As I fihe zombie off I could hear faint sounds ing from the street over. Clutg my spear tightly I advanced around the er, to be greeted by the sight of another enemy. This one was simir in appearance, and it let out a hungry hiss on seeing me.

  “Time to do this.” I hyped myself up. It was unarmed, if one disted its ragged cws, so I should clearly have the advantage again. As it began to lope towards me, dirty spittle flying from dead lips, I readied myself. Thrusting with the spear, I forced it back, knife-edge gouging along its ribs, spilling dark, rotten blood. The injury did not slow it though, and it came on, heedless of how the bde tore at its innards.

  I guess this is the problem with undead, they don’t care about injury… my fist hammered out, smashing into its jaw, sending it reeling backwards. It was a , even if I said so myself, especially as I was so unfit normally. The way it reeled back showed I had some det force behind the blow, even if it was rather off target from where I aimed.

  “No time to admire my skills.” I muttered, dragging the spear free and thrusting again. The zombie was impaled through the middle. “Got you… uh…”

  The zombie ighe spear jutting from its chest and dragged itself slowly towards me, sliding up the wooden shaft. It was just like a horror movie… which made sense, sidering it was a zombie. Letting go with one hand, I used the other to punch the zombie in the head until my fists were sore and it colpsed into a pool of ether. Breathing heavily, I leaned on the shaft of my spear, breathing deeply.

  As I was rec, another noise behind me made me tur another zombie was ing fast, arms outstretched, jaing wide. For heaven’s sake, don’t I get a?

  After a brief battle I mao subdue it with the spear, though now all the muscles in my body were ag and burning from the over-exertion. I definitely felt a lot stronger and fitter, but even so my muscles, or at least the Astral representation of them, were still way out of dition. As I what to do , my heart sank as this time a pair of the undead were ing towards me through a side alleyway. Handling o a time was going well, but if o past my guard while I was dealing with the other one…

  “Shit. I thought I had Fortune on my side, yet my luck still seems bad.”

  Running towards them I ehe narrow alleyway, which was full of bags of rubbish and bins awaitiying. The sery was rather depressing for a dream world, looking little different to the Material except for the strange lighting everywhere. There was even a rge vending mae just up ahead, lights blinking softly, though a quice revealed it was empty, a mere fa?ade.

  The zombies had to bunch up to avoid the obstacles, ing in single file. My spear sang out, and as the zombie was jammed in, my bde pierced deep. Withdrawing and striking again I made quick work of it. As the first zombie fell dying I turned my gaze onto the sed, only to scoot ba panic as it leapt up onto a bin and thes fallen rade, cws raking down at me. Instinctively I turhe shaft of my spear, blog the cws, impact sending shocks through my body. Dirty drool spttered on me and my muscles strained as I ushed back.

  Think. How do I get out of this? No use h ether now… but I don’t want to use too much…

  A memory of when I took on the female zombie in the graveyard came to mind, so despite the horrible outside stimuli of the moment I trated on my flow of aether, drawing in some of the ether that orbited me. The mass and hardness of my spear shaft increased, pushing back the zombie. There was a g sound as one of its wrists snapped, and I whipped around the spear, which was suddenly lighter again. The knife-head cut deeply, again with accelerated mass, and the zombie's head rolled free, striking the ground with a thump before bursting iher-light.

  In relief I slumped down against the bin, barely able to remain upright. My poundi slowly stabilised, and I took stoy bat style. Increasing and decreasing the mass and hardness of an object uses way less aether thaing something such as a on or fire, but I still feel I’m wasting loads with my sloppy imaging. It was definitely easier to imagihings here in the Boundary, so feats I could not perform ba the Material were possible, but doing it in battle was tough, dividing my focus, and that let even more aether leak away u. The clearer the image the less aether was used too.

  In terms of using the spear, my thrusts were gettier, definitely, but there had to be other ways to use it, such as more blog with the shaft, or slig with the knife edge. Practice would no doubt make perfect. As I rested, I could hear mroans ing towards me, coupled with the occasional sound of bins being knocked over.

