“STEVE! STEEEEEEVVVVVVVVEEEEE” Ryland kept screaming. His body bobbing up and down as they charged down the road.

But Steve refused to stop. His singular focus was to escape, waves of adrenaline flooded the veins as he ignored Ryland. He’d gone through worse and if that crazy priest appeared, they were good as dead. Steve gave a few side glances to the driver next to him. Thankfully, the guy was still breathing. It’d be really bad to arrive at the next village with a dead man. Most likely, they’d need to bury and walk the extra distance. Still, a man creeping out of the woods with a barrel in hand would generate a lot of suspicion.

But what was he going to tell the driver? What would he remember from before? No doubt he’d get kicked off the cart. Helping a fugitive from the wrath of Deas led to a lifetime in jail. While Steve always looked after himself first, he felt bad bringing misfortune to others. Only when he felt the aura of the priest disappear did he start to slow. His brain firing rapidly as he came up with a cover story. Clearly saying an angry priest trying to murder a fugitive necromancer and first ever ghost wouldn’t work. Steve wished he was back with Faust, at least the man didn’t put him in near-death scenarios every other day.

As he brought the horses to a trot, Steve kept glancing back. He half-expected the priest to appear out of thin air. When the hour passed, he finally relaxed. Pulling the cart to the side, he stumbled from the seat. Grabbing the wood, he began to heave. Nothing came out, but he was so stressed it made him sick. Every muscle was sore and his throat was beyond dry.

“We made it” He muttered, quickly taking a swig from his canteen.

It was the best tasting water he had. That semi-warm liquid revitalizes his insides.

“OH GOD” Steve heard Ryland call out.

Glancing over, he saw the ghost crawling along the ground. His back arching as a wretched sound left his maw. Ryland couldn’t stop gagging, the ghost motion sick beyond belief. It was a bit intriguing to watch, could a ghost vomit? Nothing was coming out, but the man looked like he was undergoing a full on exorcism. Only after a few moments did Ryland regain his composure.

“You…” Ryland spit

“You are so lucky…I like you” His voice filled with spit.

Looking back, Steve could have been a bit smoother on the escape. However it was life or death. There wasn’t time to care about everyone’s feelings. He just wanted out no matter the cost. Besides, the ghost was immaterial. Sure he was a little motion sick, but anyone else bouncing across the landscape would be dead. Ryland must have felt those thoughts as the man tossed a pebble at Steve’s cheek.

Steve turned and glared. After a tense moment he sighed.

“Ok…I deserve that.” He admitted

Ryland smiled, He’d take a win wherever.

“Still thanks for blocking that shot. I should have guessed you’d be fine with death magic. Most undead are resistant or immune to it” Steve said as if it was common knowledge.

“Oh yeah totally” He lied, Ryland didn’t even think about testing that. But he was a rogue in life, not a fucking mage. Being a ghost might not be so bad after all. If it wasn’t for the whole no body thing, he could tackle a grave-type dungeon. But with the new discovery, he’d have to work with Steve on testing the limits.

“How's the body?”

“Good, Ended up leveling in the fight. Ya boy is now level 5 baby! The Will gave me a new skill that lets us tap into each other. I’d prolly burst from all that magic, he was a good sink” It was true, his soul was on fire from the powerful spell. Only with the ravenous zombie yearning for that tasty magic did he survive.

“Sounds like the good boy needs a tasty treat!” Steve joked

“Don’t treat my body like a dog! He is a dignified creature like myself”

“Creature yes, dignified…no” Steve retorted

“What! I’m dignified. I’m the most dignified out of all of us. When I met you, you were just some dirt covered man lost in the woods!” Ryland kept going but Steve ignored him. He was so sensitive sometimes.

Heading to the back of the cart, he pulled off the lid and was surprised by the zombie’s look. If it weren't for the torn up clothes and bloodstains, he nearly looked alive. Again that was incredibly weird, undead didn’t regenerate in that manner. Sure they could reattach muscle or transform dead flesh into limbs, but this was new. Putting it in his mental list to study, Steve pulled out a piece of jerky and held it out. The clawed hand lashed out with extreme speed and snatched the meat from his hand.

“Woooah” Steve was startled

Not wanting the thing to escape, he quickly capped the barrel once more. For good measure he nailed it down a few times. IF that thing got a whiff of the driver, it would be quite hard to control. With everyone accounted for, he sat on the back of the cart and closed his eyes. Like Ryland, he ended up leveling–twice. It was surprising, but the near death experience must have given him a ton of experience. It was well documented that higher risks gave great rewards. Facing down his antithesis must have pleased The Will of the World.

