V2Ch25-Keeper

Kurt Royersford held his teeth gritted in a grim smile.

He ignored the flailing resistance of the human gripped tightly in his arms.

“Aaaaah! Somebody help me! Guys! Where the fuck are you?!” The man screamed. He was completely unaware of what had happened to the rest of his friends who had been wandering alongside him through the mist.

Although Kurt’s emotions were less than they had been as a human, he enjoyed the man’s cries. He found himself wondering if James Robard would wail and panic the same way when Kurt eventually found him.

That seemed inevitable. Kurt couldn’t believe Robard would get himself killed easily. And with Master Roscuro expanding the terrain of the Dead Marsh daily, sooner or later, they were bound to run into him.

The human in Kurt’s grip managed to tear one of his arms free of Kurt’s grasp for a moment. The Ghoul wouldn’t have minded that. But in his frantic clawing and attempts to get loose, the human’s nails tore a small line open on the side of Kurt’s face. That was annoying.

Depending on the size of the rip, it might require Master Roscuro to spend some of his precious time and energy in stitching up yet another of Kurt’s injuries. They didn’t close on their own, as they had when Kurt was human.

He caught hold of the man’s arms again, and he briefly contemplated doing something permanent to halt his resistance.

But no.

They were so close to Master Roscuro already.

Perhaps this human would be worth the master going through the laborious ghoul transformation process. If not, Kurt and his Ghoul Squad might have some fresh meat for a nice change. But he would not rob Master Roscuro of the opportunity to make another soldier for the slowly building army, in the event that this fellow was worth the effort.

As he made that resolve, Master Roscuro’s voice flowed into Kurt’s mind, smooth and warm and deep and rich as ever: I see that my conquering heroes have returned victorious once again. What have you brought me this time, my dear Ghoul Squad?

Kurt felt the glow of Master Roscuro’s attention fall on him first.

The Master’s powers continue to grow, he thought. He detected us from farther away this time.

“Master,” he said aloud, “a humble offering from your most loyal of servants.” He pushed the offering forward, releasing the man’s arms as he did so.

The victim stumbled through the muck, taken by surprise. He fell to his knees. Turned his head back and forth, as if looking for something or someone.

Master Roscuro must be speaking into his mind, Kurt thought. It will all be over soon.

Then the man rose from his knees and began running—right in the Master’s direction, Kurt felt certain. He’d seen this pattern play itself out over and over, dozens of times. Humans couldn’t help but be overcome by Soul Eater Roscuro when they were in his territory. If it were otherwise, it would’ve been impossible for the Soul Eater and his small retinue to form the Ghoul Squad and continue to grow the undead army that reigned in the Dead Marsh.

Sure enough, a burst of black light struck the human, and the man froze in place.

Only then was there motion in the mist. From the same direction the blast of Soul Magic had originated from, a figure strode. The mist parted for him, responsive to his Will as if it was a part of his own body. All was exposed. Both the members of the Ghoul Squad and their Master.

Finally, Kurt saw Master Roscuro’s face again.

Beautiful light gray skin. Gleaming golden-yellow eyes. Long, uncombed mane of gray hair. Pointed ears. That striking, sewn shut mouth. Unmistakable.

Kurt dropped to his knees. The other Ghouls who were now visible with the mist parted knelt as well, shoving their respective human charges face down into the water as they did so.

You have done well once more, Roscuro transmitted into the Ghouls’ minds.

He reached out to touch the paralyzed human, standing stiff as a statue in front of him.

Interesting, most interesting. This one has been gifted with Shadow Magic. We don’t have that in our arsenal yet. Such a soldier is valuable… Roscuro contemplated the human’s value in a stream of consciousness style, for the Ghouls’ entertainment and enlightenment. The more they understood what Soul Eater Roscuro valued in an offering, the greater the likelihood they would continue to please him with their future contributions, after all.

Master Roscuro pronounced the man worthy of joining the Ghoul Squad, and then he slowly went around checking the other live human offerings. Each time, he shook his head.

Three Healers this time, Master Roscuro transmitted wryly. The least useful type of human for our purposes, but at least you take them off of our future battlefields. This was more or less verbatim what the Master said whenever they brought living Healers. The next line was the same, too. Well, kill them and enjoy your meal!

On cue, three pairs of hands began ripping into human flesh. There were screams, but the Ghouls’ efficient killing techniques quickly cut them short.

As for the others, turn them into zombies and set them loose.

These commands were also followed.

As for you, my dear Kurt, the Master added, you continue to succeed in difficult tasks. Last time I sent you out, I asked you to bring me a form of magic that we did not yet have for our army. And you have delivered once more. Your offering was the only keeper of the lot. Today, I have a mission specifically suited to your unique gifts.

Kurt nodded eagerly. Most of his feelings were distant, hollow, artificial things—emotions preserved under glass.

His desire—no, his need—to please his master was something else.

