ã€ŠAgros de Mortisã€‹


 01a-The drudgery of work

    We mortals are both pawns and crown bestowers to the gods. Freedom is to decide whom we allow ourselves to be moved by, who to lift up, and who we resist.- Emperor Aldagera the First. Founder of the (Silidari) Imperium

    The sun is shining bright in the sky, itself a vibrant shade of blue. To contrast this were clouds, thin and wispy in the sky. Flowing in long streams so high up in the air. Below this was a gently swaying plain of grass, yellow gold seas of it. Into the horizon where distant mountains could be seen as mere specks, it flowed as the wind bid it. But cut like a dirty sword slash through it was a road. Made of hardened dirt several meters across and raised a few inches into the air, a dark dividing line in the land. In a cleared field several acres in size were many gathered carts. Arranged facing the road to an angle, some were covered by cloth over thin wooden poles while others had a tarp lashed over the contents.

    Many figures were around them, some sitting on the benches either in the cart, on the sides, or the driver¡¯s bench. Others were tidying up with the last remains of a campground, some more were in neat blocks around the area standing in wait. Over by one wagon near the front are a few soldiers who are just finished lashing everything down. Standing around the wagon in their light armour for travel they pass each other a piece of cloth that they are using to wipe the sweat from their brows and necks.

    Dressed in the elite armour of the Imperium they were a part of and with sashes that denoted their rank,they stood slightly relaxed. However look closely and it can be seen that none are vulnerable, eyes while not actively searching are prepared. Each can cover the other from their peripheral view, their short swords or daggers were belted and quick to be drawn. Even their relaxed pose was not of complete abandonment, the pose of a big cat perhaps is a good description. One that is more than ready to return to the hunt, but not yet. Walking to them however was a robed figure, with hood folded on his back but a light grey veil against the sun around his head.

    Straightening somewhat they wait before figure, respectful. Look deeper and you can see slight tinges of awe and fear, carefully held back. At a nod and a waved hand they relax as their leader surveys the area. Turning to the figure among the group with a plumed helmet he asks a question. ¡°The status of the supply train and the troops?¡± the voice somewhat flat yet resonant in the way it spread out asked of one of the officers. Still relaxed to a degree the officer responded ¡°General, we are ready to begin departing the Twenty-Eight Training Battalion''s first company and it¡¯s supply train. The same for the rest of the battalion. Twenty-Ninth Training Battalion reports it will be finished shortly after. However Rimark and Corvesta regiments are still well underway. Should we proceed general?¡±

    Their leader nodded his head while another officer spoke up. ¡°General, should the two regiments be placed on rear guard? By the time they are ready that will be the position that will most readily be filled¡± A second to think and the leader speaks out again. ¡°Very well, if that is most efficient. Return to your posts then, I will speak to the handlers to begin¡± A hand held to their chest in salute they depart each others company. Their leader continues his walk across the field, his hands clasped behind his back as his weapon hovers ready behind him.

    Walking past the wagons to other robed figures by the road he waves at the wagons. ¡°First through second will begin moving out as column vanguard. Third and fourth will depart after them. Rimark and Corvesta will be the rear guard¡± The other robed mages begin moving out to their assigned posts, the rest gather up their possessions or take out their implements to prepare. Their movement is markedly faster than that of the officers before. They bow their heads as well as they leave. Their leader continues moving on as he stops before a barded creature. A mix of cloth, leather, and metal segments it cuts an imposing appearance. Mounting the creature he then continues to survey the army before him.

    _______________

    Well the end of yet another exchange here in the wild lands, why then did I get dumped with leading this large extermination patrol of freshly trained soldiers? Oh yes, because everyone else is busy and I wanted some more routine work. Making good use of my other title paid dividends in getting this post out with the hordes of feral monsters, better this then holing up in some fortress for a few months. Some may have been annoyed at such a menial position, but as I stated before some more relaxed work is often prefered. Something to be able to kill without much regard, a little creative work perhaps to...get the blood running so to speak. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Turning my head I watch as my subordinates will the horses back into readiness off their low mana mode. The sharp noise of the clacking of bones fill the air. This batch of replacements that have been finished is also woken up into moving order while those that have not finished are stuck back in the carts for later, indeed the works of a necromancer in the Imperium military. These are regular army forces, not the harsh and disciplined Imperial Legions. They can be lax in manner but it is acceptable, corners can be cut in minor social concerns.

    My fame should suffice for ensuring that there will be no petty matters to take care of though. To bother a superior of rank with matters should be a discouraged habit. Once this self imposed term of service is over it''s back to my good quarters at the academy doing research, and maybe taking on a position as teacher to have a few classes to teach the young ones. Thrashing the young ones into shape is always enjoyable, and if they act up I have a source of entertainment. Something to pick apart and reshape as the Imperium wishes. Remove the impurities, show the paths that can be taken. Allow them to go out, to fall and rise again.

    Hopefully the politicking has calmed down back at the capital by the time this deployment is over, letting the regency candidates murder each other at a safe distance is well appreciated. As they stand, the Imperial family having left three siblings of the old emperor and no recognized heir is a recipe for disaster. And despite my elevated position in the end I am new nobility, in my generation was the house established and as it is I doubt I will be having a child any time soon. While quite egalitarian, the Imperium still has its quirks. It would not be appreciated if I make my presence known, still I left contingency plans in place. The insanity that occurs as a possible position for power is left in the open, one should work to the standards they have already set and keep to it. If they grow to be able to improve solidly then do so, to break upward so heavily and cause chaos... Responsibility has its bounds and limits.

    It can be so annoying having to fight in the army but that''s what I get for my research grants and privileges in the Imperium, besides war has it benefits. Visceral, open yet complex, the ability to feel... There are only so many ways to destress that do not end in narcotic, sexual, or other material ways. And my mental state with killing, well I have been told worse. Right now it is a time of peace however with a lack of aggressive campaigns so actual fighting is minimal but that just makes things boring if it drags on. So of course dammed people have to find something to do and I do not want to spend my days on warding off intrigue. The chance of the emperor having actually dieing of assassination is high.

    Of course I also have to justify my title of nobility to a degree as this is ongoing but really who can try to unseat me politically? My history of service is more than long enough along with current contributions to stop anyone who feels ambitious. Any serious attempt to participate in the succession crisis however is different. The young one back home may but not me. I kept my hands off my territory after making sure I appointed proper caretakers to only need the occasional peek to ensure that things run smoothly and slap a few naughty hands. The young one was doing fine for overseeing the territory in my stead, the experience from managing it will pay dividends in the future. He should still be gathering forces for his cause.

    Well this is just the musings of an old mage and soldier out on patrol right now with no exciting work on my hands. The lesser of evils compared to what is bad work such as getting pulled too heavily into infighting. I have had enough of politics for a lifetime, things will hopefully be sorted out in the year or two I am gone on a tour of the border defenses while thinning the numbers of the monsters. My thoughts are interrupted however when my assigned aide steps to my side and indicates that we are departing. My mount begins surging forward at my command as my assigned guards gather around on their horses. Yes the last leg of the journey before we arrive at the fort and exchange posts. Rimark stays behind and I am off with the entirety of the Twenty-Eighth Battalion(Training) and Corvesta Regiment to thin the numbers in the forests by the foot of the Tamari Mountain Range. The yield of parts for the undead terror units should account for two or three more companies to add to the Western Range¡¯s strategic reserves.

    As the first and second company finished arranging themselves to depart on the road I gave out the signal. With the clack of hoof, talon, and boot upon the ground a swath of black, crimson, and silver departed. While the sun certainly beat down on everyone the troops were relatively content. No particularly dangerous events, food was palatable and there was clean water. Their armour provided protection against the sun. With the pace and breadth of the column it should be only a day until we reach the fortress. With the group diminished it should be another two days worth of travel to the forests. A nice bit of time to kill monsters, killing is often like a chore. Sometimes fun, sometimes annoying. Still necessary. Out here on patrol unless you are an utterly ascetic monk or a hardened agent you can¡¯t help but start thinking about random things or reminiscing on your life. When one grows in age they should find something to pass the time....

 01b- Dissolution

    ¡°General, encampment is complete. All units report they are settled down, sentries and scout patrols have been set¡± The young adjutant in front of me reports, a young lad fresh from the academy from his manner. Acknowledging him and granting his dismissal I continue to read through the recent reports in the area. No incidents or outstanding events to be reported which is why I left this for later. A routine culling of the area, something to give some training to the new recruits and officers. Best any flaws are discovered now. Seeing that nothing is different from the initial reports I received I move on to the personnel reviews. The training battalion will of course need to be vetted for potential both positive and negative. Corvesta Regiment is undergoing a reformation after losing a fifth of its force due to plague. The new forces will need to work together in scenarios outside of training, the standards are strict even only for the regular army. Putting down the papers for the officers in the fourth company of the battalion I take a moment to rest my eyes.

    Breathing in the smell of the land, of grass, trees, and clean wind. The smell of men, of metal, and worked wood. Familiar across many years and different lands. Always a little different but mostly the same. Who we are? and What do we want? Those were questions I was told that would help define a person. As I thought back to how I got my position, as a child I was an orphan in some nameless village on the frontier. Either I became accepted as a full member and spent a life of farming or died as a child without support in the harsh village life near the wilds. Before I would have been glad to be able to hitch a ride on the wagon they use to move hay but now I have my own personal mount. The thing responds to my thoughts before a dismissal has it return to its former position in my tent. Deciding that perhaps indulging in memory is more productive than rereading the reports I think back on those distant times. Shifting to a more comfortable position as the clank of my jewelry and rank symbols.

    My old master Thel¡¯Tholast, when we first met he appeared to be an old traveler. He called himself a wandering mage and that he needed someone to help him with the minor chores on his journey. The village offered me up and I left with him in short order, as it turned out though I had some magic potential and so became a disciple. He taught much of what he knew but now that I think about it he may have sensed my potential and manipulated a few things. Still however much he got into trouble he kept me alive and when enough time passed he had me enrolled me in the local academy for safety.

    Still don¡¯t know what happened to him but he should be okay. The man was unstable at times, collateral damage from spells were high when he was ever forced into a corner. I learned pretty much whatever he was willing to teach in regards to necromancy and anatomy along with some smattering of other systems of magic. Particularly how to heal myself and others, not really as pleasant as a traditional cleric but it kept him alive well enough as it did for me. And he had connections.This let me make my way in the academy before transferring to the royal capital¡¯s academy. As I discovered later he had helped secure the hidden reference letter for my transfer. Did well enough to be accepted into the ranks of the imperial guard even if it was in repayment for the entry. That led to a streak of mishaps that eventually then led to my rather lofty positions and various titles, though I prefer just hierarch and general. Then again I did not Necromancy is allowed here but under restrictions including clauses like reanimating non sentient creatures only and other such things. Of course my own work paved the way for other methods of necromancy though mostly improvements to existing work.

    The imperial army made widespread use of my undead beasts of burden and winged creations. This fuels my research into other forms of necromancy, various fields of magic in general, and funding my territory. Though admittedly some of the acts are illegal. Still I kept them hidden and only to me. Taking a quick stop to my thoughts I check around me, nothing has tripped any alarms or wards in place. The troops are still encamped smoothly and no one has attempted to garner my attention. Only another hour until I may pass the watch to the colonel of the battalion, one senior officer must be awake at all times for any situations that develop. Readjusting myself in my seat I pause when something changes in the air.

    Feeling something strange on the edge of my senses I turn in the direction of the distant mountains. Whatever it is, it is not something benign. Realizing that something has tripped the tertiary warning wards and entered the camp at high speed I get up. Placing everything away safely I turn just in time for someone to be challenged by the guard in front of my tent. Cautiously raising my wards I soon discover how bad things are going to be. Entering the tent is my adjutant and a member of the scout patrol by the emblem. They salute quickly and report why something has occurred as I hear the rustle of the camp waking up.

    ¡°General monster stampede is approaching, mixed enemy forces. Mostly iron and bronze with a few gold rank monsters. The alert has already risen and forces are deploying according to outlayed orders.¡± The adjutant finishes and then the scout steps up, he takes a moment to take a breath before reporting.

    ¡°Enemy force includes feral goblin brutes, wargs, giant spiders, feral orcs, trolls, and giants. Other forces may also be present, force is not organized but running madly in our direction. The scout patrols are withdrawing, enemy totals six thousand from count in three rough groups. Possibly more behind them, there may be a forest fire or a high ranking monster behind them general. ¡± Nodding at his report and analysis I dismiss the scout and walk out of my tent with mount and adjutant in tow. I am confused, there were no reports of a wildfire season for this region. From my position on a slight hill I see the organized chaos of the Eight Provisional Training Division. Thinking quickly I decide that the fortification of the encampment, while strong is not enough if this is a forest fire or a monster of potentially massive scale.

    Tasking people from the waiting messenger unit to send orders to prepare for a fighting retreat if needed, the supplies are to be abandoned except for food, water, and the animals of burden. Another messenger goes to the First Mage Unit(Necromancers) to prepare the completed undead to aid in the retreat and abandon the rest. All supplies are to be buried if possible in caches, the rest will be prepared to be burned. I do not want to see a bunch of orcs and goblins parading around in imperial armour. Walking forward I see that the positions are manned. Forces stand on the embankments while a second and third line of defense is created. The imperial policy of graduated readiness comes in use as units in full equipment are ready, the rest are preparing. If this comes to a retreat even if they are slowed by wearing their equipment they will need it with the monsters nearby. The sounds from said monster horde and the swirling army mix into an unholy cacophony of noise. If it were not for the signal flags it would be almost impossible for messages to cross. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡° All forces, ranged tactics, hold your positions, prepare to fallback on order¡± Hearing the barks of orders I continue to watch as the headquarter mage unit brings the scrying orb for my view. Just as they begin to orient the view of the orb another messenger arrives.

    ¡°Second mage troop is reporting unknown mana signatures, unknown mass of mana approaching¡± At this the messenger stops and then stutters out ¡°Stra..tegic grade, anti army spell. Highest..class¡±

    ¡°SARD!!, Sound the retreat!! Controlled withdraw, diamond formation!¡±

    By the divine realm! An army killer spell. Who is insane enough to attack this particular army with that scale of magic? I cannot waste time doubting such an event even as the monster horde begins to run into the defensive fire of the perimeter units. The camp truly explodes into chaos as soldiers gather around their standards for the retreat. As the fires from the burnt supplies rise into the air enmass the army retreats. It is already a good show of imperial discipline that they are not running for their lives in a rout. Then again, the monster horde will not spare them if we manage to get away in time. As the units continue to retreat through the gates I see a strange ethereal glow in the sky.

    That is a massive raw mass of mana several miles across, throwing out tendrils and flares as it goes. Someone spent an absurd amount of charged magic crystals to make that. I doubt that gathering all the mana crystals in the Imperium and its suzerains can create a blast half as strong as this. That or....the detonation of a mana ley line. An insane act that would kill whoever did it even more assuredly than those caught in the vicinity.

    The taint of untamed mana supercharges the air from its impending approach. When it impacts it could immolate the entirety of several miles and turn this area into a land rent by wild magic. The aberrations that would be spawned by such an act would make this unacceptable even in such a remote locale.

    The only thing of uncommon value is my presence. But to kill me would not threaten things, my service in the army is past. Others now are in charge of the legions, armies, and castles. Perhaps they aim to weaken the pool of leaders but to use such force is like a warhammer to an acorn. My innovations were important but now documented. Others already know what I have done and can follow instructions. Strong but not without peers that are close. Others can make up for the slack if I die.

    Any attempt at shielding against this massive an attack is worthless. Some will survive but not many, at the center of the formation against a single blast my chance to live is unlikely. I do hope that my back up plans work but I never planned them for such a massive mana blast.

    I see the soldiers rushing out as fast as possible, it is good that they did not have to carry heavy loads with the carts around as they quickly ran. Some manage to cut loose those horses with only cargo while others try to pull transport carts out faster. A not so odd moment to have pride in your forces on the edge of annihilation. Looking immediately around me I see that my personal guard is also standing still along with a few more adjacent units. Technically an act of disobedience but the command post and the closest units were at the far end of the camp. None of us are stupid, there is no hope of survival on this land. A few break out old aged wines from flasks and tip each other. A few of the married couples are sharing final farewell kisses. Protocol can die in a pauper''s grave is the presumed thought. Digging through one of my bags I find what I want. The wine case, grabbing out small bottles I toss them around to willing hands. One final one I raise into the air, a toast to death. Not necessarily a fair one, but one that we will face with defiance and a smile on our lips. Then the bow wave came. To hear anything became impossible aside from the roar of the air igniting shaking everyone.

    As the mass of mana grows closer the flare off its surface lash out at those nearby frying them in a bath of pure mana. Most are thankfully immolated, a quick if painful death. Others are warped, from experience it is a kinder fate to kill them now. For those I have known for years, the guards I trained personally and having accompanied me for all this time I attempted to end their suffering. Thankfully they lowered their magical territory barrier at my touch, a single snap and their brains shut off. A single snip of mana. Concentrating the vast reserves of mana within my body I attempt to shield my soul. Mana is the manipulation of the body¡¯s energy by the soul. While the soul can output quite a large amount of power, attempting to reverse it is not as efficient. Less so when so much is made up of miasma, mana turned to the energies of death.

    Taking the drastic and final step of shattering my mana crystal heart, that creation all things are born with I pour everything I can to shield myself. The incredible tearing pain of the crystal bursting and the roaring of my blood as every little drop of mana is taken. Falling backwards as blood flows from my eyes and mouth is simply an afterthought. No injury from my many battles compares to this as the storm descends on my body. The pain is overwhelming, like that of being drenched in molten mercury. My wards only hold out for a few seconds, my flesh only a little less. The air is soon gone from my lungs and my eyes quickly fade away as my nerves are destroyed.

    Then all there is is detachment......I feel nothing at all, total deprivation of the senses. My mind still functions but nothing else does, no limbs, no beating heart, nothing.... Pushing hard with my mind I soon feel something more familiar, my soul... I can sense it now but that is it, there is only my soul and the void. There are many ways that those before have portrayed souls. Will o wisps, shifting shadowy figures. Personally I know it depends on the person. Some take the form of animals or themselves but bleached. Mine however was a nebulous shade. The barest impression of a skull and ribcage with many tendrils in the semblance of wings. Still how can this be, a soul cannot exist without some sort of medium whether it is a body or magic essence to anchor onto and this is not one of my planned survival cards. No extra planar domain or recall to my labs.

    Even so called disembodied spirits have some sort of essence to cling to even if it is metaphysical. Just what could maintain my soul in such a state? The intruding thought of eternity in such a state crosses my mind. I feel my mind quake at the thought, just myself and the whispers of the astral plane. Even now they whisper their half words, minor entreaties of the glories offered by the astral plane. The ecstasy that would come from allowing myself to learn more of the workings, my thirst for knowledge. Suddenly however as if a soul could experience vertigo, my sense of self was.. Shifted. What had happened, well my answer would appear very soon.

 02-I have an offer for you good sir

    ¡°Mercy properly utilized will be greater than any blade. The same for terror, never descend too far one path. A belt with only one type of knife will only bring down one type of foe, diversify yourself. If you wish to grow more powerful, but that is why you are here afterall¡±

    -Imperial Duke Taris Eilgbert Abt ¡°Devourer of Dragons¡± to his wards

    Some say that when they meet their deity there is a tunnel of pure light to enter before being able to meet, instead I am simply placed in some richly adorned room alone. You would think this is some rich and traveled noble¡¯s meeting room if not for the sheer mana interlaced into everything and the very air. Even the Arcane Consortium¡¯s Capital does not have this much latent mana infused into itself. And that was the work of centuries of mana crystal formations and infusal rituals. Taking stock I see that I am dressed in my finer robes but this is not the formal dress set I wear but my finest warmage set. Clothes I find rather comforting from the familiar weight though not the familiar wear and tear. A quick check and I find that it is also not attuned to me, the enchantments are there but different. The appearance but not the essence of those who have worked on it.

    Taking a bit more of a look at the immediate surroundings I see that there is the setting for a tea party here. The rest of the room appears like a study with shelves of books and cabinets with various objects in them. I suspect that if the cabinets were not sealed then I would have been driven mad by the sheer aura released by them. I recognize the power of them, artifacts known as Trappings of Divinity. Regalia fit for a being of the divine realm to have on their person, perhaps even personally by a deity. I have never seen so many gathered together, one or two at most inside a vault or cathedral but not like this.

    After having finished taking in my immediate surroundings the hardwood door opens and entering is a woman in a deep velvet dress. Behind her were several maidens dressed in less vibrant but still high quality robes, they appeared to be something akin to handmaidens for a high ranking individual. The glowing ethereal wings that floated behind them marked them as divina, beings of the divine realm. Many were servants of the divines, those dwellers of one portion of the astral plane. They file through the door before standing at attention in the manner of servants. Their apparent master entering afterwards. Another woman dressed in a luxurious cream robe with silver and gold accents/embroidery, and wielding a scepter that seemed as if it was made of a much more radiant gold. She was a stunning figure who would likely shame any woman who called herself beautiful. The woman seemed to embody the epitome of beauty that even a cynic such as I could not dispute. But her eyes are like avoid, vast and promising much from its echoes. Deep knowledge, vast knowledge, things we so desperately want but shy from for our own sake. I rose from my seat and gave a low bow before saying

    ¡°Greetings my lady, I assume it is you I have to thank for bringing me to this place?¡± The lady smiles a polite smile, not truly welcoming but not disrespectful. Her eyes however, they were deep. I felt the whispers grow stronger then retreat, anticipatory almost.

    ¡°Indeed I was the one who granted you your presence here, I can believe that you realize your circumstances?¡±

    ¡°If I may be blunt. That I would have been a disembodied soul incarnate in whatever plane that was before without intervention then yes¡± Her smile continues even as she seats herself in the high backed chair before me. Her handmaidens continue to flank her as the tea is poured for her.

    ¡°That would be mostly correct though instead you would have gone to The Realm of Souls to be judged instead of that blank zone you were in, but then again you would have tried your best to avoid all that I am quite sure. A fascinating weave of different magic arts upon your soul¡± She halts for a sip while I take one as well as custom dictates. A fascinating brew, even if tea is not my truly my palate it is a very...vibrant mix.

    ¡°I thank you but.. I can assume that you have a reason for doing this, few are the beings who can give without something in return¡±

    ¡°Yes indeed, while I was not directly involved my colleagues were the ones who caused your death in an accident that even I find absurd to have occurred. The simple explanation is that you and your soldiers were hit by a how to say ¡®accidental release¡¯ of power. Something that under the circumstances should not have occurred. Unfortunately for you we frankly do not feel that there is a simple method of reversing what has occurred so instead we decided on a more efficient outlook¡±

    ¡°So you do not want to waste power on fixing your mistakes and will instead take advantage of what has occurred and can I be so arrogant have me commit some act or service?¡± Not something I can do something about, the divines look to different spheres and I have done similar things by accident before. Damage control is not always truly possible.

    ¡°Yes that is indeed what we felt was best, we have a, how to say a new position to be made and feel that you would be a good fit for it¡± At this however I frown, the Imperium is many things, of its people and its patron diety as well but...

    ¡°What services would can I say a deity need for a necromancer, we are not exactly the most sought out figures when it comes to most ¡®holy¡¯ work. I would assume that my services would default to the one whom I am an adherent of¡±

    ¡°Normally yes but in this case your expertise would be well put to work, something akin to being a warden or jailer. Soul work is complex, divines have their specialization after all. And for that matter we have already gone through the channels for that.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°May I ask exactly what soul would you want a necromancer as a jailer instead of one of your servants?¡± I frown seriously at this, mercurial our divine is but....Disloyal she is not, loyalty is granted and returned in full.

    ¡°Not actually a singular soul, we have a how to say it rather large dumping ground of bones and bodies that is now grown so big that even the divines must now interfere. I believe that your deity knows more¡± Her eyes are still a void, but her manner a dismissal. Bristling at such an act however I halt myself, now is not the time for slights.

    Appearing in a shimmer of light is a figure of regal might. Robes of cloth and metal enshrine her body completely. A scepter is tied to her belt along with a large amulet. Upon her head is a diadem of simple plain design but one that blazed power. Her face is sharp, haughty chiseled. Not something to bashfully declare as a symbol of beauty. A face that has known hardship and commands utter respect. Eyes brimming with strength, and an infectious resolve. Rising from my seat I kneel before my goddess Silida, patron goddess of the Imperium.

    ¡°Adherent, you may rise. I shall take over explaining for now. I do not like how this situation developed but matters are proceeding already so I must make exceptions. Your task will be two fold. You will initially depart under the grace of my fellow here, the next part is my task to you. As your founder Aldagera did before you so must you repeat. Bring my dominion to foreign lands. Raise my shrines, spread my name. Show the lesser planes what a true divine is. The task as related to her will be unavoidable in accomplishing my decree¡± The words of my goddess echo within me, her orders are absolute. As she speaks my soul vibrates, her blessings growing stronger upon it. The whispers abait as they have never before.

    ¡°Exactly what matter of the material planes would need intervention from deities, and how can I actually contain such a thing?¡± It is best to continue forward, less time drags on and things grow too far.

    ¡°Actually this predates us, the land of Veragan is an obscure portion of the material planes. One not often given to attention from we gods. In the scheme of things we are a young pantheon, there were others before us that either died out or left this realm. In this particular case the many remains of those past era¡¯s are particularly collected in one location, that much death in a concentrated locale may give rise to things we cannot control. Things that will empower those who would be against us, even if it is a lesser land to your own we cannot ignore it. You will be sent to deal with that, but do not expect to ever see your homeland again. There are many planes beyond those that were the cradle of your birth.This was partially why we did not notice this for a long time, but now that we have I felt that after having taken a look at those whose bodies had died in the ¡®incident¡¯ and became souls I found you¡±

    ¡°Well, you seem to have put some thought into this matter. I assume that there is not meant to be much reason for me to decline¡± A polite tone, sarcasm would perhaps not be understood or looked down upon.

    ¡°That is correct, but do not worry you will have much to satisfy you as well as the largest possible research base and material for you to make use of¡± The lady¡¯s offer is tempting, but a path of hardship.

    ¡°If what you say is true then indeed that is the case, but what aid exactly will i be given to be successful in subjugating this area¡±

    ¡°You know of the dungeons in this world? That will be the general basis win which we can ensure that you will control this area¡±

    ¡°Those would be the creations of both the gods and other beings for various purposes?¡± Not my strong suit, I concerned myself with the secular and limited portions of the esoteric.

