Vey doesn’t set Sera down, even when he sits in the cavern after carrying her all the way there. She hasn’t woken up yet, which worries Vey slightly, but he assumes that rest is good for her right now. The skeletons haven’t made it up for their third trip, but Vey can tell by how much stuff is moved that they have made their second. The distraction from the inevitable aftermath is welcome, and so Vey starts calculating the upcoming dungeon logistics and plans for the defense.
Still, even that distraction loops back around to the battle. Vey is satisfied with the performance of [Bonefiddle] and [Flameburst] in that scenario, but [Scorching Ray] definitely better as a single target elimination spell, and there are most likely better, higher tiered spells he could create for AoE than [Flameburst], so this might be the only time they get the spotlight. Sera’s swordplay was also much better than Vey had initially expected. The concept of ‘affinities’ was something Vey was still shaky on, but at least theoretically, Vey knows he is much better at making and at casting buffing transmutation spells, evocation spells, and some specific illusion spells, and worse at the rest of the classifications of magic. Vey thinks that the reason Wizard felt like the ‘right’ class for him is because it is the class that best utilizes those affinities, which means Sera feels like Spellblade is right for her because of some hidden affinity for swordplay, and probably some types of magic.
Those hypotheticals would also explain why she’s so incredibly good at using her sword, even without having a class, or any real combat experience. She spent longer doing nothing but training and practicing with it in any given day than Vey has ever spent on designing even a single one of the spell’s he’s best at, that’s for sure. Pride wells up in Vey’s nonexistent heart at Sera’s dedication towards her goals, and her stated dedication towards him. He nuzzles her head with his, something he would never do if she were awake, but something that definitely feels right to him.
But that too, loops around to the issue. Vey had counted the corpses as he’d carried Sera back here, and only counted twenty two, meaning at least one got away. There was twenty four, yes, but one of the missing corpses was one Vey had personally dispatched with [Cutting Hand], nothing short of healing magic would be able to stop him from bleeding to death, so Vey is confident that only one got away unscathed. What that means, though, is more enemies coming for him and Sera. More and more enemies. He hadn’t even solved the first security issue, and now, not only has the issue gotten larger, he’ll also likely have to try and fix it while Sera grapples with what she’s done today.
Which is another problem. He’d not wanted her to kill her father like that. He may not understand familial bonds the way she does, but Vey does know how much it would pain him emotionally to be forced to kill Sera at this point, and using that as a basis, he doesn’t like how upset she’ll likely be when she wakes. Plus what her father had said, calling her insane, Vey doesn’t have much of a metic for what mortals consider sane, but he’s fairly certain that the way Sera was acting, that entirely too happy voice, and the chaotic way she spoke and rationalized decisions, her father was probably right, at least right then.
He decides immediately he doesn’t care, she’s his, and she’d said something he didn’t really understand what to make of yet, but he wants to return the gesture eventually. That hard thinking done, he finally checks the status notification he’d gotten the instant he’d sat down.
Encounter Ended! You have leveled up!
After your most recent encounter, you are now ready to level up a class of your choosing.
An additional level up is most certainly welcome, and he begins the process, but it feels like it came entirely too quickly, it was only one day ago he leveled to five, after all. The only theory Vey has in his head as he goes ahead with it is related to his technical status as a tamed monster according to the system. Perhaps he isn’t leveling up on his own anymore, but is leveling up when Sera levels up, because Sera almost certainly leveled up from that, he can tell just from her aura. Sera’s aura is still like a faint film over her skin, but Vey feels like it’s about to explode outwards into a more recognizable one like his own, probably the moment she levels into a class, which confirms his theory on what the auras represent, as far as he’s concerned.
In the midst of all this thinking, the skeletons come up for their third haul, but Vey stops them, and actually speaks to them instead of commanding them through the bond.
“Each of you, bring in a corpse from outside, please. The corpse at the bottom of the hill, with a sword by it, the four at the top of the hill, and a female one with a spear, those would be best. We need to test that ability.” Vey knows from experience that they don’t technically hear him, nor does his inclusion of ‘please’ technically do anything, but he does know that if that necromancer had acted like this towards Vey all that time ago, he wouldn’t have made the decision to kill him so quickly.
As the skeletons set off to gather the corpses, Vey sets Sera down finally, right beside him, leaning against each other, and puts his left hand on her thigh. The easiest way to wake her up without annoying her is simple, and honestly a bit dull. He pinches the meat on the inside of her thighs, and she jolts awake immediately, and looks around for a bit with a glazed look in her eyes, before speaking.
“Vey… Did that really all happen?” Sera asks, and Vey isn’t quite sure how to respond to that, and so answers with his own question.
“Do you mean something you were ‘dreaming’ about, or the battle?”
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“The battle.” Sera sits back, and lightly hits her skull against the closer-than-expected stone. “So that’s it then… I killed my dad…”
Vey sees the tears start to well in her eyes immediately, and looks straight ahead instead of at her, and simply offers her a hand.
“The worst part is, I don’t even feel bad about that, but he said my mom was also gone… Taken by the bandits…” Sera shakes her head as she takes Vey’s hand. “Vey. Please check the corpses over there. If any of them are elves-”
“Sera, none of them had your face. I checked before you came up here earlier.” Vey answers her concerns before she can make herself cry by stating them. “I’d recognize it immediately, even in that brief exchange earlier, I could see the resemblance between your father and yours, I would have already known if one of them was your mother.”
Sera just nods, and finishes sobbing with a long exhale. Vey watches her close her eyes and draw in breath for an equally long exhale, but this time much more controlled, and with the pained look in her eyes gone for now when she opens them.
