Talia sat on the floor, her knees clutched to her chest as she rocked back and forth. Tucker’s soft snores echoed from where he slept in another corner. The mysterious cottage, which had sprung up out of nowhere, only had two bedrooms, one of which was occupied by the bearded man and his blonde companion. The bear had taken the other as his own, which left Tucker and Talia to make their own accommodations in the common area. Due to the grueling pace they’d set through the mountains, Talia was the only one who hadn’t dropped into unconsciousness as soon as they were safe. It had been two days since their escape from Micayne and the tower, and Talia was exhausted – not as tired as she should have been, but before her ordeal, she’d have dropped from fatigue within a few hours of the battle. Still, exhausted as she was, sleep remained elusive.

For what felt like the hundredth time, she opened her status and inspected the numbers that represented who she was. They were unchanged from the last time, but she still stared at them in awe.

Name

Talia Nightingale

Class

n/a

Level

15

Race

Awakened Revenant [Human] (G)

Alignment

Unchosen

Achievements

Progenitor, Bane of Goblins I, The Brink of Death, Mostly Dead, Abyssal Fortitude, Rebirth, Undead

Strength

100

Agility

117

Dexterity

100

Endurance

120

Vitality

0

Intelligence

79

Wisdom

79

Unassigned Attribute Points

0

Her stats were everything she could’ve hoped for. She was stronger, faster, and far more durable than she ever thought possible. On top of that, she still possessed plenty of intelligence and wisdom to use some of the more mana intensive skills. In the past, she would’ve been thrilled, if for no other reason than that she could now progress the way she wanted. By the time she reached level twenty-five, which was possible now that she had an evolved race, she would be capable of standing toe-to-toe with anyone.

However, that had all come at a terrible price. She was undead, now. That fact still hadn’t completely sunk in, but there was no denying what she was. Especially after what she’d been forced to do in the wake of the battle. The alchemist’s potion had helped, but without any vitality of her own, Talia’s wounds had been reluctant to close. So, after re-reading the description of her new race, she had been forced to resort to drastic measures.

A tremble went up her spine as she remembered the almost metallic taste of a stray caprid’s heart. That wasn’t the worst of it, though. No – the worst part was the feeling of vitality suddenly coursing through her body. With blood dripping down her chin, it was an explosion of pure ecstasy the likes of which she’d never felt. And despite her revulsion at eating another creature’s raw heart, she desperately wanted more. She was also terrified that the hunger would one day consume her entirely.

To distract herself, Talia redirected her attention to her skills menu. Like her status page, it had been changed beyond recognition, and though she could read the new descriptions, she still had little idea what any of the new versions of her skills were capable of. She’d used two of them during the battle with her captors and his minions, but it would take far more experimentation before she could even begin to consider herself comfortable with any of them. Still, she found herself inspecting each in turn:

[Circle of Death] (G) – Once a skill of healing, Circle of Mending has been corrupted by undeath, becoming a purely destructive force. Using this skill will send a pulse of decay in a circle around the user. Upgradeable.

Talia had used the skill during the fight against Micayne, and it had been powerful enough to stagger even him. The man had been level twenty-five for ages and had once been a companion of Lady Constance herself. His strength was unquestioned. And Talia, despite her low level, had hurt him, albeit only a little. That was proof enough of her new skill’s power.

But as strong as it was, its unquestionably evil nature also made her supremely uncomfortable. Then again, she was now undead, wasn’t she? Perhaps she should embrace the change the Framework had forced upon her. That thought brough her to the next skill:

[Plague Strike] (G) – Purify was once dedicated to the eradication of disease, but the undead corruption has left it transformed and its purpose cursed. Using this skill will coat the user’s claws in a powerful disease that will inflict rot on anyone in her way.

