The three unarmed kobolds ran at the enemy camp shrieking with four skeletons and two zombiefied kobold corpses chasing after them. Kaylee and I followed at a light jog behind it all.

nearly two dozen kobolds grabbed various weapons and ran from all directions forming a rough group where the trail met the camp. The skeletons and zombies slowed allowing the three fleeing kobolds to reach the safety of the front line. My own minions continued to close on the mass of the enemy. I could hear them hissing and saw two rocks fly out, one tearing the cheek off a zombie's face and exposing bone. The twenty-two kobolds had a line of twelve with five more behind them. back further still, I could see a slinger and finally, a group of three kobolds clad in light leathers surrounding what I could only assume was their leader.

The lead kobolds seemed surprised when my undead charged at them. The surprise though turned to shock when two of the unarmed kobolds near them screeched a war cry and attacked from behind. The third had gone back to the slinger and was busy ripping his neck open with his sharp kobold teeth. I recalled executing them, teaching Kaylee in her still slightly delirious state how to perform a death’s touch and flood mana in after. I’d made her paralyze one so I could carefully stab in through the ear and leave him unmarked but dead. A quick reanimation after had ensured they would fool the camp kobolds. And as the enemy turned on the three traitors, I poured mana into each, condensing briefly before releasing.

Kaylee’s failure with her training had inspired me.

Blood and guts exploded in exactly the manner I’d hoped followed by shards of bone. The sight was like foreplay.

I grabbed Kaylee beside me.

“Let me help you get the blood flowing princess.”

Grabbing her ass with one hand to hold her close and using the other to keep her head from struggling too much. I kissed her forcefully and bit her bottom lip until I could taste copper tinged death. The death was new, her skill was improving.

Turning back I could actually see through the stomach of one kobold. My suicide minion had latched onto his back when he exploded and there was little left of either of them now.

The explosions killed a slinger and wounded one of the leader’s guardsmen along with killing four kobolds outright and wounding two more in the front. The charge of my soldiers brought blades and spears against startled lines and three more fell before the real fight began. That left only eleven kobolds out front with two already half dead. I felt good about those odds for a moment.

Then a small gap opened in the line facing towards us and I barely had time to register the streak of fire before it sailed outwards towards Kaylee.

I dove at her tackling her to the ground.

I rolled us both as the ball of flame exploded in mid-air and fire licked at my arm before I escaped. The intensity was enough to super-heat the water in my skin. Bubbles formed and popped and skin blistered and burned, some of it disappearing completely. The pain was blinding but worse was when I finished my roll. My burned arm scraped against the sand and I saw white as the particles of sand embedded themselves in my wound and friction rubbed them raw.

Kaylee’s eyes locked onto mine as she took in the state of my burns.

I reacted on instinct and my core flooded necrotic mana to the wound, finishing off the burned skin and then melding it together. But leaving dead tissue exposed where no skin was available to cover the wound.

“You can thank me later,” I told her.

“I‘d rather burn,” she spat.

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“Well then, perhaps if you’re good, I’ll brand you after,” I replied.

I stood up and walked forward through the hole in the enemy's lines made by the explosions and flame strikes. The next ball of fire leaped into the gap again but I’d already moved a zombie in front several feet as a shield and while coming out blackened and charred it was intact enough to stop the heat from reaching me.

His three personal guard moved to block, and the charred zombie fell to the ground decapitated.

It surprised me to find Kaylee behind me. She stabbed the knife through her own palm before withdrawing it, blood flowing towards nearby remains. That was concerning, there was no way she could reanimate a corpse, it was likely to explode killing one of us. And what with being fully one half of that group, it worried me greatly. She didn’t though; the blood filled the bones and then they flew forward like daggers, pulled like a whip by her core and flung towards the guardsmen.

Wow, that was fucking brilliant. I joined in throwing bone shards until it cut open an artery on the wounded guard and he collapsed. The two remaining guards and the mage took cover behind shields giving me a moment to glance behind.

It was chaos.

My four skeletons and remaining zombie were fairing pretty well. My increased skill had resulted in more dense mana, making them more resilient, the zombie was actually stronger now as an undead than he’d been alive.