    ¡°Yes those constructs were made by both we gods and others for purposes that vary though for us gods it was mostly ensuring that the flow of mana was not stopped, providing resources to our wards in a proper controlled manner along with containing one or another threats in a nice little confined space. You will be receiving such an aid in order to facilitate your stewardship of the area, but as both a test and being beyond our control you will have to beware of outer threats. Some will be greedy or foolhardy enough to attempt to venture into those cursed lands, you are free to deal with them as you wish barring of course anything too ethically wrong¡±

    ¡°Very well but I assume such a task will not be so simple for me to take up as well?¡± Scars, a history made manifest. Such a thought quirks up as the words leave my mouth.

    ¡°Yes, the distortions that that land give off makes travel and oversight from the heavens rather risky and for you mortals much more ¡®problematic¡¯. We can send you the dungeon system aid but too much more could cause, ¡®unwanted¡¯ effects. You will have to travel there from a relatively far point, but it will give you time to adjust to local affairs and not enter blindly. There shall be time to adjust and establish yourself. The flow of living time can be entered with some variation¡± My goddess speaks this while looking at her counterpart with a look, I dare to say slight annoyance but cannot place my weight upon it. Best to introduce other practical matters.

    ¡°Will I be facing interference from shall we say other points, you are the only one speaking to me in what appears to be a private area after all?¡±

    ¡°Yes while it may not be outright warfare for now, we gods do indeed have our share of politics. I can offer my aid and the non-interference of some of my brethren but others will attempt to fight you. I cannot account for everyone and there may be some I do not know of who will fight you, the land we will send you to contains a rift. One that allows others to further any plans they see fit. And there may be other forgotten objects in that place that gods would gladly have under their possession. It is a wild land and you are the champion we have chosen to tame it¡± The lady speaks well, my goddess is young in terms of the divine realm much less the astral plane. The sects of the Grand Sight are primordial in comparison.

    ¡°Very well, but what may I expect to be immediately available for me to use? If I am to actually even arrive at the location which I might add you never actually named, I will need more than what I assume is on me right now¡± If such a thing will even be allowed to be kept, the stench seems too incorporeal as I examine it.

    ¡°That is a given, I am not some forgetful deity so removed from my wards as to not know their needs. You will have what you need and a little bit more to ensure that you arrive where you need to be. The practical matters of the young races are something more of my domain ¡± Some more seeming tension, some of it manifesting in ripples of the world. The lady waves it away and returns her gaze to me. Best to move on.

    ¡°I believe this ends our business I will take up your task my goddess and my lady¡±

    ¡°Good I knew that I could trust in you Garrick, may the fortunes of magic be with you my chosen one¡±

    ¡°Adherent, you know what I will say on such matters. My support will not waver, go forth and conquer¡±

    As the goddess smiles and holds out her arms I kneel to who I know to be Veuna the Goddess of Magic for her statutes are often in the temples from home. Her words accompany a searing sensation in mind and soul, her blessing wraps itself around me. As it settles down within me, I keep my sight still. Best to wait on examining my soul. Soon afterwards I feel a swirling rope of mana wrap around me and spread to create stunning circles of unknown sigils to take me to where I must start. My goddess also raises her hand and I feel the circles stabilize, her expression one of a ruler sending their scions forth. This will be an interesting journey to take and one that will perhaps hold much in the balance, but so be it even if I was talked into this at subtle sword point and compacts.

 03-Taking an inventory

    ¡°If you expect a Silidari legionnaire to surrender, make sure you have not offended him in a serious manner. They will be perfect guests if you have not done so. If you have, expect a dagger to the tendons while he marches home with as much as he can ¡®acquisition¡¯ in the process. That or a battle to the death, they do not like compromise in such a state¡± General Deitar Uben of the Kingdom of Deuven¡¯aber to allied kingdom of Xo¡¯gen. A week later the feigned retreat of the Fourteenth through Eighteenth legions destroyed the Xo¡¯gen armies.

    I feel a strange sensation, while similar to being sent through a long distance teleportation circle it is different. More, perhaps violent is the way to describe it. Like my parts are being dragged through by someone pulling me forcefully. It does not hurt but it is uncomfortable. Knowledge enters my mind as this occurs, more intense whispers of things that may come. Then I feel different, the sensation of the air upon my skin particularly tells me so. So given a task by the gods to oversee a potential trouble spot, this appears more appropriate to be given to a deity''s priesthood or a sworn paladin group?

    Necromancers are an accepted part of life though admittedly this is limited to the liberal sections of the empire, pitchforks and torches are obvious elsewhere. Still those who pursue the necromantic arts tend to get a bit more footloose in the world with our quest for new knowledge though it is common to some mages. Of course despite some commoner¡¯s assumption, guaranteeing that the souls go to their gods is not part of the job description of priests. This is regardless of orientation, not that the commoners need to know. Necromancers can help guarantee that souls depart the fleshly body but they can only enact some art to entrap, manipulate, or even destroy the soul. None but the beings of the astral planes can truly move the spirits in the beyond. The stories that spread amongst the people about certain priests are astounding, of course it is the crazy ones whose tales are told whenever anything happens.

    My thoughts are interrupted by the stamping of shod hoof upon dirt and I turn my head. There before me is a small campsite with fire in a wooded clearing. Nothing immediately dangerous in sight. I see two horses tethered nearby, one is a chestnut and the other is a gray. Patting them down and getting them used to my scent I check the bags nearby. This looks like a generic campsite that a traveler would set up, now that I check it is almost dusk. No food out but if this follows everything else there should be rations somewhere. Checking through one saddlebag then another I find it filled with various foodstuffs, dried meat, beans, grain, other such items. Deciding not to forage so late I take out some travel cakes and soup stock to prepare a simple meal. A small creek nearby provides water for a roughly stone hewn pot I quickly made.

    Looking in some of the rest of the bags I see some spare clothes and traveler¡¯s gear, good quality hat and wool cloak along with a good staff. Some of the others hold random assorted gear but one has what appears to be the kits needed for a doctor or apothecary along with raw herbs and tomes listing treatments and herbs. The papers with the certification for a surgeon-apothecary are folded within one of the manuals, hmm guess that is my identity for travel. Not the worst one since it will be one that grants me good treatment and I can actually do a bit of such things but I don¡¯t want to be dragged into some troublesome matter if someone important is hurt. A sad bit is that there is not much leatherwork as everything is made of wood, felt, wool, cloth, and other textiles but a simple traveling doctor would not have that much wealth on them most likely. Still these items will be tough and easily repaired.

    Checking another bag I see some more apparel fit for a mercenary. Arms and armour, another disguise I see. Enchanting the bags to ensure that none can open them or even think of opening them I move forward. Now that we are in the backwoods I cannot expect much luxury but checking my satchels and purse I see a modest amount of copper and silver coins along with a rough cloth map of my general area. I appear to be in an unnamed forest between two small towns, judging by the black scribble of do not enter that is the mortis lands or as known the Cursed Lands. Between here and there are are the aforementioned towns, a larger market/trade town and a fort but no cities. That market town would be the best place for me to find out the local situation and if I can get a bit of a look at the fort the more pertinent military structure of the area. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    A traveler¡¯s guide that is with the map calls this country Toratend under a king Dreux the Third of the Steolux Dynasty and some of the travel routes here. There is not much civilization past the fort which is likely some scattered pioneer villages making a harsh living, the guide describes that area as monster infested with the occasional undead pack roaming around. The potential for a bit of ¡®recruitment¡¯ is there, though the more immediate possibility of bandits is a more available source for me. However I do not know how unstable the land is for bandits to appear. Searching some more I find a crystal within a pouch. I recognize it as a form of soul essence crystal. Holding the cast off remnants after the death of a being it can be used as a raw source of energy or a container. I believe this is a memory container. Cautiously opening it I see that it contains less actual memories but impressions, instincts in another manner of speaking. Nothing that could threaten me.

    Taking in the essence I see the slight heat mirage of this particular essence be absorbed. My mind expands itself, some thoughts and opinions on matters surface. The worth of a copper and a silver, how strong adventurers are. The names of local plants and foods, other such local lore that would be of great aid. Testing out my voice I see that it even coloured my inflection. A more lighter tone, my knowledge of the local language is expanded over what I was given in transit. An interesting language, the consonants will take some getting used to. Stirring the meal I have hanging on the fire I practice speaking the local tongue. Still more familiar then if I was learning from nothing, as if I learned it while young. Much is still there but some has been lost or distorted.

    Taking out a coin I see the imprint of the king, a crown hung low on somewhat curly hair. Extended noise and somewhat squat chin. Flipping it over I see that the reverse holds an image of the deity of the country. The so called God of Holy Light, one who ascended from the mortal coil. At this I feel a flash of disdain from a specific section of my soul, my lady patron does not feel favor for this one.

    Considering that as my new knowledge tells me that all other denominations are persecuted to death, a rather understandable attitude. Such harsh backlash, I do not know if this was instigated by a specific historical event or simple consolidation of power. One that is not the most successful, church and state. Often at odds if not implemented properly. I still find other cultures so foolish, why does one need to fight amongst themselves in such a matter. Then again they do not have the Imperium¡¯s culture to be able to unify themselves.

    Stirring my food on the fire I wait for it to finish simmering to eat. While eating I marvel at my hand, some calluses but no scars. I am used to seeing scars there, each one is there because it serves to remind me of the past. Lessons to remember, tales to tell. That was what the imperium guards I apprenticed to told me. Interesting times at the academy, not very quiet but I met many from it. Good friends and comrades. Cleaning up everything I decide to set up some additional countermeasures. Besides the alarm charms I decide to summon some familiars.

    Thinking on what aspects I want and would be appropriate I summon two large ravens. Gathering the mana in my body I feel it respond. Much faster than previously, less diluted by miasma. It takes me time to enact the ritual, reaching back to remember the mnemonic chant is a trial. Eventually however the mana flows as it should and rotating strands of mana slowly take shape. Like weaving a basket, I take care to slowly go over each fragment and its intended purpose. Eyesight, size, intelligence, all the factors I wish are chosen. If I had wished I could have shaped my mana as a simple ball for a quicker if less advanced form. Leaving the naming for tomorrow I finish preparing to go to sleep. My body is strange, too new. A blank slate really, no more blood oaths or the wounds of past battles. Well a matter for the morning again. For now some rest.

 03b-wake up

    Opening my eyes I look out onto the gray cloth of the tarp I set up. Thrashing my cloak a few times I spin it around onto my back. No alerts from the alarm spells and familiars. Feeling the brisk cold of the creek from washing my teeth and face I sit around the renewed fire. Perched upon my leg and shoulder are the ravens. The one perched upon my leg with blued steel feathers will be called Camillo. Pressing a finger upon the head of the raven I finish the final strands of magic that creates it and imprint the name. This will completely bind the newly created creature to me.

    Petting the raven I feel the fineness of its feathers as it then starts to almost nibble on the fingers of my other hand. Bidding it to move over I move the one on my shoulder down and imprint it as well with the name Teige. This one immediately starts to peck at the cuff of my sleeve before hopping up my arm to return to its perch. Stirring the pot with the light meal I continue practicing the language. I have a route to travel, I should first get some more supplies and familiarity with the area. The identity of an apothecary first will be appropriate, then once I have finished my cover story I will be a mercenary.

    Having finished eating my meal and cleaning up I take out the map and start plotting a course. It should only be a two day journey to the nearest town by foot. Perhaps a little less though I will need to make sure on the trail. Looking through the manual of medicine I see that things are quite primitive, a minimal section on hygiene and the absurd overuse use of bloodletting and body parts. Both the blood and body parts require special preparations with herbs to be effective, sometimes only parts with special considerations such as a specific mana density can be used. Well there is no use without such parts, I will have to be a mundane for a time then. The minority if still sizeable in the homeland, the majority here. The lack of implanted mana crystals will be of trouble to me, but the countermeasures will be for later. I will need time to get used to my new body, a few scant hours practicing the mannerisms and speech is not enough. Perhaps a few days here in this wilderness, then onto the civilized lands. It will take time regardless to pass through the wilds without even foot paths.

    Coiling back the map into its case I turn to my horses. Removing the tether from them but enchanting the leather harness to ensure that they cannot go too far without coming back. They should have their time to rest before the journey. Moving to the pack with the mercenary gear I begin to practice. Being able to doff and don armour in the quickest and firmest manner is vital. Next is training in the armour. First was the sword, a sidearm but a necessary one. In the beginning was the practice of various cuts and thrusts. It was vital in sword use to always be aware of cult alignment during maneuvers.

    Bundling a group of green branches together and constantly mending them through magic I practiced my skills. Not as effective for thrusts due to how ribs are aligned but it will suffice. Slashing with the tip to debilitate an opponent, hewing to deal severe damage. Drawing to bleed them, thrusting to pierce heavy hide or armour. A small pile of wood splinters gathers even as I mend the wood, good tinder for later once dry.

    Creating a larger target with a log and multiple simulacrum limbs provides some grappling practice if very crude. Cutting where tendons and arteries would be on a human target. Next is magic practice on a particularly large boulder I moulded. When against foes the size of trolls a sword becomes less of use. Corroding the boulder, blasting portions off, cleanly cutting through, many ways of causing damage. When the dust gathers around it a particularly powerful blast of wychfire, fire tempered through necromantic energy(miasma) and it explodes for more effect. A foe is covered in metal armour, immerse them in water. Wash away foes encumbered by heavy armour, or mix it with miasma to corrode them away. Directly use miasma to sap their strength and age them. Magic is imagination and creativity, a dated phrase for the young ones. It has its place, but there are limits.

    As I drill however my alarms are tripped, moving fast on all fours. Some sort of monster then, delicious. My feelings echo as my spirit sentinels emerge. Formed from fragments of my own soul and fed upon the flesh, blood, and souls of countless battles. They are shadows of myself, born for battle. Killing is a chore is one way I have heard it described, perhaps but one one has not fought in a long time they will miss it. What true warm up can happen without a fight. Wiping a little of the sweat away I leave one of them here while the other continues to wait. This fight is for me. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Striding through the undergrowth, I feel the push of leaf and branch against my in places. It is bright out and the light against the canopy of the trees gives everything a slight mirage effect. Nothing magical at all, not like the deepwoods of ancient forests. In only a few scant minutes I find what I am looking for. In the distance slinking slowly closer are wolves. Lesser direwolves from their size, unlike their more mundane kin these have the taste for all flesh and none of the cunning of their kin. For this they make it up in size and unflinching ferocity, only the hardiest of prey or the strongest may be let free. It appears that my presence shrouding wards are still as good as they should be.

    They prowl in the underbrush, watching for a sign of weakness. More ferocious they are but even then they still observe. A seemingly single target, a slow one on two legs. Walking in a moderately forest area and without the great hooves or antlers of their normal prey. These ones seem to know a little of man though as they watch the staff in my hand. Sitting down on a convenient log and pushing my leg out as if examining it I feel them move closer. A slight cut and the scent of blood drives them into a frenzy. A few seconds of rapid movement and one rushes from the side. Pushing it aside with my staff the ready dagger with only a drop of blood now drinks its fill. Thrashing the blade to widen the wound it collapses wheezing from a lost lung.

    Another rushes up and is slapped down by the metal point of the staff. A steel boot breaks its jaw as it scampers off in pain. Two more attempt to rush me at the same time only to receive a dagger through the eye and a sword through the chest of the other. The clunk of the staff is joined by the thud of their bodies. One darts in front of me growling while the wounded one joins it in bristling. It is the one from the side however that is the trouble. Casting a quick cantrip to send hardened stone into the distracting ones I pivot to the side as the third one rushes past. Raising my leg it trips in its rush and a sword through the heart ends its foolishness. The sound of heavy intakes of breath by wolven lungs as they growl their defiance is pointless. The two from before snap out of their stunned state and nip at my legs. Another boot to the injured one into the eye bursts it, another dagger ends the second.

    Crouching down quickly with my leg still extended I feel the whoosh as the largest one yet flys overhead. Another one rushes me in the meantime and I kick off into a thrust through the heart. The slink of metal into flesh is familiar as always just as it is as I pull the blade out. One preparing to pounce collapses as it finds it strength cut by a black cloud and the alpha returns again. The wind howls as it streaks against the alpha and trips it onto its side in a vulnerable moment, its strength cut by miasma. A third dagger is thrust into its guts and ripped out in a wrenching motion. It howls its horror at the disemboweling as the few remaining begin to run. Here the earth sinks low and they trip as well, a slash tears the muscles of the nearest one. The other that is running takes a concentrated blast of fire to the head. The stench of spilt blood and scorched fur mixes. There are only a few remaining now.

    Taking my sword I slay the severely injured one still in shock from the precise kicks to its head, the alpha growls its defiance and fear however as I walk to it. It attempts to rise only to collapse from blood loss. A neat swing of the sword and its throat is cut and it expires quickly. The few with daggers have them pulled out, if they still live they are ended. None of them escaped, dead from blade or magic. Retrieving my daggers I clean my weapons and armour of blood before it dries. As for the bodies, I drain them of miasma and then take a few of the more promising skeletons including the alpha. I could use a stock now, unfortunately I was not allowed to carry bones on myself. Dammed researchers and their object wards, too much of a risk to carry spare sets on oneself. Wearing a boot whose inner sole is made of gold and platinum is fine, but not uncrafted bones. Not to mention wyvern bones were rare enough, to mention dragon... I can start with the rawest resources again, my research is already done.

    Many rouge necromancers go searching for hidden cairns or crypts to pillage bodies and souls, however enlightened necromancers know that keeping the soul of some random joe or jill paladin or other mighty figure in your troop is a recipe for stupid. Too much chance of rebellion for weak necromancers and those true masters of the craft are busy with more important large scale things. Getting some high quality pawn is nice but not when it takes too long and if it is truly a wonderfully strong one then who does not keep guards of some kind or other there an strong ones.

    These are the small time necromancers who burn out in a blaze of glory by going mad with believed power and massacre a few villages. After their large zombie horde is up they slow down to a crawl and get hunted down by either a group of avenging holier than thou paladins or the local noble panics and sends for the biggest army with the promise of spoils of war. The smart ones lay low and create identities that allow them to move freely, there are many necromancers that are not public and are just biding their time for whatever objective they have. Ahh I believe the term for this is irony, to become like those I once hunted down. Well the methods matter less than the results, sacrifices are to be expected. Yes, this will be difficult. No immediate aid, away from any command structure above or below. Stilling my hand by touching the battered silver pendant around my neck to my heart I think on the matters to come.

 03c- Last day of rest

    Screep Scraep Sket

    Scrimshaw, an interesting art. Both ornamental and practical. Now that I have the chance to start over again I should reduce the amount of miasma intake into my body. The long term effects are many. I suspect my infertility to also be related. The more practical inability to be healed by divine power and most conventional magic methods is of greater concern. For now I can create a few items that may come into use. I cannot be sure if there are sophisticated detection wards so I cannot enchant them just yet. At the worst I can quickly over infuse them for use as disposable weapons. Better to make dedicated ones but any thing of worth in a fight. Odd I feel anxious, as if I expect to be interrupted. Well, best check on the herbal wind process. The wine is doing fine as the herb is steeped, shaking the container I then go back to carving.

    Taking the time to gather a number of herbs in the area I begin creating some items. For my cover as an apothecary as well as my personal use. Nothing good, these types of herbs are home remedy grade items. A few very low level magical herbs however for use by the lowest ranks. I seem to think that these are actually relatively rare, not unseen but still rare. Is it just that the area has a low mana saturation. No information on such matters of course on the map, the mana jet streams are undocumented along with any springs or lines. Survey work, tedious work but necessary. Removing some of the powder as it goes away in a yellow white puff I inspect the patterns. One of the patterns I learned at my time in the academy, a fire explosion rune. Finishing the protective polishing I go over the next matter of concern.

    I take out the chain around my neck and check the amulets on it. Ahhh good, the goddess did keep my most important artifact intact. I will however miss my rank plate.The culmination of my master¡¯s teachings and my research, my magnum opus; the Liber Sequenti Temporum Mortis. My personal grimoire, currently looking like a small square of copper with carvings. Here are recorded the spells I have learned over my time and hidden under the strictest protection my research. Every single magic imprint and ritual for creating undead of various types is recorded in this grimoire.

    Perhaps one of the greater accumulations of necromantic lore that would drive any who knew of it mad whether from the latent energy or the thirst for it¡¯s secrets. It was a piece of work ensuring that whenever I visited a conclave gathering of necromancers that I kept this under lock and key though any self-respecting mage hides their grimoire and research. The others did the same, The tales of fortified mage towers are often true, there are few things with less ethics than a mage with an intruder out for research in their quarters.

    The best tale of such an event involves a group of three master theifs infiltrating a tower of an archmage. Said archmage was rumoured to have created a method of converting gold to a higher form. Such a thing drove said group of thieves to attempt to infiltrate, the entire attempt ended up in ruin. Some of the defenses included curses that affected to the fifth degree of kinship. Families wiped out without ever knowing they were related, a harsh method. Death by their very blood boiling to detonation. That is an extreme example but still should serve as warning not just to a mage¡¯s refusal to know restraint but how your actions will affect others. Blood relation, such a convoluted thing. A status modifier, there is precedence to its importance but not always...

    But such matters are no longer of concern to me. master was a pioneer and sneered on traditional methods and made sure that I never went down the path of fool¡¯s power. In particular he experimented with improving animal and monster reanimation, it is quite effective as an alternative to human reanimation if not exactly very flexible. Animals and monsters are usually much better for fighting long term, less fragile and need for equipment compared to humanoids but that inability to improve through external means is limiting. Nor are they so available as humans. More widespread practice of monster reanimation was what made my career at the local academy, a more codified method to necromancy and also quite a bit of embezzlement for my personal research which spawned the golem corps.

    By civil law it is heavily restricted to practice necromancy, by military law this is loosened. Still in the long term by personal experience you would use necromancy to cleanse areas the most, offensive necromancy is second, necromancy to heal/revive is third, necromancy to raise monsters and necromancy to raise golems is fourth depending on availability of resources, and finally necromancy to raise humans is last. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    If they ever found my secret laboratory I would probably be burnt on the stake with holy fire. While I did not make a secret coup d''etat undead army I did do enough smaller scale work for things to not be tolerated if found out by the wrong parties. Of course it is not like I massacred a few towns to fuel my work but a few decades allows one to accumulate quite a bit of material. Let us say that I never kept many prisoners of war around and had a good working relationship with those in charge of the penal work gangs not that it was any special act. An open secret was that most mages and nobles had similar connections and my making them was not viewed as special. One does not simply invent new necromantic creations without finding ways of making it possible to mass produce. Unfortunately most of that work was theoretical since I had most practical tests on smaller scales, I was perhaps too cautious in keeping things hidden but then again I did manage to rise to my high position and accumulate knowledge regardless.

    I am admittedly weak in conventional manners of necromancy, my control is meant for small groups micromanaged to perfection. I cannot create the massive self perpetuating hordes of undead that liches can, nor can I so swiftly convert an undead. Quality over quantity, taken to an extreme. My creation of pseudo souls was key in this, undead are beings of fixation. They usually cannot progress, intelligent ones can if slowly but that is not allowed under convention. Such a creation is why necromancy has flourished under my tutelage, what was once solely a tool for clean up and anti-undead tactics was expanded. I expect development to be slow, the energy of the soul is not something to be so easily tampered with. Well for reasonable beings it is. But to stagnate is to die, if something has potential and can be proven the growing pains can be borne. I tap my pendant as I take a second to allow myself to calm.

    Checking one of the projects I had I find that my brew is complete. A very low grade stabilizer fluid from the local resources. Still satisfactory for my purposes. Weaving my mana into the gel it flows over the bones I have here. One of the pack I exterminated before, the gel flows across the bone to the runes carved there earlier. The mana and gel are absorbed into the rune, the first step is complete. Now is the time for the miasma, taking out some of that ether I have within me I begin constructing the necromantic glyphs for this. Allow more delicate and systematic change within the bone soon it is converted from its mundane nature to a warhound of death. Standing perhaps one part of of ten larger than before it is perfectly still, devoid of any active order other than to be at ready.

    This will be good if I need to have something hunted down, giving it the ability to distinguish living beings from inanimate objects/plants will save me some time and risk. Something to flush the prey. I would test its ability on a homunculus but that is not available right now. Hmm on that thought I remember that there was to be a test of the new model arquebus next year. Sad that I could not be there.

    The arquebus that was created recently in only the last two decades, I don¡¯t know what made me so absorbed with it in the first place but I found much potential in them. Low grade necromantic creations of copper rank and below cannot use them but stronger ones can. Copper rank, raw material to be used, militia and beginners in training of all possible paths. The destructive power of that arquebuses offer along with ease of use such that undead without shackled souls can use is promising. An advantage of the living over the dead is that they can learn to use an item even if inefficiently.The latest tactics fresh from the military segment of the imperium¡¯s various academies revolved about conscripts enmass to counter heavy infantry and cavalry, to go forward with one aspect to make up for the others.

    But there is so much more that can be done. They fill a niche in low magic combat or trained but still majority mundane armies of bronze rank and below. Those who have been tempered and are ready to be used, but not truly put to the test. The lowest rank for any respectable army and thus the majority. There is even use against gold rank soldiers, those who have been given the resources needed to advance. Effort will get you far but not without the material to advance. At the same time this is a border, you can use money to get this far but both effort and money will be needed to advance.

    Arquebus warfare and all warfare in general arrays around formation use, proper combined arms tactics to enhance the strengths and mitigate the weakness. Such formations that undead properly managed can execute would be a massive force multiplier. Leave the mindless swarms to those lesser necromancers, true grand warfare requires much more skill and superior troops. Both small scale and grand strategic command, If what they say is true of the scale of the wasteland then I will have as much material as I need. But at the same time I will be working from scratch in terms of manpower. It will take time, and mistakes will be made.Information and secrecy will be what I need. How to start such an organization from scratch is a concern. I need to think on this. Facts, concrete plans, logic. I have a few thoughts, perhaps I can create a real plan. Writing down some of my thoughts on some parchment I spend the rest of the daylight outlining points of interest.

