Purpose is a powerful thing, it brings a kind of order to a world, which otherwise doesn’t make sense, and is truly the only thing capable of standing in the way of hopelessness.
A sickness, capable of eating away at anyone, particularly when most of us have nothing more than mere distractions to fend it off.
Such empty hollow things, which fall apart under the tiniest bit of pressure, and so unlike what purpose gives us.
A power that gives direction, something to believe in, and somehow manages to shift the pieces of life into place.
Not only making just about anything bearable, but something, which can transform people, and lead them to doing things they never would have imagined.
Like, cutting down trees for a living, hauling logs for ten hour days, and sleeping in a tent or surviving the end of the world, but without it?
Time itself can slow to a crawl, seconds turning into these moments, which feel like they stretch for an eternity, and if there’s no distraction or escape, isolation will quickly turn one’s thoughts into a poisonous bog.
A place where one slowly tears themselves apart, while the intrusive thoughts worm their way through their mind, and slowly consume them whole… Survival, living, all depend on having something to believe in or at the very least, capable of distracting oneself, to forget our fears, the horrors, and pain, which are inherently a part of all of our lives.
A page from a random abandoned journal in a burned down camp
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“Five teams, five teams have disappeared into the graveyard since the announcement went out… do you really think it could be the one?” Tommy says while staring at the old iron gates, which for some reason, make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Mike shrugs, before plopping down on the grass.
“Well, I heard from my buddy Charles, that the scouts are seeing all kinds of weird stuff, one of them even swears they can hear hammers ringing over, and over again.” Tommy closes his eyes, before sighing “One million credits, a hundred million?
A billion? dollars USD… God, I could do so much with that.” Mike laughs “Yeah, you, and everyone else, but who’s going to be the lucky sod who actually manages to get it or maybe more importantly, how long do we have, until someone else finds out what we have here?”
The gates to the graveyard grind open, causing the pair to turn as a dark mist plumes outward, and covers everything within twenty feet of the walls in darkness.
‘Thump’
‘Thump’
The sound of metal boots slamming into concrete, echoes out into the city long before Tommy, and Mike see them.
Rows upon rows of undead, hundreds of them, marching out of the graveyard.
Each of them covered from head to toe in black platemail armour that shines in the sunlight, while their weapons, made of the same dark metal are mostly spears, and shields, but a number are holding onto staffs, bows, swords or massive hammers.
Glowing eyes of various colors are shining through their helmets, a lot of them even eye the pair, before just walking past them, leaving them stunned, and staring off on the side of the road.
Tommy finds his voice first “Where do you think they’re going?” Mike just shakes his head “I don’t know, but I’d hate to be wherever they end up, and speaking of, we have to tell everyone about this.”
The two race back to their base camp, while being trailed by a number of spectral undead, and Veronica watches them go on a little orb, while muttering to herself.
“I wonder, what choice will they end up making?”
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“The only rights the undead have is the right to serve me! Right minions?” The core just grumbles, while its domain, fluctuates around the crypt, poking, and prodding the bits, but not really finding anything worth absorbing.
“It’s ridiculous, necromancers letting the undead just do whatever they want! I mean look, it’s even written right here” Vie shoves her book towards her core, while her little legs dangle off the custom arcane throne she had a mage build to ponder the great mysteries.
“See look, freewill is the absolute worst thing to give a minion, for when they’re free it’s only a matter of time, until they begin to serve their own interests, instead of those of its creator!”
“Grumble” “Right, like it’s so obvious.” She then begins flipping through her book, each page holding various pictures, and diagrams.
“And why should we care about their freedom, when we know for a fact nothing truly dies?
When it’s just a matter of time, until souls go back to the wheel.” “Grumble” Vie sighs, before fluttering up to her core, which is placed on a little pedestal.
“So dramatic, just because I don’t exactly want to die doesn’t mean that I have to care about the lives of others… even if, bending things to our will potentially forever is a bit dark, but hey it’s a dungeon!
Or at least it’s going to be, and they’re bound to get smashed up at some point!” “Grumble, grumble grumble” “Ehh, to be fair!
