While most of these people had volunteered to help, there were a few of them that were either too decayed to, or simply could not muster the will to continue anymore. One individual was essentially bones loosely held together by strands of meat. I was rather impressed that they managed to hold onto their sanity through all of that. They had persisted for a long time past their own death, and while there were certain rites in the book that could be performed to extend their ability to operate, those were resources that were better spent on the willing.

I kept my word and allowed all those who wished it to pass on, sending several undead and a plethora of wisps on their way. The rest were willing to stand with me, to fight. Even those without physical form could still do their part, acting as impromptu messengers or even spies to some capacity. The ability to fly and simply ignore any physical obstacle in your path was not to be ignored.

Despite the success of this meeting, I still had a long night ahead of me due to the need to evacuate all these people from the area before the adventurers came for them in the morning. Their shambling gait wasn’t exactly conducive to an expedient retreat, so we had to get started as soon as possible and keep moving all throughout the night. I found myself envying the infinite stamina of the undead, just a little bit. They didn’t need to breathe, they didn’t get tired, and they didn’t need to eat or drink.

I, on the other hand, was exhausted. Hiking through the wilds was difficult enough, doing it at night with only the light of a small sunstone made it even more draining. I really wanted to sleep but knew that doing such a thing would put everyone at risk. We wouldn’t be safe until we had covered more ground than a group of tracking adventurers could traverse in a single day. Hopefully they would give up on us after seeing that we had vacated the area, but there was always the chance that they would choose to be quite dogged and persist regardless. Though, if I could get my plan in motion, it wouldn’t really matter that much.

If my village had been any indication of the type of environment they are looking for to run their experiments, then it had to meet a few criteria. For one thing, the population had to be mostly if not all humans. Secondly, it had to be isolated from any other population centers to minimize the chance of contagious spread. Lastly, it had to be small enough that its destruction would not interfere with the supply chain or cause any shortages in nearby towns or cities. People would look upon the ‘unlucky’ situation with only a brief bit of pity before promptly forgetting about it and continuing with their lives. No one ever misses a small village of humans that happens to disappear.

That was a feeling that I had buried a long time ago that pushed its way to the surface once more. I had always ignored the callousness of other races the best I could, figuring that this was just the way the world was. But no, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. We were supposed to have a fair shot at success as well, a chance to be more, to learn more than what our limited lifespans normally offer. Our opportunities were taken away, and I wanted them back.

Such a thought made me scoff quietly. I guess I’m thinking a lot more like Malery lately. The mentioning of her name suddenly reminded me of something. Oh, I guess she deserves to know what’s happening too. I could only begin to imagine just how much she would rage when she found out. Hopefully she didn’t do anything stupid.

Turning my attention inwards, I spoke to my pocket god. Do you think that you can pass on what we learned to Malery the next time you two speak?

I can, and I already have.

I blinked, a little surprised. Oh, you did?

Yes. After we found out, I became rather distracted by the knowledge, and she picked up on that, hounding me to tell her.

That made me chuckle. Yeah, that sounds about right. How’d she take it when you told her?

There was a lot of yelling, and I think she destroyed a chair which she later came to regret as it was apparently a very nice chair.

Now I laughed, imagining her viciously attacking the furniture only to mourn its loss immediately after. After I had a moment of levity, I sobered up again. At least tell me she isn’t planning on doing anything foolish.

I am not sure. She appears to be planning something but has yet to share what it is with me.

Well, if she starts lighting torches and handing them out could you step in to intervene for me?

A little bit of amusement came through the link between us. You act like you aren’t prone to fits of anger and stupidity.

A sheepish look crossed my face for a moment. Yeah, I will, begrudgingly, yield that point to you. The bastard then turned smug for all of a half second before the feeling was hidden away. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, yeah, you’re right, suck it all up till it’s dry, go on.

There was a half chuckle that came through before they continued. If she tries anything, I'll have a word with her. I’ll also take a moment to inform her of your current plan.

Thanks, that’s a load off my mind.

Our conversation was a nice distraction from my exhaustion, allowing me a bit of levity in an otherwise stressful situation. As I walked though, my mind went back to the room inside the church, and what my pocket god had said. The Lord of Light was brother to my own god, and probably chief among those who were our enemies. Would my god try to return the favor, or do something worse? Was I about to play a part in a fratricide between deities?

The questions burned within me, and I was driven to act on them. So, uhm, your brother is the Lord of Light? Almost immediately the light air that was created between us vanished, becoming rather dower. I’m sorry, but I need to ask, what do you plan to do about them if we somehow gain an upper hand?

