The sun started descending towards the western sky when No got pull out of his thoughts.

"Your lackeys keep buzzing about some zombies?" Rowana's voice tickled his ears and he snapped them back against his head.

"I have no idea if they are zombies. Sometimes they make up stories that they think sound cool. What is a zombie anyway? The word for walking dead?" No said from a sitting position on the rock facing the town.

"Something like that." She said before taking a sit on a rock next to him. "What is the holdup?"

No glanced at her and let out loud exhale of air.

"Have no idea. Something spooked folks at Iren's rebuke. Mentioned something about the dead attacking." He confessed with a shrug.

"You think it's real? I spent a few weeks here trying to convince Ian to come with me ..." She trailed off looking into the distance. "What I am trying to say is they didn't sound like a superstitious lot."

"It is possible but it's quite rare for Anadori to have an affinity for such dark arts. Some Morg shamans can perform magic that could raise dead but from what I heard they outlawed such magic." No said more for his own benefit than to explain it to Rowana. Sometimes hearing the facts is all you need to connect the dots.

"Could it be a human?" She asked leaning forward a bit.

"Hardly. I am the product of human magic and I could smell it from a very long distance." He stopped and scratched his nose. "But lately my nose been failing me. It's this dust everywhere. Finer than sand and it just makes me itchy. Even so, human mages haven't been reborn yet."

"Why are you so sure it will happen, ever?" Rowana's voice was pitched so low No wondered if the question was for him or just an errant thought.

"Master says it will happen very soon, he just doesn't know where."

Their conversation got interrupted by the arrival of a group of Kindred. Four men and two women dressed in white high-tech armor and armed with a variety of weapons. The bruisers as the rest of Kindred called them, ex-military and equipped with best weapons military technology produced. On the head of the bunch stood the man in his later thirties with a shadow of a stubble on his square jaw.

"You called, boss?" He said in a surprisingly gentle voice.

"Captain Fiat, good to see you. Rebuke is closed off for today because of some kind of attack. Possible supernatural in origin. We have to stay safe until tomorrow when they might let us in."

"Secure perimeter and get ready for possible unknown supernatural threat. Aye, aye." Fiat encapsulated slowly. "Any other info we should know about, sir?"

"They mentioned dead attacking. Not confirmed yet."

"Possible code Z. We got ya covered." One of the women yelled a bit too loudly.

"Quite Moria, you will wake up dead with your screeching." One of the other bruisers joked.

"Settle down you bunch of undisciplined apes. And someone bring Chief and Duke out." Fair said firmly without raising his voice.

After small commotion among the Bruisers two large dogs were brought out of the wagons. The canines had harnesses with glowing tubes grafted into their fur.

"Are dogs ready?" No asked eyeing the beasts wearily.

"They are good boys, sir. They will warn us if any magical beasty skulks around." Fiat assured him.

"Inform me if anything changes." No said dismissing the group.

No and Rowana continued sitting on the rocks until lunch time. They ate a meal around the campfire, atmosphere pregnant with anticipation. They have been on the road for weeks now and many of them wanted to go back to the monastery. The old building that they renovated and made into their base of operations. Master was rarely there, traveling the world in his sorcerous ways, looking for possible human magi. None came up yet but from time to time he would bring a new person to join the Kindred.

"What's his name?" Rowana blurted after they finished eating.

"You mean the master?" No guessed where her thoughts were. Rowana nodded while biting her lip. "He had many names, but the name he gave me when we met so many eons ago was No Terror."

"And this folk here, the Kindred? They all want to learn magic?" Rowana pressed on.

"Some do, some just want to help carry the torch of humanity."

"That sounds like a dogmatic verse, very cultish." She said keeping her eyes down.

"Could be, but we don't pressure anyone into believing anything. Just a group with a common goal trying to find meaning in this new world." No responded by stretching.

The sun was slowly creeping towards the western horizon which made No's itch even more. Mention of dead attacking and his instincts starting to warn him that something is coming. Is it possible that Anadori necromancer is somewhere around here? And why would anyone attack Rebuke ...

"You think this No Terror would accept half-breed such as me?" Rowana asked with a quiver in her tone. She cleared her throat and looked away from her feet. "I mean everyone here is pureblooded human."

"So you think he would fixate on parts that are different, ignoring parts that are the same?" No asked cryptically.

"From my experience, all three races are like that." She said with a shrug.

No couldn't really disagree with that statement. People were awful back in his time, and they are still awful today. On the other hand, people were amazing back in his time and are as amazing today. Can something be amazing and awful at the same time? He almost chuckled at that.

"You can focus on all the ills that plague the world today and go deep into the cups, or focus on good things and make effort to enhance it."

"Is that what you are doing with this group? Trying to enhance the good in the world?" Rowana asked incredulously.

No, not at first at least. He thought but held his tongue and chuckled instead.

"One day maybe." He added rising to his feet.

The night came and as if someone turned off heating the temperature dropped. A frigid gust of wind swept through the camp causing a stir among the Kindred.

"That is dessert for you, forty degrees at day, minus ten at night," Rowana said uncomfortably fidgeting.

It's more than that. No thought as he inhaled the chilly air. The smell of wasteland was somehow muted with the setting of the sun. So much actually that for a moment he thought he lost his sense of smell.

"Something is wrong." He said as the almost silent wings of a lonely bat started flapping above the camp. The flying critter made few rounds before slowly landing on Rowana's knee.

"Awww, look at how cute you are." She said with a genuine smile. That was the first time No saw her smiling and he couldn't help but blink in pleasure. "Ah, what is this here on your leg."

No snapped his eyes to the small package tied to the bat's leg.

"That is a message from No Terror." He said moving swiftly to her side and cutting the cord with his claw. He fiddled with tiny paper for a second before unwrapping it and staring at the writing.

My faithful servant, I am hopeful that you have completed the task I have assigned to you and that you have come in possession of a maharoon. My divinations have warned me that you might find a new follower in the pursuit of completing this task. I am hopeful that he or she will prove worthy. I write to you now not because I want you to hurry up in your current mission but to inform you of something that has transpired. One of my maharoons has been awakened and bonded. So as soon as you can follow up the trail of the one you acquired and navigate all the dangers that might come across your path, come to see me. I will be waiting at a small village called Mignjalce few kilometers from Moriganhold. Until then, may fortune find you.

No finished reading, excitement bubbling in his chest.

"Caroline, Fiat!" He yelled strolling in the middle of the camp, "Master just informed me that first human mage in this new world has been born! He awaits us at the city of Moriganhold."

The cheer that came from gathered Kindred was deafening. Soon as the cheering died down questions started flying. 'Who is it?','Is she Kindred?','What kind of affinities does he have?','Will they join us?'. No shook his head in response.

"I have no idea. We must follow up the trail of the maharoon we just got. After we finish that mission we must go to the Master for more information."

The wind started howling disturbing the campfire and making the flames dance. A moment after the hellish scream echoed across the flats making everyone shiver.

"What was that?" Rowana asked cradling the messenger bat and walking slowly.

"I have no idea. Fiat, what the dogs say?"

"They are scared, sir. Look at them." Fiat said pointing at two dogs hiding under the bench. "Lot good you did." He said to the dogs gently petting their large heads.

Deliberations were cut short as the shambling figure entered the light of the fire. It wore a uniform of unknown cut and it had no eyes or nose. It made a gurgling sound before taking another step. Everyone froze looking at the uninvited visitor. The shot rang and the weakly things head snapped back before crumbling to the ground.

"What are you apes doing? To the battle positions!" Fiat yelled brandishing a handgun.

Everyone jumped to their feet and the longest night oftheir lives started.