No one knows what even happens to souls when we die, and for all we know it could be a plane of eternal suffering!
We could be saving them!” “Grumble”
A dejected Vie slumps back into her throne “Or it could be an endless paradise or an empty void where souls sit in forever… but what’s the alternative?!?” “Grumble” Vie props back up, looking at her core “Hmm, make them want to serve me, but who would want to live, and die in a tower of death? And, it’s not like I really have anything to offer them…”
A dejected Vie crumbles back onto her table “Grumble” “Immortality?
A place where they never have to worry about dying, and can endlessly grow?” “Grumble” “Ughh, you’re so soft core, along with any comforts, which I can provide, then again I like nice things too, but!” Her eyes grow wide “No matter what!
For those who challenge my tower, it will always be a life, and death struggle!
Anyways, now where to find some draugr who want to live forever?” Vie then zooms away “Grumble” before zooming back, and grabbing her core with a wide smile on her face.
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A vacation, an extremely low tier vacation, a mantra that Sarah finds herself repeating far too often, but gods this world is so boring.
Has absolutely no one interesting, nothing worth fighting, and is equivalent to watching paint dry!
“Wait… Ughh” of course it’s not even connected to the Galactic Network.
The Global store?
Hah, and they call those premium items, oh, and of course it comes with its own unique appraisal spell.
What an obvious scam, but if the entertainment section is anything to go by they definitely have access to the greater network, which means all I have to do is find, and gain access to their node.
Sarah leans back in her chair chugging another shot as the bartender watches, this is her twenty fifth drink.
The latest shot from a plastic bottle named rubbing alcohol, covered in a helpful little sign written in bold letters (Do Not Consume) The bartender glares at Sarah, who is just drinking away, not even tasting what she’s pouring down her throat, and definitely not being affected by them at all.
(UNACCEPTABLE)
She then starts to wave her glass around as a small wave of mana begins to build above her table, and the bartender sighs, before pouring another drink.
One day, one day she shall be laid low, but that day is not today.
“I just need to figure out where they’re hiding, if I’m lucky it won’t even be underwater.” Sarah sighs while looking at her latest purchase.
A map of Earth, which of course shows a world vastly made of water.
“And of course, they’re probably hiding in some deep dark pit hidden somewhere in the far reaches of the abyss. Why does everything here have to be so annoying?” She then sinks into her seat, before starting to work her way through another row of shots, but then she pauses.
“Then again.” With the mana density being so low here, truly hiding, not that they probably even have a reason to be, would be difficult for someone that knows what they’re doing, let alone some randoms from some back water.
She then abruptly stands, and steadily walks out of the door, and the bartender watches her go with shame filling his bones.
“One day.”
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I finally corner them!
They tried to run, but they just weren’t fast enough, but of course!
The appointed transporter, the grand hauler of goods, is maybe a little more defined than their fellow undead.
Perhaps, they’re even a tad more aware, but that could just be my imagination or the typical variance, which occurs during creation.
Under mana sight though, a completely different story is being told.
The difference is like that between a wild flowing river filled with rocks, and a smoothly cut channel.
The ebe, and flow throughout the skeletons body is more refined, while the lines of mana are more tightly bound to their body.
Someone behind me clears their throat, all the more impressive given they don’t really even have a throat.
A tier five manager is staring at me with their oh so judgmental eyes.
“We have received reports of someone impeding the ability for one to do their job. Would you happen to know anything about that?” I’m currently holding the skeleton in the air, with my fingers clenched around their ribcage.
“No?” The manager’s eyes narrow, and they take a step forward.
“Wait, wait, wait, you care about efficiency right?” The manager’s head tilts “Yes, but I fail to see how stopping someone from doing their job increases efficiency.” A smile grows on my face “Look at this skeleton, really look at them.” The manager pauses, before blurring to the skeleton, and ripping them from hands.
“Yes, good catch, hmm they don’t seem all that different, but all progress is good.” The manager then starts walking off with the skeleton still grasped within their hands.
“This needs to be studied right away, hopefully you, along with the rest of the necromancers will be able to determine if replicating this is worth it.” The poor skeleton just slumps, knowing all too well that it’s about to be poked, and prodded by a couple hundred Necromancers.
