Unsurprisingly, the graveyard that evening was calm and quiet, and the Coreia family were the only visitors in sight.

Graveyards tended to be that way after the sun went down. Even though Millie didn't make it a habit to frequent places like that, her parents were no strangers to creepy and dangerous locations. The Cragfall cemetery was hardly a dangerous location, but it was still a little creepy. Millie was going to have to get used to that.

"So, I just realized something," Millie said. "We're in the graveyard, yeah, which is cool and thematic and all."

"Well sussed, my brilliant daughter," Arla said.

"But my [Skelemation] says it only works on things that have been dead for under an hour." She pointed at the graves and tombs around them. "These have been here a lot longer than that."

"True, true," her dad said, "but that hasn't." He pointed at a nearby tree, where a crow sat on a branch preening its feathers.

"That bird's not dead," Millie said.

"No, it's not," confirmed Arla. "But you're a [Death Mage], so I figured you could do something about that."

Oh. Right. Millie's stomach twisted just a little. She academically understood that she was going to be dealing with death and decay and all of that, but the reality that she was going to be the one to dole it out and be the arbiter of who lives and who dies—at least in some small way—hadn't quite sunk in. She knew it, but now she knew it. And have to face it.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure. One [Gravebolt] coming up." At that thought, a series of icons flashed at the bottom of Millie's vision in a row, with [Gravebolt] being represented by a ball of energy with a skull in the center. It looked like a horrifying shooting star.

Instinctually, Millie activated the skill and her left hand began to glow with that same black-cored light. A cold fire engulfed her, making its way from her fingertips to her shoulder. When her whole arm had ignited, she held her palm up and pointed it at the crow. A ray of condensed death slammed into the unsuspecting bird, knocking it to the ground.

At the same time, Millie felt like part of herself had been burned away.

"Oh, my god, that's feeling. It's horrible!" Millie choked out. "That hurt so much."

"Think about what the crow is feeling," her dad said. "You still have work to do."

Millie walked over to the bird, stunned from falling off the tree, but shaking itself and scrambling to its feet. Millie activated [Gravebolt] again, feeling part of herself rip away as she blasted the black bird again. It made a pitiful caw, weak and cracked.

"Finish it, Millie," her mom shouted from a dozen yards back. "Don't be cruel."

After the second spell, Millie felt somewhat numb, empty. She hurt, but it was a different kind of hurt than she'd ever felt before. She looked down at the bird, scared and confused and in pain. The same kind of pain Millie was in.

She instinctively focused on [Death's Favor], and its icon flashed—a cartoonish skeleton with a scythe giving a thumbs up. Weird.

In a snap, the [Death Mage]'s trademark black-white fire rushed outward from Millie. The tree that the crow had fallen from glowed in a sickly grey light. So did the grass. And the crow.

She felt slightly better second by second, the crow and surrounding area worse.

In half a minute, Millie felt as good as new—maybe better—and the crow lay dead in the wilting grey grass. Her mind roiled, ambivalent about what she had just done. The Millie from yesterday and before was saddened at the loss of life, at the death of an innocent creature. Millie the [Death Mage], however, relished the feeling of the life essence flowing from this plane to the next.

######

[XP Gained: 5]

######

She looked back at her parents, who stood hand in hand, solemn expressions on their faces. "I got 5 XP!" Millie had never gained XP before, so even though 5 was barely even a step toward the 1000 needed for Level 2, she was excited nonetheless.

Her father nodded. "That's not much, but it was a very weak creature. Probably a level 0. I didn't know if it would give you anything since you have an advanced class."

As he spoke, another notification appeared to her.

######

[Achievement Earned: First Kill]

You did the thing! As a newly classed combat caster, you did what you were made to do.

[Reward]

—XP Gained: 100

######

"And an achievement!" Millie shouted back at them. "I forgot about achievements!"

"They're pretty fun when you get them," her mom shouted back. "They trail off after a while and become a lot rarer, but the System does a great job of helping new adventurers out."

Her dad chimed in, "Did it give you a box or just XP?"

"What?" Millie asked. "XP. What's a box?"

"Sometimes, you'll get a box that has a random reward in it instead of just XP. Maybe a potion or some other kind of item."

"Nope," Millie said. "Just the XP."

"You'll get one eventually," Luc said.

"Just one more spell to try, Mills," her mom said. She nodded quickly, pointing at the dead bird with her chin.

"Yep. Let's see how this works." The icon for [Skelemation] was a bit more jovial than Millie expected. Instead of a bony hand reaching upward or something like that, it was a full humanoid skeleton, holding a cane, wearing a top hat, dancing to some unheard song.

Since gaining the [Death Mage] class, the System had implanted her with a load of information to go along with the abilities she'd gained. Part of that information was instinctual, such as knowing how to interact with the various icons and elements of the personal interface that magically floated in front of her eyes.

Likewise, once she had read the descriptions of her starter spells, she had an intuitive understanding of how to use them. At least on a fundamental level. So when Millie began to cast [Skelemation], she knew what to do, how to move her hands the right way to harness the essence of death and pour it into the fallen crow.