Corruption. That seemed to be a theme of her new existence. She had been corrupted by the curse of undeath, and so too had her skills been altered in kind. She would never heal again; that much was obvious. But was that so bad? She hadn’t hated healing, but she’d always resented that her mother had forced her into that role. Now, she could be the frontline fighter she’d always dreamed of becoming. And all it had cost was her living soul.

Pushing that dark thought from her mind, Talia moved onto the next skill:

[Focused Reformation] (G) – Once Meditation, this skill has shifted its focus from the regeneration of the mind to repairing an undead body. Once per day, the skill’s user may rapidly regenerate damaged flesh, though doing so will require increased consumption of fuel.

Fuel, Talia thought, bowing her head at the memory of eating the caprid’s still-warm heart. Was it really wrong to enjoy something that she knew she’d have to do again? She wasn’t human anymore, right? She couldn’t be blamed for acting according to her new nature.

It was a perfectly rational thought, but though her body had descended into undeath, her mind was still entrenched among the living. And that part of her rebelled against the idea of eating a creature’s still-beating heart, much less enjoying it. Hunger and revulsion warred inside of her until she pushed it aside and focused on her final skill:

[Alacrity of Undeath] (G) – A skill usually reserved for unthinking zombies, the unevolved version of Alacrity of Undeath activates instinctually, usually when a zombie detects prey. The evolution from (H) to (G)-Grade brings conscious control. Doubles the effect of agility and dexterity, allowing the user to move far more rapidly. Upgradeable.

It was an extremely powerful skill, and not just because of the stated effects. More agility and dexterity were extraordinarily useful, but what really set it apart was its low cost. Talia had activated it during the fight with Micayne and his thralls, and from that usage, she could infer that she could keep it activated for hours at a time due to her deep mana pool. It was the only thing that had allowed her to keep up in that battle, and though she was no expert in available skills, she suspected that it was only as powerful as it was because of her race change.

However, it was also troubling in that she hadn’t chosen the skill herself. Nor was it like her other skills, which had been twisted by her transformation into a revenant. Instead, the Framework had assigned it to her without any input from her, which led her to believe it was something that came along with being undead. Would that continue? Would she someday gain a skill that would further push her towards being a monster?

A mirthless chuckle escaped from between her lips. When she’d reached level fifteen, her mother had forbidden her from choosing a fourth skill. Instead, Lady Constance had insisted that she would get better options after she had done something to earn them, which was one of the stated reasons she’d been sent north into the Farindale Forest on the ill-fated mission. Now, she knew she’d been intended as a sacrifice.

She’d lived with that knowledge for weeks while she’d hung between life and death, and still, she had difficulty believing that her mother had sent her north to die. Certainly, they’d never been close. Lady Constance was more like a distant aunt than a mother. But that didn’t make any of it any better.

For the first time in Talia’s life, real, seething hatred bloomed in her heart. She had been angry before. She had disliked plenty of people in her life as well. But hatred was something new, and the fact that it was directed at her own mother was more than a little disconcerting. Justified, but disconcerting all the same. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she thought about her mother’s betrayal.

“Are you okay?” came a soft voice. Talia looked up to see the other woman – Abby – standing over her, a look of concern painted on her face. The blonde woman wore an oversized shirt that probably belonged to her big companion. Otherwise, her legs were bare and her feet unshod.

“Yes,” Talia lied, her voice hears from crying.

Abby didn’t immediately say anything in response. Instead, she sat beside Talia and leaned against the wall. For a few minutes, silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t the uncomfortable sort. Rather, it was a companionable, comfortable silence of quiet support.

After a couple of minutes, Talia said, “She raised me as a sacrifice.”

Abby responded, “I know.”

“What am I supposed to do with that knowledge?” Talia muttered. “And if that wasn’t enough, I’m a monster now. You saw what happened with that goat-man…”

“I did,” was Abby’s response. “But I want you to know that none of us judged you for that. You’re only a monster if you let yourself become one.”

