Rebirth of the Undead King: Book 1

by Ink Bamboo

  Zaros subordinates, however, were too busy with their own thoughts to realize the changes happening within their leader. Their elevated morale after this victory was enough to blind them to any future retaliation the nobles might take. With renewed courage, they finished cleaning up the remaining guards. It didn’t take long for the few remaining stragglers to get rounded up and stripped away from their weapons.

  Zaros broke away from his self-reflection only after he noticed his subordinates’ mood. It wasn’t time to over-think things. There were more pressing matters he had to take care of right now.

  He made his way towards them as he swept his gaze around in search of Alexander. Eventually, he found him in a corner, punching a guard.

  “Tell me where my sister is you bastard!”

  Question, punch, question, punch. Zaros had a look of pity as he saw Alexander’s actions. It was clear to see his overwhelming anger blinded him to the fact that the guard was unconscious, and therefore, unable to provide him with an answer.

  "Alexander! Come over here," said Zaros, trying to awaken the teenager from his rage-fueled assault. If he really wanted to save his sister, his actions were proving of no use.

  Hearing those words brought the teenager back to reality. The fear of losing his sister had blinded him, making him focus on nothing but the other party's demise. He looked in the direction the voice came, only to find his boss gazing back at him. Tears of pride, relief, and happiness fled his eyes as he ran to kneel in front of his young leader.

  Zaros looked at the boy with some understanding in his eyes. “Come, it's time to find your sister,” he said, before turning around to look back at the crowd. “As for the rest of you, divide the loot on the ground equally. Should I find out that you cheated your comrades-in-arms, I'll deal with you later myself.”

  Zaros's words reverberated in the survivors' hearts. What were the prices of armor and weapons like these? It would be enough to feed them for months to come. Rather than fear the second part of Zaros's statement, they rejoiced upon the first. All of them knew who should be credited for this victory.

  If Zaros had demanded to take the lion's share of the loot, none of them would have been able to refute. However, the boy had exceeded their expectations. He had surprisingly decided to leave the loot to them. Sparks of admiration rose in each of the hoodlums’ hearts. They felt a new era of prosperity was coming to the slums.

  Even the spectators found themselves surprised. They understood the nature of the slum-dwellers very well. Therefore, they knew how people from that side of town usually behaved. It was nothing like Zaros’s benevolent actions.

  Even some of them felt tempted to go and pretend to be part of the crowd in order to participate in the loot's distribution. The only thing holding them back was the vicious looks of the gang members. None of them had the kindness of their young leader.

  A few noble families felt inclined to take this moment to summon their troops and attack Zaros. However, they ultimately chose not to do so. The kid had displayed combat prowess unbefitting for his age, managing to take down Baron Lapas's men without much difficulty.

  If they chose to fight him at this moment, they might cause a good amount of casualties, but they themselves would have to pay an equally unthinkable price.

  Unaware of the choices being made by in the background, Zaros made his way to the prisoners. A total of 16 men, stripped of their armor and clothes, were tied up as they awaited their judgment. They had a vast amount of bruises on their faces as well as many non-lethal injuries on their bodies. It was clear that they had become a source of 'entertainment' for the hoodlums during the last few minutes.

  Seeing him arrive, however, startled the captives. During the battle, these prisoners had occasionally witnessed the small grim reaper harvesting the lives of their comrades. Having him loom over them without any traces of emotion was nothing short of mental torture. Alas, their lives were in his hands. Only Zaros’s words could save their lives.

  Few words could describe the guards' inner-struggle. Some of them were brooding over how they should have taken their chance to escape during the skirmish while others busied their minds considering the scenarios to come as they evaluated whether they still had a chance of survival.

  Zaros decided to offer them a chance for salvation only after a few minutes of burdening them with his gaze. "Are any of you aware of whom we’re looking for?"

  Hearing Zaros’s words, the group of prisoners halted their thoughts. Only two of them were able to nod. The rest had no idea what Zaros had meant with his words.

