Cleo Songweaver entered the cellblock. This goddamn intelligent zombie was proving to be far more frustrating than she had anticipated. Granted feeding her Michel hadn't been much of a cost since she was going to kill him later, noone got to skim off the top here. That was how their guild worked. Everyone followed the rules and got rich. If they didn't then Cleo was more than willing to make them regret it.

 

Thepetor and Roran were following her close behind, how elves managed to become so bulky she had no idea. “By the gods, what did you do to him?” Cleo asked with revulsion as she reached the cell. What was left of Michel seemed almost liquified.

 

Morgan looked up from the wall, her face smeared with red as she grinned with sharp teeth that Cleo was pretty sure hadn't been there before. There was something off about the woman, more than simply being undead. If she wasn't so gullible then she would truly be a force to be reckoned with. Necromancers were rare since the Order tended to hunt them down but one powerful enough to channel unholy energy was even more so. Cleo had gotten lucky that Morgan knew none of this.

 

“Well I just ate the best parts but it required a little digging,” she shrugged. Cleo glanced at the kobold girl who looked no different from the last time she had checked in. She wasn't a monster but it didn't matter how pathetic someone looked, business was business. You either came out on top or you were the one being used.

 

Cleo motioned for Roran to unlock the cell. She wasn't sure how they were going to clean up the mess but Morgan would be staying here for at least a few more days before they could get a shipment together. So there was no point in cleaning the cell if she was just going to get hungry again. Still, as she saw what the woman had done she was quickly recalculating her value, sure people collected rare slaves but Morgan’s hunger would be a serious risk to her master.

 

“This is disgusting,” Thepetor said, slipping on his gloves as he mentally prepared to approach.

 

“How's the weaver?” Cleo asked Roran as he slid the door open. The spider boy seemed to be asleep in the other cell. She didn't really believe the Order’s rhetoric towards animal folk but weavers were an exception. Why anyone would want to keep one she had no idea but at least people seemed to share her disgust for the adults. There was some primal revulsion to a spider that big even if it was half-human.

 

“Wha–” Thepetor was cut off as the body he was grabbing suddenly lurched up wrapping its arms and legs around her before stabbing him over and over and over again in the neck. He wailed as he tried to pull free with no luck, the thing just kept going. Cleo drew her sword only to have green energy slam into her. The searing pain made her collapse as she clawed at her leather armour trying to stop the burning only to pull away rotten leather with liquified flesh. Her mind screamed for her to move but her body was in too much pain to move. Somehow Morgan had gotten free.

 

 

I wasted no time lunging at the third man, practically leaping from all fours and colliding with him. As we fell I felt something stab into my side but ignored it as I dug my claws into him trying to get past his armor.

 

An explosion of force hit me sending me flying off him into the cell bars. Stupid skills. I pulled myself to my feet pulling out the dagger in my side, at least I had a proper weapon now. I heard footsteps approaching, shit, of course, there would be backup. I glanced over to see Cleo climbing to her feet panting hard as she drew her blade.

 

“Im gonna fucking kill you!” she screeched only for me to promptly target her with [Imbue Nightmare]. Her eyes turned fully back for a moment, her body trembling before she screamed and swung her sword at nothing. “Please, no, no, no, I’m sorry,” she begged whatever hallucination she was experiencing. Just as quickly as it began it was over but she was reeling from the effects, breathing heavily and in a cold sweat. She was severely hurt and shaken to her core. Something sliced into my arm and I glanced back to see someone with a crossbow standing at the edge of the hall as a few more men entered with swords.

 

I glanced back towards the people in front of me just as the large man who had sent me flying came after me. Well, this was very bad. I managed to bring up my hands to block his blade. His sword cut into my dead flesh as I activated [Channel Death] and squeezed, shattering the blade.

 

I ducked as a crossbow bolt whizzed by nearly hitting the man whose sword I destroyed. These people might have been strong but they were not coordinated. Cleo was just standing there as if working up the nerve to continue to fight. I only wished I knew what her worst nightmare was so I could ensure she experienced it. My dark fantasies backfired on me as a blade suddenly appeared out of my stomach. It took me a second to realize I had been run through.

 

The pain was indescribable however considering I could still feel my legs I assumed my spine had been missed.

 

“What the hell…” the man trailed off as he gave the sword another shove pushing it further through me. I brought my flaming hands around and grabbed onto something. Considering the howl that followed it had been him. I jumped away, the sword coming with me still impaled through me. I didn't have time to consider the implications of my situation right now.

 

I threw my green flames at the man with the crossbow only managing to hit him with one bolt. A fist slammed into my face, the hulking elven man having decided he could do just fine with his fists. I dogged a second punch before ranking my claws across his face. Despite my efforts I was beginning to slow down, the damage to my body making it inefficient even if it wasn't deadly to me.

 

The man stumbled back clutching his face and I ordered my skeleton to help me rather than simply lying there under the man’s dead body. It really was an idiot. The skeleton leaped free and grabbed the dead man’s sword before stabbing the blinded man.

 

I turned just as Cleo’s blade sailed by my face, cutting off the tip of my nose. Apparently, she had overcome her fear. “Why are you so hard to kill,” she growled, swinging again, I dodged. The speed coming naturally at this point.