I took a moment to direct them; a zombie allowed a blade to slam into his side and used the stop to grab the wrist holding the blade. The nearby skeleton then made to swipe at his opponent before redirecting the blade into the zombies enemy, gouging into the shoulder. A strong pull by the zombie at the wrist separated the limb from the shoulder.

I pointed back at the Kobold. “That’s one way to disarm an opponent eh Kaylee?”

She tilted her head at me before throwing another bone shard that narrowly avoided my skull.

“Bitch, you have no sense of humor!” I told her.

The guards lifted shields, and I saw the flame shaman breathe out onto the tip of his staff which was already red hot. The breath of flame chased after Kaylee turning the sand behind her into glassy shards. Just before it reached her the hands of the deceased guardsman reached up and grabbed the mages ankle causing him to stumble. He was still breathing as he stumbled and flame engulfed one of his own guards.

It blackened the guard and his tough scales and hide sloughed off him like a snake shedding its skin, exposing tissue and sinew underneath. I could see his mouth open wide but no sound came out. Lungs and throat filled with air hot enough to char them left him screaming silently.

The other guard bellowed in rage but then turned to strike at the flame shaman, Clearly, he’d had one betrayal too many. The mage made to turn away but still caught he fell sideways.

He was mine though and so before the kobold could reach him my dagger sunk into the final guard’s side, twisting as it entered his kidney and leaving his vitality pouring out of him. I corrupted his blood and threw it up to block a quick blast at me from the mage, angling it to send the worst of the flames into my victims face while I hid behind his back. The guard dropped, and I jumped onto the mage, driving the air from his lungs before he could try to breathe again. My hand closed around his neck and he sputtered choking as I whispered.

“Surrender and you have my word I will not kill you all.”

He glared at me in fury.

My fingers tightened a little further making him light-headed and his shoulders slumped.

I heard something guttural that I can only assume was the equivalent of OK and I lightened my grip enough for him to gasp out another barking sound at the other kobolds.

After a moment they tossed down weapons, and I directed Kaylee to help round them up.

I had two of the skeletons come to contain the mage. With spears touching his throat I got off and cut strips of leather from the armor of his personal retinue. I tied his hands with one and used a larger strip to wrap several times around his mouth and nose as insurance against any more fiery attacks. His new bone guards would live long enough to stab before going down if he attacked.

We tied up the rest of the kobolds and sat down to meditate and condense our cores.

“What are you planning on doing with them all?” Kaylee asked.

“Making an army,” I replied.

“You don’t seriously think you can trust them?”

“Not yet,” I said.

After several hours meditating the supplies were gathered up and the entire group, prisoners and all headed back to the rocky outcrop. I planned to move to the Kobolds’ base with its nearby source of water, but we’d need to collect what we had at the old location first.

The sun had fallen as we arrived and Kaylee made for the tent.

I came in behind her and shoved one shoulder hard, twisting her around so I could tackle her forward onto the bed. I followed her as she fell, pinning her beneath me.

My hand grasped her neck, and I whispered, “Who told you to go anywhere?”

She said nothing.

My dagger cut a slit up the front of her skirt splitting it in half.

I saw her look down and her face darkened. But still, she said nothing. Oddly, I could also see the mana flowing through her body increase, her pulse was rapid and her cheeks flushed red.

“You are mine, all mine, this,” and my dagger’s tip resting lightly at the top of her skirt cut down, drawing a thin bead along the top of her sex for emphasis. “Mine,” I told her. “Never forget that.”

“And since you were mostly a good girl..” I said trailing off as my dagger drew a half circle around the top of the line and another angled one underneath, leaving the letter R cut into her smooth skin. “You’ve earned it,” I told her before breathing onto the cuts.

They went stark white and scarred over leaving the letter imprinted permanently.

“You’ve more training to do outside before we finish in here pet.” I finished. Then I got up and walked towards the exit.

“Oh and Kaylee,” I said as I left. “If I have to come to retrieve my property. I’ll leave the next brand on the inside.”

I heard her whisper her response, almost accepting. “Yes, Ryzen.”

I hardened hearing it, excited by the idea of her submission.