Solid and Shade fanfiction: Intangible - Chapter 2 is up!

Notes from the author:
I do not own Mount and Blade, nor do I own Solid and Shade, and I know that a lot of people react bad to OCs, but please do read on :3 I also know that the start may be a little slow, maybe boring. If so, I am sorry, this will pick up latter.

This little fanfiction, as long as it will be, is based on the mix of Calradia and Solid and Shade, a mod by N0ught (Thanks man!). It will contain gore and, if I do it right, elements of suspense, fear, adventure and battle everywhere as well as the battle of 'good' and 'evil', whatever they are.

It is important to understand this is fiction within fiction: The Earth in this little story is not ours; it doesn't even have Mount and Blade, yet is not really all that different. It is not important enough, and the story mostly doesn't develop outside of Calradia, so it won't really be explores. Calradia, though, is the Warband variant, and not everything is the same as in the original Solid as Shade.

Old heroes, except those of Solid and Shade, are not present too (or they will be, if asked for them), and this mainly involves OCs  and the heroes from the mod, or at least some of them. This story's tale will certainly not involve death to Calradia. Instead this little adventure will have a much more... evil aspect to things, shall we say?

A certain 'Old' town is close to its previous location, close to the castle, but now hidden within a forest close by (you all will learn more latter). Other 'special' locations will also be told about latter, since I either haven't found them all or, really, their moment is not yet night.

In any case I ask for your patience, as well as reviews, as this will live or die by a sword wielded only within the forums. See you soon! (Now read, damn it! And beware of cursing and other bad things, really, if you have a weak stomach for some areas you better move. Also, if you are a minor, GTFO!).

***

Another late night, another body. Some would find it sad that there were no shortage of specimens for medics to dissect or practice with and others would find it unsavory to be in the morgue this late. Either they didn't have to pay the bills or weren't really trying to be a mortician someday, as Archie was.

Archie was kind of a lone man, and a bit of a loony too. This is not to say that he was a madman or bad in the head, no... that would be as far from the truth as you could get in fact, Archie was just smart, smarter than most really, and that was a problem. You see, being smart either makes you a player in the great scheme of things, or someone that asks too many questions. Probably the easiest guess for you now is that Archie was the second group, and you know what? Yes, he was someone with too many questions for some people to find his company a pleasurable one.

'Why is this right? Why is this wrong? Why do we do this if it hurts and why we do that if it harms?' Archie would say, but nay an answer he would have.

Some think that Archie was born at the wrong time and place. After all, what use is a philosopher and a wonderer in a time when everything is said and done? What use are dreams, hopes and ideas when the world is ruled by idiots? Such hard questions, such harsh life... and yet it was the life everyone had.

His father, a soldier. His mother, simply a wife. You could hardly find a pair more common and used to the old times, and yet Archie grew up to be the black sheep of a family that hadn't changed since times long forgotten. His father wanted him to be a soldier, as his father had been, and the father of his father, and so on. He had been expected to know how to cook, sew and simply mind his own business if he had been a girl, so narrow minded and stuck in old times his father had been, but obviously he was not as strong willed as his son had been.

To be thrown out of your house at age sixteen, what a shame! Yet Archie had found in such a thing his future. It was true that his father had taught him (even if he didn't much care) how to fight in many ways, even how to fire a gun in his last days in hopes of having the son he thought he deserves (For all it was worth...), but it didn't get him what he wanted.

Granted that Archie was thankful to his father, after all he was thin but strong thanks to such a sergeant for a father that he had growing up. Not only that, but thankful he was for how that training had saved his sorry ass in the streets during the first day, but his mind had never been in warfare... not modern one at least. Indeed his mind wandered to old times, but not for customs, but because it had been a time when ideals could have been formed, and yet they were obviously formed wrong.

If he could, he would abandon everything, leave all he knew, to have a chance at an early chapter in history, just to help people see differently. Of course he was an extremist in many cases, of course he thought that a lot of people weren't exactly worthy of breathing air, and of course he was sure a few BILLION people suddenly 'disappearing' would make things better, but...

Really, who hadn't thought of that hmmm?

'Why are people allowed to reproduce so much?' Was a question he once made, wondering how it was possible that things had degenerated to the state they were now. 'Why do people kill each other for petty things?' This had been maybe his first real question, one to which his father had answered with a mix of worry and anger. So many wonders, so many points of view, and all wrong. He was probably wrong too, but he was sure he could make things better.

Did Archie become evil just for his way of thinking? Some had compared him to evil people, or what they called evil, in the past, but no one had made a point that made Archie himself doubt his point of view. Was it really bad to think the ones in power were corrupt and they needed to be culled down, as well as control the population's numbers? He wasn't opposed to freedom of thought, speech, ideals and trade, he wasn't against families being happy and he wasn't against anyone, no matter skin colour, upbringing or anything else. Of course he had his likes and dislikes, but he did also knew respect was very important.

Of course, those that hurt him? Well, he did have to move to another city thanks to principal Gordon, didn't he? That his two sons, idiots the both of them, had harassed him all his life because he was different had been tolerated. However, once he was thrown away from his house, they had gone too far when they cornered him under the bright full moon.

A robbery, that is what he had made it look like, he had enough care to even leave no trail behind and steal valuables from their bodies like an amateur would, but not enough so as to leave something easy to find. Most probably it would be chalked down to one of the many petty and desperate criminals of his old town, and, since it had been five years since he killed those two wastes of space, he was sure no one had put two and two together.

At least he hoped no one had.

It made him realize something though: His mind wasn't troubled with the dead, or with killing for that matter. His father's training had indeed left an impression of him, maybe it was a part of why he was how he was now, but it was done and he didn't very much care to change it. He knew a bit of everything thanks to his curiosity, but he was mostly used to the human body thanks to his father's little classes at home. Hell, even a couple of animals had been thrown in for him to practice. True that all his practices had been with pen and paper, or with a manikin, but they had obviously been effective, as a pair could attest to.

Not only that, but those classes had made him the man he was now, and he had grown used to training. With one meter eighty something, black hair and dull brown eyes with quite a few marks on his face, chest and back (Thanks to his father's... 'harsh' training methods), Archie was quite the striking man.

He was deathly pale though, thanks to his time at home, alone or reading. Having been born inland, and not close to anywhere with enough water to swim in, one of the few things he loved, Archie had little to no reason to get out of his house. Many books and maybe some games were all he needed, his mind being his sanctuary. Maybe it was the bullies in his youth, but he hadn't been interested in other people very much, which made him a bit of an introvert and was the reason why he either had no friends, like now, or nearly none, like in his previous home.

That reason made it better for him at his job: Removing organs or helping the mortician. Enough care for the people living now to be 'nice' to those he could help with, but no real concern for the death or those that, as he thought, deserved to die. After all what would you think? Compassion, good, evil, honor and many other things were just something made by the human mind. What was really right or wrong? No living creature could tell, none that he knew of at least, and much less a human.

Justice, though, as stupid a concept as he thought it to be since it was usually used by those in power for their own goals, was a very prominent aspect of human life. He thought justice should be used to help those in need, but it was always used in favour of those that did things within the shadows, or used as an excuse to hurt others out of spite. Few times had it been used as it was originally intended to.

And this time was not one of those times, not as the reinforced doors flew open and someone claimed that Archie's time had, finally, ended.

A bit cliché, or so he thought as he turned around. Archie never really doubted he would have a bloody end. He had thought of being run down by a car, maybe a bar fight one of those few times he tried to mingle with others. It was not that he was prone to violence or anything unless provoked, as already told, but with how late he was out of his work, if at all, most the time he got to his usual places when someone was inebriated.

A shotgun to the face wasn't exactly how he thought his end would come.

It did give him enough time to see his attacker though, and it didn't surprise him, nor would you, to see Gordon there, a mad look in his eyes. He had never liked his father, he probably made sure his sons hated him as much as he disliked his dad. Archie never understood why, but it didn't take him from sleeping at night, something normal if your own actions didn't give you pause.

Still, he didn't have time to even look much at how Gordon had changed during these last five years. Other than his reddened eyes and angry scowl, the only thing he could see was the flash of the shotgun. After that he saw red mist for maybe a fraction of a second, something imprinted on his mind forever, as if that would be the moment he would live in until the end of time, before all was turned to darkness.

"And yet, death is not an end, but a new beginning"

The words echoed in the cold darkness that engulfed Archie. Funny though, since everyone said that those 'close to death' encounters during coma or unconsciousness didn't have any real feeling except fear, hope or such things. And yet this was cold; colder than the first night he went through alone, under the rain and close to the end of fall. It felt like if he was alive, yet he knew his end had been meet.

"Yes, dead you are, deader than you think in fact" The voice was guttural, yet pleasant, as if it had some kind of charm to it, artificial or not. It made him remember movies with creatures that would make you retch, yet kept you stuck to your seat in hopes of what would come next "Much worse than most are you. Not condemned to the heavens or blessed to hell. What are you but a lost lamb in a sea of darkness? In a place far worse than purgatory you are, and here you shall remain, for eternity"

It took Archie to squander some valor to talk. He had just died, confronted with the man whose sons he had killed in self defence; it was obvious he would be a bit afraid, or at least shocked. Truth be told, Archie did not really fear dead, like many people accustomed to a warrior code in this age or those past. His father had drilled it to him 'If you don't fear death you will face it with open arms. This may save your sorry hide someday'.

Bullets beg to differ, but I digress.

"And why should I be in such a place?" Formal and like a soldier, like his father had instructed him, as well as another reason for his awkwardness towards many people. Strong voice in strong body, at least that was normal... or almost, as he sounded weak and scared right now "I did nothing wrong but try to live my best"

"Live your best? Yes, you had hopes, dreams, ideas, didn't you?" A small cacophony of a laugh echoed in the dark as a pair of red orbs appeared in front of Archie "Death accompanied such a pledge I bet?"

Blood red teeth accompanied those eyes, now turning black on the side with a very small pupil having darkened ramifications on the sides. Such a grizzly scene at mere inches of what Archie thought was his face, a large yellow tongue soon hanging from between those serrated teeth, looking, and smelling, as if putrid flesh was present.

