Book 2: Chapter 36

“Hold your heads high,” a man said as he thumped Mr. Skelly on the shoulder. “You’re one of us, remember?”

Mr. Skelly nodded and raised his head, stepping past the gate’s threshold with his two companions in tow. He glanced around before scratching his head.

“What’s wrong?” the man asked as he herded his horse through the gate.

“I don’t remember where I lived.” Mr. Skelly sighed and hung his head. “I can remember bits and pieces. I had a wife and two children. I know we had a fireplace. The tree outside was a cherry tree that the squirrels would always eat from. But I can’t remember where it is.” His hands clenched into fists as a tears leaked out of his eye sockets.

“Don’t worry. We can go to the adventurers’ guild and ask. Everyone’s addresses are recorded when they sign up.” The armored woman grabbed Mr. Skelly’s hand and smiled at him.

Mr. Skelly nodded. “To the adventurers’ guild then.” He turned his gaze towards the man. “May I ask you to lead the way? I’m afraid people will be frightened by my presence.”

The man nodded. “Don’t worry. I was going there as well. Besides, you need someone to vouch for you. It’d be terrible if someone accidentally killed you. …Again.”

Mr. Skelly winced. “Dying the first time was enough.”

“Do you remember how it happened?” the man asked as he led the way. A few of the other travelers accompanied them as well. The people in streets gawked and pointed, but luckily, none of them reacted violently.

“I … I don’t.” Mr. Skelly sighed. “But I do remember what happened afterwards. I saw a light, a bright white light at the end of a dark tunnel. There was someone there, a beautiful woman. She held her hand out to me and pulled me out of the darkness. I’m sure she must’ve been an angel.” Mr. Skelly sighed again. “She asked me if I had any regrets. She told me she was a messenger of god and she’d grant me a wish. I told her I was sorry I had left behind my wife and two kids, that I couldn’t properly tell them goodbye. She told me she understood, and the next thing I knew, I was awake, lying on the road with Jessica and Norman by my side.”

The man was silent as he led his horse through the streets, heading towards the adventurers’ guild. “A miracle,” he said after a while. “It’s miraculous how you’ve retained your sense of self. I was under the impression most people lost their minds when they turned undead.”

“I never thought I’d become undead,” Mr. Skelly said before letting out a hollow laugh. “But things don’t always turn out how you expect them to.”

“Isn’t that right?” the man asked before shaking his head. His horse came to a halt as the group stopped in front of the adventurers’ guild. He tied the horse’s reins to a nearby pillar and opened the door to the guild. His booming voice echoed through the lobby, “Is the guild master in? There’s an urgent matter.”

“The guild master has not yet returned from her journey,” a monotonous voice said from the receptionist’s counter. The receptionist raised his head. His eyes were sunken in, and his cheeks were even gaunter than before.

“…One of us?” Mr. Skelly mumbled when he saw the receptionist’s pale face.

The receptionist stared at Mr. Skelly for five seconds without breaking eye contact. He blinked hard and removed his glasses, wiping them with the sleeve of his shirt. He put them back on and stared at Mr. Skelly again. Another five seconds passed. The receptionist turned around and shouted towards the room behind the counter, “Polly, switch with me. I’m hallucinating.”

“N-no, this isn’t a hallucination,” the man said as he grabbed the receptionist’s shoulder before he could escape. “This is Richard of the Happy Frogs.”

The receptionist paused and glanced at Mr. Skelly’s gear. “Richard…? In front of me is a skeleton, right? I’m not seeing things?”

“Correct,” the man said with a nod. “You see…” He explained the situation along with Mr. Skelly’s experience of meeting the messenger of god. “And we need to know his address so he can meet his wife and kids before being buried in the cemetery.”

“That’s…” The receptionist frowned as he recalled the adventurers who had set off to investigate the undead on the beach. “Were the Happy Frogs part of the group that went to the beach a few weeks ago? And even if they weren’t, undead are actually showing up on the continent?” The receptionist’s eye twitched. “O guild master, why have thou forsaken me? This problem is way beyond my payroll. I’ll have to send a report to the mayor.”

“Can I please have the addresses to our homes?” Mr. Skelly asked. “I’ll have my wife take me to the cemetery to be purified and buried after we finish talking.”

“I don’t know…,” the receptionist said and scratched his head. He exhaled and stared at the ceiling. “I should quit my job. The pay isn’t worth the stress.”

“What harm could it do?” the man asked and removed his hand from the receptionist’s shoulder. “It wouldn’t be right to purify the Happy Frogs before they could say their goodbyes to their family. Wouldn’t that be unusually cruel and immoral?”

The receptionist sighed. “Adventurers’ information are kept confidential. But I think I can make an exception in this case.” He pursed his lips. “I’ll send some guild sweepers to follow the three of you just in case something happens. If you don’t agree to that, I won’t give you the addresses.”

“We agree,” Mr. Skelly said. “I don’t want to cause any harm. If there are people to prevent any conflicts, it would be for the best.”

“Huh. I didn’t expect undead to be so peaceful,” the receptionist said and scratched his head. “I’ve read up a lot on undead since we received that report, but you’re nothing like what the books say. Maybe it was just the holy dragons’ propaganda…”