Chapter 40: A leisurely stroll
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Zephyra looked down over a dazed and distressed Bob.

"Can you move? We need to go. They'll be here soon."

Bob moaned and shifted to his good leg.

"I can't feel my arm. And, I can feel too much of my legs." He scowled and grumbled underneath his breath. "I'm going to be awfully slow. It… it might be better if you just left."

Zephyra grabbed a hold of his hand and helped brace him against her to stand. 

"Not a chance." She refused with a smile and a giggle. The giddiness of their escape still bubbled through her head. 

Bob gasped as his broken leg dragged against the cobblestone. 

"You can still escape though. I don't think that we can if I'm holding us back."

Zephyra frowned and pouted as she considered his thought.

"Nope. Not a chance. You promised that you'd sign." 

Bob sighed. He couldn't get through to her. She would be better off without him. 

"Alright. Fine… and thank you for saving me."

Zephyra smiled brightly. She practically glowed with pride as they skulked through the back alleys. 

"You're welcome. Ha, I can, like, already imagine their faces when they realize that you're gone and out of their reach."

Bob sulked. The thought wasn't comforting to him at all. They stopped in the shadows as they waited for a few townsfolk to pass their hiding spot. It was still early in the morning. They were fortunate that the streets were mostly clear. The city hadn't quite woken up and roared to life with their mundane, superstitious, little world. 

"Y-you realize that means that they're going to be hunting for us, right? Why keep me around if I'm just going to be a danger to you?"

Zephyra laughed quietly as they dashed, as fast as they could hobble, across the street and into the next alley. The church and it's cathedral was slowly fading further into the distance. 

"Oh, that's easy. They're hunting me anyway. And, you can be useful to me. You're kinda silly, didn't I already tell you who I am?" 

Her ears perked as she heard the sound of clattering armor and shouting orders nearby. The acolytes were still quite close. They couldn't afford to stop now. It would be best if they left the city entirely. 

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just killed me and used me that way?"

"Why does everyone ask me that? Like, geez, does everyone have a death wish or something?" Zephyra rolled her eyes and lilted her voice playfully. It was a good day. "No. I won't kill you. Undead are very limited in their usefulness. And, I, so, don't have the resources, or the time, or even quite frankly the patience, to create actually useful minions. As it is right now, living people are much better. And, have an easier time growing than a rotting corpse."

It was getting louder on the street. They were closing in on them. They either needed a very good distraction, or a way to blend in and hide with the people. 

Bob wasn't quite sure what to say. He didn't know what to make of this necromancer. He certainly hadn't ever considered that he would have the chance to talk with one so casually.

Zephyra grimaced and scrunched her face up in disgust. "Also, most of the undead are super gross. Like, they smell all the time. And, it's not exactly sanitary to keep a bunch of corpses."

The mouse in her pocket squeaked in indignation. 

Zephyra laughed. "Except for you, little one. Mice are adorable. And, you're small enough and still livid enough that it won't be a problem."

Bob just shook his head in wonder. "You know, you're really strange."

Zephyra smirked in his direction. "Says the guy that helped random strangers for no reason at all."

Bob blushed and scratched at his cheek. He mumbled, "That's different though."

The sound of a door crashing, splintering and breaking inward stopped their banter with a screeching halt. It was closeby. Too close. Just around the corner really. 

Zephyra muttered underneath her breath and searched for anything that could help replenish her mana reserves. It had naturally regenerated a bit. But, not enough to really guarantee any sort of success in a confrontation. 

She bit her lip and idly poked through some of the refuse in the area. But, she didn't find anything that she could use. A few crates and bins were about the only thing that they could hide behind as well. It wouldn't prevent them from being found.

But, maybe, it would be enough to set up an ambush. 

Zephyra turned toward Bob. "I'm going to need you to fight. Can you?"

"Uh…", Bob considered his condition. He had a dislocated arm. A broken leg. A fair number of scratches and bruises. And, his entire body felt dull and sluggish. "Not very well."

"Try your best!" Zephyra cheered him on. "We'll have to hide here."

She motioned toward the crates. And, hissed as three men rounded the corner to pass through the alleyway. 

"Hopefully, we'll be able to surprise them before we get into a drawn out fight."

The men drew closer. They were heavily armed and armored. The sound of their armor jostling together echoed as they approached. Zephyra and Bob quietly drew their swords.

CLINK-CLINK

CLINK CLACK

Zephyra took a long steadying breath. It was almost time. Bob shuddered and gasped as his nerves ratcheted through his body. They pressed themselves closely against the crates. 

CLINK-CLINK

Two of the men passed their hiding spot.

Zephyra sprung out. She reached for one of them. Her hand touched the back of his unprotected head. 

The guard behind him let out a surprised yelp. He drew his sword. 

But, it was too late. His comrade was already dead. 

Zephyra pushed as much mana as she could muster into the back of his skull. His brain and bone liquefied and ran out of his ears. He slumped to the ground. Dead. 

Bob swung his sword haphazardly at the other man. His sense of balance was off. And, he couldn't muster enough power behind his strike.

