Five months had passed since the last cries of the gnolls echoed through the dying forests. Their blood had long dried, their bones repurposed, and their shadows swallowed by the growing might of the Necropolis.
On top of the bleak tower, Vanthelis stood beneath the cold sunless sky. The winds that passed through the jagged edges of the cursed land whispered no joy, no peace—only quiet obedience.
He wore a dark, tattered robe reinforced with leather and light metal. It wasn't regal, nor was it designed to inspire fear—but his presence alone was now enough. His back was straighter, his shoulders broader. The boy had long been buried beneath layers of rage, grief, and growth.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he looked down at the land below. Spirit Towers stood like unholy sentinels. Ghouls marched around the perimeter. The Graveyard remained busy with items being put into it. The Altar of Darkness… pulsed.
"But this isn't enough," he whispered to himself.
The smile faded as quickly as it came. It wasn't satisfaction that ruled his heart—it was hunger. The gnolls were just a footnote. The real monsters, those who destroyed the Blackthorn Clan and left his mother's body cold and broken… they still walked the earth. Safe. Untouched. Proud.
He raised his hand, summoning the blackened interface only he could see.
System List - Opened
Name: Vanthelis Blackthorn
Gold: 2000
Wood: 573
Magic Crystal: 0
Buildings:
Necropolis (Level 1)
Needed for Upgrade: 100 Magic Crystals (to upgrade to Hall of the Dead)
Summon: Acolyte (10 Gold + Person exposed to Mana)
Acolytes:
Dorothy, Kristine, Haben, Jayson, Crispin, Dan, Line, Roger, Hans, Mark
Graveyard (Level 1) - Former warehouse location
Needed to Upgrade: 10 Magic Crystals + Hall of the Dead
Available to Upgrade:
Undead Claws (Level 1): Adds damage to summoned undead (100 Gold)
Undead Carapace (Level 1): Adds durability to undead (100 Gold)
Ziggurat / Spirit Towers (6)
Upgrade Cost: 50 Gold & 30 Wood per Tower
Crypt (Level 1)
Needed for Upgrade: 50 Magic Crystals + Hall of the Dead
Summon: Ghoul (7 Gold + Rotten Meat)
Ghouls
(Currently summoned 10 Ghouls using Murloc and Gnoll Meat)
(Locked)
(Locked)
Tomb of Relic (Level 1)
Needed to Upgrade: 500 Magic Crystals
Can Buy:
Rod of the Dead (x10): Summon a temporary skeleton from corpse (500 Gold)
Scroll of Bonefire (x10): Boosts ghoul attack by 25% for 5 minutes (750 Gold)
Death Essence Flask (x10): Restores energy to Death Knight (1000 Gold)
Veil of Shadows (x10): Makes units invisible for 15 seconds (1200 Gold)
Unholy Sigil (x10): Reduces Spirit Tower cooldowns (1000 Gold)
Corrupted Totem (x10): Temporarily summons 2 skeletons at tower range (850 Gold)
Dark Pact Scroll (x10): Heals undead units over time (1500 Gold)
Soul Anchor Stone (x10): Prevents death of one unit once (2000 Gold)
Altar of Darkness (Level 1)
Needed for Upgrade: 1000 Magic Crystals + Hall of the Dead
Can Summon:
Death Knight (Level 1)(2000 gold coins)
(Locked)
(Locked)
(Locked)
"This is not in the game," Vanthelis muttered as he stared at the glaring Magic Crystal: 0 line.
The others would be expecting him to continue building, summoning, expanding. The children turned acolytes had grown—both in power and in silence. No one questioned his orders anymore. But without crystals, without the upgrade to Hall of the Dead, he was at a standstill.
His eyes turned toward the Tomb of Relic. Rows of cursed items sat behind its thick, obsidian walls, tempting him with power. He could feel them calling to him sometimes at night, whispering forbidden things, promising victory.
But power came with price. And that price now was simple: Magic Crystals.
"We need to find a mine. A rift. Anything." His voice echoed off the dark stone.
He descended from the Necropolis slowly, feet dragging as he made his way toward the Altar of Darkness. The center of it all. Its eerie chanting had become background noise over the months, like a lullaby of bones clashing and souls screaming.
He placed his hand on the cold statue—half skeletal knight, half demon—a being holding an ancient runeblade embedded in a pile of skulls.
The second he touched it, a deep clanking sound echoed from the stone. Metal scraping against ice. A wind rose from the earth below. The torches extinguished themselves, leaving only dim purple light radiating from the cracks of the altar.
And then… a voice.
It came not from the air, but from inside his mind—icy and full of eternal disdain.
"You no longer dream... do you, mortal?"
"The silence of the grave welcomes you… but you seek more."
"Only when the final breath is taken and the final soul bound… will you understand."
"Return when the sky has turned black… and I shall answer."
The voice faded, but its weight remained. Vanthelis withdrew his hand, breath shallow. His veins felt colder.
He turned and looked up at the statue once more. It wasn't just an altar. It was a gate. A slumbering monster. A promise of what he might become.
He closed his eyes, remembering Ishlar. His death. His sacrifice. His burial behind the Necropolis.
Then he remembered Dorothy's soft voice, "We'll follow you. But not forever."
And the contempt in Jayson's eyes that day he asked, "Are you still our leader, or just a kid with mommy issue?"
Vanthelis clenched his fist.
"No. I'm more than that now."
He opened the system interface once again, his fingers hovering over the building list. He wouldn't wait for crystals to fall from the sky. He would take them. Conquer the land inch by inch. If this island had more resources—and he knew it did—he would find them, even if it meant war.
For now, he'd make the undead stronger. Smarter. Faster.
And when the Hall of the Dead rose, so too would his army.
The Shadow's whispers still echoed in his ears as he descended back into the tower—
"Come… raise your kingdom from the grave… or fall like the rest."