Interlude: Skull, Part One
"Please, make it stop! Make it—no, no, NO! AHHHHHHhhhhghgh"
Edward Genton collapsed at Nikolas' feet, blood leaking from every orifice. Edward's tuxedo did little to hide the rippling fat that was his belly, his greasy hair around the side of his head making his bald spot all the more obvious.
Nikolas bent down, patting the pockets of the man's pants and his shirt for what he was looking for. He pulled a strange, cube-shaped black crystal about the size of a fingernail out of the dead man's pockets, standing up and turning the object in the dim light of the mansion.
"Another self-important asshole dead and the stone that brought him to such heights is now in my grasp," he said to himself. "Too bad this thing is worthless to me."
The crystal in his hands was a Will Stone, an item capable of amplifying certain Manifest Powers anywhere from twice to twelve times as much, based on the quality of the Stone and the power of one's Divine Reach.
The problem was that each one could only be made to buff a single category of Manifestations. The one Nikolas held was made for Radiation Manifestations, rendering it useless to him who had a Manifestation in the Thought category.
But he was paid to acquire it and kill the owner by some rebels who called themselves the Moonlit Daggers. A very horrible name, in Nikolas' opinion, but he wasn't paid to question their naming skills.
Tucking the Will Stone into his pocket, he took out a knife and cut Edward's ear off, the proof of his death that the Moonlit Daggers requested. He tore off part of the man's tux and wrapped the ear in the cloth, sticking it in his pocket next to the Will Stone.
He moved to leave, passing a few blubbering guards in the hallway that looked like they had escaped from an insane asylum and several servants passed out from the trauma.
He walked down the steps to the mansion, enjoying the sun on his skin. He may be pale, but that was genetics. He always wanted a tan, and he loved being in the sun. Even with the Shyviate Collective's most advanced technology, they were only able to darken his skin from sickly pale to normal flesh color, and that only lasted a few months. A shame, really.
Edward's four-story mansion had no walls or fences, the door opening directly into the street. On either side of the mansion, covering the first floor of it, were multiple one-story houses that extended down the street until it ended at the city wall.
There were many intersections between the wall and the mansion, leading to many of the city's other roads. The mansion was situated in the center of the square-shaped city, with doors at each cardinal direction for ease of access.
The crowd gathered outside of the mansion, all proudly raising posters and picket signs denouncing the now-deceased Edward Genton, quieted their shouts and yells as they observed Nikolas like an escaped lion.
Ever since Nikolas was hired a few weeks ago to expose the man's disgusting habits, Edward's subjects have been revolting against him. Stealing money from his people was the least the man had done.
Nikolas stopped at the foot of the stairs, pulling the ear out of his pocket and unwrapping it. He held it above himself like it was Simba, receiving thunderous roars of approval from the crowd. They surged past him, storming the mansion and taking whatever they felt was owed them.
When the crowd had passed, one woman was left in the middle of the street, arms crossed as she looked Nikolas up and down.
The woman had dark hair and bright orange eyes, her build lithe but powerful and her aura revealing her Avatar Level. Her name was Peton, and she was one of the four leaders of the Moonlit Daggers. "You did it. I guess I was wrong about you."
"I get that a lot," Nikolas replied, handing her the ear and the Will Stone. "When can I expect my payment?"
"It'll be ready in about a month. First, we have to figure out how to make them. You will be compensated, I assure you. In the meantime, we have another job for you, if you're up for it."
"Lay it on me."
"Genton had many lackeys, none more powerful than the Personification named Skull. Genton's typical goons followed him for the paycheck. Skull did it because he believed in the cause."
"You want me to kill a Personification, by myself?"
"No, of course not. Not yet, anyway. Only a fool would challenge a Personification as an Avatar, even if they are at the threshold to the next Level like you are. No, we won't ask you to do that until your Will Stone is done or you Level up. What we want you to do is start dismantling his operation."
Nikolas thought about it for a second, staring at the ear in Peton's hands. "What's the pay?"
"Continued free room and board with the Moonlit Daggers, and five thousand Shrallins."
"Deal," Nikolas said instantly, extending his hand. Peton shifted the ear to her other hand and shook the proffered hand. "Now, what exactly do you mean by 'take down his operation?'"
"Skull's Manifestation is Death. He's a particularly vile kind of Embodiment, a Necromancer. He's able to instill an infantile consciousness in the deceased and command them like his own personal army. Recently, he's delved into some… horrific ways to improve his forces."
"Like what?"
"Like altering the bones of a person while still alive to turn their skeletons into war machines."
"Why do they have to be alive for this, though?"
"So his scientists can take advantage of a bone's ability to heal to graft and mold them as he pleases. That healing ability is lost when they die, and Skull has to use bone dust and scraps to repair his thralls after they pass."
"Alright." Nikolas squinted at the sun, gauging the time. The sun said it was around two-thirty in the afternoon, meaning he should have enough time to do the job and leave before midnight. He valued his sleep.
'Reanimated corpses with inhuman shapes, huh?' He grinned. 'Sounds like a good source of ideas.'