Chapter 95: Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 55 – Grimoire of Flesh – Part Two

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 55 - Grimoire of Flesh - Part Two

 

The more I learned of the Dominion, the more I recognised the possibility that I would be invading the territory of another Awakened. Or worse, the territory of an Awakened’s army of descendants.

 

There were no Labyrinths within the territory of the Dominion, only the ancient pillars scattered across the landscape. While it was not fully understood how it was common knowledge that the pillars blocked Teleportation into and out of the Dominion’s territory.

 

Without Labyrinths to supply resources and a steady supply of cheap food, and excessive slave labour driving wages downward, the average citizen of the Dominion was desperately poor. However, the absence of Labyrinths meant that none of their neighbours was interested in taking their territory either.’

 

Subsisting on agriculture, Beast husbandry, fisheries, and raw material exports, most of the Dominion’s wealth was invested into purchasing Variants to prop up the labour market or reinvigorate different bloodlines of ‘domesticated’ Beasts. Of all their industries, it was Beast husbandry that generated the most wealth.

 

While the dominion lacked several resources the other nations otherwise had in abundance, the market for Tamed Beasts was very nearly limitless. Between preparing for war, replenishing losses from war, and a robust domestic market, Tamed Beasts could almost single-handedly support the Dominion’s other industries. This was perhaps just as well since the Beast husbandry industry required substantial ongoing investments of raw resources to maintain itself.

 

The prolific availability of trained Beasts allowed the man-catchers to cover large amounts of ground on any given day. Combined with the pillars that blocked Teleportation, it meant escape on foot would rapidly become a bloody affair at best.

 

The major ports of the Dominion had stringent procedures for rooting out stowaways and illicit cargo. The cargo sweeps were also performed under the watch of heavy naval siege engines that would sink any ship that failed to comply with said procedures.

 

“It has been more than four decades since the last Slave escaped the Dominion alive,” Denbe admitted quietly while wringing his hands with a bitter expression on his face, “Not that we haven’t tried...”

 

“What about buying them their freedom?” I asked despite already feeling like I knew what the answer would be.

 

“They won’t sell humanoid Slaves to anyone outside of their established network of clients,” Denbe replied, “And humanoid Slaves aren’t permitted to be sold outside of the Dominion without written consent and oversight by the Dominion’s high council.”

 

“So a broker ‘could’ sell Slaves to another interest in the Dominion?” I pressed for clarification, already weighing the price of my morals against the lives of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Slaves.

 

Denbe stared at me with a strange look in his eyes for a few moments and then nodded, “Ah, yes, a Dominion citizen ‘could’ buy Slaves to work their lands or-”

 

“What about the land? Can anyone buy land for mining or farming? Or is it only available to nobles or established merchants?” I continued, more or less thinking aloud while a plan began forming in my mind.

 

“Ah...I think anyone technically could buy land, provided they had the funds...” Denbe hedged uncertainly.

 

“I need a map of the Dominion, do you have one?” A plan was taking shape in my mind, but I needed more information.

 

Denbe nodded nervously and withdrew a map from the satchel at his side.

 

“Right...” I sighed disappointedly at the map. While it was quite large, it was scaled for human use. “Ideally, we want a location near the border and an excuse for high turnover in Slaves,” I explained while gesturing to the map, “We can then use the pretence of expended lives to liberate Slaves by tunnelling under the border to a Gateway out of the range of the pillars.”

 

Denbe stared up at me in surprise.

 

“This isn’t wholly my idea,” I admitted, having borrowed large tracts of it from the numerous strategies of the original Midnight Railroad.

 

Denbe slowly nodded and turned his attention to the map, “All the good mining locations have been claimed for generations...but a quarry could justify the need for large numbers of Slaves,” he mused aloud while pointing to what looked like a largely uninhabited section of the map, “The desolate conditions could justify the mortality rate...But there would need to be sufficient value to justify the expense...”

 

“What does the Dominion value then?” I asked curiously, “Besides Slave labour and food?”

 

“Well...building materials are always in demand,” Denbe hedged, “The well-off are forever building monuments and villas...”

 

“So, rare metals, jewels, marble, that sort of thing?” I pressed.

 

“Marble is incredibly rare and could sell for a great deal,” Denbe agreed, “And raw jewels and rare metals can be sold to merchants for a substantial profit depending on the purity...”

 

“So, we need to find an unclaimed plot of land with access to one of those resources,” I confirmed while pointing back to the map, “Which means we will most likely need to have someone prospect the land beforehand.”

 

Denbe frowned slightly, creasing his dark-tanned brow, “Forgiveness, my Tyrant, but we have no prospectors in our organisation.”

 

I waved Denbe off dismissively, “I have an expert already. What I need is the means to disguise him so his true identity is not discovered.”

 

“Illusion magic?” Denbe suggested hopefully, “Depending upon the prospector’s size and the level of scrutiny, a low-level illusion item might be sufficient.”

 

I mentally reviewed Sanctuary’s treasury but was disappointed when I failed to find a magical item with illusion magic.

 

“Do you have access to such an item?” I asked with lowered expectations.