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“Stop trying to scalp our undead, you buzzing little leech!” Vie buzzes in front of the necromancer’s face.
“HEY! I have been told the undead here are free to make their own choices, but if that’s not true.” A smug grins grows over her face, and the angry necromancer sputters.
“You probably have more mana than most of us combined! Just bloody make your own undead, and stop trying to steal ours!” Vie floats down, until she’s level with the necromancer.
“It’s not stealing, I’m just offering them a better deal than you sorry lot ever could, and it’s not my fault, that you’re too cheap to invest in the survival of ‘your’ people.” “Phylacteries start at epic grade w-” “Silence!” “Who do you think y-” The angry necromancer falls short when he turns to face the manager, who is still carrying the slumped skeleton.
“We have located something that needs to be studied.” Vie instantly buzzes up to the skeleton “Interesting, look friend, it seems you have found yourself in a bit of a bind here, but if you just agree t-” The manger grabs for Vie, who dives away like a little missile, before floating up in the air as the manger glares up at her.
“This skeleton is not currently sentient Vie, and is outside of any possible negotiations, but” The manager grins, their skeletal bones shifting in a way that’s slightly disturbing.
“With a moderate donation of mana, we would be more than willing to have you join us in studying them, otherwise I’m afraid we are going to have to ask you to leave the area while we work.”
Vie frowns “See Tom, you give them an inch, and suddenly they think they’re running the show.” “Don’t I know it.” The manager glances my way “But, it’s not like they’re really asking for much, when you’re not even using most of your mana.” “Bah!” Vie floats down glancing at the skeleton once more, before floating directly in front of the manager.
“You may have some of my mana.” The manager tilts their head “We will have half of your available mana for?” The manager turns to the lead necromancer Tides, who is the draugr who was arguing with Vie, and a smug smile quickly covers his pale face.
“We couldn’t go wrong with some phylacteries.”
Vie rolls her eyes, before a solid boulder of crystal forms right in front of Tides in a wave of magic that drops him to his knees.
An innocent expression covers Vie’s face “Well we better get started then.” A shudder runs down the skeletons spine, while hundreds of eyes turn towards them, and look at them as if they want to rip them to pieces.
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“Hundreds of Undead, all decked out in armor I’m telling you we sa-” “Look Mike, Tommy, there’s nothing wrong with being afraid, but making up stories, and spreading them through the camp?”A fist slams into a desk causing it to explode, and splitter into little pieces.
“We. can’t have that” “We aren’t mak-” “Look, no other scouts reported undead leaving, but hey.” He dusts off his hands “Maybe you two did see some undead leave, maybe they even had some armor, but it’s also possible that all you saw were some illusions, and the necromancers skipping out on the graveyard.
Which means at best, there’s a whole lot less undead in the graveyard, and at worst, our bounty is making a run for it.
So, I need to know right now if you’re with me or not?” Mike shakes his head at the same time Tommy says “Of course we are with you man, with spells, and abilities all kinds of weird crap is possible.”
Mike just looks at Tommy for a second “We both know what we saw for God’s sake, they even looked at us, but chose to let us go, and I’m sure as hell not getting mixed up in whatever has already disappeared at least five groups. Illusions or not that graveyard is dangerous, and people need to kn-” A fist finds Mike’s face, lifting him off the ground, and sending him flying into a wall.
Eric walks over to Mike while he’s spitting out a bit of blood.
“So, do you need more or do we understand each other?” Tommy looks away as Eric gives Mike a kick to the gut, resulting in him spitting up more blood, before he looks up at Eric with blood trailing down his face.
“Oh yeah, we understand each other, in fact I’ll sit right here, until you lot leave.”
Eric scoffs, before walking out of the room, while Tommy shifts towards Mike, but starts to head outside when he hears Eric yelling in the distance.
Mike snorts at him “Can you at least do me one favor?” Tommy tenses, a bit of panic even starts to race through his face.
