He supposed releasing the other two might not be a good idea. What was he supposed to do with them?
“Ah, here’s the source of our trouble” came a familiar voice from the doorway.
Facing the sound, he saw the bitch, along with the researcher, assistant, and the guard.
“My pet, I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Bugger. He could tell where this was going. He had freed a [LEVEL 81] undead. They would inevitably command and release the other two to take care of business. How had they known?
The researcher decided to clear up his unspoken question. “Sensing an identifying skill but unable to see the culprit was quite perplexing. It was only natural to call in the big boss for such a wily intruder.”
Yeah, no. He wasn’t going to let this play out. What was his strongest solid element? Ice? Wait. He was a vampire now. Hmmm. Well it was worth a shot. Pushing past the control of their own mana, the storm rabbit used the blood pumping through their bodies to skewer each brain. That was the plan anyway. Three bodies instantly collapsed. The bitch’s did not. She gave a predatory smile that almost seemed placating. Her mana had rebuffed his own with ease.
“Nice try, but its time to come home now.”
Did she think he was done? That he’d just give up now? Forming three small ice spears behind her head, he sent them to her skull. Again, she stopped him in his tracks. The bunny decided to try something harder to control. Channelling as much [LIGHTNING] affinity as he could manage he sent it towards her. The result was slightly charred skin. But she survived. A malicious smile played about her lips. The look turned to confusion as the other being in the room that both of them had forgotten about landed a solid punch through the side of her skull.
He was stunned for a moment. Then she groaned. Still not dead? He needed to fix that before she healed. Summoning an axe of ice, he sent the blade cleanly through her neck. At the notification he felt immense relief.
*DING*
Half Elf – Level 31 has been slain.
Half Ogre – Level 33 has been slain.
Human – Level 42 has been slain.
Entrancing Vampiric Human – Level 84 has been slain.
*DING*
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 51.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 52.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 53.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 54.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 55.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 56.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 57.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 58.
Stolen novel; please report.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 59.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 60.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 61.
[LEVEL UP] You have reached Level 62.
240 Attribute points have been distributed according to the natural inclinations of your race.
You have 60 Skill points and 60 Attribute points to distribute manually.
The increasing attributes felt like an enormous waterfall crashing down onto him. It was exhilarating and too much all at once. Embarrassingly, he fainted.
When he regained consciousness not long after, there were three undead bent over and staring at him. “He’s awake” said the shade.
He was clearly missing something. Without needing to be prompted the lich explained the situation. “The witch had a skill that bound us with mind control. The link broke when she died. Our minds aren’t exactly in the best shape, but being able to think properly for the first time in a while definitely helps.”
Ah. He was referring to the bitch. Two birds, one stone by the sound of it. “Fantastic” he murmured dazedly, not fully recovered “let’s get out of here. I’ve got things to do and places to be.”
While travelling up the steps he allocated his spare sixty points. Wanting to keep it simple, twenty went into [VITALITY], [INTELLIGENCE] and [WISDOM]. There was another rush, though no where near as powerful as the last one.
Reaching the next floor, [WIND BLADE] was once again put to good use. Five more then joined the entourage as they ascended the next flight of stairs. Again, clinking sounded out as bars hit the floor. These undead exited their cells much slower, as if not believing their torment had truly ended. The [DEATHBOUND LICH] ended up being a leader type though. He rounded them up with encouragements and had them following along eventually. Finally exiting the prison, [ROGER] headed for the study while the rest headed out of the house. He stuffed all the notes and books in his inventory, then set the place alight. After everything he had witnessed here, he wanted it burnt to the ground. He was sure those that had spent time here felt the same.
Upon exiting the now smoking room, the bunny found the two servants kneeling in front of him, heads to the ground and arms out. “Thank you for freeing us!” they shouted.
He felt awkward and unsure about the situation. Then he saw the bite marks on their necks, arms and there were even a couple on their legs. He hadn’t really paid attention before due to their low levels. Taught skin hugged their bones and the thin shirts highlighted prominent ribs. They were starving and had been fed on, a lot. “Please, we have no place to go. Do you have any need for some servants? We promise to work hard” the man said.
The sovereign sighed. Why did he keep doing this to himself? But he couldn’t just leave the pair to their fate. “Alright, come along.”
The girl hugged his ankles and squealed “You won’t regret this. We promise.”
“Uh huh” he answered, wondering whether the statement would prove true.
By this point, the smell of smoke was strong and he could sense the flames licking at the double doors he had just exited. Leading the two outside in a hurry he was met with every undead standing in the twilight of dusk. They all stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for him apparently. Standing at the top of around twenty steps he stopped, again unsure of what to do. Then the rage lady at the front spat at him “Where are we supposed to go now! Its not like we can just go home! My family is on the other side of the Noritun Range. And even if I managed to get there, they’re a bunch of crazies who go on and on about purity. I, in this form, would NOT be welcome” by the end of her speech her voice cracked, before she broke down crying “What are we supposed to do!?”
He sighed again. “If you truly wish to follow me, you may. I will protect and take care of you. Just know that my home is a dungeon, and my true form is that of a monster.”
He didn’t know why his voice and words came out so refined, but after his short speech, both [ENHANCED VOICE] and [SOVEREIGN’S CALL] levelled up a few times. As he stood there, uncertain, every undead knelt to one knee. Then the two servants on either side of him did the same. “Take us as your own and we will follow your lead” the lich called out.
They all nodded in agreement. Heeding his instincts, he replied loudly in kind “So be it.”
*DING*
Skill: [ROYAL DECREE] granted.
Another sovereign skill he didn’t know what to do with. What to do now?
After some discussion, he found that the shade could read memories and was able to travel with people through shadows. Perfect. Showing the shade where Chester was, he instructed the group to head for the closest part of the wall. Kieron, the shade, would then transport them over the wall and head for Chester and Clyde. The rabbit then explained where he would be going. Cole immediately wanted to join him in his quest to find Lyle. That was fine he guessed. Plans made, the two groups headed their separate ways.