An endless looking tiny room, pitch black walls so bright to hurt the eyes, a ceiling so low you had to crouch in order not to hit it with your head and yet impossible to touch for how high above it was.
A senseless, mind bending room was surrounding Dar'ith. Was it even a room? Perhaps the undead was actually outside, after all it could see the horizon in the distance. A perfectly vertical horizon, naturally disappearing into the sky and reappearing diagonally to its right.
Actually, maybe the skeleton wasn't able to see the horizon. After all there were incredibly bright, pitch black walls surrounding it. So bright to blind yet so dark to rob the sight.
What a curious place... I wonder where I am. Perhaps this man can help me.
"Hello again, before we start, what do you remember of our last meeting?" [Man]
"Our last meeting?"
The person's shoulders slumped lightly.
"That's unfortunate. I thought I had gotten better at this, but I guess you're just way too different to approach correctly. This is hard..." [Man]
The man in front of Dar'ith was a tiny woman so tall it was impossible to calculate his height, she looked like an old man of around six to seven years old with long fluid hair that ended just barely at the base of her neck.
His voice was soft and gruff that spoke in an energeticly monotonous tone. A voice that seemed to come from a seasoned child in her teenage years.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense."
The figure's eyes lit up.
"Oh! You're gaining awareness! Perhaps I am actually going in the right direction." [Man?]
"How can I walk when there is no floor? Am I flying? No, wait, maybe there is a floor..."
"Oh, that's what's actually bothering you, huh? No, actually nevermind, I'll take it. That is a good question, BUT, is there nothing else here weird to you?" [Woman?]
The undead surveyed its surroundings once again. Aside from the unseen floor that it couldn't feel while it was actually feeling it, there wasn't anything strange in the room.
Perhaps it was something about the person in front of it. Or behind it, it wasn't really clear.
Looking at the man, Dar'ith began searching for irregularities.
The creature was a humanoid creature with melting flesh, skin was opening and closing, showing glimpses of muscles, bones and organs. Eyes opening in the most improbable places and some were even floating around. Countless human sized mouths opening here and there all over the body.
And all of this while still retaining a somewhat human figure.
"Why are you naked?"
A thunderous quiet giggle escaped the creature.
"As amusing as ever. Have you at least noticed that we're speaking your so called 'magic language'?" [Creature]
Thinking over the last words for a bit, Dar'ith noticed that they were in fact speaking magic words to each other.
"But isn't that normal?"
"Ha! I guess it is, or at least, it is here." [Creature]
"Yeah, so why do... Wait, but some of these words don't exist in magic language. Like the word 'magic', it doesn't exist in the language."
"Oooh, making progress. Basically I made them up to ease our... Actually I won't explain it, time's running out and you probably won't remember anyway." [Creature]
The room shone more dimly, or darkened more brightly. The walls close out and everything made less and less sense.
"It's time for you to go, but we'll see again. Until then, try to remember something." [☊✺☉⍢∳]
The figure floated upwards, quickly gaining speed and soon disappearing from its sight.
The undead was falling into the now dark void. Faster and faster.
In a moment there was no more light.
No more sound.
No more life.
No more.
A weirdly pleasant sensation.
And to this feeling, Dar'ith, closed its eyes.
----------------------------------------
With a jolt, the undead rose its skull from the table and quickly looked around: Dar'ith was sitting on its usual chair, at its usual table and in its usual place inside the book store.
Again? The skeleton thought to itself as it picked the quill back and dipped it into a small vial of ink before resuming its work.
Something strange started happening to the undead after its fight with Julius.
Undeads and unliving beings do not need to either sleep nor eat to survive. And yet, every few nights, Dar'ith would mysteriously fall asleep just to wake up the morning after.
The strange feeling of blinking through the night without noticing was uncomfortable to the skeleton. And the fact that it didn't remember anything that happened during those hours was irritating.
I wonder who was that man...
The skeleton stopped its work.
Wait, what man?
Its thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the book store's door opening. Gherman entered and greeted the skeleton just like every other day.
Greeting the old man back, Dar'ith shook its thoughts away and decided that time would answer these questions. Right now it had to finish its preparations.
The undead was currently updating its map: apparently the map it possessed was unfnished. Only the most important places were written down, leaving out all the countless villages, rivers, lakes, planes, valleys and others.
According to Gherman, that was probably a map someone was making out of hobby and not one made by an actual cartographer.
"Ah, Gherman, I remember reading that there was a continent named Kt Kah 'Rah. Can you show me where it is situated? It's not drawn in and I can't seem to find that many informations about its location in the books."
"Oh, you must've read an outdated book. The continent was between Altria and R'thum, but don't bother drawing it. He probably didn't forget to draw it." [Gherman]
"What do you mean?"
"Basically Kt Kah 'Rah sunk three years ago." [Gherman]
Dar'ith raised its head.
"Escuse me?"
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Hmm?" [Gherman]
"How did it sink?"
"Unexpectedly: a meteor fell and took the island with it." [Gherman]
"And they didn't notice? They didn't try to evacuate?"
