Mythica, book 1, Chapter 6.

Chapter 6.

Sabine tried to shed the horrible feeling of losing herself to another entity. What would have happened to her if she had given in to the rage? Taking control of her emotions, Sabine forced herself to believe that it didn’t matter, she had won the fight for control of this body, and she would honor the young woman’s sacrifice by using this shell to do some good in this world.

The first bit of good she could do for the world was to rid it of the two thugs in front of her. Sabine was about to close in on the two arguing grave robbers when she remembered her purpose here. She was supposed to meet with her advisor, and while she had no idea who he was, maybe he could offer some insight into what she had become.

As it stood, she faced two men, likely armed, and she was unarmed. Sabine was more than confident in her ability to fight, but she was also a realist. Battling someone hand to hand in an unfamiliar body wasn’t the smart way to approach this. She crept to a corner of the graveyard as far from the pair as she could get.

“Hamish?” She whispered, not exactly sure what was supposed to happen. At first, nothing happened, and then she felt something under her move as a patch of ground opened nearby. A skeletal figure sat up from the long-forgotten grave, turning to stare at Sabine.

“Why are you so filthy? Don’t tell me you dug yourself out of your grave. Oh, great Gnessos, is she some kind of moron? Is dealing with her supposed to be part of my punishment?” The skeleton asked, shaking his head and muttering about ignorance and filthy peasants.

“Keep it down skeleton, we’ve got potential enemies nearby,” Sabine replied.

“Why should I bother? Taking care of threats is your job, not mine. My job is to deal with the dumbest form of undead there is, you,” the skeleton said insultingly.

“That’s about enough out of you, Sabine said, walking two steps over and giving the skeleton a swift kick to the head. With a crack, the head parted from the body and sailed off into the forest. The slender legs of her new body were a lot more powerful than they looked. The ground to her side parted, and a second skeleton sat up.

“Is that any way to treat your superior? I have been sent to command this operation and I demand your obedience,” the skeleton said. Sabine kicked this skeleton’s head off into the forest as well. Maybe the two arrogant heads could keep each other company. The ground parted once more and a third skeleton appeared, this one having only half its skull still intact and a single arm. Like the others, it couldn’t stand, only sit up from the hole it had appeared from.

“Think this time,” Sabine warned, “think before you speak. I can kick heads into the forest all night, and I doubt there’s an unlimited supply of remains out here for you to use,”

“Well, I never,” the skeleton said with as much indignation as a battered skeleton could muster.

“Watch it,” Sabine warned again.

“Fine, let me begin again. Perhaps we can introduce ourselves without additional damage, both verbal and physical?” The skeleton asked. Sabine nodded. “Very good, I am Hamish, grand advisor to Gnessos himself and your leader for this expedition,” Hamish announced.

“I’m getting tempted to work on my kicks a bit more, so why don’t you dispense with the superiority complex? If you are Hamish, you’re my advisor, not my leader. As for myself, I’m Sabine Giroux, and I’m the one in charge,” Sabine said.

“Why would you be in charge?” Hamish whined.

“Because I’m the one with the skull-kicking foot still attached to her body. Now that we know each other, how about you start with the whole advising thing?” Sabine asked.

“Very well, I am Hamish, and while I may not technically be your leader, I am an advisor and will help you adjust to your new existence. Though I must say, with your predilection for violence, and an impressive kick, you should do very well as a revenant,” Hamish said.

“What exactly are you?” Sabine said, a bit confused at this point. Hamish wasn’t just a simple reanimated skeleton. He had retained something of himself, even if his personality was borderline unbearable.

“I am simply a poor deceased man, wrongfully punished for his efforts. My demise has placed me in the clutches of Gnessos himself, and to move on toward a peaceful afterlife, I must serve him as I did my masters in the world of the living,” Hamish said.

“I don’t need your whole life story, just the basics, and most important, what can you do to help me?” Sabine asked.

“First off, I can unlock the will of Gnessos for you, which will enable you to use his gifts. You’ve no doubt seen the simple instructions since you’ve returned to this world?” Hamish asked.

“Yes, I figured out what those were on my own. Is there any tangible help you can give me? There are a couple of grave robbers nearby that I have to deal with, and I do not want to do it with my bare hands if I have another option,” Sabine said.

“Yes, there is one gift that was sent with me, though I am loathe to even handle it, here take it,” Hamish said pulling a bright white cloth bag from the grave beneath him. Sabine noticed his hands smoking as whatever was inside burned the skeletal assistant as he tossed it to her.

Cautiously, Sabine took the bag off the ground, glad to see that it didn’t harm her in any way. Opening it, she found a golden mask that would cover her eyes and nose. It would vaguely make the wearer resemble an owl, or a hawk, or something along those lines. It was a dainty and delicate piece, like something a princess would wear to a masquerade. As her hand touched the mask, a new message appeared.

