Chapter 18: Chapter 17- Kharon

Now, as much as I don’t want to tell you information I have spent decades compiling, I owe a favor to your Order Master and he wants me to teach you upstarts to settle it. As much as I despise sharing my hard-earned knowledge, I am relieved that so many of you have decided to embark on this path. May the Great Creator of the Spirit guide you. 

On to the main topic: Army Composition. By now, you all know the main parts of necromancy: flesh, bone, and soul. What many novice necromancers fail to understand is that using one type of material is actually a good thing. For example, many of you have evolved your companion flesh-heap to produce bone at a steady interval. It is entirely viable to use only bone in your undead and nothing else. Things such as magical support, melee fighters, and aerial control are all things that bone-based undead offer. 

In reality, using all parts of a being to create undead is a hold-over from the Age of Hunters, where we necromancers were hunted down. In this age, however, we shall not be limited to such things. If you happen to have a surplus of material that you are unfamiliar with, giving it to a colleague is entirely possible and personally encouraged. 

In these dark times, sharing is caring after all.

-(##%&$# ($ ^(@**  A Lesson Long Forgotten

 

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As Mori watched the skiff fleet sail off into the distance, Mori patted Fara’s shoulder, “You alright? I’ve calmed down a bit, but…”

Fara placed a hand on Mori’s, “I’m fine. Thanks for asking, though. For now, though, I suppose we should figure out what to do,” she said, looking around the bloody deck.

“That’s easy,” Mori said, “We go to Green Oasis, get this thing a tune-up, and make it our base for the time being!” she stated confidently. 

Fara stared into the lich’s eyes for a moment before nodding, “Fine… We can do it there. I do have to fix the atrocity that is the propulsion on this thing, but I can wait till then. For now though… what are we going to do about all those bodies?” she asked.

Mori followed her gaze, glancing at the pile of bodies, and growled in resurfaced frustration, “First, I do this.” She walked over to the headless corpse of the captain and threw his lifeless body into the air, sending it dozens of feet into the sky. Raising her palm, a gout of fire erupted from her hand, scorching the body and leaving nothing but ash.

“You really hated that guy, huh?” Fara commented, whistling.

Mori gave Fara a look, “He bragged about he was going to rape you. You may not have been there, but he was serious about it. He deserved worse, but I… just don’t want to become like them…” she trailed off, staring at the falling ashes.

Fara walked up beside her and held her shoulder, “It’ll be alright…”

Mori turned and laughed, “‘Lotta touching there, Fara… Did I swoon you or something?” she teased.

Blushing, she violently shook her head, “No! I’m not into girls, you know!” she defended.

“Well, are you into skeletons?” Mori pushed with a teasing tone of voice.

“No I’m not! Can we get back on track here!?”

Mori backed away and shrugged, “Alright, alright, enough playing around then. So, how long do you think it’ll be till you’re ready?” Mori asked as she picked Unio up from the ground while he was sliding up her leg.

Fara glanced at the sea of corpses, bloodied metal deck, and undead and sighed, “With the help of your undead, I could probably get my skiff up and secured in a half-hour. You don’t have to help though; I know for a fact that you have some necromancy and leveling up to do. Can you give me control of them?” she asked, pointing at the undead.

Nodding, she turned to the former pirates, “Hey! All of you, do whatever she says!” she ordered. The undead all turned their heads to listen to Fara, ready to listen to her orders, “Anything else you need?”

“Nothing, thanks,” she replied, “Alright! Two of you, get some ropes and the rest get over here!” she shouted. Fara began ordering the undead around, having them get various things to help get the skiff. Shrugging, Mori turned to the dozens of system messages she had ignored during the battle. 

[You and your allies have defeated Yiyan Isti, a level 18 Winged Lizardman. Experience has been awarded.]

[You and your allies have defeated Eiyta Yoi, a level 16 Winged Lizardman. Experience has been awarded.]

[...] 

[You and your allies have defeated Tythyrian Hist, a level 39 Lizardman Tyrant. A great amount of experience has been awarded.]