  Zaros nodded, satisfied that the latter part of their mission would be easier. Two guards who knew about his missing subordinate should be enough to find her. He couldn’t help but smile as he felt some relief course through his veins.

  He turned around to Alexander and said, “Untie them, those two will come with us. They can tell us where she is along the way.”

  Following Zaros’s instructions, Alexander quickly untied the two men. He then gave them a moment as they prepared themselves to lead the way to the girl inside Lapas' estate. Meanwhile, the remaining guards stared at Zaros with eyes full of expectation, unaware to what he had in place for them.

  Seeing him about to leave, one of them finally gathered the courage to ask what had burdened all of their minds, "My lord, may I ask what will happen to the rest of us?"

  Zaros glanced at the guard with a thoughtful face before looking back at his subordinates.

  "Release them," he said.

  For a moment, hope filled the eyes of the guards who were left behind as their freedom became tangible once again. A few words, however, put a stop to that.

  “That being said, cut off one of their arms or legs before you let them leave. You can place the burden of choosing on them if you want.”

  Zaros could still remember the old veteran he had seen at the entrance of the city. Why should the abusive guards get to live a better life than that poor man? After Baron Lapas’s death, it was possible they would be hired by another noble. He need them to serve as an example. Perhaps sharing the man’s fate would serve to deter those threatening the slums.

  “Let’s go.”

  Hearing him speak, the two guards guiding Zaros didn’t dare to dally. Their reaction caused a grin of satisfaction to surface on Alexander’s face. This day, vindication belonged to him.

  Chapter 19

  Jackpot.

  The two guards, Alexander, and Zaros all entered the estate of Baron Lapas. Drapes embellished with gold leaf covered every window and exquisite paintings decorated every wall. It was a level of luxury neither of the boys had ever seen before.

  The guards led them through several halls in the mansion until they came to the Baron’s personal office. Even after the commotion, two maids were on standby by the door. Both were shocked when they saw the two tattered guards being followed by the disheveled children.

  Zaros shot them a gentle smile. His face looked innocent, devoid of the cruelty and coldness he had displayed earlier to the guards. After all, as far as he was concerned, the maids had no participation in the hideous acts of their master.

  Seeing his expression, both maids were charmed by the boy’s gentle look. Despite their orderly appearance, both of the girls grew up in the slums, taken in by the Lapas family in order to be trained as servants. Zaros’s disheveled appearance made them feel a sense of sympathy towards him.

  Thus, when the guards asked them to step aside, they thought Zaros and Alexander were new recruits sent to their master’s slave pens. They couldn’t help but pity the boys momentarily. Only a few hours later, would they realize the truth, coming to know how mistaken they had been.

  Once inside the dead Baron’s personal office, both guards closed the door.

  “Please wait for a moment,” said one of them.

  Ensuring the maids had left, he pulled a lamp on the room’s wall. For a few seconds, the noise of gears turning could be heard from under the
room. Only after a notorious thud did it stop. The mechanical sound signaled a lock somewhere in the room had been removed.

  Once that was done, both guards removed the carpet in the middle of the room, unveiling a trapdoor hidden underneath. They opened it only to reveal a stairway that seemed to lead towards a hidden room in the basement. Zaros perked up as he leaned down to see things closer. The things available to the rich amazed him.

  The guards took the two torches on the walls, using them to light their path as they walked down the stairs. Zaros and Alexander followed behind them, eager to find the teenager’s sister. Finally, they arrived at the bottom of the stairs and came across a dark corridor in which cries of pain echoed.

  When he heard them, Zaros’s curious smile faded, quickly replaced by a sour expression. The eerie noises could only mean one thing. No one enjoyed their stay in this place.

  “What is this place?” he asked, intent on confirming his suspicions.

  Both guards glanced at each other for a second. Neither of them wanting to be the first one to answer.

