"Wow...who would have thought it?" Lesley muttered.
A pale moon was rising from the horizon and the stale foul stench of the undead filled the air, under twilight stars. Graves, broken and in ruins were all around, their occupants out in the world, festering and feasting on the living. Infact a few of them were still in the cemetery, roaming with mindless hunger for life.
In the centre of the cemetery was a broken down church, a forgotten structure of purity and hope for the divine. It stood in the dwindling twilight, it's grey walls and faded cream paint abysmal and symbolic. Infront of it was a pool, a place where people were reborn in the name of the holy, but no longer was that the case. It had been abandoned along with it's church, but miraculously remained untouched, like a forsaken virgin.
The water within it looked cool, with an aquamarine hue, somehow having not evaporated, sullied or be drained away. Lesley stood before it with surprised eyes, shocked but the sight. When Mel had said he knew of a place with water, he had not imagined this.
"Does human not want to bath?" Mel stepped forward with the bucket and raised his brows," Water is...clean. Always."
"I can see it's clean. But, I'm just surprised that it doesn't have zombie guts or blood or something." Lesley kneeled down and put his hand in the water," It's not cold eit- woah!"
The red haired young man marvelled as he moved his hand in the water, and saw its trail glow with tiny golden flickers. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he moved his hand in small patterns.
"Hey, Bloodline, is this water safe?"
[Yes. The water is very safe and beneficial.]
[Host has found an Iron grade treasure; Holy Water!]
[Holy Water {Iron grade}; A priest once lived here, but when the undead came he fled his church to save himself. Due to continuous exposure to Death force, the Holy Water grade dropped from Silver grade to Bronze and finally Iron. It maintains a holy aura because of the priest, who in his haste dropped his blessed rosary in the pool]
That's another interesting feature of the Primordial Perception that Lesley hand found out on his way here. If there was a treasure or entity that he scanned, the Bloodline provided some information on it. However, this was only for certain conditions, which Lesley did not even know or understand. He'd asked the Bloodline interface but it had merely said it was a random variable based on luck.
It was a load of crap, Lesley had thought.
"Holy water? Hmmm. Makes sense." Lesley smiled a bit," But it's so low grade. What benefits can I get from it?"
[Host can use it to ward off low rank wisps and low rank demons.]
[Host also may bathe in it and receive a 5% momentary increase in Vitality]
"Five measly percent? For crying out loud. Whatever," Lesley rolled his eyes,"I don't see the benefit of that little boost, but I'm gonna bath. I was going to either way."
Lesley took his clothes off quickly and went into the water, hopping into its embrace.
"Haa~" Lesley emerged from the water with a content sigh,"Man I needed that. A good soak is a freakin miracle."
"Lesley didn't use the bucket." Mel said behind him.
"Eh? Waaaah!" Lesley screamed and shot a vicious left hook that slammed Mel away," What the hell is wrong with you!? I'm naked!"
[Your Familiar has been injured!]
[ - 5 Vitality ]
"Oh shit," Lesley swore and looked at Mel who was getting up," You hurt?"
"Yes, I am." Mel walked over slowly and Lesley grew livid.
"Zombie, if you know what's good for you, you'll cover your God damned eyes. Now!" He shouted.
Mel stopped and frowned in confusion, then slowly he raised his hand and covered his eyes.
"Is this better?" Mel asked unsure of the problem.
"Yes, now go sit over there or something. Wait, give me the towel in the bucket, then go sit over there. And you better keep your eyes averted when you hand it over, or I'll beat you till you only have one point of Vitality left." Lesley stretched out his hand to receive the towel.
The Undead obediently obeyed and got Lesley's towel for him," Ummm...Les, why are you angry? Did I do something wrong?"
"You seriously don't know?" Lesley asked him," Remember when I bathed at Mama V's shelter and I got angry?"
"Yes, I still don't understand." Mel stepped back and sat on a broken pile of rubble.
"Unbelievable. Look, when someone is naked, they are... vulnerable. Yeah, and it's rude and unpleasant when someone else sees them." Lesley tried to explain.
"But, The guard humans bathed together. Veranda showed me." Lesley tried really hard to ignore that he said a thirteen year old girl was around naked bathing men.
"Well, if two people are naked together it's less...of a problem. They're both vulnerable, so it doesn't matter." Lesley wiped himself with the towel, removing grime and dust.
Lesley was a pale teenager with deep red freckles and red hair like a blood stained sea. His eyes were greener than pine or weed, and caught the light everytime he blinked. His body was well toned, lean muscles that focused on agility and strength, made him look attractive and strong. The dead twilight carried the moans of wandering zombies and decay in the wind, kissing his bare skin.
Mel sat gazing away, his eyes watching the various zombies walking across the cemetery. His eyes travelled to a specific direction, before gazing up at the risen moon, it's colour like an ugly egg.
"Hey! You listening to me?" Lesley shouted after not hearing a response from Mel.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Lesley gave a small click of his tongue," You're so distracted, maybe being in this cemetery is bringing back your memories."
