The Peculiar Alchemist

43 || Unease

Sounds of weeping echoed all over the place, and screams of anguish ricocheted around making Toby shake in his place. It was as if forests cannot get any creepier, but now he was experiencing the scary side of his newly-acquired abilities for the first time.

Being able to see and hear ghosts was not at all something he enjoyed. Not yet an experienced necromancer, Toby couldn't really see the benefits of his ability. All he got were regrets about his decision to get this cursed mark on his neck, but there was nothing to be done now. He had to deal with the consequences of his choices, and ghosts were very prevalent in forests.

"My body is buried here." A voice whispered behind him, making him jump in place with a shriek. When he turned around, he saw a pale woman staring up at him. "Dig up my body."

Toby was trembling as he backed away from her, but he had to stop when his back hit the hard surface of a tree before shaking his head. "I can't."

"Dig up my body." The woman repeated her request again, but it sounded more forceful this time, more aggressive. Toby didn't know what to do, all he knew was that there was a dead woman telling him to uncover his buried body from the ground for whatever reason.

He shouldn't have come here alone. Why did he agree on this meetup spot?

"How am I supposed to do that?" He hissed at her, sounding nervously angry as he showed her his bare hands. The woman only stood there expressionlessly. "Do I look like I have the tools to be able to? Leave me alone!"

Sadly, the woman cannot be reasoned with. "Just do as I say. It's right here. We don't have much time."

"I'll come back here later, okay?" Toby hesitated making her scow sourly at him. She didn't like what she was hearing, she wanted her body uncovered immediately. "I promise you, I will be back. I can't right now."

While he tried to reason with the ghost and plead for her to go away and let him be, a laugh was heard behind him as he turned around and relaxed when he saw that he wasn't alone. Maybe he shouldn't have felt so relieved since it was none other than Kellen who showed up, but they did agree to meet here and Toby was not alone with the dead anymore.

"Are you arguing with ghosts right now?" Kellen asked with his lip twitching up, and Toby wished Kellen could see what he saw. Witness the horror he had to deal with.

He was sure he wouldn't be so calm and amused if he could.

"There's a woman here asking me to dig up her body." Toby told him gesturing at where the woman silently stood, staring at them as if she was observing them. It made chills run through Toby who shivered as the feeling, and it only amused Kellen further.

Toby wondered if Kellen would have shown the same amusement if he could see how intensely they were being observed and hear the screams filling the place periodically. Coming to the forest as a necromancer was the opposite of a good idea, it was the worst of ideas. He promised himself to not do it again, especially not at night.

"Hey, ghost lady," Kellen wasn't looking her way since Toby guessed he couldn't see her, instead his gaze was unwavering and directed towards Toby himself. "Did I kill you by any chance?"

"Bastard." The woman hissed, spitting her insult with a glare on her face.

Her reaction was unexpectedly heated, and Toby jumped in his place from surprise when she lunged forward at the unresponsive Kellen who just stood there waiting for Toby to say something.

"Uh, she called you a bastard." He informed Kellen, not sure what was going on or why that woman was so angry. If Kellen really did kill her, he completely understood her fury.