We’re running from a horde of Zokun, particularly ones that are named as Ghouls. If I were to describe them they would be the fusion of zombies and skeletons but more ferocious and faster so they say. They have bits of flesh hanging on to their bones and don't cover it up properly anymore.

Although their behavior differs greatly from one expects from a Von, the first difference is that they prefer to run like a wolf rather than an enraging Von. Another is that they seem to be the leader of the pack when they go with skeletons or zombies for that matter. And lastly the bigger the ghoul the more likely for it to be the head on the ghouls.

Well after that lengthy explanation, let’s remember how I got here in the first place. Me and my partner/teacher Santi have been together for the last 3 months doing jobs and training in-between those jobs. Most of the jobs consisted of clearing out Zokuns’ lairs and hunting them down. Although from time to time we do escorts of small caravans or get some materials for some of the shops in the town since it’s either dangerous or they’re busy with their own thing and can’t do it themselves.

My training with Santi so far has been fruitful for me. I could do some spells while trading blows with the enemy, the downside of it is that I could only do it while I’m calm unlike when I’m in the heat of the moment that doesn't immediately pop up in my head just yet. In those 3 months I have been able to use my axes more skillfully than I ever would with a sword although I still don’t have much experience with it just yet.

I decided to name my axes after the god and goddess that I follow respectively. My left axe I name as Larita, while the one on my right I name as Tihael. It would be a shame if one of them were to break, so I asked Santi on how to maintain my weapons properly and have been taking care of them since.

Speaking of which, my relationship with Santi so far has come to a standstill at some point. Like he tells me some things but not the full story of it for example like some of the exploits I hear of him like that goblin horde he took care of when he was 17. He tells me how he starts the job then it gets muddled in the middle of the story and will give vague answers if I question more. He just doesn’t answer it and continues the story until the end where he prays for the Zokun souls and buries them into the ground to feed it.

In other cases there was one time he told me that he would be gone for a day or two. I think that was last month from what I remember. I tried to ask Sylia about it and she told me this.

“He kept getting these jobs which always consisted of a high amount of Zokun. I always wonder why he had to take those in the first place.” She then gives a sigh and continues

“And he never told me why in all the years we knew each other. Either way it’s best not to ask too many questions about it and just let him be.” And so she said.

I do expect that these will happen more often during our time together. Now what else to remember, oh how about that group I talked with after my first day in that barracks I learned from them about the famous mercenary groups and parties that have been cropping up lately like the “The Crows'' which is said to have a Deshar in the party with the others supporting him or her. Then there’s the “Irani” that consist of Iristika and have been helping around in their territory.

Flash forward to what’s happening now, me and Santi took a job in hunting down these ghouls when they immigrated near Winstow and have been causing trouble to the merchants going in and out.

Right now me and Santi are getting chased by these ghouls and we’re running on foot instead of horses since Santi says they’re going to be casualties if we bring them in. We’re getting chased by them to lure in the traps made by Santi and I. Santi shouts at me while running.

“We’re almost there, make sure to put more power into your spell after the first blast.”

I started chanting an ice chamber spell to keep them in so we could try to get some of their bones as materials for some of the alchemists back in Winstow. They see these bones as it can be used as materials for some of the potions we use. I don’t know how it works but grinding and mixing it with other ingredients can have some effects for our bodies.

We start getting closer to the trap we set up beforehand. I look at my back to check on the horde of ghouls that’s been following us for the past hour and see that they’re not giving up that easily. Once we pass by a tree stump that we marked earlier, we jump as far as we can as the ground breaks to reveal the hole huge enough for the horde.

I only managed to get my upper body over the ledge. I hurry getting my lower body outside the hole as a flame pillar sprouts out from the hole we made earlier. Although that may be large it’s not that powerful enough to turn some of them into ashes.

I managed to finish the spell I was working on earlier and cast it inside the hole. The dozen remaining ghouls that survived the initial blast get encased in a huge ice crystal and with their figures on display for us to see. Santi reminds me from my back.

“We still got some ghouls to deal with. It seems we haven't got them all yet so get hurry up and ready your weapons.”

I unsheathe my weapons and look at the leftovers we missed in the first place. There are about half a dozen of them left so it’s easy to take care of them compared to the many times I was vastly outnumbered by Zokuns. They went around the hole just as Santi suspected when we first hatched this plan.

They split while going around the whole so I go to the right side of the hole while Santi deals with the group on the left. Seeing as they’re only three of them I decide to give my right axe a twirl before readying for the fight.

