It had been a week since I left the house and I was running on fumes. Luckily for me, my undeads manner of fighting as a group meant we never fought any challenging battles. I was still gaining experience but I wasn’t leveling up the way I was before it felt like something was blocking me. Vaeda informed me that at level fifteen a person gets to choose their first class skill. Apparently, the system bases your class skill choices off of several factors such as your experiences thus far, your build, your skill levels, and what it thinks you need the most. I have no idea how the system manages to do so much and monitor so many people but Vaeda assures me it does and it does it quite well.
Vaeda was flying high above us. I closed my eyes and activated Eye in the Sky and saw that he was circling this mausoleum. There were at least forty zombies surrounding the mausoleum. I had no idea how we were going to be able to get in there but it looked like something important was in there. Maybe a food supply of sorts. I mean I know skeletons can’t eat but zombies like to right? Vaeda then headed back to us and flew lower so he wouldn’t be spotted.
I ordered the goon squad forward and we slowly made our way to the mausoleum. Unfortunately, there weren’t any houses around or we could have slowly lured the zombies away and beaten them individually. Vaeda said we should make a plan but I was getting too hungry to think straight. Just as the pit in my stomach started to lurch I got a system notification.
Due to host not having eaten in a week. Debuff Starving applied.
Starving prevents the host from regenerating health and is a -1 to vitality
Great now if I get hurt I can’t regenerate health and I can take even fewer hits than I already could. Planning be damned we needed to get into the mausoleum and quickly.
“Greg calm down and try to think clearly. We can’t just rush in that's tantamount to suicide, and you know how I feel about you dying.” Vaeda said.
“Sorry. What do you suggest Vaeda?”
“Tell two of the goon squad to follow me as I try to pull the group away. Then you take the remainder of the goon squad and try to get into the mausoleum.”
“Vaeda I can’t let you do this, it’s too dangerous man.”
“Don’t worry Greg, I’m your familiar so as long as you have mana I can always be resummoned back here. Just don’t take too long summoning me back okay?”
“Don’t worry I’ll summon you as soon as I’m able to” I replied earnestly.
I ordered two of the goon squad to follow Vaeda and attack any undead that came near them. He took off into the sky with two of my companions sauntering off after him. I watched as he started doing circles around the undead corralling them and pulling them away from the entrance. When he had successfully pulled more than thirty of the zombies and the two goon squad members were slashing and bashing zombies left and right, I made a break for it.
I commanded the remaining three skeletal grunts and the zombie runner to follow me as I made my way across the field. A couple of the remaining zombie rushers saw us and started running over. Great just what I needed; stragglers. There were three of them and five of us. We could definitely win a straight up fight but I knew the fight would draw unwanted attention to us from the horde. I ordered two of my skeletal grunts to intercept them and stall for time. My skeletal grunt smashed down with its mace and caved in one of the rusher’s heads. Now it was a 2v2. The skeleton with the mace was quickly grabbed by the other two rushers and they tackled it to the ground and they began pounding on it, breaking its bones. My other skeleton then slashed out with its sword scoring a lucky decapitation on one of the rushers. Then it stabbed forward and lodged its sword in the rusher’s chest. My skeleton no longer had a weapon and was quickly snuffed out by the rusher. I felt the two strands connecting me to those skeletons snap. It didn’t hurt but it was not a pleasant feeling. It felt like loss and I did not like it at all.
Host’s Undead has defeated an enemy in combat (x2)
Experience awarded
Minor soul absorbed (x2)
Host’s Undead has fallen in battle (x2)
*Meanwhile at the battle with the horde*
“Come and get me you decrepit fucks. Yeah, I’m talking to you!” Vaeda yelled at the zombies as loud as he could.
It had only been a little over a week since he had been summoned but he had gotten quite attached to the boy he was now bound to. They had become good friends and he thought the boy had a good head on his shoulders. Vaeda liked the stories Greg told him of his world before the system and all the amazing things they used to have. He had found it funny if not unnecessary when the boy was concerned with his well being even after realizing he could be resummoned at a later time when the skill came off cooldown.
I kept taunting the zombie horde and periodically dive bombing the weaker ones clawing at their eyes and pulling off chunks of their flesh with my talons. I knew this wouldn’t last long though there just too many of them and me and the goon squad still hadn’t even killed one of them. The skeletal grunts were wildly swinging their weapons at the rushers but they were getting swarmed. Guess it’s time to give them some relief. I flew low and tried to trip up a couple of the rushers that were attacking the goons It worked and some pressure was relieved of my skeletal companions but then the inevitable happened; a rusher grabbed me out of the air and threw me to the ground. Then they were all on me. I tried to keep calm but I’d be lying if I said this didn’t hurt. They grabbed at my wings and tore them off of me. I felt the numbness of shock take over as they took turns biting and clawing me and eating me alive till I died.