The reply was not readily forthcoming, and an uncomfortable silence existed for a minute before an audible sigh echoed in my head. I don’t know. Part of me hopes that this might come to an end with simply a conversation, a plea to stop this insanity. Something in their feelings turned toxic, making me flinch a little as venom seeped from their next words. But that part is more shriveled and decayed than the rest of me. I could have forgiven him, eventually, for imprisoning me, but he has crossed a line that should not have been touched. To treat my followers, my people, like livestock, animals to be used and discarded like so much meat is unforgivable. The blatant disregard for sacred life, life that he above all others should have defended. There is no excuse that could forgive that, nothing he could say that would warrant a lesser punishment.

After they finished speaking, the hostility faded away again, dropping into a pit of desolation. I don’t know where we diverged on our path, what pushed my brother away from me. We worked closely together at one time. He helped me understand life and how to guide those who walked its winding trail, and I was there to assist him in dealing with the departed souls of his people, to show him how to comfort a being who has left their physical connections behind. What madness would break that bond? Perhaps I will ask him, but it still won’t change anything. He will answer for his sins.

There were a lot of mixed emotions coming through. Righteous anger, sadness, nostalgia, pain and longing were a few of them. I could only imagine just how difficult it is to make the decision to persecute family out of necessity. It was obvious they still wished for things to be different, but they weren’t, and they had accepted that and were prepared to move forward despite any personal desires to the contrary.

With this conversation concluded, I felt a surge of my own resolve to keep moving. I had to at least match that of my pocket god who would inevitably face his own sibling in divine conflict, so I mentally prepared to do my part in the physical world.

We had to be getting close to the next town over at this point. Those dead who volunteered would be safer around there so long as no one saw them. It was difficult to tell exactly where we were when surrounded by all these trees and wilderness, but I had asked the wisps to scout out ahead and let me know where and what was around us. While communication wasn’t exactly their strong suit, the sensations, emotions, and vague images I could sometimes gather from them would be enough to convey some basic messages.

I hoped that they would return with good news sooner rather than later, but it was not to be. It wasn’t until early the next morning, when the light of dawn was just barely casting its glow upon the world, that a handful of wisps returned with various feelings of success, accomplishment, safety, and relief. We were close to the town, and I was thankful for that. After a full night of hiking through the wilderness I probably looked a lot like the undead who were currently surrounding me.

We approached the edge of the forest, and I could see the smoke from a handful of chimneys reaching up over the horizon. Once I had found a safe enough place for the volunteers to hide, I made my way towards the town. As I shuffled my way down the main road and closer to the town, I began to see signs of activity as some early risers got up and started working. People pushed carts down the road and into the fields, stores got their stock set up and on display, and eateries began to prepare food for their customers who would be seeking a readily available breakfast.

None of that meant much to me. I got a few glances from those I passed, but no one stopped me. The first thing I wanted to do was find a bed to collapse in, even if it was only for a few hours. After that, I needed to buy a map, see where we needed to mobilize. The county was big after all, and we couldn’t be everywhere at once. We needed to find the most likely places that those damn priests would show up and stop them before they could do any harm.

Whatever would happen, I needed sleep first, and the inn I saw drew me in like a fly towards honey. They could have doubled my rent price and I wouldn’t have cared. I paid for the room and immediately went to it without so much as a spare word.

I didn’t even bother to do more than drop my pack on the floor before falling face first into the pillow. Sweet relief flowed through me even as Lilith came out again to try and cuddle as she always did. There was no energy left in me to even bother trying to adjust either of us into a more comfortable position, so I just let her find a spot and stay there. Before I drifted off, I had at least some sense enough to ask for a small favor.

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Hey, can you wake me up in a few hours?

Should you not rest longer?

Can’t stay... not safe... keep moving... My consciousness started to slip away, and I didn’t even hear the reply from my pocket god as I fell asleep. It was always strange, the way time seemed to move when you weren’t aware of it. It felt nearly like a blink of an eye before something prodded at my mind, urging me to wake.

When it finally managed to get me to return to the waking world, I felt simultaneously better and worse. My body felt rested, but my mind and eyes were sorely in need of some more time to recover. I grunted as I sat up and rubbed my face to try and clear some of the sleep away.

How long was I asleep?

About four hours.

I sighed. It will have to do for now.

You truly do not believe you can spare even a little longer? There was concern coming through from them, and I appreciated that, but I could go a day or two with minimal sleep and survive.

