It was always the most boring part traveling, crossing the main roads created by the powerful industry that the empire held, knowing that little would happen. The monotonous moments only broken up when taking breaks or camping just off the road. And to make matters worse for Kalid, sighing as he turned around looking behind him, the out of breath and wheezing form of Jor looking like he would collapse from a slight breeze. “Sir…. if… you… would… give… me a moment to…. Catch my breath” coughed out Jor as he looked toward Kalid.

Resigning himself to the situation Kalid queried “And why are you following me apprentice?”

Taking a deep breath Jor stood tall and he replied “Sir as per orders from Lord Nuzard I am to act as your apprentice and to assist to the best of my ability”. Confused, Kalid looked down on this young man, who couldn't even keep up with a half day's travel. “And how would you assist myself in this endeavor? I see that you have not even finished basic training and haven't started your specialization?”

Jor quietly thinking to himself looked up with a more confident gaze at the man he now follows. “Lord Mez I may not have finished my training with the Inquisition but I do have some skills that may help.” Jor worked up his courage and as he straightened his back. “ I grew up in Paradisia my lord… I was taken as a slave and freed by the Unchained and left in Obsidia”

“I know that place that we are going to and this always helps” as Jor moved his dusty brown hair out of the way showing slightly pointed ears. “I dont always talk about it but my Father was an elf, and it helps when interacting with them”

Seeing the courage the young Jor showed him Kalid smiled to himself as he moved closer to this apprentice, “Fine then, but do understand that I am not going out of my way to protect you, I will treat you like any apprentice that I have taken over the years and when we get a free moment or rest you will practice the sword arts, can't have you falling behind the other apprentices”

Smiling Jor beamed with pride and a desire to learn “I won't let you down sir I promise”

Turning around Kalid moved at a brisk but slightly slower pace to allow young Jor to keep up.

“Come then Apprentice Jor, we have a mission to complete and a long road ahead, and we have a short timeframe to complete it”

It took weeks of travel for both Kalid and Jor to make it closer to too their destination, avoiding the more obvious route towards Lamport and its dockyards, It was decided that it would be safer and less obvious if they took the route to Frison past the City of Pance and risking the paths near the Plaguelands.

While the roads themselves had no physical changes it was the atmosphere of nature around the roads that warped. The birds silenced and less animals started to show, there was an eerie whisper of noise that traveled between the trees. The number of travelers decreased to the point that the only people they saw on the road were either heavily armed merchant groups or small groups of travelers like themselves who also thought that taking this dangerous route was a wise idea.

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It was not until about four days into these roads during the late evening they came across a scene that caused them to stop. A ruined caravan lay across the left side of the road and corpses of men wearing the robes and garbs of Lar Moor strewn across the road, in between these corpses was a corpse in unrecognizable clothing, a black cloak that seems to be stained by some kind of liquid.

Jor, as Kalid had found to be ever positive and naive, was about to rush out to see what happened as Kalids arm shot out in front of him. “Wait. This doesn't seem right…” Kalid mentioned as he surveyed the field and woods around them. Confused Jor queried, “But sir there maybe survivors, and as members of the..” as he was cut off by Kalid’s shushing noise “There are not enough bodies for a combat between two groups, and the caravan still has all its goods in the Baggage area.”

“This was not a bandit attack or anything similar, this was premeditated” Kalids voice whispered out, hand on his blade feeling the magic seeping into his hand. Jor sensing the tenseness of his teacher, grabbed his mace and shield attached to his back honing his senses, eyes flicking trying to detect any movement in the dark. Kalid making the first few steps forward drew his longsword as a slight wisp of shadow leaked off his blade.

Moving closer to the bodies they could see that much of the damage were slash wounds and a few claw wounds on a couple of the bodies. The more Kalid looked, the more his skin crawled; these bodies seemed to be missing something. But his mind could not bring the links together, it was only when Jor, staring at one of the bodies, muttered. “There isn't much blood on these bodies, is there?”

As soon as Kalid heard these words he realized his mistake, it was not a battle that caused these bodies, these bodies were placed here. As if the thought was heard by all around the bodies in unison rose from their spots, lifeless husks reaching out with rotted flesh and improvised weapons. “Damn it all, they were waiting for us” Kalid muttered as he shifted his sword to a stronger grip and as his left hand let off licks of dark crimson fire.

“To arms Jor, it seems like we are expected” he yelled as he swung the blackened blade toward the first corpse nearby, removing the hand that reached out for him. Jor to his credit while at first stunned at seeing moving corpses, responded to his teachers command and swung his mace at the closest living corpse, the mace shining slightly in a cool white light as it crunched into its skull.

Kalid, using his innate connection to magic, flung fire towards two of the closest zombies that shambled towards him, the smell of burnt flesh and rotten meat finally hitting him as the bodies burned. Swinging around and blocking the bash of a broken sword and a wooden board swung at him, he focused on the battle ahead of him.

It was not until he heard Jor yell out in pain did Kalid turn around to see his apprentice surrounded by the dead, and with a gash across his arm. Fearing the loss of another apprentice Kalid tapped into the stored power in Conviction, the cursed blackblade of the Empire, he reached out towards the shadows and darkness around the field as near invisible arms and claws reached out of the darkness grabbing onto the undead holding them in place.

Sprinting out he slashed towards the damned undead trying to reach the apprentice, hoping to be in time. He watched Jor reach out towards the sky as the sound of a bell tolled and echoed across the area as light bleached out of Jor. Kalid being so close had to cover his eyes to avoid being blinded, once the light faded Kalid looked out towards his apprentice seeing him collapsed on the ground.

Sprinting out without checking his surroundings he checked Jors pulse, feeling his heartbeat Kalid finally glanced around the area checking for threats, upon seeing the now smoking remains of their once enemies he muttered to himself “Well that's new”