No. No it wasn't awkward. Not at all. Admittedly I harboured some fears of the morning after, but Elsa, well she was just very sweet about it. And accommodating. We went at it some more.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to enjoy it all. Not enough time to heal fully either. Garland left the day before with his family, it was a heartfelt exit, what seemed like the entire village gathered. Elsa told me she would be leaving the next with Sem. I gave them five gold, only because Elsa wouldn't take any more than that, apparently, I was filthy rich now, as rich as a noble.

And now, today, with nothing keeping me here any longer except for the adoration of the many followers of my yet to be named religion, I stood at the edge of the village and looked out to my path.

Garland went south, basically going back down to Arak village, it was safe now that the Following wiped out the cult branch there, empty, desolate, but safe. He wouldn't be making a new home there though, instead he'd be going to the Kingdom south of this one to start up his life again. Hopefully safe from the Synagogue.

Elsa and Sem went west. They had family there. Her family couldn't exactly help her much, being considered third rate just like she is, but her Husband's family could try. If all else failed she could buy herself some leeway with the gold. Having a business as an elf automatically gave you more value, just like the elf woman that gifted me that first apple, she was very at home in the market. I'd think it made you a target honestly.

I've chosen to head north. Not just because it's been the direction, I've headed all this while but because it had what I wanted. I'd asked Elsa where she thought best, I head off.

"If you're looking to make a name for yourself, you'll want to head to the centre of the March. You've got all that money now; it shouldn't be too hard to stand out." She'd said.

I fully intend to stand out. Although, not just with money. If the centre is as she said then it'd be the best place to pick up some skills and gain some repute in this Kingdom.

So, I walk. I take my first steps out of the village and seek out my goal. Power.

***

Before she left, Elsa gifted me a bag. It was more of a pack, or sack but it has handles and it could hang on my shoulders. It wouldn't be the sturdiest, but since I wasn't travelling with the merchant carriages that only came by once a week, it would help out a lot in my journey. I've filled it up with as much food as I could.

Fortunately for me, I wouldn't be getting lost or off track. There were paths leading to all four corners, all I need to do is follow them.

"So, what exactly are you going to do at the centre?"

I want to say learn. There is a large portion of knowledge I'm severely lacking and not only in magic.

"I'll buy a home. A roof over my head, a permanent one would be a nice start to a new life in the centre." The amount of money I had jingle in my pockets should be more than enough to get me a home.

"I've never been to the centre of anywhere really. It's always really…" he trails off, hand on his chin searching for the right word, "Far off? I don't know, like something really unreachable. I mean, they always have walls around them but still."

I know what he's driving at. The centre, capital of any place is often full of posh, far away people that make others feel like their life is an uphill journey by just breathing. I know those people. I've fought them, I've stolen from them. But they've always done much worse than I ever could.

In this world though, I'd be one of them. I'll make sure of it.

"And what then?"

"What then?"

"Yeah, well. Is it just house and live until you die or are you pursuing something? A man needs a goal, a purpose."

I understood that as well. Capitalism helped entrench it into the minds of everyone around me including myself. Life must have a purpose, and if it doesn't you must give it one or have someone give it to you.

No. I didn't believe in this. Not just because I was a lazy bum in my past life but because I was a smart lazy bum. Life's only purpose is to survive long enough to multiply. I knew and accepted that truth when others didn't. A man has no use other than to exist for the sake of future men.

And that's honestly what I intend to do. Even here. I'd live as long as I could, as happily as I could. This life, this world is just another chance to do so successfully. And magic is the tool that would help me do so.

"I want to rule."

Anselm stops. He turns and looks at me with a shocked look on his face. "You mean you want to become a noble? You want to own land? Have serfs, raise armies?"

"I want to become a Nation."

Even as lazy as I am, I understood most that the height of power was in the right to rule men. It would be plenty hard to fall me when I stood behind lines of men and atop towers of resources and military and economic might.

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Well…I'm a Necromancer." I flash a grin at his narrowing gaze, "I've only got to grow strong."

"Strong enough to beat Perlman on your own."

"Hey. I did pretty well!" We'd argued about this before. He kept exaggerating his involvement in the fight.

"I saw it all. All sides. You caught him off guard with the grip but he had more than enough mana to cancel your hold on him. He wanted you to come close, and you did."

"You're making that up."

