Legends of Orlea

Chapter 5:

Zirem had played a bit more, gotten some better weapons, but had wandered the city for a while. Now, he was some for-hire mercenary, and mostly worked in murder. With his rewards, he'd gotten new upgrades for his swords, and he'd gotten a new armour, the Coat of Undeath, a black coat that added to his Necromancy stat. By now, the skill was almost at level 100, and he'd unlocked the ability to resurrect more powerful Dead. 

Currently, his target was someone who lived very close to the castle, surrounded by many guards at all times. However, he was confident he could get past them unnoticed, and, if he was spotted, he should be able to defeat the guards.

That night, Zirem snuck out from his inn, and ran into the darkness. Tonight was a half-moon, but the clouds covered it, so it was pretty dark. But he could see well in darkness. He ran into a back alley, and climbed up the pipes to the roof. There, he crouched low, seeking help from the shadows of the clouds. 

Three armed guards passed. Zirem waited, then leapt to the second roof. And the next. Once, he almost fell, and he cursed silently, but he grabbed the roof. Grunting, he pulled himself up and ran to the edge of the roof, leaping over the gap and landing safely. He was close to his target.

There, he crouched again, and peeked over the roof, waiting for the moment the man would want to get fresh air on the balcony beneath him. Suddenly, the door opened, and thewoman walked out, surrounded by guards. 

Zirem lifted a finger, and, silently, four hands rose from the ground. Bodies came out, flesh rotting off, revealing their bones in several places, but there was no blood. Suddenly, onejumped on the other, and the next climbed onto it. In the end, one of the zombies could reach the balcony.

It lifted the three others up with superhuman strength, and the attack began. Groans and cries ended the silence of the night, only to be suddenly muffled. Zirem jumped down once four guards had been killed, and took down his target. Then, he buried the guards, but left the woman there. It would help spread panic.

As he reached his neighborhood, however, he felt a presence behind him. A prickling sensation overwhelmed him, and he whirled. No one. However, a tile slipped, and shattered on the ground behind him. "Who are you?"

No answer. Zirem turned, and saw a figure. A coat of crimson colour that split at the hips, revealing dark pants and a dark shirt. Very monotonous. The figure drew a short sword, and a long knife, the sword being one and a half times Zirem's forearm. The figure quickly ran forward, feet almost blurring. 

Zirem backed up, and jumped over the low kick. He drew his two swords, barely matching the pace of his enemy. As he felt the knife cut him, he grunted, but the enemy didn't slow down. The ground beneath him gave way to void, which meant he'd reached the end of the roof.

Zirem jumped onto the next house, silently landing. However, his enemy got there before he could try and strike him. The fight resumed and Zirem hadn't gained an advantage. This time, when he reached the edge of the roof, he didn't jump. He simply fell, which surprised his opponent. For a moment, he couldn't be seen, so he used a certain item he'd received from one of his previous hunts. 

It flashed, and when it was placed, Zirem raised his blade to summon some Dead, but he changed his mind. At this level, he could summon one Lesser Dead, which was a bit more powerful than him at any given time. He focused, muttered an incantation and summoned the Dead. It silently clawed its way from the ground, and then groaned. 

The Dead was at at least a dozen centimeters taller than Zirem, and had a sword and shield. It also had a chainmail, and shinguards. It loomed over him, and for a moment, he was unsure whether it would obey or not. But it turned, and faced his enemy.