The Forsaken Lands, in the Overlord's City, the residents had long gotten up to complete their morning chores. The hype of leveling up had come down a bit, although there were still some people who still went into the forest to gain some exp points. Actually, from the beginning, only some people went into the Unsafe Zones and stayed for long periods of time, for most people it was touch and go, most of them practiced their magic more since they could still level up with proficiency points. Even the people who spent most of their time in the forest practiced their magic to raise their levels most times, fighting was exhausting, and they wouldn't always run into a strong beast that would give them a lot of exp points.
Pascal had woken up a long time ago, but he just laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling. His face was blank as he arranged his thoughts, a great deal of things had happened since he came to the Forsaken Lands, he clenched his fists unconsciously when his thoughts reached the undead horde. From Alex's story he had a feeling that the sorcerers who controlled the dead weren't targeting the Forsaken Lands specifically, but the Dragonstone Kingdom, his kingdom was probably going to be attacked by the residuals. If that was so, then the magnitude of the undead must be more than he thought.
He tried to recall where most battles had happened in the Dragonstone Kingdom, where most deaths occurred. There had been a lot of deaths during the making of the kingdom, but the places that would allow the dead to wander into the Forsaken Lands were the Rocky Plains and the Gangu Forest. The Duchies weren't placed randomly but were kept in specific areas. The Green Turtle was made to block the invaders who came from the ocean, the Black Stallion and Pink Phoenix were to protect the capital and the White Tiger took back the Rocky Plains. The Rainfall Forest was left out since it held the most dangerous magical beasts, the fact that it was near the White Tiger Duchy was merely a coincidence. On the other hand, the Gangu Forest held a lot of skeletons, but Pascal had a feeling that the undead from the Gangu Forest would mostly target the Black Stallion Duchy.
Pascal wasn't worried that the Dragonstone Kingdom would be destroyed, he was absolutely certain that the undead army couldn't destroy the kingdom. There was no Kingdom on the Ellohan Continent that would be destroyed on a whim by an outside force. The Sword Peak and the Emerald Crow were two powerhouses that couldn't be taken lightly, there was also a secret power that resides in every duchy, and the knights of the kingdom were monstrous. Surely the sorcerers know this, unless they weren't trying to take over the kingdom or trying to completely destroy it, because they would not be able to. Were they just wreaking havoc for fun?
Whatever the case may be, he was still going to protect his home, and try to speed up the reaction of the Dragonstone Kingdom. According to Sarah's visions there was going to be a sea of undead, an undead army of that magnitude would definitely cause a lot of damage.
Pascal stood up from his bed, he needed to be in the main hall before the groups came. He didn't bother to descend the flight of stairs, he opened a window and called Zahir, then they both flew to the ground.
He waited in the hall for a few minutes before a group of people walked in.
Group one was Damon's group, it consisted of Damon, Jasmine and a Cleric named Lorax. Group two was Ronan, a Spear Warrior named Conrad and a Lightning Mage named Duma.
''Thank you all for coming,'' Pascal began, ''I know that it is dangerous asking you to be whistle blowers, but we need to warn the Duchies in time so they can quickly gather manpower to fight the undead, doing so would greatly alleviate the fight on our side.
''Don't worry, Overlord. We completely understand the mission, all this is for our safety and the safety of our loved ones.'' Conrad said, everyone nodded to show their assurance.
Pascal smiled, ''Okay then, your confidence is reassuring. Since your journey will be a long one you should get going as soon as possible, go and meet Angus before you leave and collect as many gold coins as you want. I pray for your safety in the name of the God of Origins.''
[The Overlord is issuing a mission; completion of the mission would yield a certain amount of exp points!]
They all smiled as they saw the message, they bowed to Pascal before leaving, they had a long journey ahead of them.
…
Alex was waiting at the gate of the city, even though a few minutes had passed he didn't mind since he wasn't in a rush. But Riven was already getting impatient. He paced around the entrance of the city.
''When the hell is that kid coming?!''
Alex gave him a look, ''You don't have to come with us, you know?''
''No,'' Riven shook his head, ''I promised Vivian that I would look after you, I'm not letting you go by yourself.''
''I won't be by myself; I'll be with George.''
''As if travelling with another kid would make the trip safer.'' Riven scoffed.
Alex rolled his eyes, ''Even though he's young he still has a very high level, he's almost level 20.''
''He got that level through shortcuts! Gaining proficiency is the best way to level up.''
Alex raised an eyebrow, ''He got his level by battling magical beasts, you're making it sound like he was just playing in the forest.''
Riven waved his hand dismissively, ''His brothers probably brought the beasts to his feet for him to kill.''
Alex didn't say anything else, he knew continuing the discussion would end with Riven reciting his so-called Swordsman Code. Alex couldn't tell him he wasn't a Swordsman because technically he was, he just waited for George in silence while Riven grumbled. Thankfully though, they didn't have to wait for much longer as he could see George running up to them while waving his arm.
'Sorry I'm late,'' George said as soon as he reached them, ''I went to meet Old Angus to inscribe permanent [Light] runes on these rocks.'' He brought the rocks out of his storage space to show them, ''You said we're going underground right, these would come in handy there.''
