54 City

Right before Rudra at the far end of the horizon stood a giant palatial city. However, not of glamor and luxury. It was a towering city of death. Towers and walls made of bones and sinister-looking bricks. A giant tower rose right in the middle of the city. It looked like a rising cone.

"All you will hide here," Rudra commanded his whole army to hide as he trekked towards the undead city with large bony walls Deadra followed after him, they both looked no different from the undead that had gathered in front of the city gates trying to enter inside.

As they both followed after the queue and entered the city.

Rudra felt like he was in a new and strange world. The skies still looked grim. The dirt he stood above was dark and eerie as usual. But the atmosphere here was different as a hint of civilization appeared in front of him.

However, that was not what had surprised him. He could see undead skeletons city that was no different from any normal city, laborers, blacksmiths, guards, farmers he could see skeletons doing different works that he thought only the living did.

Rudra could discern the life of the undead as he walked in the streets of the city realize that the undead had more to them as he had previously imagined.

All these undead had soul crystals in them, which was what surprised Rudra.

Deadra following behind him was also equally surprised, they both were like a country bumkin coming to a metropolitan city for the first time.

Rudra had decided to infiltrate the city first trying to scope out the strength of this Xersol, but coming inside the walls had given him a great surprise. The guards of the city were all as strong as his best men, he was sure that the elites of Xersols army who be even stronger than his beast troop.

But why do they all have a soul crystal, Rudra was most astonished at the fact that even the laborer carrying a strange black wood log on his bony shoulders had a soul crystal while Rudra had only been able to have 40 of his units form their soul crystals.

Rudra did not know how these undead communicated or did trade. He slowly followed after another skeleton that looked as ragged as him he could see that normal undead of this city were all wearing clothes and the guards were armed with metal armor and weapons.

Roaming in the streets for a while, Rudra finally made his way towards what appeared to be a grain store. Seeing inside and not spotting anyone attending at the counter of the store. Rudra looked at different looking grains filled in different bags some of them as if on display for customers.

Rudra picked up a handful of white grain from inside of a black gunny bag. He looked carefully at a grain that looked like polished rice but was the shape of wheat grain.

Before he could throw the grain into his mouth he was interrupted by the skeleton who popped up from behind the gunny bag.

"Hey scum, you dare to steal my grains without any fear of the guards."

Rudra looked intently at the skeleton in front of him, it's tiny frame looked much like a skeleton of a monkey than a man, hmm was it his slumping posture that made Rudra think so...

Rudra produced a soul thread from his soul crystal and replied to the monkey looking skeleton shopkeeper.

"How much for these?" Rudra's voice boomed at the shopkeeper.

"AH, you don't need to yell ah, you get this bag of Soul Wheat for 1 black coin."

Rudra's two questions were already answered, the grain was Soul Wheat while the currency used in the city was black coins.

Rudra took out a medallion and flashed it before the flame-like eyes of the shopkeeper.

"Ah, you indeed looked suspicious, I have already paid you guys thrice this month yet you still come to take more of my share, please my lord spare me I have children to feed at home, I have already paid the full taxes to both the king and the city guard captain....."

Rudra was stunned to see such a reaction from the shopkeeper.

'It looks like there is extreme corruption in the city.' Rudra quickly connected the dots from the points made by the shopkeeper but to be sure he decided to gather more information from this bubbling fool.

"NO, I am not here to take taxes," Rudra said shutting the mouth of the rambling monkey.

"Oh, then how may I help you my lord." the shopkeeper said as he rubbed his bony palms together.