Yet the creature went on "Live by the sword, die by the sword, that is a saying you very much are accustomed to" It laughed slightly for a moment, blinking and closing its mouth, leaving darkness for Archie to see if only for a second until it came back to show its weird visage "I may have an offer for you if you seek to live, even in death"

For that, Archie did have an answer "I am dead, and that I understand" Though he did not like it "I fear death no more than I fear life. However I would prefer either such stupidity as is the idea of heaven or torture as is hell, instead of this cold loneliness"

"Such boldness, such valor" The grimace of the creature turned upwards in an impossible arch "Those would fade if you weren't in limbo... and if I showed myself" Grinning 'from ear to eat' only meant the mouth expanding to such lengths that dwarfed Archie to the point of shutting him up permanently. He had been talking out of 'courtesy' and partial fear, but this was far too much even if he was already dead.

Trembling would have made his father beat him to an inch of his life, but right now it seemed to humor the creature. It was not pretty and Archie felt ashamed, but it did make the creature feel... happy.

"You would be of better use than other buffoons I have employed, that is for sure" The creature scoffed and its proportions returned to a more 'normal' level "There is a land, much like yours, with so many layers of reality... A land infested by magic in some of those layers... And there is power I want, and for that the world needs to be alive"

"Wha..."

The sudden curiosity in him died when the creature's eyes turned yellow and it gritted its teeth with a sound similar to crushing broken crystals echoing down his brain. It felt like shards were falling atop of his nerves and turning all his body into pure pain for a few seconds. It was an strange sensation and much stranger sound that was very hard to describe, or even feel.

"Sorry about that" The red returned and, interestingly enough, the creature seemed sincere "You are the first mortal I find that may have ideals close to mine and yet lust for power little enough to help... and that in a human is very strange a find" It hissed in a low tone before adding "Thousands of tries, maybe millions... and yet no advance. Humans are creatures one can rely upon in any circumstance, yet they are easily corruptible"

"What... are your wishes?"

A smirk crept to the creature's form once again "I wish for Calradia's secrets first... and then the world" His smirk only grew "Relics of power tied to the land. Necromancy and armies to walk even in death. Saving the land, and the world, of destruction, yet ensuring this cycle will be the new rule... Calradia is the land to start, but simply a small plot compared to the huge world, and the armies that lie in wait in case Calradia falls and yet lives"

"What is that you seek?" Again Archie grew some backbone, or at least he did grow in curiosity. Either he was easily deceived (which could be very possible), or this creature was offering him a new life, albeit a dangerous one.

It could also mean he was about to die from the shotgun to the face he suffered and this was all an hallucination brought by extreme pain, trauma, blood loss and, probably, destruction of brain matter. In any case it was what he had, and he really wanted to milk it for all he could. As far as he knew he would be dead in the next five minutes, and then all would fade to black forever.

"I seek the artifact to ensure the world whence Calradia lies to live forever: The Infinity Stone"

Or maybe this would turn into even more of a fantasy epic mixed with untold horror.

"You see, the land of Calradia is a land of many colors" The creature started moving, and while Archie felt tremors when it did, he wasn't sure if it was because of its movement or something else "Like your world, it has many dimensions, and many realms within that dimension... Many alternates, you could say" The thing stopped in front of him, the smirk growing little by little to scary proportions once again "Death and fantastic creatures aren't only limited to this realm, but this veil... this... variation... It is known as 'Solid and Shade' by those of Earth that can see between the veils of reality"

"I hope you forgive me" And Archie gulped, because he did wonder "But I haven't ever heard of such a thing"

"Of course you haven't" The creature shook its head as it barked a laugh "I have tried only once to get help from one of the realms of your world that know of what is called 'Mount and Blade', from which Calradia hails as a realm. The traitor known as NOught used dark arts to expand the realm and made it his own in the eyes of the Earth I had as my previous home" The thing snorted like if a thunder cracked, clearly unhappy "Yet it served my purposes... Little by little he expands on the knowledge he gathered from this realm of Calradia, and little by little I am able to get results faster, even if greed and stupidity seem to make my efforts end all the same"

"The risk of over population in Calradia is what brought such danger to the land" The creature continued "In most realms of reality, this ends with the wars claiming so many lives that another few generations can go by, or when a newcomer turns hero, or villain, and lords over others. In some cases the newcomers are what leads one faction to a total victory, but in others, like in the realms of Solid and Shade, it usually ends with the whole world dead" It growled before adding "I want that realm alive,  yet with it pledged to me. I need an avatar that doesn't betray me, for, sooner or later, they die. Once they die, if they have what I seek, another will come and, blinded by the promises of the other great evil in here, they will sacrifice it... and everything dies"

"You mean... That if the stone is destroyed, everything dies" The creature seemed to blink once, as if saying 'yes' to Archie's question "What is so important about this stone?"

"Do you know about the tales of magic in many myths and folklore?" Archie nodded at the creature's question, though he was, at first, unsure if it saw him "In this realm of Calradia they are real... and the destruction of the stone destroys the links that hold creation together, killing even death itself. The whole universe unravels and is born anew, restarting the cycle in that realm over and over again... I wish to add a variable that will stop that, and the stupid people living in Calradia do not fit my goals"

"Medieval society" Archie shrugged, not really thinking that he would say it, so he added something in a rush "Quick gain and power is what they seek. False or not, they don't really live to seventy years of age in most cases, most don't reach thirty. A fast profit is tempting"

"You do have at least part of a head within you, a good one at that" The creature chuckled "And indeed you speak truth, for I can promise you nothing more than your life... and servitude in death" Its smirk grew wider and toothier by the second "A deal with my kind is like that, but in turn I offer you life, and the chance of waging a war for at least half a year, the excitement of adventure and a new whole word you can guide to greatness"

"If I pledge myself to you"

"Oh yes" The creature grinned all too quickly "Serve me, do my biding, and ensure a world full of magic is dedicated to me" It purred in such a melodic tone that was so alien to the voice previously heard, yet so enchanting, that it enthralled Archie even more "I will strengthen the land, I will empower my vassals and I will ensure life and death are both exciting, an adventure to be had" However its grin and melodic tone banished "However, betray me..."

To both sides of the creature gates opened, quite literally, out of the darkness.

To the right the sight of a man impaled through his anus, then coiled around so the stake went through his belly and then through his mouth, forcing its throat open and its mouth dislocated to allow the huge stake wide berth as he cried out in pain. Writhing in undying agony, the man suffered even more as the pike rolled on its own, small spikes of wood, carved into blades, cutting him without pause as he healed just to be cut again.

On the other side of that door, that Archie could see at least, someone was being eaten by a myriad of creatures, regenerating even faster than the other one. He could see one of the creatures rising, a deformed kind of a man, to bite at the tortured's face from the side, tearing the jaw apart before gorging upwards to squash the eye and suck its remains.

An even louder scream from the other side brought Archie's attention to notice a woman surrounded by more creatures. Rape was the first thing that came to mind, but the creatures weren't doing any of the short. They were eating her baby, watching it regenerate and throwing it around like a ragdoll. Archie wasn't sure what she had done to anger the creature so, but even someone that cared little as he did for uncontrolled new population found this a hard sight to behold.

And yet there were more, and more... Many more doors opened around and shrieks, cries and horrific visages tortured Archie's mind as the light that invaded the darkness was red, as red as blood. The creature in front of him had blended in this new 'darkness' with not even its tongue showing anymore, his voice hidden.

Until he whispered "...If you betray me... you'll join them"

And then all the doors closed with a massive slamming echoing through the darkness for what seemed like hours, some screams still echoing through invisible walls. The creature didn't reappear though, it only talked when he was able to hear again.

"Or you can tell me you don't want to do this" The creature made it clear in its voice that it was grinning "That you don't want to participate in a perpetual war that is the land of Calradia. You may find it disgusting to have to kill men and women that fight for lords that want nothing but power... but nearly no one is innocent in Calradia anymore"

The red eyes came back and a pair of eleven fingered hands, shown by the red of those wicked nails, appeared from the dark, before twenty more surrounded Archie "Canibalism is commonplace, there are so many people in every village that they divide by areas and a couple thousand in total is not hard to come by. The war never ends in Calradia, and pillaging a whole village, slaughtering them and their cattle, or doing anything else of such nature is just daily occurrence" The hands departed from his side and only the eyes remained once more "I am asking you to do the same. You have few scruples and want the world to be as you think is best. It suits my needs and part of my ideals. If you wish to do what you think is right, why don't join me? Of course the idea may still be less than palatable..."

"What other options do I have?"

The question seemed to startle the creature a bit. What did it hope for? That not so veiled threats and promises would interest him? It depended on Archie accepting after all.

Since it had been sincere before, the creature was nonchalant on what lied in front of him if he did not accept "You can wait here until either one of the realms within hell or heaven claims you... or another realm of Earth gives your soul flesh once again"

Archie was silent for a moment. A smidge of curiosity did flare on him though. It was from his previous life, yes, but he was curious about it "What cued Gordon towards me?"

"Oooh, some information hmmm? Well, I guess it is fair play, after all you will give me something in exchange I believe" The creature's grin returned "While it will not help you any, I can tell you that the man is dead right now. He found you were the killer not long ago though, but years after his sons' deaths made him mentally unstable, nearly as much as your own mind is" That large smirk unnerved Archie, but the creature seemed indeed... happy "Gordon's forefathers and your own family had a blood feud that had lasted for long enough to make history forget, but your bloodlines and spirits do not. The spirit of his family will follow you to Calradia and will try to fight you I believe, but I doubt it will be of great importance. As to how did he find you?" The grin only got wider "How do you think?"

Well, since it was obvious that the spirit world, something he thought as BULL****, was real, it was not impossible to think that the spirits of both families had been waging war for a long time. He did not know anything about it, and true that both Gordon and his father despised each other, but he hadn't cared in the least about it in his life. Now, as to why Gordon had discovered him? Well, that was a hard question. He did all he knew to mask his trail, hell, he even... Oh ****. So that was his game?

