Spirit Taming

Chapter 665: Years Of Cruelty

While Brad had found his overwhelming bond with his partner was able to easily crush those who had once been powerful, Reese was a little on the opposite side of emotions.

"Seriously? They sent me to the graveyards and slums?" He had expected that Ralph would come here. A desire to reclaim and save the people he came from. Yet, Reese was the one marching here.

His words weren't met by any response. Not only did he find that he was marching toward the worst area because of neglect, he was also leading the smallest group.

The only bonus was that he had the fire elemental gargoyle behind him. Not that he found that as a bonus since the heat it was radiating was fairly intense. This made those that came with him a little on edge. While Reese had fire resistance training, not everyone did.

Regardless, the state of the slums was clear. The homes were ignored for so long that many were just walls without roofs. Some were just rotted frames with beds of moldy hay where some people were lucky to be able to sleep at night.

Small fire pits had been made on the side of the broken cobblestone roads. Compared to the roads near the mansions and businesses, it was night and day. The pristine and well kept stone roads should have been here too. But the money for that was kept in the pockets of other larger families.

The worst part was, that this was the graveyard area. Multiple caretakers should be here to care for the graves of heroes and citizens. Unlike the academy cemetery, these were larger and nearby homes. They should have been upkept with the proper respect for the people who had passed away.

This led to many rumors and horror stories of the slums being full of undead beasts that rose again due to disrespect. It wasn't untrue though. Compared to the places where the Mourne family had people, this was worse in its own way.

The Mourne family might have a few twisted caretakers that hide bodies of their enemies here, but the real issue that Reese needed to handle was the illness causing undead.

Leaving these beasts within the city would remain a plague. A potential death sentence for the city. He was also here to show that these people who had already and always suffered would have a chance to grow out of this condition.

Showing the clear cut difference between the uprising against corruption.

This wasn't the only difference that there was. The people of the slums were not hiding as every other place within Nova city was doing. Simply because they already knew that their lives were at risk at all times.

Some of the young children of the richest families would blow off steam by coming here. Promising entire gold coins just to do outrageous things. Many had been harmed or killed, but the temptations of money to buy food and better everything was too much.

While it appeared this had gone unnoticed by most of the group, it was pretty clear that this was the thing that everyone should fight for. Reese felt this more and more the further in to the slums he went.

By the time that he and the force with him had made their way to the gates of the larger graveyards that had been neglected, there were already over twenty younger and older slum residents that had started to follow them. They were curious and wanted to see what was happening.

"We will be taking down the graveyard caretakers using this as a dumping grounds for their dirty deeds. After that, we will begin eliminating the undead beasts before later cleaning up your entire living area. I promise you, that when we complete our duties, that you will all have a better future. Just watch us."

Reese's energy welled up and the spirit steel sword vibrated as it took off in to the air. He had not told anyone of his advances while in the butterfly paradise. The energy training and meditation he had done was right here to show off the conclusions of it all.

He and his partner had been able to work well enough that his spirit steel sword could easily float in the air using the spiritual energies it had stored. Beyond that, the metal energies were surging out creating a potent sword aura. Reese too was radiating the same energy causing those witnessing it to instinctively believe him.

He was different from the caretakers here who would attack anyone that came too near.

"Really? Coming to someone else's territory and trying to dig up proof of this and that? I know there's some foolish people trying to take over the city, but that's not for small groups like you to do. Just go find a grave and stick yourself in it." The voice was on the older side. But when the pale man showed himself, it wasn't that he was actually old.

The man was clearly just sick for years of remaining within a graveyard full of rotting beasts and bodies in general. He had been here for one reason, he was the one that buried away all the evidence. The one that had made the powerful families appear perfect for generations.

"Dig them graves since they are too foolish to run." His hand waved out and the ground trembled. The locals here knew what beast was coming. Besides the four powerful skeleton knights that had walked to guard the caretaker, there was a spirit beast beneath the ground.

When the massive skeletal head broke out of the ground, the skeletal claws and unusually needle like teeth stuck out. But otherwise, the body was completely skeletal with dirt pressed in between the bones.

The locals learned to fear the skeletal mole that was easily able to pull prey beneath the earth. Crush them with the earth. Force them in to deep graves where they would be food for the undead or would become undead themselves. It was a cruel beast that had enough intelligence to follow orders and enjoy killing.

"That's all? I thought that you would have more to handle. My partner will deal with it while I deal with you." Reese sighed. He knew he was being underestimated since the man seemed not to care about his words at all. "Can you please start cleansing the other undead from the area?" He politely asked the fire elemental gargoyle for help and it responded by igniting its body in brilliant fire.

The rest of the forces that had come with Reese glanced at the skeletal knights. They knew that their job was to cooperate and handle them.

In a swift leap, Reese jumped on to the spirit steel sword and it floated higher before darting forward. It dropped him right on top of the caretaker before making a sharp turn to attack the skeletal mole.

The move was a surprising but the caretaker was experienced. He was much faster than he looks and slashed out with a razor sharp cleaver. Perfect for cutting up the Mourne family's mistakes and burning them away.

"That is not much against me. I have trained with sword aura much more closely than you have understood how to cut with that blade." Reese astounded the caretaker by perfectly catching the blade in his hands.

Waves of metal and spiritual energy creating sword aura all around Reese as it happened shook the caretaker's body and soul. "My partner taught me to use this strength better than your partner taught you to kill. But that doesn't matter. You have caused many people harm. It's time to place you in a grave as well."

The slight hint of sadness in Reese's voice was simply because he disliked taking this man's life. But it was for a better future. A man twisted and willing to dissect bodies constantly with joy could not live in a better future. This sort of man would always bring plagues and pain with him.

An equal cry of surprised pain and fear came from the skeletal mole. It had never made such a sound which made the caretaker's eyes grow wide with fear before Reese slashed away with his hand causing the man's throat to bleed profusely.

He felt a slight strain as he had used a significant amount of energy to make his hand act as a blade while his partner did as well to duel the skeletal mole and fight without being held. However, with the caretaker and the skeletal mole dead, the battle against the death knights was all that much easier. They no longer had the guidance of a tamer. Their actions fell apart.

The entire group was able to follow the lead of the fire elemental gargoyle to cleanse the graveyard and the slums of the beasts and lingering Mourne family lackeys around here. They would have a long few hours of fighting. As much as Reese wanted to leave and help the others, he knew that the beasts here could grow like a plague to harm the people in the long run.

He had to complete his own mission here.