  Damn it, how many of them are there? I suppose it’s good, as I get ether from them, but where are they all ing from? This isn’t even a graveyard. It isn’t Resident Evil, damn it! I pulled myself to my feet with a sigh and readied my spear. It was time to make some ether and develop my Territory!

  ********

  You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Three to Four.

  The welessage scrolled into my vision as I k on the ground, body shaking. How many of those damn zombies have I killed now? I stopped ting after a dozen. Cuts and bruises mottled my body, especially around my arms, which were bloody with both mine and the gore from the zombies. One-on-one I could easily hahem with my spear, unless I made a mistake, which I had several times, allowing them to ssh me with their cws (and on one unpleasant occasion bite my forearm like some starving dog) but when they came in twos and threes it was much more troubling, and I had to use choke points aher to hold them off.

  As I recovered, yet another zombie was ing down the alleyway. I let out a bellow and charged it, ign the pains in my legs. This hard bour in the heat of battle was definitely having an impact, as I was handling the spear much better than I was to start with, though I knew my skills were crude at best, without any real foundation. elling a little aether I increased the mass of my spearhead, which drove into the upper body of the zombie, ripping a big hole. Dragging my arms to the side, the knife-edge ripped through uhe influence of the heavier mass, and the zombie colpsed.

  “This ’t go on. If this was an MM I’d say it was a good camping spot, but real life isn’t so kind. I ’t keep this up mentally…” Another issue was that if these zombies kept ing they would reach my Territory at some point. I gnced along the alleyway, to where a squat, two story house sat. Most of the zombies had e from that dire, and it was giving off an oppressive, dark feeling.

  Shouldering my spear I crept towards the house, alert for danger. As I closed in I could see quite a few lesser spirits drifting towards the house, only to vanish in a purple-bck glow when they approached. As I watched further the dark glows coalesced into a zombie, which promptly set out from the house. Luckily this one had not gone in my dire.

  I see. So this is the spawning site for them. They seem to be … eating… the lesser spirits for energy or something?

  As I approached the little garden surrounding the house I felt a chill, deep in my bones, and another silvery message crossed my vision.

  You have entered a Territory possessed by ahe Territory level is low so it has only a weak effe you, but your Aether will be slowly drained while you are within the boundaries of this Territory. It does not have an active barrier, but the owner of this Territory has beeed to your presence.

  As I read the message a great howling r out and the front door of the house exploded outwards, a hulking figure crashing through it, eyes mad, jae, acidic drool hitting the ground which then sizzled and burned. It stood seveall, mottled with fungus and rot, and the cws on its fingers were the size of knives.

  Holy hell that’s a big one. Maybe retreat would be the best option… I reparing to ruhe monster id its mad eyes upon me a out a huge cry e, strong enough that my ears felt like they were bleeding. It then rushed right at me, bounding across the ground with surprising speed.

  I got the spear up just in time, and it impaled itself upon the sharp bde, the keen khat acted as the spearhead sinking deep into the flesh of its shoulder. Even so that did not stop it, and it lu me, mouth agape, while from both sides its arms came swinging, fatal cws glinting.

  Without hesitation I threw myself backwards, heedless of the bruises I sustained hitting the ground. It barely gave me time to pause for breath, ing towards me again. I vaulted back over the piles of rubbish into the alleyway, buying myself a moment, and elled aether, ripping the spear free in a welter of gore aurning it to my hand. Dug low I thrust at its knee, pierg it, and increased the weight, levering it up and down, shredding flesh and rotting bone.

  It roared again, filing at me, cws ripping grooves ione wall behiriking sparks. I shed out with my foot at the ruined knee, usiher to make my footing more solid. The knee gave way and the beast fell to the ground, kneeling, eve my height. I hopped back, my own leg numb from the impact, and thrust again.

  The bde flew towards the giant zombie’s head, only to be stopped by its hand. It grabbed the bde, tearing flesh, but its overwhelming strength arrested my thrust. At that moment from behind, several more zombies came rag. It was then my heart sank as I realised I wasirely sure how to leave the Boundary… damn, what an ht. I’m stantly making mistakes, any one of which could prove fatal…

  Letting go of the spear again, I turned and grabbed an overflowing waste bin, muscles straining, I used aether to lighten the mass, and then threw it at the oning zombies, reversing the lightening and making it much heavier. It oned into the first oh a siing thud, smashing limbs, and then bounced into the sed, pinning it against the walls of the alley.

