Reborn with a Necromancer System - Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Testing New Strength

Kai sat cross-legged on the old rug in Kleo’s room, fingers absently tracing lines of energy through the worn floorboards. The quiet hum of ambient magic whispered against his skin, dulled by the faded wards still etched into the corners of the walls. The bed beside him was neatly made. Untouched.

Kleo hadn’t come home the night before.

Her absence wasn’t completely out of character, she was a thief by profession and opportunist by nature, but it was unusual. Especially after the pacts they’d made. Firra, the Wyvern Grotto, and her soul being tethered to him.

Kai had found her mother sprawled in the hallway when he arrived, passed out with a bottle still in hand, reeking of old regret and sour wine. Not that he expected help from her. Kleo’s words made it seem like she hadn’t offered anything at all in years.

Still, worry tugged at him. An unfamiliar, completely unwanted thing.

He exhaled sharply and stood. He didn’t have time to drown in unease. There were other priorities to consider, namely, the palace. He had three entry points, and it was time to pick one.

First: Naia. Sweet, frustratingly naive Naia, who seemed hopelessly smitten with him for reasons he couldn’t quite piece together. She had access, yes. But she also had eyes that watched too closely. Kai didn’t like the idea of using her, but the game they played demanded sacrifices.

Second: Rael. A more dangerous path, but one laced with potential gain. Helping him meant an open invitation to the Arena of King. He made it seem like participating in the arena would be of benefit to Rael, but it was mostly a selfish desire, as it was Joran’s wished battleground. That would let him test his growing power against sanctioned monsters and combatants. Perfect for flexing the soulforge’s new potential.

Third: Complete the Adventurer’s Guild Master’s task. Likely the most legitimate option, though it would take more time. Time he might not have.

Kai rolled his shoulders, spine cracking. His decision was made. Wyverns first. Raw strength and field experience were the best ways to test his evolving powers. It would also stop him from getting more people involved than necessary. The Arena could wait. The palace could wait.

But Kleo?

She couldn’t.

He left her house, the door creaking softly behind him, and ventured into the heart of the citadel. He knew it was probably a fool’s errand to be looking for a single streetwise thief in a city of tens of thousands, but he couldn’t leave for the grotto until they were together.

Hours passed in a blur of alleys, rooftops, and shadowed corners. The citadel pulsed with life, chaos simmering beneath its polished stone. Halfway through the search, Kai caught sight of a patrol in the distance.

Armoured boots struck cobblestones in rhythm, the gleam of etched silver helms reflecting the sun.

‘Inquisitors.’

Dozens of them.

And at their centre, unmistakable even from afar, was Broderick. His verdant green hair was impossible to miss, and even more impossible to mistake. Kai stiffened, slipping into an alcove just before the procession turned the corner. His shadow curled around him instinctively. Willam’s father, and the first inquisitor he knowingly met.

‘They’re increasing security. Aldric must suspect something. Maybe he even knows I’m alive. Mari’s going to lose her mind when she finds out, but… she can still be useful. Emotional leverage works both ways.’

Kai waited until the inquisitors were gone before moving on, staying well within the cloak of his Umbral Mantle. It wasn’t as efficient in the day, as light warped around him a little unnaturally, but to any untrained eyes, he was invisible. He moved like a phantom through the city, invisible to all but the most gifted seers.

When he finally found Kleo, the sight caught him off guard.

She was stumbling out of a bar. Drunk. Laughing with two patrons as she left, both middle-aged men with sun-weathered faces, who clapped her on the back like she was an old friend.

He lowered his mantle, and he smiled awkwardly.

He glared at the two men, letting his malice and necromantic energies out in full, who turned on their heels and walked back into the bar.

She spotted him almost instantly, her eyes lighting up.

“~Lukeeeeee~!” she sang, lurching toward him with wide arms and no balance. She wrapped him in a loose, alcohol-soaked hug. “You wouldn’t believe the people I talked to!”

‘At least I know that our contract holds true even during inebriation…’

He raised an eyebrow. “People?”

She nodded, then hiccupped. “Ex-palace workers! Said they got laid off. Cutbacks or something. Maybe there’s openings!”

His mind raced. That could be valuable. But he kept his tone calm.

“That all you did in there?” he asked flatly.

She leaned back just enough to smirk. “Relax, master necro-you-know-what. My purity’s still intact. I just had… a couple drinks. Maybe four. Maybe… six?”

He sighed.

“Kleo, you can’t come with me to fight wyverns like this. You’ll get yourself killed.”

“But I’m fiiiiine,” she slurred.

“Home. Now.”

To her credit, she didn’t argue much. She clung to him most of the walk back, alternating between humming songs and muttering about how unfair it was that she was “sooo pretty, but still single”.

Kai dropped her off, made sure she was safely curled up in bed, and reinforced the building’s entries and exits with heavy barriers. Then he stepped back out into the night, the cold air biting against his face like needles.

He needed life essence. Especially if he were to fight wyverns soon.

In all the games he played, wyverns were the next-best thing to a dragon to fight.

“Flying around on one would make life much easier. I wouldn’t even need flight magic if I had flying mounts…” He giggled to himself while walking the alleys.

The citadel was crawling with sin.

He stalked through the darker veins of the city, where light didn’t reach and the guards dared not tread. It wasn’t long before he found his prey.

The moon was a broken sliver in the sky, barely piercing the clouds that loomed like vultures over the slums of the citadel. In an alley thick with piss and rotting food scraps, Kai stood beneath the eaves of a collapsed building, watching the deal unfold like a spider before the fly noticed its web.Three inquisitors, cloaked in white-and-gold, their armour lacquered and ceremonial, bartered with a pack of street scum. Twelve men, some armed, others twitchy and malnourished, but all drawn to gold like moths to fire. One inquisitor held a velvet-lined box. When he opened it, Kai’s breath caught.

‘Divine artifacts.’

Blades marked with some sort of celestial script. A phial of holy water. A fragment of a Saint’s relic.

Precautions.

They were stockpiling weapons.

Weapons meant to kill him.

They feared him.

And they were right to be afraid. He’d show them.

Kai stepped from the shadows and lowered his Umbral Mantle.

The inquisitors turned, surprise etched on their faces.

“Hello, gentlemen,” Kai said smoothly. “Relying on thugs like these to fight your battles for you? Selling out your gods to save your skins? That’s low, even for the Church.”

“You-!” one inquisitor stammered. “You’re-!”

Kai raised a hand.

“So, you do know me. Good.”

From his shadow, Ralts emerged, her tattered robes now glowing faintly with necrotic sigils. Beside her, Joe rose in silence, his skull crowned with flickering blue fire. The three death knights followed next, metal and bone clanking in sync. Behind them, Rhea, to control the flow of battle and aid both Joe and Ralts with strategy. And lastly, Shade.

Still small. Still awkward. The remnants of a child-entity built from shadow and dreams. But he needed to fight. He needed to grow.

Kai’s voice was a whisper on the wind.

“No witnesses.”

And the night turned red.