The 'Extra' Lord (Unlimited Plunder) - Chapter 67

You have plundered Tess Rontmore

| Skills gained — Divine Resilience: One's body is constantly infused with holy energy, passively increasing his natural health regeneration by a small amount, especially in the presence of sunlight.

| Spectre gained: Tess Rontmore

Owen stood up in a daze. He did it. He clutched at his heart, his soul. He felt a new apparition to his body flare into existence. Tess was now a part of him. 

“Owen, are you—”

“I’m okay,” Owen said, biting his lip. “I need to summon her. To look her in the face. But my soul is stretched thin with you here.” He turned to her, eyes looking up to match her own. “Are you willing to enter my soul?”

Pyris nodded.

“I’ll see you soon, Pyris. And thank you.”

Owen returned Pyris to his soul. He suddenly felt… lighter. The strain of having a 7-Star spectre out in the corporeal world was like a weighted blanket pressed on his insides. He thought it would be freeing, but all that remained was an emptiness. Like he was alone. But he knew he wasn’t. Deep down, she was there, waiting to be called upon. 

I won’t be long, Owen thought, and summoned Tess.

A small woman spawned from a white flash. She had short dark grey hair cut into a bob. Her flesh was so pale, Owen wondered if she was even human to begin with. But she was, and that told Owen one thing he already knew. She was a dead Spectre. A mindless soldier that had no memories—a husk of their former self. 

She looked at him blankly, not a thought behind her golden eyes. Tess, plundered from his Skill, had no knowledge of the System. Unlike Pyris, who had chosen to enter the Lord’s War, she was ripped back into life without any say in the matter. She didn’t call him Lord, neither did she, nor could she, mutter a single word. 

Tess was dead.

Owen sighed, pinching his temples as the weight of his actions bore down on him something fierce. But what was done, couldn’t be taken back. It was time to think of his people. And she would be an incredible asset to both him, and them.

Name: Tess Rontmore

| Race: Human Undead (Spectre)

| Talent: 6-Stars

| Level: 1

| Class: Healer

Attributes:

| Strength: 13

| Vitality: 15

| Dexterity: 14

| Magic: 40

| Mana: 40

Skills:

| Radiant Blessing — Mastery: None
| Sacred Renewal — Mastery: None
| Divine Resilience — Mastery: None (Passive)
| Guardian's Grace — Mastery: None (Passive)

Skill Descriptions:
Radiant Blessing: Imbues a targeted ally with holy light, healing them for a moderate amount over time. Continues to drain mana as long as the blessing remains active.

Sacred Renewal: Releases a powerful burst of holy energy, healing the user and nearby allies. Consumes a large amount of mana but provides immediate healing in a wide area.

Divine Resilience (Passive): One’s body is constantly infused with holy energy, passively increasing his natural health regeneration by a small amount, especially in the presence of sunlight.

Guardian's Grace (Passive): Allies in close proximity to Tess passively receive minor healing over time as they fight, benefiting from his holy aura. This healing effect increases slightly if Owen is actively casting healing spells.

Tess approached him. Owen stood still, knowing that she’d never hurt him. She didn’t have the mind to. She reached out her small, dainty hands, and touched a wound cut into his arm. It wasn’t deep. It didn’t need healing. But she did it anyway. Her golden eyes brightened, and the same like channelled out of her palms, heating up his flesh. Because of Owen’s high Vitality Stat, it took longer to heal than ordinary. 

When she took her hand away, there was no wound, not even a scar. “Incredible,” he said in awe. It was just like Rizael’s basic healing spell, but far more powerful. It was the difference between someone that had all their powers revolved around healing, and someone that simply dabbled. And she was only Level 1.

He hadn’t received any Stats or materials, but that was to be expected. If he had to guess, then he only received Stats from the Devil Wyrm because of how strong it was previously. Even with it having been dead for a long time, it was still a monstrous beast.