When she was finished casting, the black-cored fire engulfed the crow and caused the flesh, organs, and feathers to slough away as the skeleton crawled out of its former body like the empty husk it was.

The skeleton, still faintly surrounded by the glow of Millie's death magic, turned its empty eye sockets toward her and waited.

######

[Achievement Earned: That Takes Class]

Just a Necromancer doing your Necromancer thing.

[Reward]

—XP Gained: 100

######

Millie smiled at the notice, and then turned her head and looked down at her right shoulder

The [Skelemated Crow] cawed, despite having no physical way to make a sound. It hopped up on its spindly legs, despite having no connective tissue holding its bones together. It took flight and landed on Millie's shoulder, despite having no flesh or feathers to catch the wind.

Millie had done it. She'd become what she always wanted. More, really, when considering she had a rare [Necromancer] class advancement already.

###

The next morning, Millie was slightly surprised to find the [Skelemated Crow] in precisely the same spot and position as she had left it on her nightstand the night before. It hadn't moved. Not even a twitch. It simply stared at her with its empty eyes. It was, even to a [Necromancer] in training, a bit unnerving.

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"Stop looking at me like that, okay?" Millie said, rousing herself and tossing her blankets aside.

The bird turned its head toward the window.

It was going to take some time to get used to all this. The night's rest had apparently helped her work some things out subconsciously because as she looked at the dead bird on her nightstand, she felt absolutely no remorse at having killed it. Only pride at having succeeded at doing so and then reanimating it.

She pointed at her shoulder, and it flew quickly to its perch. Millie liked the way it felt there. It felt…right. Gently patting its head, she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. It wasn't late morning, but there was already a pot of porridge hanging over the fire and a bowl in her spot at the table.

A folded sheet of parchment also floated above her spot. Her mom's starting class was [Librarian], which was an absolutely non-combat related class that spent almost zero time in dungeons. When she met Millie's father, she eventually specialized into [Archivist]. The class could eventually gain access to some of the most powerful spells delvers could learn, but she still had the utility spells from [Librarian] that came in useful pretty often in day-to-day life.

The [Voice Message] unfolded when Millie touched it, and began to speak in her mother's voice:

"Good morning, Mills. Something's happened with one of the limited-time dungeons near Drustmere, and your father and I were asked by the Adventurer's Guild to help get a handle on the situation. It shouldn't take more than a few days, based on what Guildmaster Arren told us. Have a great day, our darling [Necromancer]. We cannot wait to hear all about what you've learned while we're gone. Love."

Well that wasn't vague and slightly ominous at all. There wasn't anything she could do about it, though, other than hope things go well. Luc and Arla weren't elite delvers or anything, but they made their living by consistently clearing the static dungeons near Cragfall and helping run people through them for loot. What they excelled at, though, was working their way through the limited-time dungeons that just appeared. They were often among the first, if not the first, parties to clear the special dungeons, claim the best loot for themselves, and then help others snag their special prizes from the boss before the time ran out.

Which explained why Guildmaster Arren had whatever was going on in Drustmere. They were quite good at it, so Millie wasn't worried.

She got herself a bowl of the porridge, sat down in her spot at the table, and then moved the [Skelemated Crow] so that it sat like a centerpiece while she ate. While she spooned the sweetened goop into her mouth, she focused her eyes on the skeleton and a new information pane popped up.

######

[STATUS: SKELEMATED CROW]

CREATURE TYPE: Undead, Avian

LEVEL: 1

—HP: 10

—MP: 0

—STR: 2

—DEX: 2

—CON: 1

—INT: 1

—WIS: 3

SKILLS:

—Flying (Passive), Eagle Eye (Passive), Scratch, Peck

#######

Well, nothing really surprising there. She hadn't realized that creatures she reanimated had levels, so that was cool. Its stats were abysmal, and it was kind of sad that it only had 10 HP but it took her so long to kill. But whatever. She was new at this. Her [Gravebolt] probably did percentage-based damage or something, not hard numbers.

She could guess what the [Flying] skill was, but she wanted to know about [Eagle Eye], [Scratch], and [Peck], though.

######

[EAGLE EYE]

Passive Ability

This avian has enhanced vision.

######

Well, that was helpful. Should be good for scouting ahead in a dungeon or something, though. And spying on people!

######

[SCRATCH]

Melee Attack

The avian slashes the target with its claws, dealing damage based on its STR.

DEATH MAGE ENHANCEMENT: Whenever this skill deals damage, there is a small chance the target will take a small amount of necrotic damage based on INT over the next few seconds. Resistance is based on the target's CON. This effect stacks up to 3 times.

######

With a STR of 1, that probably wasn't going to be a lot of use for her. But the enhancement for being a [Death Mage] was pretty cool.

######

[PECK]

Melee Attack

The avian uses its beak to make a piercing attack, dealing damage based on DEX.

DEATH MAGE ENHANCEMENT: Whenever this skill deals damage, there is a small chance the target will become distracted for a number of seconds equal to the undead avian's DEX, potentially interrupting spellcasting or skill use. Resistance is based on the target's CON. This effect can only occur once every 60 seconds.

