in his eyes as he looked at Svadilfara and the others. “Pet’s..” He emphasised. “The ability to cast a very minor illusion on themselves to make them appear alive.” He said and then took a step away from me.

I looked down at the stones now in my hand and studied them a little more before putting them aside into the side pouch I had on. Then I noticed the werewolf walk up to me and growl something. I swallowed and tried not to show how absolutely terrified I was of the thing.

It continued for a few moments before it handed me something rather strange. The skin of the ogrewolf I had beaten. It was fashioned into an armoured sort of shoulder guard cape. It looked a bit torn in places but it would reach down to my calves and the ogrewolf’s head was used as the right shoulder guard which gave it the look of it snarling out. I loved it!

“I-Is this for me?” I asked as I slowly took it from the werewolf who only stared daggers at Chernobog and snorted before leaving.

“It is your right as the victor.” Chernobog said nodding at me. “I figured you could use a cape.” He said though he noticed the sheepskin cape I had on and I could swear he frowned a little.

“Thank you… Um, do you want me to set this place on fire or?” I then asked after a long and very awkward silence. Chernobog seemed to be deep in thought as he looked over the town before he raised his hand and let out a loud sound. The sound was like a huge tree being broken in half slowly and it was terrible.

The town began to shudder and shake before roots came out of the ground. Piercing through the buildings and breaking those that weren’t built properly. I watched as almost half the town crumbled down while the other half seemed to become the home for a single large tree in each house.

I was awestruck at the sheer display of power over nature itself. I looked at Chernabog and before I knew it I had spoken without thinking. “If I ever manage to become a god I want you in my corner.” I gripped at my mouth when I said that and stared at Chernabog.

He looked at me and he looked rather surprised at what I had said before he suddenly burst out laughing. He continued to laugh loud and hard for almost five minutes before he calmed down again. “You mortals, always aiming above your stations.” He said chuckling a little still.

“You think you have the will, the drive, the ambition and sheer luck it takes to grow from a mortal to a god?” He asked me then and I realized he was making fun of me. Not that I could really blame him.

I shrugged in a ‘I don’t know’ sort of manner and spoke. “I have no idea, just jumped out of my mouth at seeing your power.” I said though my heart was still hammering like a jackrabbit on coke and speed with a jack-hammer. Maybe that analogy had too many jacks in it?

Chernobog seemed very amused before he gestured to the wolves and others who scattered throughout the town. Leaving him, the worg and werewolf behind. “I recommend you leave now.” He said as he gestured to the forest. “I’ll leave the path open to you for two days. Make it out of the forest in that time.” He said sternly and I nodded to him in acknowledgement as I began to put the saddle and gear on Svadilfara.

“Do not kill anything that doesn’t attack you first while leaving these woods. I’ll forgive your pet’s behaviour over the last week but not any longer.” He said sternly and I gulped and nodded profusely at him.

With a slight exhale of exertion, I flung my leg over Svadilfara and mounted him. It was much more comfortable than I had thought it would be. It felt almost just like when I went riding with my dad when I was younger back on earth. I stopped a little and frowned slightly.

Those memories from earth weren’t as hopelessly boring as I had initially thought they were. I missed my parents, my siblings and those few people I called friends. Not to mention the modern conveniences of toilets, showers and phones. I’d kill to have something like a phone that I could use to instantly communicate with.

I realized the communication orb was something similar as I trotted out of the town on Svadilfara’s back with the pack in a sort of arrowhead formation ahead of me. Ash was on my left shoulder while Dust had huddled around behind me between the saddlebags and tent. It almost looked like he was sleeping.

I shook my head a little and continued to think on the communication orb. It kind of sucked that it was only a type of paired communication device that had only one other that was connected to it but with a few of them it might be worth it.

Long-distance operations if I get intelligent enough minions later on, which I suspected a little given how my current minions seemed to be almost slightly smarter versions of the animals they had been before. Perhaps when I get the raise skeleton skill I could get humanoid type skeletal minions which would be around the same intellectually as they had been while alive.

I continued to ponder a little before I realized that once I hit level five with the Necromancer class I’d get another choice between three skills for free. I just had to hope to actually get an upgrade to some of my abilities or better versions.

Perhaps later stages of the raise spectre skill would allow me to make possessed suits of armour? That would be so damn cool! I smiled a little to myself as I looked at the rings on my fingers. I blinked and then raised my hand up, commanding the spectres to come into the rings that housed them and before long I saw four blue streaks come from every direction in the forest and crash into the rings. I could feel the spectres lulling themselves down to rest since they could now.

I supposed they had been rather busy once they had gone off to explore their new bodies and way’s of moving. I just hoped they would come in handy in the future. Perhaps I could set up or make up some sort of simple communication method so I could use them as scouts and spies. I just had to make sure that others wouldn’t be able to see them. I am sure however there are some people that would be capable of, if not seeing, sensing them somehow.

I’d have to find out more about everything on the way. I just hope that the journey won’t be very annoying or dangerous.

After around two hours on horseback I commanded the wolves to go a little off the path to scout around and let me know if there was any danger. Dust was put on top of Svadilfari’s head while Ash was put on top of his rump to watch my back.

