POV: Nara
System Notification — Undead Party Formed — Active
Nara counted her undead carefully. Pip — small, flight-capable, inconspicuous — her eyes flicked to it every few seconds, tracking its subtle movements. Stone — the Level 7 stone troll, massive, awkward, but loyal, already following her silent commands. And the newest acquisition: a Zone 1 zombie wolf, found dead in a shallow ravine about an hour ago. Pip had discovered it first, sniffing along the edges of broken trees and loose stones, and Nara had revived it because the plan — such as it was — demanded speed and mobility.
SYSTEM PANEL UPDATE: Zombie Wolf, Level 3, Allegiance: Necromancer Bond, Command Slots: Basic
The wolf's eyes opened to a dull amber glow. It sniffed the air once, then looked directly at Nara, tilting its head. Pip made a small chirp, rapid and urgent, and the wolf's ears flicked. Stone shifted slightly, massive form scraping against dirt and rock, alert, sensing its new companion.
Nara crouched behind a boulder, adjusting the Grimoire bag on her back. She opened the manual, flipping quickly to the undead control section, cross-referencing with creature stats she had noted over the last day. Three undead, three personalities, three sets of instinct. All could move independently, but all required coordination.
STATUS CHECK: Nara — Level 0, EXP: 0, Class: [UNREGISTERED GLITCH]UNDREAD STATUS: Pip: Active, Low Alert — Stone: Active, Basic Commands — Zombie Wolf: Active, Basic Commands
She considered her position carefully. Zone 1 was technically restricted. Any Level 0 being should not exist here. The barrier should have thrown her back, or at least triggered a System alarm. But nothing had happened. Her EXP counter still read 0, her class still [UNREGISTERED GLITCH]. The System, it seemed, did not register her as existing.
SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Undead Loophole Confirmed — Barrier Nullification Active
She tested her theory. Slowly, deliberately, she approached the Zone 2 barrier, one step at a time. Nothing. No hum, no vibration, no kill-flash. She stepped through. The Zone 2 barrier shimmered faintly but did not react. She paused just past the threshold, breathing carefully, feeling the ambient energy of the zone. Zone 2 was heavier. Denser. Danger lurked in every shadow. She stepped back into Zone 1. The barrier still ignored her. She stepped through again, her undead companions following without hesitation.
SYSTEM PANEL: Zone 2 — Level Requirement: 100,000 EXP — Current EXP: 0 — Access Granted: Loophole Exploited
Nara stood in Zone 2 for a full minute, letting the air fill her lungs, letting her eyes adjust to the lighter, thinner canopy above. The terrain shifted here. Stones were sharper, roots twisted over rocks, and the scent of decay was faint but omnipresent. Pip perched on a low branch, swiveling its head, scanning the area. Stone rested on its haunches, massive hands splayed on the ground, dwarfing her own form. The zombie wolf sniffed and padded softly around the edge of the clearing, tail stiff, ears twitching.
OBSERVATION: Zone 2 environment — moderate threat, low visibility, uneven terrain, multiple potential ambush points
She crouched behind a stone and opened the manual again. Cross-referenced barrier entries, Glitch Class notes, and undead handling. Nothing explained what she was doing. No record existed of a Level 0 being navigating Zone 1 and 2 without detection. She wrote a note in the margin: System doesn't see me. EXP doesn't matter. Undead are loopholes. Underlined it twice.
NOTES: Undead Control Effective — Zone Bypass Achieved — EXP Accumulation Null
A sound behind her drew her attention. Heavy. Deliberate. Calculated. Not random. Footsteps that carried weight beyond the terrain. She froze. Pip chirped once, low and urgent, scanning the perimeter with rapid movements. Stone shifted its weight, scraping rocks, shifting slightly closer to her. The zombie wolf crouched slightly, ears forward, tail stiff.
Rhen. She recognized the movement pattern before she even saw him. A man, enormous, scarred, walking with the precision of a veteran, presence radiating authority and danger. Twenty feet away, he stopped, staring across the barrier at her, calculating. His gaze was sharp, no question about his intent.
SYSTEM ALERT: Entity Detected — Level 44 — Glitch-Class History — Zone 0 Escapee
His voice carried across the gap, calm, almost rehearsed, authoritative. "You're the necromancer." Not a question. A statement of fact, delivered with certainty and weight.