 04-Walking along

    ¡°The Great Matriarch is a diety of the mortal, where the others offer absolution in death we offer lessons in life. Where they offer the bliss of unknowing following we give the harsh lesson of life. The lesson of parenthood, of nurturing and harsh measures. Devotion cannot be simply offered, it must be grasped with the strength of a drowning man to a boat. We must accept it fully within our heart, it cannot be tested for. It cannot be faked, for only by the goddess herself or in death will we know. Tremble at the unknown, fear the dark, but never forget those around you. Remember the tenets, remember to care for others. Remember that to live, you must know death. To feel joy you must have experienced sorrow, to love you must know how to hate. Life is never simple, but we never tried to trick you so. The divines are not infallible, but never are you as a parent. Sometimes we stumble, but remember to always get up. Remember¡± Last words of Saint Odagen of the Silidari Church

    Hearing an alert come into my conscious I feel that a few of my crafted mouse bone skeletons and spectres have returned. Not what I wanted to use as they are rather small to travel quickly in a forest but they would not be spotted so easily. Nothing of note so far in their travels, they will go ahead of me to the nearest town. Any threats should be discovered early.

    Moving my fingers I see the newest item to be added to my regalia, a large signet ring. Made of silver and gold with a large sapphire set into it. On it is a powerful concealment and binding that would be impossible for anyone other than the maker to remove. A bit of an experiment taking it off and storing it in a pouch shows that it returns to my hand after about 5-10 minutes. I feel as if I can cast magic more fluidly and more varied with this on, a powerful catalyst artifact for any mage. The effects are mostly focused on elemental magic from my tries but all magic in general gains some more ease in casting. A good utility object for helping me start my work, especially if I must conceal my more potent abilities. In addition hidden deep within appears to be an archive of knowledge on the Agros de Mortis along with a grimoire like function to record knowledge. A secondary utility function appears to be the allowance of storing a small amount of items if they are enchanted with sufficient magic. A deeper look into the ring will be appropriate at another time.

    Gathering the bags I can see that the horses are eager for some better exercise. Finishing strapping everything together I depart. Departing at dawn I observe the surroundings as they pass. These are game trails I am passing on, not very quick but the isolation certainly was of use. There is a road for trade wagons further on, it should only take a few hours. Watching as flashes of green and brown flow like a mosaic I feel calm. I allow the pungent smell of wood and detritus to pass through my nose. The undergrowth is rather thick in places as I maneuver the horses around while paying attention to the direction of the sun. After an hour of riding I step down to walk the horses for a time. While navigating a series of rises I find myself on the road at last. Estimating where I am from my map I begin to travel further along.

    A few hours in I decide to halt for the midday meal, letting the horses forage I recall my familiars. Changing them into a dark stone I attach them to the wooden pendants I carved to hold them on my belt. I certainly have quite the significant amount of jewelry upon my body, nothing valuable from an gander but still great in quantity. Most of it is practical of course but for the layman that is not something they will think. Perhaps I should amend that matter...

    However my musings were interrupted by one of my scouts finding something of interest, it appears that we have several fellow travelers ahead. Having one of my scouts observe closer I discover that I was only partly right, there are a few bandits are ahead with only the most rudimentary of weapons which were mostly hunter¡¯s bows and hunting knifes. I don¡¯t even need my actual servants to handle this even if my guard spectres are chafing for action, time for a bit of exercise if they wish for it. Moving along on foot with my staff I eventually meet said bandits, one is upfront while the other 3 surround me in what they believe to be stealth. However I do not feel much bloodlust, from the one in front I feel as if he is nervous. Not behavior for true highwayman, my senses feel the same for the rest. I school my posture and face to not be hostile, they certainly are not seeming to be violently hostile. The man on the road steps up and addresses me in an attempted affable tone.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Excuse me fellow traveler but I need a bit of aid, perhaps a little food and other alms for a poor fellow. I lost many of my supplies to bad luck and need some more to get to Trosafen¡±

    ¡°I would if I could but I myself am low on supplies and can spare only a bit, the rest of my wares are things that cannot be eaten unless you are in the need for a tincture against bad stomach pain¡±

    ¡°Ahh a doctor, no I only need a bit of food enough to get me to one of the villages before Trosafen, I can appeal to them for anything else I need, it is only a small amount please. Just a meal or two¡± His eyes light up but he does not seem to be greedy.

    ¡°Of course a small bag of food can be spared, here let me get it off my horse¡±

    Hmm it appears like they won¡¯t try for more, hearing that I am a doctor perhaps made them wary since offing a doctor gets the wrong attention not to mention that trying to sell my wares unless they want to go to the large market town is pointless. If they tried to masquerade as your common peasant then someone is going to notice on the off chance that they are a bandit for a bounty, if not then the local guard will take in this obvious vagabond anyway to get credit when no one will miss them.

    They still do not make a move as I rummage in my pack while keeping my senses on them, it is obvious this is not a group of hardened criminals. Probably a few destitute hunters trying to survive, still this should inform me of the current situation. Not bad enough for too many bandit gangs to arise but still not enough for people to survive easily. A single bag of peas, some hardtack and a bunch of berries later and I start asking about things ahead. The fool does not realize that I know he was not actually a just arrived traveler and starts telling me of local affairs. His buddies meanwhile have backed off and are being more productive on lookout for anything else. It appears that the town ahead is on rougher times, trade is not as prevalent as before and the harvest has felt a few hard times. Not enough for people to get desperate but belts are being buckled a bit tighter than before, some questions on local rates for goods along with the entry restrictions and that is enough information for now.

    I smile compassionately and inform the of a few wild game back down the path for him and his friends to go hunt and he has the remorse to look a bit shamed before bidding me farewell as I continue my trek. No need to expressly kill this lot since I won¡¯t get much food from them and if they had any valuables then why would they be doing this. The energy they would have is simply not worth it, if I truly wanted to store up necromantic energy or mass large amounts of death mana from them then 4 peasants is simply not worth the waste of time it would be to do so in the field. A proper lab where I can carefully drain them then perhaps but now, no it would be worthless and I need to get to the fields quickly before others come. As the goddess said she is not the only one who will take notice of what is occurring there and being first gives a powerful advantage. It might not be possible to do so if I want to prepare, the situation will be clearer later. I can make my reveal to the world after actually having at least a small army, should find a better source as well since wasting time with only four low quality meatbags is not enough.

    Watching as they wandered off I know that while there were indeed a few rabbits around, the remnants of the dire wolves that were not with the pack I killed are on the prowl. What will happen from such a maneuver will be up to fate. Dire wolf pelts and organs are a relatively expensive item, dangerous for the normal hunter but not unsurmountable. If they manage to take it down cleanly then they stand to gain, if not then they were not strong enough. I find it also amusing that they so easily gave up their story, well that is not my concern as they are not hostile anymore. Continuing my journey it is only a few hours to the nearest village. From there I can be at the town only another few hours in. The good news is that there will be a trade market day when I arrive. The amount of people will help ensure I am not suspicious.

    The money I receive will be used to cover my expenses for the trip. I do not feel that I will be able to be an apothecary for too long but it will be enough to test how well I act. For now things are slow but they will escalate quickly. What are the factions that can be courted, those that can be swayed, those that must be removed. Catspaws, informants, stooges, assassins, all sorts. They must be molded like cold clay, before the fires can truly forge them. How many will pass, well that is for a little later. First I need to find them, then I can filter the good from the bad. Thumping my leg I bid my horse to continue on. My familiars continue to circle around out of sight, out of mind. Now I hope there are no more interruptions.

 05-Never go into things blind folks

    Traveling further after a few more hours I see the wood palisade of Trosafen, heading to the guard I let him see that I am a doctor and hand over a few coppers for information on the area. I am in luck in that market day is tomorrow, some locals to be wary of, and an inn with a stable that I can use along with dropping his name for it. I thank him for his help and head to the inn he describes as dusk sets in, it is one with a sign that has a blue outline of a bird on it. Heading in I speak to the keeper and arrange a spot in a common room for myself along with some food for myself and feed for my horse. After handing over the money I take my simple meal and add a few bits of my own meat after making sure it was safe to eat. This is a better quality inn then others since it caters to skilled workers and merchants but one can never be sure of the quality of food there. I listen in while slowly sipping my ale on the talk of the patrons here and hear the usual griping about everyday life but one conversation gave me interest.

    ¡°You hear those rumours about the undead out at Vocaten, things are supposed to be coming out of the woodwork like never before¡±

    ¡°Yeah and that is bad news for us, more and more of my fellow merchants are not going on this route because of the trisk. I get more business for now but soon people won¡¯t have the money to actually buy my wares and I will have to find another place to go to¡±

    ¡°Yeah once you leave I will have to leave, without merchants we don¡¯t have as much carpentry to work on or even the tools for it¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will get that bad but there won¡¯t be as much ore or ingots for the blacksmith certainly¡±

    ¡°If things get too bad will the soldiers actually do anything?¡±

    ¡°When have they ever, it would take a few villages to get wiped out before those fools get moving. By that time I bet Vocaten or the soldiers themselves will get attacked and then we are out of luck¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the church might send for a knight or the lord in Vocaten could send for soldiers but that would be long past when we have already left¡±

    A bit more grumbling about more local affairs of low importance I listen to others and hear similar worries about the undead or bandits appearing. Vocaten itself is about a day and a half to two days trip going straight without stopping at villages and that should be enough for me to get there quickly. From the looks of things there have not been any large movements of forces for the locals here and no notable special characters so far. Either I am the first here or we have some low key apostles or chosen from the other gods and important people.

    Some more important information then these grumblings come in from my scout mice in the local burgermeister¡¯s office and the adventurer¡¯s guild. Surprisingly small place but I suppose that the mortis fields have only now started acting up. There is no local organized mage group so most of my focus was on the local military force and the adventurers. A typical lot for this sort of backwoods region, the guards number about 50 and are made up of your typical guardsmen, low skilled and low motivated and the burgermeister has a mid gold rank bodyguard and hedge maji. The adventurers are not much better, only a few small parties of mostly iron and copper rank with a hedge maji or two scattered and few low bronzes lying around. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    I could literally one man show this entire city without any help from my creations but that only makes things easy on me. The largest force will be at the market town and judging from the records it will be typical of the general trend. At most a silver rank but likely steel or high gold will be the strongest adventurer with a smattering of bronze and gold parties. The guards will be worthless as usual but simply more of them along with no mercenary force since they will be in more civilized areas with guaranteed pay, if there are mercenaries then they are small timers.

    A bit of backstory on the mortis fields states that several exploration parties have gone but either found nothing of use or died, even what structures they found from previous times were quite worthless. Everything either rotted or got too old to be of use so they gave up exploration, there have always been small amounts of undead from the area though mostly undead animals or the recently buried. The place simply ranked low on the priority list of those in charge and no mage was interested enough in necromancy to come exploring. A few scattered myths of divine punishment and cursed lands along with the actual practical fact that the land was rather barren stopped most from trying over time. I suspect that the land is not quite so barren as it seems farther in but most ordinary people would die from exposure to the miasma so whatever is deep in was never found.

    A cursory check with the ring¡¯s archive show a recorded 3 separate civilizations have dwelt in the area with suspected more buried deep in the lands distance wise both far away and down. The latest and most pertinent group was the Defoant Kingdom which eventually died out due to civil war and plaque, perhaps sparked by the leaking miasma over time. The others were an elven kingdom known as the Ala¡¯Sotena¡¯fel and a group of primitive beastmen tribes known collectively as the Heltasti died of similar causes so this seems most likely to be the case, even if latent that much buried death mana is not good for the mind. As a good note for me at least a message left in the archives by the goddess gives me permission to have free rein to make use of whatever I find barring any objects that can obviously cause trouble on a large scale along with the fact that the dungeon assistance will activate from the ring once I establish a safe holding there.

    Any more specific information is for another time, for now I should get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow. I should get some long term supplies for living and other miscellaneous goods I may need, selling off my spare medicine should get me what I need. Barring any events I should reach the agros de mortis in about two weeks and begin my work there, but before then I should get some forces ready for I will need guards and a work crew. Perhaps the local bandits and monster packs need a bit of a cleansing done. None will truly miss them, unless of course many are from a local village but then again it is simply a sad affair for them. I am not quite that merciful right now with only so much to spare, if I need to pillage a village then so be it if the need arises. I prefer to keep things to a minimum with compensation when I can but war is a fickle mistress and that is what I plan for, being civilized cannot solve everything.

    Still to have to personally raise an entire village would waste my time, the hours spent on so many low quality bones and having to root through everything gives me a migraine. Just give me a small batch of bandits I can quickly work with inorder to get some forces, better yet send a patrol of guards or soldiers at me that would be worthwhile to spend time on. But I honestly don¡¯t think that will be happening so better get moving now, I want to keep detours to a minimum as possible if I do not feel that the benefit will outweigh the cost.

 05.5-A Strange encounter

    Things have been getting rough here in the kingdom and specifically here near the frontier. A famine is soon to set in, the harvest was not very good and it will only be so long until food runs low. We try our best but there is no support from the kingdom and the mayor of the town does nothing for the villagers. Not that those living in the town are doing better, not everyone that goes in leaves alive. Bandits are rife here even with the adventurers, well not all the bandits were always bandits... even me and my friends are now getting desperate. We are simple hunters but game is hard to get in the forest with all the monsters and wolves, we can fight one or two but packs....

    It has gotten to the point that we finally decided to try to get something from the next party that passes through the path through the forest to Trosafen. Unfortunately so far it is only equally poor people so nothing we can truly glean but that is until we see someone heading along the path on horseback. Judging from what we can see he is rather well off from the cut of the clothes and the bags he has on his horse. Stepping out I start engaging him in talk in order to see if we can get anything from him, my fellows head along the trees and brush to ensure he cannot escape. Hopefully he can spare something as I do not want to have to hurt someone but I cannot abide starving so easily. Looking closer as he gets off his horse to speak to me I see the emblem of a doctor and a slightly wrinkled face of an older man. He appears older than me, perhaps as old as my uncle but still I have to try so I start trying to amicable get him to voluntarily donate something.

    Thankfully he does hand things over with a kind smile and I feel ashamed at taking advantage of this kind hearted man, he has likely taken care of many on his travels and so does not hesitate to hand out food to the needy. After handing a few small bags over he starts asking about things and feeling happy at nod needing to do anything violent start replying without care. I only notice afterward that I spoiled my story but he only nods sadly and advises me knowingly about some game he spotted past him. I can only hang my head in sadness at being seen through so easily, wishing the kindhearted doctor well I decide to do as he says and gather with my comrades for a hunt. Perhaps if we meet again I can treat him to some good game as a thank you for his kindness to a stranger in the past.

    Backtracking the doctor¡¯s path I see indeed the sign that several animals have been here recently at some speed. Something startled the game here, seeing fast moving wolf tracks but only one so far it appears a lone wolf was pursuing game. If it is only one then we are safe as there have not been much chorus at night so the chance of a solitary male is likely. With three of us we can deal with one wolf and start working together to see if we can find any of the animals whose tracks are left.

    _____________________________________________

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    RUN RUN FEAR FEAR

    A primal mind that knows only of eat, sleep, the wild hunt, preparing for the time of cold, and having offspring feels a fear so strong that it wipes it¡¯s mind out in white noise. It was startled by something that it cannot fathom, a black swirling void like a hungry moon. A thing of 4 legs, a prey was there with it but it knew not to halt as both run together as only a forest fire in the past caused. There is only fleeing the thing but as it proceeds past it on a course that does not follow it¡¯s own it slows and rests. Tongue lolling it watches the other, the prey as both stare the other down and hearts pound their quickened beat. On any other day this would result in a fight for life as one attempts to bring down the to devour it for life but now the existence of the other prompts both to head their own path instead. As it passes on an unfamiliar part of the wild domain it stops as it hears something break.

    The wind flows behind it forward so it cannot scent whatever comes, tensing it starts circling to find what caused another disturbance but one that does not inspire fear but caution. A strange noise like that of air flowing against a broken branch occurs and as ears perk to listen pain lances through the side of the beast. The bite of something into its flank prompts canine eyes and nose to find whatever attacked it, the alpha without a pack. However more bites arrive on its flanks and as it sways in pain a final bite into its shoulder causes it to fall, snaps are heard as if sticks are broken and the fangs in its sides twist. Growling in pain and loss of life blood it knows it¡¯s end is coming unless it flees, attempting to rise the whistle of air and something passes it¡¯s head.

    Attempting to run in the direction which it scents nothing is more things pass it to hit tree or dirt but it cannot sustain its current pace, the previous run along with blood loss sapps its strength as burning muscles are finally unable to bear it¡¯s weight. Eventually it collapses and as it looks back it sees two legged things, other hunters of the wooded domain advance. They come to slash and bite, to consume this one to live themselves as he can finally scent as the wind turns the hunger they contain in themselves similar to it¡¯s own. Where the beast would normally feel defiant fear toward these that seek to end it but with the previous encounter it only fears contempt that these attempt to inspire such feelings in it but fail.

    Giving one last burst of defiance that only one who has faced true death and lived has it pounces using the last of it¡¯s life force on one of the creatures. Claws rake across the chest of the two leg and flesh is rend asunder as it falls onto it¡¯s back and fangs bite into the shoulder, as the two leg attempts to buck it off but only succeeds in bleeding further the sweet metallic liquid. Feeling proud that it could die tearing into something that can be torn into and taste blood and flesh and not frozen in fear from that thing it passes away as the pained cries of it¡¯s hunter seem to fade away. It does not know having passed but the other two intrepid hunters managed to pry it¡¯s fangs out of their comrades shoulder and started to treat the wounds.

    They will gain much from the corpse of the lone alpha but first it is the wound they must deal with, perhaps the doctor from before could help but it has already been hours and they have a wound right now and not distant hope to contend with. As they start to clean and bind the wound before preparing the bring the beast to be butchered and rewarded with turning it parts in, they feel a little bit of hope for the future from this prize. Perhaps they can bring down another or two creatures and all three will be set for weeks with the bounty they harvested with their own hands. Working together to bring both the wounded fellow and dead beast they know not of other beasts who were driven there and now hunger. Perhaps they will survive or perhaps not, but for now their tale ends and we continue with our own as the butterfly moves on to find it¡¯s dark flower in the field of death.

 06-First Conscription Act

    AN:Sorry about releasing this late had some things come up, just in case I will release this with the chapter meant for tommorow as I am a bit busy. Hopefully things clear up next week but we will see now hope you enjoy.

    <hr>

    Oak bark ointment for cuts

    Witch Hazel ointment for skin problems

    Willow bark tea for fever

    Blue Curl for scrapes

    Dried Yarrow and Ointment for quick relief for cuts and bruises

    Chamomile Tea for your digestive problems

    ¡°Various balms for your wounds and ailments, come purchase cures for your needs!¡±

    ¡°I offer various doses for however much you need, have herbs yourself I also can prepare tinctures from your own herbs¡±

    Yep my journey as a merchant doctor is currently occurring, on more serious matters my scouts are observing for anything or anyone special or suspicious coming to market, as anyone heading for the mortis fields will probably have to come through Trosafen and then Vocaten this is an ok plan in my view. Could be a waste of time but leaving on market day would be too suspicious and having some funds never hurts. A few come by and take a look, a few of the adventurers especially take a look and I get a few sales for the cut ointments. Some older men and women buy my chamomile tea and a few get the willow bark tea.

    A rather good sale all in all for me and I am somewhat glad I stayed, I dropped off hints that I will be leaving soon to go to Vocaten and some shifty looking folk eventually left and started gathering on a more covered spot along the road there. Looks like I have candidates for the eternal work crews, good for them that I prefer my crew intact. But that only applies to their bones and my guards are most itching for a fight, their crafted pseudo souls are filled with blood thirst from lack of action and the need to nourish themselves once more as they can be only barely satisfied with what I give them. The difference between fresh and dried is always apparent in food.

    As the day ends and my wares/services are no longer needed along with having bought my needed goods I set off some time before dinner along the path to Vocaten. Meanwhile I have sent off some of my guards to deal with the messengers and lookout bandits before dealing with the main pack. These simple bandits will never know what it was that ended their lives as their souls are set free and drained of energy. The bodies will grow cold and the flesh dissolve from their bones as my spectres claim their feast, of course with some time on their hand the spectres have a little preparation first before eating. As the chosen victims start being driven insane from despair by my spectres they dig in, souls full of despair have a certain taste that these ones are fond of. I prefer ones with more positive feelings, it gives a different euphoria that I prefer if I can kill them without them noticing but no need to worry about these one¡¯s preferences. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Of course eating the whole soul would be a difficult task but the fragments left as they die is enough. I have had this batch for a very long time, one of my original creations before I became a fellow at the old academy. They are on the cusp of gaining a true soul, the pseudo soul cores I created them with have grown rich with necromantic energy, soul energy, and death mana. Unlike natural spectres and the creations of lesser necromancers mine were made from scratch of pure energy and mana. While not as strong initially after gorging on enough beings they have grown to mithril grade strength and they do not even possess proper sentience, this does not mean they are stupid however. The primal hunting and instinctual mind they possess is on par with any veteran elite along with their ethereal nature makes any unprepared foe simply another body on the ground. Not to mention my how to say, special tricks to them make them deadlier that other spirits.

    As I slowly make my way to the now clean skeletons on the ground they number about a dozen in total, exactly how would they have split the loot between a dozen people without rioting. Still these fools had some guts to try to rob people in earnest, now I have myself a work crew to use. I would suspect bait for a trap but there has been nothing to trip my anti-scrying wards or the hint of anyone suspicious has been seen by my scouts. Well back to work with arranging my new troops from the bones I have in front of me. After a bit of marionette work dragging these into an even more secure area I start marking the bones with my specialized runes. I could simply flood these with necromantic energy and create basic skeletons but that would be pointless for me. I need somewhat competent workers that can understand more complex directions.

    After careful applications of energy to morph the bones to become more durable and creating runes to attach to the many bones of these soon to be skeleton workers. These are runes to imprint movement patterns, rather than let them fumble around I force these bones to follow set patterns. Very much mechanical but in the end I can set them to work without the worry that they cannot figure out how to do something. As only low tier undead they have no intelligence but that is fine, as a side benefit I also implant combat movements into these as a precaution. Nothing fancy but just the basic imperial soldier academy swordsmanship from home, should be enough to outclass any standard foot soldier that has not tasted true battle. At this level they are false low-intermediate grade warrior, a match for any basic trained soldier in one on one combat but anyone with sufficient combat experience can take them down with some injury.

    Hmm that took a few hours, been awhile since I had to manually do this sort of work. Too bad none of these mooks had any magic potential else I could have made me a Bonesetter who would carve the initial runes for me even if it is lower quality. Still getting some middle grade undead is a job for later, I can afford some more finesse after getting set up. Obviously letting these guys go around is a bit of a stupid maneuver, but this is where some of the runes I carved get to work. I hold out my hand to my gathered troop and will one of my runes to activate, the skeleton troop gathered in front of me morph into floating teeth that I gather into a pouch on my belt. A little trick that took me a while to learn but well worth the price I paid at the conclave meeting I got this from, logistics of moving troops are a very important and annoying detail.

    These guys can¡¯t be set forth in the midst of combat easily as of right now, the cost of making that high quality of a rune would be a pain for such weaklings. Still simple transport is a thing, and who would suspect a doctor with a bag of teeth. Literally no one would blink their eye at it, teeth pulling and replacement are a part of the job and making false teeth sets for richer customers is not unheard of. Well I should get some food, that much hands on work is making me hungry even if eating food is essentially a habit at this point, it is simpler to eat food then long term nourishment by necromantic energy. Tomorrow will be another day forward and one step closer to my goal of taking the agros de mortis for myself under careful stewardship of course. Then I can get to seeing whether all my past work was worth the effort, if no one comes for the fields then I can change that as having no one to test my work on is boring.

 07-Off for a midnight stroll

    As I get up and start making breakfast a thought just occured to me, I already know that there have been adventurer explorations into the fields that were considered wastes of time and manpower but what about necromancers. I would think at least one cabal has arrived here to start exploration, but judging by the lack of missing people on a large scale so far either they are a full conclave of necromancers that can control themselves or a worthless cabal too weak to do much. If it is a conclave then some reasonable negotiations can occur but if it is a simple cabal then some acolytes to do some of my work for me would be appreciated.

    I would prefer the cabal since I could use some help without the need to watch myself as much with experienced necromancers though the lure of competent associates is also strong. No I have been given this task and I must accomplish it, it would be too much of a risk if a conclave is here. They can serve me better in death than life, that bit of planning out of the way I pack up everything and prepare to move forward.

    I quickly make my way through several villages and manage to sell off a bit more of spare product in the process. I cannot afford to stay around to aid them in everyday life but a few tinctures and ointments made during breaks is a simple matter. Nothing else noteworthy occurred aside from one more small band of bandits being converted, they had a small stash of tools however which was quite appreciated for future endeavors and quickly liberated. My workforce now numbers 20 strong and even without any middle tier undead worthy bodies I have enough to sustain myself with what I already have. Those bandits were not the best equipped but I have enough sets of cloth and leather to make padded armour suits and enough axes and clubs to have a combat squad ready. I manage to arrive on the city outskirts after 2 days of travel but decide to camp out for another 2 just to finish up preparations and let my mice scout things out.

    After preparing enough arms for a squad of 6 skeletons and having them get to work I take my selected 6 and begin more in depth preparations, beside the initial durability and move sets I improve other things to ensure they can fight the way I want them to. I change their bones to be even tougher and away from the true human form, the feet become somewhat clawed and wider to ensure proper footing along with similar changes to the hands to improve grip and dexterity. I cause the bones themselves to become larger and change the composition of cortical and cancellous tissue in the bone. I change their senses to be improved to almost normal human grade and improve their decision making capacity in the midst of battle.

    Now my creations can take and dish out damage comparable to true intermediate elite soldiers, I call these changes altogether my bone warrior upgrade. Now it will take an experienced soldier who has fought a few times before to be able to go toe to toe with my undead. After completion these chosen are now ready for battle in my time schedule available. I cover them completely in their armour, cloaks, and cloth masks. They now cannot been identified as undead unless one takes away their armour, even the gait has been improved to be close to human standards. While I did spend a good amount of work on them long term it is not worth it for these pseudo warriors, but being prepared is always something good.

    The good news is that so far there are no traces of any other potential parties that I should take note of both as a threat or as rivals. The records in this town are more detailed but not by much, the most important note for me is a map with locations on the outer edge that I can turn into a forward base. The most important find however is indeed the discovery of a cabal of necromancers lurking nearby, they are young ones with not much skill or experience. Their apparent leader is barely more knowledgeable about the necromantic arts then the rest and apparently was not a necromancer first. His signature does not have the strength that a full time necromancer should have so it is likely he used to be a hedge mage before changing. He has a hold on the rest only due to threats against them and a skeletal warrior as his minion.

