An invisible force slammed into Alaster’s forehead with enough force to throw his head back, knocking the young man out of the chair. Alaster lay there motionless, but he was not present.
Alaster watched from within himself, looking over his Mana Core. As he watched, the standard blackness surrounding his Mana Core was replaced with a deep red, almost black, hue. It took Alaster several moments for the young man to realize that he was actually watching Belgroth’s soul.
So large and powerful, it completely dwarfed his entire being. There was no doubt in his mind that if Belgroth wanted to, he would not even destroy Alaster’s soul, it would simply cease to exist.
Yet, it did not. Belgroth’s soul did not crush his own. Instead, it gently wrapped around it, gracefully turning into a ring, spinning around Alaster’s Mana Core.
Alaster’s mind returned to his body, along with a piercing migraine, like an arrow was constantly stabbing his brain.
Sitting up only made it worse, but Alaster pushed through it, his [Pain Tolerance] was supposed to be helping, but either it was and there was just too much pain, or it did not help with this sort of pain.
Dizzy, Alaster sat down at the table again. He gently held his head, groaning with each small movement and sound. Luckily, his Undead were still could be as still as statues and were just as silent.
‘It should pass in a moment.’
Alaster looked up sharply, immediately regreting it.
“I’m guessing that’s you in my head?” Alaster asked the cave, cradling his head.
‘Correct, and you don’t have to speak to converse with me.’
‘Does that mean you can read my mind?’ Alaster asked, thankful he did not need to make noise. He also noticed the tactical advantages of such a thing but decided to consider it later.
‘No, just what you say in your mind. Your actual thoughts and memories are not available to me. Something I’m sure we are both grateful for.’
Alaster would have chuckled if not for his head. However just as Belgroth said, the Migraine quickly faded away within moments.
‘Gods that was horrible.’
‘Imagine what it’s like for me.’
‘Is this a being a threat?’ The Pact spoke up. It rarely ever spoke, causing Alaster to forget that it was sentient, if only barely.
‘No Pact, this is a guest. I am just serving as a host for him until he is able to leave.’
‘Understood.’
‘Fascinating. Is this creature part of your soul, or just bound to it?’
‘From what the System has told me and what I have experienced. It is an Undead parasite that decided to protect me. For some reason.
‘Yes. I see now.’ Belgroth said slowly, ‘It seems to be a soul that has been extensively damaged. I suspect that it instinctively bonded to you.’
‘Why would it do that?’
‘As I’ve said before, souls heal naturally. But just like the body, there are limits. This soul was permanently damaged, beyond what it could heal naturally. It bound itself to you in hopes of repairing itself, or perhaps in hope you would repair it.’
‘How would I do that?’
‘From what I can read of your soul, which is quite like an open book I might add, you already have two Bonuses pertaining to the soul. One in manipulating your own, and one entrapping a fallen foe’s. Those who deal with Necrotic or Divine Mana are suited to dealing with souls.
Divine Magic specializes in working the soul of the living. While Necrotic Magic works with the souls of the dead. However, both are able to repair damage.
From what I can see of this, Pact, as you call it, the damage is extensive, but repairable. Though, at your current skill, it is still beyond you. But, perhaps not for long.’
Alaster wondered what a fully capable [Death Pact] would be capable of, but pushed it aside. He had System Notices to deal with.
[Level Up]
[Class: Death Knight
Level: 51<59
EXP: 12%<89%
Health: 1,400/1,400<1,520/1,520
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Health Regeneration: 56/min<66/min
Mana: 1,315/1,315<1,435/1,435
Mana Regeneration: 60/min<64/min
Bloodline: Demonic Blood
Abilities: Striker Type, AOE Type, Minion Type, General Type
Passives: Pain Tolerance, Blunt Resistance, Regeneration, Magic Resistance
Bonuses: Horde, Death Pact, Soul Domain, Split Mind, Swap, Soul Seal, Blood Price, Dead Embrace, Last Stand, Imbuement, Blood Aura, Reaper, Fine Control, Dark Sight
Stats:
Strength: 219<235 Wisdom*: 300<324
Dexterity: 200<216 Intelligence*: 243<267
Constitution*: 260<284 Free Points: 0<40]
‘Bel, just how powerful were you?’
‘Exceedingly, at least by Human standards. Why?’
‘Because I was at level fifty-one. Levels past fifty are very difficult to reach. So much so that its not unheard of for Experts to throw a party when they level up.’
‘Ok, and? That is a weird custom, but Humans always were a bit odd, even before they turned bloodthirsty.’
‘Because I was barely Level fifty-one. Now, I’m just shy of Level sixty. Killing you, even without you fighting back, gave me eight levels.’
‘I was expecting you to become stronger. At least with the System serving as a crutch.’
‘Give me a moment, I need to distribute the Free Points.’
‘Those words mean nothing to me but go ahead.’