It struck against the guard's shoulder. The guard cried out in pain. A nasty gash trickled with his life essence and ran down his arm. The guard drew his sword regardless. He knew that if he didn't…

He would die.

Zephyra was out of mana again. She was faced with a choice. And, one with dire consequences. 

She could stand on the corpse and attempt to siphon off mana from the dead. Or, she could attempt to fight against the guard with the sword that she had pilfered from the temple. 

She wasn't proficient in the sword. And, it would be difficult to defend herself and siphon off what she could. 

Zephyra grit her teeth and placed one of her feet against the corpse. She slashed at the guard in front of her. And, drained a small, modest drop of necrotic mana back into her body. 

The guard easily parried. And, followed with a thrust. Zephyra inhaled as the blade whistled through the air. It struck at her abdomen. 

Zephyra threw herself to the side, narrowly dodging the blow. Her footing slipped against the slick sludge of refuse underneath her. She tumbled to the ground. She panicked and wildly slashed at the guards leg as she fell. 

She landed a lucky blow. The sword cut into the calf. The muscle severed and spasmed in agony. The guard dropped to his knee. He caught himself with his sword. And, buried the tip of the blade into the stone beneath him. 

Bob barely managed to hold off the guard that he was attacking. He had some skill with the blade. But, certainly not as much as his peers. He had always preferred more peaceful pursuits. 

The guard cut at him. Bob managed to deflect. His arms were covered in small scratches and cuts from the fight. He could just barely dodge. 

The guard swung horizontally at him. He overextended. Bob took a crippled step back. The sword gleamed dangerously in front of him. He pushed himself forward into the guard. And, shoulder checked him as they both tumbled to the ground. 

Bob landed on top of him. His sword still in hand. The guard had loosened his grip with the impact. And, his sword clattered against the ground. Bob lifted his blade. And, pierced into the exposed collar of his enemy. 

The guardsmen made a gurgling gasp. The air stole away from his lungs. The blade pulled away. His blood spurted and drooled down his neck. The spatter painting Bob red as he plunged his sword down again. And, again. And, again. 

He couldn't stop. The adrenaline pushed through him. And, he didn't stop. Until he could no longer recognize the guard as human. 

Zephyra kicked out with her feet. She aimed for the cut on the guard's leg. It connected with a wet squelch. She dug in her heel. And, kicked again. 

The guardsman cried out, tears streamed down his face as he cried out. His eyes widened as he stared at the dead and dying in front of him. He choked and flailed with his chipped sword.

It missed. He was too blinded by fear. And, too panicked to control himself. 

Zephyra scrambled to her feet. She thrust forward with her blade. It sunk through his ear. And, collapsed into the pool of his own excrement. 

Zephyra struggled for breath as she glanced around to understand their situation. Her eyes widened as she stared at Bob, still hacking and cutting at the corpse beneath him. 

She rushed over. 

"Hey, hey! That's enough!" 

Bob turned toward her with wild eyes. His nostrils flared. His breathing ragged and worn. His arm hung limply at his side. And, his face spattered in the blood of someone that was once his ally. 

The crazed look slowly drained from him. He came back to himself. And, realized what he had done. 

He threw down his sword. And, stumbled backward. His leg screamed in protest at the harsh movement. He wiped the blood and tears from his eyes. But, only managed to smear them both around his face. 

Zephyra glanced uneasily at the mutilated corpse and kneeled down toward Bob. 

"Hey, it's alright. You did good."

Bob shook his head and tried to control his sobbing as he spoke.

"I-i've never k-killed anyone. Oh God, he's dead."

Zephyra gently rubbed his back and tried to calm him down. 

"You did what you had to. He would've killed you."

Bob nodded. But, he was inconsolable. 

Zephyra sighed. She'd have to deal with this later. They were still in danger. And, quite frankly, they got lucky. 

"We have to keep moving. They'll catch up to us again, if we stay."

Bob nodded. He didn't move from his position. 

"Alright. I'm glad you understand." She glanced back at the corpses. "Um, this may be insensitive of me right now. But, I'm going to need to replenish my mana."

Bob nodded.

Zephyra stood up and drained what she could from the corpses. It was more than enough to refill her miniscule mana reservoir. 

"It's a shame that I'll have to leave the rest of it though." Zephyra pouted and pushed her hair back. "Why didn't Daddy just make me with a higher mana capacity? It makes no sense to me." 

Zephyra glanced at Bob in silent contemplation. "I'll need to be careful with him. He's a bit unstable right now. But, we really have to go. I wish there was something that I could-*

She stopped in the midst of her thoughts. There was something she could do. It was a terrible idea. All of the warnings that her father had pressed into her as a child flooded her mind. Her eyes shone with a dangerous glint. 

Oh, yes. There was something that she could do. It would be an excellent distraction. And, hopefully, it would extract a heavy price from the Church at the same time. 

Zephyra smiled down at Bob. 

"Heya, do you want to know why necromancers are so feared?"

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