 

“New plan,” I yelped as I ducked down and grabbed Cleo’s hand before biting off several fingers. She cried out but recovered far more quickly than I expected slicing into my arm and leaving it uselessly hanging by a tendon. Oh, that was bad.

 

“Dieeeee!” a voice screamed from behind Cleo causing her to falter and spin rather than finishing me off. Yet there was nothing. Thanking my little kobold illusionist I wasted no time digging my glowing claws into her head with my functioning arm and sinking my teeth into her neck tearing a chunk away.

 

As I swallowed it down my body got to work trying to patch itself up while I ignored the fact I was practically fighting like a common zombie at this point. Cleo scratched at my hand desperately as her face began to decompose and blood gushed from her neck. I let her collapse to the floor as life faded from her. 

 

A blade sliced into my leg causing me to drop to the floor. I had killed Cleo and two others but I was still trapped by the backup, there was nowhere else to go. An explosion caught me off guard and  made me cover my eyes. When I dared to look my skeleton was destroyed… oh and I was on fire. My left arm was fully gone at this point, I had a blade through my torso, my leg was badly damaged and I was on fire. I really had no idea how I was still standing.

 

More fire flew in my direction further worsening my situation. Great, just what I needed right now, a pyromancer. There were six men between me and the exit. One was badly damaged by my flames having abandoned his crossbow. One had his arms engulfed in flame though judging by the determined look on his face it wasn't harming him. The other four had daggers and swords. I on the other hand had two functioning limbs and was quickly running out of magic.

 

I glanced back towards my cell to see Tiss subtly watching. Bless that kobold, she had helped me kill Cleo but I was otherwise on my own. I raised my hand calling the soul embers of the three dead to me before stopping, dropping and rolling to try and put out the flames.

 

“Here!” Jackal yelled as he held out a pitcher from between the bars. I grabbed it and poured the water over me, smothering the flames just as my enemies advanced.

 

The pyromancer held up his hands as a ball of flame began to grow. I used [Imbue Nightmare] to take him out of the fight briefly which comically caused the ball of flame to explode in his face as he screamed. That made the others falter while the two in the rear patted the flames that had lept to them. Fire clearly wasn't very picky in who it burned.

 

I drew the dagger I had slipped into my belt and funnelled my green flames into it. The dagger lit with unholy energy the same way the Holy Knight from the sewers had. I pulled my hand back pleading to the universe that going axe-throwing a few times translated enough into throwing a dagger… it didn't.

 

The man jumped to the side as the blade clattered to the floor where his feet had been. “Not your best move Morgan,” I grumbled. With my leg as mangled as it was I could barely walk making me a sitting duck when the pyromancer was done cowering behind the door and swatting at the air.

 

So I did the one thing I could do. I lied my ass off. “It's crazy how confident you guys are! I just killed three of your friends and only lost an arm. You really think you can do better?”

 

The men slowed down raising their swords though they looked uncertain.

 

“You know what happens when you die? You shit yourself,” I continued.  “Which unfortunately for you means I'm going to be parading your shit-covered corpses around town unless you all get the fuck out of here before I change my mind. Clearly, none of you know who I am or you would not have made such a stupid choice,” I growled, my voice calming as I continued.

 

To hopefully make my threats more effective I used [Imbue Nightmare] on the crossbowless man. “Fuck!” he cried before turning and running.

 

Seeing their friend flee the other men faltered coming to a stop.

 

I lit my hand with green flame and raised it towards them with a grin, “Here kitty kitty kitty.”

 

“Fuck this!” one of the men yelled before turning to run followed by the three others. My magic flickered out moments later, my internal reserves thoroughly exhausted. I limped my way towards the pyromancer who was still out of it and plunged my claws into his throat ending his miserable existence. I funnelled soul embers into him, raising him as a zombie before ordering him to free Jackal and letting myself fall to the floor.

 

“By the gods Morgan, that was… wow,” Jackal muttered as I heard his cell door slide open. For the first time since awakening in the woods, I felt suddenly quite hungry, considering it would heal me that made sense. I needed to consume material to rebuild with. Still, I didn’t have the willpower to get up right now. I felt mentally exhausted and my magic was slowly replenishing itself.

 

Tiss suddenly appeared in my peripheral vision. It took me a second to realize she was dragging a corpse with great effort. She was surprisingly strong for her size. “Thanks, Tiss,” I groaned, forcing myself to sit up and wincing as that made the sword impaled through me to dig further into me. Tiss took me in nervously and let the corpse slump to the ground.

 

“I don't suppose you can help me with this?” I asked, motioning to the sword.

 

Tiss nodded and walked around me. Having a sword pulled out of me left a weird empty feeling in my chest not to mention allowing air to reach where it really should never.

 

“If you eat you’ll heal, right?” Tiss said with a strained smile.

 

“Yeah, I don't know if I can regrow limbs though,” I replied.

 

A squelch drew my attention to Jackal who was stabbing one of the dead elves with a sword he had picked up. “Can you get my arm?” I asked Tiss. She looked vaguely disgusted but nodded.

 

As soon as she was gone I grabbed the corpse she was left and dug in. Ravenous was probably the best way to describe my behaviour though thankfully I wasn't mindless. No kobold or weaver were on the menu.

 

As I scooped out the man’s liver and gulped it down I got a notification.

 

[Level Up!]