The beast studied the trio. His blue eyes were bright with feral intelligence.

The one at the front looked formidable. She had a big sword. And steel armour, which the beast understood would hurt his teeth.

Fortunately, she looked to have a lot of exposed skin.

The other female also looked formidable. She was waving a bunch of herbs which the beast recognised with a shiver. That herb could be trouble if she threw it at him.

If he were distracted by it, he’d be killed by the Dangerous One in armour. If they worked together, they’d kill him in an instant.

That left the man in the middle.

Clearly the two females were protecting him. He staggered along between them, his head low and his back bent.

He looked weak.

Sick.

If the beast was quick, he could take the male down before the two females had time to react. The one with the herbs didn’t look like a fighter. She’d most likely be shocked after seeing the warm arterial spray from the male’s throat as the beast slashed it open with one swipe of its deadly paw.

He’d then rake the thigh of the fighter before she could react. He was sure his Aglity was high enough for that. While she was bleeding out, he’d take the last down and steal her herbs.

Yes.

The male would be first.

Proud of his plan, the beast peeled his lips back into a cunning grin and began to slowly stalk his prey.

----------------------------------------

Worm wiped fresh sweat from his brow and tried not to fall over.

He could barely lift his legs anymore. Everything below his knees was numb and everything above felt swollen and brittle with pain.

“It can’t be much further,” he groaned.

“Usually, I’d say an hour or so,” Petal said. Then tightened her lips as she glanced back at him. “But with the pace you’re setting, it’ll be closer to four.”

“It’ll be dark when we get there,” Daisy said. “You know, I think we’ll have to do all the trips to and from the village instead of Master. It’d take too long otherwise. By the time he got home, any veggies he’d have bought would all be wilted.”

“Thank you for your input, Daisy,” Worm rasped.

“You’re welcome, Master.”

----------------------------------------

The beast bellied through the grass like a snake.

He wasn’t a snake. He had legs. But he fancied that he moved like one.

His Agility was high.

His Stealth was permanently buffed to grant bonuses to sneak attacks.

The grin hadn’t left his face as he slid through the grass. The thrill of the hunt sang in his veins. He could almost taste the Weak One’s blood on his tongue.

His claws itched as he imagined slashing that one’s throat.

It was going to feel so good.

He slid behind an old tree stump and squinted at his prey. His prey looked bigger now he was closer to them. A lot bigger. Nothing like his last prey which had wriggled desperately as his paws had smooshed it to the ground just before he’d ripped its wings off with a mighty shake.

That prey had wriggled delightfully.

Would this trio do the same? They probably wouldn’t fit under his paws, which was a shame. He liked when prey fit under his paws.

His large batlike ears flicked nervously as he studied them. He thought about letting them go.

Alas, mercy rewarded no experience points, so he crouched lower and edged closer.

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Daisy knelt to pluck a Bluebottle Poppy from beside the path.

“I can’t believe there’s so many of them,” she said. “Look at this. They’re just growing wild around here. I mean, I know it’s a common herb, but this is almost too common, isn’t it?”

Worm grunted. He didn’t have the energy to think about her silly flowers.

If Petal was right, and he had no reason to doubt her estimate, they’d reach the ruined tower just before nightfall. While there was nothing in any book he’d read about ghosts which said they were more powerful at night, he was still dubious that there was one to begin with.

The locals hadn’t struck him as any more superstitious than the average person, but he knew from experience that many things could be perceived as the work of a malignant spirit.

It could be a ghost.

Or a wraith, which would be worse.

It could even be a particular cunning band of goblins.

Or any other breed of monster known for being stealthy enough to remain mostly unseen.

All of which would require him to cast a spell or two.

And Petal was right. If he was too exhausted to move, he wouldn’t be casting anything.

“Rest,” he muttered. “I need to rest.”

“Already?” Daisy looked up from where she still knelt. “It’s only been five minutes since our last stop.”

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“How did you cope all these years?” Petal asked, still unable to believe how hard the Necromancer struggled to climb the hill. Admittedly, it was steep. But it wasn’t that steep.

“Potions,” he said, grimacing. “I bought a lot of potions.”

“You bought Stamina potions instead of just putting a few points into it?”

“Yes.” He ground his teeth hard, sick of saying it. “I’m a Necromancer. I need high Intelligence!”

“That must’ve been expensive.”

“Yes,” he said, panting heavily. “It was.”

“He was a Lord,” Daisy said. “His family had loads of money. Not as much as mine. But enough to buy as many potions as he wanted. They even had a castle, too. Well. A small one.”

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“Ah,” Petal said, no longer surprised. “That makes sense.”

Worm squinted at her. “Why?”