"My father had found out" Strangely it didn't affect Archie as badly as he thought "He knew about what I did, right?"

"Indeed" The creature's toothy grin evaporated "While your realm has little magic, many of the things done are manipulations created by higher powers. Such beliefs by humans are powerful enough that, as far as they believe in them, they can be affected without real magic" It made a pause as its eyes turned yellow again for a moment "Your father was not an ignorant man, but he was far too closed minded to change and embrace what knowledge you could give him. Too rotted in his beliefs of old, as was your mother. That you betrayed them only made them wish for a suitable punishment. Having had another child after you were thrown out, they decided it was time to dispose of excess baggage in case you were to come back"

Shock was present, very much so, in Archie's face. Incredulous as he was, he had to ask "They did that just to get rid of me?"

"What does a lord that has a spine on his side?" The creature chorused with many voices, only to answer its own question with a single one "It removes it, of course" A wide grin made Archie felt anger beyond what he had felt the day he was thrown away "Your father meant well in his own way, and it could've been seen as a good thing even, albeit in times long past. Traitor is what you would have been called, and traitor to one's blood line and father is as much a traitor to a lord, and thus deserving of execution, as any other crime"

"Yet, what of it?" The creature interrupted Archie's anger for a moment "Everyone dies, and you are of the few that feared death little to nothing. You embraced the beginning and the end of the journey all the same. You could begin a new adventure now, or wait for the darkness to leave way to another later on" The grin slowly disappeared from its face as he concluded "I will not leave any memory of this if you chose to decline, and a long time will pass until you are claimed by any realm. By then your essence may be as mad and dangerous as any other human in your previous world. Would you really like that?"

Archie thought about that for a moment. Would he like to wait for what ones thought of paradise or the deepest realms of despair? Neither looked appetizing in his mind, or interesting. One was supposedly 'good' and the other 'bad', but neither of them he could see moved thanks to what he thought. A new realm of Earth for him to live? Who said he would remember what he wanted to do? Or that he would be sane enough to do so? Or, of course, that he would be in a position to do what he had wanted to?

A normal Earth like world was not really on his best interest, or interests in general. Most people in his position would probably mind little to wait and see what happen, probably trying to get away from whatever was in front of him, but in truth that was quite the stereotype. Humans had been used to so many things now, both fantasy of past, present and future, that this would simply mean a new way their new life would turn to. After all, if they were dead already and with no chance to go back to where they were, what kind of loss would any of them suffer from either refusing the creature or accept its bargain?

True though that Archie wasn't normal, and probably a bit more insane than initially thought possible, but hey! Instead of pissing off whatever creature was in front of him, it looked like it had patience enough for him to think. In hindsight the creature probably thought that the man it had chosen to be its 'herald' was mostly trying to get over what his father had done. Betrayal was not a happy thought for Archie, which was why he tried to be 'nice' in some ways, or an utter monster in others.

Putting away that he was a bit 'special', most would take up this offer. Ones would do it to try and cheat their way away from the creature and to try and 'help' Calradia in their own way. Others would do it for powers. In another position were those that simply wished for a new try at life. All of them would probably take the offer, and for what he saw inside those doors, there were many.

"I will do as you ask of me"

"Perfect"

A crude snap, as if a crack of thunder or bones breaking, was heard. The shadows were replaced with light, the ground beneath his feet felt real, and the song of a few birds, plush the form of trees and other plants, was sudden but tangible as his hands wandered around. What was not there were clothes for him, other than some coverings for his privates.

There were the smells of autumn: The old leaves and bark around him leaving a scent that he liked so much during this time of the year, accompanied by late blooming flowers and the buzzing of some insects. Not only that, but the peaceful sound of water running nearby made him calm down as sudden panic crept through his being. He was in a beautiful and bountiful area, even though most the land and the foliage itself had turned brown and looked in a slight... decay. Even the river close by looked partially brown.

Yet there were more pressing maters at hand as he felt his head spin. The creature had told him that he would have a chance at life again, and it seemed it had indeed delivered, but he hadn't done anything for his body that it couldn't do without spending what resources he had.

Archie was beyond hungry and dehydrated, in fact he started feeling weaker than he had been in five years. It was imposible for him to know if he had been standing and looking around for seconds or hours when his legs finally gave away.

It is funny how a new adventure can start, and how fast it can fade to black. He didn't even see the figure in black robes getting close to him as he finally lost consciousness.


This is a wrap as for now. If you guys like, do poke me. I have already a general idea of how I want things to run down, but I MAY accept others' characters (Included N0ught if he finds it funny to participate :3, also hope the mention of him doesn't upset the undead overlord).

This is all open ended, but while I aim to give this story the approach of an antihero (Archie thinks his ways are correct, even if they can be considered cruel, as well as how he deals with people that he feels that corner him), Archie is neither good nor bad. He will not actively seek to destroy things, but he doesn't mind the idea of killing those that would create problems for his goals.

With this said, I need to know which heroes your guys want in this story, plush the OCs (either mine or from others). I know who will be first though, but otherwise it will all be left to what you guys want. I haven't really found everything, as I said, and I need to make sure everything can be 'ported' to Warband's version of Calradia. If anyone has suggestions or such, do say :3

As a side note: My writings go from 5k words to 20k or sometimes more. If you don't have patience you won't last much, plus I write whenever I have inspiration, so long waits are a probability. Ta ta :3!

First chapter's words total: 6.268

Not bad. It is not exactly cannon, and I suppose calling me a traitor CAN be forgiven. *Hides Meat Cleaver; coughs.* It is fanfic, after all. But I do like the meta-fiction aspect of it. I would suggest, however, that you buy M&B and play the mod and THEN write some fanfic for it - I would love to see that. Pair up with a cartoonist and do it webcomic style, and I would be simply tickled green.

B-b-but o3o But I do have M&B and M&B Warband x3 and the mod to both. And yea, it is not cannon (Basically an alternate as said). If I could draw believe me I would make a lot of things about Solid and Shade :3 As it is, I can at best do this and hope that you guys will like it. On that note: Next chapter will be next week.

If you want more mentions of you, or even to appear here, you can request that N0ught :3! Wouldn't mind doing that at all (though not as a main character/hero since I basically made you the scourge of 'The creature' :3).

Uros Osium said:

B-b-but o3o But I do have M&B and M&B Warband x3 and the mod to both.

Click to expand...

How did you manage to port it to Warband?

Also, I've read a little under half by now, and it doesn't seem half bad. I'd like to see more.

I didn't port out on Warband (Did it sound like I said I had done that o3o? Sorry!), I am literally M.S.U (making **** up) as I find secret places or locations and searching for a convenient place in the map of Warband while comparing it to the normal Mount and Blade. Basically ordering things on my head to redesign the map a bit. Also thanks for the compliments :3

Notes from the author:
Not much to say here really. This is the start of Archie in Calradia. Things won't go 'too' weird yet. However one can't go alone here and they do need copper, silver and gold... Ready or not 'adventuring' has to start somewhere.


Sleep was the time when your mind wandered, creating whatever fantasy it was focused on, either controlled by you or not. Nightmares happened in your sleep for many reasons, and psychology wasn't one of Archie's strong points. Dreams, fantasies and other pleasant things that took place at night, when your eyes closed, were equally mysterious to him, but he knew they were as normal as those dark dreams that scared children and adult alike. What he had, though, were memories.

"Remember" His father, a blurry image, as well as the training room he had created for him. It always was the same after he left: Blurry, a haze, something he didn't want to remember but there it was "Your duty is to your country, your duty is to your superiors, your duty is to protect. Fear not death, fear not harm, fear only failure"

He had been eight, EIGHT! And his father had already taught him how to use a knife. He hadn't gone so far as to pit him against animals or hurt him too much, but his father had used practice weapons while handing him real, and dangerous, equipment. One time Archie almost killed himself when he fell on top of a short sword that had been passed down in the family, as many other pieces of equipment that ranged from shields, armor, spears, axes, maces, guns and more. Their family had always been warriors, or at least as far as his father cared to remember.

"Death is freedom, dismissal is a dishonor. You shall fight and die, and you shall fear not to do so for the sake of orders" His father had been wounded badly, he had been discharged honorably. It had... hurt him. Archie didn't remember when, but it was when he was six more or less. He hadn't seen his father much, and his mother had been nice, 'normal' even, back then "Failure is not an option, it is NEVER an option: Do whatever you must and go through those that oppose you. Fulfill y our duty no matter the odds"

Drills, so many drills, so much pain, so many wounds and broken bones. No one asked him if he was well, no one wondered about those blackened spots, or about the limps. Those that did made sure to let him know they only cared because they could hurt him even more using the pain as an added effect to their usual prods. Back then he had been so battered and hurt that he didn't have the effect intended to drive them off, or he was just far too hurt.

His father trained him well though, in fact he stopped fearing pain, or feeling a great deal of it, after a couple of years. He became resilient, he could heal fast, and pain, or fear of many things, left him altogether. It was not something he relished, and he knew it was not good by any means. Archie had turned cold to most and at best managed to mimic some kind of emotions. He could be very good in many areas of expertise if he wanted to, but as good as he could be, he was basically a child, scarred for life, in an adult's body now.

"No! Do it again!" Pain "Each bullet count! Miss once more and I'll whip you!" Fear "Get up, boy, don't be pathetic. A broken leg is no excuse" Humiliation.

Was this how a family should work? Was this how it should be? His father found it pleasant when Archie just numbed his mind and body from most things, but Archie just wanted OUT of this all. Maybe it was why he managed to pick the best of everything he learned to try and get on the good side of others. It at least helped him get that job back when he was alive. At least the dead didn't require him trying to click with them as he did with those people that talked with him.

