ALL NOVEL 96 - Wings of Death
A day passed.
It was a rather eventful day. Lieze hadn’t seen a wink of sleep since the cult’s attack on the northern district, and exhaustion was beginning to catch up to her. She and Drayya paired up together to provide their thralls with a number of improvements to their speed and strength while Marché and his followers worked diligently to create the Dark Casters the cult would need to counter the Artificial Scions.
They weren’t any different from Gravewalkers in terms of appearance, but their [Attributes] were redistributed towards [MIND] to improve their spellcasting abilities. Lieze was at first disappointed with the results when a Dark Caster was given a staff and had trouble aiming a single [Magic Missile] at a stationary target.
“We’ll need a lot more than 30 if we want them to be useful…” She thought, “Or, maybe that isn’t the case? Didn’t I learn something that could help with this a few levels ago?”
She recalled the name of the ability, causing a text box to pop up in front of her face.
Ability - Necromantic Alchemy (Greater Intelligence)
Description - The MP cost of this ritual is equal to 5x the level of the targeted thrall. When completed, the target is bestowed with a level of intelligence comparable to that of the average human, capable of understanding and executing complex instructions and demands. Depending on the [Attributes] of the targeted thrall, it may be talented in either martial combat, sorcery, or social deduction. In the latter case (if a thrall’s [SOUL] attribute is higher than 20), the targeted thrall becomes capable of speech.
“Hm… this ability has a few applications.” Lieze muttered, “[SOUL] seems to be an especially rare attribute. Nobody I’ve ever spoken to has an abundance of it, though I could probably find a few thralls who fit the criteria for speech if I looked hard enough…”
Being able to communicate directly with a thrall would be a great boon. Communing via the innate telepathy of necromancy was only so effective, and thralls were often prone to mistakes when attempting to perform anything more complicated than walking in a straight line.
Thankfully, a single glance at the handful of Dark Casters assembled for her inspection revealed a prime candidate for the ritual.
Dark Caster
Level 39 Undead
HP - 71 / 71 MP - 470 / 470
BODY - 3 MIND - 10 SOUL - 26
“I’m taking this one.” She informed Marché, “Continue making more.”
“What are you planning to do with it?” He asked.
“You’ll see. Give me half an hour.”
She went to work on the thrall right away, taking the hit to her already diminishing MP with a sour face.
Lieze’s MP - 710 / 1,345
The [Necromantic Efficiency] ability she’d received from the tome recovered from the Library of Uke cut her hour-long alchemy sessions in half. When she finished channelling her MP into the thrall, it didn’t seem much different than before, idling in the breezy air and waiting patiently for a command.
“Hm. Did it not work?” Lieze muttered.
“It did.”
She recoiled as a raspy voice escaped from the corpse’s atrophied throat, and recoiled a second time when a notification suddenly appeared from her scale.
Secret Quest ‘Speak With Dead’ Complete!
Description - Exchange words with an undead creature
Reward - 2,500xp
Level Up!
You are now level [33]
HP + 10 MP + 45
MIND + 1
“Don’t frighten me like that!” She dismissed the notification with a thought.
“My apologies.” The Caster replied, “Allow me to end my life in order to make amends for this mistake. Please provide me with a stabbing implement.”
“Wha… are you being sarcastic?”
“No.” The thrall’s void-like gaze was devoid of emotion, “Please provide me with a stabbing implement.”
“I’m not going to do that. Creating you was costly.” Lieze replied, “Are you any better at aiming that staff now that you’re no longer a dullard?”
“Yes.”
She pointed a finger towards the cracked window of a nearby home, “Hit that window.”
The Caster’s joints creaked as it followed her command to the letter, casting a projectile of force from the tip of its staff. The [Magic Missile] shattered the window, sending fragments of glass flying in every direction.
“Not bad.” She nodded, “Can you do that in the heat of battle?”
“Yes.”
“What about other spells? Could you cast a [Fire Bolt] if I told you to?”
“Yes.”
“Can you teach your less-talkative comrades to aim correctly?”
“Yes.”
“...Can you say anything else?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your name?”
“Dark Caster.”
“No - I mean your name in life.”
“I do not know.”
“Interesting… so you aren’t pulling this intelligence from a template of your body’s memories.” Lieze folded her arms, “Rather, it’s almost as if there’s a fresh mind inhabiting your body…”
The thrall remained silent. It didn’t seem particularly talkative when she didn’t have a question to ask.
“You only respond when I ask a question?”
“Yes.” It replied.
“You don’t have to do that from now on.”
“Understood.” A pause, “...It is cloudy today.”
“Okay… try to limit yourself to matters of strategic importance.”
“Understood.” Another pause, “Mercuria can be obtained in small quantities from the flesh of Scions.”
Lieze’s ears tingled.
“You know about that?” She asked, “Does it have something to do with your connection to the Blackbriar?”
“Yes. I predicted that it would be a useful piece of information.” The Caster explained, “Master Sokalar is capable of-”
“Don’t call me that.” She interrupted, “Lieze is fine.”
“...Lieze is capable of extracting Mercuria in greater concentrations thanks to her application of the Blackbriar’s gift.” It began again, “This is a significant advantage unavailable to other Scions.”
Her false arm and leg were responsible for her discovery of Mercuria. Thanks to her [Supreme Regeneration] ability, she’d replaced her own flesh with that of a God. As a result, Mercuria was flowing through her veins like blood.