 

“No,” Denbe admitted somewhat awkwardly, “But I know where I can get one!” He added hastily, “I will just need some coins to make the trade!”

 

Sanctuary’s treasury had no coins whatsoever, which presented something of a problem. However, magic items were valuable enough on their own, so I figured Denbe should be able to pawn a few items to make the purchase, or just barter directly for the item.

 

With a wave of my hand, I conjured five relatively high-level magical items from the treasury. “These should be enough, right?” I asked curiously.

 

Denbe looked at the items warily for a couple of moments before staggering backwards in surprise, “Th-these a-are a-all...”

 

“Magic items from tier twenty-five monsters,” I clarified.

 

Besides being relatively high level, there was nothing special about the weapons and armour. Those risking their lives in my Labyrinth for Exp and gear used the donation quest to exchange generic magical equipment gained through Taxation for Exp.

 

“I-Is this? Ah, are you sure?” Denbe asked nervously.

 

“It’s fine,” I reassured him, “If you think it’s too much, just save anything left over for our efforts in the Dominion.”

 

That sobered Denbe up almost immediately, “R-Right!” He agreed determinedly and stowed the items away in a sack.

 

“We can talk more once you return with the item and we have a better idea of what we are working with,” I stated while thinking of what steps to take next.

 

Denbe bowed respectfully and was escorted out of The Grove by Gric.

 

I was about to Summon Sebet so I could task her with acquiring more information on the Dominion but paused. Summoning Sebet was an opportunity to test the Sorcerous Blood Ability to Empower the Summon and determine what the Empower effect had on the Spell.

 

Unsure of what exactly was required, I conjured and resized a magical dagger from Sanctuary’s treasury. Using the dagger, I made a shallow cut in my left palm and focused on the Ability while activating the Spell.

 

*Clang, Clang, Clang*

 

A church bell rang three times in steady succession and the pooled blood in my hand began trailing through the air into a whirling bloody mass. When the blood available in my hand ran dry, I felt more blood being drawn from the open cut.

 

The volume of blood loss would have once alarmed me, but as the final drops left my hand, I estimated that I had lost less than a twentieth of the total volume of blood coursing through my veins.

 

The mass of swirling blood slowly formed the rough outline of a humanoid circulatory system. Once the veins, heart and arteries were complete, a female body rapidly formed around them.

 

Kneeling on her hands and knees, Sebet released a ragged gasp and looked around herself in surprise.

 

Currently, in her Devil form, Sebet’s armoured bat wings fanned out to protect her flanks as she leapt to her feet and away from the perceived threat.

 

Unfortunately, this caused Sebet to land in the lake.

 

A few moments later, Sebet came charging out of the lake with her fangs and claws bared for a fight. Then she stopped abruptly and looked around the lake shore. “Where? What?” Sebet hissed in confusion before looking down at her claws, “I...Well, this is interesting...”

 

“Sorry about that,” I apologised, “I wasn’t sure what the Empower function would do.”

 

Sebet’s eyes widened and her jaw gaped, “Empower?!” She unabashedly began scanning her naked body in immense detail, “My mana isn’t deteriorating? And...Yes, but...Why?” Sebet’s expression fluctuated moment by moment as fragments of a disjointed conversation spilled over her lips unprovoked.

 

Sebet’s self-inspection was interrupted as the original came hurtling out of the sky and made a predatory landing a short distance away.

 

“See?!” The Summoned Sebet insisted, “No deterioration or anything!”

 

The original Sebet stalked up to her copy and without warning, gave the Summoned Sebet’s buttocks a whip-like smack with her right hand, “Yep, that’s mine alright,” she agreed with a ludicrously serious expression on her face.

 

“Told you so!” The Summoned Sebet replied haughtily while gingerly rubbing her backside.

 

“Explain, please,” I demanded with a polite sigh.

 

The Summoned and original Sebet reacted in complete unison, “It’s the Empower effect,” they replied in perfect synch, “She-I is-am a perfect copy...mostly,” they stared at one another, “Her-my mana is still lower than mine-hers though...” They admitted, directing fault toward the copy.

 

“How much lower?” I asked curiously. I hadn’t attempted to designate a specific amount of mana, so I was unsure what to expect.

 

“About half,” the Sebets’ replied in unison.

 

“Half? You’re sure?” I asked warily while checking my mana. I had spent precisely ten mana and lost five HP.

 

Both Sebets’ nodded, “Roughly half,” they agreed.

 

“Hrm...And what was with that disjointed conversation earlier?” I pressed, interested in learning as much about the Empower effect as possible.

 

“Oh, we were just speaking telepathically,” the Sebets’ replied nonchalantly while the copy scratched her cheek nervously, “Our Coven Racial Ability allows us to communicate over any distance with blood relatives.”

 

“So, this counts? Or could you do that with the regular Summons?” I asked curiously.

 

The two Sebets looked at one another for a moment and then shook their heads, “Not that I remember. That’s why it was so strange-”

 

“-I thought someone had used illusion magic on me,” the copy admitted.

 

“Fair enough,” I agreed sympathetically. “But you said you aren’t losing mana?”

