Zombe I Became

[GreyMacabre]

Zombe I Became

Kudos to anyone who reads my insanely long character bio


Chapt 1

It was just another scallywag useless mission. Another few hacks of the sword to scrape up enough money to travel southward, God only knows his travels northward brought little for this ex-chaos soldier. Vesper the city of industry, an economic powerhouse, but Grey had little luck tapping any of its fortunes. He had always been bad with money, but always seemed to make it through.
Now him and a dodgey lot gathered near the statue in Minoc. This once youthful chaos legionary flushed with idealism over blackthorns philosophy was now nothing more then a lowly axman, for a drunkard pedophile mercenary commander who cleared ratmen and orcs from caves for mining companies looking to make their fortune.

The commander stumbled to the statue, his wisky breath making even the smooth mountain air flee in fear. There was no reason for him to be sober for this, its not like he would do any of the fighting. He motioned with his hand for the the mercenary mob to follow, too drunk and lazy to even issue an order or provide any sort of real leadership. The pathetic company of worriers followed, their cheap leather and ring mail, chaffing and jingling as they walked.

Grey carried his bassinet in one hand, his double ax in the other its blades heavily worn.

"These foul beast will fear our blades, and our very names will send shivers down their spine" David said.

"And what name will that be" Grey said in a polite but vexed manor

"Umm ahhhhh" David mumbled as he was at a lost with words, his voice cracking revealing his young age.

"its hard to have a name that sends chill down an enemies spine when the commander it to drunk to name his own company" Grey then turned and went back to staring at mountain peaks in the distance.

David was a nice young lad but a little over enthusiastic about meager things. He failed to joined military by trying to lie about his age, instead he just decided to lie about military service and obtained a job here in this band of brave mercenaries.

The group arrived at the cave, it was dark and semi deep, making a lovely home for any ratman family trying to hide from the continues growing onslaught of human civilization. Unfortunately for this skaven family there was precious metal down there and human civilizations wanted it. For the most part these were safe missions, no one ever really died during these, except for the occasional idiot or unlucky bastard.

"pairs of two" The commander ordered. Grey got stuck with David. To all accept the commander it was apparent David had no military experience. They did not want to be killed because of some armatures mistake. Grey sighed at his bad luck, but he thought it was probably for the better. Many of the other thugs would kill David right when the confusion battle began in order to protect themselves from his inexperience. At least this way Grey might be able to help the lad survive. Having the death of youth, even one as naive as David was not something Grey really wanted to have sitting on his conscious.

Grey put on his bassinet and readied his ax, the most important thing with fighting skaven was to keep swinging, they were not well known for their defensive abilities, but were well known for their lemon like charging. Grey handed a torch to David, "Stay behind me and provide light" Grey mumbled through his Bassinet. David nodded with a confused smile, obviously not understanding what Grey just said.

They were the third pair into the cave, 5 yards stood between them and the pair in front. They crept slowly trying to stay as silent as they could hoping by some slight chance they might keep the element of surprise. With this group of thugs however that was unlikely. The torch man from the pair in front of Grey stumbled, his torch fell landing on his comrade, illuminating him in fire.

"fucking ass shit groundmunger" the soldier screamed as he jumped around trying to put out the flames. The pair in front heard this and turned to look back.

"idiots and poor bastards" Grey mumbled to himself as he watched a small mob of Skaven engulf the pair covering the front two as they looked back. Quickly the back mercenaries rushed to right and left of Grey, forming a line the width of the cave. David tried to sneak his way into the front line, only to be stopped by a swift back kick from Grey. "Light you idiot" Grey yelled as the Mercenaries began swinging. It was a slaughter, unarmed skaven fell in piles before the mercenaries blades. Non of these ratmen were warriors only rats trying to protect there homes. Tooth and claw they fought, but to no avail.