[You have reached level 13]

[Unio has reached level 10]

[A Lizardman Zombie has reached level 5]

[A Lizardman Zombie has reached level 6]

[A Hilja Skeleton has reached level 3]

[A Hilja Skeleton has reached level 4] 

The messages rolled along like an unending tide, but at the end, she had reached level 13. ‘Not even a week has gone by, and I’m already level 13. Nice! Now, let’s see what I have to choose from…’ Opening her available physical Traits list, she found her exhaustive list of available Traits staggering as always. Thinking on it for a moment, she realized a certain shortcoming she had not thought of before. “Hey, Fara!” she called out over the side of the skiff.

“Yeah? Do you need something?” Fara called back.

“Is it possible for an area to be sapped of mana?” she asked.

“Yeah! That’s one of the reasons why mages get mana storage Traits or devices! I’d say you should get something to use when you run out of mana first! Your back against the wall, all that!” she answered. 

Mori shouted her thanks to Fara and returned to her musings, ‘Back against the wall, huh?’ she thought, ‘What can I do about that? Maybe I should see if anything like the [Death Screech] is available, though something that doesn’t need my death to work would be best…’ After switching over to her spiritual Traits list, she found a few options for what she was looking for.

[Psychic Affinity: Gives supernatural understanding of the soul. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Psychic Flail: Gives the ability to attack another’s soul through a Connection. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Psychic Conduit: Gives you the ability to Connect with another through the soul. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

‘Odd…’ Mori thought, ‘This is definitely some stuff Kel’rk’ath warned me about, but I thought his warning would carry over to this… Oh well, maybe it’s a one-time warning. I’ll take [Psychic Affinity III], [Psychic Flail], and [Psychic Conduit]. With that… I can choose something normal for my physical Traits. Let’s go with… [Mana Rib V]!’ Choosing her new Traits, she felt the changes happen in her body and soul. Like with [Mechanical Affinity], a new horizon opened up in front of her as [Psychic Affinity] took hold. The pain-filled memories of her desperate attempts to stop her soul from falling apart began to piece together like a puzzle. The aura that surrounded her soul was the power of her emotions. Some of the threads that made the ball were her memories, but others were not. The core… she did not know. There was still so much missing that she was left wanting for more. It came at her with such intensity that she believed it was becoming an addiction.

She clenched her fist and shakily sighed. “Control… I am in control…” she said aloud. Eventually the rapturous longing subsided and she was able to put a mental leash on it. “Fucking system,” she laughed, “Should be more careful… Now, let’s do yours, Unio, and then we can test my new abilities!” Mori opened her Minion Page and noticed with satisfaction that she had the most leveled minions she ever had. With a sigh of satisfaction, she opened Unio’s available Traits.

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[Available Physical Traits: [Stronger Bonds IV], [Dissolving Slime], [Gelatinous Devouring], [Gelatinous Integration], [Blood Reproduction], [Organic Modification], [Slime Solidification]]

[Available Spiritual Traits: [Enhanced Mind], [Death Screech], [Chaotic Adept], [Blind Loyalty], [Sole Mana Casting], [Soul Sight], [Simulation], [Increased Intellect], [Enhanced Focus], [Enhanced Sight]]

Unio’s options were becoming broader, as well as more interesting, but Mori wanted to see what the new Traits offered. She opened them, one by one, and poured over the list of Traits.

[Dissolving Slime: Gives the Creature a body able to dissolve solids over time. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Gelatinous Devouring: Any and all organic material may be absorbed by the creature, provided they are inanimate or dead. Properties of organics may be copied to a minor degree.]

[Gelatinous Integration: Certain materials and objects can be bound to the creature’s slime, acting as if it were a part of their body to a degree.]

[Blood Reproduction: Using mana, blood may be produced from the body of the slime. For all purposes, the blood acts as if it came from any other creature. (Examples include Hemomancy, Necromancy, Malemancy, etc.). May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Organic Modification: The creature may modify the structure of any and all organics, changing its form and physical properties, while still retaining the magical properties prior to modification. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Slime Solidification: The slime of the creature’s body may be solidified to resemble a fleshy substance that is harder to cut through than slime. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Simulation: Offers the ability to simulate certain physical scenarios. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Increased Intellect: Increases intellect and range of emotions. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

[Enhanced Focus: Increases ability to focus on a specific task and ignore distracting stimuli. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]

Mori whistled as she read the options, “Damn… Unio, looks like you’re getting some interesting ones today! Now let’s see…”

“What are you talking about?” Mori turned and noticed Fara walking towards her, “Some good stuff for Unio?” 