“I’ve known a lot of kids whose family were rich. I haven’t met one who could do anything on their own. Not even wipe their own bum. They always needed servants for that.” She shrugged at him. “No offence, Worm, but if you never have to do anything on your own, you end up selecting stats which help you to do one thing you want to do rather than what you need to thrive. I’m not surprised you threw it all into Intelligence now.”

“That’s not how it was!” He scowled darkly. “I worked hard! I did-”

“-it all on your own, blah blah. Yeah, I’ve heard it all before.” Her gaze drilled into his. “Who gave you the gold to buy those Stamina potions again?”

He opened his mouth to say something.

But there was nothing to say.

He looked away.

“My Daddy paid for mine,” Daisy said brightly.

Worm’s mouth tightened as he gained another Enraged buff.

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The beast was close.

So close he could smell his prey.

The Dangerous One smelled of metal and leather.

The other female smelled of flowers. And of that herb. The smell made his eyes twitch, but he felt the invisible dice rolls which ruled the world land in his favour. He held back his need to rush in like a fool drunk on the smell of herb.

The Weak One, though, smelled of sweat.

And shame.

The beast felt emboldened by the realisation that the Weak One was ashamed of his weakness. He crept closer, his rear wiggling as he worked to contain the excitement of what was going to be an exquisite battle.

The Dangerous One would make the battle tough, but it would be worth it. He’d have enough meat to eat for days. Possibly years by the size of them.

And maybe, if he was lucky, he’d hear that teasing tinkle of a bell which announced the gaining of a new level.

He loved that tinkle.

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“I’d give everything I have for a bath,” Worm sighed.

“I don’t think you have enough to buy one in a broken-down brothel in Ipswitch,” Petal said.

“How much do they charge?” Daisy asked, making the red-haired Mercenary blush a little.

“I don’t know,” she growled. “I was being rhetorical.”

“Oh.” The Undead Servant sounded disappointed. “I went to Ipswitch once. Mummy thought it would be good for me to see where poor people live. I didn’t know they had brothels in Ipswitch. They had a Tannery, though. It smelled awful. Have you ever been to Ipswitch, Master?”

“No,” he said. “I have not.”

“So, you never went to one of their brothels?”

“Of course not.” He glared at her. “I just told you. I’ve never been to Ipswitch.”

“Which brothels did you go to, then?”

“I didn’t go to any!”

“But I thought all men went to brothels.” She cocked her head and looked to Petal. “Don’t they?”

“Every man I ever met did.”

“Well, I didn’t,” Worm snapped.

“Some men don’t like women,” Petal offered.

“Oh, Master likes women,” Daisy said, firmly grabbing her boobs and bouncing them lightly in her palms. “He looks at these all the time. And my legs. He really likes my legs. He likes your bottom, too. I think that’s why he likes when you walk ahead of us.”

“Enough!” Worm roared. Or he would have if the word wasn’t cut off by a hiccup. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. “Just… Enough, Daisy. Please.”

They walked for a while in silence.

Blessed silence, thought Worm.

Just the sound of the birds in the trees. The soft gentle breeze through their leaves.

And the clink of Petal’s mail armour which trailed her sleek waist and perfectly showed off her-

The Mercenary glanced over her shoulder, cheeks tinged pink as she checked the direction of his gaze.

Daisy giggled. “I told you!”

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The beast observed their bickering and wondered how to use it to his advantage.

He kept low, belly touching the ground as he darted into a small bush. They didn’t even suspect he was there.

His high Stealth let him get so close he could begin thinking about the perfect pounce.

His mind ran the calculations over and over in his head. Mostly he was concerned with their sizes. They really were bigger than he’d expected. Still, his claws were sharp.

And his teeth sharper.

His ears flicked again as he dismissed his doubts. In the end, they were just humans. Slow and clumsy.

And the beast?

Well.

He’d been murdering everything he could since he’d been born.

His stats had grown. He even had a few Special Attacks.

He was ready for his first big prey. He could feel it.

He slipped out from the bush and aimed himself at the Weak One.

He threw his thoughts at his prey.

Here I come.

And I am Death.

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Daisy checked her Inventory.

She’d bought a large Herb Pouch from Peter’s Provisions and was pleased to see it was almost a quarter full of specimens she’d gathered.

There were so many to find.

Agatha’s book said that where Bluebottle Poppies grew, there was a chance Deathbelles could grow, too. Master would like it if she gave him some Deathbelles.

Some of his rituals used Powdered Deathbelle leaf.

Maybe if she found a few, he’d feel happier. She hadn’t seen him happy in a long time.

Not since…

Well.

It was a long time ago.

Her violet eyes glowed sadly as she watched him shuffle along like a zombie. He pushed himself too hard, she thought. Maybe he had a perk for Determination.