As he focused inwards, he felt the power waiting within. A single skillpoint had been granted, the power just yearning to be unleashed. Within moments, his Soulboard filled his vision. An overlay that displayed his current stats, levels, and classes. Sitting in the top right corner was [Friend of the Dead - Level 6]. He was getting close to his original [Fledgling Necromancer], but this new class had already granted him so much more. Opening up the skill menu, he called out.

“Hey Ryland? What did you end up choosing?” Steve asked as he read through his options.

“Oh, I was so focused on the fight I forgot to check. Hang on let me see…Ah damn don’t get to pick. Gave me [Shared Strength]” He said

“Hmm” Steve mumbled.

He knew they were on death’s door, but it must have been far worse than he thought. Very rarely does The Will directly impose a skill, especially at a pivot level. It wasn’t unheard of, most agreed that The Will actively encouraged growth and fostered potential. While normally hands off in its actions, if somebody died. All their possible futures were gone, thus it had some incentive to keep people alive. While it couldn’t directly intervene, it did tip the scales. Only in times of extreme stress did it choose a skill perfectly suited for the situation–and only if they were on the cusp of leveling. With such specific requirements, the times it occurred were quite rare. Usually it only happened during a duel to the death, the climax of a battle, or some other triumphant moment. The Will of the World had a penchant for drama, intrigue, and turnabouts. No doubt [Shared Strength] would be the precursor to something great. He could only hope that Ryland appreciated that gift. Shaking off the thoughts, he refocused on his Soulboard

“Give me something good"

Navigating through his Soulboard he began reading the potential skills. He was honestly surprised at the list available. Their first time he reached level 5, he only had three to pick. Now he was presented with an entire selection, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Passive: Sense Unlife, +1 Will, +1 Perception

Gain the uncanny knack to feel nearby undead. Radius determined by Perception. Precursor to scouting type skills and long-range communications.

Passive: Minor Negative Attunement, +1 Vitality

Acquire an affinity for negative energy. Endure negative and death zones for longer periods. Slight resistance to death based magic and skills. Scales slightly with Vitality and Willpower. Precursor to territorial magics and resistance based skills.

Passive: Friendship (Undead), +1 Charisma, +1 Perception, +1 Will, +10 Mana

Designate one undead as a “friend”. Form a strong bond with the target, increasing as you spend time together. Target may be swapped every five levels, upon swapping reset any and all bonuses. Precursor to teamwork abilities and other buff based skills.

Active: Blood Rite: Hold Undead, +1 Strength, +1 vitality, +10 mana

Sacrifice blood to paralyze target undead. Blood and mana increased per rank of undead. Costs decrease based on users Strength and Willpower. Precursor to control and blood skills.

Active: Minor Flesh Sculpting, +1 Intelligence, +1 Perception, +1 agility

Actively change the flesh of a touched target. Close minor wounds, create minor cuts, or adjust shape and form. Scales on intelligence. More intense changes require exponentially more mana. Precursor to shaping skills.

Active: Malaise, +1 Intelligence, +10 Mana

Target creature feels a wave of nausea and a general sense of unwell. Any poisons, illness, or disease currently affecting the target flare up. Precursor to disease and direct death magics

Active: Raise Dead (miniscule), +1 Intelligence, +1 Will, +10 mana

Animate small undead creatures. Such creations may include rodents, fingers, or custom creations within the miniscule category. Requires components to animate and injections of mana and/or negative energy for maintenance. Precursor to undead creation skills.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Steve was a bit overwhelmed by the entire selection. So many options to choose and he only had a single skill point. That flashing notification just sitting in the bottom corner of his vision. Thankfully he didn’t see any “ethereal” tags. Those skills would only be offered once before disappearing forever. Whatever he chose, his next level he could pick something else.

Still though, this was his first pivot point. Whatever he chose would signal his desire to The Will. Sure other options outside of his initial path would be offered, but this decision would set his fate. It was known that two people under the same circumstances would be offered vastly different abilities based on their level 5 skill. Even if they took the other’s skill at level 6, their path had been set. But there were so many options to choose from! At early levels you might get three or four at the most. Seeing 7 was extremely abnormal. Whatever [Friend of the Dead] was, it was highly flexible. Taking a moment, Steve began to ponder his options.

If he was still a [Necromancer] he’d instantly take [Raise Dead]. That was THE fundamental skill for the class. Anyone that wanted to work with undead would start with the basic raise dead. As they leveled, they could specialize in one strong creation or hordes. However, while necromancy was very appealing, Steve was in it to cheat death. High level necromancers could transform into a lich class and bind their soul to a phylactery, but there may be an easier way to accomplish it. However, it was the most well-known of choices so gathering information would be far easier than the rest.