“I leveled up, I think. Did you?” Sera asks, and Vey just nods his ascent. “I got two new… things. One’s a skill, one’s a magical effect. I don’t want to read them right now, but I guess that means dad didn’t die for nothing, if I’m stronger for it.”
“Sera, what you said earlier… I love you, too. I know I’m missing some context here and there, but that’s true, at least.” Vey lets his words hand in the air for a bit, as he registers the blush slowly filling Sera’s face and ears, before her ears twitch and she climbs over her legs for a hug, which he returns. He feels her also press something soft, probably her lips, against the side of his jaw repeatedly, though he has no idea why. Vey starts stroking her back gently as he switches back into ‘serious’ mode as the first skeleton returns with a corpse, the woman who had tried to run him through with a spear. “Sera, they’ll be more from the village after us, maybe stronger people, too. We need to get better defenses. We can talk and hug later, if you’d like, but I’d like to focus on that right now.”
Sera just nods, and leans back on her knees, resting her legs on either side of Vey’s right leg, before she stands by simply extending her legs. Vey almost wants to remark that she couldn’t do that when they first met, but supposes that would probably fall under the category of a ‘for later’ comment, and Vey had just said they’d be doing that later.
“Why is it bringing back a corpse?” Sera asks, pointing at the skeleton carrying a headless corpse, and an additional head from… somewhere. Vey also wants to ask why the skeleton grabbed a different head, before remembering he crushed the first one. Still, the head of one human woman and a different woman’s body won’t matter, the skeletal structures are similar enough. Sera sticks her head out to look up the tunnel, then turns back to Vey while he’s still standing up. “Why are all of them bringing back the corpses?”
“As I said, we need better defenses.” Vey answers nonchalantly, and walks over to the center of the room, lining up the first two returning skeletons. “So I’m going to make more skeletons with [Undead Leadership]’s once per month ability. It can only make six at a time right now, though.”
“Is there a reason you brought Sheo’s body specifically? It’s weird to say this since I just killed him but it would feel weird knowing one of the undead helping us survive is the corpse of someone who was like an uncle to me…” Sera’s concern isn’t one Vey had even realized was possible, but before he can respond, she corrects herself. “No, he tried to kill you, I don’t care about him anymore. If his body's stats transfer over, then it makes sense why you want him.”
“Are you sure? You’ve… I honestly expected you to be a little more distraught than you are.” Vey goes ahead and drops that heavy topic into the conversation, choosing now when they’re both trying to be productive rather than later. Sera picks up a notebook and stick of charcoal off of the floor before she responds.
“I thought I would be too.” Sera looks thoughtfully at something written on the page, though Vey can’t see it from where he’s standing. “And I know I was a bit hysterical at the end there… It was all so chaotic, and I… I was having fun, running around with the sword… And then I wanted to talk to dad, about you, about everything… But I’m calm now, and I’d do all that again if I had to. So yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“How much progress do you think you’ve made towards getting that intelligence point?” Vey tries to change the topic, since he’s not sure what he could add to her monologue.
“Not much, honestly. I did feel like I’d learned more about how I would make a spell, since the way you do it doesn’t really mesh with how hard it is for me to focus on stuff like that. I feel like I could cast a [Mage Armor] spell, if I had mana, but that’s not the same as me being more intelligent.” Sera’s explanation strikes a chord with Vey, since that sounds almost exactly like the process he’d used when initially becoming a wizard.
“Keep at it, then, that sounds like good progress to me. I’m going to start the process now, do you think you’d be ok collecting the weapons from the corpses outside?” Vey asks, and Sera just shakes her head no, and sits on top of one of the crates, alternatively looking up at Vey and reading her own notes.
Vey looks back at the last skeleton making it’s way down with the last corpse from the top of the hill. He helps them rearrange all of the various limbs and bits, making sure each corpse has all of its parts. He’s not sure that’s necessary, but it does feel like a good idea. He re-reads [Undead Leadership] again.
Undead Leadership (Passive)
Undead Leadership is not dissimilar to the leadership skill. It imparts certain knowledge related to leading unminded undead and likeminded sentient undead to an individual, as well as heightening the individual’s base Int, Wis, and Cha on acquisition. Likeminded sentient undead will also find the individual to be more tolerable than others when placed in a subordinate position to the individual.
As your Undead Leadership was earned via the combination of Undead Lieutenant and Awakened through evolution, your Undead Leadership also imparts military knowledge, the ability to innately command unminded undead, and the ability to raise a number equal to your level(6) of said unminded undead once per month.
Vey focuses back in, and points an open palmed hand at the six corpses. [Undead Lieutenant - Raise Skeletons] The mental command immediately sends what feels like a mixture between a splitting headache and six new somethings being connected to his mind, and Vey twitches for a moment as he adjusts to the sensation.
Meanwhile, Sera watches in a mix of horror and curiosity as six very fleshy corpses, most of which have at least one appendage simply left to the side of them rather than being actually attached, start twitching. Next, she realizes exactly what that twitching is, when Sheo’s severed head snaps back to his skull, and similar sights begin with the other corpses. The corpses shake, before Sera’s eyes go wide as she realizes what is both probably a mistake on Vey’s part, and something truly terrible from the perspective of someone who knows how intelligent skeletons feel their body. Vey just raised the skeletons as undead, but he didn’t take the flesh off first, so now the skeletons inside are vibrating and shaking violently, trying to shake the flesh off of themselves.
“Vey! You need to get them out of the flesh, they’re twitching like that because they’re trapped in there!” Sera yells as she grabs the nearest dagger from the pile and starts moving to help.