  “Young master, this is where the merch— where the people are kept before they are transported away,” he said, correcting himself before using a word that might have sparked either of the boys’ anger.

  “By that, you mean the place you keep the people before they’re sold into slavery?” asked Alexander. He wasn’t going to take the softly minced words of the guards at face value.

  “If they are only kept here, how come I hear so many of them crying from pain?” asked Zaros. He also felt both guards were still withholding information from him.

  The guard who first spoke turned towards his companion, telling him with his eyes that he had already fulfilled his share. This reaction caused the other guard’s eyes to go wide in complaint.

  You did this intentionally, didn’t you? he seemed to say.

  Noticing their exchange, Zaros and Alexander grew impatient. Eventually, Zaros had to take his dagger and cough, all in an attempt to rush them.

  “Must I repeat my question?” he said, his voice oozing with killing intent.

  Hearing Zaros’s question, both men were brought back to reality. Without hesitating anymore, the second guard proceeded to continue his companion's explanation.

  “The truth is that before slaves are sold, they are put through some training. After all, no one would want to buy an unruly slave who bites back at every chance. Because of that, master hires some mercenaries to break their minds with all methods available to them. The results are so effective, some of them cry and wail even when they’re not being tortured.”

  Zaros and Alexander’s faces expressed their distaste at the guard’s answer. Young as they were, they understood the implications behind his words. At the same time, such understanding brought Alexander’s worry back to the surface. Thus, he shoved the guards forward, desperate to find his sister.

  The guards guided Alexander and Zaros through the hallway, walking past several cells. Seeing them, the prisoners inside scurried away with fear. They had seen ‘visitors’ in the past as well, so they assumed both boys were envoys sent in to procure some merchandise. The fact that both guards seemed to treat them with respect only reaffirmed this idea.

  A door covered in locks awaited them at the end of the hallway. Zaros’s eyes moved over them as he noticed the multiple key holes, each one of varying sizes. He turned his gaze to the guards, glaring at them in discontent. It was a silent message threatening them to open the door or face the consequences.

  One of the guards stepped forward and opened all the locks except one. This last lock had no keyhole and glowed with a black light, leaving him with no apparent way of opening it.

  However, before he could say something, the guard carrying the keys felt a cold chill go down his back. A sense of dread filled him as he realized both boys were staring at him. It was obvious that if he didn’t open the lock, he wouldn’t be able to deal with the consequences.

  “Young master, please, hear us out,” he said. “This last lock is one we cannot open. It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s just that we truly can’t. The lock was designed by an old sage to only work upon detecting our master's life signature. We were afraid you wouldn’t believe us, so we had to show it to you ourselves.”

  Zaros didn’t believe them at first. He thought that, perhaps, they were making things hard for him in a foolish attempt to get some revenge. However, he quickly discarded that idea. The guards’ pale faces indicated that there were no deceptions in their words.

  Seeing them like that, Alexander grew desperate, rage filling his eyes. Had he known there would be no way to open the lock, he would’ve pushed for these two guards to be dismembered like the rest of their group outside the estate.

  It wasn’t like Alexander was alone in his regret, however. Zaros was also pondering over the issue. It was then that a kindly reminder presented itself.

  “I find it both admirable and insulting that you haven’t thought of asking for my help,” said Amro.

  “Oh,” answered Zaros. With everything that happened that morning, he had forgotten about Amro.

  Sensing Zaros’s thoughts, Amro felt slightly disappointed. He made a note to himself to make the boy regret forgetting about him in future training sessions.

  “Come on, I know what that silence means,” Zaros said. “Training is hard enough already.”

  “You don’t know hard,” Amro retorted.

  Knowing he needed Amro’s cooperation, Zaros couldn’t help but compromise. “I’ll put in more effort in the future,” he said. “I promise.”

  After a couple seconds of appeasing Amro, Zaros finally convinced him to help. That being said, Amro’s help required him to take over Zaros’s body.