"Well, according to some folks by the sea town of Ria to the nord of Valian, a large light covering the whole island shone right before the impact.
It has been hypothesized that they tried summoning something to stop the meteor from falling onto the island. While the plan failed, the summoning succeeded as enormous tentacles and pincers erupted from the light the moment the meteor hit.
Unfortunately it was dragged into the depths as well." [Gherman]
"While fascinating, I believe that to be impossible."
"Why?" [Gherman]
"How large were the tentacles and pincers?"
"According to the witnesses, they reached the sky and by the position they came out from, the creature was as big as the island itself." [Gherman]
"That's the thing: according to the Arcana vol. 2, the tallest creature that can be possibly summoned and that has been summoned is no more than fifteen meters tall. While the largest is about twenty meters wide. And both their magic circles were half their sizes, so it is impossible for them to have summoned something so large."
"Ok, ok, calm down. I'm no scholar nor a mage, I don't know this stuff. I'm just telling you what seemed to have happened." [Gherman]
"I guess that's true."
Taking the quill away from the map, Dar'ith inspected its work in search for errors. After being satisfied by the result, the skeleton left it to dry and packed the rest of its belongings.
"When will you leave?" [Gherman]
"This night, probably sometime this evening. The earlier I leave, the earlier I can arrive to my next destination."
"Valian?" [Gherman]
"Yes, but I'll visit Ralia first since it's on the road. I might find something of interest."
"Perhaps, but I don't think you'll be allowed much when looking like that." [Gherman]
"I'll just keep my hood on and a mask at all times."
"What about your voice?" [Gherman]
"I can speak with only one of them while keeping the others quiet. Ahem, listen, now I sound just like anyone else."
"Huh, not going to lie, that's actually cool." [Gherman]
"The temperature did not change."
"That's not what I meant." [Gherman]
"I know, it was my attempt at a joke."
"Then I think you should put more research into humor." [Gherman]
"That's one of the objectives."
Dar'ith resumed packing its supplies and the day passed quickly.
The morning ended, midday passed and the afternoon was also disappearing.
A needle pierced through cloth leaving a tail of string behind it. The needle pierced the cloth again, in and out, sewing, closing and fusing.
Satisfied with the result, the undead cut the string and lift up its work. By observing the village's dressmakers and befriending some of them, Dar'ith learned how to sew.
And thanks to that, the large piece of tent it used as a robe was now an actual robe. Albeit sewed a bit clumsily.
Donning its newly improved robe, the undead began packing all its belongings in it: a few more daggers, some vials, herbs, and the equipment it had before with a better sword replacing its old one.
All of it concealed under its robe with only the magic sword wrapped in cloth strapped behind its back.
Having finished its preparations, Dar'ith headed to the northern exit.
It was now time to go.
Just before the gate, it met a familiar group of people: there were the sisters Maria and Sara, Gherman, a few hunters and another bunch of people it befriended during its stay.
Greeting the various people, Dar'ith spoke to a woodworker.
"Is it done?"
"Oh, yes, here it is." [Woodworker]
The man rummaged through his backpack and brought out a mask.
The mask was painted pure white and devoid of any details. There was nothing on it if not a bunch of minuscule holes where the eyes were supposed to be.
Dar'ith's sight worked in a strange way: things could block its vision and putting a hand over its eyes sockets would have the same effect it would have on a normal human.
But if there was even a single hole, even one almost impossible to see and definetly impossible to see through for a human, Dar'ith would be able to see the other side as if there was nothing blocking its view.
It was like looking through a keyhole but the keyhole would become a large clear window whenever you looked through it.
The undead put the mask on and verified that it could see.
The sight of someone without a face was slightly creepy, but then again Dar'ith was pretty much a giant so it wouldn't make that much of a difference.
Taking off the mask and nodding in satisfaction, the undead was surprised by a small box held out by Gherman.
"This is for you, consider it a small gift from me." [Gherman]
"What is this?"
"Exactly what it looks like: a box. It's small enough to fit your diary and inside your ribcage. I noticed that you value it quite a bit, this will help in keeping it a bit more safe. I can't say it will stop well executed thrusts, but then again, what idiot would try to pierce a skeleton?" [Gherman]
"Oh, thank you. I did not think of this."
"I know, that's why I knew it would be a good gift." [Gherman]
Dar'ith opened the small box and put its diary in it along with the quill and the vial of ink.
Securing the container back into its ribcage, the skeleton nodded satisfied and a smile could be felt on its face.
"Oh and one last thing, if someone blocks your way into Valian, tell them that you know of Gherman Ternah Dornel and to call Vincent Farrell for confirmation. When you find him, ask him if he finally grew a pair and asked the girl out." [Gherman]
"Huh, ok, I'll do that then."
"Heh, well then, it has been a pleasure having you here. As the head of the town, I thank you once again for the help you've given us: from dealing with the bandits to putting to rest the crazed souls of our fallen brothers.
Thank you and goodbye." [Gherman]
"Yes, goodbye indee-."