    It appears some hapless adventurer died and was unlucky enough to be found by him, it is only about iron strength which is barely stronger than the rest with copper or even gravel. The gravel could be killed by a simple brave villager with a club and the copper could take on an untrained town guard. They number about a dozen total not counting the leader and perhaps 30 undead with mostly skeletons or zombies. This lot is not going to accomplish much as they are right now, actually I am surprised they are still alive. Sure they could take out maybe a random few isolated patrols of town guard or a weaker adventurer party but nothing else. If they are a research group or the advance party for another group then they are simply pathetic if they are. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    A simple measure for me and my new guards to take, leaving a simple message of a meeting tomorrow at their lair by my mice I begin heading to meet them by changing to my other mage clothes and all covering cloak. During the trip to the outskirts of the fields where they have created a liar I make a new staff with a wolf bone head and a few hanging bone charms to complete my image, a night time meeting with a cabal of necromancers will be the first event to mark my plans for the world. It is time I start to expand my ranks to better be able to handle the future and ensure proper control of what I want. But whoever said that they will have a choice....

    Hmm that is an interesting event, a pack of goblins with a village are nearby as reported by the mice. Hmm I have time and testing out this lot would be good, I need to check if my absorbance runes are properly working. I do not need to be as wary of slaughtering a goblin village then a human one, also the fact that I do not have the time to tear everything useful from a human village. I don¡¯t use this often on weaklings but decided to do so for the combat unit here, even if they are made obsolete in the future I can make use of some pawns for guard duty or bait. Sending this lot out I watch them quickly advance through the forest to the village of the goblins, once there at the outskirts they slow down and move slowly. These goblins can see a little better in the dark than humans but not enough to spot my creations as they pad forward.

    There is a little noise being made but not enough to cause awareness in the goblins, however once they get close enough the unnatural silence in the local wildlife nearby warn them a little. As the ones on sentry duty start getting nervous however is when my creations strike, the few on guard duty get an axe or club to the head and drop as quietly as possible. Bad for the goblins is that apparently that was not enough to wake them from noise but as the skeletons move closer to the sleeping areas some start twitching. Ahh they smell the blood splattered on my creations, it matters not for these ones are too weak to do much.

    Eventually enough noise is made in the form of death cries that they start boiling out to fight, too late as about a dozen already lay slain from earlier. Perhaps if these ones were suicidal enough to start grappling my warriors and trying to break off bones then they have a chance but these ones are not that primal. These weak goblins are slain with relative ease, not a true test of combat potential but that was not what this was for. Crude stone weapons and the occasional scavenged metal weapon are in the hands of the goblins, resistance however is futile. Watching through the eyes of one skeleton without weapons or armour I see it grab a too slow goblin and spear it¡¯s claw like fingers into the eyes of the creature. The loud cries of pain and terror continue until eventually it is killed after getting it¡¯s throat torn out, blood pours out of the eyeless holes and torn throat to bath the skeleton. A good thing that it does not have the padded armour or that would be a pain to clean, still I expect the soul and strength absorption to work well on this one bathed in blood as it is.

    Looking through the eyes of the others I see that they have cleaned up any fighters, the only ones left are the weak and young. These too soon die however, what mercy will such creatures deserve to have as no one else will offer it. I have a relative amount of mercy for them however by stopping their hearts quickly and painlessly, no need for unnecessary savagery or time to properly harvest the energy from torturing the souls. It is not unreasonable for them to be somewhat intelligent but even then they would have attacked me regardless without question so why bother wasting time and unlike a human village I will not need to root around for things as much for hidden caches or raising the bodies.

    Having the skeletons search the village I find a few useful bits of armour and weapons scavenged from dead town guards or novice adventurers. Not much use to goblins who cannot use them as is or forge them out but I can have a few better equipped troops. Raising the goblins themselves is not worthwhile but reducing their corpses to essence to strengthen these skeletons is something more viable. Making sure to clean up the goblin blood splashed on my creations I channel the fresh miasma and converted miasma into them. As this occurs I see that my creations grow stronger and faster, goblins can only give so much but improvements are here regardless, my work is as good as always but this was something I got to practice more easily back home. Seeing that I have not grown rusty on established skills I depart this area after making sure my creations are good and decide not to torch these crude homes as a waste of effort. After draining the corpses of anything worthwhile I leave only ashes behind, there were some piles of old human bones from previous meals but too damaged for me to bother using.

    Some piled up resentful and despairing soul fragments I could make use of however for future work, no intact souls but something I am fine with. Piling the remains in a single area for easy disposal and cleaning up the traces of my creations took some more hours. Well that wasted enough time, after a quick meal it is back to heading to that meeting I need. I hope I can actually negotiate properly here but then again I can repeat things if needed as that would be acceptable to me since I can make use of either event, the bonus of being a necromancer as rarely will things go to waste if I put my mind to it.

 08-Assuming control

    While walking to their lair I watch through the mice their reaction to my simple message, in it I expressed my desire to meet fellow practitioners of the art and exchange knowledge and goods. I included that I would meeting them soon at midnight tomorrow from the message and that I would be bringing only a few minions along with an assortment of talismans/charms to barter. Their reaction initially was rather amusing until their leader now labeled beanpole for proprietary sake managed to calm them down through threats of firebolts. After a bit of thinking he then gathered a few I assumed to be core members around him and had the rest wait in ambush in side areas with their minions to surround me. Looks like they are not planning on talking, good I was not truly keen either. With no further incidents to report aside from the goblins I spent a little bit refining some energy and working on the necessary materials for future work, it is good the goddess was through as I have a nice reserve of material to make use of.

    After leaving a few pre arranged plans for my minions I walk through the crack in the wall of a steep mountain to enter a larger cavern complex. After boldly walking in with my visible guards I stride up to where beanpole is waiting with his cohorts at a meeting table arranged on the cavern floor.

    ¡°Greetings fellow magiers, I thank you for arranging this place for us to meet. I am eager to speak with some fellows¡¯ after a long time with only my own company. I hope we can have a beneficial exchange where we both walk away enriched¡±

    ¡°Well that would indeed be the ideal but we would like to first exchange a few pieces of information so that we know about each other. First off I am called the Lector of our little group here and I offer my greetings to a brother of the arts¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I am known as Elder Ossis and I extend my greetings to you. As is the way of our people I decided to pay a visit to the local sect of practitioners in order to pay my respects and hold an exchange as is often the case between those that like me travel and the more sedentary groups. I have heard whispers of the cursed lands further from here and felt that it would worth investigating for myself. Of course I made sure to search for a local sect in order to find out local conditions and what has already been found about the lands¡±

    ¡°That is most informational Elder Ossis and I thank you once more for this opportunity, we are most eager to have this meeting and ask about what items you may have and in exchange we can provide what we have discovered about the cursed lands¡±

    During the course of this discussion he has looked rather nervous and anxious, looks like he is not the founder here and fears that he was never informed of some things. From the looks of things their founder either left or died and he picked up the reins, I doubt their master was especially powerful but certainly better than this lot by far. Let us see if I can pressure him some more with his lack of knowledge of common customs, he most likely wants to know what I have on me before springing the ambush. His flashes of greed looking at my attire and the bag one of my guards is holding cannot be hidden, the rest are looking less enthused about this plan. I am in luck since from my observations this lot is a meek group who gathered around the only leader they have, so far there does not appear to be a right hand man to take care of. All I need to do is cut off the head and the rest will fall in line for me.

    I gesture to the minion with the bag and he takes out a few trinkets to place on the table. We both take a seat at the placed chairs and I pick up a simple bone charm. It is a scrap of bone off a shoulder blade of a wolf and carved with a few sigils and emitting a faint necromantic energy. All my wares are genuine talismans and charms but only offering a slight ease to manipulating necromantic and death mana/energy. My carved staff makes it easier to gather large quantities of mana or energy but all of these things are something that any experienced necromancer will know is apprentice grade items. However from the eyes of the beanpole he feels like he is looking at an offered pile of gold. He however is not stupid enough to try to ask for the staff but instead signals to take a closer look at my charms, I give the go ahead and he looks over the items. He is bluntly poking the trinkets with his mana to explore them, he never did get far in any of his studies did he to not know finer ways of doing things with less risk. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    After setting down the item in his hand he asks me about the rest of my wares, I take the opportunity to have another half a dozen charms placed on the table, all in all about 10 trinkets are here. They all offer some small boon to a necromancer or his creation, useless to me but of great worth to these ones. Time to see to the extent he intends to take things, regardless I have enough strength to do what I want so this is simply a charade for me.

    ¡°As a gesture of good faith I will offer one item for free and can trade another two for what information you have on the cursed lands. The rest you will have to barter for with other information or items of use, I do not care for gold or silver so do not bother offering such items¡±

    ¡°Your wares are most fine indeed and I will gladly accept your initial offer, here let me get you the scroll with our information on the cursed lands¡±

    He takes the three trinkets and moves them to him, gesturing to one of those standing by him he whispers a few words. He thinks he is being quiet but I can actually hear everything going on in this cavern system thanks to my mice, his flunky just left with orders to start the ambush and that if I die he will give everyone a share of the trinkets.

    ¡°So shortly my fellow will be bringing the scrolls with the needed information but for now about the rest of the talismans. I can offer some of our arcane knowledge along with this powerful skeleton knight to you¡±

    He gestures to the iron rank skeleton and it shambles over, it is dressed in some leather and mail armour with a iron sword and wood shield. Certainly to this lot it feels as if he has a knight but to me it is a weak minion dressed in fancy items.

    ¡°It is certainly a high quality minion but are you sure you wish to offer it in exchange?¡±

    ¡°Why of course, you are obviously a man of great character and ability. To establish favorable relations and of course your continued supply of such items is something worthwhile even for my skeleton knight¡±

    With this he has the skeleton warrior walk to my side, and with a signal from him It stands down for me to examine. Taking a few cursory looks this appears to be indeed an iron strength skeleton but it has much better potential that is wasted with such weak necromancy. After a little time to examine it he has it attack me in supposed surprise attack while the rest of the pack starts emerging to attack me and my guards. A simple wave of my hand for dramatic purpose and I have overwhelmed the hold this cabal had on its undead and they all stop in place and collapse.

    The skeletal knight falls over in a heap of armour while the talismans that beanpole took fly back to me. Beanpole makes no resistance or reaction to what goes on since he is now but bones, my spectres are enjoying a most tasty meal right now. They would have cut his throat to sever his voice box then slowly drained him of his energy and flesh leaving only a skeleton all while in total silence and only faint outlines seen, a rather deliberate terror tactic for not always is noise needed to inspire fear. My warriors have meanwhile disabled the ambushing acolytes and now stand guard over the proceedings, a few are bruised or in chokeholds but none are even moderatly injured or dead. I turn to the flunkies by what used to be Beanpole and give a smile to them.

    ¡°So that little affair over with, do you have any words in protest to my having taken over this little group of yours now do you?¡±

    ¡°No master it was most gracious of you to rid us of that lout¡±

    ¡°Thank you for freeing us from his tyranny¡±

    A few more sycophantic words are spoken though they appear to have put a bit of their true feelings into those words. I doubt I will have to stamp out a rebellion here, they are not stupid and feel that the undead are under my total control. Hmm more fodder for me to work with, while this lot is weak I do need some rank and file members and not troublesome geniuses. Well regardless they will likely be seeing a decent amount of what I do so no need to hide some of the lesser stuff and it will be a learning experience for those smart enough to comprehend what I do. Of course this is after I ¡®ensure¡¯ that they never betray me, I take the matter of disciples seriously even if they will only be novitiates. Whether they will advance further then that will depend on the future.

 09-Ensuring Devotion

    Now the core members of the last lot are the stronger ones with the copper rank undead. Bringing them with me to the inner meeting area of the cavern I turn to them and command them to tell me of the group and other things I wish for. The general consensus was that they either were attracted to the latent power emitted by the Agros de Mortis, poverty forced them to gather together, or persecution by the local populace against necromancers. They were originally led by a middle aged man who was a master necromancer by their thoughts but he died while exploring the cursed lands.

    Apparently he just keeled over and they saw that his soul had been scattered as it left his body, apparently afterwards the beanpole had taken over since he was the only one trying to lead but did it by bad means. Whatever information they had was lost when the original leader died and these guys just stayed on the fringes just surviving and making the occasional raid on the dumping grounds of the city for corpses. Now as the third generation leader it falls to me to actually make sure they do not stay headless chickens forever. Bringing forth the beanpole¡¯s skeletal knight I have it remove it¡¯s gear and point at it while dramatically saying some words.

    ¡°You say that this is a skeletal knight then let me show you what a true skeletal knight actually is!¡±

    That was actually bending the truth since I can¡¯t make a skeletal knight by my standards without a proper lab but I can certainly make one that will scare this lot into total submission. First I start by cleansing the skeleton of any latent fragments of soul from its form and making sure the bones are in proper pristine condition. That bit of maintenance over I start applying my bone warrior upgrade to it before gathering up a portion of my necromantic energy and pouring it into some careful magic arrays around the skeleton. This is meant to cause changes in the way that I wish it to, as the arrays start to spin new bone growth starts to appear all over the body and spread. The growth flows across the body until soon it is encased completely in a full bone armour reminiscent of a knight¡¯s full plate armour with scales instead of mail. Soon as other arrays spin more growth spread until soon the skeleton is wielding a warhammer of steel strength bone in the shape of a fang and a shield in the shape of a shoulder blade.

    The skeleton has grown several inches to become just a bit over the stature of a 6ft warrior and as a finishing touch I take out one of my original talismans. This one is a construct of metal and bone in the shape of a small lantern swirling with ethereal light, a container for my pseudo souls. Calling one forth I insert it into the skeleton and complete my own skeletal knight, fires of pale flame ignite in it¡¯s eye sockets and it starts shifting before emitting a silent roar into the sky. Silent to all but those sensitive to changes in necromantic energy, these fellows may be weak but they have still been exposed enough to the necromantic arts to hear a portion of it. The roar of the skeletal knight released a pulse of energy across the local area and pressuring those that can feel such shifts.

    The acolytes in front of me cower in fear and awe before me and my latest creation. They may not know much of the arts but one does not need to be trained to realize when a predator is in front of them, to them before the knight was a scary thing that was potentially dangerous and now they see an apex predator giving them a considering look for whether it is hungry enough to feast. They appear half dead from that roar and now I realize that perhaps they are too weak to face the birth roar of a mid steel grade undead. This is by my classification a middle tier undead since with the pseudo soul it has much more intelligence than a low tier but not true sentience so it can¡¯t be called high tier. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    I care more about intelligence than raw power with my undead, to me run of the mill skeletons are low tier, the skeletal knight is low down on the scale of middle tier, then a skeletal general is high tier. Middle tier undead not only have more intelligence but more power, skill and often a fear aura. To normal people they are so terrifying as to literally kill people by stopping their hearts in close quarters if weak, low tier undead can frighten people and even cause them to go running with fear but not kill them. For a high tier undead well let us say that there is a reason that they are spoken of in hushed tones regardless of location. Dampening the aura released I turn to them and gesture to follow me back to the central cavern where the rest have been waiting. Looking upon them I see white faces, they were farther away but are at the same time weaker than the acolytes with me.

    Gesturing to said acolytes to stand to the side I once more gather my energy and prepare to work on the skeletons before me. Most are gravel grade and so I give them the most basic upgrades similar to what I gave to the skeletal workers before. The bones of the beanpole are much more useful though on par to the skeletal knights regardless of the character the magical potential is left in the bones and can be used. They truly got lucky with finding the body of a gold rank adventurer for this lot to have killed one would be ridiculous but too bad any magic equipment appears lost. The copper rank ones I can work with similar to my skeletal pseudo warriors and give them the appropriate upgrades while the beanpole will now become a skeletal mage. After applying the basic upgrades and the skeletal warrior ones I shape the old flows of mana into new ones more suitable for necromancy the bean pole is enriched and add a weak pseudo soul.

    Where before he was a high iron grade mage it is now a mid gold grade necromancer, this means that it can now make skeletal warriors and other similar grade undead. The threat level would require a small order of mounted knights to have a chance of winning.The remnants from their original souls I gather up and cleanse to make more pseudo souls with later, combined with the previous gold rank skeleton I have more raw material. Some of the strength of these skeletons came from the soul left in the bones but now it is the base power that I impart that grants them power. Spreading my arms wide and looking across the acolytes I speak out in a dominating manner.

    ¡°Behold the power I wield, what can you poor fools do against it. In less than an hour I have crushed this poor excuse for a cabal of necromancers. Your leader now is slain and better serves me in death then his attempt at betraying me in life. But to you I offer a chance, look at my creations and perhaps in the future you can create such minions. I offer you safety and knowledge to pursue the depths of necromancy, join me and pledge yourselves body and soul and I will return upon you power you could not imagine beforehand. Come I offer you my hand to aid you in growing strong and powerful, join me in my endeavors and you will benefit as well. Come join me and I will show you the depths of necromancy¡±

    I can see and feel the emotions they each have in my senses, quite a bit of fear but more of awe and acceptance. They all kneel down and while they are not skilled enough with souls it is immaterial to me, I reach out and take a portion of their energy as they give it up willingly. Binding this energy to me I can now go down the connection forged to see whatever they have in their hearts and minds but only if I go forth.

    It is like a door, first it has to be opened and not barred to be used. If they ever try to betray me then I can snuff them out with ease but that will not be needed now, I have a good feeling with this lot. I gesture to them to rise and start giving them the trinkets from earlier, I do not make fake products when crafting. Perhaps they may not be up to standards but they are real items regardless, taking out fragments of bone I start crafting stele to imprint my most rudimentary of knowledge onto. Handing everything out I inform them that these are items to aid them in their journey along with some of my knowledge, I am free to do this now that everyone has given up themselves to me. The start of a grand undertaking is now occurring with this first group of acolyte, while I do not need it now perhaps one will be a worthy apprentice in the future.

 10-Gonna need some sitters and food expenses

    After having brought my horse with my bags to the lair I start arranging my items in what used to be beanpole¡¯s and before that their founder¡¯s room. A few interesting trinkets here and there, it is obvious beanpole was not stupid enough to try using this stuff since he would be killed by the protective wards and sheer necromantic energy infused. However to me these are trifling items of no use to me, regardless I take control of these items by imprinting and hand them to the skeletal mage which I decided to name Or¡¯tharn simply because I can. Or¡¯tharn is strong enough to use them now after my work and I have him start familiarizing himself with some of the artes I imprinted him with during creation. My skeletal knight I named Cor¡¯lothen is organizing a watch and guard schedule for the lair along with ensuring he can move properly according to my imparted combat knowledge.

    With time free as the acolytes are busy with their own affairs or studying I think back once more to the soul link. I myself used to have one with master when I was his apprentice, after being dropped off at the academy I kept it until I grew. After enough time I grew strong enough to remove it but did not until I had made a breakthrough with my research, in that case it was the array magic formation for transmitting knowledge to creations. While necromancers could always impart their knowledge to more intelligent creations I wanted a more in depth and organized fashion to it and that was the array and rune formations. After that point I felt confident enough in my own personal strength to sever the connection, I did so in such a way for him to know that I did it on purpose because I felt strong enough to walk on my own two feet.

    Master may have been mercurial at times but he did what he could to both teach me and ensure my safety, it was a symbolic coming of age ritual to me. I was now my own man and did not need protection and made sure that such feelings were there before severing it. Judging by the fact that there was no further contact after finding a grimoire with his life¡¯s work in it on my doorstep he understood the message, wherever he is I hope he is doing well for himself.

    As for apprentices I will be running these acolytes through their paces, while necromancers rely on their creations and spells that is no excuse for not being able to survive by themselves. I want to slowly get them used to stronger sources of necromantic energy along with the basic spells for necromancers. After their core foundations are done for necromancy I intend to throw them through imperial army training, that way even if they get forced into melee they can survive long enough to change the situation. Being able to handle yourself in a brawl is good for anyone who may get into a battle to know, I myself had to learn at the sharp end of it when leading my soldiers or creations into battle. One learns to survive on the killing fields of war, also during the aggressive requisition of enemy commanders and mages. I owe much of my success to such events both in experience, material, and merit. I am hoping that they will know this lesson as well in the future for it will serve them well, leave as little as possible behind for almost anything can be used.

    As it is right now I will be a bit delayed but so far no sign that others are on the way to the agros de mortis just yet, after getting them through their paces for a few days I will move out to scout the area in person. They will join me after a week and a half at the outskirts where I can get them used to the miasma there. First it is ensuring that I can get them all geared out with apprentice items and then it is checking if my two intelligent creations can keep them working and safe. The three core disciples are doing well so far, the two females Liliana and Roxanne have done well with the spells while the male Steward has progressed with controlling undead. Everyone has a skeletal worker to practice and study and the core members get an extra one each to work with.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Steward has managed to start getting a grasp for finer control of undead, instead of just roughly implanting his energy into an undead and giving it orders he has started to thread out his energy into all parts of the skeleton. Soon he will be able to actively control it with fine motor skills but one cannot control only one undead, well they can but it is not the typical action of necromancers. Liliana is making good progress with controlling her miasma into causing paralyzing fear in a target while Roxanne is using her miasma into an attack on a person¡¯s life force and soul. Both are valid routes for progression and I feel good promise so far in everyone, they are embodying separate aspects but so far no one among the acolytes is showing proficiency in soul magic which would be troublesome for the inexperienced. The rest of the acolytes are progressing slowly but surely and I feel they will make good necromancers in the future.

    Now that the acolytes are relatively accounted for I begin my own preparations, making lots and lots of scouts. A variety of mice, bats, and other small animals get turned into my eyes and ears for the times ahead along with some skulls on a stick to use as wards. If I am going to go on a recon by fire into enemy territory I will need good troops but I need my elites to watch the acolytes, with only low quality bodies and limited equipment I have limited options. I think some bone claws will be of good use, these creations are skeletal warriors with massive meter long claws that are good at both slashing and bludgeoning targets. They are also able to run on all fours and are good against both low level undead and humans.

    Besides these I also ready some skeletal slingers for other enemies due to lack of better material. With these troops even if either party gets attacked by the adventurers they will be well protected. Actually I welcome any challengers to come to me, I could use some good quality bones for middle tier minions. If I can get my hands on what I need for a high tier undead then this place will be on lockdown for a long long time, still no use wishing for what I do not have.

    With what should be massive amounts of latent miasma and death mana my undead will be able to sustain themselves indefinitely in the wild, a powerful force especially when I am finally able to get calvary. On that note I should make sure that my acolytes can get as many bones as possible for when they come to rejoin me especially horses and other beasts of burden, that way I do not need to search out for more materials to use. If we are establishing a base in the agros de mortis we will need supplies enough to sustain us for a long time, hmm money. I can craft a few decorative and exotic trinkets to sell off, purely only for looks but should be enough to get some money for what we need. I do not wish to set up a base in the fields only to find out that I cannot sustain a force there for long enough to be meaningful.

    Now my scouts still have found no trace of anyone else who would be after the fields so I am 95% sure that I am the very first to try something. As it is now with my resources I can murder anyone Orichalcum and below with some room to spare, if they are so insane as to send someone adamantine then forgive me for running to my patron god for help as a double suicide does not sound appealing before I have established a phylactery for myself, simply because I can kill them does not mean I want to be heavily injured for weeks afterward.

    On that note though turning my ring into a phylactery if I get permission would certainly be effective, I suspect that only a demigod can damage this ring and of course dealing with an annoyed goddess will be a concern. I could also make my grimoire a phylactery such that any who know it¡¯s value will hesitate to commit such an act. Hmm is being a chosen of a goddess a formal position or do I need some sort of initiation ceremony. Well that is another point to explore in the future for now I must get to crafting some merchants trinket for supplies.

 10.5-The start of a long journey

    ¡°Improper Technique, you must form the miasma in a more concentrated form. Else this will happen when you need it to fight¡± - the menacing empty voice of the remains of our former leader intones as I try to animate a skeleton, by the definitions of the new one this is a mid grade peon. I find this more demining if not for the standards I see to use as reference as one walks and I mean walks over and easily wrenches the limbs off our attempt with demeaning ease without any sort of equipment. And they call this thing a peon, I think that only the old knight that the former leader has could do something but well also seeing what happened to it also. That particular skeleton now wears bone plate armour with a big shield and warhammer which with it is using to practice. I did not know that skeletons could practice but here it is, and I am terrified of both beings. Either one could easily destroy us single handedly, but their master......

    He simply strode in with a menacing aura and confidently started negotiating, no pressuring our leader and saw through everything. When we tried to kill him in an ambush he simply with only a gesture took over all our undead and the old leader... He was an ass who did not hesitate to resort to violence but he kept us safe and fed. He was killed so easily without a chance, there was nothing we could do as the minions he brought held us at weapon point. We watched as some...creature grabbed our master and...he died. The sound he made was horrifying, I cannot even call that a scream it was too pain filled.

    Then what he became afterward, and we three watched what happened to the knight well.... That pressure and the gaze, where the leader became empty without ego this one is more primed and vicious. We avoid it on principle not to mention that it is terrifying to get close and not just because of the gaze but an application of necromancy. The aura of fear is a spell we were taught but have not mastered, we also are learning a miasma bolt, fog cloud, and of course reanimating the dead.

    I discovered that I had talent when I was playing with mouse bones when I was younger, but I had before that been able to see spirits or rather souls. I could not talk to them but I could sense generally their emotions and the other villagers would have me be there as part of a funeral process to try to help see if anyone who died had departed. However a priest had come through and after hearing about me tried to see if I could use holy magic but I could not and he then accused me of witchcraft and the villagers had to cast me out after that. This was only a few months ago and I had such a decent life before, while things would be tough I managed to make a good living and probably would have gotten married to some girl from the village.

    But because of that priest I had to leave, my parents were in tears and the other villagers were sad but we had no choice. No one wanted the church¡¯s troops to come evict or worse become slaves, we had heard rumours and after this happened they gave me a few supplies and I left. Eventually I met on my random wanderings a man who took me in, he was gruff and did not spoke much but I soon learned he was an actual necromancer. However he did not seem as bad, I would see him walk to graves and gently pry the lingering souls out to release them. He took something from the soul as it left and their bones but he did not seem as evil as I thought. However I soon discovered that he was not a saint either, we had met a group of adventurers who were as young as I was. He killed them without mercy, it was gruesome watching them die in agony as he harvested from their souls and took their bones.

