Harvest

Dale had been restrained and disarmed of the scroll, by none other than the Lich. Who gave it a once over before chuckling. "That's funny, but.. Nooo.." He hissed in raving whispers. The lich latched onto his arm with a twisted glee. "Nutrients…"

A bioluminescent green wisping flame spreads slowly across his forearm. Seeping joyfully into any cracks and creavess found. Dale struggled helplessly, to no avail. All his mana had been sapped when he used the scroll. All he needed was the last string of words. However he couldn't speak under the force of this monster, he still hoped. Not wanting to let go of life so easily, Dale still had much to live for, so much to learn and see, to experience, why should he die here? He won't hand his life to anyone, but the moment that wicked magic touched him. The will of mind and body almost broke in an instant. 

It had a binding power, as if its might was law, the victims were of their fate, by the will of an otherworldly will. 

It was like being inside a burning house, the smoke would blur your vision, flames blocking your path, his flesh didn't burn. His soul on the other hand screamed with agony at the prying claws of dark magics at work. They painstakingly ripped into his soul with wicked intentions, howls of hell. Only when his soul fell did his flesh be consumed.

Mouth agape for air and the need to let his agony reach the heavens. Dale felt his flesh tense up and spasm out. Green sickly flames eating skin before slipping in grinding up his insides. liquefying them enough to take, but not kill him just yet.

He should already be dead, but it wouldn't allow him. Eyes blurring with pain as the flame reached his face. Needles pricking at him, a dull ache beginning deep down inside his soul. 'Losing strength.. I can't feel any of my magic. I feel empty.. dead..'

Dale's skin wrinkled and shrunk, stretching against what flesh has yet been consumed. Eyes sunken back and consumed, hair falling off in clumps. Dale couldn't fight, helpless against his attacker. Will shattered, body losing every ounce of strength and his mind plagued by nightmarish screams, burning souls and the dead looking at him with lifeless, yet vengeful eyes. One of them whispered a line that was the final straw in his struggle.

[Ye who dare disturb the dead, shall face restless fury and wrathful souls.]

###

 [Congregations! You have harvested your first victim, would you like to complete the harvest?]

 [Yes/No?]

 [Yes]

###

Rena had been watching in horror, understanding their fate at the hands of this demon, crying for her friends' suffering. Green flame extended up into a thick column, a banshee scream of Dale's soul being pulled apart. Claws of flame tearing, striping each and every fiber of his being until he was no more. Leaving a lasting effect behind on both his crying, angered friends, who only could sit helplessly and watch.

It isn't that Dale lost his soul, but a great deal of energy was taken, his soul carried away to the realm of the dead. Where his thoughts would join the others, where he would be caught up and shown by their anger rumbled all known realms across the universe. There he would become the same enraged spirit as Duth is now.

Duth heard the wizard's belongings fall to the ground. A bag of loot in his eyes, after the flame dissipated followed by his ethoria of such breathtaking taste. He was so bloody wrong it's like tasting flavored snow! isn't that called ice cream?

Although most items didn't interest him one did, sticking out of the robes was a scroll with enchanted edges, a second one? Ha now thats something, but wait this one had a different rune text.. Ah.. A real spell.. To the horror of both Rena and Lia who knew this was a powerful spell scroll.. A fireball. 

Although after seeing the second glowing scroll all pieces fell into place.. He was powering the return scroll. One may ask why not the fireball? Unfortunately he isn't powerful enough to cast it. In fact nor was Duth. That said it is Unfortunate he had been the first to die. He had mana, they didn't. Even if they did it would be barely a lick of it. Nor can they speak the runic language.

Staring at it and the demon, who didn't react at first. Too busy enjoying the many system messages that popped up.

When he did finally go for the scroll, they had lost any lick of hope for escape. If they had any in the first place.

