I stretched my back out, my spine popping and resettling as I looked around. Camille was busy, and said she didn't know when she'd be free again, so I had decided to go wandering after promising to return. My path had taken me far, and at this point I was near an even larger city than the town I had been in with her. I had camped out last night, and was still near the fire I had slept next to. I didn't know what I wanted to do at this point - I didn't want to return just yet, I knew she wouldn't be back yet, and I didn't want to leave the continent to go to another.

As I was pondering this, I heard voices from nearby. I frowned - I was not exactly near the city, a decent way into the woods in fact, so I didn't think many people would be out here. Especially off the beaten trail like I was. I slowly stood up and walked over in the direction of the voices, light footsteps carrying my tall frame over to the trees. I blinked - well. Assassins were a thing here, I knew that now. Two men were dressed in dark clothes, standing above a body that had clearly fallen to their blades.

Annoying but it was too late for me to do anything about it. So I shrugged one shoulder and went to turn around to return to my campfire -

shlick oh, that was an annoying sound, and one I unfortunately recognized. Already knowing what I would see, I looked downwards to see feet of steel sticking out of my chest, right through my chest. Yep. There had been a third. I fell forward onto my face as my life’s blood leaked from my chest.

“You idiots! You left a fucking witness! No, fuck! You made a witness! This sap was camped not even thirty feet away!” Wow that was a lot of vitriol coming from one individual. The voice was androgynous, so I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman - and at this point, my sight had faded enough that everything was black, barely visible. Fan-fucking-tastic. Oh well. I'll be back shortly fuckers.

“Wait, the fuck? His body is -”


Yep, here again. This damn infinite field of darkness, cold and thick, that clung to me no matter where I went. I floated, weightless, in the middle of a vast nothingness - no light, no landmarks, no sense of direction. Just myself.

This was my personal hell. I despised it more than anything else, this empty abyss, but it was something I could never, ever, escape. Every time I died it wrapped around me once more, an infinite, hungry darkness that sought to claim me. And every time - fire. That was new. Normally the only flame in this dark abyss was mine, when I called it. I slowly started ‘drifting’ towards that fire, curious about it. Was there another Undead in this world?

Before I could reach though, blazing heat raced through me, ripping me from that dark abyss.

With a shuddering gasp I came awake, sitting up by the ember of my fire. Sweet Flame I despised coming back, it was always so damn jarring. I started to push my way to my feet, only to pause as three blades ringed my neck. Well, fuck.

“Right. Don't know what the hell you are. But you look like the corpse of the fucker I just killed. You're coming with us. Mistress will want to see this.” Alright. You fucking nitwits have no idea what you're threatening. Should have just killed me again and snagged me before I became conscious.

I threw myself to the side, at one of the two quiet people - they let out a cry of shock as the blade sank into the meat of my shoulder. I surged upwards, ripping the blade from his hand, and then spun around, driving the tip of the weapon into his own face. He dropped, and I tore the blade from my shoulder.

“You fucks just had to go and kill me didn't you. Don't worry, I'll just take your Humanity and Souls, you'll live on in me.” I snarled and charged forward, barreling into the two stunned figures. My stolen blade buried itself in the second silent figure, as the talker backed away, holding their blade up protectively. “ Ah ah ah, sorry fucker. You actually killed me.” I hurled my blade like a javelin, and he batted it aside - as my chime came up from my belt. Golden-yellow light crackled into life around my hand, and I hurled the bolt of lightning. The idiot tried to block, and his body shook as electricity coursed through him. Another bolt, and he collapsed, like a puppet with its strings cut.

Life flowed into me, rotted flesh becoming healthy and hale once more. I snorted and dropped my chime back onto my belt.


As they fell dead A woman approached, shapely curves scelera eyes...wild and untamed red hair that cascaded down to her waist. She wore loose fitting clothing, a black dress. I was sensing a theme here. It was covered by a leather jacket and leather gloves combo. Poking out from under the collar of her dress/shirt/whatever I noticed thin lines, like fractures that marked her skin. They covered her face too.

Her large and soft lips were pressed into an unimpressed line.

“Mind tellin’ me why the fuck you just killed my men?”

I blinked. Repeatedly. This chick was practically oozing Abyss. Darkness creeped through her, almost unchecked. A prime example of humanity, it seemed. Damn. She'd be a bountiful supply, I bet. I shook my head. No, no, I wasn't Hollow right now.


“Turnabout is fair play, the dumb fucks killed me so I returned the favor.” I folded my arms across my chest.

She tilted her head to the side as her eyes glanced over the scene before her. “I see…” She said in a calm voice. “And if I were to kill you now? Would you just…” She rolled her hand around in circles as she approached me. “Spring back to life?”

She was a tad short to be intimidating.

I raised an eyebrow, and nodded, hand dropping to my chime -

Then, without warning two large ethereal snakes sprung forth from her back. They were lit up in a crackling red energy that practically spat the dark abyss that was within her. Oh fucking great. Of course, I did actually find an Undead, and it's a fucking Abyss touched one. Just my luck.

“I’ll even throw in a freebie - just for curiosity sake.” She mused with a small smirk.

Then….

Well fuck me… those things reacted faster than I could. They shot through me like a knife through butter, snaking through my armor like it didn't exist. Fuck, magical. They bore through me and I could feel...and smell the burning of my insides. Then, the leaking toxins that coursed through every inch of my body.

Dying twice in the span of several minutes…

What was I, a fresh undead? Just out of my grave?

Black abyss swallowed be, once more, then released me, and I sat up, my skin rotted and pitted once more. Fuck, fuck fuck! I was already Hollow again! I snarled as I shot to my feet - that bitch was going to die, and I was going to take some of that delicious darkness into myself to get back what she took.

She was sitting by a tree, her skin exposed as she grinned saucily at me. Thick dark cracks ran across her skin, blackness welling up from inside of them but not quite leaking out. Sweet Flame she practically exuded Humanity!

“I did offer a free shot didn’t I?” Oh don't mine if I do bitch! I drew my sword and lunged forward, burying my blade to the hilt in her chest. Darkness burst forth around my sword, and I drank deep of the Abyss. It wasn't the same - of course it wasn't. But it was close enough, and so much of it. Her Soul flowed into me - then stopped, shuddering and reversed itself. Some stayed locked inside of me - but the rest shot back into her.

I slid my sword from between her ample curves with a bit of a squelch, then tapped the blood-stained tip against the side of my boot. If I was right about what her Soul returning to her meant…

There was a sudden drop in temperature, a flock of birds fleed the tree above where she lay. The tree itself began to rot and writhe. There was the sensaton of electric energy in the air then- a blinding flash followed by crackling energy. WHen it died down she was alive again.

I grunted. “Well, that was dramatic.”