Grey swung his ax catching one in the head, he withdrew the blade. A skaven jumped from above, its snout wide opens and fangs oozing for a bite. Grey guarded himself with the ax, the creature bit down snapping its long fangs on the rusty ax. It screeched in pain falling to the ground hands holding its snout. With a quick blow Grey ended the beast's misery.

As soon as it began, it was over. Another nameless battle for a few messily coins. The soldier of fortune moved to the back of the cave, young baby rats and their mothers scoured in the back, hissing at us huddling over their young. Grey walked to one of the mothers, smashed her in the head with the but of his ax, grabbed her baby from her and slammed it against the wall. The mother jumped up squealing in the highest pitch audible by man, only to be quieted by a quick thug from Davids club. Grey looked at David and laughed. A nice clean blunt blow to the head was the best way to kill the woman and the young, it preserved their fur and other parts for harvesting.

Out of the 30 men who began the battle 2 were dead, and 2 would die later because they decided to go the pub instead of mending their 3rd degree burns. The fun part over, now came the cleanup. the skaven bodies were collected and brought outside. The Bodies of the men would be piled up and burnt. While the bodies of the bludgeoned females and youth would be in a separate pile, where the thugs would harvest profitable body parts.

Grey was at the back, harvesting the body parts when he heard a small rumbling. The ground under him began to shake as small rocks and dust began to plunge from the cave's roof.

"shit" Grey thought "idiots and unlucky bastards" were his last words before the cave fell. All around him went black.

 

[GreyMacabre]

Re: Zombe I Became

chapt 2

The blackness seemed like an eternity, like years have past with him sitting in the darkness, staring at the blackness and feeling the jagged rocks rip through his muscles and into his nerves. "Can't be years" Grey would always say, "but it sure seems like it." Being alone for all that time taught him to be a good conversationalist with himself.

Finally a day that was different from all the others came. Klink, Klink, Grey would hear, like something digging into the stone. "didn't think these bastards would ever send a rescue" Grey laughed as a small flicker of light began to appear. Klink Klink Grey continued to smile as the sound got louder and the light got brighter and brighter. klink Klink, wonk. Grey heard as he watched and felt the sharp end of a pick ax land squared into his forehead. Grey's vision blurred for a few as ooze began to puddle in his eyes from his smashed in skull.

'Gee Golly we struck somdin" a minor proclaimed as he felt the impact of his pickax into something soft and meaty?

"what is it" another voice echoed from deep down the caves

"itss aahhh , its ahhhhh, hrrrmmm . OOOh yeh it s a dead man" the minor said.

"I am not dead" Grey tried to say, but his words only proclaimed themselves in his head.

"wait wait, hes got some tags. it says grrrr grrrrraaayy mica, maaccc, macabre" the minor said as he stumbled over his readings.

"gay macabre" the other voice echoed

"no Grey macabre", the minor correct

"wasn't that one of the commanders boy’s, think he died in a cave in here a few years back" The man said as he echo came closer and closer.

"best go get the commander, see if its one of his". With that the idiot of a minor ran back to Minoc to fetch the commander.

A half our later the commander returned. Grey's vision began to correct itself as he watched the old drunk lean over him. beside him knelt David, a few years older but with the same old confused look. "Wow the little bastard survived" Grey thought to himself.
The commander took a swig of his flask and examined Grey’s crushed face and mangled body. “Can’t tell what, or who the fuck that is, sure its not a dead orc?” the commander exclaimed, as his breath intoxicated the cave.
“that’s him sir, look at the ax, only one man would carry that rusty piece of shit” David said as he picked up the roughed up weapon. “yeh that’s him alright” the commander said.
“what ya wanna do with him? We can burn his body not sure what else” the commander said as he pondered things to do with the body.

“rusty piece of shit!!! That ax was given to me by blackthorn himself you skinny little twerp” Grey though as he overheard the conversation.

