Chapter 32: The Searcher

After receiving the tip from Master Urah, my group went to investigate it.

We started our errand to get the bones of a Reaper quickly. We were running, and without the need to stop, we were able to reach our destination a few hours after we left Horgen.

While we traveled, I was able to get to know Ran, Mel, and Mag more. These three guys were part of the original group that I had when we escaped the North Region. From the terrible Humans.

Idmon: "(t) How are we doing, guys?"

Mel: "We're good!"

Ran: "..."

Mag: "Yes, yes. Lord Idmon. Good."

Idmon: "(t) Let's keep going."

I learned that these guys were friends back when they were alive. They were kids from a village in the Central Region, back then when they were still villages.

They were playing around in the forest, and then they were killed by the sudden appearance of an undead army. They were turned into undead to serve the Skeleton King.

It was a miracle that they had stayed together after all those years. They said that even though when all that they could feel and think was hatred towards the living, something inside told them that they should stick together. No matter what.

Mel: "Let's be brothers, and we will be together forever! All 3 of us!"

Even though Ran was a girl, they still became brothers at heart.

"Yeah!" All 3 of them shouted.

This memory was the one that kept them sane even after all the things they've done as a servant of the Skeleton King.

.

.

.

We've arrived.

We were at the entrance of a tomb. This tomb should be the place that the letter from Master Urah stated.

There was no door, so we just went in.

It looked like a tomb of a noble. From what I remember, these tombs belong to members of the Royal Family.

Huh?

How do I know this stuff? I tried to remember more, but everything else was kind of blurry.

As we were walking further in, we saw it.

There was a desk filled with books, scrolls, and other stuff.

It was all over the place. Whoever owns these do not want to clean.

A chair and a Skeleton was sitting on it. It seems to be holding a pen.

It looks like this Reaper, who ran out of negative energy. Maybe hiding away for too long tends to drain your energy and eventually will be the cause of your death or the end of your existence.

What to do? I wanted to take the bones right away, but I got a feeling that I need to talk to this guy first.

Idmon: "(t) Ran, Mag, look around and see if you can find something useful. Spellbooks or maps."

Mag: "Yes, Lord Idmon."

Ran: "..."

Idmon: "(t) Mel, ready your weapon."

Mel: "Yes!"

Idmon: "(t)If something goes wrong, I want you to hit this guy in the skull with all the force that you have. Or if I told you too."

Mel: "Yes! Milord!"

Mel was already a Skeleton Champion. He was a melee warrior that was in the 4th tier level from the monster registry. I believe his attack can damage a 5th tier level with his strength.

He was wielding a war hammer with one hand and shield on the other.

I cast on the skeleton. I tried it before on lifeless skeletons, and I was able to raise them from death.

Let's see if it works on a high-level skeleton.

It was glowing purple now. I could see the lights in its eye sockets flickering—purple flames.

Then suddenly.

A ! It was covering him now. We jumped back in surprise.

Mel: "(t) Hit him!"

Mel hit him as hard as he can but-

The hammer which he was holding was pulled into the mantle

without any resistance.

"Woah!"

It suddenly spoke, so we jumped back from surprise.

Reaper: "Hey, hey, easy..."

Idmon: "(t) What is this?"

From my perspective, it looked like the Reaper was afraid of us. He'd looked intimidating if he wasn't scared. He was floating around with a large that looked like a portal to hell itself

Reaper: "Hey, I don't want any trouble, okay?"

Idmon: "(t) We're not here to cause trouble. We want to know who you are and what we're even you doing here?"

Reaper: "Telepathy... I think I am mistaken. Did you ask me a question? Hey?"

Idmon: "(t) Yes, I did."

Reaper: "Woah!"

Now, he was the one who jumped back from surprise.

Reaper: "You're conscious!"

Idmon: "(t) Yes, I am."

Reaper: "That's impossible... You were able to break away from the grasp of the Skeleton King?"

Idmon: "(t) He's dead already, or what I should say is that he stopped existing for a while now."

Reaper: "Oh... I was asleep then for a very long time. It would take a long time before a hero could appear. Someone who can take down the Skeleton King himself."

He was holding his chin. He seems to be thinking of something.

Reaper: "How many years has it been since the fall of the Central Region? And I believe this is the South Region. What are you guys doing so far from the base of the Skeleton King? Last time I was awake, we had orders to establish a castle in the North Region. Were they not successful?"

Idmon: "(t) Sorry, first of all, I don't know the format of the time around here, and we barely escaped from the North Region. They were successful at first, but the humans evolved into something we could not beat, and eventually, we lost the war."

Reaper: "Evolved? How? Did they turn into demons?"

Idmon: "(t) No, we even had the demons and beasts on our side. We were desperate when the war was ending, but it was not enough. For me, I will describe it as humans evolved in the way that they were able to reach their fullest potential."

Reaper: "Oh, so that's what happened."

Idmon: "(t) So, what were you doing here when that was happening?"

Ran, Mel, and Mag were standing on the side listening to us.

Reaper: "I was researching. About how could an undead be conscious, or is it possible for the undead to retain its memories from when the person was alive. Something like that. But to see one right in front of me, it is something else."

Idmon: "(t) Aren't you also conscious? What's more, is you have been from the time of the Skeleton King. Right?

Reaper: "Yeah, I thought I was unique. When everyone was turning into undead back then, I hid here, but I was already in the process of turning into a skeleton back then. So after I while, I became a Reaper here in this tomb."

He took some of the scrolls from the table.

Reaper: "I've written everything here."

After I read his scroll, what happened is that he was not able to follow the Skeleton King's order since he was imprisoned here.

The Skeleton King wouldn't waste any effort in retrieving a single Reaper it seems.

Still, it is written here that he went through hell.

Reaper: "I was receiving orders from the Skeleton King telepathically. I believe it was the same for everyone. My body was trying to break these walls and go to the Skeleton King's side, but it was not able too."

He looked like he did not want to remember it.

Reaper: "After years of not being able to follow his orders, I was able to get back my sanity and with it my consciousness."

What would happen is, when the Skeleton King moved his army towards the north, his power over this Reaper weakened.

Idmon: "(t) I see. By the way, what should I call you?"

The Searcher: "I can't remember... You can call me The Searcher. It just feels right with me."

Idmon: "(t) Okay, my real goal was to get your bones so I could get the powers of a Reaper."

The Searcher: "Woah! You can do that?"

Idmon: "(t) Yes, but it seems like I can't just get it from you now your awake, right?"

The Searcher: "Yeah... I don't want to float around limbless, you know."

Hmm.

Idmon: "(t) Is it okay for you to join our army instead? We need your powers."

The Searcher: "Okay... but I haven't been to a battle before. I know how my spells and skills work. I still don't know if I could be of help, though."

Idmon: "(t) It's okay, you'll get the hang of it, and I need your research anyways. They are all about the undead, right?"

The Searcher: "Yeah... I did nothing but research and write..."

It turned out okay in the end. We got a Reaper Researcher.

Idmon: "(t) Mel, Mag, Ran, carry all these papers and books to the fort."

Mel: "Yes, milord!"

Ran: "..."

Mag: "As you wish."

The Searcher was amazed.

"There are more of you guys? Conscious Undead?

"We have an army of them."

After that, he excitedly joined our group.

A Reaper searching for answers? It seems that there will be another person in my group of oddities.