“Can you at least tell Charles that I thought that this was a really bad idea?” Tommy nods “Sure man, no problem, and when we get back you’ll see that you were worried for nothing.” “Just tell Charles, Tommy.” He then spits more blood, before leaning against the wall, and Tommy joins the gathering crowd.
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“Let’s move it everybody, the lookouts just said that a bunch of undead left the graveyard. So either this is the best chance we’ll have at getting the necromancer or they’re already making a run for it.” Erick watches as people start putting on extra layers despite the heat, and grabbing their weapons, which these days are never far away.
Quickly resulting in a whole lot of sweating people holding random weapons as the sun attempts to bake everyone alive, but the difference between living or not, isn’t something most will pass up.
Erick straps on his bullet proof vest, and begins strapping on his other bits of riot gear, while Miranda his wife watches with her arms crossed.
“You do know that a number of teenagers are already trying to blend in with the group.” Erick sighs, before turning to her “Mira, we’ve been over this, with the way things are, they’re old enough to make their own decisions, besides with everyone there, it should be safe enough.” Miranda rolls her eyes “Right, so why don’t we send little Jimmie along with you, after all he’s a mage, and who really cares that our son is only eight years old, when he can fling fire balls.”
An exasperated sound escapes Eric’s mouth “You know that I’m doing this for us, five groups, five, disappeared into our real only reliable source for credits, for the food feeding all of us.” His hands are gripping onto the button, so hard that the veins in his hand are pulsing, and Miranda grabs his hand while looking into his eyes.
“I know.” She then turns looking at some of the kids holding weapons “It’s just, some of them are so young, they shouldn’t have to do any of this…” Erick nods “Well, hopefully, things will get settled long before Jimmie ever has to make any decisions like this, but if we don’t do anything, everything will fall apart.” She hugs him “Just come back to us, we can figure out everything else, just make sure to come back.” He just hugs her for a moment, before someone shouts outside.
“Everyone’s ready to go.” He then lets her go “I’ll do my best.”
Erick then walks out, gives Jimmie a hug who’s huddled together with the dozen or so other wide eyed children who are watching them, and heads off with a crowd of people following behind him, without looking back.
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“We are being watched, humans are tracking us” “That’s to be expected, we of the rescue Corps do cut quite the impression.” “We are not being called that” “But that’s what we are, rescuing corpses, get it, it’s funny because we’re rescuing the dea-” “Don’t worry, we all got the joke, it’s just not very funny.” A couple of chuckles break out in the legion “Everyone’s a critic, say how many humans do you think are following us?” One of the undead waving a staff around looks at him, before rolling their eyes.
“At most a couple of dozen, but the real issue is the camp near the graveyard.
There are at least a couple of thousand humans hanging around there, and farming whatever undead pop up.” “Think they’ll try to get in our way?” The other undead shrug, before a draugr chimes in “I kind of hope they do, all of the equipment I’ve seen on them is shit, and I sure could use some easy experience.” A few of the undead frown at the draugr “And of course, you want to avenge all of the undead currently being murdered, right?
In utter obliviousness the draugr keeps digging, well to be fair it’s not like they can exactly see their expressions, and tones can be ever so difficult to interpret.
“Ehh, I mean most of them are little better than wild beasts, right?”
Stares, rather so many angry glares is the response they get “You know wha-” “Cut the chatter” Kacious shouts, before speaking in a more level tone.”We have received word that the humans are readying a rallying point, but remember we are only fighting if they attack us first!
Otherwise the goal is just to get in, and out of the graveyard with all of the undead.” “Well here we go.” One of undead mutters as jeering can be heard off in the distance, and even a few guns go off, before the two sides face each other.
Hundreds of undead in uniform enchanted metal armour, and hundreds of rag tag humans, who look at them hungrily.
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Like badasses, seeing like a hundred people all decked out with weapons, and some of them even wearing armor.
All on their way to go kick someone’s ass, it’s a powerful feeling, it makes Tommy feel unstoppable, but when he sees the gates, and Charles standing by the side of them looking for someone.
For a moment, the image of Mike on the ground, while covered in blood is the only thing he can think of, and before he knows it, he’s standing in front of Charles with words just tumbling out of his mouth.