Why had the creature elected him? Because he feared death little to nothing? Because he could put up an act convincing enough for some of its purposes? Because he had basically been raised as a warrior? Or because he simply didn't give a flipping **** about most things anymore? Archie had to admit that the only thing he really wanted to do was to change the world now. He wanted to make sure no one had to go through what he did, if only to spite on his father's teachings. Revenge was, maybe, one thing he did WANT, but only towards his father. Not even his killer mattered much to him anymore.

What mattered was the thing that got him here.

It wanted the world alive. Why? Archie guessed that creatures 'mightier' than humans would 'feast on souls' and all that, but why have it alive? Was it for that artifact he talked about? Was it because of something else? Maybe it wanted a permanent feast as the world grew and its influence spread. Or was it something else? He could not tell, and after growing in a society he thought he could read with easy, it infuriated him. Was he about to break the pact? HELL NO! But if it was some kind of 'demon' or other creature, Archie wanted to know EVERY single detail on its plan and its motives.

And yet here he was, his memory replaying old times that he hated with passion. It was worsened by the fact that he could believe what the creature told him, that his father had basically sold him out. Paranoid, cruel and demanding: He had wanted someone to fulfill what he thought was his duty as a toy soldier. Archie didn't give a **** about nearly anything anymore back when he lived there, but he wasn't about to get killed because his father thought he should die in a war to keep the family history up.

But here? Here he could make a difference. If what the thing said was true, he could change things, make an empire from a dying land... if he didn't try to stab it in the back. That was debatable, but the creature probably knew he would have his doubts. Right now all he knew was that he was withering, half dead once again, because most his being had suffered when he came here somehow. He didn't want to know how waking up would feel, but as the memories and voices faded he knew he was about to.

Life, what a gift.


Nausea, headache... wait, scratch that, better say ache in every muscle, and disorientation. No food, no water and no sleep, as well as no energy. Whatever had happened when he was brought here, he didn't feel like he had made the right choice. Hell, he didn't even feel like he should open his eyes! The proposal had been quite interesting, but the aftertaste of accepting was going all over his body in a wave of pain.

He wasn't sure if he should complain, all things said: An adventure in a new land, away from the place he already knew (and didn't held any desire to return), and a chance to leave his mark if he did well. This would be something that would remain only for a while in his body, and yet what he could do with this new chance, if the thing did really want this alive, could be so much more. It was not something that would come easy, but nothing in his life had, and nothing in the life of the people that lived here had been any different. With some luck he would not need to try this alone and, thus, would have an easier time.

Right?

Well, first things first, he had to open his eyes.

"SSSSSSSHHHHH..."

And it hurt like if someone was driving needles through them when he did. However something told him to shut up even as his whole body hurt when he trashed around once the feeling burned through his brain. He wasn't sure what it was, and he felt it as alien as you could imagine with his whole body having been thrown to the grinder in exchange of a second life, but he just made sure to keep his lips shut.

When the pain started to dissipate Archie tried to get up. It felt as if something had broken him and put him together with extreme skill, but not care. He felt himself famished and thirsty, but his whole strength was there, his body reacted as perfectly as it should, but it was calling for desperate care and food, immediately. It was not something that he was a stranger to, since he had been nearly starved in a few occasions, but he had never felt like those poor people that really could not afford anything. Right now he could not only imagine their pain, but this time he had to swear that he would buy a full meal to the people he found in such conditions.

'Scratch that' He thought as he growled under his breath, cracked and dry as it was 'I bet I can do better than just some food... I know I want more than that now'

Looking at himself he could see his bones and little to no flesh. It was mostly skin at bone what had remained, and while some people found it alluring, Archie found it disgusting and in need of a change. He liked people being healthy, or at least he liked himself being maybe above his recommended weight. One didn't know when he would have more food, and some reserves were good. Right now eating a whole pig seemed like the greatest wish he had... and he was sure he would be able to eat it all, bones included.

He was angry, he was hungry, he felt pain and, as stupid as it was, he wanted to strangle his father even when that notion was stupid and impossible. However he had to give him thumbs up for one single thing: His training. He was alert, he was ready, and while he knew that right now anyone and anything could probably take him on if they surprised or outnumbered him, he was scanning his surroundings to at least put up a fight or find something useful.

The room he was in was dark as hell. He could see the floor boards and the walls and ceiling made of the same material. A small lamp lied, used not long ago, atop of a crate that was near a large pile of other crates a few feet away from him. Many books, a few coffers, some pots and other containers, but other than that the room was bare.

He kneeled, wondering where he was and how far from ground level his position was located. A slight knocking from his hand made him notice that there wasn't anything under the boards that made the ground. He was sure that this was an only floor though, which was confirmed when he noticed a very small window he noticed right behind where he had been. It was dark as the damn void of space though, signaling there were no lights of any kind for him to see, with only the big moon and the stars having the night lit.

It did confirm that this was not an evolved place, not to his level at least, or the level of society he had been in previously. Archie was thankful for that, but he did wonder WHERE he was right now, if he could find a map and what was to be his first movement. Not having a plan when he had a mission was bothering him, and it made him remember his father's teachings. That did get him slightly angry, but survivalist was something that would be dependent on someone he hated and his lessons.

Whatever. First he needed to know where he was and who wasn't going to kill him outright. Necromancy was not something he knew much about, other than from some games and books. It was not something he had even cared about when it came to myths and other tales. The dead had been something so common during the last century, in works of fiction of any kind, that fear from walking corpses was just possible on the screen and movies.

Hell, here people probably lived with ravenous creatures worse than simple dead rising from the graves, and Archie knew he was going to be proven right at some point. That meant he had to be ready for anything, which also meant that he needed to know if something or someone was close by. Relaxing as much as he could, he tried to pick up any sound.

It was somewhat comforting to hear the bugs outside, even a couple of barks very far away, provably from a house guarded by a quite zealous dog. There were other sounds, coming closer, but the creaking of wood made him lose concentration. He needed to see where he was located, and the window looked promising.

Slowly, very slowly, he poked his head out of the window, trying to look around. Archie noticed that there were two wooden wheels that he could see and a small rooftop that wasn't straight as he had thought, but curved in an arch. He was in a very large wagon, quite the portable house in fact.

By the width and what he remembered from history in school and his looks at middle ages and fantasy from time to time, he was pretty sure this could be a trading wagon, and one of those with massive size. It was big enough to have another room that could act like a shop and maybe one or two for sleeping, plus the storage he was in. These things weren't made as fully fledged houses, and usually they were cramped and modified by someone else after they were brought, but they served their purpose.

"... see it... anything!"

There! He finally heard something, the voice of a woman to be precise. The creaking he had heard was from the owner of the wagon, he was sure of it, though not even in the middle ages did shopkeepers open this late. It either was because Archie was always on guard, or something wasn't right here. If this was the middle ages it could be that someone was about to storm this little wagon, or that something illegal was going on. For him being paranoid meant being prepared, so he only needed to make sure he was armed and, at least, covered... Had he seen something when he scanned the room other than crates and coffers?

There! On top of one of the crates. A ragged black robe was sitting close by. It was covered in dirt, but not really dirty except for an speck here and there, it could all be swatted away with little problem. The hood had been made a piece apart and lied close, alongside a seated dagger and a large shovel. It gave Archie a very bad feeling as he also found some fur covered bots dirty enough to make up for the black robe.

"Necromancer..."

Or apprentice at least. He wasn't sure why he had said that out loud, but the idea of this being indeed true and not just a figment of his imagination during his dying moments was beginning to fade. It should have been something good, but he didn't feel like it was anything but immediate danger.

He needed to know what was happening outside, and he needed to be armed. If he had been taken here by a necromancer then it very well meant that he looked like a corpse, and looking back, he probably did. He wasn't going to be used as a puppet though, and while these clothes he knew were being used to rob graves, with a dagger for protection and a shovel for utility, he wasn't going to be shy about fitting in them and getting the dagger on his newly acquired belt, shovel in hand in case something turned ugly.

Getting out of the storage area Archie could see a slim, one person only, passage to two other rooms on the other side of the wagon, while a half open door let some clear light enter from somewhere else.

'The shop...'

"...book! ...need... just a bit!"

Yes, the shop, and heated conversation indeed. Either it was something illegal as he thought, or problems were going to arise son enough. His hands felt weak when he gripped the spade, but he had enough confidence that he could hold his own if push came to shove. If indeed things went sour though, he would make sure to survive... and to scavenge for supplies. He was hungry, he was tired, thirsty and in pain. Looting the dead wouldn't bother him too much in his mind.

Making no sound was quite easier than he thought thanks to the soft boots, but a false movement would get him caught, and he wasn't up for that ****, not right now at least. Scaring one of the two (he thought it would be only two at least) would mean problems, and Archie wasn't sure how big. The idea of sacking the place of anything that could help him survive was there, but unless he was given reason he would not do something that was more akin to his father's 'Do anything you have to do'. If one of them tried to get him though, then he would not give a crap.

A man with another dark cloak was in front of the shop's side. He was ever so close to the shop's side where he could easily snap shut the large block of wood that was, in truth, the side of the wagon, lifted to ensure he could deal with customers on the counter. This man, however, didn't seem exactly 'simple'. There were many books around as merchandise, with food. that made his mouth water, and other supplies, as well as a couple weapons. This guy was a general trader and did seem well off, but there was a catch.

Archie could see that the robe didn't cover everything, and mails under a soft leather cover could be seen, including that of a mail armor that was nearly hidden. His head wasn't protected, and one could see an old man with a bald head and a gentle look, but Archie had learned to identify people, and the look he was seeing was of someone very much ready to say something, or do something, that would be all but expected. Someone had found, or said, something the old man didn't like, and since he probably had quite the weight on him, he wasn't an easy target if this went sour. That he also had a sword ready under the counter didn't help, even if it was a very short one.

On the other side was someone that looked like she was desperate. With long brunette hair across her face, a woman was eyeing a book in special that seemed to be between the trader's hands. One of her arms looked slightly hurt, and she rubbed it under what seemed to be a slightly reinforced raged outfit, probably with some leather and padding, something that told Archie that she was a hunter of some kind, which was not really as much guess work as it was just obvious by that large hunter bow and barbed arrows she had on her. At least the one arrow that was on the counter was barbed, and Archie thought that maybe the woman had tried to offer a trade.