With this, my debt to Gnessos is fulfilled. Use it for good purpose or face my wrath. You are an abomination, but perhaps a necessary one, so my hand and those of my followers will not rise against you unless you prove yourself unworthy.

Blinking away the message, Sabine examined the mask. She could feel power radiate off it, and as she concentrated on the item, its purpose was revealed.

Mask of False Life. This mask was crafted by artisans dedicated to the goddess Ana-Sett. Bound to your soul, this mask may not be stolen or used by any other, lest they face the goddess’s wrath. When worn, the mask allows your undead form to take on a normal appearance, one that has already been selected for you. Enjoy its benefits for as long as your actions please the goddess.

“I do have a bit of advice for you if you wish to hear it,” Hamish said.

“Go on,”

“These notifications from the gods can be distracting at the wrong time, if you want, you can push them into the background of your mind until you are in a safe place to review them,” Hamish advised.

“Thanks,” Sabine simply replied.

Hamish might prove useful to her as long as he kept to the business at hand. If he slipped back into insults and disdain, well, she could always begin kicking again. The messages had normally faded away on their own, but now, with a little focus, she could push them back from view. After a few moments of practice, the process became smooth enough that it wouldn’t distract her in the heat of combat.

Sabine couldn’t see her face, but from what she could see of her body, it was quite a mess. She would create a panic if she strolled casually into a town, so the mask could prove useful. It looked too delicate, and Sabine was afraid it would fall off without her holding it in place. Testing it out, Sabine found the mask adhered to her face and then felt like it wasn’t even there. A quick shake of her head proved it wasn’t going to fly off.

“That’s better, you must have been quite the beauty in your previous life,” Hamish said. Sabine started to get angry but realized he wasn’t being sarcastic.

Without a looking glass to see her face, all Sabine could go from was the rest of her body, and the advisor was right. She looked nice. All the gore was gone, and her clothing looked clean and presentable. Her exposed skin appeared living and vibrant, but a quick check proved she was still a revenant when she pierced her hand again with a twig and a drop of the black goo oozed out.

Her hair wasn’t dull brown with the short, military cut she preferred, it went just past her shoulders now and was a dark blond. Her build was lean and athletic. The changes were all cosmetic and didn’t appear to affect her strength in any way. Sabine approved; it was worlds better than the undead form she had been forced to wear before.

“I can’t complain, thank you Ana-Sett,” Sabine said. The goddess didn’t reply, and Sabine was happy about that. She figured the less attention she drew from a goddess that didn’t exactly approve of the undead, the better.

“While the enchantments on the item are powerful, they do appear to be solely focused on appearance. You’d think that a goddess could have infused some powerful ability or defensive measure,” Hamish complained. Sabine disagreed and was more than pleased with the gift.

“So, the goddess gave me a gift, what did Gnessos leave for me? A weapon, or perhaps some enchanted armor?” Sabine asked, getting that same greedy feeling she remembered when pillaging an enemy camp after a battle.

“He gave you your second chance at life and one that is in a body a bit more useful than my own. Did you know that I can’t even leave the graveyard,” Hamish complained.

“How are you supposed to be my advisor when you’re stuck here?” Sabine asked.

“No, you don’t understand, not this graveyard, any graveyard. Just speak my name and I’ll be summoned,” Hamish said.

“Okay, that’s a bit better. So, mister advisor, what do you suggest I use for a weapon?” Sabine asked.

“I could try and dig something up here, but this graveyard is old and the people that lived here didn’t bury their dead with much wealth. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to gather what I can,” Hamish said. He didn’t look like was doing anything, just sitting there and staring off into the darkness. Just when Sabine was about to give him a shake to see if he was still there, Hamish spoke.

“Here, this is all I can scrounge up for you,” Hamish said, his skeletal fingers having some trouble picking up the coins in the bottom of his grave and dropping them near Sabine.

“So, these grave robbers are going to be disappointed with whatever they find,” Sabine said gathering up a handful of copper and a few silver that represented Hamish’s findings. She thought about where to put the coins, and a purse suddenly appeared on her belt.

“Where did that come from?” She asked.

“That’s one of the benefits of your new body, a limited capacity to store things in the realm of the dead. Concentrate on the amount you want, and it will appear in your purse as long as the funds stored inside are sufficient. We’re going to need a lot of wealth on this journey and Gnessos couldn’t have you lugging around a treasure caravan everywhere you went.

Sabine tried it out, amazed that it worked as Hamish had told her. Thinking about a single copper, she opened her purse to find exactly that. Hamish also told her that the coin purse couldn’t be stolen. If someone tried to take it, the item would just reappear on her belt within a minute or two. She was about to ask if she could store other things inside but was interrupted.