Owen tried plundering the rest of the bodies, but nothing happened. It seems the corpses are too far gone. Tess must have retained her skeleton because of her healing properties? 

Whatever the reason was, Owen turned his attention back to Tess. She just blankly stared at him, following his figure, waiting for a command.

“I know you don’t understand what I’m saying,” Owen said, clenching his fists. “But I’m going to say it anyway. I have summoned you despite every fibre of my being screaming at me, yelling at me not to. I did it anyway. There are people that rely on me. If I don’t snatch any power in front of me, and they die because of it, then that feeling would be far worse than what I feel right this minute. My disgust with myself will wane. I’ve learned to kill. Learned to take what is not mine. But my people will live.”

Tess blinked. 

“I’m sorry. Truly. But your fight is eternal now.”

Owen sighed and placed Tess back into his soul, and brought Pyris back out. She gave him a long look. “Are you okay?”

“Just coming to terms with my life now,” Owen said with a weak smile. “I’ll live. Now let’s get back and set our sights on the next problem.”

Owen returned to his kingdom and picked up a few people. Namely Rehan, Lome, Mirian, Draed and Justin. Inviting any more was overkill. If it was an enemy Lord that had resided here for a while, then he wasn’t certain he’d be able to kill his way out. But if he wanted to escape?

With Owen’s current skills, he was confident in getting everyone away safely. 

They all ran across the desert. Speed was of the essence. Owen didn’t want these people arriving even remotely close to his kingdom. The less they knew, the better. As they neared, they climbed a dune from the west, so as not to make it obvious where they came from, and watched.

Owen had no way of knowing if they had scouting abilities that reacted to sight, but there was nothing he could do about that. 

Four of the six were human. The other two were of elven descent. One had dark skin, the other a pale red thanks to the sun above.

Right at that moment, a Sand Prowler erupted from the sand, pouncing at them. Its claws were like blades as it aimed for the paler elf’s life. A man with a covered face and dark skin, met the beast head-on with a spear. He struck the monster to the side, and the rest made quick work of the beast.

They were efficient, as if they had done this many times before. To cross the sands, they had to.

Owen frowned. The fight told him nothing of their abilities, just one of experience. 

Deciding that it was now or never, Owen stood up, making himself known. It took around ten seconds for them to notice him. At least that told him that their scout had limited abilities, if they even had one at all. It would be suicide if they didn’t. 

Owen, with his team, approached them. Once he was about 15 feet from them, a dust cloud of his own making swept over everyone. Maybe they’d think it was just a random gust of wind, but whatever their thoughts were, it wouldn’t matter. 

The sand settled almost immediately, and when it did so, Justin and Mirian were already in position, weapons aimed at their targets throats. They were two of the strongest of their party. The dark skinned man with the spear, and one in the middle of their formation wielding a staff.

Owen felt mana from the man. They were all wearing face coverings from the sun.

“Do you need help?” Owen asked, his voice powerful.

“What a weird thing to ask, considering,” The man wielding the spear glanced at Justin, who grinned in response. It was strange. The man’s voice sounded vaguely familiar. But he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“The sands are a dangerous place,” Owen replied. “It’s not easy to distinguish between friend or foe. So, what are you?”

“We don’t want any trouble. We are on a mission given by my Lord. A danger is approaching. We have been sent to try and find any other Lords to help the cause. Soon, we’ll be wiped out—”

Owen interrupted, “And why not just leave?” 

He paused as he looked across the sands. “And go where? It’s easier to defend an area than it is to wander without knowing what lies underneath, ready to pounce. Besides, what is attacking isn’t something we can run from.”

Owen felt danger crawl up his spine. Eyes hardening, another Sand Prowler broke out of the sands. Everyone whirled to attention. The man at the front was about to attack, but in a blur of movement, Pyris bolted past him. 

In one swift motion, she effortlessly blew open the monster's head from its body as stars swirled around her fists. The beast thumped down into the sand beside him. The man’s eyes widened at the display of power.

And that wasn’t even Owen…