“Years back he said his family lived in Yew, his father was a caretaker at the cemetery and Yew Crypt” David said as he examined what remained of someone he use to consider his mentor.
“Your going out that way aren’t ya with your wife and daughter, any room for a corpse?” The commander asked, he might have been a drunkard but had a strong belief in taking care of the dead.
“Yeh we bought a farm out there, starting a new life. Guess I can take him, wrap him in a blanket or something”
After that David left to fetch his wagon. The commander and the two minors started to dig Grey out of his rock encrusted grave. By the time they finished David had returned. In the background Grey could hear David’s wife bickering about carrying a dead body. Grey knew her voice from somewhere but could not make out where. He was dragged outside where he got a good look at the woman, she was an old crone with a receding hairline and thick peach fuzz around her upper lip giving her a slight mustached. “Beared betty” Grey laughed in his head as he watch the old broad and her much younger husband fight. His show was cut short however, when he was rather brutishly picked up and wrapped in a thick rug, and latched to the side of wagon. Now all Grey could see and hear was a light in the upper right corner of his eye and a constant angry sounding muttering. “David found himself a keeper” Grey laughed to himself as the wagon began to move, jolting Grey around in his new carpet packaging.
For a days Grey lay motionless in his carpet, watching the light in the upper right corner of his eye receded from day to night. Judging from the time traveled, and the sound of water Grey could judge where they were. They were in the woods east of Yew, about a days travel from the Yew Crypts and about 3 days to the Abby, The light had disappeared and the wagon head stopped, Grey knew night had come.
Something was happening though, the pain in Grey’s body began to intensify, he felt like every organ in his body was on fire. His nerves seemed to scream out in pain, and for the first time in years, he moved. He jerked and wrestled around in the carpet, screaming mumbles out his rotted voice box. Finally the jerking got so intense it freed him from the carpet. He sat on his hands in knees screaming beside the wagon. He looked at himself, his torso, his arms, they were all rotting and he could feel it all. He could feel the years of decay and the crushing of the rocks that took his mortal life. He looked around in panic, not knowing how to stop the pain. Beared betty and her child stood still shocked, the camp fire flickering of their glazed eyes.

“HELP ME HELP ME YOU WENCH HELP ME!!!!!” Grey screamed as he violently jerked and stumbled towards the child and her mother. The two began to scream as this corpse frantically approached them with blind furious wrenching speed. Grey got to them, Betty froze, constantly screaming barely stopping to take a breath. Grey grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the tree. Her screeches added to Grey already over engulfing pain.
“SHUT UP YOU WHORE SHUT YOUR TRAP” Grey Yelled , his arms tightly grasping Betty smashing her against a tree as his body contorted from the burning pain. 7 times her head whacked till finally her skull burst against the Yew trees hard bark. Grey did not want to kill her, but the pain, the pain was too intense. Suddenly an aroma filled the air, the smell alone seemed to quell Grey’s pain. He looked down to find the source of the smell. Betty’s brains oozed out of her receding hairline. Quickly Grey jammed his fingers into the whole in her skull and consumed Betty’s brains like a child eating cookie doe. Grey finished his meal and sat down next to the fire, his pain was quelled for now. He looked to his right where David and Betty’s daughter stood her mouth open in shock.
“hozzz y” doiz darin” Grey tried saying from his rotten throat.. The child began to scream and darted into deep into the woods.
“N, Nozzz, Don” Grey tried muttering, he grew up in Yew and knew the dangers of the woods. Moment’s later Dire wolf howls burst through the nights silent air, after that Grey knew the young girls fate was sealed. “who am I to intercede with nature” Grey told himself as he enjoyed the fires warmth..

An hour passed and David emerged from the forest. “I caught a rabb-” David cut his words short when he came upon the carnage of his campsite, with a zombie enjoying his fire.