    He would be the necromancer that originally founded our little group, he said that he was drawn to this land like a moth to the flame. Over time we gathered more to us and kept us safe but it was not to be, just like he said a moth to the flame. One day while we were traveling through the outskirts while feeling weak from the pressure I saw him take a step further in and simply drop dead. His soul simply scattered into pieces in front of me as it left him, those of us with him quickly ran away leaving him behind. Eventually we retrieved his body using minions but still we lost our leader. From there Bredwin took over and now we have the new leader.

    I do not know much about him, he promised us knowledge and power along with safety but after giving us some magical artifacts and steles of knowledge he would keep to himself. Sometimes he would come give us lessons but other than that was rather morose and unseen. When he would give us lessons using bodies others had gathered I would see fascinating things, while old master would sometimes create undead with the vestiges of the soul still there and other times remove them if he felt they were not useful and Bredwin kept the vestiges our new one always removes the vestiges. When he reanimated a new skeleton one that he called a worker he first placed his hand over the body and I saw him will the soul away. But he would prune it of energy as I learned and placed it in a small lantern like object which had lights floating in it, lights that were similar to souls but at the same time completly different. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    He had used this to make the two powerhouses but never explained what it was, we would ask but he berated us that as only novitates we could not ask questions. Only when we had proved ourselves to be proper apprentices would we be allowed to ask questions, for now simply listen to him and read what we are given. I am truly curious about what that is but, his word is law. None of us dare try anything as he is simply too overwhelming, he has not even told us his name. We either refer to him as lord or master when we address him, he also has not shown us what he even looks like. He does not eat with us and I assume bathes in secret as it is not like he smells bad, he is so mysterious but at the same time too powerful.

    He has us rotating to gather the bodies dumped outside the town or to buy supplies, he gave us a considerable amount of money to buy food and other necessities. I do not know where he came from but it cannot be simple, he gives out artifacts and knowledge like he has more to spare which he probably does. I know that he has a warhorse that only knights should have and is strong. Of course I repeated this a few times but he truly is deserving of having it repeated, once when we were busy practicing our work the group that was responsible for grabbing bodies at the time reported that they may have been followed by a group of bandits. While he does not believe that they know we are necromancers since they only were found after the bodies were taken and concealed as baggage they might think we have supplies worth taking.

    Our master simply looked...amused, while we obviously could not see his face but from his posture he found it funny. He had us head out and be concealed behind a barrier of mist that we could look out of but no one could look in as part of a... live demonstration of direct offensive combat. He himself hid in his own barrier and eventually we saw the bandits following the tracks the group had made, normally we would remove them but the leader said not to. There were perhaps more than two dozen bandits with various weapons and armour, while not enough to evict us we still would have taken losses. To that many he simply raised his staff while in the mist and we saw him gather a large amount of miasma in a fear spell we had been taught before.

    He cast the spell and we saw the bandits all suddenly turn pale and start sweating, some screamed in well fear while others kept shaking. They turned from arrogantly confident bandits to disheveled wrecks where we could see their eyes go white. However this was not the end, he once again gathered miasma but also strands of necromantic energy. He weaved the two together into a bolt of miasma and send one each at the bandits, more than two dozen bolts in only few breaths and then all of the bandits started screaming in pain. The miasma ate at their bodies and we could see flesh disintegrate and blood become mist, some simply keeled over their souls had been crushed by the repeated pressure of miasma and simply gave out.

    These were the lucky ones who died relatively painlessly,the few that survived he weaved a constriction spell and we watched them suffocate to death. While the miasma bolt had eaten their flesh away to reveal muscle and bone the blood only started to flow after the spell ended, they screamed in horror seeing how much of their bodies had been removed and thrashing in pools of their own blood. They seemed like blood soaked ghouls or zombies and when the constriction spell came their eyes started bulging and some we could see had wet or defecated themselves. It was horrifying to watch, it was a mercy when they died but he simply turned to us and tilted his head in some sort of look.

    ¡°You may pity them but know that they would have if they could sacked and ravaged your hideout, what do you think would have happened to those here. It would not be a kind fate, these bandits are not guilt free. From their manner they were used to such acts and not afraid to kill, this is a world where the strong reign and you cannot be sure that they are merciful. It is so rare to meet a powerful person who is also kind or caring enough of other people, become powerful enough so that you can resist and perhaps make your own choice on how to help others. Nothing can be done without power, the best of intentions mean naught if they cannot be carried out. Remember this lesson for the world is that cruel to allow such acts so easily, hate me if you will but one day after you have lived long enough you will thank me. That is if you survive and live a normal non-blessed life, however considering you are all here that means none of you had such a life¡±

    After those words he simply walked over to the bodies and disintegrated them into miasma, all the blood, waste and flesh became naught. Even the stained clothes were cleaned and only the equipment and bone remained. I saw him extend tendrils of miasma and energy and they rose like marionettes to be shuffled over to the hideout. After that he had us return and he placed the bones into the material store for our use, I talked to the other girls after he left for his room. We all tried to piece together what we knew or could guess from him, it was a weird picture we laid out. Utterly domineering but protective, a worthy mentor but ruthless to the extremes at times. Exactly how such a person could come to be we don¡¯t know, but we can only wait to find out more in the future. Is he so bad or is he worse I don¡¯t know, none of us do and I feeling that perhaps..just perhaps we don¡¯t want to know what he can truly do.

 11-Journey Log

    Day one of my trek to the Agros de mortis, good progress has been made without any particular incident. Communication check with my elites on watch duty has proven successful so far so likely well not have issues there. An estimated 4-6 day trip to reach the outskirts of the fields upon which I will likely encounter roaming packs of undead to requisition. The local cabal claimed innocence when it came to this manner so likely natural undead, perhaps some decent quality goods for me to gain. I would like to resurrect my famed shock companies but haven¡¯t found any particularly dangerous monsters in the area. So far only some random assorted monster wolves and such other forest and plain creatures. Decided to spend a few hours crafting a little hunting pack, these poor mutts were decently strong as I recall but not even close enough.

    AWOOOOOOOOO

    AIIEE AIEE

    ¡®Hmm looks like these are unexpectedly bold as I watch a pack of a dozen wolves surround me, the alpha is waiting near the front larger by a considerable degree then the other black wolves. They are however keeping farther back rather than jump me now, looks like they perhaps expect me to run and let myself be run down. That or perhaps they are a bit unnerved by me, considering that I am no longer in my doctor disguise but my elder necromancer garb. The swirling miasma looping around me probably does not help, moving my gaze over them I see unease in their eyes and nervous yelping. Well might as well get a little personal action in, raising my skull staff I seize the natural miasma around them and tighten it into an iron grip. This is not a grip physically but mentally as I will their bodies to simply die off, they succumb in short order as even the alpha does not last much longer.

    No need for fancy fighting as I can simply kill them instantly, grabbing a few strands of necromantic energy along with scraping energy from their departing souls I pour it into the corpses and watch flesh disintegrate. First the fur then the skin followed by muscle and fat, all turn into black smog before being infused into the bones. Said bones enlarge and grow stronger, a more glistening bone white then normal shows itself as the pack rises once more with the alpha now the packmaster. Dispatching orders to patrol in a radius around me I continue on my way, it is good to have some quick minions for my work.

    Day three of my trek, encountered the first of the reported undead packs. These were simple undead, not very strong but numerous. The latent miasma is not enough to sustain any stronger undead here, likely any potential middle tier and higher will be deep into the agros de mortis. For simplicity sake I will section the general zone in a circular fashion, deepest is zone 1 and outward to zone 6. Zone 6 is currently where I am right now, after 2 more days I should reach zone 5 and the initial ruins of the old human kingdoms there. In particular of note is an old castle that would be of use for a base, the general structure is not in good condition but the walls can still be of use.

    I have accumulated a small supply of food from the hunting done so far along with more low tier trinkets and talismans for the group. In particular I created numerous bone charms to provide some resistance against the miasma present in zone 5. Any deeper in and we will likely run into raw necromantic energy as well as heavy miasma. This energy could potentially sustain middle tier undead indefinitely so caution must be taken for the acolytes though a bit of trapping would not go astray for me.

    Day five of my journey and I have arrived at the castle, the inner castle itself is in poor condition and quite unsafe for use however the outer walls are intact in many places. The few breaches can be used as choke points and entrances since the gates do not appear to work anymore. There is a marshalling field and a barrack complex around the castle itself so space will not be found wanting. My newest additions are at work clearing the place out and a small spot of luck, one of the roving packs was made up of a fallen adventurer group. The adventurers themselves were only fit for better skeletal warriors and skeletal veterans but a hedge maji was part of the group. Now that I have created an overseer for the work I can concentrate on exploration on my own.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Day seven of my journey and I have managed to scout out the vicinity for about 40km around, no notable feature other than the remains of a road leading deeper in and some broken watch towers too collapsed for use. I have established several caches of supplies in the form of equipment and spare boneclaws and dire packs. Any forces that attempt a siege will find themselves assailed from many fronts and I found another hedge maji to convert to handle patrols with the former companions as guards. I now have enough troops total to be about a platoons worth. The local forces are at most 1 hundred militia grade troops and maybe 30 adventurers of at most gold but usually bronze or iron. I can flesh out my ranks with some middle tier commanders if they attack along with skeletal veterans.

    In the rare case that a steel grade adventurer comes then I will have to step in personally, a black skeletal elite or wight would be a welcome addition to my ranks after handling affairs as they are right now. I would like command grade skeletal officers but I doubt any noble¡¯s army or even the kingdom¡¯s army will be coming soon and I have reservations about the quality of the guard captain, then again I do not believe that the officers in the kingdom in general are very good. This is a kingdom and not an empire, it is quite decentralized and the forces are split. Easy pickings for me but not enough quality to truly satisfy, I should worry more about other chosen or champions then the chaff.

    Day Nine of my work and I have taken a light rest to recover and soak in the miasma here to convert into energy. The work to restore the castle is slow but progressing, most of the stones are no longer in the proper condition to be reused but I can help repair the walls with them. The breaches are being filled with the debris and packed earth for now till we can create the worked stones needed for the outer layer. The building of a few large temporary tents for the acolytes is complete and only a few utility buildings need to be finished, surprisingly small copses of trees still grow though they are small things that grow quickly and shrivel quickly. The wood itself is safe so it has been used in construction. The group will be arriving soon with supplies and from my connection nothing major has occurred to them. I plan on setting up a laboratory in the castle once it has been rebuilt to a degree, I will be needing large quantities of glass so finding a few bodies of water are needed.

    My scouting parties have found a few marshes and ponds around so I can get some sand for use, even a partial laboratory can enable me to start making the arms I need to prepare my elites. Without the proper metal working facilities or personnel I cannot forge arms for the troops, and making bone equipment will need laboratories for large scale production. The annoying part is that making swords will be an issue, other weapons can be made but swords will be rather hard to make. Bone equipment does not have much of a cutting edge without the use of magic which only high tier undead can sustain, to make swords for the rank and file will require better quality sustenance for the vats in my lab I will make. I could make use of teeth or fangs but that is more like a spiked club then a sword. Mana crystals would be useful but again laboratories, everything comes down to proper industry and infrastructure.

    Day Thirteen and the acolytes have arrived at last, the good news is that they have come with quite a cache of supplies and the dire pack I sent with the protective charms met safely. Plenty of basic tools, long term food supplies, and most importantly is the fact that they brought bones. Plenty of horse and oxen bones were brought which will be important for me along with the assorted raw hides. The horns can be put to use with making bows and some other weapons while I can get leather and glue from the hides. Still to use up everything now would not be good for the long term, even more reason for a lab. With an advanced enough lab I can clone animal parts, skeletal structures and larger equipment.

    We have cleared enough of the lower structures for now, I have enough space for a small scale lab and can get to work on building the needed instruments now. The acolytes will continue their studies and help with construction work and supervision, good practice for the future while they acclimate themselves to the miasma. Normal humans would feel a drain on themselves in this fifth zone, entry in the fourth zone I estimate can kill a weakened individual and the third zone is instant death for many. If I go in prepared I can probably penetrate into the second zone but I doubt I can sustain my tempo(yep on purpose). Enough bad puns for now, things have progressed in the right direction and the only thing I can do is keep working.

 12- Progress report of the journey

    It has been over a month since we have arrived, our supplies have lasted so far and I have established enough small scale farms to last us. Animals can still live in this zone so all the more fodder for me. The number of undead have grown and I have sent back one of my mages along with some warriors to prepare to recruit any necromancers that happen to wander in. They will of course have to go through some tests but since at least 14 necromancers have wandered here so far I am confident that more will come. I would not mind getting some hedge maji but necromancers have a better understanding of the lure of being under my banner. I hope to grow my numbers to become a proper necromancer¡¯s cabal and when they grow strong enough a conclave. By that point we would have grown enough to be considered a force to be reckoned with, perhaps if we become public and are accepted then a city state. But that is a bit far fetched to occur since necromancy is not accepted, likely a crusade will be called to cleanse us not that they will succeed.

    A point of luck I found was the burial grounds of the local garrison and villages, enough bodies are still intact for me to truly start up my production. I have about 300 peons, 150 workers, 100 bone claws, 50 soldiers, 30 archers/slingers, and 20 veterans. Commanding all this I have 5 mages, 3 knights, the 12 acolytes, Cor¡¯lothen the first skeletal knight, Or¡¯tharn the first skeletal mage and myself. As my first two elites I have made sure that they grow stronger and are fed energy after a makeover in my labs once more. Their growth has gone well so far and they are on the path to mature into true souls, my specters however are truly soaking in the miasma.

    While not as concentrated as the battles they have been in before the constant 24/7 exposure truly makes up for it. They are heading into mid mithril soon and if I can sustain them in the deeper territories then orichalcum will be an inevitability even if it will take a long time. Still no sight of any enemy champions but I hear that another expedition will be sent soon, they have managed to enlist a steel rank party with a mid steel leader to spearhead this time. The rest will be gold and bronze rank parties, this time no chaff guardsmen and totalling about 40 people without baggage, probably 80 people with baggage. They will set off in a week and arrive in another, my defenses can get their first true test now. I have had a few small random bands of undead wandering around to deal with but the patrolling packs deal with them and bring the remains to be used so no worries on that front. Only shambling skeletons and zombies show themselves before being having their bones smashed apart by undead monsters who care not for the fact that they are but bones now.

    While much of the castle was intact with most of the damage within the innermost structures itself it still takes time to rebuild. Castles of the scale here take about a decade to build, with much of the castle still intact and undead workers I can cut the repair time to about a year. But right now we do not have a year, still with the fact that only 13 people need to eat and a dedicated well we can last over a year. These adventurers can be lured into the killing ground between layers of fortification, the inner and outer walls can be sealed off with troops and turn the ground between into a death trap.

    I can muster if we have good warning which we should have about 30 boneclaws, a few dire packs, 30 soldiers and the veterans along with 3 mages and two knights counting the originals. If I bother using the workers then we can have about 120 easily. Enough numbers to crush them and since we have home advantage and warning I only need the soldiers, veterans, and commanders. Even with only this much this is overkill, the only reason I am taking so many troops is the fact that I want these bodies intact. Well only the good ones, those involved in the baggage can be killed off if needed when it comes to it.

    Thanks to the restoration of the lower layers of the castle I now have a laboratory built, small scale but enough for now. Using glass, stone, metal, bone, and other material I have built incubators and specimen tanks, using the rawhide and beast of burden bones/horns I have the material to create composite longbows. Production is relatively fast at about a week for the materials to be grown for a batch of 10 bows and half a week for processing and crafting. We have stockpiled about 30 bows and another 10 on the way. This is more than enough for the ranged corp to switch weapons, arrows are also made as part of the process so we have stockpiled ammunition.

    Arms and armour are also on the way with just enough for the veterans, the rest will be going bare boned for a while. The acolytes have been of help with this process and I am pleased with their progress. They have grasped the basics of necromancy well and can be called evokers by magician standards. My three head pupils are doing well and helped lead the peon creation. I feel confident that they can make workers soon enough, speaking of which Or¡¯tharn is progressing as well and can create high quality warriors, eventually it should progress to be able to make veterans. Cor¡¯lothen has done well with arranging patrols and is working on the perfect trap for that expedition. My days have been consumed with building and overseeing the laboratory, making sure the acolytes are doing well and don¡¯t kill themselves in accidents, and crafting equipment. During one of my free moments however I decided to do a bit of an unusual long awaited project.

    Since I have managed to establish a small base of production on the outskirts of the agros de mortis I feel that the time for bit of a long put off event is now here. I was promised the gift of a dungeon system to aid me in my progress and now is the time. Deep in the underground layers of the castle which I expanded on I built a secure room near my quarters. Inside it is a simple place, a small study area but as the centerpiece on a wall is a shrine. The goddess of magic Veuna is my patron deity and the one responsible for gifting me this ring, she stated that once I have established myself I can activate the system. Since I wanted to cover my bases I tried consecrating a shrine to her in case of trouble and judging by the fact that the statue I made of her with the offered magic crystal the size of a pearl is glowing when it should not be it worked. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    After the glow subsides to a low level but still there I hear her voice in my head.

    ¡°My my you have done well my chosen one, now that you have consecrated a shrine to me with offerings I can speak to you for some time. As I see you are indeed ready to take up your mantle of Master of the Agros de Mortis, your rule is uncontested for now but I have seen stirrings among others of my pantheon. The incursion on your steps is but the first and eventually a crusade will be called to take you down. I am not sure which deity will be the one who will declare it but it is an eventuality, I will block any direct servant from joining the mortal plain but their champions will still march. They do not know of your presence for now as I have masked it but regardless they will send servants and minions to take the plains. Avoid massing too large of a force at one time or it will spur them too quickly along with anything too extreme. For now use smaller groups to wear down and dispose of any challengers, I know you prepare for war but this kingdom is small and not up to your standards of war¡±

    ¡°Very well my patron but do you have any words for the dungeon system you promised?¡±

    ¡°Yes, once we finish this talk I will activate the system but before that I need to explain a few things¡±

    ¡°I am listening¡±

    ¡°Your area of influence will be what decides who and what can be affected, for this dungeon consecrate more and larger shrine to me and your influence will spread. But take heed in ensuring that these shrines are kept safe and are maintained, I would appreciate gathering worshippers but that is for a little later. As it is right now with the offering you have given the castle itself will be under your control but offer more at larger shrines or even a temple and that influence will spread faster and stronger¡±

    ¡°Can the others know that your shrines are what spreads the dungeons influence?¡±

    ¡°They may but not now when it is so newborn, if you wish you may consecrate multiple shrines in an area to ensure control but do try not to make them targets. I prefer having the shrines dedicated to me still standing but I understand if some may be lost. I expect retribution to any desecrators however, you understand me yes?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I will punish any who commit such an act. A final question however, when you call me chosen is it simply a title or is there something more to it?¡±

    ¡°For now it is a title but build more shrines to me and I can offer my blessings to you and others in the dungeon, it would be similar to making you my chosen priest to spread my faith and you will receive more benefits with more shrines and worshippers¡±

    ¡°But will you not be attacked by your fellow deities? I would assume finding your name here will not be appreciated?¡±

    ¡°It will happen soon enough, they will feel my presence here as you grow. I do not have any worshippers here unfortunately so feel free to establish a new church for me, those whose jurisdictions are already here are my rivals. Stealing some of their flock would be beneficial to me, however do not commit too many immoral acts for I will not like such things committed in my name¡±

    ¡°By your will, a final question though this may feel impertinent. May I connect my grimoire to your ring, I would like to make a multi part phylactery and wished to see if it was possible¡±

    ¡°You certainly have a most calculative mind, very well you may do so but you must establish yourself with a full temple dedicated to me. Then and only then you may you undertake a ceremony that will formalize your position as my chosen priest and allow you what you wish. Do not worry, the system will tell you what I wish for my shrine and temples so that you may accomplish my wishes¡±

    ¡°I thank you for this and I will do my best to accomplish your wishes¡±

    ¡°I will be waiting then¡±

    Her voice echoes away and I can assume she has ended her talk, my ring glows strongly and then suddenly my mind expands. It is a similar experience to reaching myself out to distant minions but it feels ¡®wider¡¯. I can feel all of the beings bound to me and those bound to them, my commanders and acolytes are bright lights while the others are a sea of torches. I feel new knowledge come forth about what I can create, both structures and minions. I can create more existing structures using a variety of methods including, using pre placed building material and a strange type of mana that is absorbed by my creations and structures. The sad part is that while mana flows in the air it takes time to be purified and concentrated to be used and the large presence of miasma does not help. The miasma will take time to purify as well though I could create towers to speed this up, regardless I cannot instantly build as much as I would like.

    Still to be able to view everything in such a manner will be of use, I can extend my conscious to control troops from a bird¡¯s eye view. This is a powerful force for any commander to have, if any of my creations or acolytes grow strong enough I can share this to them as well. Now that I have even more tools at my disposal it is best I start the next phase of my work, I can now properly outfit my forces as there is a rather useful creation system here that I very much appreciate. Hmmm if I interpret this part right.....fascinating....

 13- I love it when things are going well

    Contact from my recruiting mage is that it has a necromancer that is willing to join my service, she is comparable to my younger skeletal mages but still strong enough. She will be bringing some minions of her own along with two acolytes, mostly peons and worker strength forces but she has a skeletal knight of her own. This one appears to be an actual knight who was turned, while not strong enough compared to my own it is stronger than my veterans. I welcome her to the fold through and ask why she is willing to join my banner, her reply is that she wishes to become stronger and explore more of what the necromantic arts can do.

    She feels what my skeletal mage and it¡¯s guards are like and wishes to join the one capable of such acts of power. Her forces are already underway and I can expect her to arrive a about a week ahead of the impending attack. I inform her of the conditions and the potential dangers and that I will be sending an escort to meet her halfway to ensure her safety. She appears to be hiding a few things in terms of power, I sense the presence of spirits on her. It is faint so it appears she has it contained in some talisman, I wonder what sort of spirit it is. A banshee or revenant perhaps with her strength, certainly good to see someone working on a less walked path of necromancy.

    Sending an escort will also be needed to display to her my power so that she truly is not conceited, her forces are typical of a traveling necromancer being skeletal troops for speed and concealment along with spirits to aid them. A few of my newly created cavaliers should be enough as a show of power to cement her position. Mounted troops have always been a position of power in armies and nations, such an act is common across the world. The presence of mounted troops should show that I am a powerful necromancer with an established force, of course the cavaliers are part of my usual modified troop. The rider itself is an improved veteran with the capabilities of an experienced horseman and the horse has undergone extensive reinforcement and training akin to a true war horse of the knights.

    This will be a good learning experience for my newest member in the dynamics of power. Speaking of horses my own original horse is still around, I was not so crass as to turn it into an undead so quickly. This was a high quality courser fit for a knight and I did not want to dull it so quickly by conversion to undead. I instead slowly shifted it and now it is enhanced with unmatched speed, maneuverability, endurance, and power. It can survive the harsh environment of the Agros de Mortis and I consider it a qualified mount for me.

    The preparations for the incursion go well, besides the force composition which is sufficient for anything they could have Cor¡¯lothen has buried boneclaws across the paths of possible retreat and arranged proper lines of fire and advance for our troops in case of open battle and siege. This is of course not mentioning the ambush but with all the construction work thankfully kept to the inner court and lower levels we might be good. Obviously making sure that the upper levels did not collapse was needed but there should not be too much outward appearance changes, I would have liked the open rampart positions for ranged troops but stealth for now. We have archers with armor piercing arrows in hidden posts on the walls and troops ready to burst out to block any invaders.

    Barricades are ready to seal the entry and exit points, this castle is fortified as it can be without further restoration work. This meant we had to stop the restoration work on the walls but only enough to still give that ruined look, piles of rubble still can block and narrow the breaches. My industrial capacity is still improving, some of the nearby ruined villages were restored with peons to man them, we will have enough supplies to last anyone that actually needs to eat. My labs are busy cloning more bones that we need and our minion numbers grow slowly. My acolytes have grown some more but still are covering the basics. Aside from overseeing the defenses Cor¡¯lothen has started basic swordsmen training for them as well, I hear the occasional screams from the training grounds but they will survive. This is a high quality regime meant to forge true soldiers for the frontlines, and there is no option for drop outs of course. We moderate things so that they will definitely survive so I do not worry about this, if something does occur I can fix things pretty easily.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    _________________________

    The new necromancer Zanna and her acolytes have joined the party now, she has given a pledge of service for her and her acolytes. While a pledge of service is not as stringent as a soul link contract it gives me some peace of mind that she will not take what she can learn and run. As the name shows she has pledged to the banner and so will be required to serve for a period of several decades. In exchange she will receive the protection and some teachings of the cabal, having given her a basic tour of the facilities I believe she will be staying on. I can see that she genuinely wants to know more about necromancy and study it¡¯s depths. Her acolytes are bound to her so as long as I continue providing what Zanna wishes for I will have her loyalty.

    My scouts show that the expedition is on the move and the numbers are as found before, the only discrepancy is the presence of slaves. Most of the baggage train is made up of slaves, most likely since regular workers would refuse to join this kind of ill-fated expedition. These ones are not under magic compulsion but still have to obey their overseers. While most slaves are treated relatively well due to cost and better reliability than new workers these ones appear to be slum residents. Probably the adventurers or whoever is paying for them grabbed some in a random raid and forced them to join, with not much other options when it comes to surviving they are here now.

    This means that I do not need to commit as much to ensuring that they are subjugated and that I can grow my ranks some more after liberating them. Hmm on a side note if they had to raid the slums then that means there may be some more bodies and unrest at the town, an opportunity if I feel like it though that could be too high profile unless I handle it correctly. I need to dedicate some scouts to the town but I had most watching my new domain for intruders. I can feel what is mine in the domain but other things are a bit harder to find.

    I suppose I need a more physical presence in order to find out if anything comes, I should make more wards then. Most of my ward are concentrated either at the old lair or around my caches of supplies. These should be enough for me to sustain an extended combat outside of my castle against any large groups of invaders. Most of the cache is made of direct combat supplies since all of the troops are undead and do not need the normal living supplies.

    Just to make sure things are not too easy on those adventurers still here scouting I sent a few peons and assorted scrap reanimated animals at them, I still have my better dire wolves ready but this is the chaff of other assorted things. Most of the animals are monsters, deer, boars, moose etc that I sent off. The larger canine and felines I kept for myself to use to deal with stragglers in the future. As it is the proud undead Shock companies will still not be returning until later. After they dealt with my assorted cannon fodder I found out some information about them from it.