  Tuning back to the giant zombie I was suddenly smmed into the wall, as it swung its arm and the shaft of the spear caught my shoulder. Pain fred, but I mao seize the spear and drove all my body weight into it, thrusting it through and cutting free the zombie's worm-like fingers. It bellowed again, struggling to stand with one leg and shed out. I turhe shaft and barely blocked the blow, staggering away.

  Got to finish this quickly…

  I thrust again, bde pierg the foe's other arm, and with mass enhahe bde tore through, leaving it hanging by a thread. Maddened by pain the zombie barely had any intelligence left, ae its grievous injuries it leapt at me using its one good leg. I ducked away as it careened into the wall, and used that opportunity to drive my spear up into its neck. Blood gouted, sheeting me, and it cried out once more, struggling to turn.

  “Time for you to return to the grave!” I roared, usiher to maintain sharpness and increase mass. There was a brutal noise of shattering bone and the bde slipped up into the zombie's rge skull. It sagged, weight dragging the spear from my hands, and then it exploded into a bright shimmering cloud of ether, the most I had seen from a foe by quite some margin.

  You have seized a Rank 0 Territory by defeating the being who trolled it. Due to the distance from your Territory you may not amalgamate it. Sihe distance is too far, you destroy this Territory cim and absorb the Ether that resides within it. This will prevent further enemies from spawning here.

  Wele words scrolled ay vision. Before I could decide, I had to up here though. I took up my spear and finished off the zombie that was trying to free itself from the bin that had smmed into it, and then I dealt with the st few who had arrived at the house. They were all milling around aimlessly, and offered little resistance as I put them down, turning them to ether.

  I’ll take the ether. solidating what I have at the moment makes the most sense, I worry about farming spots ter. As soon as I thought this, there was a fsh of silver light and the Territory of the zombie colpsed, floodih ether. With a final iigation of the area, I also found several red Etherite ores hidden amongst the debris, small but shining a pure red.

  I picked them up and sidered how much ether I now had. While it was tempting to keep them, if I broke them down for ether I could set up both Ether Spires, and lohat would be me more. Spend a little now to make a lot ter. There's only one real choice.

  You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Four to Five.

  Another level up. I guess beating that huge zombie theroying the Territained me a ton of experie had been quite a good day… if I disted the many times I could have died, of course.

  “Oh well, no point on dwelling on what is do is time to get building!”

  *****************

  When I returo my Territory, I checked my stock of ether. It was nicely high. I couldn’t help but chuckle over how hard I struggled to make the thousaher to set up my Anchor, when now I had over three times that. The zombies gave ample ether, to say nothing of the boss zombie and his Territory, plus those Etherites.

  It was time to begin. I trickled aether into my Territory Anchor and ordered stru. Silvery words firmed my choices, as the surroundiher was drawn in to begin the process.

  You have begun stru of aher Spire, aher Spire and a Silo. At your curreory Level you only struct rade one Building at a time. It will take oral day to struct each building. You spend further Ether to expedite this process. Ether Spire stru 0/24 Hours

  “Oh great, now we have micro-transas and pay-to-win too.” I snorted. Still, this was just another indicator of why ether remained a curren the Astral even at the higher levels. If it was like those mobile freemium games, stru and upgrade times at higher levels would be very long and require huge amounts of ether to speed up. Not that I would have to worry about that yet. I'm still very firmly in the newbie phase.

  A rainbow gloreading from my Anchor, starting to slowly coalesto the shape of a tall, narrow needle. Si would take three Astral days, so seventy-two Astral hours, to finish all my stru, I had to decide what to do now. I quickly decided against going out to gather more ether. Instead, I would use this time to hone my fuals. I didn’t want to be in such a risky position again, if I was to fight such monsters I would need real skills bag me up.

  It was easier to visualise here, as opposed to the Material, so I would practice my Chakra-raising teiques until my aether ran out and I was returo the Material world…