“davizzz” Grey exclaimed with enjoyment, happy to see his old friend. David went glassy eyed and just murmured intelligible responses. Grey grabbed David by the shoulder and walked him to the fire. “Hoz Y’ b””nss” Grey said as David continued to murmur. It had been years since Grey had talked to anyone, finally having a listening ear besides his own filled him with excitement. Throughout the night Grey muttered old war story’s about his days in the Chaos guard to David, who sat glassy eyed and confused. Why his wife was dead with no brains, why his daughter was a meal for hungry wolves, and why a corpse was telling him old war stories was something David would never quite figure out.
The following day Grey and David loaded up the wagon, Grey used the carpet to hold Betty’s corpse. Grey tried to comfort David, by saying he could get him a good deal on a gravesite, due too fact his family being gravediggers. But David just sat staring forward, with eyes glazed over like they had seen a ghost. David dropped Grey off at the Yew Cemetery. Grey said goodbye but David just kept driving the cart forward never looking back. Grey never knew what happened to David after that but wished him the best.

Grey wondered into the graveyard, in the back an old man stood digging, cursing to himself like an old sailor. Grey knew those curses too well. He approached the man and tapped him on the shoulder with his bony finger. The turned around quickly bracing the shovel in a manor to smash someone over the head. In front of the man a rotting corpse stood, tears and oozing streaming from its eyes.

“Grey” The old man muttered. He sat silent for a moment as his eyes began to water. The old man loosened his grip on the shovel and it came clanking to the ground. He opened his arms and embraced the son he thought he had lost.

 

[GreyMacabre]

Re: Zombe I Became

chapt 3


Yew is known for its large trees. Massive hulks of bark and wood erupting from the ground creating a sight seen no where else in britiania. It was next to one of these beast of the forest where Grey's father weeped in joy at the return of his son, the tree's shade providing a cool spot for the welcoming of a child he thought he had lost forever. Grey's skin might of been rotted, his stench might of been horrid, but nothing, even the most gruesome of spectacles could break this bond between father and son.

“What happened to you, its been so long” Grey's father said as joy filled his veins
“I do not know, i just remember black, black was all I saw for an eternity. Then light came and and here I am” Grey said as he embraced his father.
“well son you look, well you look like the people I put into the ground” Grey's father said as they both broke out into a sobbing laugh.
“Its better then being dead i guess” Grey replied.
“Best to get you inside before a militia patrols come roaming, they do not take kindly to foreign looking objects” With that Grey's father gave him a rag to hide his head. They both headed towards the family crypts, a modest but impressive structures providing the gravedigger and his decedents a home in both life and death. It was built generation before by Grey's great great grandfather one of the greatest stone crafters yew had ever seen.

Grey strolled through Yew looking at the buildings as he passed, many things have changed since he last visited, but many things have stayed the same. The Laughing Skull still stood impressively above Yew's tree line, a welcoming sign to visitors leagues away. Militia barracks and training grounds were still filled with heavily armed brutes dead set on keeping Yewian peace. When Grey passed, he pass with his head towards the ground hoping to avoid notice. But the militia like good cops took an interest in any new travelers to their town. Grey's father waved as he passed, but even he could read the curiosity in their eyes about this new hooded stranger.

Finally they came upon the crypts, the trickle of the crypt's waterfall blended with natural noises spawning from the surrounding woods. Graves and prayer benches sat decaying, being overtaken by vines, showing the long time that had pass since a mourner visited.

“Things are falling here father, you keeps Yew's dead so well kept, yet your own falls into disrepair” Grey said as he looked around the crypt.

“One has little care for his dead elders son, when he his child had vanished and assumed dead” Grey's father said they walked up narrows stares to the living quarters.

“You must be famished, let me get you something to eat” Grey's father said he pulled a chair out for Grey to sit
“I have already eaten” Grey said in a stern voice, as he remember the horrid slaying of his friends wife by his hands.
“I am not who I use to be father' Grey said as he blanked out into a daze of his past life, before his life as a mercenary, back to his glorious days serving in the ranks of Blackthorn's army.