Nara's pulse quickened. Three undead shifted subtly, picking up on the tension, sensing her instinctive alert. Stone adjusted, massive fingers gripping stone. Pip chirped low again. Zombie wolf growled faintly, tail twitching, eyes amber in firelight reflections.
SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Level 44 — Combat Capabilities High — Awareness High — Zone 0 Escapee — Glitch-Class Operator
Rhen continued, eyes sharp, voice steady. "I walked out of Zone 0 once. Forty years ago. I never went back." He paused, letting the weight of his history settle in the space between them. His presence alone carried experience, guilt, and the lingering weight of survival. "Mags told me to find you."
Nara swallowed. Heart racing. Three undead now directly behind her, bodies aligned, instinctively protecting her. System panel displayed their loyalty, their bond active. Commands ready.
UNDREAD STATUS: Pip — Ready — Stone — Ready — Zombie Wolf — Ready
She noted the alignment. Stone slightly to her left, blocking open flank. Zombie wolf slightly to her right, ready to intercept fast-moving threats. Pip overhead, scouting, eyes sharp, ready to chirp signals.
TACTICAL STATUS: Defensive Formation — Active — Response Time — Minimal
Rhen took a step forward, scanning. System analysis in her head: Level 44, combat experience extensive, likely stealth and tracking mastery high, potential engagement: imminent. She could run — Zone 2 had shadows, terrain, roots, rocks — but this would alert him. He was trained to track, and she had no EXP advantage.
OPTIONAL STRATEGY: Maintain position, observe, assess, prepare undead response
Nara exhaled slowly. She opened the Grimoire bag slightly, feeling the familiar weight of knowledge and command. Fingers traced manual pages. Commands flowed through her mind. Stone, halt. Stone froze mid-step, eyes glowing faintly. Zombie wolf, circle left. Wolf padded around carefully, ears forward. Pip, scan overhead. Pip took flight, moving in subtle loops, keeping Rhen within sight but not obvious.
SYSTEM COMMANDS — ACTIVE: Stone — Halt; Zombie Wolf — Flank; Pip — Recon
Rhen's eyes flicked to the movement of her undead. Recognition crossed his face. He had seen a Glitch-Class operator before — not like this, but methodical. Strategic. Dangerous. Nara realized, almost too late, that his experience was unmatched. Forty years in Zone 0 had honed instincts beyond simple combat — prediction, planning, calculation.
ENEMY ANALYSIS: Level 44 — Tactical Master — Zone Knowledge Extensive — Combat Prediction Expert
She adjusted. One hand on the manual, the other close to her bag — ready to pull out elixirs, components, or any quick defensive measures. Stone shifted slightly, a subtle reminder of strength. Zombie wolf growled low, a rumble echoing faintly in the shallow ravine. Pip chirped low.
PROBABILITY CALCULATION: Engagement — High Risk; Survival — Contingent on reaction; Undead Efficacy — Medium-High; Zone Advantage — Unknown
Rhen's stance relaxed slightly, assessing the situation, but alert. He had come to Zone 1 for this, with a clear mission: retrieve or neutralize, depending on his assessment. His words hung in the air. "Mags told me to find you." Weight of decades of guilt, responsibility, and past decisions radiated from him.
Nara adjusted stance. Commands ready. Formation steady. She let herself inhale the night air of Zone 2, letting every sense absorb data, every calculation feed the System interface in her mind. She had three undead, a bag of knowledge, and a loophole through the System that had made her invisible to its checks. And across the gap, she had Rhen, Level 44, Glitch-Class veteran, and the embodiment of calculated risk.
MISSION LOG: Zone 2 — Northeast Sector — Target Located — Necromancer Engagement Risk — High — Undead Deployment — Active — Zone 0 Escapee Presence — Confirmed
The air seemed to hum. Pip chirped again, low, urgent. Stone shifted. Zombie wolf crouched slightly, ready. The night closed in. And Nara realized, with a cold certainty, that this encounter would mark the first real test of her abilities — her control, her undead, her loopholes, and her unregistered existence.
SYSTEM ALERT: Target Interaction Imminent — Tactical Readiness — MAX