"You're free to think so, but he had you exactly where he wanted you. Three times. If I hadn't intervened the second and last time, you'd be dead. Very dead. Like me dead." He swerves and floats right in my face as I walk, "As cool as it is to fly, I know you don't want to get killed. I don't know that you can get strong enough to be your own nation. Necromancer or no. Perlman was a B-rank mage, he was only toying with you and you nearly died."

Not for the first time, Anselm is right. I wasn't nearly strong enough to beat a fool like Perlman, the only thing that made me have so much confidence that I could pull off being strong was the Necromancer class. But I'm being too eager. I don't know anything about the class except the commonly known things. Like undead armies. I just thought I could raise an undead army large enough to defeat my enemies, whoever they might be.

But still I haven't yet managed to summon a single undead minion. It frustrated me to no end but still. I've made some progress yet. Most noticeably is the notification that kept popping up in my vision ever since I hit Level Five.

It asked if I wanted to search for a patron. Yes or No.

I kept putting it off though. I'm not sure what a patron is but with my pockets heavy with gold and Elsa sucking me dry, I couldn't be bothered to hit yes and find out back then.

It's different now though. Now it might just be what I needed to understand this class further. I vaguely remember reading something about a patron in the Pyromancer's book of spells but the details just don't come to me.

Ignoring Anselm's prattling about tasty foods he wants to try again, I hit the confirm button.

Immediately I receive a flood of alerts. My stomach clenches, feeling like its eating itself. My knees give way and I'm on the ground before I know what's happening. Everything hurt. A lot.

As I groan, writhe and scream on the ground, Anselm comes into view, screaming something at me. I can't hear him. Behind him the blue sky darkens. It fades to night in a matter of seconds. He doesn't seem to notice.

I'm slapped with another massive injection of pain and I scream. I don't think I survive.

***

My feet hurt.

There's something lodged in it. It hurt even more with it pulling me around. Why am I being pulled? What's pulling me?

With these thoughts I peel open my eyes. The sky is dark. I remember it from when I fell. Dark and empty. There are no stars twinkling in the night sky, the moon is nowhere to be seen either.

"Anselm." I groan and suddenly I stop being pulled. I hear a growling, deep and rumbling. An animal.

I look and find a large chunk of my leg in the maw of a giant white wolf. Rows of its teeth sunk in my leg. Had I been hunted?

I remain deathly calm. In pain but calm nonetheless. It must be dragging me back to its pack. But wolves hunt in packs, there shouldn't be a need to drag me, I should have been eaten right there and then.

Was it a lone wolf? If there ever was such a thing. A wolf, hungry with no pack. Had it dragged me off to finish me on its own?

Its eyes shone a great gleam of red. Murder, hunger in its eyes. It eyed me, wondering if to forgo the journey back to wherever and just have its meal now.

I smile. I remember.

With a jerk I sprang up and sat on my ass, my hand flying straight at the large wolf, it is slow to make a decision I catch its hesitation and slap my palm on it, letting my necrotic mana seep into it.

"Soul Drain!"

I haven't used this skill since the cave. Since the goblins. I remember there's always the chance for the skill to fail, I'm not sure what sort of variables went into deciding whether or not it works but I'm glad I have yet to experience a failure when I desperately needed it.

Yet, I am not sure if I can call this a success or a failure.

Like usual, I am invigorated by the rush of power flowing into me from the wolf. But, unexpectantly, it doesn't budge. Not only does in fail to recoil in pain, it also fails to wither away as its very soul is transformed into lifeforce for my use.

Its fur doesn't fly and fall away, its skin doesn't peel back and its flesh doesn't melt at my touch. There is no immediate necrosis. No decay. No death.

I stop. I have to. It'd been a minute, my wound kept trying to close around the wolfs teeth, push it out perhaps, but to no avail. It didn't even seem fazed by the attempts to close the wound. It stares, only stares at me as my mana wasted away in a skill that was working but failing woefully yet.

I am left at its mercy. If Soul Drain failed, I doubt anything else would work.

As if sensing my despair, it pulled its teeth out of my leg ever so slowly, eyes trained on me. It hurt even more but I bit down on a scream lest I scare it into eating me whole sooner.

It stood tall. Without its head bent down to drag me, it stood likely over seven feet tall. Dangerously large. Ethereally, the night clouds part, giving way to the sheen of the moonlight to bathe the white wolf.

