A master of the dark arts is on the verge of making a groundbreaking discovery about death and undeath. But after another failed attempt at proving this theory, he goes out to gather a key ingredient to try again. During his trip, however, he finds not only the ingredient, but an ideal test subject who is perhaps the key to unlocking a new discovery. A story of betrayal, vengeance, and a twisting turn of events, "Vicarious Fate" chronicles events preceding R.M. Prioleau's award-winning novella, "The Necromancer's Apprentice."