[Malaise] was…interesting. Early on Steve learned [Death Bolt] for defensive purposes. While the name seemed scary, it wasn’t the strongest of spells. A simple hit of negative energy that drained life. While great for killing off vermin and other critters, it mostly slowed targets. Sure a barrage of [Death Bolt]’s could slay a man, it took far too much mana. If he got to a higher level, the skill would hit harder, but at a measly level 6 it was mostly a nuisance than a proper kill. Furthermore, he really didn’t like disease magic. That wasn’t the best at a duel, instead it was more for spies or assassins. Something long-term that was far more insidious than a direct attack. While he could see the benefit in combat, a hardened warrior would have experienced far worse than minor nausea. Lastly, he really didn’t like killing people. Yes he’d done it in self defense, but it really made him sick. It wasn’t the whole blood or body thing, he’d been dissecting corpses for nearly two years now. But the actual act of taking a life didn’t sit right with him.

What did catch his eye was [Minor Flesh Sculpting]. That was an extremely rare ability, usually only seen at higher levels. Normally, this was offered to high level estheticians or healers. Even at the minor levels, fixing cuts, removing blemishes, and shifting fat was highly profitable. Not to mention at higher tiers, entire persons could change. A leg could be regrown, spies changed races, or more. It was a highly versatile and sought after ability, but it took forever to level with. Most people do not willingly get sculpted. Furthermore, if mistakes were made it would lead to permanent disfigurement. Besides, his class wasn’t one of healing. It would be mostly worthless on the living, instead would solely be used for constructs. As such, it drastically hindered its great potential. Still, it would be a strong choice and one he would like.

Blood skills were also very useful to have. Like flesh sculpting it was extremely flexible in its usage. Instead of using mana on a spell, a bit of blood could fuel it instead. Furthermore, nearly anyspell could get a boost by sacrificing some of that crimson gold. Steve already had a minor focus in blood craft, seeing it as a shortcut to stronger powers. While that was true, it did have a major drawback of…using blood. During his most intense training, he’d get lightheaded and weak from the bloodless. Not to mention the food prices skyrocketed from eating so much afterwards. While it was great in small amounts, using it consistently caused a lot of harm to the body. Sure as he leveled he’d be able to use other’s blood, find ways to make his own more efficient, and even keep blood from going bad–allowing him to make blood batteries to carry. But was it worth it to specialize in it? The only thing that kept his mind on it was the skill offered [Hold Undead]. It was clearly an upgrade from calm undead, instead of blunting their aggression just halting it entirely. But was it worth signaling to be a blood mage for a single ability? In the end, Steve decided against it. While a nice perk to have, it wasn’t something he felt the need to dive into.

With only Fleshsculpting interesting him within the actives, Steve started to ponder the passives. While not as flashing; passive skills were extremely useful. Not having to use stamina/mana/blood/whatever to keep them going was a huge benefit. But that did make them less impactful than most actives. Still by combining a series of passive skills, one could create a devastating combination.

[Sense Unlife] was a bit boring and niche. In fact, Steve couldn’t really figure out how to use it well. There were plenty of skills that allowed identification of undead, why would he need a passive to handle it. Besides, since it was on the path of death what else would derive from it? Normally scouting skills would increase perception, locate missing people, notice things that were “off”, or just general intuition on the right direction. At best, Steve might find some hidden ruins or ancient graveyards. Besides, he wanted to focus on his craft, not travel the globe. After working with Ryland, he’d like to start up his own lab. If that happened, most scouting type skills would be wasted. It was a hard pass.

[Minor Negative Attunement] would be perfect for his path. It was what Faust had specialized in and allowed the creation of the death zone. By setting up his lab in a negative area, he could focus more on his studies than maintenance. His creations would no longer need a constant supply of mana, any flesh harvested would fail to rot, and rituals would be bolstered by the artificial leyline. Overall, it just made everything easier. However, it did have a major drawback. It was immobile. Sure he could up and leave, but any reagents or sacrifices used would be lost. Additionally, if discovered, he’d be under constant attack by the follower’s of Deas. It was why Faust built his so far away from society, and even that was discovered. Yet through all its faults, at high levels he could become a demi-god in his realm. Yes, he would be locked into it. But that would give him a form of eternal life.

And then there was [Friendship (Undead)]. What even was that? In all his studies he’d never seen [Friendship] let alone what it specified. It had to be some joke skill, something that was only added in at random. But the more he read it, the more…off he felt. His class name was [Friend of the Dead] and already that gave some very unique abilities. Furthermore, having never encountered or read something like this made it special. But else could come of it? Nothing was popping into his brain. It did say buff skills but he could get that within the [Negative Attunement]. However, it did have a ton of raw base stats. While not as exciting, that alone could push the skill over the edge. Either way, this would either be something extremely powerful or just super niche.

