The old man, Ben, Francis and Anna were trekking through the forest after leaving the road from Ben’s family farm to Straten a while back. Anna was still chewing and rolling the piece of flesh she bit off Ben inside her mouth.
“Old man I’m surprised, really, shouldn’t necromancers be hiding away in a deep damp cave slaughtering any innocents that they come across?” Ben asked. “Not rescuing them?”
“Sigh, you young ones and maybe even the old ones” Here he laughed sadly “don’t know that necromancy is split into three factions: Immortalists, Warmongers and Body hunters.” It seemed the old man had decided to use Bens question as a pretext for a lecture “Body Hunters are just as the name describes: they hunt bigger and badder creatures or people to turn into powerful undead, Warmongers are your common verity of necromancers, they usually follow three simple steps: Get a large amount of corpses, turn undead and repeat, Immortalists which I am considered apart of don’t really bother civilisation much and instead focus on finding ways to cheat death.” Explained the old man
“That doesn’t answer my question though.” Replied Ben.
“Doesn’t it?” questioned the old man “when you think of the goals of each group, it isn’t hard to see that most see people as nothing more than experimental fodder.” Here he signed again “But like in anything which involves people there are different views on how far is too far. Take me for example I will not kill a person of an enlightened race, monsters however……” the old man trailed off looking ahead as if sensing something.
Suddenly Anna moved in front of Ben while Francis charged ahead into the brush. Ben worried about what had happened to Anna in that short interval quickly checked her over and found a dart in her arm. “Goblins” he muttered nasty pests. A few squeals and the clacking of bones later reveals Francis dragging the dead body of a goblin hunter by the head with a few goblin warriors on his shoulders. “Excellent!” cried the old man “I was missing some fresh corpses, Francis be a dear and carry them home please.” Francis seemed to look at the old may in a way that said why you think I’m carrying them. The old man pretended not to notice.
“Anyway as I was saying” continued the old man as they resumed their journey “I won’t kill someone from the enlightened races however I think you can find many examples of people who do. Now I’m not saying they are bad people they are just well…” He smiled with a strained smile “bad people. Very few necromancers have my view of the world and choose to use necromancy in any way which benefits them. This has caused the reputation of necromancers to plummet around the world and we’re very lucky to be in a country which tolerates necromancers rather than outright kill them.” At this point in the lecture the group of four and three corpses arrived at a cave with a wooden barricade in front. The old man didn’t even stop to admire the scenery he just waved his hand and the barricade started to float up. “Well don’t just stand there come along.” He said while gesturing the trio standing outside to follow.
After shifting the corpses on his shoulders a bit Francis followed his master in. Ben seemingly wracked with the weight of the decision he was about to make, took a deep breath then charged into the darkness. Anna just gulped then sniffed the air for a while before bolting after Ben.
Tackling Ben from behind just as they reach the end of the tunnel and arrive in what seems to be the living room of the magus, she bit into Bens shoulder and ripped another chunk of his flesh off which she then proceeded to chew on happily.
His scream from being bitten altered the old man who ran to the room they were in and saw Anna chewing and sitting on Ben’s back while he was bleeding out. He didn’t even stop to question what she was chewing, having already guessed, and proceeded to cast lesser aqua heal on Ben.
After three casts to mend the shoulder and restore what was being eaten, with a little wrestling to get Anna off himself, Ben finally had the chance to look around the room. All he saw was a single earthen wall across from where he entered a wooden table with a few chairs (three to be precise), three passage ways, two leading off on either side of the room and the one which he came down, and finally a worried old man staring at him. When Ben’s tears subsided he said “I’m assuming the one on the left is the laboratory what with the stench and all.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The old man chuckled for a bit before replying “heh, you’re right kid but that part you will learn about later, for now let’s get you up and your Class.” After which he proceeded to help Ben up and half carry him down the right path.
“I’m assuming you know how to get the job right?” Asked the old man
Ben snorted then said “of course just because I don’t have one now, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to get one. I just need to pray at the appropriate statue of whichever god the Class is governed by.”
“Correct in one go young one. And here is where I keep my statue of the goddess Altea, Queen of the Dammed, Dead and the Void.” The old man said with reverence. The room they were in is a side passage, barely bigger than an alcove, connected to the main passage way they were using. And of course Anna tagged along. The statue itself depicted an inhumanly beautiful naked woman with the precious parts on top covered by a raven and goat fighting and the bottom part covered by a skull.
“So I just kneel here and pray?” Ben asked the old man, on his knees in front of the statue.
“Yep and if you’re lucky you might get a vision of meeting the goddess herself!” He chuckled to himself. ‘As if that will happen’ he thought ‘I had to pass level 80 before she would deign to speak to me’
Ben prayed the Class change prayer which every enlightened being know upon their birth: “O Holy One whom I have decided to follow, please do me the favour of changing me to a Class to befit your brilliance.” The statues eyes came alive with a black light which quickly blasted out and covered Ben, head to toe.
Ben blinked his eyes open and found himself in a large black nothingness. After turning his head left and right, he caught sight of a woman more beautiful than the statue, however there were marked differences. The raven was sitting on her left shoulder instead of fighting with the goat which is now sitting opposite on her right shoulder and skull had moved up to her belly.
Realising she was bare before him, our patron of the dead blushed furiously then looked away. Oh she was also 23ft tall.
“Fufufu, Young one you do not need to be shy, you come for my patronage after all”
Hearing her slightly seductive and mesmerising voice, Ben looked back at the goddess and through sheer force of will only sneaked a peek at her other parts before settling on her face.
Smiling at his antics the goddess let him be till he had his fill (of course the peeking failed she’s an inhuman beauty, everyone would be tempted).
“Why did you bring me here?” Asked Ben “Gods and Goddesses don’t usually talk to their followers till at least level 50, unless……”
“Correct.” Altea stated “I want you to be my champion”
“I refuse.” Ben stated without hesitation.
“Why?” asked the now thoroughly perplexed goddess.
“Because Champions usually have to do some insane quest, rite or some other such thing for their god.” Ben stated “Most of which I would be unable to complete.”
The goddess laughed after hearing his answer and replied to him “although other gods may do so I do not, the only thing I require of my champion is to love all life even though he must take it.”
“That’s why your champions are so rare…….” he muttered to himself.
“Still no though, can I have my class please?” he said turning to face the goddess again.
Smiling the goddess said “sure, and take the bonus too.” She then waved her hand and darkness covered Ben’s eyes.
When he opened them he realised that he was back on his knees in front of the statue.
“Well m’boy now that you got your class, time you showed this old coot your status.”
Ben wondering what bonus the goddess talked about, and wishing to get advice from the old man, Ben said “Show Status!”
Suddenly a blue panel appeared in front of Ben detailing his stats class and new title. The old man looked over Bens shoulder to see the screen and his reaction was to immediately faint. Ben couldn’t blame because even he was shocked over what the screen said:
Name: Ben/Nero Skylark Title: Altea's Champion Class: Necromancer Level: 1 STR: 15 (14) INT: 15 (14) VIT: 15 (14) WIS: 15 (14) CON 15 (14) CHA: 15 (14) HEALTH: [27] MANA: [27]
And then Anna decided to bite his leg.