Santi said to me earlier that if we want to keep the bones then we have to target their heads and their core which is located on where our hearts were. I know that the rough theory says you need to target those due to their will and intellect as far as I know. In short I have to make sure I just put enough force and precision to just destroy those to get the bones so to say.

The group I’m dealing with is already coming up to me as one of them lunged at me with its mouth ready to bite me from the get-go. I face it head on with a swing from my axe as I try to aim for its head.

I manage to destroy its head as the body flies away from me due to the force I give from the head. After it lands on the ground it gets up as quickly like a possessed puppet and starts catching up with the others without its head.

The other two ghouls come up to me while I ready myself for their lunges if they ever do that. Unfortunately they stop just before the reach of my axes and observe me as they go around me like bandits stalking their mark. The posture they take while observing me is like a Von testing to see if they’re able to take me down with their claws off the ground and walk using their own 2 legs.

I couldn’t let the 3 of them surround me so I put one of my feet forward to slice one of their heads immediately. Taken by surprise they proceed to try striking at me as I throw one of my axes at the other’s head. After I throw my axe I use my hand to strike at the core of the other.

I pierce through its body as the core gets destroyed by my fist. I try to immediately put the body off my hand as the 1st one from earlier catches up to us. So I throw the body to try freeing my hand and distract the 1st ghoul. And then I use my other axe to slice the other one’s core.

Both of the ones that I faced earlier aren’t moving anymore leaving me the 1st one that lunged at me left. It manages to get the body I threw earlier off of it and tries to chase me down.

The ghoul lunges at me again as I proceed to kick straight to its chest and fall off the ground. I then follow it up to a stomp to its core and crush the bones along the way. It then squirms until it doesn’t move anymore at last.

I sit on the ground and try getting some rest before eliminating the remaining ghouls inside the hole. I look at Santi for a bit and see that he’s already refreshing up from the battle. He doesn’t even seem out of breath even though we have been running for the past hour.

He comes up to where I am and picks up the axe that was embedded in the ghoul’s head and throws it to me. I catch it and he says to me.

“Nice work as always although we still have to deal with the ones in the hole down there” He points down to the hole.

I observe it and see that the ice is already melting but not enough to make the ghouls wriggle free just yet. I hear some rumbling and see that there’s hole with some stairs to go down there to the ice chamber. Santi then says to me.

“Let’s get going down there before they can get free from their icy prison.”

He goes down the stairs first and I follow him. The tunnel he made is crude as it doesn’t feel like a tunnel made from magic but a cave going down with stairs.This goes on for a minute until we get out of the tunnel and see my handiwork in view.

The ghouls are positioned in a way that they’re trying to escape from the flames of pillar from earlier. Although most of them are trying to escape on their own 4 limbs and beelining it for the wall if Santi’s predictions are correct. At this point you could try to imitate this using taxidermy if you’re lucky enough I guess.

Still we have to kill these Ghouls before the ice melts enough that they can escape from the encasement. I and Santi split up to get the job done faster than if we went together. I choose the ghouls to kill and proceed to do this menial task as fast as possible.

Strike the head and the core and on to the next ghoul. Do it again to another ghoul and repeat until all of them are properly taken care of. Once it’s done Santi asks me to release the spell so he could collect the bones and the scraps remaining into his backpack.

It is still weird how everything fits into his backpack somehow. I know that it’s an enchanted item and stuff but the specifics is that the backpack has its own space and it could be infinite if not for the fact that the weight of all the objects is still there to carry. So seeing him carry all the materials we get from the job makes me anxious since it could break his back.

He says it’s fine but I take some of the materials he carries. Just like now I gather the bones that aren’t destroyed yet from the various attacks we made earlier. Apparently the alchemists thought it’s not good if they’re destroyed and would take the ones that are completely intact. I don’t know what exactly is their reasoning but no extra pay if we don’t do it properly.

At the end of it we put the fractured bones and other fleshy parts of the ghouls into the pit and buried them inside the hole we made earlier. Santi covers it up properly with the earth we put out earlier. Me and Santi pack up and go back to Winstow

The trip back to Winstow will take 2 days from where we are right now but as Santi says, “ Job’s not done until we get back to the guild and get our pay.” so I couldn’t relax just yet. I know from experience that random Zokuns can impede on our trip back to Winstow. First time that happened Santi had to deal with most of it and I said to myself I won’t do that ever again.

Today’s job is decent at least. And hopefully it’ll stay that way for now.