"Wait!" [Sara]
Freeing herself from her sister, Sara tackled the undead, hugging its legs in an attempt to halt its movements.
"Please don't go." [Sara]
"Why?"
"I don't want it." [Sara]
"That is not a good reason for me to stay."
"Then take me with you!" [Sara]
"What?"
"Take me with you! I can help you, I can convince people you're not bad and I know things and I'm fast and... and... and..." [Sara]
The little child looked up at Dar'ith with a tearful expression, an expression answered by Dar'ith diverting its gaze toward Maria and Gherman in search for help.
"I don't mind, it's hard to stop her from doing something she wants and I know that you're more than able to keep her safe." [Maria]
"I agree, having someone with you will improve your credibility, especially someone this innocent. And I'll be honest, I kind of did something similar when I was her age so I don't really have a say in it." [Gherman]
"Are you telling me to bring her with me in probably highly dangerous places where she'll probably get hurt and maybe die?"
"Oh no, not at all. I'm letting her go exactly because I know that you're more than able to protect her." [Gherman]
"How do you know I won't be the one to harm her?"
"No matter how you put it, I cannot even imagine the, ahem, 'gentle giant that reads bedtime stories to a little child even if his lessons with her sister are done' ever harm her." [Gherman]
Maria avoided Dar'ith's gaze.
"In the end, the choice is yours, so we can't force you to do anything. But do think about it, the kid's made her choice and she's very visibly attached to you. Whether that's because she finally found the father figure she never had or for other reasons, I know that she'll be happier journeying with you than staying here with us." [Gherman]
Dar'ith sighed and stared into Sara's eyes.
Metaphorically closing its eyes, the undead thought about what it would answer.
Everything they said was more or less true, although it didn't really know if it actually cared about the little child the way Gherman thought.
For the undead, this village and its inhabitants were pleasant, Gherman and the sisters in particular were people that the skeleton would like to keep alive in a scenario where it had to choose whether to kill them or not.
Having found its answer, Dar'ith spoke:
"No."
"Eh?" [Sara]
"For starters you being underdeveloped means that your body structure is much more fragile than that of a fully fledged adult, making you more prone to fatal injuries. I can already prove my difference from other undeads by speaking to the person named Vincent Farrell thanks to my connection with Gherman. While I am able to protect you from dangers, against anything that requires a different approach to fight, like Julius Carolinus, I may not be able to assure your safety. And finally, you requiring rest, food and other needs that living beings require in order to survive will definitely slow me down as I do not need those."
The crowd was silent, with only Sara attempting to say something.
"I believe I have given enough reasons to refuse."
"But I... I... Ugh..." [Sara]
"I have given my answer, I will not change my mind."
Tearing up, Sara was on the verge of crying, but a boney hand wiped the tears out of her face.
"I do not understand your reasoning. You have no goal to follow and yet you would rather follow someone you've known for only a few months than staying here with the people you grew up with."
"I don't want you to go away... Many people from the village leave and never return. I don't want you to do the same." [Sara]
"Is that why you don't want me to go?"
"Yes." [Sara]
"Then what if I promise you? Would that change your mind?."
"Huh..?" [Sara]
"I promise you that I will come back to this village."
"Really?" [Sara]
"Yes, really."
"Will you make a true oath out of that?" [Sara]
"A true oath?"
"It is the oath of a Valian warrior: you draw a cross with your hand on your chest, where your heart is, the horizontal line is slightly above the heart. The gesture means that you put your heart, your life on the line, putting it hostage under a sword, showing that you are serious about the promise." [Gherman]
"Hmm..."
Straightening itself, Dar'ith drew a cross over its ribcage, not where its heart was supposed to be but where its diary was.
"I have no heart and therefore I cannot swear on my life. Instead I'll put my knowledge on the line, this book that contains most of the days I passed since my awakening and therefore being my whole existence till now shall be used as a substitute.
I, Dar'ith Kisct swear on my 'life' that I will come back to this village.
I have made the oath, are you satisfied now?"
Wiping away the rest of her tears, Sara tried to show one last smile to the undead.
"Yes! Goodbye Dar, come back soon!" [Sara]
----------------------------------------
It was evening already and the shallow lights of the setting sun gave a rusty color to the surroundings.
Marching through the forest at a steady pace, Dar'ith was heading to its next stop on its journey.
I wonder why I went through all the trouble of reassuring her. I could've easily just left... This is frustrating.
Well, it doesn't matter now, right now I need to get to Ralia for more informations. But first...
Dar'ith gazed at a column of smoke lifting to the sky. Using the mana to look at the place, the undead felt a group of people many of which were injured and slowly dying around a small campfire.
Many of the injured ones were getting slowly killed by others in the group after and while being abused in various ways.
They were obviously bandits that were having fun with their preys.
Normally Dar'ith would've ignored this happening, but the last time it dealt with bandits a whole village treated it as a hero and it was rewarded quite nicely.
So, hoping for the same thing to repeat, the undead went to play the hero a second time.
I wonder what I can ask of them for my service...