 

The copy nodded vigorously, “It’s regenerating even! Not as quickly as it should...But this is still much better than the alternatives!”

 

“Is it though?” I muttered as the moral complications of what that entailed began to assert themselves in my mind.

 

“What do you mean?” The pair asked in unison before sobering almost immediately, “Oh, right...Yeah...that could be a problem,” they shared a worried look.

 

“But I know I am a copy,” the copy insisted, “I mean, sure, I don’t want to die, but I know it’s not the same thing as you dying.”

 

The original wavered her hand in a display of doubt, “Maybe, maybe not, we both know that we won’t know for sure until a situation arises.”

 

“I guess...” The copy agreed somewhat dejectedly.

 

“Well, this isn’t quite what I expected, but we can make it work to our advantage,” I decided, “How do you feel about a long-term assignment?”

 

Both Sebets’ stared at me intently, “A long-term assignment?”

 

“This will be related to your role as my spymaster,” I explained, having come to the realisation just a few moments earlier, “A posting in the Dominion, a country to the far west. I am planning to establish semi-legitimate holdings there to liberate and recruit large volumes of Slaves. But the leader of the country might be an Awakened, a Lord of the Labyrinths, like me.”

 

“So you want us to keep an eye on things and poke around while running things?” The Sebets’ asked enthusiastically.

 

“More or less, yeah,” I agreed.

 

“What about an operational budget?” The original asked, “Will we be given funds to make arrangements? Or should we source the funding ourselves?”

 

“Oh, that's a good question!” The copy agreed, “And what about our rules of engagement?”

 

“Only one of you, the copy, would be going,” I clarified while considering just how much money they would need as startup capital.

 

“Ack!” The original hissed while baring her fangs at her copy.

 

The copy grinned unashamedly wide in reply.

 

“I want updates! Daily-NO! Thrice daily!” The original demanded savagely.

 

“Fine,” the copy agreed nonchalantly, “But you know? I’m thinking that this might be a two Succubi job!”

 

“How so?” I challenged warily.

 

“Well, keeping an eye on the Slaves and all the people keeping an eye on us will be a rather busy job,” the copy explained with an entirely all too innocent smile, “Which will leave little time for spying on everyone else. I might get blindsided because of the machinations of some salt baron against one of our Slave vendors!”

 

“That...might happen...” I agreed reluctantly.

 

“It’s not there being two of us will make things any more morally complicated than they are already,” the copy continued, apparently dropping her association with the original in favour of pushing for another copy.

 

“Another ‘copy’ would help with gathering information more readily,” the original agreed with visible reluctance, “So long as we all agree that I am in charge!”

 

The copy nodded, “Of course! Seniority should be respected!”

 

The original narrowed her eyes briefly before sniffing in contempt, “I have no objections,” she stated haughtily, “So long as the hierarchy is observed.”

 

The copy grinned victoriously, “We shall need unique names as well, for operational security!”

 

“And my sanity,” I muttered while trying to decide if it was truly a good idea to engage in another Empowered Summon.

 

“What about...Sabine?” The copy asked happily.

 

“We were saving that! And you know it!” The original snarled dangerously, “Pick something else!”

 

“Something local might be a good idea, I suppose,” the copy admitted with a sigh, “At least we know what they look like, more or less.”

 

“You do?” I hadn’t expected that.

 

“Oh, sure,” the pair replied in unison as their bodies began to change into an entirely too familiar shape, and very much naked shape.

 

“Clothes!” I demanded, raising one hand to cover my eyes while conjuring the first things that came to mind from the treasury. “You are NEVER to take the form of my close companions, friends, acquaintances or family members without their permission!” I ordered awkwardly while desperately trying to erase the image of Clarice, her twin standing naked by the lake from my immediate memory.

 

“But we had permission,” one of the Sebets pouted, earning a lewd snicker from the other.

 

I was about to express my displeasure further but paused after realising that the Sebets’ had activated a Spell that qualified for my Grimoire of Flesh.

 

“There,” one of the pair stated, “That should do it.”

 

“What Spell did you use?” I asked while cautiously opening my eyes.

 

Still wearing Clarice’s dark skin with dark red hair, the two Succubi now looked like they could pass as Clarice’s taller statuesque cousins. Rather than wearing the conjured clothing, they had somehow conjured and donned form-fitting leather jackets and pants of slightly different styles.

 

“Sculpt Flesh?” The pair of transformed Succubi asked in unison.

 

I nodded and motioned for them to elaborate.

 

“Well...It allows us to make changes to our appearance,” the slightly taller Sebet replied, “Our natural Ability is...complicated...It relies too much on the viewer. Sculpt Flesh gives us more freedom to choose an exact form. Although, the more drastic the changes, the more mana it costs to maintain them.”

 

So you could look human instead of like a Succubus using this Spell?” I asked, intrigued by the possibilities.

 

Both succubi nodded.

 

“It still has limitations based on mass,” the taller of the two continued, potentially guessing at my intentions, “But an Empowered version of the Spell might circumvent that limitation.”

 

“Or it might just make the changes permanent,” the other interjected helpfully.

