Events from that morning were still blurry to Adelia. She could remember if she wanted to, but just the thoughts were enough to bury her in sorrow. Still images of her parents’ last moments seemed to flash as she shut out the thought. Only guided out of that darkness by a strange gaunt man and a necromancer surrounded by shambling skeletons. Just moments before, she and her parents were running from the bandits who would wring their town of wealth on a monthly basis.
The few men, who chased them down, took the lives of her parents all for mere coppers and silvers. That’s when she saw them, a strange group of individuals. A man dressed in black raiment commanded four skeletal beings as they began their killing spree. With no morale for killing the undead, the bandits became the prey in this instance. None could find the speed that was needed to get away from the endless endurance of the skeletons.
As for the last individual, he was a gaunt man with a regal appearance. From afar, one would think that he looked like a part of upper nobility as he dressed the part. The gaunt man had supernatural speed as he took care of the bandit who was near Adelia. After the bandits were dispatched, he looked upon Adelia with a certain amount of curiosity. He turned and bowed back towards the man in black, “My lord, it looks that she had no wounds inflicted upon her.”
“I see,” the necromancer said as he looked over her. “You have served me well, Lucas. If it wasn’t for your keen hearing, I would’ve missed out on a chance to bolster our ranks.”
As if on the flip of a switch, the figure known as Lucas seemed grandiose in his actions. He pointed towards Adelia with both hands, “I believe we can return home with something greater today, Volodar. This is a blessing in disguise no doubt.” Placing both of his hands upon Volodar’s shoulders, he looked into his eyes. “As your father would’ve wanted you to be as whole as you could be and the only thing that is stopping you from fulfilling your destiny is your lack of emotional intelligence. Disgusting as it may be, perhaps you could come to like the company of the living even though I couldn't.”
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Volodar opened his mouth to speak before Lucas cut him short, “Before you say anything, my lord, let me remind you that your mental stability is paramount to fulfilling the wishes of your father.”
Frowning, Volodar simply shook his head, “I don’t even know what his wishes are.”
The necromancer looked down towards Adelia and spoke in a cold manner, “What’s your name?”
Thoughts race through her mind as she stumbles through her words, “Adelia”. She breathes deeply for a second before responding once more, “Adelia Sornellus, s-sir.”
“I see.”
Lucas intrudes into the conversation as he extends his hand towards Adelia, “Take my hand dear if you accept the master’s most generous offer. He can take you in as a servant of house Oriynore, should you wish. It's a gracious offer.” Lucas leans his head near her own as he whispers, “It would be best if you don’t disappoint the master.”
A flurry of emotions and ideas well up within Adelia as she looks toward the man in black, “Okay. I will do whatever you want me to do. But, please, can you bury my parents. They don’t deserve this, please.”
Before she could even finish her sentence, the man in black raised his hand to silence her, “I will have them buried. I don’t need them. I have learned from Lucas the value of punishing those without virtue, not those who were innocent.” This sentence is spoken blandly as the man in black grabs the tome at his side.
Lucas looked towards the man in black, “Master, it is time we leave. We may not have gotten exactly what we came here for, but we certainly don’t need more unwanted attention. We have made progress in other ways. Let us leave at once while the screams are still distant.” The man nods towards Lucas and gestures for the skeletons to carry the bodies. Adelia, still slightly trembling, gets to her feet and stumbles for the first few steps as she follows suit. She followed suit as skeletons, still wet from the blood of these men, walked past her with seemingly no issue in their task.