“Hard to believe that when everything on my status says ‘undead’ on it,” she muttered, wiping her eyes. “I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but I can’t help but wonder if I’d have been better off if you would’ve left me in that cylinder. Or killed me outright.”

“You’ve had a difficult time,” Abby said. She reached out and put her hand on Talia’s knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay be freaked out. I’d be a little worried if you weren’t, honestly.”

Talia just shook her head, not knowing how to respond. Saying that she’d had a difficult time seemed like such an understatement. She had been betrayed by her mother and sent to die, held between life and death, then forcefully converted into some sort of evolved zombie. On top of that, she suspected that the moment she stepped foot back into civilization, her new race would become a problem.

“People are going to hunt me like any other monster,” she reasoned. “All they’ll see is the white skin and the green veins.”

“That seems like a reasonable assumption,” Abby said. “But here’s the thing – Zeke and I aren’t planning on going back to Beacon anytime soon. We are more than capable of surviving out here in the wilderness. And even if we wanted to, I think it’s pretty safe to say that your mom won’t welcome us back with open arms. Something tells me that we went far beyond what she wanted from us.”

“Why did she send you, anyway?” Talia asked.

Abby shrugged. “Probably to find your remains or something,” she reasoned. “Maybe we were supposed to be sacrifices, too. Micayne’s horde came from somewhere, right? Especially those higher-leveled ones. I don’t know, really. I never even spoke to her. But my point is that I’m offering you a chance to figure things out. You can stay with us for as long as you need.”

“What about you two? What are you going to be doing?” Talia asked.

“We’ve got a quest that’s going to take a long time to complete,” Abby answered. “If you come with us, I can guarantee you’ll get stronger. And between you and me, there’s more to this existence than what we’ve seen in this world. Zeke and I plan to find it.”

“And the alchemist?” Talia asked. She had mixed feelings about Tucker. On the one hand, he’d been forced to do the things he had done. However, on the other, he’d still done them. It was hard to forgive something like that, even if the man hadn’t had a choice.

“The jury is still out on him,” Abby said. “He’s going to be with us for a few weeks, but after that…well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Talia shook her head and then leaned back against the wall. These people were so different than anyone she’d ever met before. Granted, she’d lived a sheltered existence, but she had also been afforded a very thorough education. Nothing had prepared her for what she’d seen in the short time since she’d been rescued by Abby and Zeke.

Like the dire bear that seemed to follow them around. It was far too intelligent, and it used skills it shouldn’t have access to. Or the cottage that had sprung up out of nowhere. Abby seemed only a little more capable than her level might indicate, but her companion had stood toe-to-toe with the zombified version of one of the strongest people in the world. He’d lost, but he’d held his own. And he’d killed one of the twins. Level sixteens weren’t supposed to have that kind of strength.

“You don’t have to decide right now,” Abby said. “Take a little while. Make sure you’re comfortable with us. But Zeke and I have already talked it over, and we both want you with us. So, if you want it, there’s a place for you here.”

Talia didn’t know how to respond. As Lady Constance’s daughter, she’d never had friends before. Her status was too intimidating for that. The closest she’d ever come was her relationship with Master Silas, which while friendly enough, wasn’t a friendship. To have one offered after only knowing her for a couple of days was a little overwhelming. Suspicious, too. She couldn’t help but wonder what Zeke and Abby hoped to get out of it.

But then again, what did she have to offer? Her mother had sent Talia to be sacrificed, so befriending and protecting her wasn’t going to gain Lady Constance’s favor. More likely, it would earn them Constance’s ire. Regardless, she just didn’t have enough information to make a decision. Nor did it seem urgent, or even advisable, given that they were miles and miles from civilization. She might survive alone, but she’d never taken an interest in woodcraft. More likely, she’d get lost and die. So, regardless of the choice before her, Talia needed Abby and Zeke for now.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

Abby nodded, then stood. “That’s all I ask,” she said. And then, without another word, she padded back upstairs, leaving Talia to return to her dark thoughts.