 

“Could you make a magical item with the Sculpt Flesh Spell in it?” I asked hopefully. Unsure if I wanted to permanently allocate a Spell slot on the off chance the Spell might be helpful.

 

The two Succubi looked at one another and nodded, “We can do that,” they agreed, “But it will take a few hours.”

 

“Then please, make it a priority,” I insisted.

 

If Denbe failed to source a suitable illusion item, then Sculpt Flesh might serve as a suitable substitute.

 

“We could prepare it faster with extra help,” the shorter Succubus suggested hopefully in a barely concealed attempt at manipulation.

 

“Fine,” I agreed, and reopened the wound with my dagger,

 

Casting the Empowered Summon for a second time left me mildly lightheaded and served as a reminder that I should have taken the time to eat something after the first time.

 

Sebet’s second copy wasted no time in taking on the third variation on Clarice’s appearance. However, whether it was accidental or deliberate, she took on the same height and most of the same features as the other copy.

 

“We will just pose as twins,” the two copies insisted determinedly, “It will make it that much easier to come and go as we please while being observed. Our enemies will be left guessing at who is who.”

 

Again, I couldn’t fault them for their logic, but I also doubted it was as deliberate or planned as they made it out to be. They were all functionally the same person, so it made sense that the scope of their collective imagination would be nearly identical.

 

That also meant...

 

“Nope, not going to think about it,” I muttered and made my way back into the lake.

 

My tests with wearing conventional armour underwater had not been surprising. The iron plates had restricted the passage of water around and through my new gills, and the weight of the armour itself had made fine movement all but impossible.

 

Reflecting upon what I had learned, I decided that a tough hide or scale armour would have to be tailored to my body. Of course, that presented the problem of sourcing the materials. I needed something with a comparable toughness to my skin to make the armour worthwhile. Otherwise, the armour would be prone to becoming a liability rather than an asset.

 

Working my way through a link of smoked sausages, I also realised that I would need a certain degree of practice to effectively feed myself while underwater as well.

 

As an aside, I also realised that I probably wouldn’t enjoy swimming in the ocean. In the same way that freshwater fish and saltwater fish couldn't swap habitats, I strongly suspected I would suffer from the same general problems. Unless the Sculpt Flesh Spell allowed for altering internal organs.

 

I continued eating at the bottom of the lake while considering the possibilities.

 

I decided that until I knew the long-term ramifications of the Empowered Summoning, I wouldn’t use it again outside of an emergency.

 

This still left Thundering Strikes, Shape Stone and Plant Growth to test with the Empower effect.

 

Unsure of how dangerous practising with the three Spells would be, I left Sanctuary and made my way to the river that surrounded it.

 

The problem with practising the Shape Earth Spell was determining how much was the effect of my authority within my Demi-Plane and how much was from the Spell.

 

With this in mind, I decided to try the Plant Growth Spell first. To establish a baseline, I wandered the riverside until I found two willow trees of roughly the same size but were a decent distance apart from each other.

 

Allocating ten whole mana for the test, I concentrated on the first willow tree and focused on injecting it with mana while picturing an image of the tree growing in my mind. To my immense satisfaction, the willow tree more or less grew as I prompted it to. I hadn’t fully accounted for the influence of gravity on larger tree limbs and denser gatherings of leaves, but that seemed to sort itself out on its own.

 

The tree had grown close to three times its original size by the time it finished growing. This was generally what I had expected after watching Qreet and the two Dryads grow so many trees.

 

With a baseline sample, I could now compare against, I made my way over to the other tree and considered my options on how best to proceed. Sticking with the tried and true method of simply cutting my hand seemed like the best place to start, so I carefully made a shallow cut in my left hand before targeting the second willow tree with the Plant Growth Spell.

 

Right away, blood began trailing from my hand and through the air before running over the bark of the tree. Contrary to my expectations, the second tree’s growth was significantly lesser than the first tree’s had been, barely doubling its size by the time it consumed the same volume of mana. Curiously, the mana flow didn’t seem to want to stop of its own accord. Just like when I conducted the Empowered Summoning of Sebet.

 

By the time the Spell came to an end, I had lost roughly twenty points of mana and another ten HP. The tree was roughly three times its original size, but the colouration of its bark had darkened considerably and the leaves and thin branches had taken on a crimson hue.

 

“What have you done?!” Hana cried out in surprise as she and her sister Kohana came running out of Sanctuary and toward the altered willow.

 

Before I could begin to explain myself, the crimson willow began gently waving its branches to and fro.

 

The sisters looked confused.

 

“Sorry, did you-” Kohana began to ask but was interrupted by the willow as it shook its branches more animatedly.

 

“Oh...Well...Uh...Are you sure you are alright?” Hana asked with a strange expression on her face.

 

The crimson willow tree vigorously waved its branches.

 

“Well...If you insist,” Hana relented.

 

“Were you speaking with the tree?” I asked curiously.

 

Hana narrowed her eyes at me and pursed her lips, “Do you know what you did?” She demanded firmly.

 

“Uh, no, not really,” I admitted, “What did I do?”’

 

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“You woke it up!” Kohana complained angrily.