“I hear and obey your every wish, my Master,” Kurt groveled.

This time, your mission will take you out of the Dead Marsh, the Soul Eater explained. You know that we are not the only non-human creatures living and seeking to grow our power in this forest…

Kurt joyfully accepted Master Roscuro’s mission. He felt as if he had earned a sacred trust.

I knew you wouldn’t let me down, Kurt, the Master transmitted. I hope you will enjoy this reward for your hard work today. He drew his Small Bag of Deceptive Dimensions, which he had taken off one of their many human victims.

And he took out a whole human leg, ending in the broken off hip bone.

It was long, pale, slightly fatty, shaved hairless—a woman’s limb, Kurt observed. Probably just the sort of thing he would’ve gone wild for back when he was human, if it was still attached to the woman’s body. Those old memories, and that old identity, felt more distant with every passing day, now, though.

Now he felt gleeful at the thought of sinking his teeth into the meat, which Kurt knew the bag would’ve kept fresh.

The Soul Eater tossed the leg to Kurt and smiled his sewn shut mouth at the Ghoul.

Enjoy.

The next morning, Kurt led the whole body of the Ghoul Squad on their first mission outside the Dead Marsh’s borders. Whether despite or because of the loss of their humanity, the Ghouls were fascinated by new sights and sounds. They would focus on one detail, zeroing in on a plant or an unfamiliar insect.

But rather than stopping and staring, they would typically continue following Kurt’s orders to advance toward wolf territory. There were many collisions with trees and stumbles over shrubs over the next hour.

Finally, Kurt instructed the Ghouls to think only about reaching the destination and defending against possible enemies. That seemed to focus their minds.

And not a moment too soon.

A minute after that admonition, Kurt raised a fist to signal a halt. A group of humans were moving through the brush just ahead of them. This mission wasn’t about fighting humans or collecting prisoners. Outside the Dead Marsh, Kurt was aware they might even be at a disadvantage.

“Hide!” he ordered in a guttural whisper.

The Ghouls concealed themselves in a rush. Behind trees, within bushes, in tall grass. Wherever they could.

And a few seconds later, three humans walked forward through the brush.

“The way is clear,” pronounced one of them in confident tones of instantly-translated Spanish.

“We have to be sure of that,” said another, also in Spanish. “The whole family has to be able to march this way.”

“There aren’t any monsters,” said the first. “That’s the important thing.”

Then they walked past Kurt and his Ghouls, and he did not hear any further conversation.

What he had heard was interesting, however. A whole family, walking in the direction of the Dead Marsh.

I’ll have to alert the Master as soon as I return, he thought. What a delightful stroke of luck!

The Ghoul Squad marched forward with greater stealth now, navigating so as to give the group that the three scouts had come from a wide berth.

They marched on, deeper and deeper into the forest. The great thing about being a Ghoul was that one never tired, never weakened, never needed to sleep.

The journey was a long one, but largely quiet. With the mysterious death of the Spider Queen, a power vacuum had developed in the quadrant of the forest where she had once reigned, as Master Roscuro had explained.

There were a few species that had sought to fill that void, but only one remained as a serious contender now. The beasts that Kurt and his Ghoul Squad were to make contact with.

Finally, the first of that race made an appearance.

As Kurt stepped through a bush, a lone Feral Forest Wolf leaped upon him, sinking its fangs into his arm.

The Ghoul scowled at the sharp pain. But his Fortitude was great enough now, after killing a dozen or so humans, that such an attack couldn’t take him out of the fight. He slammed his arm against a tree repeatedly to dislodge the beast. When the wolf finally became disoriented and fell, Kurt realized that there were more wolves than he had realized. The others were engaging his Ghoul Squad, behind him and to his sides.

“Peace!” Kurt hissed, activating one of his Skills. “We wish to parlay with your alpha.”

A large, two-headed wolf let out a short howl and sniffed the air.

The Ghouls and the other wolves stopped fighting at the howl, as the small group of wolves waited for the Command Forest Wolf to determine what should happen next.

Kurt hoped it wasn’t trying to smell his pheromones to be certain if he was telling the truth or not. He was fairly certain that he no longer emitted human secretions of that kind. Only the sickly sweet odor of slow decay.

Whatever the Command Forest Wolf smelled, it seemed to decide that Kurt and his Ghoul Squad were not enough of an immediate threat to justify sicking the smaller wolves on them again. The Command Forest Wolf made eye contact with Kurt with one head, then tilted its other head, pointing. It let out a short bark. Then it stalked off in the direction it had pointed.

Kurt didn’t need a Skill to understand what was being conveyed.

Excellent. I’ll follow you to your leader.

“Pursue with haste!” Kurt ordered his squadmates.

The Ghoul Squad rushed after the wolves. The main source of Kurt’s urgency was the likelihood that if they were left too far behind, they might be attacked again. This concern seemed to be born out as the beasts led them deeper into wolf territory, and more of the Feral Forest Wolves and Command Forest Wolves appeared at the edges of the trees.