“Hey man, it looks like you’re looking for Mike, he’s fine, but back at base, and everything is good with him.” Charles stares at Tommy, without saying a word, and sweat starts to grow across Tommy’s brow, before he breaks.
“You know, just him, and Erick got into it like they always do, but he’s fine, and” Tommy freezes for a moment like a deer staring into the headlights of a car speeding down a highway.
“And what Tommy?” Charles asks as Tommy shakes his head “And he’s fine, but wanted me to tell you that he thought all of this was a really bad idea.”
Charles squints at him, not exactly comforted by the what five ‘he’s fine’ but Erick seems alright, and if the two had really gotten into something serious he sure as hell wouldn’t be spotless.
“Thanks for telling me Tommy, be careful out there.” Charles then fades, somehow just becoming more difficult to see as he slinks into the graveyard, and Tommy joins back with the crowd, but not quite able to recapture that feeling of being unstoppable for some reason.
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Meanwhile, in a clearing not so far away, thousands of undead stare up at a glowing projection that’s showing the mob.
Maybe a hundred humans who are breaching the gate of the graveyard, and all without even bothering to send in scouts to lead the way.
They’re a diverse group, mostly holding things like tire irons, shovels, hammers, really whatever can be picked up at a local hardware store, but others are carrying guns, although they’re not the ones the undead are watching.
They all have eyes for those covered in magic, the mages, and the only real threat in this rabble.
“Looks like they made their choice.” Veronica mutters, as they walk directly past a sign that says DO NOT ENTER, and she kills the scrying orb, before walking in front of the response force.
Hundreds of undead, mostly covered in metal armor, of some sort, but a lot of them are bare or even purely spectral in nature.
“You all have your orders, but I want every single last one of you to remember that this is not the first, and definitely won’t be the last time we are attacked. It is though, the first time we are truly united in purpose, the first time we stand together to face our enemies, and show them what we are truly capable of. Today, let humans learn that there’s a price to pay if they want to hunt undead, and let this be the moment Renata truly begins to rise!” Cheers, and banging erupts as the response force heads off, and the rest of the undead watch them go.
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“See, look a quarter mile in, and we have yet to see a single undead.” “Yeah, the necromancers probably high tailed it, maybe we should break off, and just start hunting them?
Wait, did you hear that?” “It almost sounds like, whistling?” Arrows, hundreds of arrows crash into the group as a wave of black mana shrouds them in darkness.
Then the wailing starts, a sharp piercing scratch that ruptures ear drums, and freezes countless people in place, as the arrows continue to fall.
Far more concerning, at least to those who still have the willpower to notice them, are the incorporeal figures who appear in the dark, and are holding onto weapons.
Spectral Warriors – Mage killers, able to fade through walls, stone, or really anything which is a lower tier than they are, and drain mana with every strike.
A true nightmare for anyone that depends on others for protection, but this does come with some limitations, using physical objects is a constant drain on their mana, meaning that enchanted equipment or at least any that they pick up, limit how long they can fight, while also preventing them from fading through materials, effectively limiting these warriors to enemies with equipment around their own tier.
While even a peasant on the other hand, can potentially wear or use a weapon which can bring harm to specters far above their own tier.
Erick, has a moment to stare at the undead, before a sword made of mana enters into his chest.
It slides past the bullet proof vest like it’s not even there, and he slumps over, but before the light fades from his eyes.
He watches as arrows endlessly fall from the sky, directly into the bodies of his men, while harmlessly passing through the spectral undead, without any effect, and even manages to hold on long enough to see the undead come marching out of the shadows.
Finishing off any survivors with clean strikes to their bodies, until an undead is above him, and then everything goes dark.
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Everyone is dead, well everyone, but Salvatore, and the chamber looks like a bomb has gone off in it.
The walls are covered in body sized holes, gore, fire, and bits of metal.
While he’s just laid out on the ground, not injured or tired though, well beyond some gashes in his armor, which are leaking a bit of blood.
He is simply reliving the memory while it’s still fresh, to ensure it never fades away with a wide grin covering his face, after all a good fight should never be forgotten.
