Akemi struggled to understand what had just happened, her eyes moving erratically searching for something non-existent. It felt like time had come to a halt. Standing in full view was a fresh corpse with blood still seeping from the cut in its throat and standing above the corpse was a young man not up to twenty years of age. The seemingly weak boy was the one who had turned her violent persecutor into a lifeless corpse, and now that the deed was done he turned in her direction. He had raven black hair and ghostly pale skin with his piercing blue eyes contrasting sharply against the drops of blood dripping from his face with his lips curving into a wry grin. Upon feeling the gaze of the of the demented killer, Akemi felt her strength leave her legs as she tumbled back. The heel of her shoe snapped making her plop to the ground like a child. Every cell in her body was screaming in terror but she couldn't move. She was like an animal caught in the territory of a predator; fighting meant death, but so did running. Her only option was to remain perfectly still in hopes that the feind would overlook her.
First a step, then another, akihiko walked towards her with an aura of dread, his mere presence seemed to suffocate the lady as tears began to pool at the corners of her eyes.
This is it. I'm going to die. I guess it could have been worse. If only once, I would have liked to feel it too.
Watching the young murderer draw closer to her with a blade in hand, Akemi closed her eyes resigning herself to her fate and held her breath in anticipation of the inevitable, and then with her back against the wall she felt a soft touch on her head. It was cool but not cold and somehow strangely soothing. She struggled to find the courage to open her eyes and when she finally did, she found Akihiko crouched down in front of her with a hand resting on her head. With a weak smile, he spoke.
"Sorry you had to see that."
Seeing her reflection in his blue eyes, Akemi unconsciously held her breath, caught in a daze as she started at his bloodied face, his wry grin had turned soft and his eyes had regained some semblance of of humanity.
"Miss, are you ok?"
Akihiko removed his hand from the lady's head and then it took a moment for her to come to, but when she finally collected herself Akemi took a deep breath.
"Uh,yes. I'm fine."
"Good."
Akihiko felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders, he was so glad the woman didn't pass out from shock or worse still go into a screaming fit.
Thank goodness I didn't traumatize her.
Akihiko lowered his head to the lady's feet and noticed her broken heel then carefully took them off one at a time and rising on his feet before offering his hand to the lady.
Staring into his eyes utterly awestruck by his visage, Akemi inaudibly muttered under her breath.
"Pretty."
Akemi was by no means a small woman, standing somewhere slightly above average height, but standing barefooted she found herself looking up to a teenager.
***
Some time passed since she was helped up by Aki, now Akemi found herself standing behind him.
A stifled laugh escaped Aki's lips as he almost stumbled on the road.
"Ha. I finally got the hang of it."
Focusing his eyes, he summoned the system that displayed his status.
[Avatar Akihiko]
[Vitality:98/100]
[Strength:134/140]
[Speed:129/130]
[Mana:200/200]
[Exp:360/1000]
[Level:1]
[Attribute: Necromancy.]
[Abilities: Call of death, Death's reach.]
[Bound souls:0/10]
[Artifact: Lupus Canis]
Focusing even harder, Aki peered into the details of each individual line he found a description appear.
[Necromancy: you are able to commune with the dead.]
Just communing?
More than a little disappointed he shifted his eyes to the next set of words.
[Call of death: awaken the dead from eternal slumber to take up arms for you.]
[Death's reach: extended your reach beyond the shadow of death.]m
[Bound souls: Number of souls under your dominion.]
[Lupus Canis: an blade forged from the fang of a dire wolf. It is capable of slicing even through air with swift ease.]
Not too shabby.
Stepping over the corpse of the man he killed, Aki looked into his hollow, glassy eyes unsure of how to use his new found ability. Then he simply uttered the first thing that came to mind.
"Awaken."
At first it began gradually. Blue flames ignited on the corpse of the thug burning more intense as they thoroughly ravaged without mercy. Wreathed in azure flames the figure began to rise and by the time the azure flames had died it stood with a knee on the floor and a hand on its chest pledging fealtly to his master with a lowered head.
Without so much as flinching Aki placed his hand on the shoulder of the skeletal thrall and gave a command.
"Arise."
And almost immediately the undead rise to it's feet and stared at Akihiko awaiting a command. In place of his eyes, dark blue flames burned inside both it's eye sockets, and in resonance Aki's eyes seemed to glow. He walked forward towards the open street with his thrall following behind until he left the embrace of the shadows of the alleyway and with the full moon in view he the called upon the soul of the goblin he miraculously killed and took a look at his stats.
[Avatar Akihiko]
[Vitality:98/100]
[Strength:134/140]
[Speed:129/130]
[Mana:178/200]
It seemed that summoning thralls consumed his mana but he wasn't the least bit bothered by that. If his calculations were correct then that would mean his thralls would have the same abilities they had when alive.
Putting his speculations aside, he turned to Akemi and waved.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go."
"Oh. Just a sec"
And really all it took was a second for Akemi to run to his side and then they began to walk down down the streets illuminated by a bright full moon.
As they walked Akemi never missed the opportunity to steal a glance at him when he wasn't looking. She seemed surprised about his passive attitude towards her.
"Say, miss, what are your stats, attribute and skills?"
Made uneasy by his sudden enquiry she unconsciously flinched. She had seen what his ability entailed and felt uncomfortable about revealing her hand.
"Um."
"Sorry, my bad. I didn't mean anything by it. I swear I'm not planning to make you a skeleton. It's just that we're going to need to have some basic understand if we're going to work together."
"Work together?"
"Yeah. You don't want to?"
"No. I mean yes. Of course I do."
"Great."
"All my stats except for mana are over a hundred while my attribute is biokinesis the skills heightened perception and apex-predator."
Conversing while they walked Aki nodded his head after going over the information he received.
"Heightened perception is self-explanatory but what about apex-predator?"
A slight frown appeared Akemi's face but she quickly pushed it away and spoke nervously.
"It allows me to absorb abilities of things I eat."
"Wow, that's pretty badass."
"And disgusting."
"I see your point. Anyway, my name's Akihiko Kuragari, what's yours?"
"Akemi kicuchi."
While the continued their idle chatter an arrow flew in their direction and then just before it went through Akihiko, Akemi quickly pushed him away from danger but not quick enough to save both of them. The arrow pierced into Akemi's side and quickly drew blood. As Aki looked at Akemi's injury he felt a need to tend to her but couldn't dispute the fact that the sniper was still out there. He struggled to find the source of the ambush until Akemi pointed at the one of the roofs where a hooded figure stood with a bow in hand. Gritting his teeth, the blood vessels in Aki's head bulged as his eyes turned hollow.
"You bastard!"
Violently burning through his mana as he activated Death's reach, from his shadow two giant skeletal hands with numerous joints surged forth twisting and turning as they navigated the world until the first hand reached the hooded assailant already on the move and grabbed it by the feet dragging it off the roof to the ground with the second one wrapping it's fingers around the neck of the figure who appeared to be a goblin, squeezing tightly as they both pulled it towards their master and when the monster finally stood before the necromancer fully suspended from the ground.
Hoarse groans escaped the lips of the green creature as it watched Akihiko manifest the thug's one edged dagger into existence with beads of sweat dripping from it's temple as it gazed into the eye of death.
Akihiko unceremoniously plunged his dagger into the goblins chest impaling it's heart. Blood flowed out the green skin of the monster unto the blade as Aki twisted in inside making the the goblin scream. And after the final moments of its death throes the system whispered into Aki's ears.
[You have slain a goblin archer.]
"Awaken."