Basilik Soul Defense

Karthus followed the map and went to the pseudo adept building. Compared to the beginner/apprentice dorms, it was luxurious.

Karthus walked in and saw a few pseudo adepts in the common room. A couple looked over and nodded, but the majority didn't even acknowledge his existence.

He walked to his room and opened the door. The king sized bed was on the right of the room. A desk was next to the bed facing a window. Another door led to his own private bathroom. It seemed like pseudo-adepts, or anyone with equal status like himself were well treated.

After a few hours hours a knock came on the door. Karthus opened it and saw a man carrying a two books and a lantern.

"Apprentice Karthus, your rewards have come. Also you have a letter." He said as he handed the items to Karthus.

Karthus nodded and shut the door. He went to his desk and opened the letter first.

"Dear Karthus, along with the pseudo-level soul research notes I have sent a banshee book from the adept library. It should help you with understanding the banshee soul and it's uses. The Soul lantern housing the Banshee soul is a loan from the school. You must return it or purchase it in at least a year. Any damages to the lantern must be paid in full. I expect great things from you.

Vice-Dean Fuego"

Karthus looked at the letter and smirked. Vice-Dean Fuego used the Banshee book and Soul lantern as a way to make Karthus indebted to him. Usually only official adepts had access to these items, but Karthus felt it was worth it.

He looked at a paper attached to the back of the letter and realized it was his schedule for tomorrow. Karthus only had Combat and Beginner adept Class. It was up to him to decide which other classes to enroll in. But as there was no Soul related classes he decided to use the rest of his class schedule to self study. If he found other classes useful to him he would enroll in them later on.

Karthus yawned and realized how long his day way. He went to bed and blew out the candles around the room.

Suddenly the crack of dawn came and the birds of the forest chirped as they awakened. Karthus slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He went to the bathroom and took a long bath. He put on his apprentice robes and went to the mess hall.

The mess hall was close to empty as a lot of the students woke up late. Karthus went to the food serving counter and got a cup of coffee. He found a seat in the corner and sat down. Karthus took out his rewarded book 'A guide to the soul' and flipped to the first page.

"The soul is the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal…" Karthus fell into the book and become oblivious of the outside world. He read for some time until his loud surroundings awoke him from his stupor.

He looked at up as the apprentices poured into the mess hall. Karthus looked in annoyance, he didn't like the company of the living.

He got up and went to his beginner apprentice class. Fortunately the class was not that far to away from the mess hall. The class was huge, it had hundreds of seats for the students. Karthus went to the front and picked the center seat. As time went on the other students were arriving. Most of them walked to the back and some went to the middle. Karthus wondered why nobody sat at the front, wasn't it the best section in the classroom? The class gradually filled up and some students began to sit in the front. They looked at him curiously, a female apprentice in the row behind him even told him

"You seem new, I haven't seen you in the past couple of classes. So I'll warn you the front row is reserved for the top 10 beginner adepts. You're setting in the seat of the strongest beginner adept".

Karthus looked at her and smirked, he has defeated a terrifying other wordly beast. What could a beginner adept do to him?

"Thank you but I think I'll manage" he replied

"Don't say I didn't warn you" she shrugged

Finally the row Karthus was sitting in was finally getting filled. These apprentices looked at him more hostile than curiously. Then a large built apprentice went towards him.

"Get up now, or I will kill you" He said calmly

"Why should I, Does the seat say your name? I came before everyone here so this seat is mine" Karthus retorted

The apprentice looked at him in disbelief "Do you know who I am? I am the strongest beginner adept in the school, my close combat skills even rival advance apprentices? Move now or you will get hurt"

Karthus got up and started back at the giant "Then make me"

The apprentice yelled and ran towards Karthus. His fist was the size of a soccer ball. Every one thought Karthus was doomed to die.

Karthus smiled coldly, and suddenly an incorporeal snake came out of his chest. It was so huge it could extend it's body to the end of the room. The snake quickly wrapped its body around Karthus and the apprentice's fist hit it. The bones in his hand fractured as if he hit solid metal. The snake hissed angrily and it's eyes slanted further. Still wrapped around Karthus it rose it's head and striked at the apprentice's neck.

The apprentice screamed as the soul Basilisk sank it's fangs into him. The snake picked him up and flung him across the room. The wall cracked into webs as it took the impact if the apprentices huge body.

Karthus looked at the Basilisk satisfied. Even as a soul it was still powerful. It's scales had almost the same properties as it's past life, the only thing that could injure it were pseudo- asept attacks and above. The Basilisk even seemed to have injected a soul venom into his enemy, judging by how a now white liquid was dribbling from it's fangs. The Basilisk slowly went to the adept.

"Stop" Karthus commanded. He could feel the Basilisk soul and knew he wanted to devour the soul of the apprentice. It hissed reluctantly and merged back into the body of Karthus.

The class sat in silence and many students looked dumbfounded. The girl who warned Karthus earlier looked at him in shook. The apprentice who attacked him sat up and moaned in pain as he held his neck. He drank a blood red potion and his hand slowly regenerated, but his neck still had two gaping holes in them oozing with an incorporeal poison. Karthus smirked in pleasure, his puny apprentice potions would do nothing about the Basilisk wounds. The apprentice would have to come to Karthus if he wanted to save his life.