"Potions, rope, rations, flint…."

Our leader rattled on, double--no, triple-checking our equipment. The muscular man was extremely thorough and took his leadership role seriously. I couldn’t fault him; the life of an adventurer is extremely dangerous. Even a slight mistake can lead to an early grave... but I was BORED. Without thinking, I fiddled with my daggers. With ease, I tossed them into the air and caught them by the handle, soon juggling both. Deftly tossing the sharp weapons back and forth.

"RY," he called out, and I nearly cut myself as my trance was shattered.

Looking around, I saw my entire team staring. I briefly made eye contact with each, feeling a sense of disappointment in the air.

"What? He has this," I mumbled... no response.

"FINE." I sheathed the daggers and took a seat. Our lead quickly started back up once more.

As I listened to the deep, droning voice, my mind started to wander. Why did we have to prepare this much? I get we only formed up a few months ago, but we were still taking D-rank bounties. In fact, if the local guard weren’t so lazy, they could have easily done it themselves. It was just spooked farmers seeing some undead in the nearby forest. I mean, the past winter was exceptionally harsh, and much of the local fauna perished. With so many creatures expiring, the lingering death energies tended to concentrate in regions of darkness. Without a cleric or the sun to purge the negative force, it leads to reanimation. In short: Zombie Deer.

I’m not even joking, zombie deer. To be honest…I am sure there were more than that. When I first started these clean-up bounties, I had to fight reanimated squirrels. Those things were vicious little bastards that swarmed any living creature. If left unchecked, they could strip livestock to the bone. Thankfully, they were easy to handle. A quick stab, hard stomp, or a bit of fire took care of them real quick.

"Okay, we are clear; let's head out," the barbarian announced.

"Thank the gods it’s over," I muttered.

Finally, that windbag was done with his lecture. Grabbing my backpack, I joined the group, and we set out into the forest. Our cleric traced the source of decay and led us towards our target. Thankfully, the journey was uneventful. It only took about 2 hours of walking before we saw the cavern in the distance.

As we approached, the group split up to scout the region. The negative zone had siphoned away any and all life. The grass had blackened, and puffs of negative aether seeped from the soil. As long as we didn’t touch the plane, we shouldn’t have to worry about any ambushes. After marking the boundaries, the sun began to set. Retreating further back, we set up a temporary camp. It was stupid to fight the undead at night; the darkness empowered creatures of shadow. Tearing into some of the rations, our cleric collected the weapons. After a series of prayers and chants, he uncorked a gilded bottle and poured out the sanctified oil. It was a thick, goopy liquid that slithered down the cold steel. With care, he slowly coated the blades in the substance. I leaned over to get a closer look, and a harsh scent flooded my nose. The burning sensation made my eyes water and sent me into a coughing fit.

“And I thought my poisons were bad,” I joked, giving our cleric a soft punch.

“Ryland, you really need to focus up. One of these days, you are going to get seriously hurt,” Selman responded with a sigh.

The cleric was... frail. Selman followed Onir, the God of Temperance and Moderation. He was one of the more popular deities and easily gave up power to his followers. However, while simple to access, it did have a significant downside – Vows. Through his levels and studies, Selman had undergone many different promises. The stronger the sacrifice, the more effective his skills became. Additionally, Onir wasn’t one for violence or destruction. Instead, his power leaned towards purification, warding, and to a lesser extent, healing. Still, the path of a cleric was rough. If they broke from the faith, they would lose access to many of their abilities. This was on top of all the rituals and constant veneration of their god. Even though Selman had taken the “Easy” path, it still required a ton of fortitude to maintain. While it was a pain to wait for these silly rituals, his protective barriers had saved us many times.

