Chapter 5 : Innocent

“Örken zert zefausten, ket krueörken lis kruegran.”Chanting, I felt power rise up through me, exiting me with the words. As if searching the power swirled as a slight distortion in the air and then dispersed, having found nowhere to go.

Sighing in relief I slumped down again with my grimoir. It appears this time I had only used about half of my manapool, a world of difference from when my first stuttering attempts had drained the entire pool without even taking shape.

In the hours I had been practicing I had been learning more and more. Though casting the soul extraction spell without anything to extract was a doomed endeavor, it also seemed like a safe way to experiment. At first when the spell started started searching I had become worried it would kill Bob the ghoul, my newly named and best line of defense. However as the spell fizzled out Bob remained as he was.

Some of the things I'd realized was that pronunciation seemed to matter when it came to efficiency. The better I pronounced the words, the less of my mana pool was used up. It also appeared that certain words could be left out, though doing so seemed to lessen the efficiency.

For example, leaving out “zert zefausten,” and just chanting “örken ket krueörken lis kruegran” caused the same sensation as the entire chant, though my manapool drained before running its entire course.

The same thing happened when leaving out the “lis kruegran” at the end. However when I instead left out “krueörken lis” the sensation of the spell changed. The power still traveled out with my words and searched before dispersing. With this incantation though the feeling was completely different. The closest comparison I could come up with was that it had a different scent.

I had tried mixing up the order of the words as well, though I stopped that after chanting “krueörken ket kruegran”. Having said that I had been overwhelmed by indescribable pain that wracked my whole body for an indeterminate amount of time. Upon the pain ending I had noticed one of the blue boxes, and even read it after I stopped imitating a curled up shaking ball.

Insufficient necromancy level to properly cast Soul sacrifice.

Due to your low necromancy level the amount of your soul sacrificed has been greatly lessened, along with the conversion efficiency to experience/mana.

Taking into consideration the extreme agony as well as the 5% humanity I had lost I had decided to leave that kind of experimentation alone for now.

Though I had recovered all of my lost humanity in the time between the failed soul sacrifice and now. Time however had not done as good a job when it came to making me forget the pain. Thinking back on it still made me mentally recoil whenever I considered more adventurous experimentation.

Feeling the need to relieve myself I decided it was time for a well deserved break. Standing up I started stretching my aching limbs after sitting down so long. Feeling a tingling in my right leg I annoyedly stomped it into the ground to regain feeling in it.

Shaking the leg as I went towards the tunnel before realizing something.

“Bob, stop flailing your arms” I said turning to my undead minion. However the the bloated corpse just kept waving its arms in the air like it had for hours now, ignoring my order.

Perplexedly I frowned, then realization hit me. “Oh right, zombie-ghoul-thingy, your name is Bob now. Now, Bob. Stop flailing your arms and follow me instead” Pointing at it for good measure I commanded my unspeaking companion.

This time the order seemed to have set in as Bobs arms sank down to his sides and he walked over to me.

“Okay Bob, you are my bodyguard. Your job is to protect me from any creepy crawlies. If anything attacks us you are to kill it and protect me.” Seeing no change in the ghoul I frowned a bit.

“Okay, new rule Bob, whenever you receive a new order you are to nod to confirm it”

Seeing the corpse nod I repeated my old order and received a new nod. Relieved that it seemed like my undead could receive somewhat complex orders I set off up the tunnel, my bodyguard closely behind me.

Reaching my smelly destination I wrinkled my nose, unzipped my pants and emptied my bladder while humming a nonsense tune. Shaking off any stray drops I tucked myself back in and zipped up my jeans. Continuing the tune I walked back down the tunnel.

I halted two thirds down the tunnel and looked at the wall, or more precisely the lichen. I wasn't entirely sure but I didn't recall the lichen reaching nearly this far down the last time I had relieved myself. Though if it's fast-growing that's just good for me. Being able to see in my new home would be a marked improvement.

Continuing down to the water I drank my fill. Spending my last honor of Valhalla I bought a new loaf of bread. Breaking off a piece I nibbled on it as I once more I made my way up the tunnel. Looking around I could find no new signs of anything passing by here. Whelp, exploration time I guess. Can't just stay down here until I starve... Though maybe I could send Bob out to find me some food... No, he'd probably just fall down some hole and be stuck there... That and me being left without protection probably was a bad idea too. No, I'm going and Bob is going with me.

Looking at the two other tunnels leading away from this room I considered my options. The left one was the one I had come from when I first arrived here. Pros of that tunnel was that I was more familiar with the area. I was also fairly sure there were no immediate traps or lairs of scaly creepy-crawlies. Con: A psycho necromancer with an army of the undead... I think the con column has it this time.

Right, right tunnel it is. Walking up to the tunnel in question I broke off a small piece of bread and dropped it, before walking on.

Deciding that I didn't want to find out whether complex orders lasted less time than the 'wave your arms in the air like you just don't care' while getting attacked, I decided to refresh it. Looking over my shoulder I spoke. “Bob, the order to protect us is still active. If we get attacked you're supposed to protect us and kill the attacker”. Behind me my ghoul nodded its acceptance.