“See, just like I told you, someone was over here, and there she is,” one of the grave robbers said.

“And she’s a necromancer, too, look at that talking skeleton. Finish these things off and we’ll get quite the reward at Hammerhead’s,” one of the two said, pulling a long knife from his belt. The other grave robber clutched a battered shovel in his fists as the pair began to cautiously approach.

“Sabine, we didn’t a chance to go over it yet, but you can channel your energy into your fists, or feet if you’re going to kick again. It’s better than any simple weapon I could give you. Deal with this lot, imagine the nerve of these two, calling me a dirty skeleton when I’m Gnessos’ advisor,” Hamish said.

“You’re my advisor, not Gnessos’,” Sabine corrected as she moved to place herself between Hamish and the approaching pair.

With her prior success in activating Call of the Grave, Sabine tried to concentrate and find this energy source that Hamish told her about. Seconds ticked by and Sabine could feel no change. Panic began to set in when, all at once, something clicked in her mind, and she could feel the energy inside her, could feel it within the new body she wore. It was a fist-sized reservoir of darkness sprinkled with flecks of light inside her chest. Like a roiling storm, the reservoir of energy flowed how it wished, pulling itself in every direction, and resisting her commands. The enemy was closing in and Sabine could no longer afford to experiment with this new ability.

Raising her fists, she moved toward the one with the knife, if she could keep that one between her and the one with the shovel, it would negate the shovel wielder’s longer reach. The grave robber with the knife gave a tentative thrust toward her.  His attack was clumsy, and Sabine was able to lead him where she wanted as she stepped away from the strike. These two weren’t used to fighting as a team, and Sabine was more than happy to exploit that flaw.

“You’re not very good with that blade,” Sabine taunted. She was unflappable in battle, immune to taunts and insults, but she calculated that this pair of swine were not quite so disciplined.

“Good enough to skewer a monster like you,” The man said, slashing at Sabine, who easily kept her distance. His partner used the distraction to charge Hamish.

“Don’t worry about me!” Hamish shouted as Sabine moved to help.

Given that she had already kicked his head off a couple of times, getting whacked with a shovel would be nothing more than an inconvenience to Hamish. Logic overrode her soldier’s instinct, which was telling her to move to the aid of one of her own. Was that what Hamish was to her now, one of her charges?

“I got the skeleton, gut her already, like you did the other,” the shovel-wielding thug said as he smashed Hamish to bony bits with a single strike.

“I’m not some helpless woman for you to rob and bury in a shallow grave,” Sabine growled. Anger built in Sabine. It was different from the anger that had been stoked by the spirit of the woman. This time, it wasn’t the all-consuming fury, but a slow and controlled burn that gave her focus and motivation without throwing Sabine into a berserker’s rage.

It was now that she felt it, the energy inside her responding, flowing from her core and up her arms with a burning sensation before settling in her fists. She was ready when the man with the knife made his next move, another clumsy slash. Sabine stepped in and threw a punch into his chest. Her fist was visibly glowing with the dark energy now.

When the fist struck, the energy was released. Instead of a powerful blow to throw the man off balance and create an opportunity for a follow-up strike, Sabine’s fist sunk deep into the man’s chest. She could feel bones snap under the blow as the energy gave her strength. The man didn’t make a sound, just collapsed. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Stunned at what she had just accomplished with one hit, Sabine didn’t see the shovel as the other grave robber made his move. A sickening crunch was heard as the shovel caved in the side of Sabine’s head. There was no pain as she dropped to the ground.

Convinced she was about to die once again; Sabine lay there waiting for the void. It didn’t come, instead, the energy in her body made it feel like she was on fire as it flew toward her head. The pain shacked Sabine and she watched as the energy turned into the same black sludge that had healed the wound on her hand. The energy’s power dissipated as it healed, and Sabine began to feel a bit dizzy from the effort.

“You’re a monster,” the man with the shovel growled when Sabine rolled over, her head covered in a pulsing black goo. He had the makeshift weapon raised over his head, ready for another strike. Sabine forced some of the energy into her fist, the glow muted and dim this time. She struck the man in the shin, breaking the bone and causing him to collapse next to her. Able to move once more, Sabine stumbled to her feet and picked up the shovel from where the man had dropped it. He gave a halfhearted swipe at Sabine, but most of his focus was on clutching his shattered leg.

Sabine felt empty, the small storm of energy inside her was gone. The man stumbled upright on his good leg, trying to hop away from Sabine. Long hours of training, and countless battles had forged Sabine into a warrior. She didn’t need the powerful dark energy to finish off one such as this. The shovel connected with the final grave robber's skull and as he fell, so did Sabine. The last of the black energy was gone, dissipating as it turned into the sludge that tried to repair the damage to her skull. The darkness of the void swallowed Sabine once more.