REBORN AS A NECROMANCER : BUILDING THE ULTIMATE UNDEAD ARMY

Three days had passed since the warehouse incident, and the X and O killer's body count had climbed to seven. The morning news reports had grown increasingly urgent, featuring grim-faced police officials who spoke in careful euphemisms about "ritualistic markings" and "ongoing investigations" while avoiding any mention of supernatural involvement.

Kaine stood on the edge of a fifteen-story apartment building, surveying the city below through the enhanced vision his system provided. Heat signatures moved through the streets in predictable patterns—late-night workers heading home, couples walking hand in hand, the occasional drunk stumbling between bars. Nothing that suggested supernatural activity.

His phone buzzed against his chest. The caller ID showed Gwen's name, and he answered on the second ring.

"Patricia."

"Kaine." Her voice carried the focused intensity he remembered from their Shadow Guard days. "You must have heard about the recent bloodsucker psycho in town, no? I've been tracking the X and O murders. Any leads on your end?"

"Nothing useful. The killer's smart—no witnesses, no physical evidence beyond the bodies, no pattern to the locations." He moved along the rooftop's edge, Marcus keeping pace beside him like a pale shadow. "Professional work."

"Professional enough to stay ahead of both Shadow Guard and private hunters," she said. "That's concerning."

"You calling about the case?"

"Partly." There was a pause, and he could hear the sound of traffic in the background. "I was wondering if you were available tonight. For patrol."

Kaine glanced at Marcus, who tilted his head slightly—the Ghoul's version of a shrug. They'd been planning to sweep the warehouse district anyway, following up on reports of increased vampire activity near the docks.

"I'm already on patrol," he said. "Private deal."

"Could use an extra pair of eyes," Gwen said immediately. "I can help for free."

The offer wasn't entirely unexpected. Gwen had always been direct about what she wanted, whether it was backup on a dangerous mission or information about a case that was proving difficult to solve. But there was something in her tone that suggested this wasn't just about professional collaboration.

"Of course," he said finally. "Meet me at the old cathedral. Twenty minutes."

"I'll be there."

The cathedral had been abandoned for over a decade, its gothic spires rising above the surrounding buildings like accusatory fingers pointed at an indifferent sky. The building's interior had been stripped of anything valuable, leaving behind empty stone walls and the kind of profound silence that came with genuine desolation.

Gwen arrived exactly on time, moving across the cathedral's roof with the practiced grace of someone who'd spent years navigating urban terrain at night. She wore dark tactical clothing that allowed for quick movement, and Nightfall's wrapped hilt was visible over her shoulder.

"Evening," she said, settling beside him on the cathedral's edge. "Quiet night?"

"So far." Kaine gestured toward the city spread out below them. "We've been tracking reports of increased vampire activity near the shipping district. Nothing confirmed yet."

"The X and O killer?"

"Maybe. Or maybe just the usual predators taking advantage of the chaos." He stood, preparing to move. "Either way, worth investigating."

They made their way across the rooftops with fluid efficiency, covering ground through a combination of careful jumps and tactical climbing that would have been impossible for normal humans. Marcus moved ahead of them, scouting potential threats and escape routes with the systematic thoroughness of a predator that never stopped hunting.

The shipping district was a maze of warehouses, loading docks, and industrial equipment that provided perfect cover for supernatural activities. During the day, the area buzzed with legitimate commercial traffic. At night, it became the domain of creatures that preferred to conduct their business away from witnesses.

They paused on the roof of a shipping container facility, scanning the area below for signs of activity. The docks were mostly empty, illuminated by harsh industrial lighting that created deep shadows between the buildings.

"How long have you been working alone?" Gwen asked, her voice pitched low enough to avoid carrying to potential listeners.

"Eighteen months," Kaine replied, not taking his eyes off the street below. "Give or take."

"That's a long time to operate without backup."

"I have backup." He nodded toward Marcus, who was positioned at the roof's far edge. "He's more reliable than most people."