"No... not memories from before I died. But memories from when I was." Mel pointed to the east," Down that path is where I gathered the bones of those who didn't wake up. I used to gather them and...leave them . I don't remember why though."
"I was kidding, but damn , you did a lot of weird shit." Lesley twirled slowly in the water, looking at the glowing flickers he made," You know, I feel like you're... a nice person. I mean I cringe at thinking about you eating anyone and will beat you to minced meat if it was someone I knew, but... you're not evil. Not like I thought atleast."
"Thank you." Mel gave a small lift of his lip," I want to be a nice person for you."
"Okay, that is something else we should talk about." Lesley started scrubbing his hair thoughtfully," When you say stuff like that, it sounds... like you are romantically interested in me. I ignore it, but... I don't want to have to."
"I just say what I feel, I'm sorry." Mel apologized and Lesley sighed.
"I don't hate it, but I don't like it either. You're an undead zombie, I don't even know what I am anymore. Romance is not the top priority on my mind." Lesley said calmly," Besides, I'm not sure if it would be right to even think about it."
"Why?" Mel asked and Lesley's eye brows rose up.
"Why? Well, you don't have a pulse, a life or ...nevermind. It's just weird to even consider it," Lesley said turning away," It's not like the living and the dead can be together. Magic or not, I sincerely doubt-"
[Host is incorrect. Several species of Undead are able to reproduce with the living and some have living mates.]
"Eh? I'm sorry what?" Lesley asked it.
"It said that Undead and living can be-" Mel tried to explain but Lesley cut him off. They'd learnt that every message Lesley received was shared with Mel too and vice versa. That came with him being a Familiar apparently.
"I know what it said, I just can't believe it." Lesley said crossly," Listening in, gosh that's annoying. And I don't care about reproduction, I ...kids are way out of my age range."
[Host is incorrect. Humans are capable of reproduction at-]
"You fucking piece of shit, I don't need to hear that. I was using a figure of speech!" Lesley shouted and a trickle of grey Aether blasted out into the water. It spread like wild fire, turning the aquamarine water into a pale toxic green.
The pool started to glow , like bioluminescence poured in a vat of radiation. Lesley gasped and watched as the Holy water became a glowing green pool before his eyes.
[Warning! Host has contaminated the Holy Water!]
[Holy affect has been erased!]
[Water has been turned into Defiled Pool!]
[Receive minor attunement with Reanimation law whilst in the pool!]
[The repulsion effect has been turned to a magnetic affect for low rank wisps and low rank demons!]
[Minor Life leeching detected!]
"What the hell?" Lesley gasped as he looked at the water and used [Primordial Perception]
[Defiled Pool {Bronze Grade}; A former Holy Water source that was contaminated by the toxic Aether of Undeath. This water is a boon for low rank creatures of death and malice. One sip can boost the strength of an imp and one drop can kill a mortal man where he stands. Forsaken by the gods are those who drink this water, and they will suffer. ]
"Shit, shit, shit," Lesley couldn't believe his eyes at the words before him," I seriously have got to learn to control that. Man, the waters pretty but now...I have to...what are you doing?"
Mel stood behind Lesley, having taken off his clothes and entered the pool.
The Undead man was tall, with a fit and toned physique making him appear strong but not grotesque like. His blonde hair caught the flicker of night, like bright wheat grass in the dark. His blue eyes were glazed over and appeared hazy like he was sleepy even when he was wide awake. It gave him a rugged look, like a waking hooligan, but the small smile he had was soft enough to freeze the heart like ice on the grave.
"I wanted to bathe too but I couldn't go in the water earlier." Mel said as he lifted his palm and drank some of the water.
[Familiar has drank Defiled Water]
[+ 0.5 Vitality]
"Huh, wow. Wait, why couldn't you come into the water?" Lesley asked and his Bloodline interface answered.
[Holy energy is toxic to Undead creatures]
[Although Familiar has {Primordial Attunement}, it offers a high immunity but not full immunity. Your Familiar is also an Awakened Undead, and very vulnerable to Holy energy due to his true low rank. The low grade Holy Water would have minorly injured your Familiar]
"Why didn't you say so sooner," Lesley clicked his tongue as Mel drew closer to him.
"I don't think you're right." Mel stood infront of Lesley, both naked as new borns," I don't remember when I was alive, and I barely remember when I was ...not like this. But, I remember you. Everytime, I see you, I remember you and I feel... good."
"What exactly do you remember? The biting? The yelling and assaulting?" Lesley folded his arms," Which part? You and me have the best backstory."
"No," Mel raised his hand and put it on Lesley chin," I remember you watching the stars. I remember you eating with a smile on your face. I remember you looking sad when you looked at the big wall. I remember you crying at night and me listening and hoping you'd feel better. I... remember many things, see?"
Mel looked down unsure but adamant," I know you hate Undead, my kin, but I don't care. I don't mind. All I want, is to make you feel happy. Smile. Please, can I... try?"