 

“What does that mean?” I replied calmly, refusing to be intimidated even though the two sisters could probably bury me alive.

 

Kohana waved her arms and motioned to the tree, “It means you...you...You woke it up!” She spluttered incredulously.

 

“And that’s bad?” I was getting the impression that I would be receiving any of the answers I needed any time soon.

 

“It can be,” Hana replied gravely, “Although this one seems to like you well enough...Some plants don’t react well to becoming aware of things beyond their immediate surroundings.

 

The crimson willow rustled its leaves in what I felt was a dismissive huffing motion.

 

Hana’s frown deepened, “What, did you do?” She asked curiously while looking around at the nearby willow trees.

 

Following Hana’s focus, I was surprised to see that the nearby willows were all slowly growing.

 

“You can cast Spells?!” Kohana demanded incredulously.

 

The crimson willow’s trunk groaned condescendingly.

 

“HEY!” Kohana balled up a fist and shook it at the crimson willow, “You watch it or I'll change you into a birch!”

 

The crimson willow rustled its leaves in a sullen and most likely insincere apology.

 

“What did you do?” Hana repeated.

 

“I cast an Empowered Plant Growth Spell on it,” I admitted somewhat sheepishly, “I was trying to find out what it would do.”

 

Hana just stared at me for a couple of minutes without saying anything, “That’s all you did? You’re sure?” She asked eventually.

 

“So far as I know,” I replied honestly.

 

“Hrm, well, this isn’t as bad as we originally thought then,” Hana let out a deep sigh and looked at the crimson willow again, “Trees are like people, in most of the ways that matter anyway. Some are good, some are bad, and most are a combination of the two. But this tree...it seems a lot like you, Tim. Although maybe a bit less mature-hey!” Hana had to back away as the crimson willow swatted a thin branch at her.

 

I glanced sceptically toward the crimson willow, “Well, so long as it's not going to hurt anyone, I don’t see a problem.”

 

“We will definitely be keeping an eye on it,” Hana promised, “You can count on it.”

 

Kohana nervously approached her sister and hissed in her ear while suspiciously avoiding eye contact, “Hana!”

 

“Hrm?” Hana seemed momentarily confused but quickly rallied, “Oh, right, the thing...” She looked up at me with a somewhat exasperated expression on her face, “Hey Tim?” Hana asked in an excessively casual tone lacking all energy and enthusiasm, “Do you know where those strange flying children came from? And this is totally unrelated, but do you know if Orphiel is seeing anyone? Like, the Harpy woman that keeps hanging around The Grove?” She rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly.

 

For every ounce of enthusiasm missing in her sister, Kohana seemed to have found it and was staring at me with the intensity of a dog that spotted meat hanging over an attended countertop.

 

“Yes, Hana, the Valkyrja was a reward for completing a Conquest quest and have no biological relation to anyone else in Sanctuary, that I know of,” I replied in the same robotic tone, “I am also fairly certain that Orphiel has been seeing someone romantically for at least a month now.”

 

“Wait?” Hana asked curiously, dropping the robotic emotionless facade.

 

“A Dryad, so far as I was aware,” I confirmed.

 

Kohana's face twisted in anger, “YOU?!” She shrieked trying and failing to bat Hana with her flailing arms.

 

The immediate area came alive as roots erupted from the ground and were dragged beneath the soil again by more roots moments later.

 

“He was talking about YOU! Lichen brain!” Hana cursed while defending her head with her arms.

 

The animated vegetation settled almost immediately.

 

“Wh-What?!” Kohana squeaked.

 

“Yes, you!” Hana insisted exasperatedly, “Why else do you think he keeps asking after YOU and singing YOU all those awkward ballads?”

 

I felt somewhat offended on Rick Astley’s behalf. Once you dropped the eighties-nineties accompaniment, the songs were pretty solid. The boybands kind of deserved it though. Most of their music was designed to hit a certain vulnerable demographic hard and fast and make as much money as possible while doing it.

 

Kohana blushed an odd shade of green and looked like she was trying to shrink to hide away.

 

I left the two Dryad sisters to figure things out on their own.

 

Continuing along the riverbank, I decided that I would perform the next test with an expert present.

 

Unfortunately, when I had reshaped the borders of Sanctuary, I had not done so with consideration for plentiful access to stone above ground. After close to an hour of wandering, I decided to settle for what I could find, which was essentially a pile of muddy stones.

 

Using Summon Servant, without the Empower effect, I Summoned the most qualified Earth Mage I knew of. Ochram.

 

Seemingly unchanged from when I had last met him, Ochram was still dressed very simply in a leather soil-stained loincloth. His immense weight caused him to sink a good couple of feet into the muddy river bank, but he didn’t seem to mind.

 

“I answer the call, Master. How may I serve?” Ochram announced brightly as if standing knee-deep in river muck was a good way to start an evening.

 

“Do you know how the Empower effect will influence the Shape Stone Spell?” I asked bluntly, knowing full well that Ochram preferred matters to be to the point.