Mori nodded, “Yeah, a lot of good stuff. Hmm… I don’t know what to pick… well, other than [Increased Intellect],” she mused, “Do you think he’ll understand us if I pick [Increased Intellect X], if it even exists?”

Fara shrugged, “Dunno. The cut off points for the next split in a Trait tree is either at three Trait levels, five, seven, ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty… you get the picture; though some do only have the basic level before they branch. Anyway, I say pick that one; if you can get an intelligent undead, it may make making more undead easier. Or something— look, he’s really cute and I want to be able to talk to him, alright?” she said with an embarrassed tone.

“I totally agree. Let’s go with that one. I’ll leave the physical ones up to him when we get to the highest level possible,” she said, “Alright, you ready?” Unio jiggled enthusiastically, “Alright, let’s go with… okay, it stops at [Increased Intellect V]. Here we… go!” Unio began to shudder violently for a few seconds before going completely still. Mori poked him a few times, but seeing him alive on her Minion Page, she shrugged and nodded to herself, “Well, that’s done. Anything else to do until we’re ready?”

Fara nodded, wearing a serious expression, “Yes, we do,” she said, “It is customary for a skiff to be re-named every time a new owner obtains it. Not naming it before its maiden voyage is said to garner the displeasure of The Great God of the Death Tides.”

Mori looked at her for a moment before pinching her jaw bone’s chin with her fingers, “Normally I would say that believing in some superstition like that is dumb, but when you say *#(_$*_!%^ would take notice… yeah, that sounds like bad news…” she said, thinking.

Fara gave her a glare, “Since when did you learn his name as well?” she demanded.

“Some Trait descriptions,” she explained, “He told me to stay quiet, so you’re getting nothing out of me. Yet. I think. Maybe later.”

“Damn… they really like you, huh?” Fara teased.

“Heh. It’s either that or they really find me entertaining. I don’t mind that though; being able to entertain a god is an interesting status symbol, isn’t it?” she mused.

“It is,” Fara replied, “Maybe you should become a jester,” she suggested, snickering.

Mori fake-glared, “Maybe I will!” she shouted, “But that’s for later; I figured out what we should name our boat.”

Fara nodded, leaning on her skiff strapped to the deck, “Do tell.”

“Kharon. It’s the name of the ferryman of the dead from a religion in my world. He transported the souls of the dead from the land of the living to the underworld, where Hades, the god of the dead, ruled over them,” she explained.

Fara eyed her, “Don’t you think the Creators may have something to say about you using the name of a god that served a different god of the dead then the Great God of the Death Tides?” she asked.

Mori shrugged, “Dunno. I was planning on asking him when we go meet him at a Shrine.”

Fara widened her eyes, “Wait, we’re-” 

“Anyway, let’s go! We’ve got a lot of ground to cover and we should get there before dark. Let’s go!” Mori shouted.

“Wait, you- Fine, but you’re explaining it to me on the way, okay?”

“Alright, thanks Fara!” Fara sighed and walked into the ship. Soon, the paddle on the back of the skiff kicked off, sending it forward, “Ah, we forgot the flying guys!” 

Fara walked up to the front of the ship and steered Kharon, “Forget it,” she said, “They’re probably wyrm food by now.” 

“What’s a wyrm?” she asked.

Fara turned and glared, “First, why are we going to talk with the gods?”

“Ah, that. Well-” Mori’s story was long and winding, with tangents thrown in wherever she pleased. Hours passed and a silhouette grew in the distance. They soon created a hill, and laid eyes on Green Oasis. A massive stone wall with clocksteel reinforcements and a gateway open to the world stood in their path. Massive cannons as wide as a car lined the walls, orcish soldiers in sand-colored uniforms and wielding rifles standing on guard.

“Damn…” Mori muttered, “Looks like we’re here…”

 

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If any of you are wondering what ‘Malemancy’ is, I basically derived Male- from maledictum, meaning curse in latin. It took me a few google searches to find that, so here's to it becoming the new word of curse magic! Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

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