    The adventurers appear to be relatively equipped to deal with undead, some silvered swords and bludgeoning weapons. A number of hedge maji are here along with some priests of I assume light from their garb. I do not know which church they are a part of but I can assume they are here to help with cleansing. Well I know my priority targets both to kill and take their bodies, getting some undead priests will certainly be helpful for my forces since that will take some of the slack off the mages. The leader appears to be a steel rank magic swordsmen and he has managed to keep the expedition in relative order, I expected him to be part of a party but it appears not. A solo adventurer of that strength is an annoying enemy to deal with, the rest are your standard pack of adventurers so no particular threat there.

    My forces are in position and ready to deal with this mess, I would prefer the rest of the cabal to stay hidden as if someone survives or turns out to have a communication device I want this to be seen as the work of a pack of undead possibly with a lich not a cabal of necromancers. Having the element of surprise is always a handy thing, now all I have to do is just watch the show and let Or¡¯tharn take all the blame. Is it cruel, not really since he has no true ego to get upset at this.

 13.5- The new person on the block

    I have been a necromancer for a few decades now and I can only be amazed at what I have missed during my time. I considered myself a competent necromancer, I survived for years without joining a cabal and even managed to pick up a few apprentices to spread the arts. However I felt myself drawn while on my journey to a certain destination, the sheer presence of energy of various kinds shone like a beacon for a ship to me. I decided to take my little troupe to visit as I knew my curiosity would not allow me rest if I did not go. And certainly I was rewarded when I traveled, while investigating the borders of what I found to be called the cursed lands I found a fount of necromantic energy.

    Traveling towards it I found the signs left by another necromancer, it was a calling card allowing any necromancers who found it a chance to join his cabal. Feeling curious about this fount I decided to go for a look and I was amazed, standing there in a cavern was a skeletal figure dressed in good quality robes with I assumed magical talismans. Walking to the figure by myself as I left the troupe outside as a sign of faith I was welcomed by the figure, it called itself a mere minion of it¡¯s master who would soon speak and it did not lie.

    After giving the skeletal mage who felt as strong as a necromancer with at least a decade of experience my basic information and intention the aura around it shifted. I felt an overwhelming presence as a cold voice spoke, asking me what my intentions were if I joined his cabal. Here I decided to answer honestly for I felt the strength of the soul of this master necromancer even if it was only a fragment from afar. I spoke of my burning desire to expand my knowledge of necromancy and of being drawn to such a fascinating locale. I offered the services of myself and my troupe in exchange for knowledge and protection, it agreed and gave me a location to travel towards but that I would be guided there once I pass the outskirts of the cursed lands. It warned me to be prepared for the conditions of the land which it called the Agros de Mortis.

    The name seemed deep and at the same time just fathomable enough to seem appropriate a name for this land. Watching through the eyes of my spirits I truly could appreciate the name, I felt a welcoming flush like when one leaves a cold outdoors into a warm room. This land is certainly powerful and this is the farthest of what could be considered the proper region of this land as the spirits I crafted shift. I feel that it is less of a burden to suppress the little souls left in my creations as the bloodthirsty instinct of the undead is brought more to the fore.

    A few days have passed and it has been hard going with the amount of wandering undead the deeper we go, while I can replenish my losses it is still hard going with so many. I find myself realizing why there are so few adventurer parties the deeper we go, they mostly hug the outskirts to take care of the packs to wander there eventually so that they are not overwhelmed. My spirits are of some use being able to either possess the undead to take control or empower my own but the latent power stops them from being able to drain the undead clean. If I had stronger undead then perhaps but that is not what I am concerned with.

    Right now it is the large pack of undead horsemen approaching, the one thing not causing me immense worry at being simply run down by numbers is the presence of an undead mage on horseback with the same regalia as the one I contacted before. Watching from above with my spirits I shudder at the sheer precision and lack of wasted movement these horseman move with, They are fully covered in some sort of leather armour and scales that ensure the hold in the saddles they have on the horse. The horse itself is obviously modified as no normal horse has such fangs or blade-like hoof, not to mention the size of all involved. These undead are larger than they should be as a whole, one or two oversized I could understand but all. This was obviously intentional and the strength demonstrated is certainly powerful as any undead packs that cross their path find themselves dealt with by halberds and other blades swung from horseback. However they also appear to have javelins or bows and arrows that certainly look effective and not scavenged items.

    This master necromancer is certainly well equipped as this appears to be the force a professional large scale mercenary group would have. Only knights are more equipped than this group yet they leave nothing to waste either, a cart made of bone intertwined is being pulled behind the group with what appears to be another skeletal mage behind coordinating it¡¯s minions which are a mix of wolf skeletons and human skeletons in picking up those defeated. This group is also protected by a group of skeletal guards armed rather well considering their armour which appears to also like everything else made of bone. Just how did one any necromancer manage to obtain such resources, and how did he mold so much bone to the shape he desires. Either we have a single extremely powerful necromancer or a group of strong necromancers.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    I have enough personal power to overrun a large village, a small town if I committed my forces. I would be low steel rank, those of the elite knights and the 5th rank from the top if using one to ten for those skilled in numbers. Just above gold which by its name signifies a divide, one cannot go into or above it without having resources of some sort. Perhaps a genius or lucky individual could manage to break through on their own but for the most part some sort of wealth whether in actual coin or knowledge is needed and is not easy or cheap. Most knights and the elites of armies stay within this rank but there are divides, they are gold by individual dual basis. I am steel in terms of mass warfare, the two are radically different. It would take at least 4 others of the same rank in an individual basis to take on a mass warfare of that rank if not more.

    Two or threegoblins can be faced by one militia, an orc can face a basic soldier but a troll requires a band of knights. If a lesser demon appeared then one would need at least an entire patrol of 10 knights to defeat, I remember once using a flesh golem to attack a small military force. The soldiers were worthless against it but the reinforcing knights of which there were ten could face it and defeat it with many losses. The golem would thus be graded high gold in group warfare, the knights were individual mid gold. The system is a bit clunky but works for a rough estimate, as far as I know there are no other systems that are coherent enough as this. If I had to grade the necromancer right now I would say high silver which would be fourth from the top and the power that one of the territorial armies of a mid sized kingdom would have. This is already above me by a full rank and a portion, certainly the knowledge their master must have is immense.

    Observing as closely as I can I analyze the intricacies of the horseman and other undead to see just how they were made. What is revealed astounds me as I can see the flowing miasma and energy, just how much did he pour into each creation but then again such material flows freely here so he can afford to waste so much on each creation. The aforementioned motion perpetuating forces work like precise clockwork to control the undead¡¯s movement where a normal necromantic creation is more nebulous and free form this is as formed as cast iron from a mold. Truly I am glad I entered this land with the permission of their master for I do not wish to watch my poor foot slogging undead be trampled so easily on these plains with nowhere to run or way to fight. Said undead flow around us in an escorting fashion and I see the banner carrier point to where it wants us to proceed, said undead is not so simple either for that banner of black cloth with bone yellow etchings of a block of undead emits a strong presence.

    I feel like a spirit dwells in it that controls those around it and that the mage is connected to the banner to extend it¡¯s control. Such seamless manner of control gives me inspiration myself, how can such undead act without souls or is this the logical conclusion. Without a soul to resist or subjugate then can the dead be imprinted with actions, is a question revealed to me now watchiing our escorts move. However now is the time to visit the lair of this necromancer.

    _____________________________________________

    When I arrived at the lair I was surprised to see a castle, while partially ruined much of the wall system was still intact and manned. Patrolling groups of undead with bows walked the walls but what was terrifying was the undead standing guard on the breach they were using as an entryway as I assume the gate did not work. It was a large knight with flitting strands of miasma around it¡¯s armour and gleaming eyes that gave immense pressure to all under it¡¯s gaze. When we were guided to it I examined it under my gaze and saw the sheer amount of energy and time placed into creating it and start trying to glean something of use but before I can spend more than a few breaths it turns and starts speaking. The master has requested my presence in the courtyard of the castle for a tour of the location along with being informed about some of the things that will be done here.

    Following the large knight I marvel at how well it moves as it has a almost human gait but different in that it is almost primal, a hunter¡¯s gait would a good description. Making quick progress through the halls I see many skeletal guards patrolling the area along with wards against unauthorized intruders, nasty ones as well if I recognize the purpose of some of the sigils on them. This master of theirs is both powerful and paranoid but that was not even close to how he was when I actually met him in person......

 14- The scent of despair is...

    POV change

    Me and my party have recently been ranked gold and were looking for work to help us save up money to move to places with more work. The undead around here pay a bit but we felt we had more opportunity elsewhere. That is why when the guild put out a commission for adventurers to join an expedition into the badlands I considered it seriously. I knew all the scare stories out there about swirling miasma and ravenous undead but felt it over bloated. Most of those who had gone were bronze rankers wanting a challenge and it looks like they got it. Most gold parties knew that the place was indeed dangerous but could be traversed if you had money to waste. Those parties that came back spoke of shit conditions and lack of loot from anywhere which meant that few bothered going there anymore.

    But now we are getting paid quite a good sum of gold along with the promise of this being a special guild mission so more credit. What truly made me want to take this mission was that whoever the sponsor was they had stated that they would be providing the necessary supplies free of charge along with priests and even a strong leader. As it turned out said leader was a steel rank magic swordsman known as Yaoric, a lot of us saw him practicing at the guild training area and saw that his rank was no lie. After discussing this amongst ourselves my party along with several others consisting of fellow golds and some bronzes agreed to take this.

    We felt that either we ran into nothing much and got what we needed with the guild or we got lucky and got some good loot. With the fact that the promised priests actually came and turned out to be Priests of the Holy Light along with wagons of supplies we felt confident. One sour note was that the baggage would be carried by slaves but we were told that they were criminals here to serve their sentence out, a few looked like just down on their luck poor people who ran into something at the wrong place and time but nothing we could do.

    Nobody wanted to rock the boat on an otherwise good job so we kept our mouths shut. Im guessing that the church of Holy Light was the one to put this together since the priests and Yaoric have been speaking together alot. Still I have a good feeling about this mission and as long as everyone does their job we should get out of this with heavier pockets. With this much cash and the promise of loot it is enough for anyone here to get that equipment they want or to be able to go where they want.

    Along the journey here we ran into a few more undead than usual though nothing too special just a mix of the random skeletons and animals. No wolves though but I don¡¯t know how undead work, usually they don¡¯t resurrect but these cursed lands seem to cause it at times. We dealt with the undead rather easily and any scratches were healed by the priests, the priests keep muttering about unholy and abomination but nothing too special then usual. A few of the younger ones have been getting spooked by the feeling out here but that is the miasma. It gets heavier in but with the priests we should be fine, this stuff can sap your strength over time but you can power through it to a degree.

    Our first destination is an old broken down castle that was often used as a base camp before further exploration, we plan to head deeper in along the road that connects the fort. There should hopefully be a town of some sort deeper in that could hold something useful but the previous groups only got as far as the castle villages before turning back. They left due to the miasma getting too strong or were never heard from again, with this many priests however we should be fine.

    Those gathered were no stranger to fighting so we would rotate around patrols and watch duty, I felt that this was a bit too excessive but still better safe than sorry. The priests have worked to shield us from the effects of the miasma here so they are certainly better than the normal priests I deal with even with their attitude. Even more than normal priests these guys are rather zealous about things, I mean the discussions on how to purge this place are continuously going on. I do not truly understand what they are saying about erecting markers and shrines but I assume it will keep the miasma off us.

    At least these guys are actually out doing things instead of staying in some church and giving platitudes only even if they are rather full of zeal, actually maybe I prefer the church bound ones if these ones drag us into trouble of some kind. Not like I can do much about this shit now that I signed on, all I can do is try to make sure my party and friends survive.

    Some more days have passed and we are finally at the castle itself, the place certainly matches what we know of it. The parties here today have never gone this far into the cursed lands but I doubt there are too many ruined castles in the path of our travel. The walls are somewhat intact though the breaches with rubble are what we are using to get in. The actual castle itself is pretty damaged in it¡¯s upper levels for some reason but we can¡¯t see the grounds till we get past the next set of walls. Everyone is heading in surrounding the supplies, records show that this place was cleared out several times so there should not be anything here. Even if there is there were only ever some skeletal warriors at most which we can deal with so to speed things up we all went in.

    There is a bit of broken down wall that we are going to be using to enter to the castle ground itself and while we were heading to it we heard movement and crashes of something being put in place. I turned around and see that the breach we just finished getting through not has some skeletons who just pushed what looks like a bunch of large bones and wood bound together into a spiky mass in the breach and are now holding spears to block us. Looking to the entrance we were heading to and we see something similar happening, as we milled in confusion I start hearing screams of pain and the twangs of bows. I quickly raise my shield with my party back to back and I can see skeletons with bows on both sets of walls who just shot down most of the priests and mages. Those who survived are either hurt or hiding in the middle of one of the parties as the wagons are ditched to the side to narrow lines of approach, thoughts about the slaves are minimal to our survival.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Vaoric starts yelling to clear back the way we came and to suppress the archers. Some of the surviving priests are casting heal spells or shields of light while the mages and archers start firing back at the skeletons. Vaoric himself taps to some of those with heavy weapons to start hitting the barricade. After sending some shots of earth at the barricade and the skeletons behind it they start trying to take it apart. I myself am helping organize some sort of shieldwall to keep us safe, the baggage is getting left behind while the slaves are cowering in the wagons. I feel bad for them but we are too busy worrying about ourselves to extend anything further.

    The archers seem to be keeping themselves in cover, I am not sure how many are down but there are less arrows heading our way. Instead as it turns out while we were getting into formation more undead have poured in from other places, I see large skeletons armed with a variety of blunt weapons and heavy armour start gathering. These things look very tough and if that was not bad enough I see behind them what looks like an even bigger one with a giant sword swirling with black fog. The armour it wears seems to be all bone and covers everything from head to toe, the armour also has faint swirls of black fog flowing around it. Next to the big one are things of more immediate concern, I see skeletons in robe and staffs start pointing at us with them.

    I scream out ¡°SKELETAL MAGES!¡± and those who were taking shots at the archers switch targets. I also see the priests start casting holy spells to launch at the incoming undead, Yaoric himself and those near him have almost taken down the barricade but are pushed back by new undead. These ones look like what happens when you cross a big human with some wolf or lion as they have massive clawed hands that must be over a meter long and big heads with fangs and large shoulders.

    They just charged over the almost broken barricade and pushed by those trying to break out. If this was not bad enough it turns out we did not kill that many archers or more came as I see them pop up on the walls to start shooting again. I grunt back a cry of pain as I feel an arrow or two hit my shield and I am alarmed at both how hard it hit and the fact that part of the arrow is actually through my shield. Others are not so lucky as I hear screams from those who got hit by a lucky arrow, as if to mock us the arrows go straight through chain mail like nothing was actually there. The priests and mages who were busy trying to cast spells were especially targeted and they hastily change to shield spells.

    As some start trying to tear out the arrow or get back into formation we are given no more time as the ones who were in front of us are now charging. Unlike normal undead these ones are moving in an ordered needle to strike us. I hear screams from those in front as a black fog appears and it is hard to see, I feel fear turning my heart cold and the urge to just run regardless of what happens. I see some panic just to get brained by a mace or hit with an arrow, I manage to muster myself and strike out at the one closest to me. I manage to strike with what I thought would be a good hit with my silvered sword only for it to slide on its shield to the side and I take a mace head to the chest. I fall over but manage to get back to my feet, we have been pushed back and some of us are never getting back up unless as undead. Screaming a battle cry to cover my fear I manage to stab the undead through a chink in it¡¯s armour and it collapses with wisps of white fog from my silver sword leaving the wound. As the surviving priests manage to get a shield of holy light in front of us I take a chance to look behind me, Yaoric has been hit with a few arrows and slash marks but still stands, those around him are not looking too good either and there are still those weird clawed ones scrambling to get to us, I thought that they would be charging but it looks like they are massing up first to finish us.

    Looking back to the front I see that the skeletal mages have raised their hands and lifted up whatever undead we knocked down and I am shocked to see bones start moving and rejoining. Even the ones which had taken slashes or stabs from silvered swords and fallen are starting to move again. We had at the cost of much blood managed to slay the first few of the armoured ones only to be mocked as they rejoin their fellows, the only mercy is that our fallen have not moved so far but that must be because these strange armoured ones are better. The big knight looking one has stepped back and I see what must be a lich step forward. It is larger than the mages but not quite as big as the knight, it is dressed in tattered robes with many talismans hanging on it. It has the biggest swirling mass of what must be miasma around it and it¡¯s eyes seem to stare at us as if we were simply prey to be killed. I can feel the malevolence flowing from it as it raises it¡¯s staff which looks like a claw to point at us.

    Suddenly I hear screams of pure horror and terror from the priests and mages that are left. I look over and see that something black and shapeless has just grabbed ahold of them and they are shriveling up as I watch. It looks like they are ignoring the wagons for now in order to kill us and I hear a triumphant yell, Yaoric has just struck down several clawed one and is sending spells at the rest with his sword on fire. Others see a chance and try to push through the rest of them, others that were with me are also starting to run over and I join them. We are desperately trying to get through the breach with only a few of the clawed ones when I hear a derisive snort. I see that the mages have joined with the lich and are raising their hands in the air and chanting. I see a mass of black fog and green fire start gathering in front of them. I yell to push further as we are trapped in a narrow space with some eldritch fireball about to strike us.

    With Yaoric at the head we are trying to strike down as many of the clawed ones as possible to rush forward when suddenly I hear the sound of heavy footsteps in front of us. One of the large bone knights has appeared in front of us behind the bone claws and with him are a bunch of skeletons with crossbows. The last thing I hear are the screams of those around me before I feel a burning sensation in my back and the coldest burning flame ever. Please god of light save us are my final thoughts lying on the ground before I hear footsteps, no no please no.....

 15-Counting the spoils

    As I watch through the eyes of one of the skeletal knights I see the last of the adventurers crumple to the ground his soul severed from his body. Things have gone well, the adventurers were pincered by the veterans with mages in front and the bone claws behind and archers all the time taking them down. This last finishing touch when I had the knight go with my newest crossbows was not actually needed as Or¡¯tharn was doing just fine with its banefireball just about to wipe the rest of them out. I never actually expected it to be able to combine the rest of the mages with itself to cast it, otherwise they would only have managed a small fireball instead.

    I suppose that was why it only had them casting revival and fear spells so far to have that last finishing move, still that level of skill qualifies it to be considered a skeleton archmage. While not the same rank as the majiers it is still a strong ranking just below liches. For that sort of tactical thinking the core must be close to forming a true soul, a strong achievement and the first in this land for one of my creations. If I can have him become a lich then I can have a reliable second in command, now for the after action work.

    We took mostly losses to the boneclaws and archers but nothing that can¡¯t be fixed. Since the priests were so busy casting heal or shield spells they never got around to actually cleansing the bones. I just have to have the mages stick them back together or if some parts are too broken stick them in a growing tank. The silver marked bones are a bit harder to work with but a bit of scraping off of the affected parts by bone setters I made works just fine when it is placed to regrow in tanks. Now that I have this nice dungeon system I can easily expand my laboratory which I did.

    It now extends for several miles below ground and makes most of what I need, some hidden passageways and expanded tunnels made transport simple. All I needed to do was set up a dedicated cart system along with some winches and everything goes where I want it to. Fixing and actually growing my forces is a simpler task with more things in place, I can quickly arrange units to head to where I need them to be as better stamped earth and cobble roads connect the villages with the castle.

    Now as I have my minions start carting the bodies and gathering equipment I look over the body of their leader Yaoric. I feel something off from him and seeing that he has a rather prominent amount of trinkets hidden under his clothes with the same symbols as the priests well let us just say that I know which god set this up. Too bad I could not capture the souls of Yaoric or the priests since they were shielded by holy power as they left. I will need to ask about this later but for now the issue of the slaves. I had my forces ignore them for now in order to kill the adventurers quickly but that leaves about 30 odd slaves.

    Taking the knight which I was controlling directly over to them I see them start cowering more if that was possible. The slaves are currently hiding either in or under the wagons not that that does much. I start speaking in what must be a terrifying voice to come out and they will not join their compatriots, stay and well... This has them scrambling out and kneeling a bit away from me to spare them and that they will leave and never come back. Im surprised honestly that they are not screaming in fear but I suppose that the full plate that covers everything gives them some hope that it is someone alive in here.

    I have some of the minions drag the wagons away after checking them, that done I look once more at those still here. They have shut up now and are simply holding each other terrified, honestly I thought they would be more ragged. They do not look in the best of shape but neither are they looking like what happens to convict work gangs. I do not see the mark that would indicate they are born slaves or too many scars. These ones seem odd, obviously they are currently slaves but what were they before.

    I point to one who looks vaguely in charge judging by how he is trying to shield some others and speak

    ¡°Who did you all use to be?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Great lord we used to be part of a traveling tinker¡¯s group, we refused to pay taxes and alms to the church and we were enslaved. The others with me were those from different faiths who were also enslaved by the church. Please we will agree to anything just spare us my lord¡±

    When I heard this and started pondering I hear a voice in my head

    ¡°As your patron I ask if you may spare those who were from a different faith, a few actually worship me and the rest are from friendly gods. I did not know about them being in this region until they entered your domain, my eyes are limited to only where you placed shrine to me. The rest I also ask you extend your hand to, the church of Holy Light is a bloated and corrupt thing. Sparing these now will give you some favor from my group not to mention they may be of use¡±

    ¡°Very well since you have requested it, I would like to know more about the church of Holy Light at another point. For now I need to finish cleaning up and preparations for any other attacks, which do you know of?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I will share some knowledge with you on the church in the future and as for new threats....I feel some stirrings of other powers, one is a shadowy feeling that draws slowly closer. The rest are farther away and will likely not move for some time, you have some time to prepare but more will come and especially from the Church of Holy Light¡±

    ¡°Very well my patron, any other thing I should be aware of?¡±

    ¡°No, and remember spare any others that do not follow the faiths that attack you when possible and especially my own¡±

    ¡°Of course I will do what I can¡±

    I feel her fade away and I look once more at the group before me. I see a bit of hope in their eyes since I have not taken any aggressive actions towards them so far.

    ¡°You will be spared for now, those of the different faith move over a bit¡±

    Turning to those of the tinker group I ask ¡°but what crafts do any of you know?¡±

    ¡°I know how to make leatherwork!¡±

    ¡°I am a seamstress!¡±

    ¡°I can forge!¡±

    ¡°I can cook and bake!¡±

    ¡°I can make trinkets and carve wood!¡±

    Hmm I am somewhat confounded that the church wasted craftsmen, even if they are not as good as they think they are it is still something. Still I was not planning on actually killing them since that would take too much time right now to be worth it if I extracted their paltry energy and peons are pointless for me at this point. Any talents are a side bonus at this point and looks like I got very lucky.

    ¡°I will allow you all to live but you will have to work and pledge yourselves to me¡±

    I have one of the dire wolves I had in reserve come over here, sending my power through the knight I turn the dire wolf into a series of plaques and needles.

    ¡°Pierce yourselves in the hand with these needles and splash some blood onto a plaque, you will swear loyalty to me and if you betray me then you will know the consequences¡±

    They quickly splash some blood on the plaques and I bind them with a blood contract, having them sign a soul contract would be pointless since they are not that valuable. Still a blood contract will ensure that they do what I say, after that is done and I collect the plaques and needles I wave for them to leave.

    ¡°You will have to work but for now you may rest. Any who do not have a craft will be spared but I will find work for you to do later. I will send you to a village nearby, when I am ready you will sent what tasks I have for you.¡±

    I will over a few warriors I feel on standby for the battle and give them the orders I wish.

    ¡°Go with these minions for now, I will arrange living areas and food¡±

    They start thanking me heavily and leave quickly, I will have them at the nearest restored village till I can put them to work properly. Those that do not know anything can just become farmers and oversee the peons currently working. Since some of them worship my patron I feel that there may be some latent talents hidden there, if not then what of it they are only a few refugees that will not take much. Having a viable population who may provide a mage every once in awhile is not something I find so bad, perhaps a few with talents can be inducted to the group as time passes.

 16- Ahh such nice loot and inspired memories

    With the slave problem shelved for now I turn to what I have acquired. This is several weeks worth of food and other supplies but the important part is the equipment and bodies. I will have the silvered weapons melted down for other use and the supplies I can stash for use later. The bodies however are rather important to me, the priests will become undead priests to aid my troops with support spells as I change them to use miasma instead of their divine power.

    The gold ranks can become a new cadre of knights for my use and the bronzes become veterans. Of course the mages will stay mages but it is the former leader I have plans for. His equipment is mildly enchanted as typical of a land without a dedicated mage¡¯s consortium or a country of mages. The body however is ready, a steel rank magic swordsman will be perfect material for a wight. This guy will be my most powerful minion I have made in this land so far but I think he will stay my personal champion. The knights can handle leading my troops well enough with the mages but I need a minion to do some work. If I had more I could make a shock group but just one means that I will be using it for shall we say special work.

    This is a good haul for me, my numbers have expanded heavily now in terms of elites along with many other things. I would be rather annoyed at constantly having to check the troop and equipment manually but thankfully part of this dungeon sequence, actually a rather major part is a numerology system. Many things are codified in numbers and labels in general, rather a headache at times but certainly better than a regular bureaucracy. As of right now I am the only one who can handle this system due to simple fact that I am the only highly educated person here. The necromancers here never went to a unified academy and my creations are not exactly geared towards this sort of thing. No need to ask about the new intake since they can¡¯t handle or are not trusted just yet. Yes they are loyal but exactly how heart felt is this loyalty, I would rather not risk any bits of passive resistance causing me issues.

    That comment previously about shadows has my paranoia levels higher than usual, extra wards sprinkled across the area along with a few more patrols is the general security upgrade. However I felt the need for some more work, thanks to the pruned souls of the group I can now craft ghosts for use. Mashing together most of the lower quality soul energy after having purged them of anything of their past I then split them up to make spirits. If I had better quality soul energy then I can make spectres but let''s not continue wishing for what is not possible. Wraiths for keeping watch along with harassment and banshees for alarms will work well. If they are weak enough they will die from either getting their life force sucked out or heart stopped by a banshee. The better quality souls are not going to be used to make spirit troops but rather for my pseudo soul work. My lower quality reserves were a bit low after making all the elites so stocking up is a good thing.

