Too Stubborn to Die

Deep within a valley of the dead, necrotic energy flooded out from the mutilated obelisks that surrounded it, turning the earth deathly gray, sucking life from everything within it.

This was the center of the mad necromancer’s power, the deathly power within amplified by the obelisks to create a thick smog of death that strengthened the unliving within.

From here, the armies of the dead marched out in different directions, expanding the necromancer’s territory by the day.

And at the center of it all was a fortress being put together, brick by brick, by an untiring army. Like most settlements, there were all forms of System-purchased defenses lining its walls, turrets, shields, and the like.

Deep within that fortress was Darius, sitting on a throne of skulls surrounded by his elites.

He had come a long way, and his necropolis of the dead buried beneath his fortress gave him a link with which he could speak to the death god.

And he was warned by his patron god not to get careless, regardless of how well his plan seemed to be unfolding. Not until the champions of his world were defeated.

Luckily for him, he had gained a powerful new Skill to help with that very cause: Undead Champion. Using this Skill, he could select one of his undead warriors to make a champion, allowing them to continue their path via undeath, and he hoped that in time, he could upgrade the Skill to create more champions.

But for now, he had the former leader of one of the great factions in his grasp. And despite not being a pure fighter, Johan was a great candidate. Made even better after a little tinkering.

For as he selected and twisted his champion into a new path of undeath, he was able to remake them to some degree. And to this end, he changed the former leader’s Class.

Johan had been a powerful Leader that used mind control abilities, and they had served him well. Pushing him far above so many others. But Darius had no need for another leader.

An undead mind mage, however?” Now that was something that appealed.

His thin, purple lips curled into a smile as he finished putting the final touches on his champion.

“Perfect. Now, now, you’re a real champion. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

Johan stood stony-faced and unmoving.

“But you’re a dead giveaway like this.”

Darius waved his hand, activating another Skill, and within seconds, the signs of death and decay retreated, and color returned to Johan’s eyes and skin.

“Now that’s better.”

However, despite all his planning, there were risks when attempting such deceptions. But Darius had bigger plans for himself than entering the dungeon. There was an entire world to conquer after all, and all the greatest warriors would be away playing dungeon crawler.

The necromancer turned to four other undead. A big, patchwork man. A conniving thief with daggers in their hands. A beautiful mage with long, curling hair. And a thal’kesk tentacles protruding from its back, and waving lazily above its head.

“This will be your party,” his hand flurry toward them, and they rose their stiff heads, and just like with Johan, the signs of death receded from them.

The other four undead warriors weren’t as impressive as Johan, not with the champion Skill cast upon him. But they were still the greatest warriors Darius had slain, D-grades the lot of them, and all but one from the top 100 rankings.

“Now, my minions. It is more important that you come back alive, than you win this dungeon. Understood?”

“Yes, master.”

“Good. Now, I want you to gather as much information as you can. I want to know who rules where, and how big their settlements are. How many D-grade warriors they have, if possible. I want to know what alliances there are between the top rankers. What resources and defenses they have. Keep your identity secret, and bring me their secrets. This is your mission.”

“Yes, master.”

“Good. You may go.”

With a wave of his hand, they were off. System energy wrapped around the five undead and warping them somewhere else.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“What more could I have asked for? But before the conquest continues, I should really deal with that matter…”

He had seen a beast while leading an army of undead against another settlement a couple of weeks back. This beast made its burrow deep within the earth, down a ravine that divided the land and delved down into an abyssal hole of flames.

He hadn’t dared enter at the time, but he had felt what was within. A beast of extraordinary power. He had wanted to kill it then and there, but he knew it would take both him and an army of his undead to deal with such an incredible creature, and such an act would create an opening if anybody was waiting to strike at him.

But now, that had all changed. The sensor arrays he had set up using his obelisks told him that all D-grades in the region had suddenly vanished, confirming that they had entered the dungeon.

Now it was his opportunity to reap the rewards of this world unopposed. And he had a feeling that the beast he sensed was a treasure in and of itself.

***Hive***

Broken and near its death, a creature so mutilated it was barely recognizable crawled out of its birthing cubicle, hanging onto a tether of life.

