Surrounded by swiftly walking zombies, outnumbered, I was not afraid of them. No, I was afraid for Cera.

Why is he headed in that direction? What is it that's drawing the necromancer towards Cera's cabin?

Unable to find an answer, I try to calm my turmultous thoughts to focus on the task at hand of catching up to him. As for the zombies? Despite their number the necromancer controlling them has left the area, and unless he's emplaced something to keep them powered while he's gone, they shouldn't be a threat, working off of back up stores of death energy.

What is to be an issue is that they're a literal meat shield, and despite my ability to slice through a man with ease I can't do that on one foot. Doing that attack also uses up death energy, but this isn't ever an issue since I've only used it on the living, meaning I more than make up for cost by the returns. Against zombies, or any undead for that matter, is less cost efficient.

This is because of the fact that an undead creature's energy is more chaotic, having been retained by force instead of dispersing. Furthermore they're using up the energy themself to just stay moving. Fighting them will only slow me down and weaken me before fighting the necromancer.

If I can even catch up to him on one foot...damn, I don't have many options...

Oh! That's right, they're zombies. Memories of my time as an undead underling surface, particularly my command over them.

I don't know if it was because I was able to think, was a fellow zombie, or if it was something else entirely, I wonder if it'll work on these zombies?

It's possible, and I might even be able to hi-jack them to my own service through a manner similar to when I raised Ray, except without the retention of his soul since they're all already husks.

Supplying a few of them with power to carry me after the necromancer would be a better use of my power than just killing zombies, and I've plenty enough stored from having just killed so many bandits.

By this time in my planning, the zombies have neared with around a meter between us, and I hastily begin trying to order them.

"Stop." I say with as much force as I can muster, trying to stay calm knowing that failure at this will lead to Cera being....I don't want to imagine it.

The results were awkward. The zombies responded to my command with their lifeless gazes swiveling to look me in the face, eyes vacant of life but yet clearly showing a symptoms of servitude to my command. Before long, however, it vanishes as they're once more retaken by their orders to kill whoever comes out of the cave, whether they're the invader or bandit.

I try once more, with more force this time.

"Stop!"

They again appear to look at me with subservience, much more clear this time, but like before they revert to moving towards me, although the time to return to this state was longer than before.

I despair, not knowing what to do, before I get an idea. Along the same lines of my confidence in facing the necromancer, the energy of death that I am powered by has the blessing of Death imbued within. To that end, would not combining it with my command wrestle them from the necromancer's order?

As for simply imbueing my energy directly into them to take over, it's necessary to turn the zombies inert, otherwise their programming prevents the attempted hijacking as their energy is working to accomplish these goals. A more experienced manipulator of death could probably do it, but I've only begun on the road to learning the intricacies of death.

Steeling my resolve, for the third time I command them.

"Stop!"

This time, however, I had tried releasing a wave of my death energy along with it. Considering that I lack in manipulating death, I lost quite a bit of energy due to waste, but I was still within the green compared to trying to force my way through.

The result was immediately noticeable.

The previously vacant eyes gained more than a look of subservience, they acquired another light within their dead eyes, an incredible thing to behold. A look of reverence.

They remained still, and not one wavered in following my command.

I can only thank Death for this, her dominion over all death clearly showing through in the looks these zombies are giving me.

Calming myself, having been prepared for battle with one foot and the will to use all I have in my stores to race after that necromancer.

Now, as far as I'm aware, I have a loyal gathering of subjects. The first order of business is to find a group to carry me after the necromancer. These I will need to link with to feed power. The rest I will leave inside the caves.

They'll be able to subsist on the lingering death that'll accumulate from the corpses of the bandits I killed inside.

"The four fastest of you come here." I use my best authoritative voice, not up to drill master standards, but thankfully the zombies don't need to be cowed into following my orders.

After a moment of shuffling, four lithe former bandits step up to me. Their thin frames however will serve in carrying me, since they're zombies and possess more strength than the a regular person.

After some more orders, the rest of the zombies filing into the mine cave, we set off towards the necromancer. The pace we set is far faster than what I could do on one foot, but I'm still anxious. I don't know how long the necromancer has been on the move, and he's as capable as an undead in traversing without rest, since he can use death energy as a substitute to a break.

I can only hope he does take breaks, conserving his power, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The trail I'm following is growing thinner throughout the chase as well, increasing my already tense emotions to the breaking point. The trail should remain, or even grow in strength, since we're going full speed after him. A mage shouldn't be able to match our speed...

The journey itself went by smooth save for a few accidents costing us time, due to the terrain and our own speed causing less than sure footing on already poorly coordinated creatures.

Reaching the cabin, my chest about to burst despite my unbeating heart, I'm greeted by the zombified corpse of one of the bastards I killed earlier today, his half a body crawling towards me. No sign of Cera.

By this point my thoughts are a mass of frenzied worries and fears, and I swiftly end the miserable creature. With as much will as I can muster, I calm myself to think about my next action. It is then I remember the zombies I used to get here in the first place. I'll use them.

"Search the area for a little girl, her safety is a priority."

I haven't any fear of the necromancer taking over these zombies, having already connected to them to increase their speed.

Another worry surfaces in my mind. 'I had these guys super charged all the way over here, and he still left us in the dust...'

Whatever is going on with this necromancer, it's not good.

I feel a tug from one of the zombies via our connection, signalling me he found something. Without any care for dignity I scramble over as fast as I can with a severed foot.

I arrive to find him standing in front of something, something I feel like I know already.

I slow my pace, steeling myself at what I'm going to find. I order the zombie aside.

What's revealed....is Cera. Lying dead on the group, with what looks to be a chunk of her missing from her side.

I....I just wanted to keep you safe, to atone for what I did. Why did you have to die? I only left for a day, you didn't deserve this...

Dropping to my knees beside her, thoughts like these consume my mind.

But then I noticed. It was almost imperceivable but I noticed. I can only attribute finding it to that small corner of my mind holding out hope, despite the overwhelming evidence to crush it. However, it's because of this baseless hope I sensed it.

Cera wasn't yet dead. She lay unmoving, her chest no longer breathing, but I could feel it in her body that her heart still beat. Her tenacity to live left me in awe, before I quickly got to work. Keeping her alive was an impossibility at this point, the bite too large to staunch, the bloodloss too great. But there is something I can still do. I can bring her back soul intact.

I sit still, a sense of calm coming over my mind. This is somethign I can do, that I must do. With this I accept what I must do. I open up a connection between us, and feel out for her soul.

Finding it, I'm surprised at it's appearance. Her soul is much brighter than mine, or what Ray's was. Marvelling at it, when it flickers it's only then I notice how close it is at leaving its vessel, and I quickly set to work at tying it down with my energy.

With that done....I have to order her soul to remain. Something I don't want to do, just because of how painful the process is. But keeping Cera alive is priority. With that, steeling my resolve, I order her soul with as much softness as I can bring forth, as if trying to make up for the incoming pain.

"Stay..."

My voice trails off as I see Cera's face scrunch up, followed by a look of contentment underneath her raven hair. Seeing this eases the weight on my own soul, though I don't know why she has that look of contentment after literal soul wrenching pain..

But her soul has stayed. This alone lets me release all the tension that had been built up on my mad rush over here from the bandit camp. As an undead I shouldn't be able to feel fatigue, but right now I feel like sleeping.

Settling down beside Cera, sitting in a meditative pose, to my surprise I find myself losing consciousness...

It seems I really am tired.

But, why?