Thanks to what he heard before, and seeing the pretty face she had and nice figure, that hadn't been all she had tried to trade. Of course he found it weird that half her face was covered in a mask that looked like those porcelain like creations from those masked balls, but he didn't very much mind. It could be perfectly possible that the woman worked for some kind of noble, and if this was anything like his world, then the nobles here, at least the most wicked ones, would very likely 'mark' their men and women somehow to show who they work for. Either heraldic, banners or any other way, but people liked to know how much power they had.

Still that was a thought for latter. The fact that the woman was eyeing the book and that her hand was close to a hatchet while the merchant was putting the book under the counter, close enough to his short sword, made it obvious that this wasn't going to end well. Of course, a brilliant man like Archie knew better than to try and stop this from escalating. He did need to get things done and get supplies, so if they killed each other it was a good things.

But then there was the chance of allies... and someone that knew their way around here. So he decided to cast the dice and do what he needed to do.

He took a step forward, and instead of clearing his throat and calling for attention gently, it all turned much worse when one of the planks creaked.

'Well... ****'

Both heads turned to him and Archie had to curse again to himself. He had been overly careful getting here, of course he had shifted his weight accordingly, not doing so when he walked around with his father asleep ended in a hard knock to the head, or worse. His idea had been to surprise the merchant (and more than probable necromancer), and give the woman time to draw her weapon. As it was, the merchant had his sword on hand and the woman was just surprised at what had happened.

"You!" The man sounded way too young to be as old as he looked around with those green eyes as they turned red, bloodshot, and then changed further as a black pupil appeared in the middle "I had not summoned you! Go back! I will kill the woman myself!"

The woman in question was about to say something, but lifting a hand the 'merchant' stopped her. Lifting a hand, the necromancer let some kind of dark energy flow until it enveloped the woman's throat. Mist would be a fine description, but crackling with small lightning bolts and rubbing as if solid against the counter, scrapping it with fury, made words other than the generic 'energy' lack in many ways when he tried to describe it. Other than sorcery, magic, or something similar, nothing came to mind. However that had been before he acted, and when he moved, his mind just caught the first thing that passed by to describe it before screaming "MOVE!"

He literally slashed through the air with the shovel, knocking the sword of them an out of the wagon, almost slicing the face of the woman by accident. At least the action had made the sorcerer stop whatever he was doing, and instead focused on Archie. He said something in a low hum and Archie had enough time to see how part of the food around him spoiled down to mush in a moment before he was slammed against the wall, crashed a couple of stands with his back, a loud cracking sound coming from his back, before he was thrown out of room and into the hard ground.

"Kill them!"

Getting up made his body hurt more than before. Luckily for him the crack had only been a dislocation he forced back in place with both force of will and brute force at the same time. His left arm, however, would not be of much use anymore as he tried to grip the shovel, only to find pain way too strong for him. Years away from his father had softened him up a bit. His right arm was still good though, and his dagger soon found itself prepared and ready to defend its new master.

No amount of time would have made him any less ready to defend himself however, as he saw six figures getting off the wagon by the back, front and even the open lateral. Six corpses: Six walking, rotting and empty husks that were looking at him with vacant eyes. They had the milky orbs primed at him while they shambled, walked or ran towards him with swords, hand axes, short spears and some shields. It was obvious that these things were property of the necromancer, whom had not deem it fitting to equip them properly, if at all, since one of the creatures was bare handed.

One must thank luck in any way, and Archie did so by stabbing the unharmed creature on the chest. Surprisingly as it was, the thing dropped, dead. He hadn't even stabbed it in some 'vital' part, but the creature had basically 'died' as it crashed down on the ground, its head rolling off like it was nothing, a small stream of darkened blood pouring over the grass before the second monster tried to chop Archie's head with a swing of its axe.

Moving slowly and awkwardly, the monster tried to close on Archie as he dodged. The skin was leathery, its lips were gone, and the teeth were sharpened and broken in a few areas, yet the festering corpse seemed to give no foul odor or appear to be decomposing. It was, though, obviously stupid and unable to do much more than try to attack him, but it was painfully obvious that having advanced from different directions to try and swarm him had not been a good idea.

'These things are made to swarm you at once' Or at least that is what Archie thought as he managed to push forward and throw the corpse on the ground before brutally stabbing at its head a few times, moving away as the spear wielding corpse came to him, finishing its companion by mistake.

His mind wasn't on tactics, but even a simple farmer would have ganged in an enemy, no matter its mettle. These things had been hastily summoned and thrown at him. He was even able to spun forward and knife the spear using zombie's throat with little difficulty. True that his whole body was on fire, and he would scream atop of his lungs if he survived, but at least these monsters weren't getting to him in a group.

A sudden whack made him stumble and fall to the ground. When he turned to face his attacker and try to get up, one of the monsters stepped on his left arm, making him cry out in pain and curse like a sailor in the span of a few seconds as he tried to murder the three figures that hovered over him with his glare.

He had been right, of frigging course he had been right. Any undead in games or stories ganged on you, if they didn't they weren't useful unless something controlled them. Against three, and with his weapon, Archie could only watch as the creatures seemed to salivate; broken mouths eyeing him with hunger as one of the creatures extended a hand towards his face. He could very well feel the desire of the thing to feed as it finally gripped his clothes.

"DIE!"

A hatched embedded itself on the creature's cranium, spilling decayed brain matter all over Archie's hood while the creature's grip weakened and let him go. He didn't wait to see the woman moving from her first enemy to her second, cutting the sword wielding hand before cutting the head in half and kicking the corpse away, only to hack at it some more. Archie was busy bellowing in pain as the wooden club had hit him again, the third creature having finally dislocated his left arm once again, only for Archie to turn its rage on the thing's face, cutting it with his dagger until whatever factions were recognizable before had turned into a mangled mess of putrid flesh.

Once his rage was sated, Archie threw himself on his ass, not even caring about the woman as he cried out, literally, when he reconnected his bones once more. It had been far too long for him to be used to these kinds of wounds. One a week, or a month, had been bearable with his father thanks to just how many times he suffered them. Years away had made sure to dull the pain he could remember, and having this brought back not once, but twice, was making him cry out in pain and rage. At least he was still alive.

He didn't give a flying rat's ass about the woman getting close to him, cleaning her weapon with a rag. Neither could he give much of a **** when he saw the merchant escape on what seemed to be a bloated and putrid, green horse of some kind. The wagon was slow enough to get it by feet, at least one of this size with only one horse. Why he hadn't used some of his magic to kill them Archie didn't know, and, as it was being common by now, he didn't care.

"Thanks for the help..."

The woman's voice was a bit gruff, not as delicate as she looked, with ragged outfit and mask present as it was. However one could easily see that she was at least strong, and was equipped to match what seemed to be a personality ill fitting of a woman of the middle ages. Her face could be considered pretty, but she didn't show signs of trying to get herself decent with blood smeared over it, her hair or her clothes, she hadn't decided against fighting and had effectively saved his ass. Archie was sure that he would find few women like her in this place.

"I should say the same" Archie groaned as he got up, his usual neutral face showing that he was mighty pissed "Though the alternative would have been less painful"

"Not so sure about that" The woman half chuckled as she looked at the previously walking corpses "These things don't eat food, and their spirits aren't their old souls as some think. They do eat warm flesh though, and seem very intent of doing so before it gets cold"

Archie nodded, groaning as he moved his arm just by reflex and to feel pain "Normal zombie behavior" When the woman looked at him, he added "It is what everyone say: They hunger for the living. Isn't that the truth?"

"So I  have heard... but I have seen many men leading these wretched things" The woman kicked one of the creatures away. It seemed to move, and she took it as a big enough offense to hack it down a bit more "Some die only when attacked on the head. Others leave their parts to run rampant until they are broken into many pieces. Some are shambling monsters that only want to feed... but more and more seem to be turning out with people controlling them"

"Well... that doesn't sound good"

"Nor does an autonomous one" The woman brought her hatched to Archie's throat "You look alive enough, but I knew that man for a long time. He visited this village, my home, for many years. When things started out I saw him change... no one saw it, but I have walked all over Calradia. I picked it up and tried to get him off guard with the book on display..."

"What book?"

The woman cut him off as she pushed forward "The Necronomicon! The book of madness! It is the origin of all this" She hissed, then formed a smirk "And I want it for myself"

"The Necronomicon? I don't know what that is!" Archie gulped as the woman took a hand to his healthy arm, thanking whoever made her conscious enough, if at all, of his pain "I woke in the middle of the forest, malnourished, tired and in pain, and then back in that guy's wagon! I don't know what that damn book is or who he was!"

Weapon relaxed, grip moved away, but the mirth on the woman's eyes had only intensified "Good enough. Help me find the book then"


The search had been all but fruitful. For all that the apparent merchant had done as a mistake, leaving the book had not been one of them. His name was Hadog as far as the woman, Serenata, had told him. The old man had been a bit of a tutor when she was young, forgotten by her parents at the coast, near the large tower that worked as a holy place close to the main village of Fenada. He had kept her until she was five years old, then left her in Fenada. Other than that she hadn't said anything about their shared past, but it was obvious that they didn't regard each other as family, or even friends.

What he learned was that the man came by every three months. Until recently no one had felt the need to check the graves of those deceased in raids and by sickness, but when one did check, and not just to bury someone else, but to see if the graves were still full, they found many bodies missing, and not because of the maggots. It had not been Hadog though, but now everyone was a suspect.

But how did he know Hadog hadn't been the one to do it? How had Serenata admitted to that? Because they found a cold, but recently deceased, looter on one of the small bedrooms. Looters, as it seemed, were all over the place, usually young, or very old, street tugs that usually were aspiring bandits or had been when they were young. They all had a price on their heads, and there were always manhunter tracking every single band, easy to come by to pay for the dead before reporting of some of the wretches' fate. There were always more, maybe hundreds of thousands, and some were very strong and well organized bandits, like those close to the sea near the area they were in.