Gwen studied the motionless figure with professional interest. "He doesn't talk much."

"He doesn't talk at all."

"Convenient for someone who values privacy."

They moved to the next building, a warehouse complex that showed signs of recent use despite the late hour. Fresh tire tracks in the parking lot, lights visible through windows that should have been dark, the kind of activity that suggested either legitimate late-night operations or something less legal.

"Do you remember the day you went on that hunt?" Gwen asked suddenly, her voice carefully neutral. "The one where you were declared dead?"

Kaine's movement across the rooftop didn't falter, but she caught the slight tension in his shoulders that suggested the question had hit closer to home than he was comfortable admitting.

"I remember," he said.

"I left something in your office," she continued, her words coming out in a rush as if she'd been rehearsing them. "A note. For when you returned."

This time, Kaine did pause, turning to face her with an expression that mixed curiosity with wariness. "What kind of note?"

"The kind that expressed feelings I probably should have kept to myself." Gwen looked down at her hands, suddenly less confident than usual. "I was foolish enough to think... well, to think that maybe when you got back, we could go out. On a date."

The confession hung between them like a challenge, words that couldn't be taken back once they'd been spoken. Kaine studied her face in the industrial lighting, noting the way she held herself with careful control despite the vulnerability of what she'd just revealed.

"Has anything changed?" he asked finally.

"You tell me," she replied, meeting his eyes. "Has anything changed?"

Kaine sighed, then continued moving across the rooftop. The question was more complicated than it appeared, loaded with implications that went beyond simple romantic interest. Everything had changed—his circumstances, his resources, his understanding of the world and his place in it. But the specific change she was asking about was harder to define.

They made their way through the warehouse district without encountering any supernatural threats, but the conversation continued in fragments between periods of tactical silence. Gwen asked careful questions about his work, his methods, his reasons for operating independently. Kaine provided answers that were truthful without being complete, maintaining the kind of professional discretion that had kept him alive through eighteen months of dangerous isolation.

An hour into their patrol, they paused on the roof of a grain elevator that provided an excellent view of the surrounding area. The city stretched out below them, a maze of lights and shadows that concealed countless secrets.

"Things have changed," Kaine said, breaking the silence that had settled between them. "But not in the way you're thinking."

Gwen turned to face him, waiting for him to continue.

"Truthfully, my life changed more in the past month than in all eighteen months combined," he said, his voice carrying a weight that suggested experiences she couldn't begin to imagine.

"Let me in," she said softly. "I'd like to know."

The request was simple, but Kaine knew it was anything but. Letting someone in meant sharing secrets that could get them both killed, revealing resources and capabilities that he'd worked hard to keep hidden. It meant trusting someone with information that could be used against him if she turned out to be working for the wrong people.

But it also meant having someone who understood the weight of what he carried, someone who could provide the kind of support that went beyond tactical backup and professional cooperation.

"Soon," he said finally.

"Soon?"

"Right after we survive what's running at us."

Gwen's head snapped up, her hand moving instinctively toward Nightfall's hilt as she followed his gaze across the rooftop. In the distance, moving with impossible speed across the warehouse complex, a figure was approaching them with predatory intent.

The silhouette moved with inhuman grace, covering the distance between buildings in leaps that defied normal human limitations. Whatever it was, it had spotted them and was closing the gap with the kind of focused determination that suggested either a hunter or something much worse.

Marcus had already moved into a defensive position, his pale form crouched at the roof's edge like a gargoyle waiting for battle. The Ghoul's supernatural senses had detected the threat before either of them did, even Kaine and his motionless stance suggested he was calculating attack approach.

"Friend of yours?" Gwen asked, drawing Nightfall casually.

"Definitely not," Kaine replied, his hand moving to Soulrend's hilt.

The figure cleared the final building between them, landing on their rooftop with enough force to crack the concrete.

Its eyes reflected the light like polished silver, and when it smiled, they could see fangs that were longer and sharper than any normal vampire's. This wasn't just another bloodsucker looking for an easy meal.