    Now after that failed expedition they will need better stuff to actually do anything. Once my immediate threats are taken care of I can actually head deeper into the fields myself, I feel that if I can get a skeletal general grade minion then I can leave the defenses to it and head off feeling confident my base will survive. My scouts are unfortunately unable to get far since the pressure from the miasma is too much for them, while miasma helps sustain undead concentrated doses can shatter anything too weak to stand up to it. I will need better quality scouts then spectral or skeletal mice. Flying skulls may be an option or skeletal hawks/eagles, something higher quality to help me explore.

    Regardless of everything else I am proud of my acolytes progress once more. They have lasted through the basics of training on how to hold swords and run around in weights, now they get to actually try hitting stuff with their swords. It is one of the worse moments for them since as necromancers they can absorb miasma to to replenish themselves so I could cram their schedule into a smaller frame. Now that they have better physiques and movements they can better control their skeletal minions. If you do not know how to move the body then how easy will it be to control your minions to properly move, now that I can trust them with stuff that is not peon level undead they can start my favorite training tactic. Mini wargames with each other using limited resources, always a fun thing when I also limit their good food supply. Of course they get to eat but the difference between simple porridge and bread and sausages is big. Turns out that the woman who yelled that she could cook was not lying, her family ran a decent traveling kitchen and now we get stuff that is not the most basic fair. That should get them a decent amount of motivation, the core disciples get a bet of an easier time but not by much. They simply have to last long enough against me in mock battles and commanding of units. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Sometimes they work together and sometimes I go solo against them, other times I have the knights or mages lead the battle against them. Our newest edition gets to join in on the battles and it is interesting to see her and her acolyte style, a bit archaic and sacrificial with their minion use but still interesting. They are alright in terms of strength but soon enough will be outpaced by my acolytes, not that I will tell them. Whether they will break down and beg for me to teach them or be stubborn and only use the basics I give them will determine how far I will let them into my ranks.

    I think back to where I got some of my combat knowledge from, I often over the course of my work as a leader of troops for the empire met many talented people. Some were fellow soldiers and officers while others were enemy forces. I took the opportunity to drain the enemy of any useful knowledge and more discreetly did so for my allies. In this particular case I remember I had gotten some knowledge from a female knight commander, it was after we had had some liaisons together that I took the opportunity to quietly get some tactics and strategy knowledge along with weapons, we did not start meeting however because I wanted the knowledge expressly. It had been a long campaign with many ups and downs, as fellow officers we had gotten to know each other rather well and both felt a bit of a need. We started seeing each other when we had the time during rests in towns and I decided to get some other things while we were resting.

    She never knew what I did and we eventually parted on good terms since any more serious relations were simply not possible and we knew it. We remained good friends afterwards and kept in touch both to know how the other was doing and for help with various things. A good friend who helped me with keeping some of the more annoying politcal schemes at bay and I helped with keeping any nay sayers away along with supplying a larger quota of my quality products than normal. A good scheme I kept with several others for mutual gain and trust, always nice to have a good understanding of each other even if I had so many secrets.

    I also used other methods when the opportunity arose and especially during my later times when I could use proxies to do my work for me though I did have similar situations as above several times but moved to more impersonal work as time past. There are few places that a spectre cannot go and my careful modifications ensured I could manipulate souls from afar. This especially allowed me to gain industrial knowledge and enabled my research into special knowledge imprints and especially my arquebus experiments. My grimoire is simply saturated with all my hoarded wisdom and know how on basically anything and everything. I had only a few plans then for this much knowledge but now with the dungeon I can put everything to good use.

    Now that I think of it I wonder how junior is doing, enough time has passed that I should be declared quite dead what with not being nearby for my connection to work for my creations there. Still I made those important creations capable of independent work and my will bequeaths control of a large portion of my assets to junior, should help him win his political battle against his siblings whom I disliked for various reasons. I can be reasonable sure that my territory is under safe management with my appointed overseers and junior to hold off any big attempts to take possession of my lands.

    My connections to other nobles and groups should also prevent smaller affairs, unless someone is stupid enough to make a big grab then well civil war is not something that can be denied. This might seem like over exaggeration but it is not, that much military force and the production facilities for it up for grabs with my presumed death is unpleasant. Still like I said junior should have things under wrap with his faction, the rest of my property is properly arranged for to be divided so anyone attempting to intervene will face much opposition. Well enough about that place, I am now in a faraway land and must prioritize things here for the present and future.

 16.5-Did not see that coming or did you

    On a bright and sunny day with nary a cloud in the sky a large crowd is gathered in front of a stage on a square. Judging by the rather new looking statue it is a commemoration for the statue however the atmosphere is rather solemn, a funerary memorial service for a departed hero.

    The statue depicts a robed figure standing firm on a pedestal as if warding off an enemy for those behind it, words are inscribed stating a few simple words and the identity of the figure. The crowd before the statue itself is not one made up of commoners but many nobles and soldiers along with mages and students, a rather diverse gathering is attending this service. Of course the ones providing words from the stage are not ordinary figures as well, generals, archmages, and high nobles are standing there ready to or having already given words of eulogy. However there is one figure standing out particularly and which all hold great awareness of, the crown upon his head and the imperial guards arranged throughout the area speak to his identity. As each figure gives their speech until the very last speaker is him and with a sweep of his cape and a hardening of his face he heads to the front of the stage and addresses the crowd.

    ¡°There are only so few words I can speak about simply how profound an influence Lord Hierarch Garrick had on me, as we have already heard he was a stalwart guardian of the country. So many titles did he have for one who gained them all by himself in the more than a century of service to the empire, margrave, general, hierarch, professor, so many. He was one who has time and time again for generations protected us and aided in pushing our borders into the vast expanse, he was a teacher as well and a respected mage who delved into the abyss of magic and exposed secrets for us all. However I viewed him as something else, a figure of the utmost respect. Ever since I was a child has he stood by my side to help guide me, to find my own path to take and have the strength to stride upon it. I viewed him as a grandfather who was always ready to lend an ear whenever I had trouble, and prepared to provide aid if I got into trouble. He was and this is my honest word a better family than my true family, as I have ascended to the throne in these times in the wake of his death I once more honour him. May all those who are born in the future thanks to the blood and sweat he has given to ensure the prosperity of our empire know his story and deeds. May all be sheltered under the empire¡¯s wings¡±

    As the figure steps down from the stage to signal the end of the service many start to disperse from the ceremony though some linger to speak to others in the crowd. The emperor and a few of the other figures who were on stage depart and enter a pre arranged carriage pulled by magnificent creatures in the livery of the imperial family. The atmosphere is a quiet one as the figures prepare for a long ride to their destination, beside the young emperor is an older female dressed in formal military affair, an older skinny man dressed in muted formal robes of a magician and another old man with an aged bulky body in formal wear fitting for a noble. Eventually one of the figures the older female speaks to the young emperor.

    ¡°It was hard wasn¡¯t it facing the crowd¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it was my responsibility as is the empire itself. I will not see it crumble because the ones leading it do not care about the future prosperity of the country and see only the pretty baubles gathered over the ages. I knew what I was doing deposing the regent and ensuring my siblings did not rise to the throne, I knew but but I did it anyway¡±

    ¡°You did what you felt was right for the greater good and that is only what anyone can ask of you¡±

    ¡°Hmmph gramps would have simply asked for a bit of peace and quiet for himself along with later a drink and some good company¡±

    ¡°He was settling down, we all had quite a bit of turmoil when we were young. Of course he would have eventually have gotten bored and started doing something again, he was not one to change his ways too heavily. He was like that when we were young and was still like that later on, he was never one to shirk responsibility for the people. Still do not beautify him too much in your memory, we all have blood on our hands and must deal with it. He was a strict man when at war and hated to tolerate failure, much less his own. We all have done things we do not wish to speak of and you do know his nay sayers will only stay quiet for so long, he did do things we would not approve of. Even now we do not know the extent of the rules he has broken in his research but still....¡±

    ¡°But still we use his work, is there even a way to phase out his reforms without losing too much power. If we removed his teachings and creations simply because of the tarnished methods used to find them then we lose the edge we have against the other powers. We have all done things we do not prefer as you said but still even now what do we know what his intentions were when he commited his acts¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°As history will know it is the result and not the method that will be recorded, he is and will be a hero of the nation and that is enough. Unless you wish to disgrace his memory and earn the ire of so many who served, worked, or were saved by him. He took many lives and some were not done with methods we like but how many more did he save. How many more would not have been born without what he did to preserve lives. Our lives yes but the world is not fair, enemies will be enemies when we need them to be and remember I know this lesson well as do you¡±

    ¡°Things are never so black and white as the stories are they¡±

    ¡°Of course, exactly how many peoples would say we are a heretic existence with our acceptance of necromancers for generations. However without them would we have survived so many wars as we had during my generation and the ones before it, even now we have made use of it. What is done is done and we can only step forward, a favorite saying of his¡±

    ¡°Quite sure it was worded differently but still you have your point, hmmph if only my actual family was so kind¡±

    ¡°No need to bring up old sorrows young one, they had their reasons and perhaps they were bad ones but regardless we have been here for you and will be for a time still. Do not mope in the past, we have a nation to safe guard¡±

    ¡°Listen to him your imperial highness, there is much to be done still. There will be time to mourn in the future, don¡¯t worry about forgetting him he is not the type to ever truly begone¡±

    ¡°But do we know he is dead, his creations still exist do they not¡±

    ¡°However that could simply because he made them to last, none of the intelligent creations can sense him anymore and how can one survive such a massive blast as we found¡±

    ¡°Hmmph that one is like a cockroach, if he is still around then he will be fine. We all still have quite a few years left in us so if he is around he can make his way around. He once was stuck behind enemy lines for years after our army was shattered in a campagin and he ended up leading a peasant revolt and became lord of the region we were fighting for, that land is still prospering under his care. Of course we still have to ensure that what he left to us is still cared for, we were all given a portion of his assets as written in his will so we can only work towards the expectations he had of us¡±

    ¡°I know that oh so old ones, exactly how did I finally get enough resources to crown myself emperor, You all were part of it so take responsibility and do the paperwork for it¡±

    ¡°No, I have enough on my plate¡±

    ¡°Same¡±

    ¡°Sorry my emperor but this is part of the learning process¡±

    ¡°He gave you all skeletal clerks didn¡¯t he¡±

    ¡°I will neither confirm or deny if I or anyone else has accepted such banned items¡±

    ¡°Of course, how could we accept things that would be against the codes of allowed magical works¡±

    ¡°Yes, why would anyone break such rule to avoid bureaucracy¡±

    ¡°Who said that they are against the rules, we have enough death row criminals and who said it was bone from sentient creatures. The old gramps was good at his work, how else do we have our dragonic golem corps¡±

    ¡°Surely this was a message that he wanted to convey¡±

    ¡°And how do I know that you three did not split some between you all that were supposed to be mine¡±

    ¡°Ohh my lord you want to administer all the land from a margrave along with your personal demesne and the empire, how hard working¡±

    ¡°Stop mocking me, fine if that is how it is. Just get the necromancers from the academy to work on more, surely he left the instructions to make more¡±

    ¡°He did, of course the first batch is for the government but there is reason they are hard to make¡±

    ¡°Of course the intelligence factor is hard to calibrate, still if he was here there would be more¡±

    ¡°He was a one of a kind, we cannot expect for another to be born with so much talent¡±

    ¡°Hmmph I am not sure we want another, such a trouble maker he could be¡±

    ¡°And who was the one who made sure he did not go mad, he still has the garden you suggested in perfect shape¡±

    ¡°Sigh just stop¡±

    ¡°Is there any chance for a good drink once we arrive¡±

    ¡°Yes, that sounds good¡±

    ¡°Alcoholic old fools¡±

    ¡°Why young emperor even you will appreciate alcohol before long, besides who said we were getting drunk. We know how to moderate¡±

    ¡°You mean drink a barrel of lowest concentration alcohol¡±

    ¡°It works it works¡±

 17- So a dungeon system can do this?

    Now that we are more securely established I have decided to create a surrogate to represent me, using my own flesh and blood I made a skeleton that is a copy of my own. This makes it much easier to control and allows a good amount of my actual power to be used, unfortunately it still is weaker since unlike my actual bones these new ones are not so used to the manipulation of my powers. I also cannot risk having more than one for security reasons along with that it is not pleasant to make them. I have to literally cut myself heavily for the blood and fragments of bone. The estimated strength is high silver, rather down a few ranks but still the most powerful thing here if I need to suppress the group by proxy. I unfortunately can''t use it for independent work since I have to be the one using it or it collapses.

    I never actually showed my face to any of the acolytes having been wearing cloth masks and cloaks so now I get a bit more identity security. After swathing myself in a heavy robe with bone plates hidden in it along with a bone mask and cloth no one will know about my surrogate. Since I made this proxy of myself of course I disguised my heart beat and my life force was always dim to other¡¯s sight thanks to the necromantic energy soaking me. Half the time it will be me moving around in person, the other half is my surrogate. I wonder what anyone will think if they saw under the mask of this one. Well anyway the days after the battle have certainly been fruitful but then again I never allow them to not be.

    I decided since I had the time to pay a visit to the newest intakes, I made some facilities for the craftsmen and they have been working on basic life goods for now. The most menial work is being handled by my peons made by the acolytes led by a knight I can spare now that things are more plentiful. I do not plan on having them make any vital work till later, after they feel indebted to me sufficiently to have true loyalty. I asked around about the conditions but it is good for them, better than before but such is the lot of a tinker group. The religious lot are in another nearby village working on farming duties and supplied by the tinker group along with food from the other peon villages till they can stand on their own feet.

    I turned some of the excess meat and viscera from our hunting expeditions into fertilizer along with burying some of the animal bones in the land to enrich it. As a finishing touch I am using a 4 plot system along with having there be emplaced mana stones to clear out some of the miasma in the sky so that light comes through more easily, of course said miasma is concentrated to be used elsewhere from the pillars.The plants grow well and the refugees now enjoy better sunlight.

    They are quite happy to be allowed to worship however they wish and especially the worshippers of Veuna after getting a consecrated shrine to her in the village though the others made some makeshift ones. Looks like the worshippers of the goddess of magic have a bit of decent potential though no training, I will wait over time till some want to join me as acolytes. They are especially cooperative since it is apparent that I follow the same goddess but we will see for now how loyal they will be. Being crowned founder of this sect could be interesting but I do not feel like arranging such religious affairs so keeping that possibility for later.

    The selected leader of the tinkerer group who was the one who spoke out before to me, a Sebastian informed me that he had overheard the priests talking about another bigger expedition going to occur. Apparently the one we just had was only partially sanctioned by the larger church body, they jumped the fence to get a headstart of the actual official expedition. This group will be larger by a good degree though he did not know how big. There are rumours of holy knights though he knows for sure that the priests mentioned church levy and kingdom troops being part of it.

    Unlike this adventurer group I can expect more chaff and decent elites. This may be a test of my defenses depending on how many they can muster, I doubt that they can muster enough good troops to counter the amount of knights and mages I have but pure numbers could be a problem. Ironically since it is usually the undead who outnumber the enemy, here we have an established human kingdom and religion trying something. In comparison I am an upstart necromancer with some forces I managed to scrounge together, an annoying dynamic that may force me to act personally. I could fight much of this army by myself but that would reveal too much of my capabilities, true it would take time to actually muster anything worth a legitimate threat but still not what I would want to occur. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    After finishing asking about what he had heard and other information on the forces of this land I returned to the shrine inside the castle to think. This being a holy shrine of my patron I feel calm here, I have never had a god to worship or have faith in before this and it feels.. Nice. There is also the pertinent fact that she can more easily hear me at her first shrine so some information please. Regardless this is a high risk uncertain reward situation the church is getting into though, perhaps they are declaring this crusade in order to unify themselves or did the gods get a bit more direct with their summons.

    It would not be the god of the Holy LIght himself that I know. Looking over the information I was sent on the god of Holy Light I know that he is personally a vegetable. The fool got too power hungry and got what he wanted and more, he tried as much as possible to amass power and got turned into essentially a giant mana crystal. He has no more will of his own and is now a massive ball of holy power that his servants and worshippers can still call on. If the church of Holy Light is behind this then perhaps one of the god¡¯s surviving divine servants are edging things on in secret.

    Whatever happens I just need to continue my efforts to strengthen my power, my numbers grow as ever and my chosen elites prepare themselves. I have not been slack in personal strength either, there is not much time for learning new spells but I can improve my stores of power. With so much miasma I can easily store up necromantic energy, my miasma reserves, or even improve my mana pool. While I am a necromancer I still have a few tricks up my sleeve using regular spells especially with this nice divine artifact helping in that category. Digging around more for potential enemies I learned a little pertinent information.

    From the word of those born in this kingdom the strongest is a high mithril knight named Carl Devi Yematen leading an order known as the Blue Bears who are the strongest knight group as well. With this being the strongest in the local area along with the strongest holy paladin known as Doren who is a mid Mithril holy paladin I do not need to worry about any one on ones but numbers may well tell the battle. I estimate that I have about two or three months before they reach the outskirts and about a month till they reach this fortress after gathering supplies. That is some time away but still I do not like it, I want the protection that only distance can offer, if I can increase the distance we are from the border it would triple their preparation time in comparison to travel time due to the lack of resources further in.

    ¡°Perhaps I can offer some help on this little event of yours¡±

    ¡®Good I was hoping for this¡¯

    ¡°Yes I can hear some of your thoughts though mostly only anything related to the dungeon or other pertinent things, which is mostly what you do in this room anyway. I have some privacy for my servants not that you ever thought about anything deviant here anyway¡±

    ¡°I am not some perverted youth fresh into puberty, I have had my years of life to live and experience things and this is not the situation to do such things in¡±

    ¡°I can understand, your thoughts about the church are most likely true but I cannot know myself as you recall my vision is restricted here. The thing I wanted you to recall are the other features of the dungeon system, so far you have used the duplication, item creation and building system along with the management but there are others. The agros de mortis has several natural locations that undead frequently crawl out of and the increased chance for the area in general of course. You can take better control of these locations to gather troops to bolster yourself and you can make use of the system to switch your locations with others in your domain as long as you do not have enemies near those locations. Not only that but you can also create what would be known as ¡®proper¡¯ dungeons, you know what dungeons are supposed to be?¡±

    ¡°Hmm yes, I certainly forgot about those parts. A dungeon was originally for adventurers and countries to be able to obtain otherwise unobtainable materials. I assume that the system knows about these locations and how to perform such actions?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you will be able to find out such things from the system. I do not have much else to speak about so farewell and be careful of that shadow I felt earlier¡±

    ¡°Of course my patron, farewell¡±

    Hmm I especially like the sound of those natural sources, can I change it to be shall we say improved now? And that idea of adventurers and material, can I pull it off now then. We shall see as this is quite a bit up my priority list after that talk, perhaps relying on distance is not as needed anymore if I pull things off correctly.

 18-All your base will soon belong to me

    Taking at look at the dungeon system to look for these so called natural spawn points I go digging around this weird mental map I have projected, this would be much simpler with some sort of flat map display. While this is relatively detailed I do not need so much detail until I find the spot specifically, still now that I actually arrived I can see things that scouts would not allow and plan accordingly. The rather apparent first spawn I found is a large pile of what appears to be bones enough to see that the dead of a small scale army clash are heaped here, some of which are moving around. Eventually some manage to dig themselves out and I see a new skeleton(by my standards between peon and worker) emerge and start wandering. The surprising thing is however that from what I can see the pile does not actually change in terms of bone quantity, though if this thing has been constantly releasing skeletons then it would have run out long ago.

    I see several ways to go about this using my military forces, one is to use this interesting list that appears to allow me to create either the already pre-recorded undead which are cheap and weak or go about it with my undead which are taken from the grimoire. The one I am considering however is something I call a corpse gatherer or in this case a bone gatherer, I can just create the giant bone crab creature which is a conglomerate of many different bones made to expand itself and release undead when I wish it to. I just let this thing wander around or perhaps.... actually this sounds interesting have it take over the entire pile of bones. Should be rather massive if it does but I do not want to break up the pile so easily in case that stops the creation of new undead from it. Hmm I want this thing to be more mobile but can¡¯t risk breaking it completely, wait I have an idea.

    I know of a creature called a dung beetle that is known as a symbol of life, it gathers a ball of dung and rolls it around till it finds a good place to bury it and use it for living. This also nourishes the ground around it, the key part however is the gathering and rolling. I obviously cannot get a giant dung beetle but I can start working on it, meanwhile I can look at the other spots. There are two more spots that are creating undead, one appears to be a generic graveyard where once again despite only having so many graves undead still crawl out. The important part here though is the presence of mass graves, from the inspection some appear to be pestilence dead and the other is a military massgrave holding bones from two different armies. Both produce undead, low quality but numerous undead with the implements of their former life hanging from limp arms.

    The few crypts appear to hold the noble families of the area and these occasionally rise from their places of rest to gather the rest in a semi-organized mob. The other is a tomb that appears to spawn better units in the form of warriors and weakling knights at a slower rate. These troops are more organized and drilled in appearance and movement, I see captains and troop leaders moving in better fashion as patrolling groups though there is no higher command so far. I will be able to send a basic force with a mage to handle the graveyard however the tomb will require a more coordinated force. I feel that my elites and the acolytes can handle things here so it is time to go in person, since I am the one carrying all the important bits I can be safe in avoiding a coup d''etat while away. They actually try anything then I will be alerted and send in the surrogate except I suspect the knights and mages are going to be able to handle anything, I dare them to try to take control of my undead then they will know my imperial wrath....

    I need to more properly be able to stretch my legs, not much amenities in this place. I am more used to getting dragged to some function or party as part of my position back home, I may like to research alot but that does not mean I cannot appreciate the good food at banquets along with other amenities. However garrison duty at a fortress is not my thing, most of the time anyone who tried that I had squashed politically and the high nobles were too busy trying to arrange to get bone golem corps to try it. The event that prompte me to go on that ill fated trip was a special exemption due to the need to gather more material for expansion of the shock companies.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Here it is an actual lack of such amenities to be used, perhaps the new intakes once more arrive can create them but for now not an option. Ahh speaking of bone golems if I can manage to gather enough resources I could start trying, however I would want this to be rather large scale to be worth the effort. Now that I can just barely get swords I would rather not waste my efforts on only a few solitary models instead of just getting more equipment for my minions. I can make scarier skeletons instead if I wanted the fear factor, not to mention I need wyrm bones for those template golems and dragon for the best quality work.

    Now then what would I need to bring along to make this work. Hmm a few shields obviously and with undead I will need the blunt object wargear, do I wish to steal the undead after knocking them down or not waste time. Hmm I think a squad of veterans with a knight will do, hmm I should probably bring along a priest and mage. Well time to see if I can still do good work, taking the bones of the head priest from the failed adventurer attack I begin creating the needed arrays for conversion. I once again gathered the group to watch both as a learning experience with what can be done with necromancy and of course to ensure they know that I am not to be trifled with.

    Placing it¡¯s corrupted regalia on it¡¯s frame I activate the array and as miasma and necromantic energy flow in streams towards the empty frame it changes. Bones creak and groan as they undergo change, the very air shrieks at what is happening in seeming outrage of the perversions of the established ways. As the physical changes finish I decide to add my finishing touch, the eyes of the dragon so to speak as the pseudo soul is placed into the frame. Seemingly archaic words echo in the air and fires ignite in the eye pits of the skull and bone hands grasp the provided sceptre staff, behold my first Skeletal Priest in this land Alberack(not that I will admit to doing this back in the empire).

    All the observers are suitably impressed and I see that some are taking note of how this occurred, perhaps they can create something similar but it will not be my array work for that is must more intricate then they can realize now. One needs many components and items for this which I of course never revealed to them what is needed nor can they make even cheap substitutes, there is no way around this much as I tried. It is all or bust so to speak when using arrays as I repeat the process except with less flair on the rest of the priests.

    Now I just need a few crossbows for contingencies along with dire wolves for cleanup and some soul containers. If they have spirit undead then I can have the mages go at it or the priest enchant the weapons. Hmm I think this is against the spirit of dungeon diving using about 25 undead total as the clearers but I rarely play fair. This should be a good first line of defense against them if I do this right and bring them along, letting the points be curbstomped one by one is a poor way of buying time. If I want proper coordination to make it worthwhile I would need to send developed elites and that would be a waste to not have them with me. Let us see the required harassing units of skirmishing light troops and a few dire wolf packs along with their supervisors for contingency purposes. Any mortal army has to eat and sleep, they can sustain themselves to some degree here in the fifth zone but the fourth zone will be much harder with scarcer living things both plant and animal.

    Actually a good thing we are moving, my spectres are hitting a bottleneck with absorbing more miasma and my elites are now too many to sustain themselves without recharge for much longer. It is not like they get fatigued in battle but the control runes can only last so long without additional recharge since I do not feel that adding mana crystals will be economical enough. I am the only one able to make them naturally and diverting too many resources from expansion for the facilities is troublesome. Thanks to the eternally overcast weather of this land I do not have as much issue with sunlight¡¯s draining effect on the undead but this poses questions on how dark will it get deeper in.

    Here while slightly dim it is no issue moving around and things can grow but deeper in.... looks like more equipment will be needed. Honestly if we ever enter too deeply into the third zone I think that only small parties will be able to actually be able to survive with the proper equipment and spells. Necromancers have some more resistance but most of the acolytes are not old enough and experienced to do too much better than normal people. Still lets actually worry about that when we reach that point, for now we need to trailblaze a new location in the fourth zone. I hope those search parties I assigned are actually able to find what we need.

 19-A lovely midnight dungeon crawl

    Hmm so far this is an interesting location, the tomb is built in an interesting design emphasizing many pillars and gargoyles along with a lack of religious iconography. I would believe that besides churches that tombs would have religious symbols but this one is blank, perhaps a sign of the people or were they erased. If they were erased then that would explain the number of undead but once more that discrepancy with numbers, hmm if I remember the only unique individuals are the so called ¡®bosses and minibosses¡¯. I wonder what history that they can tell me of what happened in the past, though I suppose I will need someone important to truly get some information. Perhaps I can fact check some things though the goddess herself admitted to knowing only so much of the area and history so more to fulfill my curiosity. Right now however not being a dedicated scholar of the past there is only so much I can glean from looking at the architecture of this tomb.

