Zugos reached for the door, assuming it was just another silly villager. They came for him all the time, either asking for potions to help them with their crops or sometimes, their love life. And every single time, his hands itched for the chance to turn them all into timber. Hardly appropriated, he knew. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to hope. However, as soon as the door opened, he sensed magic. Not his, but something far stronger and darker. Far more ancient. The stench of long dead corpse and dried blood lingering in the air, sending chill up his spine. Zugos frowned, fingers tightening around his cane. 

 Heavy footsteps drew closer, setting off all his wards without a thought. So the targets must be non-human then, else the spells would turn them all around by now. An armored figured emerged from the bushes, lifeless eyes stared at him as it lumbering forward. Just one? He raised an eyebrow, touching one of his rings. It remained dimmed, which puzzled Zugos even more. What kind of attack was this? Sending nothing but a shambling corpse? Or perhaps it wasn’t an attack at all, but something else entirely. Without further ado, he lifted the cane, pointed the perfectly engraved gemstone at the corpse. Lighting suddenly erupted from the blue stone, effectively blasted the abomination all the way back into the forest. The recoil sent him staggering back, but he managed to steady himself with the cane. “No such thing as overkill, they say…”-Zugos muttered, before making his way over to the twice-dead corpse. 

 Nothing of importance there, except for the king’s crest on its chest place, and a letter attached on it with a knife. He picked it up, quickly read the neat handwriting on the envelope. To princess Ezra, it said. That gave him a pause, then after a moment of hesitation, he pocketed it. He was curious, yes, but with her right there on his couch, it would be rather to read it without her knowledge. After that, he took the helmet off the corpse, noting the bloody symbols on its forehead. Necromancy, simple in designs, but no doubt the work of a master. This thing was only meant for delivering the letter, it seemed. 

 With that done, Zugos turned around and walked back into the house, offering the princess her letter. “This seem to be for you. Curious way to send a letter though… Didn’t they know there is still postal service around these parts?”