Still, all that only told him that Hadog preferred to kill his victims instead of dig them up. Serenata admitted to have dug up graves in the past: It was an easy way to find some quality wood sometimes, pottery or even some silver, precious crystals, gold or even diamonds. Times were harsh, and easy money under the massive catacombs filled with millions of corpses (and that was only in one city) was a tempting offer.

That... and food.

The food that had been on the stands was the only real food in the cart. Hadog had sold, or consumed, the rest. What had remained in that place that was not spoiled by what he had done was the body, the only one of the bodies that wasn't a zombie. Archie wondered why he didn't even mind the fact that the roasted meat in his hands was that of a dead man.

'Tastes like chicken' He thought without mirth as he bit again, tearing some of the meat as he started chewing. In the past it had been a temptation to do something like this when he THOUGHT he was feeling famished. Here, as he was feeling right now, the thought of cannibalism meant little for him. His body was in need, he felt as if he was going to keel over, and when Serenata had found out he was no zombie, only about to die of malnourishment, she had recommended to light a fire and cook.

"Cannibalism is nothing that an army will admit of, much less a lord" She had said while she lighted the fire after preparing a place for it and a large enough stick to place the body on "But while previous wars and stupid disputes had made everyone feel impoverished, the latest events have been the crown to all this. A crown of death, sicknesses, famished families and desperation"

Admittedly his mind was screaming at the top of its lungs for him to stop. He was eating a fellow man! He was desecrating the dead beyond what one could consider 'humane' back in his world... But so what? The guy was dead, and for what he saw in those lumbering bodies, this was a better end for his remains than to be used as a crappy monster from a crappy movie.

Plus, once again, it tasted good.

It was not only that he had food in his belly, and that between him and Serenata they had basically gotten half the corpse eaten. It was obvious that the woman had been on the wilderness for a long time, and food was, indeed, scarce. What they would leave behind would be picked up by scavengers at some point, nothing would go to waste.

Not only that, but his mood had been turned a full 180 degrees from pain and misery into quite a lot of happiness and awe. The coffers he had seen before had been opened in hopes of getting some food, or finding the book in case of Serenata. Instead of that, they had found something much more interesting and that could help them out more than simply a scrap of food. True that food was covered after a  moment and a bit of discussion, but it didn't make the feeling subside.

Gold! Silver! Copper! One small coffer had a stack of six gold bars, while a much bigger one had two of silver and an assortment of copper bars. It was coupled with a crate full of precious round crystals that were used as baubles everywhere. The gold could easily be sold for four hundred to more than one thousand Denars (the coin used here), and silver went from two hundred and fifty to around five hundred or more. Copper bars were a much less cumbersome way of carrying around one hundred Denars in a way that one could easily account the money, since the price of those bars didn't waver much as it was hard to find coins made of silver or gold these days for what Serenata had said.

Just as a thought as he ate, Archie pondered how much he had learned of Calradia with what little talk he and Serenata had shared. Other than the fact that one silver coin was worth at least one hundred copper (But few people ever carried them, as it was a great loss if you made a mistake), that a gold coin was worth one hundred silver (And was usually used only by really wealthy lords or bankers), Archie hadn't learned anything that hadn't been told by the creature. Calradia was at war, and it was dying.

Oh she did talk about other things, but it was something Archie hadn't cared for the moment he discovered that she was talking to HERSELF. At first he was going to answer a question she had made, but when she answered it herself, with a different tone in her voice, he decided to let it slide. The voice wasn't from Serenata; it was low, melodic... and menacing. She sounded nice enough, but gruff to a point. That other voice was alien on her, and Archie had just meet the woman.

The question as to 'What the hell is that?' was one that he was asking himself since they started cooking the body. He wasn't exactly in a rush to ask her about what was that, not if she was insane, but as he had learned when he was in front of the creature...

It may not be insanity that possesses the woman.

"You have been awfully silent" Serenata quipped as she threw what remained of the leg on the ground. It was surprising how both of them had basically gnawed them to the bone, although the body had been quite skinny to begin with "Something on your mind?"

"Just wondering about Hadog" He lied without missing a beat. It was partially true though. The man could be a problem "And about the book" That part, though, was not a lie in the slightest. He had been focused in figuring if Serenata would do something to him, but that book seemed important.

"Hadog won't bother us, at least I hope" Serenata looked at the bodies of the zombies not far from them Hamil Dogan is his full name, but people here in the lands of the Nords know him as just Hadog. I should have told you that most his business are with the Sarranid Sultanate" The woman seemed to grow angry as she mentioned that "They have a much easier time dealing with undead, much less fear of employing necromancers" Her growls made Archie reach for the sword that he had taken from the ground, the same that he had knocked away from the merchant, before Serenata relaxed "It is no wonder he had such a small fortune with him. Not only that! The man is widely known as a merchant, and I bet even at war and against the undead, many nobles will defend his honor if we try to spread word"

Archie relaxed as he threw what was left of his own meal away "But you think that he will let us go in peace?" He was only mildly disturbed at how easily he had discarded the body part and kept on the banter. Still, he was finally full.

"He has business to do, and now he has one less village to trade with once I tell the rest about what happened here, but he still has many places to go"

Serenata looked at the many lights that adorned the area. At least ten small agglomerations of houses here and there, small areas of the same village. It was an interesting distribution that forced any enemy to attack many targets at once, making it possible to rout them with good enough tactics even if you only had militia, since attacking only one area left time for the defenders and even the civilians to mobilize. True that it was hard to keep it all in order, and probably there was corruption and other such things going around, but so many souls could hardly be contained in one single area with how things were. Plus, if some died, the others would live.

"I bet some here would still trade with him, but most will try to drive him away if he dares to come back" Archie stopped his little analysis and focused back on Serenata "Most lands don't welcome necromancers much unless they prove themselves honorable. Believe it or not, but some of the guys do help people"

"Hmm... Miss Serenata, who are those men?"

The woman eyed Archie with venom "Call me Miss again and I will castrate you" She hissed "And call me Sere, most people that knows me does just that"

"O...k... I'll have that in mind" One thing was not having fear of meeting the maker, another was wanting to lose one's family jewels "Sorry about that"

"Not to worry" She dismissed it "Most lords joke about my status since one of the sons from a noble here. I try not to talk about that, so you better don't ask questions" Her tone made sure to signal that it would be pretty stupid to anyways "Just don't call me 'Miss' ever again. I dislike nobility in general"

"Anyways" Archie was partially uncomfortable with how easily angered the woman was. It could be like threading on thin ice "You said some of these necromancers seem to be 'noble' like in their acts. Is your hope to be one of those?" Sere eyed him curiously "You were hell bent on searching for the Necronomicon, and it is obvious that the book is what seems to posses what Necromancers need"

Sere remained silent for a moment as she picked her bow and started checking it up. It seemed to be something that calmed her, or that helped her focus. Archie wasn't sure but he knew better than to try and disturb her right now.

"I have no real family here" She said with a very low tone "Those that helped me along while I grew were killed time ago by war, sickness and, for those that survived long enough, the undead. Normal zombies are weak, easily killed, but you can find mere cultists, not even in possession of one of the books, with a hundred of those monsters each" She unstrung the bow and took it within a leather cover "Everyone seems interested in sending more living beings to the gutter. I think summoning spirits to help us in a war would hurt our people much less"

Archie nodded "So you at least know something about this. Could you illustrate me?"

"I know little" Sere shook her head "Only that, while every book seems to be different, as if designed by its user in some way, as well as for him or her, many of the processes and creations coming from it are similar or at least alike in some ways" She shrugged for a second "Like the variation in zombies, there are other creations, in most cases dependant on the ambient energy, the magic, that permeates around a battle and that is absorbed by the creatures"

Sere took a small breath and kept going "I found someone in... I don't remember now" She scratched her head for a moment "It seems hazy for some reason, but I know it was... Tulga? No! Ichamur! Uh... maybe it was... Halmar?" She sighed "Hadog's magic threw me on my back, my head still hurts. A lot of from the past week seems a blur now"

"Relax" Archie calmed her a bit with a wave "You'll remember. Probably a concussion that is making your head hurt when you try to remember certain things, at least recent events" He shrugged, it would probably be gone in a day or two, and she seemed fine enough "Anything else you know about the creatures? If it hurts, just let it go for now"

"Well... nggg..." Sere rubbed the back of her head in frustration "I know he told me something about the creatures growing in power, other types of undead... maybe demons and other rituals? He was waiting for someone that wouldn't mind helping him out with something though..."

"We could go to those cities you mentioned, or are they villages?"

"No, no, they are cities, under the care of the Khergit Khanate" Sere got up from her spot "They appreciate an archer capable while riding a horse, between that and the fact that I enjoy hacking things with my axe I have work from the Nords and the Khergit from time to time. I know fast routes between both lands, but they are for a single person capable of riding"

Archie saw the look she gave him "No, I don't know how to ride a horse. Where I come from we do things differently"

"Is that so?" She arched an eyebrow "You'll have to tell me before we go to bed"

"I would rather no..."

The fact that Sere took one hand to the handle of her axe made him reconsider.

"It is simply that you won't believe me, or call me crazy" He corrected quite fast.

"We are in a land where the dead walk when some years ago this would have been considered madness, we have to eat the dead to survive and our lords think waging war against each other to show how is the 'most noble' of them all in the field of battle is the most important thing of all" Sere grinned with disdain "Do tell me what you have to. I bet it won't be hard to believe"


"I withdraw my assumption"

"I have been talking for maybe half an hour and that is all you have to say?"

Well, probably it had been more than that, but Archie wasn't sure how to judge the position of the moon and Sere had just tried to digest what she had been told. A world more advanced than her own? Countries she had never heard of? Technologies beyond what could be created at this time and age? Hell, even that gunpowder thing wasn't really invented yet, and by what Archie had been telling, it was the next stage in development. Archie knew it would sound to her as if he was mad, he had warned her even.

