Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

Zane gazed at the crystal in his hands. It was the first Tier II Blood Crystal he ad ever seen before in his life. And it was the first Tier II Blood Crystal that would be consumed by a human being. Well… Sort of. Zane wasn't exactly human anymore, but he still benefits from Blood Crystals as if he were an awakened human being.

The crystal was large, larger than the Tier I Blood Crystal. And while it shared the same golden color as the previous one. Its shine was far more lustrous. There was also something else, a small pit of darkness in side of it. Like a black hole that sucked out all the light in the center of the crystal.

Zane stared into the darkness for a long time. Longer than he should have. It captivated his very soul, causing him to black out. When he awoke, he found that the crystal was gone, consumed by him in his mindless state.

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And in doing so, there was a message waiting for him.

[You have consumed a Tier II Horde King's Blood Crystal!]

[Generating Two New Skills!]

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It was indeed a pleasant surprise when Zane found out that a Tier II Blood Crystal granted him two new skills. The first of which was much needed now that Zane no longer had Angelica by his side.

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[You have gained a New Skill!]

[New Skill: Heal Undead – Tier I – Vampiric Soul]

[Unique Skill]

[Description: You steal 100 health from your targeted foe. For ten seconds, you gain +15 Health Regeneration]

[Casting Time: Instant]

[Cooldown: 30 Seconds]

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It was a useful skill. Until now, Zane did not have the means to heal himself should he become injured in his travels. At least not without things like health potions either crafted from the Alchemy system or purchased from the store feature.

Zane also suspected that due to the fact that this was an upgradeable skill. In the future, when he gained more skill points it was likely to be able to spread to his companions and Horde. The difference between the two was down to the strength of the Undead.

Though he could summon his companions as if they were normal members of his Horde. They were more powerful, and were upgradeable, as if they were a mixture of awakened survivors, and tamed beasts.

Granting them significantly more power than the disposable undead in his horde who he could only manage the equipment of. Whereas he could apply attribute and skill points where he desired on his companions. The servants in his horde were automatically effected by their level ups. And were maxed out at a Tier V. They could not be evolved beyond that point.

Because of this, there were two separate management screens for them. This was important when one considered what skill Zane generated immediately after looking at his previous one and speculating about its future growth.

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[You have gained a New Skill!]

[New Skill: Unholy Resurrection]

[Unique Skill]

[Description: You have the ability to resurrect an awakened human into a Death Knight, which is bound in service to your will. However, this unnatural ability is blasphemy in the face of the creator's will.

The penalty for casting such unholy magic will be the corruption of the target's soul. They will be cursed with a state of undeath, even if their body is restored to life. This skill cannot be upgraded as it is already in its final form.]

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Zane was convinced by this ability. What was the difference between this and his other skill with Raise dead? He was quick to call out to his mother in the back of his mind, and demand an explanation from her.

"Hey, what the hell is this? Isn't this basically just Raise Dead? And what exactly is a Death Knight?"

Zane could hear his mother laughing in the back of his mind, before she eventually revealed to him the difference.

"Oh, my dear son, you really don't know anything do you? If an awakened human were to die in front of you, and you raised them from the dead with your other skill. They would simply transform into a Tier I Undead.

No matter how you might try to communicate with them, they will never be able to fully do so again. Even if you raised them to Tier V, they would still be a hideous and twisted version of their previous self.

However, with this skill, you can raise them as a champion. Their life will be restored with all the vigor that comes with it. Yet there is a price for such magic. They will be undead, much in the same way you are.

Their hearts will stop beating, and their need to consume in order to live will cease to function. Though, like you, they can still maintain all the benefits of humanity. Just with none of the drawbacks.

Think of them like a Horde King, except much less powerful. If the Horde Kings are the Lords and Ladies in your future Kingdom, then the Death Knights are the martial class sworn to protect you and the nobles beneath you."

Zane remained silent for some time after hearing his mother's words. He had a suspicion of why she granted him such an ability. It would definitely enhance his strength in the long run. As he could simply raise awakened humans, he killed in battle on his journey to gain their strength.

But at the same time, there was a deeper meaning behind this. Almost as if his mother was telling him sooner or later Elena, Olivia, Angelica, Madison, and Lily would all perish. And that this was his way of bringing them back.

Right now, Zane no longer really abided by the party system, which limited awakened humans into having groups of six. That was, of course, minus the raid party system, which was unlimited. But he had never really used that.

Instead, he ventured through the wasteland with his companions. Which he was not limited to how many he deployed. When he thought about this, increasing his companions and having the strength they gained in life was extremely useful.

But there were other questions he had, which he was quick to give voice to.

"The description of this skill says that a Death Knight's soul will become corrupted, not just their body. So what effect does that have on their skills?"

Zane could practically see his mother's lips curl in the background, as she explained the difference between a Death Knight and an awakened human.

"Naturally, their skills will change with their corrupted state. For example, that little healer of yours. If she were to perish and you were to resurrect her as a Death Knight. She would only be able to heal the Undead. Usually through either vampiric means or sacrificial means.

She could either spill her own blood and lower her own health in order to heal you, your companions, or your horde. Or she could sacrifice an undead servant and in use their life force to give more health to herself or others.

The same would apply to any Death Knight. Their skills would be limited to those that revolve around Death Magic. Currently, your little harlots employ a wide variety of magic. Elena uses spatial and time magic for her abilities.

Whereas Olivia manifests her powers through elemental magic. Lily and Angelica, on the other hand are practitioners of life magic. While Madison harnesses what I might call reinforcement magic.

Haven't you noticed that each and every skill you have all gained so far comes with a pattern? Naturally, as my son you are bound by Death Magic. Hence why all your skills are associated with death, blood, bone, flesh, vampirism, and sacrifice.

The Horde Kings also possess Death Magic and the more powerful they are, the more hidden abilities they will have. For example, Lilith's ability to charm the living comes from a vampiric background.

As for when you resurrect a Horde King, they too will have their abilities converted into some form of Death Magic or its many branches. I'm surprised you manage to catch onto that little detail. It must be because you're my son. Anyone else would probably neglect such a minor choice of wording!"

It took several seconds for Zane to contemplate everything his mother had told him just now. So…. Assuming the worst happened. Disregarding the fact that he could now save his loved ones from death. Assuming he was still alive to do so.

This revelation had shifted his perspective of the system and the skills it granted. What his mother had told him meant that when someone generated their first skill, they would be granted a type of magic to wield. This would determine all of their future skills going forward.

Life magic, elemental magic, death magic, reinforcement magic, spatial and time magic? What other kinds of magic were there? Not to mention some skills were clearly based on physical and weapon based proficiency as well. How did that tie into the Magic system he was just learning about?

And what was this mention of blasphemy in the face of the creator's will? Was there really a God in this world? And had his mother simply gone off script because of him?

He had long since known this apocalypse was made as a means for him and his mother to reconnect. But if death was really an entity, an actual individual being. Did that not mean there was some kind of creator as well? And if so, what exactly were they doing while their creation was profaned by Death and her random whims?

Ultimately, the more his mother revealed to him, the more questions Zane had. And because of this, he chose to remain silent, and put these matters to the back of his mind, less he gets a headache trying to understand it all.