Ezra's POV

Why did I try to look so cool yesterday? Extinguishing the fire, releasing my aura to make it older in the room... Maybe he will think of me as a bully? I mean... Me? A bully? I slid open the coffin and yawned. An oval-shaped face met mine. I blinked.

"Master, are you thirsty?" Alyss asked, her face centimetres away. I let a laugh slip out as I noticed her face. She had put make up on, a human invention, but failed miserably, lipstick all over the area of her mouth and not just her lips. I wondered how. I mean, I found her in a human farmers' village, but didn't all human female know how to use make-up?

"I'm fine," I said in return and gently pushed her face away, rising from the coffin. "Can you get my clothes?"

"Oh master," she said, blushing, not fazed for being pushed away. "I like you better without. Like this." she looked at my private parts shyly.

"Alyss," I said in a firmer voice. This damn girl, I knew she had become infuriated with me the moment after I bit her neck and turned her. Maybe even before, as I lured her away from the town. Now afterwards, a small part of me regretted ever having made that decision.

She shrugged her shoulders and showed me a defeated smile. After bringing me my clothes, she sat on the side of my coffin and watched me get dressed. "Master, please be careful out there, okay?" she said sincerely. "Alyss may fool around a lot, but she really can't live without her master."

I knew what she said was true. Although she liked to play around, she did her best to satisfy me. Even to the point where she tried to put on makeup even though she always failed.

"I know, Alyss. And don't worry, I won't die. I'm stronger than most." I said as I left the room.

John's Pov

It startled me as the vampire came in the morning, actually trying to make eye contact with me. As he captured my gaze, he smiled. I didn't know what else to do so I shot him one back, uncertain to why he his actions were so friendly. No higher ranked undead being acted like this, so I thought, maybe Necromancer Ferguson had told him to be nice to me.

We left the forge without wasting much time. My bone sword and lucky thrown made stake-shield was strapped to my back as my rags fluttered in the gentle wind. Maybe it was time to get som new clothes. The vampire's clothing was quite stylish, a lot better than mine. As we left the black walls which towered high into the air, the vampire told me. "Call me Ezra, okay? And feel free to ask me about anything. I’ve been in the living world for a few years longer than you."

I nodded.

The black castle was erected on a barren land. Everything I could see for miles was an endless expanse of golden yellow and orange reddish in the horizon. There were some mountains on the horizon, but they were too far away and so they blurred forth and back in the heat. When I was lead here, we had walked during the night, and so I hadn't seen all this. It was a beautiful sight, somehow a bit familiar.

"Did you make that shield yourself?" Ezra asked me as we were walking.

I found his gaze looking at the shield strapped to my back. "Y–yeah," I answered.

"You know, it's not like I'm gonna attack you or something during the trip. I'm your ally," he said.

I stared at him with a puzzled look.

He shook his head and touched the area around his heart. "Never mind. I easily get nostalgic."

We both stayed silent for a while. He cleared his throat. "Hey, do you know why we are here?"

I looked at him like a question mark.

"I mean– what's the point of all this? You forging weapons, us crossing the desert– you know why?

This time I was the one to shake my head.

"Then, do you know about the contested territory of the endless wasteland?"

I shook my head a second time.

"What about the five factions? And how they formed?"

And a third time.

Ezra laughed. "Do you want to know? There's nothing else to do during the journey than to walk and talk."

I nodded.

"Talk and don't answer with you damn skull. If not I'll just keep quiet." humphed the vampire

I nodded slowly. "I want to know."

"Alright, let's start with our purpose for coming here. To the mortal world. " Ezra said. "It's very simple. To conquer everything. To punish the living. And to place our banner on the continent as kings. Any questions?"

"I–l remember big master talking about that," I said, gathering courage enough to speak out.

"Oh, you mean Ozerath Kazaar? The leader of our faction?" Ezra asked.

I nodded. "Yes. B-but here's something I wonder about. Why do we want to punish the living? What have they done to us?"

The vampire instantly quieted down. He touched the place of his heart again and then said. "It's different for all undead. For me, It's survival. If we loose, if my master, Necromancer Ferguson, gets killed, I will get sent to the underworld again. And the underworld, it's countless of times worse than here. It's different for you, though, so I can understand your doubt."

I frowned. "Why is it different to me?"

