Leornars stepped out from the shimmering magical barrier, a silent specter in the harsh desert light. With his pale skin, shock of white hair, and intense red eyes, he didn't look like he belonged. He approached the bandits, a casual, almost bored expression on his face.
"Hey there," he said, his voice a low hum.
The bandits sized him up, their leering gazes lingering on his unusual appearance. "He'd fetch a pretty price as a slave," one sneered, stepping forward. Leornars's retainers tensed, ready to intervene, but he subtly waved a hand, halting them in their tracks.
The bandit got within a foot of Leornars before he suddenly stopped. His eyes went wide, and then, with a sickening thud, his head toppled from his shoulders, hitting the sand with a soft spray of dust. His body crumpled a moment later.
"Oh? You really thought you could lay a hand on me, you filth?" Leornars asked, a cruel twist to his lips.
The remaining bandits charged in a frenzy of rage and fear. Leornars simply flicked his wrist again. This time, an array of black, nearly invisible threads shot out, slicing through the air with a faint hum. The bandits were cut to pieces, their bodies falling in a heap of mangled flesh and cloth.
"And that's 'Threads of Abstract,'" Leornars explained to the silent air, "They can cut almost anything to ribbons. Not that you're listening, but whatever."
He walked over to the magical barrier and tapped it. The man who had erected it, a weary-looking guy, slowly made it vanish.
"Thank you for saving us," the man said, his voice shaky.
"Like I wanted to," Leornars thought to himself. "I just wanted to test the accuracy of my threads, but okay."
Stacian and Zaryter approached, with Zhylyena carrying Zaryter's sleeping sister, Shullah.
"Don't let her see this mess," Leornars said, raising his hand. The fallen bandits stirred, their bodies twisting and reforming into grotesque, shambling undead creatures.
"What in the actual hell?!" the man who had created the barrier exclaimed.
"My name's Dylan, Dylan Yorkshire," he said, still staring at the undead.
"I'm Zaryter, that's Stacian, and he's... the lord," Zaryter said, gesturing to Leornars. "Now can we get a move on? This sun is killing me."
Dylan laughed. "Sounds like you've never been to Vurnam. The average temperature here is something out of a novel. Over 93 degrees Celsius."
"What?! So we're just sitting ducks for scavenger birds? We're gonna die out here, ohhh," Zaryter wailed, beginning to panic.
Leornars walked over to him. "Idiot," he muttered. The newly formed undead sank into his shadow as if swallowed by the earth.
"So you're a necromancer?" Dylan asked, his surprise replaced by a curious awe.
"And you're a support class," Leornars countered.
"Oh, you already knew?" Dylan said, a small smile on his face.
"I noticed you could only erect physical barriers for blunt attacks, but nothing else. And the fact you maintained it for so long means your mana pool is stable," Leornars explained, making Dylan look even more surprised.
"Don't worry, he'd read you before you even did anything. It's just how he is," Stacian said with a sigh.
"It's always terrifying. Stop analyzing people," Zaryter added.
"Why do I feel like I should hit you?" Leornars asked Zaryter.
Before Zaryter could reply, Bellian appeared out of nowhere and punched him, sending him flying into a sand dune.
"Not cool, bro!" Zaryter yelled from the pile of sand.
"So, you're heading to Vurnam too?" Dylan asked, turning back to Leornars.
"We're in the Vurnam Desert. What do you think?" Leornars retorted.
"That means yes," Zhylyena clarified with a small nod from Stacian.
"Cool, then we can travel together!" Dylan suggested, a hopeful look on his face.
Leornars sighed, a long, weary sound. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this," he thought.
As they walked, Zaryter spoke up. "By the way, what was that sand monster...?"
"Hmm... I actually forgot about that," Leornars said.
"Sand monster? Oh, you mean the Sand Devil. It's a beast that inhabits this desert and attacks anyone who seems to be a threat to the nation," Dylan explained.
"Oh, so it's the nation's pet," Leornars said, a hint of something dark in his tone.
"Seems like it," Dylan said with a dry laugh. "So, what are you going to do in Vurnam?" he asked.
"Some stones are better left unturned," Leornars said coldly.
"Absolutely," Dylan said, noticing Leornars's gaze shifting to the people he was with. "Oh, where are my manners?" he said.
"Somewhere else," Stacian instantly replied.
Leornars scoffed, a small smirk playing on his lips. "These are the merchants I'm supposed to safely escort to Vurnam," Dylan said.
As the "merchants" began to talk, Leornars listened intently, his mind already at work, analyzing every word.
"My name is George, George Countsley, and this is my wife, Bernie Jones," the man said. "We're merchants from... uhm... Durmount... no, I meant the Theocracy of Lurtra. Yes, we're delivering millet grown in the regional areas two months ago, taking it to Vurnam to sell."
They say they're merchants, but where are the goods? Where's the carriage? I don't see any documents on him, Leornars thought. We didn't grow millet in Lurtra, I never asked anyone to grow anything. And he said two months ago? That was harvesting season. Only hay was available, and I ordered them to grow either potatoes or coffee, not millet. I see, oh.