  For a moment, Zaros’s amber eyes seemed to darken as Amro took over. An intense feeling of dread assaulted both guards before Amro withdrew his aura. Even Alexander was snapped out of his anger when he felt something strange emanating from his boss.

  Amro’s gaze swept over the guards before he scoffed.

  Impossible to open? Not even the vaults of heaven are outside my reach.

  Arrogant and with disdain, he placed his hands over the lock. ‘Life signature’ was nothing but a fancy way to describe how a mortal’s body reacted to magical energies. After recalling how the Baron’s blood felt over Zaros’s hand, he replicated that pattern with ease.

  *Clank*

  After hearing a sound no one expected to hear, both guards felt chills crawling down their spine. They still remember the man who crafted the lock – a wandering sage who liked to buy slaves for his heinous experiments. That man was rumored to be on the verge of entering rank four. How could a lock made by him be bypassed with such ease?

  Alas, they lacked the courage to ask the only one who could provide them with an answer.

  Unlike the guards’ dismayed expressions, Alexander’s eyes lit up with glee. Zaros had proven to be a man truly admirable and worthy of his loyalty. Only he could overturn the heavens and the earth to keep his promises. Alexander once again made a vow inside his heart to follow this man’s orders for the rest of his days.

  *Crash!*

  With a kick, Amro woke up the three men who had fallen victim to their own thoughts. It wasn’t time for them to ponder over things, but time to get this over with.

  It takes a fool to be impressed by this much, thought Amro. Feeling he had wasted enough time idling around, he entered the room, leaving the dumbfounded men behind. It took the guards a few seconds to regain their senses before they scrambled to light the way with their torches.

  The room was filled with weapons, gold, and valuables, showing it had been some kind of vault for the Lapas family. The amount of wealth inside this room could easily rival the value of all the things they had seen while walking through the mansion. Not even the guards had been allowed to enter this room in the past; those of the Lapas family had always entered alone, leaving them behind the door.

 
Alas, there was no sight of Maria once they entered the room.

  “Where is she?” demanded Alexander.

  The guards looked at each other, some doubt showing on their face. “She should be here,” they admitted.

  Avoiding a senseless confrontation, Amro simply pointed forwards. Following his lead, both guards and Alexander saw a sturdy wooden door. It seemed to hide away something from the rest of the room. Something, or someone.

  No longer hesitating, Alexander ran towards the door, pushing it open without thinking twice. Inside, he found his sister, sleeping in a simple bed made out of hay. It caused an endless wave of relief to wash over him. He had been worrying to no end ever since that day. Having found her, he stepped into the room, ignoring the worried looks of the guards behind him.

  Alexander hugged his sister, crying over her shoulder. She was still sleeping, seemingly sedated out of her senses. He was so emotional, he ignored the fragrant scent of lilacs inside the room.

  Catching a whiff of the scent, Amro’s expression grew bitter. He shot a judgmental look at the guards who couldn’t help but cower in fear. He knew what that scent implied. How could he not when he had several lifetimes worth of experience in the art of alchemy?

  Regardless, it wasn’t his place nor his host’s to tell Alexander. There were no tangible benefits in doing so. The only thing he was willing to do was shoot a glare in the guards’ direction, raising a finger to his lips as a reminder for them to keep silent about it.

  Inside the room, Alexander checked frantically his sister for injuries. When he determined she was only unconscious and hadn’t been harmed, his muscles relaxed, making him fall to the ground. Tears of joy trickled down his face as he thanked the heavens for keeping her out of danger.

  If only that was the case, thought Amro.

  The guards felt at ease now that everything was over with. They lit up the torches in the room’s walls, giving sufficient time for the young man to embrace his sleeping sister. After Amro’s subtle threat, they were convinced of their survival. They had confidence that they would be able to maintain their lives as long as they kept the events that took place in this room quiet.