#######

Millie was impressed. For such a tiny creature, this little guy packed a lot of punch. Well, not punch so much as a lot of neat things she wanted to play around with. The bonus effect from [Peck] was going to be useful, depending on what the resistance rate was. Even a 1 second distraction could be the difference between life or death in a dungeon. At least, that's what her parents told her, anyway.

With all this new information in mind, Millie finished up her breakfast, and told her new friend to stay put. She needed to get dressed before heading to the Adventurer's Guild to check the quest board. She figured there would be some kind of tutorial quest she could grab that would be doable by a solo level 1 [Death Mage].

A lot of level 1s partied up to learn their way around their new classes, but since most people were averse to [Necromancers], she didn't expect people would be too keen on it. Not yet, at least.

Millie had just finished lacing up her boots when she heard a knock at the door. She flattened out the front of her shirt as she stood up and moved over to answer it.

"Hi there," said a smiling young man, only a few years older than Millie by appearances. "I have a delivery for Millie Coreia?"

Millie cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't order anything, sorry. There must be some mistake."

The courier looked confused. "Umm, let me check the order instructions." He reached into a pouch that hung on his belt and pulled out a notebook. After flipping a few pages, he said, "No, this says the order was placed by an Arla Coreia for a Millie Coreia a little over a year ago, and the instructions specifically say to deliver it to this location on this day. No time is specified, though." He held out the notebook for her to see, and sure enough, whatever it was, was for her. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, no," Millie said. "This is fine. That's my mom. Arla. She must have had it sent." She paused. "Well, obviously she did. But anyway, yes, I can take it. Millie Coreia. That's me."

The courier laughed, and reached into that same pouch to pull out a package that was physically far too large to fit inside. Dimensional storage was so cool. Millie hoped she could afford something like that one day. Her parents both had dimensional backpacks to hold their adventuring supplies and loot from dungeons.

The box was rectangular and only a few inches thick. It was wrapped in a matte black paper, held shut with an iridescent black ribbon tied into an elaborate bow. "From Frazzapple's Finery," the delivery man said. "Your mother has expensive taste!"

Millie blinked twice and took the package. "She…does, apparently. Wow."

"Have a good day," said the courier, who turned on his heel and waved and walked down the short path from the door back to the road.

"Thank you," Millie said, realizing just how rude she probably seemed to him. But she was taken aback, surprised. She couldn't think of the last time that she had received a package for herself. And she couldn't think of any time that one of her parents had bought something from Frazzapple's. That was one of the most expensive boutiques in the city.

Millie made sure to appreciate beautiful wrapping as she walked over to the sofa and sat down. With the box on her lap, she carefully untied the bow, and then unfolded the matte black paper. A box made out of thin grey wood was beneath it, and when she removed the top, her eyes almost popped out of her head.

Folded inside was a cloak, and one of exceptional quality based on its appearance. The cloth was thick but not heavy, the color of midnight—a deep black that appeared slightly blue when viewed from the right angle—and dark grey piping highlighted the edges. A chain of black metal was laid over the neck. An obsidian clasp in the shape of a skull to hold it together.

Millie couldn't imagine how much money this item had cost her family. They weren't poor, but they weren't the kind of family who went out and bought things like this often. Or at all, actually. She set the box down beside her and held the cloak up. Immediately, a System information panel popped up and floated above the item:

######

[SHADOWSILK CLOAK]

—[DESCRIPTION] Made from condensed shadow captured at twilight over the course of a year, this masterwork cloak is imbued with darkness, but not in a creepy way, and is designed to protect the wearer from whatever dangers may come their way.

[ONE WITH THE SHADOWS]

—Activated Ability. The condensed shadow within the up the cloak permeates you and pulls a part of you into the shadow realm. For 3 seconds, you become incorporeal and translucent, making you harder to detect and harm in the physical realm. Note that certain schools of magic may ignore this limitation.

[COOLDOWN]

—Resets each day at sunset

######

"Holy mother of dragons!" Millie swears out loud. The crow skeleton caws in response. She stares at the cloak, noticing for the first time a very faint aura of wispy black tendrils around it. "This must have cost a fortune."

Not hesitating any longer, Millie undid the skull clasp and whipped the cloak over her shoulders. It fit like it was made for her. Which, apparently, it was. She patted it down, and the item sure earned its name. It was soft, yet sturdy, and as smooth as any silk she'd ever felt. Smoother, if she were honest. She hadn't felt that much silk, after all.

The interior lining of the cloak had four pockets, two on each side, and in one was a folded piece of paper that simply said, "Every good necromancer needs a good cloak."

The first instance of the word "good" had been traced over a few times, making it stand out from the rest of the text. Millie's heart swelled and couldn't wait to hug her family and thank them for this gift.

They had believed in her and planned over a year ago for this extravagant gift. She wasn't going to let that faith or the cloak go to waste.

"Come on, bird," she said, and the crow flew to her shoulder. "Let's go on a quest."