A gross resume had been necessary, and he had intended to just tell her about a couple of things, but Sere just started asking questions... it was better to answer them and not anger the woman. Telling her about cars, about computers, about weapons, planes, etc. She had been fascinated for a while, even if she was obviously thinking it was a load of crap.

"Could you at least stop looking at me like if I was mad?" He pleaded with a tired sigh "I would like to know if the description of the creature I gave you gives you an idea of what the hell made a deal with me"

"If all you said is true? A demon? Probably a big, mean, and powerful one" Sere was looking to the horizon with a blank stare as she spoke "But at least it wants us alive... It just... bothers me"

Of course it bothered her, it should! Being told that there are many realms out there like your own? True that they are all different, but thinking that out there she may not exist in this same world, or exist and be a noble woman, or countless other ideas and possibilities... it was jarring. Not only that, but it was obvious that this Calradia had been killed off many, many times. Considering that Archie was not mad was, to be extremely gentle when talking about it, the worst possible omen possible.

"What part? The one about me coming from another world? Or the fact that this version of said world, which doesn't seem to be anything like it should be, has been killed off LITERALLY a couple of times?" Serenata's stare didn't seem to affect him as Archie stared back with an icy gaze "I got ****ing killed and offered a chance to rot in the darkness or try my luck un-****ing this place"

Sere scoffed at him "And that should make me feel any better?"

"Would you prefer to wait for a necromancer to gather enough wits to go and find what the thing wants?" That made Sere bit back a remark she had prepared "This means it is in my best interest to get one of those books too"

"How so?" Sere turned into attention at Archie's obvious proposal "You want to help me delve in the Necronomicon?"

"I either made a pact with a demon, unholy good or some other ****" Archie chuckled, finding this more humorous than he should have "The idea of reviving corpses to do my biding, if that makes me capable of changing the world, would be nearly damn trivial in comparison" He smirked. The fact that he was taking it seriously and that he thought it like that was a bit alarming. However it was obvious he wasn't the only one here that did, so maybe he wasn't all THAT mad "Would you help me out?"

Sere thought for a bit, however she decided to move towards the wagons before she said anything "If you help me ridding the place of these nobles, or getting them to change how they act..."

"To do that we would need to beat them" Archie could be many things, including forward "I doubt most of them would sit and talk over some pastries"

"Whatever those are, I think I would not like them" Sere didn't even look back as she went to the front of the wagon "But since you haven't said no, I will take that as a yes. In that case you will have my support"

"Good to hear" Archie finally relaxed, having some good news worked wonders "But we will still need some living warriors, and hopefully other people like us"

"Some special individuals you mean"

Sere got inside and Archie went to follow. It was way too late and he had only found some water usable for him or Sere, and both of them had drained it before they ate. Neither was up for much more talking, but Sere was right. Archie remembered what the thing said about the old heroes. Whether or not they would be considered heroes, if they lived long enough, Archie needed people as open minded and as strong willed, and probably weird, as Serenata to accompany him.

He hadn't been here one full day and he had almost been killed a couple of times, yet he was alive. Even an elite warrior would be dead by now. Heroes, anti heroes, villains and the like. They had luck, that is one of the ways to survive, not only skill, and god damned luck was scarce for everyone. Serenata had managed to survive because he was around, Archie had survived because he saved her.

Things were as simple as they got: He had been thrown from a life of solitude to a life where he would need others. Not all that unexpected, and again his father's little 'trainings' would serve to create soldiers from common people, or maybe even make the undead resemble something akin of an army. It didn't make the idea any more appealing, but it at least got it to bearable levels.

If it hadn't been noticed yet: Archie was not a people's person. He was sure he could lead if needed, but while he could try to get on the good side of anyone, he didn't really give much of a crap if they died or not. That part would be useful though, since it was obvious surviving here was quite a problem.

And speaking of problems... they needed to convert what they found into coins as soon as possible.

Waking up was not as hard as the previous day, but while his stomach was full and he was not as thirsty, Archie's body was still aching. Probably it had to do with the fact that the room he was sharing with Sere was cramped with a couple more crates and they had enough space for four straw beds on the ground. The other room was not much better either, and the idea of more space wasn't as appealing as another weapon on the ready and another pair of ears, only in case. Still one of the things Archie wanted to do right away, when he had the time, was to make sure there was some decent space and more or less ample beds.

Complaining wouldn't do much right now though. It had been a while after they woke up, and Sere had guided him to a small tavern where the village headman of Fenada, a man called simply Boggon, for supplies. As far as Sere had told him, Boggon was the last person of those that had cared for him at all, though he came to her aid after she was utterly alone when the undead claimed what she could have called a family. He was more like an uncle, and the man acted as protective of her as he would his daughters, whom, as Sere told him, were part of the military sect of Sword Sisters.

That didn't mean the two meter and something man would let a man go with someone he considered family without grabbing his throat, lifting him a good meter or so from the ground with that pair of trunks he had for arms, and spew a couple of insults his way, as well as some treats.

For a man in his early fifties, with no hair, a large mustache and obvious wounds, old and new, all over his body, Boggon was a damn strong and hardy man. He was built like the stereotypical biker with leather attire, chains and a sawed off shotgun: Capable of using his fists to just demolish you. He even had a leather jerkin reinforced with a bit of mail and even a helmet. Unlike most village elders, this man was here to keep order in and enemies out, not only as a headman.

"So!" He boomed. Boggon's voice was like hitting a brick wall and rubbing it hard against a grinder at full speed "You are going to lead my little Sere in search for a way to dominate those creatures won't you?!" And he didn't know about tact, subtlety or, as it seemed, common sense "Well if you hurt her I will rip your guts! So better take care of my little girl!"

"Boggon!" Sere chuckled "You 'adopted' me when I was twelve, you know I can hack down those things, don't give the man a hard time" She grinned, giving Archie a dirty look.

She had introduced Archie as a wanderer that had wound up in Calradia, about to die of hunger and thirst. That part was true, however she had also said that he was an adventurer that was searching for a better place since magic, and danger, was awakening everywhere. That part was partially true, since she had indeed told him that outside of Calradia things were also going downhill. Really, other than that, everything, including Hadog finding him half dead and thinking he had used his body correctly to summon a spirit to animate it as a zombie, was accurate.

At least they thought that Hadog had done that. Why else would the man say that he hadn't summoned him? He hadn't thought about it at all yesterday, but it seemed sensible to think that Archie had been clinically dead for a while, but something had kept him alive. There was little wonder in what that 'something' had been.

"Besides, if he hadn't been around and Hadog hadn't botched that spell, I would be dead, because he would have been a zombie instead of helping me out" Sere concluded as one of the barmaids brought some water skins to the table, not only for consumption but to have more supplies for the travel that was awaiting them "I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt"

"Never!" The large man gruffly slammed a fist on the table and caught one of the water skins that was about to fly off course, only to empty the contents in one gulp. This man had to wet his throat constantly or risk breaking it, or so Archie thought "I will not believe any man has decent intentions towards a woman, ever, even if that man is a deviant! Much less if it is a young woman and a cleric!"

"Here we go again..."

"This isn't so different from home"

Archie and Serene chuckled while Boggon fumed with an angry scowl on his face.

"You two younglings and your antics!" He hissed "Like those modern medics!" Gruffly, he brought out a bottle and some kind of medieval version of a tooth brush "We had a group that came over and told us that there were new ways of prevent sicknesses! Cleaning our teeth with this brush and herbal paste! Batting at least once every two days! Such madness!" Boggon growled and then lowered his voice "But it did help me with that broken teeth... I suppose not all outsiders are that bad"

"I would like to buy some of that" When Serena and Boggon both looked at him, Archie shrugged "What? It was known from where I come from that being clean in many ways prevents sickness. I suppose some of the more liberal doctors decided to try and help instead of get pockets full of money"

"This stuff isn't cheap boy! But it does help, so we didn't lynch them! In fact we kept them here for a few weeks to test the stuff!" Boggon laughed at full power "Man that was entertaining! The lads squirmed like if they were cattle!"

"Scholars are too scrawny, they aren't worth a meal"

Boggon nodded like it was nothing out of the ordinary, and so did a few other patrons on the small tavern. This place had probably been one of those to fall on the hardest times of all if literally killing someone to eat them was just an everyday occurrence. Archie didn't stand in any moral ground to argue though.

"Anyway!" Boggon coughed a bit to clear his throat "I know that Sargoth has good deals on all precious metals! Even copper is fetching ten or more Denars than usual this month! Our old king is getting even greedier, and he wants his throne room as rich as possible! You could get a great deal over there and you would get to Sargoth in a couple of hours!"

"Indeed" Archie wondered how no one had tried to go outside and steal their wagon by now. However it was obvious that no one wanted to test if the huge axe that Boggon had close to him was just for show "But we still need people. This little venture is not going to be easy, and much less if we also carry so much money since we start, plus the wagon we got would need two horses at least, four would be best"

"Oh yes! The old Hadog had been attacked by bandits on his way here, or so he told me!" Boggon let a low growl escape his throat "I thought it weird that he had no men with him and yet he had most his merchandise! Should have found it fishy enough!" Looking around though, he had to sigh in defeat "But there are no men here! All our young lads that wanted war have gone to Sargoth! Give us a week and twenty or more souls will want to try their luck out of here after the next bandit raid or undead attack, but until then we are dry on berserkers willing to risk their hides!"

"That is not true"

Forth came a man with black hair and a short beard, eyes red like the ambers out of a fire and with a scarred face, his lower maw having a deep gash going through the right side of his mouth, as well as a couple of small scars near his eyes, probably close calls that had been more than simply close. He didn't look all that tall, but his arms were wide and bulging with muscle, while his back was strong, or it had to be to carry that bulky armor.

Green armor with golden paint on the connections, the thing looked not only bulky, but wide and probably thick enough to shrug off even crossbow bolts. It had interlaced plates, perfectly connected together, covering his broad chest, with large pauldrons defending his shoulders and an extension that hovered over most the length of his upper arms. The underside of his arms was exposed though, even with gauntlets making sure his hands and lower arms were nearly unexposed. While there was a small breach as far as the defense went, it was obvious that it had been done so simply to allow him to move in that thing.