 

“Empower?” Ochram worked his thick jaw as if chewing the word to get a taste of it, or perhaps grind it into submission, “Yes, Empowered Shape Stone, I know of this,” he decided with a smile, “To shape stone and bind it without...finesse,” Ochram rumbled neutrally.

 

“Bind it?” I asked curiously, “Do you mean I could strengthen the stone? Make it able to withstand greater forces before breaking apart?”

 

Ochram’s brow slowly creased, dislodging a small amount of dirt and dried clay, “Yes, Master.”

 

“Do you know how much stronger the stone becomes?” It wasn’t as immediately useful as I otherwise would have liked. However, I could think of several uses for it off the top of my head, so I wasn’t complaining either.

 

Ochram stared at the small rocks I had gathered and slowly shook his head, “Apologies, Master. Each composition is unique, and would benefit differently from augmentation.”

 

“I guess that makes sense,” I conceded reluctantly. I supposed I would just have to perform a series of stress tests to find the answers for myself. “Thank you, Ochram,” I dismissed his projection and began slowly making my way back into Sanctuary proper.

 

Before I reached the Hunters Gate, so named because it was the fortified gate the hunters used to enter and exit Sanctuary, I realised that I had been overlooking an important resource.

 

*TIngling*

 

Wreathed in shadowy grey robes instead of his usual midnight black, Wisp took form from the low fog that hung over the surrounding swampland. “My Tyrant, how might I assist you this day?” The cleansed Spirit asked in a dry crackling voice that wasn’t nearly as unsettling as it had once been.

 

I was almost certain he had been taking lessons from Orphiel. Or that perhaps helping raise the Valkyrja triplets had changed him in some way.

 

“I need Spells I can use against the Undead,” I stated bluntly, “And I need to know how the Empower Effect would change their function.”

 

From somewhere deep beneath the shadowed cowl of his grey robe, I imagined Wisp’s non-existent eyes widening in surprise for just a moment. “As you wish, my Tyrant. Bane of Undeath is a powerful enhancement Spell that temporarily enchants nearby weapons of allies, including natural weaponry, to deal increased damage to undead. I have no personal experience with the Empower effect on the Spell, but I believe it makes the Spell semi-permanent in nature.”

 

“That’s going on the list then,” I agreed appreciatively, “Could you demonstrate the Spell for me?”

 

Wisp bowed and plucked a small stone from the path. There was a momentary flare of mana and then the stone took on a pale golden light. Then, rather abruptly, it disappeared. “Weapons with the Bane property have been in high demand,” Wisp explained with a hint of amusement in his crackling voice, “So I have been allowing such objects to be taken as rewards for those hunting the undead.”

 

“And you said Empowering the Spell would make it semi-permanent?” I asked for clarification.

 

Wisp nodded faintly, “That is my understanding, my Tyrant.”

 

Then perhaps it would be best if we were to make certain?” I waved my hand and conjured a small pile of assorted magical weapons from the treasury. Taking the dagger from my belt, I cut my left palm. “If you would do the casting, I would like to see what difference is made by collaboration rather than solo casting.”

 

“As you wish, my Tyrant,” Wisp agreed eagerly, “They do enjoy it when I provide them with new toys.” Raising the clinging sleeves of his robes, the faintest outline of his immaterial hands could be seen against the gathering fog. Splaying out his long thin fingers, Wisp directed his large palms toward the pile of magical weapons. There was a momentary build of mana and then I felt a faint tug against my left palm.

 

This had been the other reason I wanted to attempt casting in collaboration. I wanted to know if someone could use my blood against me while it was still in or on my person. That Wisp seemed incapable of taking it without some form of consent was a considerable load off of my mind.

 

Willing the blood in my hand to follow the pull, I did my best to remain calm as my HP slowly began to dip.

 

As the Spell settled into place on each weapon, I lost another point of HP. By the time Wisp’s Spell concluded, I had lost twenty-three HP and had to begin eating to stave off my mounting hunger.

 

Somewhat light-headed, I elected to sit down once the Spell was complete. Being found sitting in the mud would be far less embarrassing than being found facedown in said mud.

 

“Do you mind if I?-” Wisp motioned to the pile of weapons that now gave off a faint coppery glow, “-Field testing will benefit us all.”

 

“By all means,” I waved my hand but continued resting my arm on my knee.

 

“Thank you, my Tyrant,” Wisp bowed his cowled head and the weapons began disappearing one by one. “I have noticed that they seem to watch the reward list quite dutifully,” he chuckled in a faint rasping tone of amusement.

 

I added the Bane Spell to my Grimoire Of Flesh Ability, making three Spells so far.

 

“Do you have any other Spells that would be useful in fighting the Undead?” I asked with mounting anticipation.

 

Wisp was silent for a few moments as he watched the last of the weapons disappear, “They are not as directly adversarial in nature, but I believe there are a few Spells that could be leveraged to the advantage of the living against the undead.”

 

“Such as?” I asked warily.

 

“Well...Dirge of Undeath is a Spell that is intended to allow a Necromancer to call undead from the surrounding area and concentrate them into one location. A malicious Necromancer could cast the Spell on a target area to soften it up in anticipation of an invasion, or to provide a screening distraction while the Necromancer goes about other business,” Wisp explained carefully, “However, the most typical use of the Spell would be so the Necromancer can bind the undead to his will without needing to go searching for them.”

