Chapter 48) The Cutting Edge. Or, Heir to the Throne.

It took a while to catch Matt on my woes since I had to use first find, and then write with a stick in the dirt, all the while feeling the itching sensation from being this close to the Barricade.

So I mainly hit the highlights and answered the few questions he had.

While he seemed sympathetic to all of my problems, I realized he had left something out of his story.

-You left city? How come back to life?-

Matt read the story and looked a little ashamed even while he grinned to himself.

"Well, once me and Josh got out of the city and we started exploring a bit, we found out there are markers out a ways on all the roads and the great big bridge that crosses the river. Mile markers, or at least a mile marker for zero miles from the capital city here, which makes everything closer to the city than all those signposts officially still part of the city.”

He waved his hand in front of him.

“As soon as we reached the signposts, we both got pop ups explaining that once we stepped past them we would be out of the starter zone, and while we could return to it, we would no longer be brought to life if we died once we left.”

Matt rubbed at his chin. “The whole die and come back as many times as I want… creates possibilities. Especially with all the now fully aware undead citizens still coming back again and again when they get killed.”

What it came down to, was training. Matt’s scheme was to do full contact, lethal training with some of the most skilled, and willing, undead in the city after spending the day training in less lethal skills with some of the best, most highly skilled people the capital of an entire kingdom has to offer.

At least the ones who didn’t run for signpost zero as soon as they could.

“I’ve already unlocked philosophy and leveled up to rank four, if I get it to ten I get a special ability, I’m hoping for something called [ Moment of Insight ]”

Heh, this guy was a planner, but…

-What about the world outside?-

Matt nodded as he read my words in the dirt. “Do I want to see it, to explore? Yeah, but I don’t have to be the first one, Josh found something out there that he came back to tell me about. After me and the chain gang finish the tunnel and drop the Anhk so those who want out can end things for themselves, hopefully, I can catch up with the Big Man and hear all about it.”

I nodded and wrote. -Is there anything I do to help you?-

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He sighed and then stood up while brushing some dirt from his behind. "Well, I think this is just one of those situation where I've already made the best of a limited number of bad choices. All I can really do right now is either give up or play it out."

Holding out both hands, he slowly held them out with his finger spread out.

“But, if you could take the princess down a peg, it would help. She seemed to have gotten into power with a lot of promises and her former standing as the Heir, but I think people of getting a little tired of her crap. I know I am.”

I sat there for a moment, looking down at the dirt deep in thought. Matt must have figured out that I had something in mind because he gave me a moment. Something he had said was giving me an idea.

-Do you know how I can get a hold of a good blade?-

As it turned out, after gathering up all the weapons and some armor from the elite guard at the gatehouse after beating them, the three adventures had not only stashed them in an old bathhouse, but each of them had carefully hidden a few choice pieces away in the hopes they would be missed if their main stash ended up being discovered and moved.

Which it had been, probably by the original owners, but what Matt had claimed was an officer's sword was still in place in an oven in the cellar, along with the working end of a halberd with a broken pole, and the other end of the pole with a still attached bronze ball on the end.

I took the blade since it had a belt and a sheath with it as well.

Finding it in the dark was pretty easy, however, the heck this skeleton body was seeing things with hollow sockets in its skull instead of eyeballs, it was able to let me see things in black and white when there wasn’t any other light.

Once outside, there was still plenty of light to see by even though the sun was going down, which meant I had to hurry to get back to the worksite at the Barricade.

My plan was a little time sensitive, and dependent on the fact that every single walking skeleton pretty much looked the same.

Especially when you’re so distracted that you aren't looking at the dead men all around you in the first place. After all why worry about someone sneaking up to hurt you when everyone is already dead?

As the sun sunk down below the Barricade and put the work site, and the Princess's tarp covered observation area in shadow the big wall's shadow, part two of my plan went into effect.

Part one was getting the sword, and part two was the strike.

Every man at the work site turned around and dropped their tools all at once, and then began working as a group to pull up the stakes anchoring the ropes that were helping to hold up the rickety lashed together poles that were letting people climb up to try to pry off the big ‘Ankh’ thingy up on the wall.

Which upset the undead who couldn’t even go over to stop them, just yell and threaten from a distance at the guys working to send the wooden framework crashing to the ground.

The pasty Princess was on her feet and yelling too as her guards, and all the other dead people who had been hanging out with her all day milled about in confusion and helplessness.

Which made it easy for me to walk up behind her, drawn blade at my side, and dig my fingers into her long braided hair…

To pull it back with all my undead strength, yanking her head back with it and leaving her throat exposed.

It only took a moment for her to react, jerking her head forward even as she spun in place with a look of outrage twisting her face up into her 'ready to bite' look to see me standing there, knife in hand.

And holding a long bundle of hair in my other, the strands slowly tumbling free from the braids to fall onto the ground as I turned my hand over to let the last of it fall free into the air.

With a slowly growing look of horror on her face, she reached up to tug forward a lock of her now chin length hair.

I didn’t even see her move.

One moment I was wishing I could speak out loud and say something like, “Your days of tyranny have been cut short.”

Instead, I started to hear Matt yelling something about the “The Princess has no-”

Then I was once again flowing above the midpoint of the hallway of my dungeon.

The long, two hundred foot long hallway of my original dungeon.

“Oh Shoot…”

I got the feeling this is something Osalor is going to notice, and it's not like this isn't one of the first places he is going to come looking for me.

Then I heard a voice call out below me.

“Terri? Aren't you a bit early?”

Down below, looking up at me, was Drew.