*Greg*
I saw within myself that the largest of my mana threads, the one that connected me and Vaeda was being stretched thin. I knew what was happening and there was nothing I could do to help my friend. Yeah I know it’s weird to consider him my friend, after all, I don’t believe he was given a choice on helping me, but I still considered him a friend nonetheless. You tend to grow attached to people, or magic owls for that matter, when you survive death day in and day out for over two weeks. Then the thread snapped and the feeling of loss was so great I stumbled a bit and almost fell.
Host’s Familiar “Vaeda” has fallen in battle.
Host’s skill Summon Familiar is now on cooldown for 24 hours.
Host’s Undead has fallen in battle (x2)
I pushed it open and ran inside with my remaining skeletal grunt and zombie rusher. I slammed the doors shut as I witnessed the horde coming back towards me. I took a quick glance around the room and saw wooden crates everywhere and some tables. I told the two final members to help stack stuff in front of the door. The three of us worked hard moving tables and stacking crates in front of the doors. Luckily the door was stone and very thick. Even with a forty plus horde on the other side, I couldn’t hear a peep from them and their banging only sounded like a dull thud at this point.
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Alright time to explore. I was in a pretty spacious room with wooden torches hung around making dancing shadows leap around the room. The air was stale and musty in a way I had come pretty accustomed to after spending so much time around the undead. I had long become desensitized to the smell of death or the sight of corpses. There was another door that looked to lead towards more undead if the sounds I heard were any indication. I walked over to one of the tables and saw a giant map of the dungeon. It showed where I was as well. It looked like there were four total mausoleums including this one, in each corner of the dungeon. I was in the top right corner of the dungeon. There was no mark of an exit or entrance anywhere on the map. In the very middle was a building labeled “The Crypt”. Sounds spooky, better avoid for now at least until I could discuss my plans with Vaeda when his skill was off cooldown. I decided to try and open up a couple of crates and see if there was any food or anything. I needed to get rid of this debuff.
Most of the crates contained the armor and weapons the zombies had been equipped with. I moved onto the next crate and heard glass bottles moving within it. I used my sword as a crowbar and pried it open to find almost 50 bottles of a dark red liquid. My mind put two and two together and instantly recognized these as health potions. I hoped it would heal me of my debuff. I wonder if it’ll taste like cherry or strawberry. I uncorked one of them and without even smelling it I chugged it all down in one sitting. It was like sludge going down my throat and I quickly realized I recognized this taste and it was not cherry or strawberry, this was blood. Probably human blood based on what I had tasted when I had bit my tongue before. I shoved two fingers down my throat in an attempt to throw up. Due to not eating for over a week, the only thing that came out was a bloody mess of bile. Well, shit now what am I going to do?
I could feel a panic attack creeping up on me. This was my last chance. I’m going to die here alone and surrounded by undead. I fell to the ground and began hyperventilating and crying. Not since the first night that I spent in the dungeon have, I felt so helpless and alone. I missed my friends, I missed Vaeda, I missed food and I missed the human connection. Spending all your time with talking animals and undead does wonders for your psyche. I laid on the floor for a long time even after my panic attack had subsided just laying there. Then a new emotion overtook me besides fear and sadness. Rage. I was angry, furious even. Why was this happening to me? What had I done to deserve this? Vaeda told me it was almost unheard of to start in a dungeon so why the fuck did I have to go through this? Something inside me exploded and I decided that if I was just going to die anyway that I’d at least go out like a badass.
I stood up and dusted myself off. I walked over to the crates and began sorting through the armor and weapons trying to find the best ones. All of them were in terrible condition but I was able to find enough pieces to replace my armor as well as the goon squads. It sucked that zombie rushers couldn’t use weapons but I could at least replace its armor with some less used equipment. Then I found armor for my skeletal grunt and replaced his cracked sword with a mace that was a little dull but should get the job done. I was all strapped in and I had a scabbard on each side of me with a sword in it and a mace in my hands. If this was going to be my last stand I would be taking as much of them with me as I could.
I walked over to the door that leads deeper into the mausoleum and kicked it open. It led to a long hallway with the same torches lining the walls and there were five zombie rushers just standing around. When I kicked in the door they all turned and looked at me. One of them was significantly bigger than its companions and it roared before running at me like a marathon sprinter. The rest followed after it shortly.
The big guy leaps at me and I dodge to the right. As it passes me I slam my mace down into its back and my mace gets lodged in it. I try to pull it out but find I’m not nearly strong enough to do so. I was really regretting not investing more points into physical stats but hey what’s done is done. I pull one of my swords out of its scabbard and hold it out in front of me. The bigger zombie seems more wary of me after my initial attack. Is this thing capable of thought? It seems to be more than just a thoughtless undead like its friends that are fighting my goons. Speaking of my goons I don’t even have time to check on my goons I can only hope that they were faring better than I was. After a couple of minutes of our Mexican standoff where the zombie realizes I’m not going to attack it runs at me again. I go to dodge out of the way like last time but I’m a too slow and the zombie shoulder checks me into the wall. I hear a crunching sound as my body collides is now pinned between a giant zombie and a wall. I don’t know what’s going on inside my body but it feels like a rib or two are cracked if not completely broken. I can only assume one of my ribs is now poking my lungs as I’m having trouble breathing. I cough and blood comes out.