But the stats could be very good this early. Sometimes it was best to ignore the skill and just go for the boosts. So many things were directly related to a person’s stat score. A high intelligence allowed for more efficient mana use, understanding new concepts, and processing information. Wisdom gave a natural intuition to life, the ability to communicate with the divine, and resist mental effects. Vitality was linked to endurance, health, and the ability to resist physical negative effects. Mana was well…the mana pool. The list goes on and some are inherently linked. Perception was just a subgroup of Wisdom. Gaining three stats in wisdom naturally increased perception by 1. It was so strong, that some people went purely for stats. Boosting themselves way beyond normal limits. Who would need skills when their body was nearly perfect? Why waste mana on [Haste] when you just move faster? Why use a [Mental Barrier] when you simple out-willed other casters? Not to mention, higher stats made it much easier to acquire non Will based skills. While they may sacrifice potent abilities early, they could forcibly learn them later.

But again why Friendship? He mind kept roaming back towards it. Just the allure of the unknown called to him. Did he really become that close with Ryland? I mean they both did save each other’s lives. Steve got him out of the cave, while Ryland tanked the shot from the priest. But did he honestly like the man? That stupid ghost annoyed the hell outta him, but it was kind of endearing. Ryland was a huge goofball who refused to focus, but there was a genuine sincerity to the man. IT was strange to form such a bond in only a few weeks of travel, but near-death experiences do bring people close. But what happened if they had a falling out or Ryland died…again? Would his class become useless? In the worst case, he’d just have to last five levels and create a new undead. Sure it’d suck to restart whatever this skill gave him, but five levels this early wasn’t too hard to manage. He’d give it a trial run and see where it ends up.

Glancing over at his friend, he thought long and hard.

“Don’t screw me” he muttered, hoping The Will heard him.

Accepting that strange skill, he felt The Will reach into his soul. Power flooded into his body as the stats took hold. It was only a minor boost, but he noticeably felt stronger. A vague sense of power flowing through his mind while his instincts sharpened. It was only a few moments before he was finished. Within his ability list he saw [Passive: Friendship (Undead) - Target Not Chosen].

“Ahh right” Glancing over at Ryland he shouted out.

“Hey Ryland you wanna be friends?”

“Uhh sure buddy! I thought we already were?” Ryland replied

Instantly, he felt the skill settle. Ryland’s name appeared on his soulboard and he felt a very strange connection with the ghost. It was a natural understanding of his mannerisms and mindset. It was like he “got” the ghost, just a instinctually knowledge of what made the man. It was VERY strange, like his own mind had adapted to cater to Ryland’s. While still annoying, it was a bit blunted. What the hell was this skill and where would it take him in life?

“Hey, looks like our guy is waking up!” Ryland said, poking his fingers through the man’s face.

“Oh man, what happened? I had the weirdest nightmare..” he mumbled.

Handing the man some water, Steve began to craft a story to tell. It was a simple recollection of the events that happened, but missing a few details. How the priest was searching for a fugitive necromancer and he stopped every traveler. That his interrogation was a bit forced as he wasn’t used to lower levels, resulting in the driver passing out. Steve ended up waking first and taking the reins so they wouldn’t be too late. Overall, he kept the story about 80% true as it was far easier to lie when grounded in truths. Thankfully, that bit of extra charisma he earned helped a bit as well. The driver clearly didn’t believe all of it, but was fine with the explanation..for now.

With the driver placated, the two opened their rations and began to chow down. Finally safe, he was starving. Without care, Steve Ravenously devoured the meal in minutes. The driver looked a bit concerned as Steve pulled out a second tin and began consuming that as well. With the adrenaline pushing him to his limits, he needed to refuel the sugar reserves. As he finished the last bits, he offered the driver the scraps–in which he politely declined. Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, they were ready to finish the journey.

The driver re-hung his lantern and inspected the straps holding the cargo. Satisfied all was good, he grabbed the reins and they were off.

“So what brings you out this way?”

“My teacher sent me on a mission to gather new materials. Been jumping from village to village for a few months now” Steve replied

“Damn, the most mine did was smack me for being slow. Hey, Least I inherited his business!” He chuckled

“Yeah, sometimes they can be a bit harsh…” Steve was reminded of the various punishments Faust doled out.

“Still though, must be nice getting out of the city. I think all people should travel more, the life on the road is so free” He said as he scouted the landscape for rough parts.

“Drink?” He pulled out a flash.

“No, still full from earlier” Steve replied. While he loved a good drink, it was bad to drink and drive…

“How long you think we got?” He asked

“Oh I’d say we’d be there by morning. Then a nice sleep at the inn!” The driver responded.

“Good good, need some rest. Been very hectic these last few…

THUNK

The wagon shuttered as an axe hit the side. Moments later, it flew back tearing out a chunk of wood in the process.

“Oh come on! NOT AGAIN” Steve screamed out.

“HOLD TIGHT BUDDY” the driver yelled, a strange grin stretching across his face as he activated a series of skills

Instantly, their cart began to accelerate. Steve could only hope it was enough to escape this ambush.