While I decided to be a little constructive with my time. I began to read through the necromancer book. Mostly going through some of the build ideas that were outlined in the book.

There were quite a lot of them actually. There was one that focused on plaque control through a mixture with the alchemist class. Another which was apparently named the shadow lord due to working towards the two-fold shadow and shadow repository skills. Apparently Shadowmancer could raise the shadows of defeated creatures or from the realms of shadow as his minions. These minions could them be stored in the two-fold shadow skill while the shadow repository would basically give me access to my own personal bag of holding that I could reach into at will.

I smiled a little at that build. Being able to just carry my own personal little army of the dead with me was rather attractive. There was also the enchanter type of build that did it so that the necromancer could enhance his minions. There was also a bone builder which focused solely on skeletal minions coupled with a craftsman type of class would allow for the building of rather impressive skeletal creatures.

I was starting to be rather giddy. I really wanted to be able to summon all types of undead but I thought I should at least raise some magically adept intelligent undead to increase my possible creations. Not to mention controlling undead that could control their own little armies would be extremely useful.

I looked up at the sky and imagined using a flying dragon or wyvern as a mount. A death knight order centred on aerial combat and possible bombing and terror tactics. I smiled at the thought.

“I’d love a huge dragon skeleton. If it’s big enough maybe we could build a small base in its ribs?” I said aloud and got a snort from Svadilfara as if he was saying. ‘Dude?! You just got me, maybe try being a bit more realistic?’ I chuckled though the thought of such large flying creatures as mobile troop transports and siege weapons did sound very attractive.

I shook my head and began to continue lazily flip through the book. I noticed that there was a type of undead I hadn’t thought of before. Something called a hybrid undead, mixing one of either fleshly, skeletal or spiritual types to another. As I saw that, the words on the note on the raise spectral minions skill came to me. “That old bastard.” I laughed as I figured out what he was on about, raising a skeletal minion and a spectral minion into the same vessel could really bring about some rather dangerous creatures. Was that perhaps how I’d be able to create liches and the like? More and more things to research, experiment and work with.

I simply smiled as I finished flipping through the book, putting it away into my satchel before I decided to read better through the alchemy book. Calling two of the wolves to my side and telling them to go and find some of the herbs that were depicted in the book. I’d just put them away in a pouch for now. I had enough cloth scraps to wrap them up to segregate them in the pouch so it should work out somehow.

I spent the remainder of the day and the next simply reading through the books as I had Svadilfara ride along the path. I managed to gather quite a lot of herbs and plant materials for alchemy I just had to get an alchemical kit. Which was on the list to buy though at the top was my own bag of holding along with something that would allow me to disguise my minions.

I only slept around seven or eight hours each night, counting on my minions to guard me while I slept. It was a bit tedious and my ass wasn’t exactly my greatest fan given the long time in the saddle. I guessed I just needed my riding ass to build up so long journey’s like this wouldn’t just kill my backside. It was worse than when I just sat throughout a day in front of the computer and my rear grew a sort of painfully numb kind of feeling.

At the time of the sunset for the last day, I came to the edge of the deep-woods. I raised my hands up in victory and I knew I’d never have made it out this soon if I had done it on my own. I turned to look back at the forest and bowed my head in thanks. “Thank you for your mercy and guidance Chernobog. I wish you the best.” I said towards the forest, I knew he must be so far away he’d never hear me no matter how hard I’d scream but I felt I needed to at least thank him.

When I got out of the thicket of the forest I saw a large plain before me. Rocky outcroppings and tiny hilly areas dotted the land. On one side I saw the tips of mountains in the far distance and I could swear I could see a road a kilometre or two in the distance.

“Garmur.” I said in a low tone and I noticed the pack around me stiffen to almost military discipline levels and Garmur looked towards me. “Go and scout the road and area around it. Stealth is to be used and avoid being seen at all costs. If you see any people on the road or vicinity I want to know where and how many. We clear?” I ordered and looked down at him.

He let out a sharp bark as if saying ‘Yes Sir!’ before nodding his head at me and then he and the pack darted forwards into the darkening landscape. I tapped my leg against Svadilfara’s flank out of habit and he began to trot forwards in an almost lazy jog.

I tapped the side of his neck. “You’ve been great Svadilfari, I don’t think I’ll ever need a different horse ever again.” I said praising him to which he seemed to give out a self-indulgent snort like he was saying ‘of course man. I mean I’m the greatest horse that ever died’. I kept my snicker of amusement at that in my head.

Before long Garmur came to me and with a bark caused me to follow him. I came to a rising hill and saw a caravan on the side of the road. A horde of little blue, orange and dark green creatures were attacking the caravan. One of the carriages had been flipped on its side while one had two wheels broken and the third on fire. What was left was around four other carriages with people huddling against them while I smiled at those defending.

Adventurers, at least one mage in the group too. There was around ten of them though I suspected they had lost some of their number as what was against them were around twenty to thirty of the little creatures.

“Now what to do? Save or wait for them all to die?” I mused to myself as I watched the havoc happening around two minutes away at a full gallop.