“I was not proud of your career choice either son, but that is the past” Grey's father said as he put a hand on Grey's shoulder
“Its not even that now father, things of gotten worse. I am a beast now father, a monster of the most horrific kind” Grey said as he continue to just stare blankly, the images of crimes flashing through his head.
“whats done is done, You are who you are now, accept it, there is little you can do. Besides how horrific can you be” Grey's father said trying to smile and calm his son

“More horrific then you can ever imagine father, I feast on the living now” Grey said trying to pass off his statement with a normal tone.

“Son, you forget where i work. You do not have to feast on the living, I can help you feast on the dead” Grey's father said with a smile, happy to provide at least some alternative.

“Father, if you get caught you will likely be thrown in prison, possibly even executed. Defiling ones dead is not taken lightly here. Our name will be ruined” Grey said with some concern

“Son if you starve we will have no name to carry on” Grey's father replied

“Alright, but be careful”.

With that Grey took to the bed, he was tired, much in his life had changed and would never be the same.

Grey's father fired the few employees he had, from hear on out he would have to do all the em bombing and corpse preparation himself. Grey would help, using skill he had picked up in his youth. As horrible as the situation was it brought a bonding and a smile to both mens faces. Grey had not been so close to his father since he was young.
Normally when the dead were brought to the crypt for preparation, Grey and his father would remove many of the body parts while they were still fresh. They would be especially careful in removing the brain. They would go up through the nose and pull the brain out with a small wire like object. This left no scares, and little indications that the body had been tampered with.
This arrangement worked great for sometime. Grey was fed, and him and his father bonded. But his situation still sat heavily on his soul. During the nights Grey would go out and skulk around town. He would sit in the Yew tree's surrounding the laughing skull and remember his days their before he left for the wars. He would remember the song and dance, and joy that existed within its walls. He would then sigh to himself and slowly recede into the darkness back into the crypt.
One night Grey returned late, in the distance he saw a small group of people and lit torches dancing in front of the crypts entrance. As he got closer angry voices slice through the nights calming air.

“You necro, you beast, you are a dark practitioner admit it”a voice yelled
“I am not, leave now and squelch your insults” Grey's father sounded from within the small mobs embrace
“We should lynch you right here you ghoul” One mob member yelled
Soon two militia members came to see what the ruckus was all about.

“What in the avatars name is going on here” one of them demanded

“This man has fool and tinkered with our mother body” One of them yelled pushing Grey's father. A militia member jumped forward quickly stopping any fight before it began.

“These accusations are false, they just want out of the burial's bill” Grey's father yelled spitting at the small mob.

“There is only one way to settle this” The militia member said.
With that the group headed towards the graveyard to dig up the corpse of the mob's mother. The militia members stood on each side of Grey's father to keep him from running, and to keep the small mob from enforcing vigilantly justice.

When they arrived at the graveyard, they grabbed 3 shovels leaning against one of the graveyards older crypts.

“dig” the militia members order to the small mob. “You are the ones with the accusation, now prove it”.

Slowly the dirt was removed and a small wooden coffin was revealed. Grey watched in the distance, he could see the sweat pouring down his fathers face. One of the mob members took a crowbar and pride the open the coffin. In it laid the corpse of an older woman, a jagged cut mark and poor stitching job encircled her head.

The two Militia members gasped in horror.

“What in avatars name have you been doing Mr. Macabre, You are under arrest” they said trying to hide the horror from their voices.

Grey's heart pounded, his hand gripped tightly to a small hatchet he carried for protection. He wanted to rush in and slay. But his father stared at him off in the distance, a blank stare warning him to stay back, to stay hidden. Grey could not disobey, instead he just stood there watching, not be able to do a thing.

Grave robbery, and meddling with corpses, could only mean one thing in Yew. Necromancy, a crime punishable by death. And Grey's father stood little chance, the evidence against him was too strong, and the superstitions against necromancy to preeminent. Three days after his arrest, Grey's father was executed by public beheading to the cheers of a small crowd. It was here that Grey's care and concern about life, all remnants of his former being vanished. From hear on out, the mortal beings of sorsaria were just another food source for Grey in order for him to survive.

