Once a knight guardian to the royal crypt of King Nitok, Alkayne was amongst the oldest undeads amongst the empire's subjects, although not as blindingly prodigious as the gravelords, royal guards or close aids of The Prince Of Death, he was no nobody either, having stood with the undead during the first war against life and avoided destruction was proof enough.
This zombie was a born leader, for him, having to build up a personal army had been child's play- He also was an excellent warrior of course, wielding a halberd wrapped in the undead empire's banner, knowledgeable in a few battle arts meant to empower troops under his command and wielding a powerful innate ability allowing him to produce and manipulate necrotic lightning as well as frigid winds.
The design of his armour remained mostly unchanged as he still wore the heavy and protective gear of knights of the crypt, only that the chestplate was now decorated by a large, black sun representing King Nitok, a cape of black fur with small hints of white was also upon his shoulders now, still sporting an open helm that gave one full vision upon his decaying visage, ironically showing signs of having been bitten by harsh cold and crisped by lightning, especially so since he had possessed this innate ability since before his passing.
Although Alkayne's step was resolute and stalwart, he was missing a right foot, instead replaced by what could not quite be called a prosthetic as it was more-so a blade that could further extend, capable of channelling his powers with incredible efficiency, and it had been upgraded since the conquest of Viridis, now forged from greater materials and enhanced by Atsalinopalo's ability.
Even if the most powerful of the minor lord's was Ourlon, the physically strongest was Herlbe… Alkayne was definitely the most respected and most competent across the board, there was no situation that he could not adapt to somehow, as such, the realm that Loimos found for him to conquer was going to be a pure challenge through and through.
"Champion Loimos, my troops stand ready to face anything that is thrown at them, my soldiers are flexible so don't hesitate to send us on any mission as you see fit" there was no need to question him, he provided answers on his own.
"I praise the advancements you have brought about, the introduction of sorceries and battle arts to the empire as a whole have proven that the individual strengths of notable undeads can also be a source of power to all others" he added, indeed, although Loimos had not truly invented the concept of sorcery, he was indeed the one to have popularised it by first making Loimosfire into sorcery, although it also was an element one could be proficient in, sorcery was different from regular magic, not requiring nearly as much talent to train in and although less flexible at the start, the strong development was closing that gap.
Loimos had, in general, just brought about a great boom in the practice of all ways of power by demonstrating his mastery of all of them during his duel with the pure living, the empire was different from any other nation, not simply because it was founded upon death, but also because the manners in which they garnered powers were as diverse as they could be.
Alkayne understood the value in mixing and combining all that was possible into the empire, not only did it breed innovation, it also made them nearly unpredictable, one could not just make easy assumptions about the way in which any given undead would decide to attack them in.
"As for myself… I fear that my own progress isn't anything to write home about, I was surprised that there was still such ample room for me to improve, if I may be honest, I believed that my limit had been reached long ago and that not any kind of substantial growth would occur at all, still, my mastery has not improved in a capacity that is significant" speaking solemnly, Alkayne detailed what he believed further, Loimos listening without even a single movement.
"Alkayne, no need to sell yourself so short, an undead of your calibre should be well aware of it, we, of the dead, have no limit to how we can grow, that is a stunted concept that only belongs to those pulsing with life" he finally said, tone as flat and inexpressive as usual, but the content made the zombie feel like it was spoken authoritatively.
"There is always a way in which one can advance further, oftentimes, achieving something will propel everything else to greater heights, would you not agree?"
"Then, you know of vertex, apex and transcend, right?"
"Yes, energy to its maximum output pushed to its maximum limit- Then Condensed to the utmost- And then shaping that incredible power into a specific spell… But that concept only relates to the manipulation of energies, no?"
"It is certainly mostly used in reference to the manipulation of mana, but I do not recall any energy being mentioned in each step" Loimos raised one hand, asking another question.
"Do you know what is the difference between a zone and a domain?"
"Yes, zones are an application of energy or of a power dependent solely on one's skill, allowing for control over an area, over the ambient energy, to convert it one's own, it is generally temporary- As for domain, they are a type of innate ability that can vary widely in utility and purpose, but are generally also meant to control an area, change the environment and potentially remain in place without the user's input"
"Although generally an ability one possesses within them from birth, domains are strongly linked to the person in particular, usually taking a form that relates to them, I believe that one who has an unique ability could awaken such an ability, and if not, I believe that one can form a zone using that ability anyways" explained Loimos.
"His Majesty, King Nitok instead has a dominion, created from a perfect fusion of his hard-earned zone and innate domain, I can not peer at your potential or anyone else's with certainty, but who is to say that you too, could not, one day, possess a dominion, exerting strong influence alongside The Prince Of Death?"
"Do you really believe I have the capabilities for any of what you mentioned?" asked Alkayne.
"You are a minor lord of the undead empire, of course you do- Not that it matters, in eternity, even the weakest of us can reach heights unimaginable, it is our blessing"
"Rise back up, Alkayne, the realm you shall conquer is a world of frozen wastelands and jagged mountains, all will be up to you to decide" offering his hand, the instant Alkayne accepted it, he was given similar equipment to what every other minor lord had received.
Although there were differences in what they had received, all had earned a bit of information, as well as a special weapon, which was the greatest mark of trust any undead could possibly be granted by Loimos.
"I shall not squander the confidence you hold in me, Champion Loimos, I vow to come back better and stronger than I currently am" bowing slightly, Alkayne was quick to leave to go and prepare.
Loimos was officially done with this, if all was well, they would prove themselves and show their capacity to lead on their own.
Which was necessary, as the empire's champion would be personally tackling the most difficult of realms.
"Sorry, My Lord… I didn't want to disturb you- But they did it, the negator, they finally broke him!" spoke the leader of the Erado.
Loimos turned to the horned undead, this was certainly earlier than he had predicted, which could only mean two things at most.
"Did Citil improve once more, or did more mind peelers ascend into mind splitters?"
"The latter, Lord Loimos"
"Very well, have Griar brought to the designated chamber"