The first thing that happened once the werewolf died was that she stopped aging, and her Health climbed back up at a respectable rate. The wrinkles on her hands disappeared, and she felt strength returning to her body. Dirik was right. You kill the caster, and the curse is broken, or did I outlive it?
Meera exchanged a confused look with Dirik, who looked back to the unmoving werewolf. "Control over what?" He asked.
The werewolf was dead and gone, but Dirik was not satisfied, so he kicked it. "Control over what?" He asked again.
"He's gone," Meera said. "I would think his master had control over death, seeing as he or it brought him back." She motioned to the stitches on the werewolf's neck. "See, someone must've killed him before, and then his master brought him back."
"A necromancer," Dirik said. "Do you think this monster we're searching for is quite simply a necromancer who can revive the dead?"
Meera nodded. "It could be. That would explain all those undead, the rotten wolves, and the stitches on this one's neck. And the need for body parts to revive more minions."
"Hmm, but that still doesn't explain why it needed to attack my mother's prison," Dirik said. "All the bodies would have been returned to their families."
"Was your mother returned to you?" Meera asked.
He looked down as he shook his head lightly. "They said her body could not be found."
"Then either they were telling the truth or…"
"Someone at Itris Prison is working with this monster to supply them bodies or people, and a jailbreak is the perfect cover."
"Yes," Meera said. "Tamas, another escapee from Itris, said that three hundred escaped, and nearly half were caught the next day. What if they never escaped in the first place, and they just spread that news?"
"Then this necromancer will have a veritable army at his command by now," the Shade said. "And if King Draros is indeed going to attack the kingdom, then this necromancer would have thousands of fresh bodies to raise. Meaning…” He gripped his head in his hands. "Meaning, once this war is over, it wouldn't matter who the victor is. The necromancer would wipe out the victor, raise more dead, conquer this world, and maybe even conquer all the worlds."
"Do all the undead feel pain when you hurt them?" Meera asked.
Dirik tilted his head. "Huh? What's that supposed to do with anything I said?"
"This one cried out in pain when we hurt him, but as far as I know, the undead do not, or rather should not, feel pain."
He paused. "I don't know enough about necromancy to comment on that."
Meera tapped a finger on her lips. "Then there is also the bit about once the master is free, which means it is trapped somewhere, so like the Wardens said, maybe it is trying to escape whatever bonds hold it."
"So, you're saying the situation is not so dire." A meager amount of hope entered his voice.
"It might not be, or it might be even worse," Meera replied. "One thing I've learned since coming to this world is always be prepared for the worst, as that is what will happen in most cases."
Dirik snorted. "Now, you sound like my uncle."
"He must've been through some tragedy."
"His whole life is a tragedy and one of his own making." He shook his head. "The werewolf was going north. To his master, maybe?"
"Most definitely," Meera said. "Can you take the lead this time?"
"Are you sure?" Dirik asked. "You're the better tracker."
"Didn't you train for this stuff?"
"I did, but then I don't have your eyes."
Meera smiled. "You'll be fine. I'll keep an ear out for any trouble."
He nodded and took the lead. She didn't tell him what she wanted to do was check her notifications.
*ding!*
[You have killed 5 Undead Wolfs – Level 189 – Level 192]
*ding!*
[You have killed Werewolf – Level 258. For killing an opponent fifty levels higher than your own, you have gained bonus experience.]
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*ding!*
[Congratulation. The Shadow Image has gained 9 levels and reached Level 216. You have been awarded 36 stat points]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Chakram of Echoes effect activated. Upon reaching Level 210 in your main class, you have earned one more Chakrams.]
Her total number of chakrams jumped to nineteen.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror's Affinity has gained 4 levels and reached Level 162. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 165% boost.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Shield has gained 2 levels and reached Level 74]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Shard Barrage has gained 3 levels and reached Level 67]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Wing has gained 3 levels and reached Level 77]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Vitalize has gained 4 levels and reached Level 85]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Vampiric Chains has gained 6 levels and reached Level 68]
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Decay Bite. Decay Bite – Type: Active. You can Inflict a disease or poison with your bite that drains the target's life force, weakening them over time. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the general skill, Eternal Hunger. You can absorb the life force of fallen foes, replenish your Health, and strengthen yourself by eating the flesh of the fallen. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
Meera looked at the two skills and didn't want either, especially not the flesh-eating one. But since she had an empty slot, she reluctantly took Decay Bite.