"Try what? You're not making any sense." Lesley answered feeling nervous.
"To... to make...you feel happy. Can I do that? " Mel asked slowly and Lesley chuckled.
"Ask me that question in a year," Lesley smiled and gave Mel's lips the briefest peck before moving away," But I gotta get out of this pool. Those zombies are coming over now."
A small group of undead residents were walking towards them in haste, or the haste they could manage with rotten joints and decayed muscles. Lesley got out of the water and after telling Mel to look away, he put his clothes back on.
"Interface, Is there a way for me to gain Soul points here? I need to get a method for not leaking out Aether all willy nilly." Lesley asked as he put his jacket on.
[Spirits of the Undead posses Soul shards and can be used to gain Soul points.]
[You can obtain a Cultivation technique to create your meridians afterwards]
[The Host can use the Defiled Pool to lure Undead spirits and extract their Soul shards if he wishes to.]
"Okay, how many Soul shards do I need for a soul point?" Lesley tied his green scarf as Mel put on his own clothes on the other side of the pool.
[It depends on the Rank of the spirit and it's Aether Core.]
[Another factor is luck]
"Luck? Again? Fine, whatever." Lesley opened his Status Window, which he'd asked the Bloodline interface to alter. He'd thought it was fixed, but some things he could change to make it easier to see his progress.
He'd have to prove the relevance though before the System altered it.
[
|•|
STATUS:
Name: Lesley Woodsman
Species: Human
Title(s): Primordial Heir, Aggrieved One
Bloodline: Primordial Phoenix {Incomplete}
Bloodline class: Primordial {Extinct}
Status: Bloodline integration {8%}
Class: None
Cultivation Rank(s);
Physical cultivation: Level 3 {Mortal coil}
Spiritual cultivation: Level 8 {Soul Awakening}
Main law: Reanimation
Minor law(s): Reincarnation {Sealed}
|∆|
ATTRIBUTES:
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES;
Strength: 35
Agility: 35
Stamina: 55/55
Vitality: 45/45
Endurance: 25/25
Sanity: 85/85
|∆|
MAGICAL ATTRIBUTES;
Spirit: 35 {+30}
Aether Soul Sea: 320/320
Soul Ascension: 320/10 000
Aether Core: Awakened {Stabilizing - 16%}
Soul Weapon: The Grim One {Golden Grade}
Necros Points: 0.0
Soul points: 0.0
|∆|
SKILLS:
BLOODLINE ABILITIES:
[PHOENIX ATTUNEMENT | Passive]
[PRIMORDIAL PERCEPTION | Active | Level 1]
*
MAIN LAW ABILITIES:
REANIMATION;
[NECROS ABSORPTION | Active | Level 3]
[UNDYING | Passive | Level 1]
[DEAD AURA | Active | Level 3]
[BLOOD FAMILIAR| Active | Level 1]
[UNDEATH TRIALS| Active | Completed Rings 0/4]
*
MINOR LAW(S) ABILITIES:
REINCARNATION;
[INCARNATION CHAIN] {Sealed}
[CYCLE PSYCH] {Sealed}
|∆|
Name: Mel {Change?}
Species: Undead
Title {s}: Lost Lamenter, Primordial Familiar
Rank: High level Zombie
Class: None
Main law; N/A
|∆|
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 30
Agility: 30
Stamina: {Limitless}
Vitality: 45/50 {+ 0.5}
Endurance: 25/25
Sanity: 84.0
|∆|
MAGICAL ATTRIBUTES:
Spirit: 20 {+20}
Zombie Core: Grey {Awakening}
|∆|
UNDEAD ABILITIES:
[NECROS BITE | Level 1]
[ZOMBIE DASH| Level 2]
[LIFE SENSE | Level 1]
|×|
FAMILIAR ABILITIES;
[SOUL LINK | Level 1]
[PRIMORDIAL ATTUNEMENT | Level 1]
[TWO TO ONE | Level 1]
|∆|
Summons {2/5}:
Bone Constrictor [Low level Skeleton]
Tobias [Low level Wisp]
Items: None
Note: Accursed Delicacy
{Law Descent and Plane ascension imminent in 2 months, 3 weeks, 4 days and 1 hour}
|•|
]
He'd added an [Endurance] slot to both his and Mel's status so he'd know how much their bodies could take in terms of damage and strengthening. The Bloodline interface had suggested inserting it in stamina but Lesley pointed out that Mel's stamina was limitless and he personally wanted to know his body's level of durability.
"Okay then, time to hunt." Lesley smiled as a glowing blue ball of light appeared before him, squealing like a child. It was translucent , with a greyish blue sheen. Looking at it enthralled the eyes and it's light seemed to dull the senses of the living flesh.
"Ready Tobias?" Lesley asked with a wide smile.
"N-no," Tobias the wisp said nervouly.
"You kinda have no choice. Haha." The teen laughed softly.