They bore their fangs in snarls, but as soon as they saw that Kurt’s Ghouls were escorted by some of their own, they backed down. A part of Kurt thought that this was a show, the alpha’s way of showing them the strength of his pack.

Certainly they have impressive numbers, he thought. Perhaps seventy or eighty in the pack, if what he was seeing of the adults was indicative of overall size. The pups were not a part of this show of strength, naturally. From his past life as a veterinarian and animal lover, Kurt recalled that wolf packs were typically much smaller than this. Thirty-seven was considered an exceptional pack size. The alpha should be proud to have such a group under his control.

But individually, they were not especially impressive. They’d attained a higher average level than when they attacked the human population at the beginning of Orientation. Yet their levels were not reflective of what their strengths were. Kurt had seen these wolves’ Skills, and they needed to be higher level than humans to be equally dangerous in his view.

Further, the wolves’ power as a cohesive fighting force was weakened by a lack of diversity in their abilities. Most of the wolves had only their fangs and claws to fight with, nothing special to confuse an enemy or put them off balance. The higher level wolf types had elemental attacks, but once you had seen a wolf’s power, it was unimpressive.

Kurt remained unimpressed by the pack until he saw the alpha.

Despite Kurt’s undead biology, a cold dread seized his heart when he lay eyes upon the creature. A massive, three-headed wolf, at least twice the size of the Command Forest Wolves, lying upon a rock atop a small hill. The creature could look over its whole pack at night from that position.

It rose to its feet, snarled low and long, and exhaled with each of its heads as he drew near.

Kurt realized instantly that this wolf had enough diversity of power to keep anyone on their toes. One pair of nostrils exhaled fire, one lightning, and the third a green gas that Kurt was fairly certain was poisonous.

Identify revealed that the Alpha Forest Wolf King had attained level 30, which was quite breathtaking and especially impressive when one considered that it didn’t need to do its own hunting.

In the back of Kurt’s mind, he was aware that the Wolf King was trying to make an impression on him. He had to remind himself that his own Master was even more powerful, though the Soul Eater usually tried to exude a more unassuming aura.

Kurt activated his Skill and began to bargain.

“My master, Soul Eater Roscuro, extends his greetings to the alpha of the great wolf pack of this forest!” he said in his most formal tones.

“So that is why you have come, foul thing.” The Wolf King’s voice emanated from the central head. It sounded like metal scraping against gravel, and Kurt struggled not to wince as the voice pierced his ears. “What does your master want? To plead with me, that I should not invade his territory and take dominion over the rest of this forest?!” The Wolf King taunted Kurt.

The head to the left of the central on let out a short howl to punctuate this last question, and the rest of the pack joined in a collective “Awoooooo!!!”

After the long howl had faded, Kurt replied, as sternly as he could: “No, Wolf King. The Soul Eater begs no one. He continues to be a more powerful ruler than you yourself, as you would learn if you ventured into his domain and attempted combat!”

The other wolves tried to howl over Kurt as he spoke, but the left head let out a bark, and the other wolves cut off their howling instantly.

“Very well, foul creature. Is your master challenging me, then?” The Wolf King sounded genuinely interested. Kurt could feel a lust for battle in its voice that he had never observed in his Master. For the first moment, he felt a flicker of doubt.

Could it be true that Master Roscuro would lose such a contest? The Wolf King exuded such a strong presence.

Then his mind snapped back to the purpose he’d come for.

“No, Your Majesty,” Kurt said. “He proposes a collaboration. As you know, the System will richly reward the victors of each Orientation. For those of us who are not human, the richest rewards require that we eliminate the human presence in our ecosystem. There are humans in this forest who my Master is not able to touch on his own. They are wise enough to avoid marching into the Dead Marsh, and my Master’s territory will not extend far enough to capture them before the end of Orientation. He observes that you have also avoided this particular band of humans. Together, however, your combined power could allow the elimination of every human in this Orientation. Instead of competing for dominance over this forest, there would be plenty of rewards to share.”

“You raise an interesting proposal,” the Wolf King admitted. “There are some humans who have been too hazardous to hunt. With each passing day, finding humans appropriate for our pack’s younger members to prey upon becomes more difficult as the surviving human groups grow stronger and more united. The idea of making a clean sweep of the remaining humans is tempting.” It stepped down from its high perch and began walking toward Kurt. “On the other hand, you yourself were once human, were you not? Why should we believe that you would betray your own kind to work with us? Should we not worry that in some moment of combat, you and your fellows—” With the tilt of a head, the Wolf King gestured to the other Ghouls—“may suffer some inner conflict and choose to betray us?”

Kurt smiled. An easy question.

“Our Master enjoys our complete loyalty. We’ve killed many humans already. There is no conflict.”