*ding!*
[You have acquired the skill Decay Bite – Level 1]
*ding!*
[Since your skill slots are filled, the skill was placed in your Shadow Skill slots. You must swap this skill with one of your others to use it.]
She kept an eye on Dirik, making sure she was following him. They were trekking through the forest, but he didn't take them through a lot of shrubbery, which she was thankful for as that would make keeping an eye on her surroundings and the notifications almost impossible.
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the general skill Rotting Flesh. You emit the putrid aura of rotting flesh that damages enemies nearby and may inflict a disease, causing ongoing damage. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the general skill Carrion Pack. Your strength and battle prowess are increased if you fight with the other undead of your kind. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
I don't think I'm going to take any of those.
She skipped the following three pairs as well, as it was more the same disgusting skills. One of the new skills gave her rotten teeth to inflict diseases, and the other increased her speed if she ran on all fours. They were utterly useless, and Meera hoped the werewolf gave her something good.
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Cursed Howl. Cursed Howl – Type Active. You can release a deafening howl that spreads a curse in all directions, which will rapidly age and drain your enemies of their Health. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
*ding!*
[Class Ability Activated. You have stolen the skill Death Mark. Death Mark – Type: Passive. You can mark a target with the Death Mark. It will cause them to take increased damage from your attacks, weapons, or skills. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
Meera raised an eyebrow at that. Both were good. She had seen the effect of the Cursed Howl skill firsthand and barely survived its effect. But the Death Mark skill attracted her more.
"Meera, I think we're here," Dirik whispered.
"One moment, I'm almost done."
Death Mark could work in various scenarios, as it would increase her damage upon her enemies, and seeing as it wasn't another blast skill, she couldn't hurt any friends in the area. Yes, that should do. It could even help with sneak kills.
*ding!*
[You have acquired the skill Death Mark – Level 1]
"Meera, get down!" Dirik whispered, alarmed.
Before she could register what was going on, he pulled her down. She was about to lash out at him, but he placed a hand on her mouth. He put a finger to his lips and carefully moved the leaves of the shrubs aside so they could look.
Immediately, Meera knew he was right to pull her down. Beyond the shrub they were hiding behind was a clearing of undead people. The only thing was, they didn't look undead. They looked alive for the most part. They didn't have any rotting skin or unhealed wounds. However, that was not all, some looked like they had been stitched together, with mismatched body parts.
Hands didn't match the arms, or one leg was longer than the other. Even the eyes were held in place with stitches. Some had missing noses, arms, or hands. But all this wasn't even the most bizarre thing they saw.
There was a massive tree in the middle of the clearing. Its trunk must've been wide enough that if seven people held hands, they still couldn't encircle it. A hole had been hacked into the tree, and in that hole was a beating heart with black veins.
Right below the heart, a woman was nailed to the tree through her hands. The woman had white hair, and even her skin had turned pale. She had a vacant look in her eyes as she stared off into space.
[Mistweaver – Level ??]
Meera gasped. "That is the…"
"The queen." Dirik had hung his head.
Meera couldn't read his eyes, so she turned to the captured queen.
"Give in!" said one of the undead. He was holding a staff. It was hard to see any other features as they didn't have torches, save for the lone bonfire burning off to the side, far from the tree.
“N-N-Never…” Queen Nisaya quivered.
"No matter. You will eventually give in. You don't have long now." He touched the staff to her forehead, and the defeated queen screamed a blood-curdling scream as her whole body trembled violently.
Meera shook the unresponsive Shade, who was still staring at the ground. "We have to do something. We must save her. They're trying to do something to her."
"Have you Identified the heart?"
Meera frowned and focused on the heart.
[Heart of Doromar – Level ??]
"What is that?" Meera asked.
Maybe she spoke too loudly, or the heart noticed as the undead with staff turned in Meera's direction.
"Yes, master."
Wolves howled all around them, and finally, Dirik shook, returning to reality and looking at Meera.
"Run!" she shouted.