Alex smiled at his thoughtfulness, since he had Globby he had forgotten to think about anyone else. He looked behind George in mild confusion, ''Where are your family? Why didn't they come see you off, or at least try to persuade you from going?
'Because I didn't tell them.' George thought, he had left a letter for them instead, ''Oh, they already know, but they were too busy in the forest to come all the way here.''
''But still, aren't they worried?''
''Why would they be worried?'' George laughed, a little too loud, ''I lived in the Gangu Forest before coming here, I'll probably be the safest out of three of us.''
Seeing as Alex still wanted to say something George grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed, ''Stop wasting time and let's go, the sooner we leave the sooner we can return!''
Alex could only helplessly watch as George pushed him forward, Riven followed them, looking bored.
…
Baldur perched on top of the bell tower, his eyes zoomed in on the people going about their business. It was night now, and night was his time to feast. His eyes caught a young man who was returning to his house, Baldur had been watching him for the past five days to make sure he lived alone, because of that he hadn't eaten. Although he could last a few days without drinking blood now it had already been a while since he had some, he was starving and his stomach was beginning to twist, signaling the start of his hunger pangs.
He jumped down from the tower, turned into a fog and silently followed the young man.
After two months he had more or less gotten used to being a vampire, although he tried to stretch the days he ate he had still reached level 5, this was because he killed everyone he feasted on.
He had too, he was too ashamed of what he had become. He wouldn't have killed them if he had any other choice, he was a good person!
He stopped on a rooftop; the young man was buying something from a stall. He waited till he left before continuing his stalking.
There was already a rumor spreading in the city, about a killer. The Enforcers didn't know where to begin looking for the killer because their kills were random, the killer wasn't targeting a specific type of person. And the worst part was the killer seemed to be able to vanish like smoke. One time a scream was heard in a house, but even though there were patrolling Enforcers close to the house the only thing they met was a dead body with its blood drained.
The killer was Baldur, and the only reason why he was able to elude the Enforcers was because of the skill [Fog Flight] which he was using to stalk his next prey.
Anytime he killed a person he would always be reminded of Angelika, and he would feel a pain in his heart, which didn't even beat anymore. He had buried her, he carried her dead body, walked all the way to the Last Passing Graveyard and dug a grave with his bare hands. Since that day he felt like his emotions had been dulled, and even though he constantly tried to convince himself, he didn't truly care about the people he killed.
The only time he felt a bit of remorse was when he saw Angelika's father drinking while crying in a tavern, he had killed his daughter and he felt guilty. He wanted to tell him he didn't mean to, that it was a mistake. He wouldn't have done it if he hadn't lost control, he was a good person!
Baldur followed the young man until he reached his house, he stood on top of his roof then used his hands to cover his ears, a few seconds after the last bell rang. Although Baldur had learned how to control his keen auditory senses the bell still disturbed him when it rang, if he didn't prepare himself for it, he would have spent the next few seconds flailing about in dizziness.
He didn't enter the house immediately, instead he laid on his back and stared at the night sky, his mind began wandering as he counted the stars. For the past three months he hadn't slept at all, nor did he feel tiredness. He couldn't go back home either after he killed Marlon, he was the number one suspect since they worked together. Not just that, his neighbors would definitely be suspicious of him since he was now a nocturnal being, so he had been staying in the bell tower. Although the outside of the bell tower was sturdy looking with thick bricks, the inside was a big enough for a human to stay in if they squeezed themselves. He would enter from the top and spend the whole day in the cramped-up space, he would cover his ears when it was time for the bell to ring.
It was hell, but he had nowhere else to go. He didn't want to live in the forest like a wild animal.
He stayed on the roof for almost an hour before he heard the young man getting ready for bed, he waited for a few more minutes, then he turned into a fog and slid into the cracks of the window. His body materialized back as he stood beside the young man's bed, he looked down at him coldly then reached down to snap his neck.
Before he could the young man opened his eyes drowsily, then he widened them in fear when he saw someone standing over him. Before he could scream Baldur shot a hardened blood into the young man's chest then rushed to break his neck, silencing him forever. He bit into his neck and sucked in his blood, he hummed a bit as the sweet nectar rushed down his throat. He stopped after a while and sat down on the ground, he didn't completely drain him, he was saving him for later.
Baldur stared at his hand before clenching it, he suddenly felt angry. He hated his living conditions; he hated sneaking up and down for food before returning to the cramped space of the bell tower. He was powerful, he was stronger and faster than a normal human, he dared say there wasn't anyone in the kingdom that could harm him, and he could grow stronger still. Why did he have to live like a rat? He could take the K'allahan Castle if he wanted to –
Baldur jolted as his mind thought of living in the castle, and even after a while the thought still stayed at the forefront of his mind. The castle was big, he wouldn't have to stay in a cramped space, and he could feast on anyone he wanted, no one would dare search the castle for a murderer.
He stood up to finish his food, now that he had a place in mind, he didn't want to stay in Dark Cove city any longer. When he reached out to grab the body, it moved.
Baldur jumped back; he watched in shock as the formerly dead young man woke up and stared at him with glowing red eyes which resembled his own.