 

“Is it a compulsion? Or is it like a noise that only the undead can hear?” I asked curiously, “Or does it depend on how powerful the undead is?”

 

Wisp gave a throaty crackling laugh and clapped his ethereal hands together, “Good! Very good! Those are precisely the right questions to be asking, my Tyrant!”

 

I wasn’t sure if Wisp was indulging in flattery as a means of preparing for a request, or whether he was just in a good mood. The not knowing made it somewhat unsettling.

 

“It is both, my Tyrant,” Wisp explained in what might otherwise pass for a cheery tone of voice, “To the weakest undead, they are compelled to seek out the epicentre of the Spell’s focus. At the same time, the most powerful undead find it to be little more than a nuisance, like the rumbling of distant thunder.”

 

“So, if I understand you correctly, the Spell could be used to lure weaker undead into a trap?” I hazarded optimistically, “Say, into a Consecrated area?”

 

“Exactly so!” Wisp cackled.

 

“And the Empower effect, does it make the duration longer? Or does it make the Spell more difficult to resist?” I continued, all while considering the possibilities.

 

“If only it was both,” Wisp lamented with feigned sadness, “However, it is fortunate that it is the latter. The stronger the call, the greater the distance the undead will be drawn upon to answer it.”

 

“Wisp, I want you to cast the Spell,” I had decided I would add it to my Grimoire of Flesh. Even if I defeated the Liche tomorrow, I still wanted the means to be able to draw and exterminate undead infestations. The Ability to transmit undeath through a living population was far too dangerous. Two Awakened had used the tactic against me thus far, so it only stood to reason that I should expect another to attempt it in the future.

 

***** Randle - Trost Labyrinth ~ First Floor Foothold *****

 

The Conquest was nearly complete, which meant Randle, Faine, and Jayne had a decision to make.

 

Stay and wait for the floor of the Labyrinth to be assimilated into the Tyrant’s Demi-Plane, or push to Conquer another floor.

 

“We have progressed about as well as we had otherwise hoped,” Faine stated reservedly, “I don’t see an immediate need to take further risks...”

 

“The smart play would be to leave with our guaranteed gains and prepare for our next target,” Jayne agreed.

 

Randle was about to argue to the contrary but paused as he felt a familiar presence.

 

Jayne and Faine perked up the moment they realised something was amiss.

 

“The Tyrant is watching,” Randle stated bluntly.

 

“We are moments away from completing the Conquest, my Tyrant!” Faine declared with stoic pride, “We were just discussing what we should do next.”

 

To their combined surprise a thick indentation appeared on the stone wall and began slowly trailing along the wall. A second line appeared shortly afterwards, then a third and a fourth.

 

“It’s writing!” Jayne declared in amazement.

 

Letters and then full words began to take shape on the wall.

 

[ Leave the building. ]

 

Randle looked at his cousins and shrugged, “I suppose we should leave the building.”

 

Faine and Jayne nodded in agreement. It seemed rather obvious what was expected of them.

 

Heading up the stairs, the trio paused in surprise when the rearmost steps of the stone staircase behind them began rising and merging into the ceiling of the passageway.

 

Giving one another concerned looks, they cautiously continued up the stairs.

 

The staircase continued to seal itself shut behind them, walling off the Totem and Cursed statue behind them.

 

Leaving the guild administration building, they found new instructions written on the wall.

 

[ The portal into the Labyrinth will be blocked. Evacuate the building. ]

 

“I’ll handle it,” Jayne volunteered and hurried back into the building.

 

“Could the Tyrant always do this?” Randle asked quietly, unsure how much the Tyrant could see or hear.

 

“Don’t know,” Faine replied with a shrug, “Does it matter though? He obviously can now.”

 

“True, cousin, true,” Randle agreed quietly.

 

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble as one of the stone walls began to fall apart and large blocks of stone began rolling across the ground and toward the currently inert portal.

 

The removal of the wall made Jayne’s efforts in evacuating the bound prisoners that much faster as the fear of being caught within combined with the new ready access to leave.

 

“The building is empty!” Jayne called out brusquely as she herded the prisoners toward the inn.

 

The administration building collapsed outright and more chunks of stone began rolling and tumbling toward the portal site. After forming a large pile of broken stonework, the stones began to sag and melt like lard in a hot frying pan.

 

The liquid stone mass began to writhe and slowly formed into an amorphous bubble of similar size to a small house before slowly settling into a solid again.

 

“He’s walling in the portal...” Randle gasped, finally understanding what exactly was happening.

 

The stone from the nearby stores began tearing free of their foundations and rolling toward the stone dome. Upon reaching the dome, the new arrivals began working themselves underground of their own accord.

 

When everything was still again, Randle took a moment to note that half the foothold lay in ruins.

 

*Tingling*

 

A small chime sounded and a small canine-like humanoid in boiled leather armour appeared in front of Randle.