Don’t worry about me, I can sleep after everything truly goes into motion. While we are clumped together, we are vulnerable, so I just have to set everyone on their tasks. I got out of bed, Lilith melting into my shadow as I did.

The first thing was to find someone who could sell me a map that was as accurate as it could be. The criteria that needed to be fulfilled in order to justify sending some people to watch over it were specific. It should specify certain areas of operation, but also make it a problem for me. Nobody trusted the undead, so they couldn’t exactly bring any culprits to the village residents without the pitchforks and torches coming out. I had to be present to bring the charges to these vile individuals, but there was only one of me, so I had to be prepared to move to any of the sites that were designated as potential targets.

This was going to be, mostly, a large logistical operation. I found a store that sold ready made goods for the travelers that passed through here and found a simple map that they offered. It looked a little shoddy and handwritten, probably a copy of an official map that they made, but it would serve its purpose well enough. After getting a few more supplies and stocking up on some more travel materials, I was now ready to leave again and went out to find the volunteers that I had left behind.

Slipping off the roads when no one was looking, I ducked into the undergrowth and was once again hidden from the world around me. After about fifteen minutes of trudging through the bushes and the mud, I came upon the shambling forms of the volunteers exactly where I had left them. I felt a little bad for simply leaving them out in the wet, muddy wilderness, but they had been doing so before I found them, and they did not feel cold or discomfort.

I called everyone to my side and set down the map on a relatively flat rock. After a brief observation of its contents, I picked out our current location and pointed it out for the others.

“Okay, we are here. The Followers of Light operate primarily out of the capital, which is here.” I moved my finger over to the depiction of the capital. “Now, I'm sure that I don’t need to tell you all that we should avoid direct confrontation with the majority of their forces at this time, but I will say it anyway just to drive the point home. Do not pick fights with them that you cannot guarantee that you will win.” There were some nodding heads, a few a bit more vigorous than was intended due to decay limiting muscle control.

“Good. Now that that’s out of the way, we can begin figuring out where to move everyone.” I made a gesture towards a few villages that existed further away from more densely populated areas. “They seem to favor small targets, those who are isolated and unable to easily seek help. Makes their offers of ‘aid’ all the more convincing and probably prevents the spread of their diseases.” A few angry grunts and throaty groans of displeasure echoed through the shifting masses around me. “Yes, so we know where they like to strike, and they obviously have no problem killing humans, so the population will likely be mostly us.”

“Now for the plan. I will divide you all into groups to scout out these separated villages. Who here can remember a path from a map?” Several hands were raised in answer. “Come forward, you will be the leaders of these groups.” Once they stood in front of the map, I began to delegate locations to them and instructed the new leaders to memorize the roads and turns that would lead them to the villages. Each group would inspect two villages. Whichever one of those fits the criteria for a target the best, they would then proceed to watch over them, unflinchingly, and without rest.

While I would have liked to cover all the bases and post groups at every village, we simply did not have the numbers to accomplish that. As it was, I wanted to make sure that there were enough of us present at any one location to subdue a few priests safely. I wanted them alive, not only so I could interrogate them, but so I could pull a confession out of them in front of the village they intended to destroy.

This whole situation was starting to feel like I was organizing a war. Who am I kidding? This is certainly a war, one they started. They just didn’t bother to tell anyone else.

I cleared my thoughts quickly and continued to delegate roles. “We need messengers. Those of you without physical bodies who know how to navigate well, come forth.” I had my pick of wisps it would seem. Their greater number apparently produced more individuals who could navigate than those who still retained their flesh.

“Alright. Three to a group. You will oversee relaying any sightings of the bastards to me should they appear. I will take up location here.” I pointed to a town that is somewhat centrally located to our area of operations. It was an inconsequential place that simply existed alongside a large river. “Come find me immediately should you see them and apprehend them should they try anything.”

I stood up straight, projecting an air of confidence and authority that I scarcely knew I possessed. Vindictive anger seemed to create in me a type of conviction that I had the desire to spread. “You are all the bulwark, the last line of defense for these people who do not even know they are in danger. If we fail now, then they will die, but we will not fail, because in death you understand something that they, in their long years, do not. The value of life. Show them how much it means to you, protect it with every last ounce of your strength.”

Their glowing eyes seemed alight all the brighter and the wisps became excited, darting around, eager to contribute. The fire was lit, now it was time to let it burn its path. “Let’s get to it then!”

I spent some time preparing the volunteers' bodies, strengthening them with rituals designed to lessen the decay they were experiencing. It was an interesting ritual. The effect was essentially a physical manifestation of their own self-image influencing their body. It looked like a ghostly version of themselves overlaid and filling in the rotted gaps in their body. Willpower and the strength of a human soul, our two gifts being used. After I had finished reinforcing all those who still had bodies, we began our march towards war.