For them this was rather unfortunate, Duth in his past life was in fact a wizard and this he knew about. Both Spell Scrolls and Return scrolls. Both were easy to use, any number could use them. But that was centuries ago, what about now? Unlikely, determined by the faces of the two ladies. Which gave him a wicked idea. But first..

As the lich slowly turned on Lia her struggling renewed, but she and Rena soon screamed in horror. Duth cross his arms behind his back. "You, your friend. You came here, to the resting place of the dead.."

The knights moved off Lia first, but not without stabbing wicked blades into her hands and legs. Causing her screaming to become hoarse. "You came for glory, with disregard, with intent to harm the dead" 

Mummies enclosed on Lia whilst Rena roared out. "Please! We didnt know! Please s-" 

Crack!

Rena's eyes widened, her shaky head looking to her arm. A blackened boot having crushed the bone of her arm. She opened her mouth to scream. "Shh, do not talk over our lord!" The death knight hissed, slamming her head into the ground to muffle the pained agony. "You came to kill! You dare ask for forgiveness?!" The tomb shook! " You would have been just as merciless to us! And. You. Dare! Ask. For. Me. To FORGIVE YOU!!!??" Debris fell around them. Stone crumbling as cracks spread across the room. Duth's blazing eyes beginning to spill from his sockets. 

"Unacceptable!" He stomped Lia's head, the ground underneath indented his foot print, whilst Lia's scream was cut upon her entire head splatting like a watermelon. Duth turned away. His cold arua had begun to freeze the air around him! Rena's quickened breath turned frosty. 

"Keep her alive.. Bring her to the throne room." The knights nodded, dragging her away as she cried. Now..

Looking down at a powered return scroll and its markings. The lich commanded all remaining undead to gather in his throne room. it was time for a little payback, in other words a raid. They raided his home, now he was going to raze their cities.

Even so, it will only work once, Duth was very aware that even though return scrolls were easy to use, they were incredibly hard to create. The only way to find them is to either find an incredibly ancient ruin with one intact enough. or to find someone with the knowledge and ability to build a scroll of this caliber. He had some knowledge in the area, but nothing close to the scroll, he needed to find an artificer.

He was ill fit to build one, he was a wizard. only specialized in certain magics. Though i suppose the new life is granted with new learning.

###

Adilen looked down at two recruits with narrowed eyes, he could smell it on them the wrenched smell of urine, alcohol and a mix of sweat. Both weren't sober enough to understand their bosses' looks. Hell they could barely walk. Damn fools had a drinking contest with Georg again.

Looking right to their squad leader who looked paler every second of this waking nightmare, he hurried to explain only worsening his situation. "Sir.. Uh.. I-I uh didnt think the-'' He whistled sharply immediately drawing half the barracks attention. 

"Shut it" He growled in response to this man's poor excuse. "Get your men cleaned up, your team is cleaning the shitters tonight and for the next week, ya hear?"

The worst job ever was cleaning the filthy toilets and their sewage.. Understanding the punishment, Yolia nodded obediently. Before swiftly yanking his men out of the room. Whilst Adilen's burning gaze turned on those watching. "The hell are you looking at?! Get back to it or you'll all be going through my personal training!" spurred into action the guardsmen turned away from their captain in fear of his threat.

Adilen signed before heading back to his office. Plate armor clanking lightly as he moved, a war hammer laying to the side within his office. With his helmet sitting on an old oak desk.

He wasn't always so commanding, normally had a better attitude. However with winter only 5 months away, bandits have doubled their efforts to raid the town. Only a few hundred guardsmen between the wilds and civilization. At first they were no problem. Small groups could only do so much, but now? Bandit groups were merging, their yield of results improving. 

He was in no mood for idiots in the guard. With enemies getting stronger outside he didn't need buffoons' being dum and dummer. He understood his guardsmen were stressed out as well, but there was only so much he was going to allow for relieving stress. With winter afoot they had to keep to the walls in vigilance!

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This book got on potential starlet and fresh stories! Thats insane!