WARNING! The host has several broken ribs and is now suffering from unknown internal damage to their body.
Immediate treatment recommended.
WARNING! The host’s health has dropped to below 10%.
The zombie then lifts me up against the wall and I start to feel true terror as I realize I’m going to be eaten alive if I don’t do something. I go to raise my sword and attack it only to realize I don’t feel the sword in my hand. Damn it I must have dropped it when it tackled me. Wait something feels off. Not only do I not feel the sword in my grip I don’t feel anything coming from my right arm. I look down at it to see it hanging limply at my side.
WARNING! The host’s right arm has been crushed. The limb is unusable for the foreseeable future.
“Fuck”
The zombie opens its mouth to bite at my face and I do the only thing I can think of and hold up my left arm to block its bite. The zombie sinks its sharp broken teeth into my leather bracer. I don’t feel a puncture wound so it looks like my armor is doing some good in that regard. I yank my arm out of its mouth and punch it in the head as hard as I can. With only three strength my punch doesn’t do much except irritate it even more. It roars at me and I feel spittle hit me in the face. My goons are busy fighting the other zombies so I can’t call on them for help and Summon Familiar is still on cooldown meaning I’m on my own. There is no way in hell I can defeat this thing in unarmed one-armed combat with broken ribs and wheezing. I have no idea if this will work but I’m down to my last option. I grip the zombie's forehead with my left hand and activate my hail mary skill.
“Control Undead”
Black mist pours out of my hand and starts to drape over the zombie. The zombie starts to stumble backward and drops me onto the ground. Ouch, that hurt. Unlike what usually happens the undead didn’t instantly join the ranks of my goons. Instead, it began wildly swinging its arms around trying to move the black mist away. But true to my skills power it continues spreading until the zombie is completely surrounded by black mist. The zombie lets out one last roar before it stops moving. And for my efforts, I was rewarded with a blue screen.
Host successfully controlled undead.
Alpha Zombie Rusher: Much faster than their regular zombie rusher kin, they have tougher more muscular bodies that allow them to run faster and hit harder. They have retained some of their previous abilities from when they were alive which allows them to pull off more flexible maneuvers LVL 20 Cost 35 CTRL & 70 Mana
Wow, this thing is the highest level creature I’ve seen since coming here. And now it was one of my goons, maybe even the head goon. I then remembered I was in the middle of a fight and turned to look at my goons and found them being slowly pushed back against the wall. I can’t get off the ground so I just lay there and order my new minion to attack its former buddies. The Alpha rushes forward and grabs the first zombie it can reach and picks it up and chucks it headfirst into a wall. The zombie’s head explodes like a watermelon and blood and brain matter cover the walls. Now it’s a 3v3 and based on how the Alpha handled the first one I think we’ve got the win. I command it to destroy the three zombies that are left and it makes short work of them. Just as the last zombie is destroyed blue screens start appearing in front of me. I can’t even move I’m in so much pain so I lay there and take a look at them.
Host’s Undead has defeated an enemy in combat (x4)
Experience awarded
Minor soul absorbed (x4)
LVL UP
Congratulations to Host for reaching level 15.
The host may now select a new class related skill.
Would Host like to take a look at available skills?
Wait what? Did I read that right? I finally leveled up? I was flooded with a wave of energy as my body was repaired. I felt my ribs moving back into place and I could finally breathe normally again. I have also regained control of my right arm. I guess that leveling up heals your wounds. It had been over a week since the last time I had leveled up. I think that the closer you get to getting your next class skill the more and more experience you need. I dismiss the screens for now and order my goons to collect the bodies and we make our way back to the starting room.
We get back to the room and I slump down into one of the chairs. Time to check the status.
“Status”
Name: Gregory Sol Age: 21 Sex: Male Race: Human Level: 15 Class: Necromancer Buffs: None Debuffs: None Health: 25/25 Mana: 155/280 (125 in use) Health Regen: 2 Health Per Hour Mana Regen: 15 Mana Per Hour STR 3 INT 56 WIS 15 PERC 3 VIT 5 END 2 AGI 2 DEX 2 WILL 32 CTRL 78 (65 in use)
3 Stat Points Available.
I put 2 points into strength and one into vitality so I could be a little stronger. The fight with the Alpha showed me how weak I truly am without my minions. Now that I knew I could just level up to completely get rid of debuffs, I had a new lease on life. I decided to sleep and wait for Vaeda before I looked at my new class skill options so I fell asleep at the table after telling the goons to watch over me.