I continued walking through several tunnels, always dropping a piece of bread when the path split up. At one of the openings ahead I spotted something on the ground. Cautiously walking forwards I saw a piece of string and bloodstains on the floor. Worried I looked around but didn't find anything out of place.

Crouching down I picked up the string and tried to put it in my pocket only to discover that it wouldn't fit into that one due to it being full of sand. Sand.... The sand.... Fuck! I wasted perfectly good bread to place a trail when I had sand! Okay Roger, not the time or place. I have time to beat myself up over this later when I'm in a safer place.

A bit further ahead, in the beginning of a downwards-sloping tunnel I spotted another bloodstain.

Considering my options I stood there. It could be something dangerous. But it could also be a person in need of help. Still hesitating I considered my dwindling food supply, and massive holes in my basic knowledge of this world that might be filled by another person. My loneliness had absolutely nothing to do with the decision.

Uneasily I walked down the tunnel keeping my eyes firmly fixed on at the end of it, preparing to run away and let Bob fight any monsters that might appear from down there as soon as I spotted it.

I got halfway down the tunnel before I heard a thud from behind along with a shrill shriek.

Turning rapidly, heart about to burst through my chest I was relieved to see that it was only a little girl, maybe 10 or 11 years old bursting out from a fissure in the wall I had missed. With a bloodstained, ripped shirt and a baseball bat she looked like she'd been through some shit.

Wildly she hit Bob in the shoulder with her baseball bat while screaming. “Die you monster! Die!” tears running down her terrified face.

I began to talk to calm her down. “Girl, relax. I'm no-” My sentence remained unfinished, and my mouth hung open in incomprehension as the undead turned around more rapidly than I thought possible. Grabbing the girl by her black pony tail he slammed her head into the cavern wall.

Then again and yet again the sickening crunch was heard as I stood there in terrified silence, seeing the first live human I'd seen since my escape get brutally pummeled to death by my minion.

Chime~

level 3 human pathless defeated

Experience and 5 honors of valhalla gained

Level up

You have become level 4

Stat-gain for the Semi-Risen Path given.

+1 End, +2 will, +1 str +2 int.

Stunned I stood there unspeaking. I watched the collapsed girl, blood pooling around her. The murderous ghoul standing by her body, unmoving.

Hearing a wail I ran forwards to the tiny body. It was first when the wail stopped as I shook her and begged her to be alright that I realized I had been the one who had been the source of it.

“Come on, please, please. Get up! This isn't happening. It's just some fucked up nightmare.”

The little girl refused to rouse, still just lying there. Blood streamed from a noticeable indentation above her ear and white pieces could be seen in the gory mess.

“Fuck you Bob! FUCK YOU! YOU FUCKING KILLED HER! YOU DIDN'T NEED TO DO THAT!* Sobbing broke up my screaming and I felt myself deflate. “She was just a kid. Fuck yourself Bob”

The ghoul nodded and started unbuckling its belt.”No, fuck. Stop that.”

Nodding the ghoul stopped moving again.

The anguish was overwhelming and nigh unbearable. Sobbing I didn't know how to cope.

Fuck this, fuck it all. Fuck this pain, I just want it to go away. Fuck it all. Fuck being human if it's just pain.

Wanting to lessen the pain I desperately focused on the empty feeling I had gotten before. When my humanity had fled me and I was left without such concerns.

Focusing on the corpse-flame it slowly materialized over my hand. I gazed deep into it, letting it captivate me. Feeding on all my grief and anguish. Burning the emotions down to cinders and leaving naught but a dim withered shadow where the radiant pain used to be.

My heart slowed down with every beat. Growing weaker by the second until my mana ran out. The flame extinguished and with it went my concern for the dead girl. No, the material.

Briefly I considered sinking my teeth into it but no. The lifelessness was unappetizing. Without the allure of consuming the life-force of a living struggling foe, the husk left behind held no attraction.

Some nagging thought kept bothering me though. Was it guilt? Guilt... What is the point of guilt? No, not that. Something about the body. Burying? Burying would be a waste of perfectly good materials. No... Materials. That's it.

Opening my grimoir I flipped to page two. Reading the top lines again I started chanting.

“Örken zert zefausten, ket krueörken lis kruegran.” Once again the energy rose from within me with my words. This time however it only swirled for a moment before it shot down into the corpse in front of me, Disappearing into it. I stood there, awaiting what would happen next.

I soon got my answer as the air around the body started distorting slightly. The shimmer appeared to be slightly glowing, though I wasn't sure of it. Slowly the energy stretched out towards me, coiling through the air. As if some kind of ephemeral snake it bobbed from side to side before it rapidly struck. Lunging forwards the energy dove into the book in my hands, soon disappearing without a trace.

Flipping back to page one I noticed that at the top the number next to 'soul energy:'” had changed from 0 to 60. Content I closed the book. Over halfway to an incantation. Why, maybe I should go search for more humans? Weak delicious humans full of life to extinguish.

Looking down at the girl I prepared to raise her as well when I heard a scratching sound from down the tunnel. Looking down into the dim tunnel the scraping grew louder. Soon shapes appeared, peering up towards me. Grinning hungrily I picked up the baseball bat.