As much as Alaster wanted to keep his stats fairly even. He knew that such a thing would only end poorly. His current class seemed to allow promote using physical skill and Abilities when fighting alongside the Undead, not just making the Undead fight for him.
However, he what he could do, was limited to just him. His Physical Stats would grow naturally. As would his Magical Stats, but for his Class, they held more weight behind them.
He wouldn’t get another bonus until a Stat reached five hundred, and then, only two. His final bonus would be at one thousand and would only apply to a single stat. Alaster had not known Stats could reach that high. He wondered what it would be like.
But even more than that, Alaster wondered what Stats he should get to five hundred. Wisdom was fairly obvious. Most of his power lay behind Wisdom. But what about the second. Should he use Constitution, becoming more of a sustainable melee fighter. Or should he use Intelligence, becoming more of a burst damage Mage.
Of course, Alaster had no idea what sort of Bonuses he could get. But Aila did say that the later Bonuses were much more powerful than the earlier Bonuses, and his Bonuses were already quite powerful.
After thinking about it, Alaster put twenty-six points into Wisdom, raising it to three hundred and fifty points. And using the remaining fourteen points to raise Constitution to two hundred ninety-eight.
But even if his increased Levels drew his attention, Alaster did not forget that one of his Abilities had leveled up as well.
[Death Touch
Level 14<22: 73%<19%
Imbue your body with Necrotic Mana
Leech Health from the target double Mana cost.
Applies through weapons and armor.
Mana Cost: 5/sec]
‘Nice!’
[Death Touch] was one of the first Spells he learned as a Novice, and yet, he had not really used it. Rarely did he find himself touching the enemy with a bare hand. But now, he could use it much more freely.
Though Alaster wondered if it only worked with his weapons and armor, of if it would work through the enemy’s as well. If so, it would be an even greater Ability, able to ignore the opponent’s armor, as well as healing Alaster.
Alaster certainly didn’t miss the change. No longer did it heal health equal to the mana used, but now it was double. It could now heal him ten health per second at the standard use. But Alaster had long since learned how to control the Mana cost of this particular Spell.
If he wanted to, Alaster was able to supercharge the Spell with additional Mana, or even less. It was how he removed the fat left over from skinning Monsters. There were of course limits. Alaster wasn’t able to use more than fifty mana per second with the Spell, but even that was one hundred health per second.
‘Alright, I’m done. Shall we begin the Devil slaughter?’
‘Go right on ahead. These Devils no longer serve the Argalon People.’
Alaster began ascending through the tunnel, his remaining Undead behind him.
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘You didn’t know? You astound me with your ignorance. The Devils, or Colgar, as was their actual Species name, were a weak and cruel People. They didn’t seek out violence, but they were well suited to it, even finding enjoyment through it. My People had long since subjugated them, though they were no slaves. They were allowed to operate on their own, but if a situation called for numbers, we called upon the Colgar, and they were expected to answer.
They bred nearly as quickly as Goblins, and were much stronger than the standard Human, at least before the System changed the Human. As I’m sure you’ve noticed.
The Colgar were the prime inhabitants of the world, but the Argalon People were the true rulers.
When the Humans attacked, the Colgar rushed to our aid of their own volition. They fought back valiantly. Not out of some moral high ground such as honor or loyalty, but because they enjoyed the fight. They enjoyed it so much that they were nearly entirely wiped out. The remaining Colgar were sheltered along with our Children, as annoyed as they were at that.
I imagine they are with the rest of my People, likely serving as the majority of the fighting force once more. Though, I highly doubt the Colgar population on this planet were wiped out. Just like Goblins, they are crafty. They would have hid themselves, rebuilding their numbers and strength. And unlike Goblins, the Colgar were highly intelligent, maybe slightly less than the average Human.
They would have known how to hide, when to retreat, and what targets took priority. They likely waged a guerrilla war for many centuries, hoping my People would return. Though now, I don’t know.’
‘You speak highly of them.’ Alaster commented, intrigued by the history.
‘But of course. They are the only reason as many of my People survived, at a great cost to their own. Of course, they treat war like a recreational pastime. They relished it. While my People were struggling and despairing. I had never seen the Colgar so happy. In addition, they don’t really have the family connections Humans and my own People possess.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You are fighting so desperately to save your sister. The Colgar, while they know their family and have friends, don’t really understand revenge. To them, violence is something to be enjoyed.’
‘I suspect there are females?’
‘Yes, just like any non-parasitic Species. They were more rare, roughly one in a hundred. And each of them were powerful Mages, at least by the standards of Humans. They were more protected, due to their value, both as a Mage, and as a female. But in the war, many fell. I believe you won’t find one in this dimension. They were too valuable to the Species to be used as guards.’
By this point, Alaster had returned to the surface. Nothing had changed, likely because only a few moments had passed.
“Alright my Undead Army, lets resume the hunt.”