We stayed together only a little while longer, traveling adjacent to the roads, but always out of direct line of sight. When we reached a crossroads, groups split off, about a dozen or so people at a time, to head to their assigned villages. It was a little worrying to let them go off by themselves, but I just had to trust them to be safe and smart in their travels.

The number of physical bodies accompanying me slowly dwindled until at the last group finally split off. I was far from alone though. There was still a sizeable retinue of wisps that hovered all around me, just waiting for their opportunity to contribute. Even though I could now safely walk on the roads, it was still a little difficult for me to reconcile with the fact that this cloud of glowing orbs following me was invisible to others. I would have a brief moment of panic whenever I saw someone approaching from the opposite direction before remembering that little fact.

It took almost the rest of the day before I arrived in the central town that was designated as my impromptu command post. That was putting it generously because I ended up staying in a hole in the wall room in a rickety little inn. There was no way to know how long my stay here would be. I had enough money to live off for a while, but if this whole operation lasted more than a month, I would need to find some way to extend my ability to stay here or rethink my positioning entirely.

These were the problems I was facing, and it hadn’t even been a day since we began. I had no knowledge of leading operations, directing people, organizing resources, but I was forced into this role by circumstance, and could think of no better solution to dealing with this. Still, learning on the job was something that every adventurer had to do, and I think I was fairly successful at it considering I had survived a year of doing just that, so I decided to try to take this situation in stride.

For now, though, waiting and thinking was all I could really do. It quickly became apparent that that was going to be a problem. I was left with nothing to do, no knowledge of how each of the groups I had sent out were doing, and free reign to think about everything that could go wrong.

When I was sitting, my leg was bouncing up and down. When I was standing, I was pacing in circles all over the small room. I was unable to stand still, constantly needing to do something lest I feel like I would go crazy. Even devoting most of the free time I now had to reading what was in the spell book did little to keep me still. This was going to be a long waiting game.

Over a solid week and a half of waiting was what it turned out to be. I was at my wits end, I needed to do something, yet I was stuck here. I did not expect simply staying in one place to be so agonizing. It felt like every day that passed put us further on the back foot than before, not to mention the families that were still in danger. The Followers of Light had probably already started their investigations. How many people have they rounded up? How many just disappeared?

I thought about all that as I returned to my room after walking around the town to burn some energy. In this time, I had managed to read most of the spell book and committed many new techniques to memory. At least it helped me feel like when I did eventually get out there, that I would be able to contribute more to the efforts of those who had been working in my stead up to this point.

Once back in the room, I sat down to continue reading when a wisp quickly flew directly into my line of sight, flashing and jerking side to side in the air. It took me a moment, but I eventually realized that they were a messenger, bringing me word from one of the villages. Excitement surged within me at the chance to finally do something, and I removed the map from my bag and laid it on the table before directing the important question to the wisp.

“Where?” It was a simple question, but it was all that needed to be said. The wisp flew over to the map and positioned itself directly over one of the furthest villages away from civilization before flashing. My excited grin quickly turned to a grim disposition. While I wanted to do something, this news meant that they were trying to kill people again, and the weight of that was not lost on me.

Resolving myself, I gave a few more orders to wisps in the room. “Alright, I need runners and I need a few who will stay behind in case others show up with news. Runners first, come forward.” A few floated before me and I gave them directions to the other villages to let them know what was going on and where I was heading.

“Good, now a few of you need to stay behind, at least for two or three days, just in case other messengers are on their way.” More volunteers for the position came forward and I gave them a grateful nod of appreciation for accepting the task.

With that all sorted, now I could begin the process of packing up and preparing for the trip ahead of me. Carriages would only take me so far as most refused to travel to the distance of these outlying villages. It wasn’t for any personal reasons; it just wasn’t profitable. The closest I could probably get would be at a crossroads between two towns that would take me to that village. Judging by the remaining distance, it would be at least two days before I could reach there.

I hoped that either the followers of light wouldn’t try anything, or that those who I sent ahead would be able to restrain them before they could do something to poison the populace. Whatever the case may be, the sooner I get there, the sooner I can resolve this situation and get some answers. I strode out of the inn, sun high in the sky and reminding me just how much ground I had to cover as I set off in a jog to find a carriage that would take me at least part way. Dreadful anticipation filled me, and I began to prepare myself for everything that might happen in this very uncertain future.