If not, he should.

She hummed softly to herself and flicked her gaze back to the field between the path and the nearby trees.

Her humming stopped suddenly as she thought she saw movement.

Before she had time to shout a warning, it struck.

So fast. Shockingly fast.

There was a flash of black.

And then Master was screaming.

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Petal sighed.

She still wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision to follow the Necromancer.

Sometimes he seemed so powerful. And other times? Much too weak.

Was he really the kind of person she wanted to ally herself with? She could join the Mercenary Guild again. They wouldn’t reject her. After all, she’d left on her own terms.

Then she could join a Company.

Work herself up the ranks again. It wouldn’t take long. She’d just have to crack a few skulls. Break a few bones.

Maybe kill a Captain or two.

She’d done it before. She could do it again.

But she’d left that path for a reason, hadn’t she? Nothing had changed. She still felt nothing for her chosen Class. The desire to gain levels in it just wasn’t there anymore.

She’d thought maybe she’d found a new way with the Bishop, but he hadn’t been the kind of man she’d expected.

And Worm? Was he?

His eyes had most definitely been fixed on her butt.

Petal sighed.

And then Worm screamed, and her heart nearly burst from her chest at the sound.

She whirled, sword in hand. Eyes wide as she caught sight of the monster which was latched onto his leg with its jaws clamped tight.

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“Left,” Worm mumbled loud enough for his ears only. He lifted his left leg and took a step. “Right.”

He lifted the right leg.

Another step.

“Left… Right…”

His Enraged buff had leaked away, leaving him feeling empty and hollow. His Stamina bar was flashing zero, and every step he took was now dependant on his Mental Fortitude, which was high thanks to his Intelligence.

He’d wanted to tell the girls that but didn’t have the breath.

Instead, he focussed on what was in front of him. It wasn’t his fault it was Petal’s butt. He didn’t ask for it to be there. And certainly didn’t ask for her to walk like she did.

He was only human, he told himself.

He heard a rustle.

A swish as something sprang out of the grass.

Its fur was mottled black. Its eyes bright and blue. Claws curled at the end of each paw.

Its jaws snapped open as it leapt on him. Claws raked out.

The stress and exhaustion was too much.

Worm screamed.

And screamed.

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The beast flashed out of the grass, giddy with bloodlust.

He’d put everything into his leap. He’d flown high and far, but it wasn’t going to be enough. The Weak One was much too tall.

But he was weak, the beast reminded himself. The battle was not over. He could still consume them all!

He snarled as the Weak One screamed.

Yes! That’s it! Scream, human. Scream!

Frenzied, the beast’s claws found the leather of the human’s boot.

Throwing back his head with a ferocious roar, he drove his teeth as deep into the human’s knee as he could.

Savagely, he thrashed his head, tearing at the cloth leggings and flesh beneath.

Soon, he thought. Soon I will taste your blood!

Any second now.

Soon…

Then something grabbed him by his neck and the beast felt fear stab his heart.

The Dangerous One! He’d forgotten her! How could he have forgotten her?

It must have been those cursed herbs dulling his senses.

The Weak One kept screaming, and the beast hissed as the Dangerous One’s grip jerked him from his prey.

She’d pay for that! How dare she touch him without his permission. He was going to claw her hand off at the wrist!

Desperately, he activated his favourite skill, Feral Slash and his paw lashed out.

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Petal stared at the little creature in her fist. Her expression was bemused. She held it gently by the fur on the back of its neck and watched as it hissed and spat at her.

Its little paws batted at her wrist.

“Aww,” Daisy cooed. She poked the little creature’s belly, prompting it to turn its fierce attention onto her fingers. Tiny claws barely scratched the Undead Servant’s skin. “Look, Master! It’s a cute little Kitten!”

The Mercenary lifted the creature to get a closer look.

“He’s a Level Two Devon Rex Kitten,” she confirmed, studying the creature’s Nameplate. “He seems to have the Assassin class. And his name is Pinkytoes.”

“He’s so adorable,” Daisy squealed as the creature tried to bite her thumb. “Can we keep him?”

“No bloody way!” Worm snarled from where he lay on the ground clutching his knee. “The thing’s feral. Look what it’s done to my pants. And it’s probably given me rabies.”

“Huh.” Petal squinted at the kitten which froze in her grip though suddenly realising its situation. He blinked at them. “He’s got a title.”

“A title!” Daisy clapped her hands. “That’s so amazing! Lord Pinkytoes! A titled pet is so rare. We simply must keep him now.”

Lord Pinkytoes looked from one woman to the other, confused and a little frightened.

His voice, when it came, was small but shrill.

“Mew?”