Zarra stared at his now useless right arm, he found the sight more revolting as he stared at it. Finally the Mage grabbed a letter opener on his desk before swinging it quickly and decisively, a thud was heard in the room as blackened blood poured from the wound soon giving way to a dark crimson.
"Mend" stated Zarra as the shadows around formed a type of bandage that was like a second skin.
Grigory had returned to his previous condition rather quickly after Zarra's intervention allowing for him to get back to the task of trying to find Draig.
'I hope they are making progress' thought Zarra just as the Necromancer made his appearance by bursting through the door.
"Did you find him" asked Zarra standing to his feet.
"No, but I think I have a plan now" smiled Grigory, the flesh at his cheeks cracking a bit as if leather.
"What is it" asked Zarra excitedly.
"Lets put a bounty on him" said Grigory excitedly.
Zarra stared for but a moment before his loyal staff found it's way across the Necromancer's skull causing it to go flying before the Mage followed up with a soccer kick bouncing the head off the wall.
"You idiot, I want him to come here to protect him but you want me to call more freaks to attack him. Don't you see how that might contradict my intent" rampaged the Dark Mage causing the Necromancer to smile inside at how lively his friend had grown since establishing the township.
"I am aware how it might sound but think about like a collection mission we used to get as new Guilders, we assign the bounty and explicitly state he is to be brought in alive and intact" stated the Necromancer as his head bounced up comically.
Zarra seemed to start thinking it over after hearing the logic behind the idea.
"Fine we'll do it but if this turns badly..... I think that goes without saying" stated Zarra causing the Necromancer to release sweat from glands he thought unusable.
Grigory affirmed he understood and had his body reattach his head, soon it was printed on a poster and sent out in hopes someone would bring the Feratu in.
Elsewhere in a certain city a pumpkin patch had grown immensely since the Change, there you could see people building scarecrows. Though to call these things people would be an overstatement, all these beings were scarecrows with the heads of pumpkin. They all walked without speaking but they seemed to be preparing for something special as they catered to a very special pumpkin that glowed an unholy green.
It was at this moment that the vine holding the pumpkin was burned to ash by green flames causing the scarecrow makers to rush forward and place a body before the pumpkin. The pumpkin didn't disappoint as it crammed itself onto the scarecrow and seemed to reach for something until a knife was handed to it and a familiar face was carved.
"It seems that this form is far more resilient than my fleshly body" chuckled that same ancient voice.
"We knew that you were special but we don't know why" spoke one of the scarecrows causing that ancient being to let out a gasp.
"You have learned to speak, interesting. That boy accidentally created a new species of monster, truly fitting of someone with such blood purity." chuckled the pumpkin.
"You are not our creator" questioned the pumpkin that had spoke though this time with an edge.
"Unfortunately no, but I am something just as important. I am the predecessor of all of you, I am Dracule Lantern." laughed the old Feratu as the scarecrows around him bowed in honor of their ancestor causing the old Pumpkin to smile.
'Now it's time to go and finish some loose ends, starting with that brat' however when the old Feratu had that thought a symbol shot from his eye sockets revealing a familiar symbol gaining the attention of the other scarecrows.
'Damn that brat, how can your accursed enchantment last even now' cursed the Dracule as he swung and displayed an ability he had never known before.
'Announcement, new class set established. Pumpkin King, Pumpkin Knight, Field Terror, Pumpkin Soldier, etc' came the voice of the system causing Dracule to gasp as he watched the tiny gourds he had thrown burst into explosions.
Soon the stem around his head began to shape into a crown while the other scarecrows experienced their own changes, be it skin color a change to the shape of their stems and gourds.
Dracule didn't take long to realize what he had done by attempting to destroy the the Class System, he had evened the playing field for every race.
Dracule became elated and his face soon wore a dark look.
'As long as the brat doesn't know I am alive I should be fine' thought the old pumpkin as he looked around the ruins of the city.
"My people, we cannot stay here. Our creator has plan's for us and we are to carry them out and await his return." started Dracule causing the pumpkin's to come out of their thought's.
"What plan's does the master have for us" asked one of the Pumpkins with worship shining in their voice.
"We are to stay hidden and build our forces until the time is right, we need to find him a location rich in magic to please the master" started Dracule before the Scarecrows looked at him curiously causing him to sigh as he was about to educate a whole species.
In hindsight Dracule had become like his father the Founder, he was the first of his kind and the strongest. Now he would teach his descendants the ways of their people.
Elsewhere a people in hooded robes began to appear their noble baring easily seen even without showing their features.
"Branch Elder what is it that has caused you to call this meeting" asked a nervous looking man.
"It's the Blood Catalogue, I was glancing through it when the entries began to fade." stated the Elder
"What does this mean, are we truly meant die out. Without the Catalogue we have nothing to give us backing" cursed a younger woman with venomous black hair and ruby eyes.
"It mean's that someone else more worthy of inheriting the Catalogue has appeared, but to my knowledge no one has left the estate since twenty some odd years ago." stated the elder causing many to grimace at that person's fate.
"That is why we stay here my children however now is not the time to bask in fear, or rather now is the time to use your fear to fuel you while we search for the one who will inherit the Blood Catalogue. We must bring him to join us or we must stop him before he inherits it, we must keep the Catalogue no matter the cost." ordered the Elder causing the faces of some to light up in excitement while some held dread as their expression.
'I hope they can find this person fast enough or this will be the death of the clan' mourned the Elder as he stared up enjoying the sight of the crimson moon.