In the same fashion his lower chest had only light armor, his crotch was protected perfectly and then, until it hit the knee, the armor was again very strong leather, but still leather, of grey color. He had some kind of reinforced cape that had mail all over his back and front though, so this man either liked to show off or somehow knew what he was doing. It had, overall, an oriental feeling about it.

Or something, it looked weird to Archie.

"Name is Zhao Khun" Yea, Chinese, Japanese, either of those "I also come from a far away land, known as the Blessed Sun. Demons and other creatures are approaching us, most of them seeking us harm. Even the people from the sea are assaulting us, Kappa and Asura come for us in nonstop droves" The man eyed Archie, and now he noticed the facial features of the people of Japan "There were rumors that this had started far away from our lands, from where I hail. Standing and trying to defend ourselves would not do any god, so I came here in hopes to seek help"

"As you can see" Archie piped in "I am not even from here, and right now you could say I aim to help Calradia survive... if the pay is right" He smirked, he could have fun as an 'adventurer' until he got what he wanted and could start his plans "I am not sure we could offer you any help"

"I understand that" Zhao nodded "But I would be honored if you took me under your command. You seem like you would not mind a norowa reta otoko in your ranks"

"A... what?" Archie felt badly about this right when Sere asked, mostly because both her and Boggon went for their weapons "What does that mean?"

"Cursed man"

A small ball of blue flame appeared right besides the man's head. Everyone scattered at full speed to the back of the building, some going upstairs to the second floor in case things got dire. In the meantime a face with curved fangs and factions close to some kind of feline emerged from the flames.

"This is Timomo, my cursed spirit" The man touched the underside of the flame, enticing the creature to purr "He is a minor demon from my birth place. Seems like he had been close to my lineage for many generations, and when the magic came back to our world, he possessed me"

Sere brought her hatched to the table, something that didn't seem to disturb Zhao in any way "Possessed men are often killed here. They have been found to be very dangerous"

"I understand, I myself have ended a few of them" Zhao nodded sagely "However we, in my land, make pacts to recover our bodies when demon spirits posses us. In many cases it is beneficial to both of us" Signaling at Timomo, Zhao explained "He is a guardian lion, and as such he trades protection in exchange of me feeding the energy of my enemies to him. Other pacts exist, and I have found possessed humans here that have made other pacts... however not all demons seem willing to make such simple pacts with their hosts"

Sere looked at her 'adoptive father', whom simply shrugged, then at Archie. Having another man that seemed capable was a good idea, and he didn't give a **** about demon possessed warriors as far as he wasn't going to feed the things that made their pact. It only mean that they had another formidable, and hopefully lucky, warrior with them.

"What kind of skills can you bring to the table?"

Direct and to the point, Zhao nodded at his request "I am a good trainer. I made many young men into fine soldiers, including some women" That, for example, was weird. Japan in his world, and probably most realms of Earth, was one of the most closed minded areas in this sense "Many lords, and even lowly soldiers, saw that as a mistake, but the women of our lands make excellent light cavalry, and they have the perfect form to use our bows. I made sure to leave a garrison of one thousand of them in my lord's care, an idea he approved after they saved him of an attack from giant a small raid from giant Kappa"

"What is so special about those Kappa you mention?!" Boggon got up with his axe in hand "We had a werewolf attack us a few days ago! The thing killed ten men before I cut its damn head off! It could not be much worse!"

"Giant Kappa can be bigger than a house and capable of great defense with their large scaled bodies" Zhao explained with utter respect "Boggon san, they are creatures alike of the animals you call... turtles, and they can easily level a small village by themselves"

That made Boggon **** back down "Other than that" Zhao continued "I know tactics well enough to apply in most battle situations" He nodded at Serenata "Serenata san, as I heard, is a good tracker, and can easily find the fastest route around even for an army"

"Yes, basically my work would be path finding and tracking, what are you getting at?"

"While I bet master Archie knows the ways of war too" He gave Archie a solemn nod "A strategist would be needed in this group, as well as one or two medics. It would also be good to have an engineer of some kind, a scout and a merchant. Not only these skills, but a looter with ways to recover and repair battered weapons and armor, even to tend to prisoners, should be also considered, even as dishonorable as it sounds"

Archie pondered that for a moment, but really, there was little to think over "Do you know where we could find someone with these skills?"

Zhao shook his head "I am sorry but no. I, however, have the impression that you will acquire many followers. I wish to be one of the first" Zhao got up from where he was and bowed in front of Archie "I will pledge my Katana to your service if you would be most gracious and accept it"

At this point Archie had little to consider. Whether the man was a great warrior or just a great trainer, he seemed to be patient and gentle with his tone. The demon on his shoulder had stopped growling and instead eyed Archie with mild interest. That part wasn't as good as one would hope to with how it sounds. Catching the attention of a demon, unless you managed a pact of some kind with an offering or some such, didn't end well in most books he watched, as well as movies... and games... It could backfire one way or another.

Because of this, Archie had to accept. Catching the attention of the demon was probably a part of why Zhao had been forward on his offering, other than pure honor and hopes to gain help in the future. Whatever it was, Archie would make a mistake if he refused. Demons, 'good' or 'bad', were dominated by emotions, and desire of vengeance for even petty things was quite common. Besides, Zhao looked more than seasoned enough, and between ancient and modern training methods, Archie could get soldiers that would not die too quickly, or even survive this whole ordeal.

"You are welcome to join my quest alongside Sere" Everyone seemed to breathe around Archie, him first of all. He hadn't taken long, but since he was going to, technically, be the leader of this little band, his vote had to be cast first "Anything against it, Serenata?"

"He is a soldier, no nobility that he has spoken about, and honorable or not, nobles tend to have some pompousness on them at all time" She shrugged "I'd say he is fine by me"

"Then it is settled" Archie got up and finally emptied his water skin in a couple of gulps. Damn he needed that "We will pick what food you can spare, paying of course, and three horses if it would be possible, Boggon" The tall man nodded and patted on her protégé's back 'gently'. With that it meant something that would probably throw a soldier to the ground with ease "Then we will head to the city, hopefully we'll learn something and get a small band going"


Ok, I mother ******** lied. I said nothing too weird, I know, but I found it appropriate to introduce a couple more characters than I thought I would at this point. Still, the story was writing itself, so I let it continue until I arrived at this point and considered it a wrap. So, to make a quick resume for all of you:

Hadog is an old merchant, probably nearing his sixties. He seems to have been able to find a way to read the Necronomicon and has both money and power, possibly stationed under the Sarranid Sultanate's employ, or maybe not. His motives are unknown, but seems that old acquaintances don't mean much when it comes to defend his craft... though material possessions seem to be of little importance to him.

Serenata is an orphan, or abandoned child, that has grown in the lands of the Nords. As a hunter she is capable of finding the fastest way around Calradia, at least in most cases, both on foot or riding a horse. She is at least capable hand to hand fighter and probably a good shot with a bow. Sere, as she likes to be called, seems to be either possessed... or slightly insane, which would not be all that weird. She dislikes nobility, being addressed as nobility, and probably being bothered in general or speaking of her past much. Her main desire is to protect her village using the dead as an extra force, and probably to change Calradia for the better.

Zhao Khun is a man from the lands of the Blessed Sun empire, what stands in these lands as Japan (however it is, much like Calradia, fictional and not the same landscape as Japan is). What one would call a samurai and a tutor, he is a possessed man, literally, by one of the Shishi: Guardian lions from China in our realm. He is seeking help, since the Lovercraftian horrors have invaded Calradia, but it is probable that their influence has spread all over the world, and has engulfed the land that saw him grow in turmoil. The code he lives by is one where failure or betrayal equals death, so he will serve to fulfill his oat above all else.

Support Characters:​

Timomo is the demon spirit of a 'sacred' Shishi; a guardian lion from China. He is a minor demon of protection, which probably grants partial immortality, which means incredibly hard to kill individuals, or other strong powers... for a price. His appearance seems to be feline, cast by a blue flame, to be its physical body. It is very probable that he is interested in Archie for some reason, maybe even that he can form a physical body.

Boggon, actual 'protector' of Serenata. He is the eldest living member in Fenada, which at least means early fifties, but this man seems to have been made out of damn metals, or at least he has been living the Nord lifestyle to the extreme. While being a normal man and not a 'hero', he seems lucky and capable enough if he did indeed kill a werewolf as he claims to have done. He is your 'average BADASS' if you ever needed one, walking amongst his enemies while cleaving heads and bellowing curses. He seems to think of Serenata as his daughter, even if she sees him maybe as an uncle of some short.


Yes, I know, there are basically no Japanese things in M&B (At least the M&B and Warband, though I do have Gekokujo...), however, since **** is going on in Calradia, it is possible that other places are also affected, so I liked to play with this idea in case I do finish this story and want to expand Solid and Shade beyond Calradia and what N0ught has created... if he lets me :3 Of course that is a long ways from where we are, so that is just food for thought, and for latter. I don't overly enjoy Japanese themes, not on how Anime portrays it now, but the old mythology without super powered beings that can destroy a planet with a fart is interesting, as are most mythologies.

Other than that, the chapter is done, and soon enough there will be problems and quests. The group now needs to find one of the books, and there  is one man that knows about the creatures while other knows about the place that can start it all. As a side note: In this 'setting' of Mount and Blade (and of Solid and Shade), gunpowder is only known by the Necromancers at this point, which means that those things won't be seen much in this story, just a fair warning.

After all of this I only have to say this... COMMENT o3o! If any of you have anything to add, do say so :3 Hope you all enjoy the story though. Remember that I am open to suggestions or questions, as well as, maybe, characters. If you have any you can always PM me.

Total word count for this chapter: 12.938 + 12 pages in size 8 Calibri.

Out of this all: Sorry for the ultra post, but I am limited to a pitiful number of characters per post. This will be a problem I can assure you.