 

“It’s a Kobold,” Faine explained before looking back toward the stone dome, “And that looks like our marching orders,” he added determinedly and motioned to the writing on the stone dome.

 

[ Leave with haste. ]

 

“I guess we can just leave the prisoners,” Randle suggested, “They will be picked up with everything else later, right?”

 

Faine nodded in agreement, “It doesn’t make sense to take them with us. We do not need hostages.”

 

The short furry Kobold watched their exchange with apparently little interest but its full attention.

 

“The Synergy from the Kobold will let us push hard on the march,” Jayne added, “So we can be sure the Tyrant meant what he said. He’s serious about this.”

 

“Right,” Faine and Randle agreed in near unison.

 

“I’ll set the men to pack the last of the supplies,” Jayne volunteered and began jogging toward the inn.

 

“I’ll let the others know about the change in plan,” Faine added, already drawing his communicator from the pouch on his hip.

 

“I guess, ah, I’ll figure out some way to carry this Kobold so it won-ah!” Randle gave a start as the Kobold leapt straight at him. Except, instead of attacking him, the Kobold scrambled up Randle like a ladder and around his shoulders and onto his back where it was now in the process of emptying Randle’s pack.

 

“That’s one way to carry it I suppose,” Faine mused with a stiff smile.

 

By the time preparations were completed and they were underway, the Conquest had formally ended and the Kobold was snuggly sitting in Randle’s pack. With three holes in the panels of the leather for the Kobold’s legs and tail respectively, the Kobold’s presence was otherwise quite easy for Randle to ignore. Especially since it weighed less than the original contents of his pack.

 

However, Randle caught Jayne snickering on more than one occasion while they were dashing through the open plain. Unsure what she was finding so funny, Randle didn’t discover the truth until taking a relative break running without his helmet on.

 

The Kobold was looking to and fro as Randle ran, and all the while it was lolling its huge canine tongue out of the side of its mouth.

 

Initially somewhat annoyed, Randle eventually relented and agreed that it was somewhat amusing and endearing, in the same sort of way as an infant child.

 

Burning mana to maintain their endurance, they ran practically the entire distance from the Foothold in a single two-hour stint that reminded Randle of his early squire training. Although his squire training hadn’t been nearly so easy.

 

The second team had already departed the area, but a small scaly humanoid remained in the middle of the deserted fortified encampment. Standing atop a steel-bound chest and still less than four feet tall, the short reptilian humanoid had crimson scales and a long tail. A heavy bony underbite beneath a Dragon-like snout paired with a horned crest and slitted amber eyes marked the monster as one of the lesser Dragon-Kin Species.

 

“I have been expecting you!” The crimson-scaled Dragon-Kin announced unhappily and snorted thin trails of smoke from its horned nostrils.

 

“This is Overseer Iristrixanthrax,” Faine explained while bowing his head slightly, “Did I get that right? Overseer?”

 

“Hrmph! Near enough!” Iristrixanthrax grumbled, “For a soft skin...”

 

“Grrrrr-” The Kobold on Randle’s back disappeared mid-growl, perhaps having run out of mana to sustain itself.

 

“You there!” Iristrixanthrax pointed to Randle, “You shall carry me while your female carries the eggs,” the Dragon-Kin demanded haughtily, “With immense care!” Iristrixanthrax added while glaring at Jayne.

 

*Tingling*

 

Everyone’s attention shifted as a lithe Serpent-Kin woman appeared in their midst. “Ah, um...” The Serpent-Kin mumbled self-consciously and shied away from the intense scrutiny before seeming to discover her nerve, “Ah! On the command of the Tyrant! You are to leave at onsse! THE EGGSS WILL BE LEFT IN MY CARE! SSO GO!” No doubt because of her nerves, she had all but shouted the last.

 

Without saying a word, Iristrixanthrax humbly descended the chest and scampered off in the direction of the portal to the second floor. An Overseer they may be, but pissing off the Tyrant or his messengers would be a quick way for that to change.

 

“Do you think we will be running into more Kobolds like her?” Jayne snickered quietly.

 

“Kobold? I thought you said she was a Dragon-Kin?” Randle accused Faine.

 

“A lesser Dragon-Kin, yes,” Faine confirmed, “It is one of their most common Evolutions.”

 

“But if he is a Kobold, then what was I carrying in my pack earlier?” Randle demanded.

 

“A Kobold,” Jayne replied with a grin.

 

“Wait...Both Species are called Kobolds?! You’re joking?!” Randle demanded incredulously.

 

“Honest truth cousin,” Jayne insisted, “Now come on, we had best be moving out before the new arrival burns a hole in our necks.”

 

“Kobolds can breathe fire?!” Randle didn’t know what to believe anymore.

 

“I was talking about the Serpent-Kin!” Jayne replied and thumbed toward the admittedly irate-looking female Serpent-Kin that was staring daggers at them.

 

“Best get moving,” Randle agreed, earning fresh snickering from Faine and Jayne.

 

What did they expect?

 

Jayne and Faine may have forgotten, but Randle was still painfully aware that the Tyrant was watching them and judging them.

 

Why else would the Serpent-Kin have appeared so suddenly?!

 

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