A golden shield bursts into existence in front of Salvatore, and he hits it so hard that his body bounces off of it, and is slammed into a wall.
His eyes though, never leave Auralio, besides the shield flickered when he hit it, so how strong could it really be?
But this is of course when things get a bit more complicated, golden streams of light not only connect to all of the Salazar in the chamber, but the Nelka as well.
One beam even dares to try, and enter Salvatore himself, to turn him into one of the frozen statues being drained, but his armor simply releases a glow of mana, and bats the beam away.
Salvatore drops to the floor leaving behind an imprint in the stone as he drops to the ground while Auralio, is becoming bigger, youth is returning to his body, and his muscles are gleaming as he’s engulfed in golden mana.
“Hmm” He tosses a chunk of wall at the shield, but it doesn’t even flicker, the stone simply disappearing in a cloud of dust.
He then turns his head at his soldiers, looking at the beams, before trying to slash his great sword through them while it’s covered in silver mana, but it just passes through, without impacting them at all.
For a moment Salvatore tilts his head at his men looking into their eyes, which are slowly turning golden, before slamming his sword into the shield, but much like the stone it doesn’t even flicker.
Then with a shrug he slices through the chest of one of his men, cleanly cutting through their body in a single blow, and the beam of light fades from them.
Once again he tries the shield, but this time, the shield ripples under the blow, and he turns back to his men, before cutting the rest of them apart, without a hint of hesitation.
Thirty or so, I mean who’s really keeping count, Nelka cut down in seconds.
All falling beneath his blade, before he once again smashes his sword against the shield, but this time it cracks, and on the third consecutive strike it completely shatters.
Salvatore rushes towards Auralio swinging his blade to end his life in a single blow, but the greatsword is caught in a single clawed hand.
For a moment the two stare at each other, each straining over the weapon, but then Auralio’s other hand tries diving through Salvatore’s chest.
The claws gouge into his armor, but not quite managing to pierce through the armor, instead Auralio’s claws rake against Salvatore’s chest plate leaving gashes in the armor, and shallow cuts, before Salvatore jumps back.
Blood is dripping from Auralio’s palm, but the golden streams of mana quickly close the wound, and then he blurs forward his two claws swinging like a whirlwind.
The two clash together, claw marks quickly filling Salvatore’s armor, as he tries to use his weapon to block the strikes, but it’s a bit too unwieldy when Auralio isn’t giving him an inch of space, until he decides to trade.
A claw manages to slam into Salvatore’s stomach while his sword cleaves into Auralio cutting him from his chest to his arm, and leaving his arm attached by a little flap of flesh.
Blood pours out of the two, but Auralio’s shoulder is wrapped in the golden energy, and quickly begins to heal, the same though can’t be said for Salvatore who drops the greatsword, and kicks Auralio away flinging him into the air, before pulling out a dagger, and stabbing it through the throat of the nearest Salazar.
Blood flows into the dagger, before a brown energy sinks into Salvatore’s wounds, and with each kill his wounds heals a bit more.
It quickly turning into a race, Auralio trying to kill Salvatore, before he manages to kill all of the others, but one, which Auralio is doomed to lose when with ever Salazar killed, he becomes slower, and his claws become just a bit less capable of piercing Salvatore’s armor.
When the last body falls Auralio is returned to his old self, and the endless energy leaves him reduced.
Now, just an old Salazar with pale yellow scales, and shaking from exhaustion.
Salvatore looks Aurallio in the eyes, with a bit of disappointment held within his eyes.
“It was a fun fight, while it lasted.” He then slashes Auralio’s throat, sending his head falling to the floor, before kicking his body on to the floor.
Due to formating issues this story doesn’t quite look the way it’s supposed to 0_o and you can read an updated version on Kobo, or other platforms. https://litrpgandpolitics.wordpress.com The story is also at around chapter 60 with around 400,000 words, and will posted once per day, until it’s caught up.
Then it will either be weekly, or twice a week, with that being said, I still welcome any feedback, after all I’m still editing everything 0_0 and different perspectives can so often help one see the things we take for granted.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that you have a great day!