On the opposite end was our team lead: The barbarian Lux. He was an absolute unit who spent nearly every waking hour working out. Yet, for all his muscles, he had a good brain and a keen eye. He always was pushing us to better ourselves. Whether it was assisting the cleric and rebuilding his muscle, balancing our budget, keeping our rations topped off, or resolving issues; he was the perfect lead. One nice thing was the directness. In fact, I still have a scar from when I tried to snag a few extra coins off our second mission. After flying across a tavern, he calmly apologized to the bartender and dragged me out back for a “one-on-one” chat. A few punches later, he calmly explained that this was for my own good. I couldn’t fault him; he was right. Since joining the team, I have rapidly improved. I gained nearly two levels with his aggressive nature and couldn’t wait to see where he led our team.

Our final member was a bit more reserved. Mors was a jack of all trades. He was the only one to actively multi-class on our team. Sure, many had a few levels outside their focus, but it was a risk to level multiple fields at once. The act could significantly slow the overall process. However, some combinations were well worth it. Not to mention, if you were lucky, they could merge together, removing the downsides. I had some inklings that he had already merged once. There were just too many skills for the level. He could cast basic light spells, brew healing salves, spot/disarm traps, and could handle a sword. I didn’t pressure the man too much as he was an invaluable member that glued our rag-tag group together.

Once the weapons were sanctified, and we ate our fill, it was time to rest. Tomorrow is the big day, and I didn’t want to fight exhausted.

“LET'S HEAD OUT!” Lux screamed.

Birds launched from the trees, and I fell out of my chair in shock. I gave him an evil eye, and he just smiled back. He always had to be dramatic. Grabbing my supplies, we made our way to the line of death.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“You know the drill, be ready,” Lux demanded.

After a final check, Lux and Mors crossed the line of decay. The sudden influx of life awakened the various creatures, and dozens of eyes appeared at the entrance. As the seconds passed, more and more surfaced alongside a cacophony of squeaks – Then the first beast emerged.

“RABBITS!”

At least it wasn’t squirrels or, well, actual zombies. As the wave of undead mammals rushed from the cave, it gave me a sense of unease. While they might have been cute in life, they were disgusting in death. The fur was stained with filth and grime, bits of rotten flesh dangled off the sides, and their teeth were warped from exposure. Not to mention the nauseating stench of raw decay. Grabbing a peppermint-laden cloth, I used the fabric to filter the toxic odor – Another one of Lux’s ideas.

Lux moved quickly and swiped his battle-ax in a low sweep. It was a massacre. As the sharp blade made impact, it launched the frail creatures into the sky. Their bloated bodies exploded in a shower of congealed blood and viscera. Even those not destroyed began to sizzle and burn as the sanctified oil took hold. The undead vermin thrashing about as the body disintegrated from the divine power.

Lux was laughing as he swung his ax without regard for safety. Once the thrill of battle took hold, it was best to give him space. Meanwhile, Mors took his time. Every motion was controlled, clean, and precise. His blade flickering in the air with deadly precision and decapitating the attackers on each movement. The fighter was always mesmerizing to watch, a dance of death intertwined with the flourishing of a blade. However, they couldn’t have all the fun…

Thunk

Mors glanced back with a look of hatred. He didn’t notice the rabbit flanking his right, and I easily impaled the creature with my dagger. The rabbit squeaked and flailed as it was slowly purified. Sure, I could have gotten it earlier, but showing off was half the fun.

[One hit - Reload]

I held out my hand, and the dagger appeared in my palm. It was a perfect skill for my style. A level 10 high risk, high reward ability. As long as I hit, I could recall any object. However, if I missed, then it would deactivate for 24 hours. But hey, I always carried extra just in case.

“Ry, stop messing around,” Lux screamed out.

Not wanting to be on the receiving end of his wrath, I quickly entered the fray. Dagger after dagger left my hand, each toss eliminating a target. As the fight continued, a rhythmic cadence appeared. My mind went blank as I focused on the task at hand. Faster and faster I went, recalling my dagger the moment it made contact. I was going to get the most; these two muscle heads wouldn’t beat good ole Ryland.