 

[GreyMacabre]

Re: Zombe I Became

chapt 4

Yews deep forest, its vastly spread out homesteads made a perfect hunting ground for Grey's undead hunger. He could raid a cabin in the woods, and his victims screams would not be heard even by their closest neighbor. Traveling merchants, curious youths, and any other soul who traveled from the safety of his mortal herd could fall victim to Grey as he stalked the night, in the day receding to the family crypt which in turn became a gruesome shop of butchery.

Grey was brutal in his methods, revenge for his father's death filled him as much as hunger during the hunt. With every victim he killed he made sure that a message was sent Yew. The militia though was not going to sit idly buy. With the massacres growing, Yewians fled the countryside taking up shelter in the abbey. Yew's economy began to feel the strain as merchants now only traveled under heavy guard or by expensive magic gate. Something was going to have to be done, to stop this crisis. And it was on a cold winter night when something was done.
The mountain dew froze to the ground covering the road in a frost. A light sprinkle of snow fell from the sky and the air chilled Grey's rotting lungs. A lone woman in a purple hood slowly strolled through Yews deep wood paths. The frost crunched lightly and pleasantly beneath her feet. Grey licked his lips, for days the hunt had pulled in nothing and his hunger was beginning to overtake him.
Grey slooped out of the woods behind her, forming only a shadowy outline far from behind. Briskly he walked, clutching an ax in his hand. The woman looked behind and saw Grey's outline coming towards her. She picked up her pace, She looked back again and saw nothing. Quickly she began to run, but before she knew it something grabbed her by the shoulder and spinned her around. Grey raise his ax, ready to deliver a final blow, but he felt something sharp stick deep into his liver. Black blood began to ooze out of his abdomen.

“We got him boys” the woman shouted as an armed patrol jumped from the trees.

“Rangers” Grey said as he yanked the dagger out of his side. Quickly he lifted his ax delivered a final blow to the woman, who was laughing thinking she had finished her opponent off. She got one final look at Grey's Rotting face before her head slip in two. “ZOMBIE” she screamed before she died.

Arrows came swooping from the trees, embedding themselves in Grey's rotting body. Grey quickly ran, trying to run deep into the forest. At his back he could hear the rangers in pursuit. Blood poured from his walking corpse and he staggered with all his might in attempts to escape the vengeful mortals. He bled to much, and the ranger were to good of trackers, he did not know how he would escape. Deeper and deeper he fled into the woods, the rangers footsteps not far behind cracking sticks as they pursued on the cold winter night.

In the distance Grey saw the lights of a castle, flickering, he did not know what is was but something drew him towards it. He pulled together all his strength, but alas it was not enough, the arrows sunk deep and rangers pursed with a powerful zeal. Grey fell to the ground, panting and breathing as the cold air stung his decayed lungs.

“This is it” Grey thought as he looked up at the cloudy sky, being amplified ever so lightly by the moons radiant light. As he looked up a ranger finally stood over him, towering over the helpless zombie. He slowly pulled a sword from his belt. Grey looked up at the Ranger, it was Danial. Grey's old comrad.

“This is for my wife and daughter Grey” Danial said as he raise his sword for the final blow. Grey closed his eyes ready for his end. But nothing happened, all Grey heard was the swoops of arrows cutting through the air. Grey slowly opened his eyes, not knowing what happened. In front of him Danial was impaled by 3 arrows to an old Yew Tree. In the distance Grey could hear the skirmishing as rangers sounded a retreat. Over Grey a skeleton stood, clad in armor and with a bow in his hand.

“Good Souls Brother” The sack of bones said he menacingly cackled over Grey.
“Good souls” Grey replied confused, but oddly somber, as if he had found his new home.