"Because you won't go back to the underworld. You are simply the soul of a dead person, dragged from the first layer of the underworld into a couple of bones. I mean this with no offence, but it's true. And if you die, then your soul will simply disintegrate. Why? Because your soul is what fuels the bones to move. On the other hand, if the one who summoned you dies, nothing will happen to you. You are, and forever will be, free. One of the perks of being a skeleton, I guess."

I walked in quiet. It was a lot to take in.

"Now, about the contested territory of endless wastelands." the vampire continued. "Long ago, when the continent was born, thousands of races fought against each other. There were no borders, no peace treaties. No, there was nothing of the kind. It was an all-out battle for survival. And this region we are in right now, the endless wasteland, is the core of the continent and also the place where the most gruesome battles took place. That's the reason for why it's nowadays known as a wasteland. Because the earth itself lacks the will to live after all slaughter that took place, transforming everything into a land of death.

"Why did they fight?" I asked.

"Resources. Territory. The reason is many in between." Ezra answered. "One of the main reasons, though, is the myth about the land of God. It's said that if one race can defeat all other, then they can take their people to the promised land of the gods where no death or misfortune can occur. A reward for all the brutish fighting I guess. A bit shady in my opinion though."

"Land of the gods? Where is that?" I remember Eve saying her master was a god. Maybe he resided there.

Ezra shook his head. "No one knows. It's said that the greater beings came from there to here, but they are long gone - extinct, cursed with a low reproduction rate. In the end, the original inhabitants of the continent overpowered them."

"The original inhabitants?

The vampire nodded. "Remember when I asked you about the five factions? They are the original inhabitants. Well, more or less. The weak were sorted out and one more faction was added. We were that fifth faction. The undead – born after the great continental war where the four factions fought with the greater beings, sowed into existence from the grudge and hate of the defeated."

I had to carefully investigate this by myself sometime. It felt a bit clingy to ask him about every single detail.

"Currently, we are fighting a war here in the endless wasteland, seeking to obtain the territory."

"Why?" I asked. "This desert contains nothing, you said so yourself."

Ezra laughed. "Listen, it's not because of the land itself. It's the position. From here, we can attack the humans to the east, the forest rulers to the west and the mountain reigners to the south. It's perfect for the ambition of our great master."

Ezra kept talking to me about this and other similar things throughout the day.

I learned a lot. One of the things we talked about was the beastmen. They were one of the five factions and It was a mystery how they survived on this piece of barren land, the endless wasteland.

"Where do the beastmen live?" I asked.

"I'm not sure– no one is, actually. " said the vampire. "they appear and leave like shadows. When they attack our main stronghold, which is quite often, they come from different directions every time. We've wanted to find out for a while, where they live, where their base is, but it's proven to be, well, more difficult than expected, even with the language barrier

"I see," I said. "by the way, aren't you– ah– vulnerable to sunlight?

"Me? No, no, that's only true for normal vampires," said Ezra and drank from a sheepskin buckle before tossing it away. I could see the faint trace of red on the vampire's pale lips afterwards. "We who originally walk the night aren't affected– well– except for a small decrease in strength. While we're at it, it's a damn shame you're a skeleton."

"Why?"

"That– eh, look, I've been at it with these buckles for months." he turned around and pointed at the sheepskin buckle he threw away a moment ago. "and I wouldn't mind a– a fresh refill."

"You... are you really my ally?" I asked, understanding what he meant.

Ezra looked me up and down. "Heh, as dry as you look, I wouldn't worry too much."

We set up camp around noon, close to a canyon, fearing the beastmen scouts that patrolled around in the desert. Therefore, we decided to resume our journey after nightfall where they should be less active.

"Ezra, do you know how to handle a sword?"

"You mean if I'm any good with a sword?"

I nodded.

He laughed. "I tell you what– find someone who can best me under Ferguson's command and I'll treat you to a meal."

"I'm a skeleton. I don't eat."

Ezra looked at me without saying anything. I gulped.

"I mean, I'll be glad to have you treat me to– heh– a meal," I said and then took a deep breath before asking as sincerely as possible. "Ezra, can please you teach me?"

Ezra seemed to be in deep thought for a moment but then nodded. "I guess it can only increase the chance of us getting to the camp so why not. Come, let me see what you can do," he said and unsheathed the sword by his waist.

I also grabbed the handle of my sword from my back. My bone sword.

He nodded. I nodded back and charged. I held the iron sword in one hand and slashed from the side.

