Frost crackled under his boots as he traversed the rows of hanging bodies. By god’s grace, the room appeared larger than it was due to its poor lighting but still, Joe counted thirty rows, each with about thirty corpses or chopped off body parts. Those belonged to monsters too large to occupy one space, but some headless and limbless human torsos also hanged here and there. All cut and butchered. Roughly something around a thousand corpses if he counts the contents of the jars piling up in one corner.

He felt a deja’vu creeping up his spine as memories of working in a meat processing plant right after his release from jail. He needed money and that was the only place that didn’t care for his reputation. They had this giant cold storage where hundreds of butchered cattle hanged on similar hooks in wait for further processing or shipment.

Even the smell permeating the place felt familiar. He spent hours there carting intestines and other discarded parts to disposal. He never thought he would once again set foot in a similar place.

[*DING!*]

[You have stumbled upon a hidden quest “A cry to haven for vengeance.” As a Harbinger, you cannot refuse this quest.]

[Find the proof binding the people responsible for this sin with their victims and hand it over to the goddess of justice. Reward: Truthseeker title.]

[Optional objective: Summon god of vengeance and coerce him to exact his punishment on those responsible. Reward: Tears of the fallen, one cup.]

[(Necromancer) Optional objective: Steal the collected body parts. They would benefit you more than this cult. Reward: You can keep the plundered body parts.]

[(Harbinger of Hope) Optional objective: Find Zaleria el Quilen, the personal guard of late empress. Rewards: (*) 100 karma if you kill her to end her torment. (**) Elite sword dancer Zaleria el Quilen will join your party and aid you in your quest if you manage to free her from her prison. (***) Bonus info for your main quest, Buried love.]

[(Potato) Optional objective: Sooth the lingering souls. Reward: ????]

“Well, at least it didn’t order me to go and slay a demon lord or something… Freeloader, when you stop horking out your guts, go and search the other rooms. Look for Documents, letters or anything resembling a ledger or a log of what they were doing here. While you’re at it, grab anything of value. Books, gold precious stones. Whatever. Even furniture if you can fit it inside the item box. We are stripping this place clean.”

Alia run out of the storage faster than he could order her. Good. He was getting queasy just by listing to her being sick.

“Now,”

Joe pulled out the potato darkness gifted him. It’s been glowing slightly every time there was a soul in need nearby.

“If anyone of you is still here, come out.”

It took a moment, but an orderly line of ghastly beings formed before him and one by one they came and touched the slimy tuber he held in his outstretched hands. After a brief pause full of elation, each soul vanished in a rain of golden dust.

That is until something large and not at all humanoid came and stopped before him.

[Corrupted vengeful wraith wishes to form a pact with you.]

Feeling cold sweat dripping down his back, Joe cranked his head up to meet the beastly eyes of the apparition.

“Erm, I don’t think you got the right person…”

You are a necromancer are you not? Make me a body so I could kill the one that slain my children and I shall forever serve you, my lord!

The creature hissed at him.

[Corrupted vengeful wraith recognized you as its master, would you like to enslave it?]

Joe chuckled nervously as his hand hovered over the ‘no’ button. The creature’s ghastly form came even closer to his face. Something told him it was best not to refuse this offer. In the end, his trembling finger hit the yes button.

[Corrupted vengeful wraith (spirit) has become your permanent property.]

[Corrupted vengeful wraith (corrupted, unusable) was stored within your soul. (198 days left until full recovery.) Remaining soul space nine out of ten available.]

Okay, that should give him some time to figure out what to do.

“Anyone else for potato? No? Good.”

In the eerie silence between the corpses, Joe spread his arms.

“Harvest.”

His skill activated in a flash, sucking in all nearby corpses. It made a dent in the massive sea of hanging bodies but did not manage to pull all at once. He will have to move and do that at least few times more.

“Joe?”

Alia returned as he cleared the final shelf of its jars.

“What is it?”

“I… It’ll be best if you see it yourself.”