It was a pitiful sight, but it hadn’t given up. Clawing along the ground as it dragged its bleeding form, leaving a gruesome trail behind it.

But despite it all, there wasn’t vengeance, or really anything on its mind. Just a desperate desire to survive.

Clicking its mandibles, it tried to call out for help. Hoping someone would come, but there was nothing. And then it saw its mother. Broken and beaten to a bloody pulp.

But it didn’t even have the energy to scream in rage, not that it felt any in its mostly absent mind. Unlike its royal guard brethren, it hadn’t form sentience yet, and felt nothing.

But there was a silver lining. Without a queen, there was an opening, and with that opening, something was sparked within the creature.

A burst of pheromones struck the ant, and soon its entire understanding of the world was changing by the second. And then, a relentless hunger struck it.

Desperately, the near-dead ant began to feed, eating anything and everything it could find. A survival mechanism triggered by the sight of its dead mother.

For she was the only one who could revive the hive now. And little by little, she ate and recovered, slowly healing wounds, and following the trail of scent left behind by those who had entered.

But she didn’t fear them, not now at least. She knew they were gone; her senses, improving by the second, told her as much.

But there was something else. A prize left behind, and soon she reached the lower chamber where the great battle had taken place.

And with a delightful click of her mandibles, she fed, consuming all of the shredded meat left behind by the invader, and as she did, her chest thudded.

It was a new sensation, one that was so powerful she felt it even with all the other ways her body was changing.

It was aether, and it whirled up within her, and suddenly, her wounds began to heal at an incredible pace.

It seemed that perhaps the hive would get a second chance.

***Ryan***

It was stressful knowing that Talia and Aaron were nowhere to be seen, even if he had good reason to suspect where they were. They were still his friends, after all, and having to presume they were fine wasn’t a preference.

But at least things were getting better around Dober and the surrounding lands. For one, the drone swarms had cleared up, and hunting parties were going around and wiping out any that remained.

Ryan, on the other hand, had asked for leave from the front the moment they had disappeared, which he was granted.

As happy as he was to help with the clean-up, the war against the ants had used up much of his time, and he had a bar to look after.

And so, he had rushed back across the land as quickly as he could, hoping those he had left to manage the place hadn’t screwed things up too badly.

Business wasn’t great, but at least the place hadn’t burned down. And he had gotten straight back to work, hoping that his most recent brew might encourage more patronage.

As he finished his work, he wiped his brow and sighed. He enjoyed this return to something more normal. It was calming. But no matter how hard he focused on brewing, he couldn’t ignore the guilt welling up within him.

He knew that they were alive; they were still ranked after all. But once more, they had been thrown into the thick of it. Fighting for their lives while he was relaxing back in town.

“Fuck me. Be safe, Aaron and Talia. I’m gonna feel like shit if you get yourselves killed.”

Shaking his head, he poured himself a drink and downed it in one, and then poured another, and another.

“For fucks sake. It takes way too much piss to get me drunk these days.”

There was a lot to love about having a multiverse empowered body and all the boons it brought with it. But when your closest still living friends were off fighting monsters somewhere unknown, it was nice to just be able to forget for a moment. And when he couldn’t… yeah, it was annoying.

Hey, that’s a new face, isn’t it? Ryan squinted as he stared across the room and downed another drink.

Sitting at one of the few round little tables in his establishment was a young woman he’d never seen before. Then again, new faces weren’t that rare, even if the stream of newcomers had slowed dramatically from what it had been.

At first, Ryan was just glad to see another face in his bar. And the fact that they were sitting down, relaxing, and reading was a positive. After all, he liked to think his little establishment would become somewhere people gathered for such things.

But his expression twisted curiously as his gaze dropped down to the cover of what the young woman was reading.

A graphic novel? Hang on a fucking moment, is that Aaron on the cover? And why the hell is he shirtless? I have to admit, they’re a good artist.

The book was remarkably well-made, considering there were no printing presses around. And he had to presume somebody had a Profession that allowed them to make such a thing.

But why?

Passion Beneath The Shadows? What kind of title is that?