Ezra parried with ease and deflected my sword with even less effort, causing it to slip from my hand and spin in the air before landing a few meters away.

After the exchange of blows, the vampire seemed thoughtful for a moment before nodding.

"I see, you certainly wouldn't last even a single blow from a beastman." said Ezra.

I caressed my throat. "Not even one?"

Ezra laughed. "We should be able to resolve that problem though. Alleviate, at the very least " he gestured for me to pick up the sword. "Now, before you recklessly charge in again, look at my stance. Can you see anything different?

I picked up the sword and looked at the vampire. Wait.. I noticed how the vampire stood a bit different from how he used to stand. His knees were deeper than normal and his whole figure was a bit crouched. He stood in a position where his sword arm was in front of his chest and shoulder, making his figure twisted.

Almost as if the sword was a shield. A protection for the body.

I tried to copy it, first bending my knees and crouching down. I noticed how I felt able to generate more explosive power from my legs than before. I then raised my right arm and held it in front of my body, turning my torso forty-five degrees to the left side, still keeping my head facing forward.

[ You have learnt a new skill from observing Vampire Ezra's stance!]

[Passive] Basic One-hand Sword Stance (Rank 1)

– A stance widely spread across the world, used by all races.

Effects: +3% agility.

"Ahh!"I shouted, coming to a realisation.

"Good, now pick up the sword." ordered Ezra.

This magical system – again! It really made life simpler!

As I used the stance Ezra taught me, I felt much lighter.

Ezra nodded with praise. "Come."

"Ok, here I go!"

I stepped forward with my right foot and then followed with my left from behind, never once breaking the stance. I quickened up the last step with my right foot, followed by my left, and swung my sword in the same path as I did earlier.

Sadly, the result was the same.

"Better, but you must use your waist and not just your whole arm," said Ezra after parrying and dismantling me of my weapon. "Like this!"

Ezra stepped forward with his pivot foot and swung the sword, twisting his whole body toward the direction the sword was slashing at. It was the same swing I had performed, but the result was very much different.

Before I could even react, Ezra's sword was already by my throat, just an inch away from severing my skull from my body. In that split second, I wondered if having my skull removed would kill me. If not, what could kill me?

"Only by using your waist as your core, letting your arm follow your waist, and your sword follow your arm, will you be able to exert the maximum amount of strength," explained Ezra. "do you understand?"

"I think so," I said, using my bony index finger to push away Ezra's sword.

"Think about it like this," said Ezra after noticing my hesitation. "Imagine that your power starts from your feet and moves through your whole body. From your feet to your knees, from your knees to your waist, from your waist to your elbow, and from your elbow to your hand, which will work as the controller for where you want to hit."

"Okay, I think I understand what you mean. Let me try one more time," I said.

"Wait, just one more thing." intercepted Ezra. "If you are going to swing from your right side with a diagonal slash, your last step must be with your left foot. In the last second, put the opposite foot from where you are striking from and press down with it before you do what I told you to maximise the power. This action will make sure you have firm balance as well as more power leading through your body and out through your sword. If you don't use your left foot and instead hide it behind your right foot, your body will be much more closed, and you won't be able to generate a lot of power nor have the ability to change your striking target with your wrist at the last second."

"Okay, so if I'm making a diagonal slash from the right, I should move my left foot last, and if I make a diagonal slash from my left side, I should move my right foot last?" I asked.

"You got it." smiled Ezra.

"Okay, so like this?"

I stepped forward with my right foot and then quickly with my left, placing it in front my right, and pressed down. I then used the momentum from my foot and lead it through my body, using it to diagonally slash down from my right.

[You have learned a new skill from observing Vampire Ezra!]

[Active] Diagonal Slash (Rank 1)

– One of the most commonly used sword moves.

Effects: +15% damage

[You have learned a new skill from observing Vampire Ezra!]

[Passive] Twisting Power (Rank 1)

– An uncommon method that maximises a swordsman's power usage.

Effects: +2% Strenght

"You learn very quickly." Ezra praised me as trained.

"Thank you," I said.

During the day when the sun was at its peak and beastman scouts were riding around in the scorching, Ezra and I trained together. While it wasn't much of a training for Ezra, who already was level hundred, it was for me. I learned Diagonal Slash, Basic One-hand Sword Stance, Twisting Power, Pierce, Parry and Sidestep. Each of the skills came with their own usages, and I now felt much more secure in the wastelands.