Crack

I felt a globby substance splatter against my cheek, the distraction messing up my last throw. It took a second to realize what happened. A translucent wall appeared near me, and a sizzling rabbit sat at my feet. I turned and looked back at the cleric, the grinning priest giving me a thumbs up. Sighing, I reached into my knife pouch and began to fling them out in the traditional manner. After nearly 20 minutes of fighting, the final foe was dispatched, and the smell of disintegrating flesh filled the air.

“Damn, one of those things got me,” Lux grunted as he noticed a cut on his thigh.

Mors quickly applied a salve to staunch the wound and wrapped it in bandages. It wasn’t too bad, but undead were nasty creatures that lead to infection. Thankfully, Mor was good at keeping it clean. This little wound wasn’t going to stop us. After disposing of the bodies, we approached the entrance. Selman lit up a torch, and we entered the cave. Thankfully, it seemed like the rabbits were the bulk of undead.

“AHH!” I screamed out as something pounced onto my neck.

I quickly grabbed the crawling menace and tossed it to the ground. Mors had already shifted and stomped the creature before it could bite his ankle. I finally saw what it was and raged.

“FUCKING SQUIRRELS,” then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Quiet,” Selman said and pointed.

The half-elf extinguished the torch, and a faint glow flickered at the edge of our vision. That was strange; this cave was supposed to be uninhabited. Lux glanced at me and signaled. Nodding back, I took a breath and whispered.

[Lightfoot]

Almost all… unsavory classes acquired this. It was a basic ability that muffled footsteps. Stilling the breath, I approached the sickly glow. Leaning around the corner, I peeked into the room and nearly gagged on the spot.

The chamber was filled with towering mounds of squirming corpses. Fingers grasped the air and limbs moved without focus. Disemboweled torsos hung from racks, and glistening bone lined the floor. Even the blood seemed to bubble from the locus of death. As my brain attempted to process the brutal display, I noticed a hunched figure working over a crude table. A twitching body flailed, and sickening gurgles echoed in the chamber. As the partially reanimated bodies felt my presence, their eyes turned my way, and the thrashing intensified. Finally; that nagging thought came forth, all the pieces fit together, and a single word left my lips… [[Necromancer]].

The hooded figure quickly turned, and in a fluid motion, something shot out of his hand.

THUNK

My head slammed back, and my vision blurred. I was hit? I reached out to try and steady myself, but my body wasn’t reacting.

“RYLAND,” I heard Lux scream.

I could feel the primal rage emanating from our leader, the world felt like molasse as I stumbled towards him. I barely made it a step before I collapsed to the ground. As my consciousness faded, the face of Selman appeared. His lips were moving, but I couldn’t make out any of the words. I wanted to panic; I knew something had gone horribly wrong, yet I felt a strange peace. A loving warmth spread through my limbs, and vision returned. I could see a blood-covered Lux standing over me. He was hysterical. I wanted to make a quip about his tearful face, but I couldn’t move my lips.

That was when I realized Mor had opened my jaw and tried to force-feed a potion. Even with the combination of holy magic and healing tincture, a coldness arose. I was so stupid! One wrong move and it was done. One of the cardinal rules in the adventurer's handbook – Never let your guard down. In the end, I didn’t realize how much they cared about me. We had only been together for a few months, but it was so fun. I could see the hope shatter in their eyes, streaks of tears running down their faces. Lux broke down and started to shake my dying body. His lips mouthing a single phrase.

“Just stay awake. Ry, stay awake.”

But I was tired, and the darkness overtook me…

…

…

…

…

…

…

“Guys?”

It was cold. Everything was very cold. What had happened, why did my teammates not respond?

“Hey HEY!” I screamed out, but still nothing.

Muttering profanities, I walked over to the group to see what the big fuss was. Trying to push Lux out of the way, I saw my hand drift through him.

“What the….” I glanced over his shoulder and gasped.

In the city of my team was a reanimated corpse. But this wasn’t just any body… it was my own.

Classes lost

[[Rogue]] level 13

[[Gambler]] level 2

[[Prankster]] level 4

Class Gained.

[[My Body and Me]] Level 1