“You mean to say Alistair can also use Mercuria?” Lieze asked.
“Yes. But it must be separated from his blood via alchemy to be usable.” The Caster explained.
“What’s the purpose of Mercuria? What connection does it have to the Gods? What destiny do the Scions share?” She allowed the questions to burst forth like a broken dam, “There must be something you can tell me. Out with it.”
“The Scions are chosen by the Gods.” The thrall said.
“I know that. But why?”
“For a greater purpose.” It continued, “I am forbidden from revealing further details.”
“By the Blackbriar?”
“Yes.”
Her mind strayed to the short conversation she’d shared with Furainé.
“...What about the Light in Chains? What does that-”
She didn’t have the opportunity to finish her sentence. As soon as the term ‘Light in Chains’ left her mouth, the Dark Caster’s head exploded into chunks of flesh and bone fragments, coating Lieze in blood from head to toe. The thrall’s body hit the ground with a thud, its statistics disintegrating from view. In one instant, it was alive, and in another, it was dead.
“Urgh…” She ran a hand across her face, accomplishing little else but smearing the blood, “That’ll teach me to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong…”
But even so, she had extracted a useful piece of information. The Light in Chains was so sensitive a matter that a servant of the Blackbriar was forbidden from even hearing the name spoken aloud. Furainé seemed to know it well, and so it was only natural to assume that Alistair was the best lead for any further information.
“Which makes it all the more important that I reach him before my father does…” She thought, “Until then, I should probably create a replacement for this Dark Caster…”
She ordered a nearby Horror to crush a barrel of water over her head before returning to the alchemy table for another attempt. A half-hour later, another of Marché’s Dark Casters had been granted the ability to speak. She made a mental note to refrain from discussing the Light in Chains within earshot of any intelligent thralls.
Lieze’s MP - 565 / 1,345
“Alright… let’s try this again.” She rubbed her hands together, “You’re going to be in charge of the Dark Casters from now on. I want every undead sorcerer prepared for battle by this time tomorrow morning. Is that understood?”
“Yes.” Came the thrall’s predictable answer.
“You’re allowed to speak freely, too, but only when it’s important.”
“Understood.”
She could have spent the remainder of the day granting [Greater Intelligence] to as many Dark Casters as possible, but her MP was too precious of a resource to be wasted in such a manner. If one intelligent Dark Caster was all it took to train the rest, then she would rather turn her attention to other matters in the meantime.
“Right… what else should I focus on?” She placed a hand to her chin, “The Rot Behemoths could use a speed upgrade or two… and we could always do with more Flesh Elementals, especially considering how much spare blood we have…”
There was a little bit of everything to be done, and not nearly enough time to do it. Lieze was forced to come to terms with the fact that her army would never be absolutely perfect.
As day turned to night, her vast pool of MP combined with the diligence of Drayya and Marché to elevate the capabilities of their army. Rot Behemoths were strengthened with fresh thralls, alchemic upgrades were applied to the weakest Gravewalkers, and Lieze’s quota of Dark Casters was fulfilled.
Quest “Sorcerous Legion” Completed!
Reward - 3,000xp
The intelligent Dark Caster proved to be a thrall of his word, gifting his demented kin with a basic understanding of spellcasting. By the end of the day, the entire troupe was capable of striking a moving target with a number of conjuration spells, and thanks to her constant observation, Lieze was able to pick up a few techniques for herself.
Technique Learned!
Type: [Spell] Name: [Magic Missile]
Description - Launch up to 5 magical projectiles (20MP each) which fly towards targets of your choosing. Each missile deals [10] HP damage to an unarmoured target. This spell cannot miss.
Technique Learned!
Type: [Spell] Name: [Fire Bolt]
Description - Use 50MP to launch a burning projectile towards a target of your choosing. A Fire Bolt deals [40] HP damage to an unarmoured target and ignites any flammable objects within range of its impact.
“Hm… useful enough, I suppose.” Lieze said, “Conjurators usually have a few tricks up their sleeves to improve their spellcraft, but I’m not a conjurator…”
An involuntary yawn worked its way out of her mouth. There was no other word for it - she was exhausted. Between the attack on the northern district and the Order’s arrival, she hadn’t found a spare moment to rest for well over a day.
New Quest Received!
‘Respite’ - Sleep for at least 8 hours
Reward - 50xp
“Even the scale’s starting to complain…” She muttered, “I’d better find somewhere to hole up for the night.”
Thankfully, there was no shortage of lodgings in an abandoned city district. She wasn’t particularly fussy about the state of her resting place - only that it was dry and out of the way. Drayya had once compared her to a wild animal, content with just about anywhere so long as there was no chance of sudden death as she slept.
A well-kept home just down the street from the cemetery was more than enough to satisfy her. She wandered into someone else’s house without a care in the world. Ascended their staircase. Pilfered the contents of their drawers. And finally, slept in their bed, more than a little dissatisfied about the lack of a meal prior to her settling down.
Quest ‘Respite’ Complete!
Reward - 50xp
8 Hours - no more and no less. As the antique clock on the bedside cabinet struck the hour, something flew past the bedroom window and rattled the frame, rousing Lieze to half-asleep panic. Her eyes squinted in the morning light while looking towards the window, spotting yet more silhouettes gliding through the streets, leaving chalk-white feathers hovering in their wake.
“...Artificial Scions?” She slapped both hands against her cheeks, “...An attack! I have to reach the cemetery!”