Leornars's gaze shifted to the woman with Dylan. She wore expensive clothes and jewelry, and the man looked wealthy as well. Leornars's smirk widened as he noticed the ring the man wore, emblazoned with the Lurtra crest. His eyes glowed a faint red.
He snapped his fingers, and Zhylyena instantly read his thoughts. Zhylyena, when we get to Vurnam, kill everyone who's not in my group. No exceptions, he silently commanded.
Zhylyena's face showed a flicker of confusion, but she didn't question it.
A cloud of sand appeared on the horizon, rapidly approaching.
"That's not good," Dylan said, his face grave.
"What now?" Zaryter asked, his voice laced with annoyance.
"Did you happen to attack a Sand Devil?" Dylan asked Leornars.
"And what of it?" Leornars said, unfazed.
"Well... you see, those beasts are extremely vengeful. They'll attack anything that has injured one of their own," Dylan explained, his eyes darting back and forth.
Leornars began to strategize. My 'Heartless' skill has been draining my mana for days, and that Purgatory Flames I fired earlier was the last of it. I can't risk using my Soul Ki. I'm not dying to some sand monsters, he thought.
Dylan pressed his hand to the ground, pouring mana into it to detect the beasts. "There are twelve of them... all fully mature ones," he said, his voice barely a whisper.
"This is not good," Zaryter said just as the ground began to vibrate.
"Split up!" Leornars commanded, rushing away with Zhylyena right behind him.
Stacian went head-to-head with one of the beasts, a blazing fire erupting from her hands.
"No need to wait until we reach the Vurnam capital. We'll end them here," Leornars said to Zhylyena.
He rushed past where the merchants were standing, his presence attracting the beasts' attention. The ground shook, and a massive Sand Devil burst forth, swallowing the terrified family in an instant. Leornars leaped, stepped on the beast's nostril, and flipped to the ground as Zhylyena sliced it in two.
He looked back to see Stacian had already eliminated the remaining ones. Dylan stood there, his face a mask of disbelief and terror. "Why? Why did you do that?" he asked, rushing at Leornars in a pure rage.
"Why?!" he screamed.
"Oh," Leornars said, a chillingly calm expression on his face. "I'd been planning on killing them ever since I first saw them."
"They did nothing to you... nothing!" Dylan shouted.
"You're right, and you're wrong," Leornars replied, his voice flat.
"Then why?!" Dylan yelled, his fists clenched.
Leornars was on him in an instant, his hand wrapped around Dylan's neck. "You need to watch your tone with me. I don't tolerate pests," he growled, his voice a low, cold threat, his eyes burning with rage.
Dylan's anger slowly bled out, replaced by a dawning sense of dread. Leornars released his grip, letting him fall to the sand.
"They were nobles who fled Lurtra. I was tracking down any noble I could find, but couldn't. Until I met you," Leornars said.
"Nobles?" Dylan asked, confusion in his eyes.
"Didn't you realize that? Don't be useless. They wore garments only worn by the aristocracy and jewelry of the highest standard. Even a fool would see through that. They had no goods, documents, or a sensible story," Leornars stated.
"What if you're wrong?" Dylan asked, his voice weak.
"I ran numerous calculations in my head. All of them led to the outcome that they were nobles. I don't know what made them decide to go to Vurnam, though," Leornars said.
"So what do I do now? I don't have anywhere else to go. They promised they'd take me in if I helped them get to Vurnam," Dylan said, his face collapsing in despair. "What's my purpose?"
Before Leornars could answer, an arrow shot from a dune, burying itself in Dylan's chest. It hit his heart. He gasped, his last breath leaving his body as his eyes fluttered shut.
"Perfect shot," a voice said. Bandits emerged from their hiding spots, their laughter echoing in the sudden silence. Leornars stared at Dylan's body.
"I don't have any mana left," he said, turning to Stacian. Before he could react, a piercing pain lanced through his head. His 'Heartless' skill deactivated. Zhylyena instantly vanished into his shadow, dropping Shullah.
Leornars pulled out a dagger. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" he asked, his voice shaking with a cold fury.
"No, you tell us, what have we done?" they sneered, laughing.
Leornars walked toward them, dropping his dagger in the sand. He began to use his Soul Ki as mana, unleashing a rare, forbidden skill.
A chant echoed across the desert, a chilling incantation that bled from his lips. "From the depths of hell, the guardian of damnation mocks the righteous. From the cries of the unknown, the endless cry unforgiven by the Lady of Sins. Cries, echoes, and false words may not be forgiven. I call thee... Gate Keeper!"
A colossal metallic statue rose from the earth, its surface pure black, its eyes weeping black tears. The statue, thousands of feet tall, held a stone tablet. As the final words were spoken, it let out a piercing scream. Chains with spikes erupted from its form, tearing into the bandits, shredding their flesh and bone.
"No matter what you do, you cannot fight against the Lady of Death. Age rules upon the depths of the underworld. Your soul will be torn, cut, and erased. There will be no cycle of rebirth or reincarnation for you. I cast you out of this world... Begone!"
Leornars cried blood from his eyes as the bandits were levitated, their forms evaporating. They fell dead, their bodies mere husks without souls. Leornars stumbled a few steps, his gaze fixed on the Gate Keeper, before he fell unconscious. Stacian rushed to his side, her face a mix of terror and concern.