Again, it growled. Except this time, it sounds like a cough, a hacking cough, trying to get rid of something stuck in its throat perhaps. And then, it spoke.

"Did you really believe that you held the capability to harm me?"

"You can talk…" I blurt out.

"Did you presume speech common only to your kind?"

"You're a wolf."

It looks at itself, even licking its lips, all the way over its nose. "Right now. I suppose I am."

I gulp. Talking animals are a lot less…friendly looking that they are on TV. "Are you going to eat me?"

"Eat you? No. Why would you think that?"

"Because-"

"Right, because I am a wolf and I bit your leg. Silly me."

I stare at it for a moment as it seems to smile and chide itself. Surreal.

"So? You're awake now. Let's go."

I blink. It turns around an begins to thunder off through the weeds and tall grass. I turn, look behind me. I can't find the path anymore. Where am I?

"Go where? Where were you taking me?" I jog after it, the wound on my leg long healed from the excess HP I absorbed. With four long legs the wolf covered ground at speed.

"You summoned me, for a contract and in doing so you used up all your mana at once and slept off. I had to drag you off in to my shrine."

Summoned? I don't remember that. All I did was…hit yes.

"Shrine? Who are you? What are you?"

It looks down at me, disappointed. I could tell by its eyes. "A warlock, even at such a paltry level as yours should be knowledgeable of those such as I."

"Uh, I'm self-taught."

The disappointment softens into something else. "And you managed to summon me, albeit, woefully to your detriment. You have a lot of mana for one self-taught."

Right. I wouldn't have so much if I hadn't lucked in at death. But I wouldn't say that. No, I don't understand what this being is, but if it is to be the one to make me stronger, then I'd follow it.

"I'm talented but ignorant." I surmise, making an excuse for anything I don't know I am meant to know. "My name is Asher. Asher Taserman. What's yours?"

It stops. Its head swerves to mine, his eyes glowing bright as he studied me.

"Talented indeed. There are only so few shrines to myself in this Kingdom, and yet, away from all of them you managed to tap into my power and pull my attention to you. You shall serve me well."

"Serve you?"

It grins.

"I am Lotar. You wish to for a pact with I in exchange for my power do you not?" It circles around me, watching me, stalking me like the wolf it appears to be. "You wish to serve my purpose so that I may serve yours as well, you wish me your Patron God, don't you? You do. I can smell the ambition leaking off of you, you seek power, even now you tremble, not with fear but with anticipation."

"You're right. I want power." More than anything I sought it out. Power. Power more than I had now, power to create the nation I have envisioned, a nation to keep me safe, a nation to conquer all, a nation to give me what I deserve.

"Are you willing to do anything for it? For your ambitions?"

"Yes. I am."

"Then come," It somehow picks me up, setting me on its back. "I will give you power."

The world begins to shake, the grass no longer billowed freely in the wind, now it and everything around drew to us, the stone, the air, the dead carcasses of animals, everything bent around us. And with a flash, we were gone.

In a blink I flutter my eyes open. I look around. There is no grass, there is no path, there is only stone and air. This is a rock, a large one a mountain perhaps save for the absence of plant of any kind.

Except, there is one plant. A tree, a large tree, growing from the centre of the rock. At the tree's feet are eye-catching brilliant shining white petal flowers, I'm not sure they're roses but I'm sure they're beautiful.

I am set onto the ground by Lotar, it struts on over to the tree, beneath it is a shrine. I walk behind him and the closer I get, I notice on the shrine sculpture of a wolf, on its back is a bowl, much larger than it.

I stand before the bowl; it is stained with blood and white petals from the flowers growing at the trees root.

"Pick a flower." Lotar says at last.

Looking up at him I notice the sky twinkles with stars abundant. We must have travelled a distance.

I don't bother questioning Lotar; we were past that now. I walk past the shrine and pick up a flower at the base of the tree. Once done, I look to the wolf for further instructions.

I watch it pierce its paw, blood pools and falls like a tear into the bowl. I understand and walk to the bowl, tossing the cut flower in.

"I cannot give you a specific power. But I can assure you that whatever your class of magic, it will be powerful. I will grant you power you would not have dreamt possible to have at your lowly state, this I promise."

"And what must I do for you?"

Again, it grins. "Nothing too difficult, I'm sure you'll agree. I only need you destroy a certain Cult. The Cult of Phien."

Oh jeez. Not those guys again.