"I will have the nurses take you to a private room. Your visitors will join you there."

Two attractive nurses came in with a gurney, and carefully transferred Dave onto it. He enjoyed the attention from the two young nurses, he'd always had a thing for women in uniform. They wheeled him to a private room and gently placed Dave in the bed, then left.

Lone and her uncle, Sam, entered the room.

"Davy! You look like a half-mummy!" Zoe was surprised at the mass of bandages on Dave's hands and legs.

"Hey, kid. You look good, the doc said you need to stay in recovery for two more days. I left a couple of guys near the hospital and inside it.

"Meanwhile, there are some things I'm going to be looking into, your doctor told me about some unusual issues they found during your surgery,."

"Thank you for everything Mr. Silvana. You too Zoe," said Dave. They didn't owe him anything but had gone to great effort to protect him and Ms. Clementine.

"No worries lad, we'll be on our way then. Zoe, you haven't had any sleep, you should get some rest. We can come back to pick Dave up when he's discharged."

"Okay uncle."

Zoe told Dave goodbye and left with her uncle.

Dave was bored laying there alone in the room. He was told not to log back into the game for eight hours IRL in order to let his mind rest.

He turned on the TV, and flipped the channel to CCN.

Dave enjoyed watching Mr. Skeletal's Underworld adventure, it was actually exciting to see his own exploits on replay. He paid particular attention to what was said in the interview with Valentine and The White Ghost.

He dismissed the two Conquest players' claims that luck was the determining factor in his successes, but silently agreed that the helping hand of luck wouldn't always be with him.

Dave became more and more bored the longer he spent in the hospital room.

The hospital meal was filling but mostly bland and tasteless, though he did like the jello. The staff told him it was part of a meal plan meant to be 'healthy' and 'nutritious,' that it was supposed to help speed his recovery.

The time continued to drag slowly by. The doctor finally gave him permission to log back onto Conquest again when it was almost time for the premier of the second hour of 'Mr. Skeletal adventures.' Dave figured it was also close to the time for his Skills to come off-cooldown.

While he was interested in seeing the show, mainly because Warlord and Zhang Shi would be critiquing it, ranking up in the Legion was more important to him than hearing what others had to say about his past adventures. Besides he could always just watch a re-stream of the video.

Dave logged on to Conquest, reappearing in the Undead Frontier.

Dave checked the countdown on his skills and sure enough [Life Cleaver] only had a few minutes left on cooldown.

"When I finish the ascension, I will finally be able to wear the Death Knight armor I bought from Dikenz."

Dave tapped through the interface panela and paid 10,000 CP fee for the Right to Challenge for Death Knight.

Undead Ascension

You have purchased the Right and sent a challenge to the Leader of Regiment Number 501.

Regiment Leader: Death Knight Mathalan.

Do you wish to commence battle for leadership now?

Y/N

Dave pressed 'Y' and was transported to the Ascension amphitheater.

Its walls stood tall and surrounded the square platform.

Dave listened to the shouts and howls of tens of thousands of undead, screaming and glorifying the Undead King. It filled him with ecstasy and excitement.

The tower of the Undead Palace stood behind the arena, looming over everything.

On the top of the Bone Palace's highest tower a huge diamond shaped black crystal hovered and slowly rotated, exuding an aura of death that permeated the whole land of the Undead.

And just below it, Dave saw seven figures looking at him.

Dave recognized only a few of them, abyssal Knight Dagla, Abyssal Knight Samael, the Undead King himself

"The others must be the remaining Abyssal Knights,"

Dave's thoughts were interrupted when he realized that the chaotic voices of the undead synced into one breath.

"KIS. SHTING. BRAH!"

"KIS. SHTING. BRAH!"

"KIS. SHTING. BRAH!"

"The Undead love you, young draugr," said the figure that emerged from the dark.

Dave turned and saw a Death Knight in black armor towering over him. The Kight's plate armor covered him from head to toe, the metal consumed light like the abyssal pit, not reflecting or letting one iota escape.

Behind the T shaped opening of his barbute the eerie glowing eyes of the undead gave Dave the heebie jeebies.

On one arm the Death knight carried a tower shield that would completely cover the Death Knight if he crouched behind it.

The bastard sword in his other hand projected a violent and aggressive aura all its own, one that seemed eager to revel in the pain and destruction of its victims.

Matalan of Ash

Death Knight

Tier: Epic

Level; 350

Danger Level: Friendly

HP: 350,000

DN: 35,000

MA: 35,000

Background:

Matalan died a hero's death after rescuing his town and everyone in it from the rampages of a loose Sworn Stalwart.

He died, burned to ashes by the Stalwart's fire and from those ashes he was revived. From then on, he was known as The Knight Born of Ash.

He joined the Undead Legion and rose in rank through his courage and mighty resolve.

"No flame can burn through my resolve!"

"Cool lore," Dave was impressed with the the Death Knight's story.

"Kis'Shtiengbrah, as much as I want to see you rise to lead your own regiment, I will not go easy on you," the Death Knight warned.

A voice thundered "ROUND DK! FIGHT!"

Dave activated the skill [Life Cleaver] causing a bubble of Limbo to form, a zone of isolation around them.

The Death Scythe appeared, hanging over the Knight's head.

Dave just had to survive for the two minutes needed for [Life Cleaver] to do its thing and this Ascension would be his.

Dave initiated the fight with [Death Descent], jumping up high and coming down toward the Death Knight like a falling star.