    Now then for the actual clearing of the dungeon, the undead here are rather weak. Skeletons in general tend to be fragile to blunt trauma due to the lack of strength in the connections between bones which is why some necromancers prefer zombies for being very very tough but mine are strong enough to simply push down their opposites and they break apart. It probably has something to do with the heavy armour that my undead wear that is heavily padded. While the massive charging shield wall of my veterans is pushing most opposing forces to the ground in pieces any that survive are taken down by the second line. The rather reckless strategy can only be accomplished because of the enhancements cast by the priests and the mages to ensure that my minions stay intact. Any enemies coming from side channels get funneled into the walls by the large U shaped shield wall and smashed by the second line. We have not had any real variety of enemy aside from either spearmen, swordsmen, and the occasional knight. I assume from the scraps I remember about dungeons as I believe this relatively large tomb counts as a sort of small scale dungeon there is a boss after a certain period. T

    hese are usually much stronger and there can be several gimmicks to help strengthen them or hinder their opponents. Still they are usually not absurdly stronger than the preceding enemies, I don¡¯t understand why they have such a weak defense plan. If it is to help provide resources then you might as well set up a profitable exchange or instead a challenge system. Make people be delayed here due to bureaucracy in order to leech from them or outright kill them to gather their belongings.

    Well the inadequacies of the standard way that dungeons are run aside I see a rather large set of stone doors embossed with from the armour and banners the symbol of the fallen kingdom. This is a lion with shield and spear on a background of a castle, having my minions push open the door I am greeted by an interesting sight. Hiding myself behind the mages I speak through the knight leading the first group to the massive conglomerate of bone and black goo shaped roughly like a humanoid and standing in the center.

    ¡°You are the guardian of this chamber?¡±

    ¡°Yes, all intruders must DIE¡±

    Hmm many dissonant voices from I assume all the bones that make up this abomination.

    Willing my forces forward in formations of three they strike quickly, no need for the hesitation of the living. The abomination attempts to smash the undead aside but while it is swinging a few bone spears from the mages strike what should be the shoulders and the priests smash blocks of miasma to displace the arms from attacking. The abomination groans in annoyance and I see the bone spears start being absorbed, but here is where I step in. Taking my new control of the elements granted to me I create flowing streams of fire and send them flying into the places that the spears struck. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Meanwhile my soldiers strike as heavily as they can into the enemy, seeing that the hits are true I will every minion back and send the crossbows forward after having them enchanted. The tips of the bone glow green in banefire and they give off a toxic light as they streak forward into the abomination. Fire flashes as the necromantic energy that fuels the mass of bone and decay is being absorbed by the fire, these fires are fueled by such energy and they do not need to devour only life force to sustain themselves. The thing starts to roar in pain and agony as the many souls that inhabit it are dying out, consumed as fuel without the shield of lifeforce to stop such an act from happening. Moving my chosen knight forward I take it¡¯s warhammer in a two handed hold and strike as hard as I can in an overhead strike destroying an arm while the rest of the group start charging the other arm as well. The mages shackle it¡¯s legs and the priests shield the attackers from taking damage from the fire as well. It tries to strike back but the fire has weakened it¡¯s strength and the strikes from the maces start to break it apart piece by piece. It roars in helpless rage unable to stop it¡¯s death.

    I take cursory looks at the souls leaving it as it falls to the ground in a clatter of bones and squelching noises but none are important. There is nothing useful here, only images of war and life that any can have. Sure enough these beings died from civil war or disease, the few survivors so full of despair at the loss of their kingdom locked themselves away and died from suicide. Such mass of despair, fear, hopelessness and other such feelings eventually created this being. A sad but common tale, perhaps someone fresh to war would feel sorrow but then again they would likely not have survived a fight much less win.

    I feel some sympathy and pity but they have died and now it is those still advancing to make their own history with the relics of the past. These bones though little is directly intact can be reused to fuel the growth of new creations and this decay can be converted to energy. Everything of use is placed in urns carried by the clean up crew once the place is emptied of undead not under my control. The weapons that can be reused are bundled along with the armour, the scraps are also brought back to be melted down. Like a swarm of locusts this place is cleaned, interesting enough was the presence of chests scattered around with some loot. Who bothered making this many chests only to stuff them with only one or two items well I took them whole as well. The items were low quality enchanted gear, still something to spice up the better warriors however since the bone weapons of the veterans are still better.

    There is a certain amount of material wealth in precious gems and metals which can be of use if we ever need an economy though I prefer their use for magic artifacts and new weapons in the future once we are ready. I found the nexus point for this area however is a massive standard presumably of the soldiers here. I take it over with my own energy and I feel that this place is now connected to the system. Hmm I feel as if I can do more now, looks like the fuel that this dungeon mana is being absorbed more. Once I take over the other two this should expand as well again allowing me to transplace everything over.

    Taking a closer look at this banner it seems finely made and crafted with much effort and emotion. Banners such as these are the identity of armies and should not be disrespected. Using the knight who I had controlled for the battle I expand it¡¯s capabilities improving everything about it. Now it will be the standard bearer who will carry this with dignity for it¡¯s last owners as the successors, holding the banner I can feel the hopes, faith, and dreams they felt from it. WHile I often trample over such things I know the value this has for regular people and well give some sort of respects to it, yes I have such sentimental moments sometimes for things like this.

    Still this thing is the focal point for this mini dungeon so it must be protected accordingly, I need the new undead who will come forth from here that I can sense. I know the rough characteristics of each minion here that can be made and that if I provide more of this strange mana that the dungeons create along with some necromantic energy I can improve everything. Let us keep the undead that spawn here in their old regalia but improve their base bodies, it is nice that they come with weapons though removing the arms from here will not work for large scale and having too many weaponless undead will be annoying since I do not want to convert too many to boneclaws. Well time to continue my work as always.

 20-Precursor to fun stuff(for some)

    Thinking again about my logististics I still need to fix the root issue of smiths, the one we acquired is not a dedicated arms smith or armourer. He can make a few simple things but not enough quality for me not to mention he can only make so many, better for him to supply the other forge work we need that is not for war. Still we have some stockpile of raw materials once everything is properly gathered up, undead do not handle fire well as a general rule which is why I want living smiths. Judging by the general human xenophobia there may be discriminated humans or nonhumans that I can persuade to join me. Well here is to hoping that we do find something of use, I assume there will be thinking about how my fellow humans can act like.

    My little take over group at the cemetery has gone well and I now control the focal point for the cemetery which is a statue of a mourning figure in fully covering robes such that no details about what is underneath it can be found. I assume that the imagery resonated with the souls there that made up the guardian which was a possessed gargoyle which was destroyed though the pieces can be taken back for study at another point. Unlike normal gargoyles which were creations of mages to guard important places which were usually tombs this one was a regular statute, yet the spirits could use it as a host to take action. Perhaps a few points can be derived from such work, I could always use new insight to improve my work. As for my wild idea about the dung beetle which I will now call the Beetle of Ossis was rather simple to make. I had a surprising ease in modifying my already make bone gatherer form that it actually makes me uneasy.

    My vats are in the process of making the many pieces that will be needed though the larger vats can still be reused for my eventual golem and dragon projects. Just like my warrior and veteran projects I already have the technical documents for each ready in my grimoire for production. I just need wrym and dragon bones though for the golems though if I can find a substitute material from a powerful enough creature that would work. As a related note I am using deer bone for my general plaques and other minor objects though obviously I will need bone from a strong enough creature(can still be human) for making proper equipment. If I am making a construct then it helps to have the original creature it is based on or a similar creature to simplify things with movement but I can get around that with some effort unless quality drops too much.

    The crusade will come in less than a month now but I plan on delaying them further with their preparation phase unless that backfires. The simplest thing is of course food and water as mentioned before, water is available but usually not in enough quantity for a small army and stopping any wells from being sunk is needed. Lack of water kills faster than food and only trained individuals can sustain on mana, and if they have necromancers then what in the world is wrong with this church. Speaking of necromancers I have gathered some more over time though none as good as Zanna. Strictly speaking most are a bunch of acolytes the same as the group I just took over who came here like moths to a flame, rather literal since they are weak enough to only be able to have a little resistance than regular mortals to the miasma.

    Still just like them they took soul links so I will be putting them through what their seniors just went through, actually having them oversee the progress could go well if I molded them right. The rest are weaker but are close to Zanna¡¯s level, some were somewhat old and I mean legitimately old as in having not grown strong enough to be able to rejuvenate their bodies with mana and energy. These ones will probably be troublesome but will behave themselves to a degree. Regardless if it turns out to not be entertaining to watch I can interfere to make sure things go well if something happens. I do not appreciate true dissent and will act accordingly....This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ____________

    The armies I have made just keep growing though I did not swell the peons not meant for menial labour too heavily having concentrated on war potential. As it is right now I have 320 peons, 250 workers, 150 boneclaws, 150 warriors, 100 ranged units, 90 veterans, 12 mages, 20 knights and 6 priests available for battle directly. Very good progress if I must say so myself though most of the lower ranks were created by the necromancers under my command with the use of bones grown in the laboratory vats and some careful poaching from the town and other already dead we scavenged. I feel proud having a battalion sized force so quickly though judging from the rough size of this kingdom I could face a full army of 15000 if they do not pull from border and town security not counting the baggage train. The whispers so far caught by my scouts points to a much much smaller force though no exact numbers.

    Judging from things I can expect about 2-3000 with half being made up of pure fodder. The numbers do not seem to be good but home advantage, quality, and the miasma can negate this number to only a thousand effective troops while the rest can be almost ignored. If forced I can fight this out but I prefer relying on my troops and I expect attrition to get to work even if it is the fodder that dies. I expect the disposition to be 3-1-2-30-100 by knights, mages, priests, adventurers/mercenaries, and levy troops. The mage numbers may change depending on adventurers and of course the baggage train will be massive at the usual 3-1 follower-soldier ratio. I find these numbers funny with the amount of bodies I can expect at the end of this campaign. I am salivating at this opportunity to expand my forces, never underestimate attrition in war since they are already having food problems in the local area. Though imagine what is buried in the earth here..... No must not grow power hungry, that is the path to disaster and paperwork hell. Never again paperwork hell....

    Anyway besides the things I have mentioned I have had progress in adapting some of my research projects to properly be used here. Most of these never got beyond the theoretical but still enough planning was done to make this not a stumbling through the dark affair. I have noticed that I only created stock units suitable for mimicking a normal human army but I need more, my projects were meant for this gap however. I am creating units under the category of ¡°monstrous¡± such as equivalents to trolls or giants. Obviously having the bones of such creature will work just fine but I am unable to find such beings on short notice, creating what could be simplified as clockwork beings from parts is the crux of current work.

    But creating the parts in such a way to be able to made en masse from my smaller vats and not guzzle up resources is key, right now I have made prototypes from several of the projects to test the concepts they embody but modifying them for large scale production is key to viability. I hope to be able to test out my work in the future conflicts however as even if I cannot make too many of them the prototypes I have now can still be used, proof of concept models are more unrestrained with resource usage and while unstable are quite powerful. I almost don¡¯t want to but I am counting on the enemies relatively swift arrival in the next few months to actually put my work to the test. We shall see who wins this little skirmish that will soon be upon us.

    AN-This country will be about 3 million total pop with an area equivalent to england by itself and the agros de mortis is say half that size. England during the 1400 which is the general time period culture wise had 3-3.5 million people with about 36,000 in soldiers. With magic let us say that we can easily have 4 million people and a bigger military, really puts things into perspective now doesn¡¯t it.

 21- What is a Soul?

    After a little bit of internal issue sorting back in my room I finally managed to calm down from my delusions of power and decided to go visit the now senior acolytes. To go with this little promotion I gave them all new armoured robes and various bits of talismans and staves, I remember feeling proud as I oversaw them practicing and exploring what I gave them. I expect them to progress well in the future, the more senior Zanna and a few other necromancers have done well themselves. I gave them some trinkets as well since they have not committed to me mind and soul but it should be enough to ensure loyalty. Everyone has grown stronger over time and I expect good things from this little corp but of course drama ensues which is something I should expect having thought about it and it occurs.

    While walking through the castle I head to one of the practising fields and I can see a group of the acolytes standing in opposition to one of the newest necromancers. This fellow had joined just recently and obviously still did not understand how things ran, I gave everyone a copy of the rules. Basically no killing, attempted killing, stealing important objects etc and this certainly breaks a rule judging by the amount of spells being hurled. I check over my link to the acolytes and find a little aggression but not enough to show that this group attacked first, and of course the necromancer is not silent.

    ¡°You lot think you can face ME!, I have spent as long as you have been alive learning the arts yet you think that will stop ME!. Such talismans are undeserving of younglings to have, I have spent decades labouring to learn the craft so I am the one who should have such artifacts!¡±

    Hmm he is not technically being disloyal by cutting and leaving which is why the contract is not going into punishment mode. Regardless he would have killed the acolytes if they did not have the shielding talismans I gave them as part of a set, willing attempts to kill are not tolerated towards my loyal disciples. Willing Or¡¯tharn to come standby I walk forward towards the skirmish, I cloud the air with misama to block any sight or magic sense from working and strike. This one is too distracted to be any sort of resistance especially blinded from anything outside the battle. I had one of the alchemical silver swords melted down and turned into a dagger which I enchanted to sever magical defenses with ease. While alchemical silver could originally be used against the undead in it¡¯s normal form a few sigils can easily channel it¡¯s properties to other uses.

    I can see that the lot are still busy and do not notice me as I walk behind the necromancer and slit his throat, his defenses do not resist as they are ignored. He dies on his own blood as his body convulses in my hold, my hand restraining his hand and head is shifting somewhat as he makes jerking motions but it matters not for he will die regardless of leaving my hold. After a few moments he slows down and stills, I cannot see his eyes but if he realized what happened then the will likely be very resentful, all the more use for me then. Watching the blood flow from his slit throat onto his clothes I eventually let go and watch the corpse flop over onto the ground and a little blood sloshes over from the pile which I sidestep form getting on my clothes. But to the acolytes it would be as if I simply appeared and slew their attacker. I reach out my other hand and seize his exiting soul, a soundless scream echoes out. A scream that only those who know of souls can hear, these acolytes only get a small thrumming in the air due to inexperience.

    I put it away for now and clean the blade on a scrap of cloth I have and resheathe the blade before turning to the disciples. I feel like some people would complain about gender bias looking at the disciples but considering that the ratio is 6-4 male to female among the living necromancers/acolytes I think this is fair, I do not discriminate when killing people. Obviously the undead do not truly count with no sentience and those souls I created are genderless to begin with though I use the pronouns of the body sometimes.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I do not tolerate any who break the rules so easily, nor do I condone waste. Go gather the others, all of them and then come back¡±

    ¡°YES¡±

    ¡°Yes my master¡±

    A few chorused acknowledgements and they scatter to the winds to do my bidding. I look over to Or¡¯tharn who has arrived and start my preparations, I could use a better second in command. I start arranging a magic array on the ground, a rather large one with two circles as the main focus. I shift the body onto one circle of the completed array and have Or¡¯tharn stand in the other, by this time everyone has gathered. I see some fear in the eyes of those gathered and anticipation from those more knowledgeable including Zanna who has realized a part of what I am about to do.

    ¡°All of you should know the rules I have placed as creed for those that joined. I enforce those rules personally, judge, jury, and...executioner. Do you understand what I mean?¡±

    They nod and do not dare to speak.

    ¡°I do not set these rules without reason, they are rather fair rules with appropriate punishments. Of course what is left after such an act can always be used as you can see. Some of you will know exactly what I do and also know that service to me may allow such an act for you in the future.¡±

    I turn back to the array and start to activate it, the array starts shining brightly. The body in one circle of the array raises up as if dragged by marionette strings. The flesh and blood visibly starts to wither and vanish, the clothes whip in an unfelt wind. Meanwhile the soulfire in Or¡¯tharn¡¯s eyes start to move and flow across the array. Soon an empty skeleton held aloft in the air is no longer empty, new soulfire blazes stronger than ever and a fire lights in the torso of the skeleton. Now a frightful pressure is released from the newly born lich as the air seems to darken around it as the soulfire is ignited in true form unlike the pseudo soul it was before.

    To the inexperienced the eyes seem to burn of terrible indifference to life, as if everything is beneath it and they should simply keel over or else worst will happen. Those more experienced feel a heavy pressure that slowly crushes them down as if the air itself grows heavy, for me however I feel none of that. I feel pride at watching what is essentially a child grow up, I feel satisfaction at my creation growing up and truly becoming it¡¯s own being. While this was going on I had a worker bring over my gifts for the ascension of Or¡¯tharn, a new set of equipment fit for a lich.

    There is a set of black robes that is shrouded in miasma that covers the entire body and leather reinforcing straps with brooches that offer magical and physical protection. There are many talismans attached to offer things from storage of minions to containers for souls and casting elemental magic. Finally a staff and shortsword are prepared, both enchanted to allow greater manipulation of miasma in a variety of ways. He wears his equipment and kneels to me his creator soul deep. I feel happy that this did not fail badly as I have to admit this is the first time I actually tried that out for real, a few localized experiments on sections to ensure that the parts work but everything together well... I think something to faze over this is good the giddiness from seeing my work succeed is almost overwhelming me. Bidding him rise I turn to the rest.

    ¡°There has been much hardship along our path so far but I think a celebration is in accord for all the accomplishments to this day. I announce a feast a week from today and invite everyone to attend if possible, all who have been a part of this undertaking including those we have saved will be allowed. I hope that you can attend for I will offer wisdom to all, times have been hard but we work to survive what is ahead of us and prosper afterwards as we have before¡±

    I think some general tips and tricks to manipulating miasma will be of use and I doubt any of them have learned them, it is a good thing those priests and the leader had a good stash of wine and of I course I checked to see if there was anything bad with them. There was no holy water in the wine though as I checked earlier. Ahhhh the euphoria is still here best not let it cause trouble, time to see what groundwork for another of my projects can be laid for I feel inspired after that event...

 21.5-The thoughts of one member

    It has been a few months since I joined this cabal or conclave as the master of it calls it, things have advanced heavily compared to before. We have expanded our numbers with more necromancers though we have lost a few as well. The most stark example was one who attempted to attack the master¡¯s acolytes inorder to steal the talismans they were granted, we had all received similar talismans as a reward for service but that fool got greedy. Suffice it to say the lord did not appreciate it and dealt with him promptly, that little display of power however shocked me. Not that the fool was killed as we did not mind with his abrasive behavior but what happened to the remains. The strongest skeletal mage who we heard was called Or¡¯tharn became a lich, it became an honest to the deities lich.

    Liches are amongst the top beings of necromancy that all necromancers aspire to be in the end to escape the mortal coil. However the lord made one and so those knowledgeable can only know that the maker is much more powerful than the creation. Of course many undead are stronger in a certain sense such as maritally or magically but not to a massive degree or how else can they be controlled, however to make a lich is something that only a very powerful necromancer can possibly attempt.

    You might say that it was a fake lich however the power could only be that of a true lich, if it ever becomes a grand lich....I remember once asking him what he could be classified as in terms of necromancy but he only said Hierarch, he did not explain what that meant but I assume it is a higher title than grandmaster necromancer. A master necromancy alone could decimate a large fiefdom. A grandmaster could bring the kingdom to its knees instead, that is just how much power they have.

    He has shown an even higher depth of knowledge in necromancy and necromantic society with his handling of affairs so he should know the title system. I myself am a master necromancer that is on the path to becoming a grand necromancer, I only need to prove myself with a larger creation or summoning which I have already prepared the materials for but want to ensure that my spellwork is without error. If this is to be my magnus opus work that would carve my name amongst the brethren I need to prepare.

    While I have not seen many such creations here the knights that the lord makes are rather close to being able to be called dread knights as is generally acknowledged and especially the head knight Cor¡¯lothen who probably can already be classified as such. He does not demonstrate such works before us but only creates such beings in his lab, in fact he rarely other than as a message performs his work before us. Some could consider him a fraud if they were stupid of course, one cannot fake such necromantic energy and he while secretive has shown himself along with performing necromantic arts before.

    His labs are an envied location that many would like as it is obvious that his most powerful creations are performed there but only the acolytes are allowed to work and they keep tight lipped. It is as if he is watching over their shoulder which is quite possible as many spirits are used as guards, watching through their senses is a simple matter and there are other safeguards on them. Beside the outright insolent fool one quiet woman who joined us disappeared and we later found her having become one of the skeletal mages here. He only mentioned her having gained her wish of being able to know more of his personal arts. Said creation now works with preparing the bodies and bones we have. No one else attempted anything other than a few modest watching attempts that ended in slapped hands. If having a skull with a third eye carved into it attached to the quarters of troublemakers is classed as such. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Still the resources we gain are great indeed as he provides solidified miasma stones which are a powerful booster and ingredient for necromancy with of course bodies/bones and such. I along with several of my like minded colleagues who have gained a measure of trust are allowed to join or lead expeditions deeper into the lands and we are allowed a share of the spoils taken during such trips.

    At first we fought simple packs of poorly equipped undead but as time passed we faced better equipped and obviously stronger undead. They come more organized and in greater numbers especially around the important places which create them, said locations are of course taken over and the largest portion of the creations are given to the ones that subjugate, a portion to the rest and the last to the lord so competition is strong as whatever initial creation is then improved on with the original as a base by our lord when he takes control after subjugation.

    Our own personal forces grow though the lord still maintains the strongest, a feudal system though without the land part. Actually is that a feudal system still? That thought makes me think about how I managed to take over a manor that the feudal lord of the land would have had.

    Clack CLack CLAk

    Ratck Click Pack

    CRACK

    ¡®Hmm so far so good as my creations battle it out with the guardian undead here. They are a bunch of plaque undead as both moldering bone and pestilent flesh stumble out to attempt to stop my undead. Groups of desiccated soldiers with bodies dry from the ages and servants with only partially preserved bodies still in tattered livery and only grasping hands walk forward. Even so old a few beetles, centipedes and other scavengers crawl around the folds of the bodies, one particular skeleton with ribs exposed had a spiderweb woven inside of it though the resident weaver is currently out. Intermingled among the hordes are wrathful spirits bitter at death and willing to drag others with them in ill vented anger.

    Still as the spirit marionette bound undead of mine battle it out with better movements then only the undead by itself can muster cause bones to crack or scatter as I head to find the one lord who is undoubtedly the leader of this pack. After bursting through the final hall to the lord¡¯s bedchamber I see the final enemy, inside of a once luxurious bed now lost to the ages is the bones of the lord and lady. Between them is a goblet around which the energies of this location seem to use as a center point, the so called focus of the dungeon. I can assume that it is a goblet of poison used to put the lord and lady to final sleep to avoid the pain of disease but their spirits are still resentful in a manner that only nobles can be conceited in.

    As said spirits manifest to attack I wave forth my own spirits and watch as they grapple amongst themselves, meanwhile I simply will my now unleashed dead to wrench the bones of the two apart to take the goblet. Said spirits redouble themselves but still I scatter their bones and start pouring my power into the room. WIth their host point broken it is easy to pour my power and will into the goblet and bones to take it over. Notifying the lord¡¯s watchdog which had followed that the work is complete I leave once more I am somewhat bitter at having my work observed but I remember what was explained before....

    Regardless as long as we stay in line we will benefit is the iron lesson, of course we still maintain our own work to progress. Shaking my mind to take on matters at hand I have recently received an interesting proposal for a project from my colleagues and will be working with them to attempt it. I wonder how it will go for we are using what we have gleaned so far along with some interesting ideas to create something new altogether.

    Perhaps using this we can create a new type of undead, the possibilities are great with the facilities made for our use unlike our previous roaming existence as we make modifications to progress even more. Bartering research between us along with material and creations makes for a vivid environment of advancement, perhaps I can gain something from the lord if I make a particularly good advancement as the research he has must be good. I wonder what I can make if I had whatever process he uses to mass produce bone of such quality, still work first.

 22-Another Path to tread

    Ahh this was a good feast, I needed something to help glaze over the fact that I just executed one of their compatriots and created a lich powerful enough to overwhelm them if needed. Nothing like alcohol and the atmosphere of a party to do such a thing, I had everyone who had even a little experience in relevant affairs helping over the week to prepare. This of course was mostly the ¡®villagers¡¯. I suppose that is what they should be called now though I made sure that they were well supplied and did not need to use their own stores.

    I want at least some of the ice to be broken, I know that we cannot truly integrate everyone but having their leaders be at least somewhat ¡®humanized¡¯ is good. Perhaps this could encourage sedition if taken too far but I honestly doubt that, while they are not dressed in their full regalia the aura from those that make use daily of miasma and necromantic energy bleeds out giving a subtle pressure similar to what mages and great warriors give off. We are here within arms reach but we are not you, never forget that is the lesson that I want to give.

    I walk the aisles with face covered with a half mask and my true flesh here in person and see the various states of partying people, some talking in their own groups others in drunken merriment. Some are more subdued but still enjoying the atmosphere here, I kept away any undead in the room itself to ensure that they are not reminded but a few floating trays that drift in preset formations through the room before entering the kitchen where the servants have already gone to join everyone in the party. There they are replenished by worker minions and everyone is able to enjoy what they wish. Things seem to be going well until I see a child by himself near a pillar, I both see and feel the sadness and the beginnings of hatred. This is familiar, yes this is the start of hatred and despair. He is dressed simply the fare usual to a free farmer family, in this atmosphere I would expect his family to be near but I can assume what happened to them. Something I am used to in the aftermath of a battle or a village that has survived bloodshed.

    But what interests me even more however is the faint aura of magic I feel emanating off of the child, I can see simply with experience several paths forward. The vengeful killer whose arts can only kill, an early grave from a dagger plunged by withered hands into his own chest, and a necromancer of course wishing to bring himself some solace. None of these paths end well but I could use more members in my cabal, let us find his caretakers for I see that he is with the religous demograph.One of them will know this child''s history and I can induct a new member, learning from a young age is best for becoming strong.

    Bending down next to the child I look at his face and ask ¡°Child you have faced much loss recently have you.¡±

    He looked at me the thousand mile stare and replied ¡°What do you know about losing parents¡±

    ¡°I never knew them, never had, never would and there is no one to direct my hatred at¡±, I did not lie about such things. He simply turned back but I can see that he is not as hostile, even this young child understands to not be impertinent after such heavy words. I take a plate of food and a mug of cider and place them near him and wait. Eventually he starts eating a little, still sad but at least it is not on an empty stomach. Patting him on a shoulder I say that I will be back in a bit and leave to find his caretakers.

    Looking at the crest of Veuna on a necklace around his neck I go find those worshippers to ask around. Seeing one man and woman who appeared to be the heads of at least one family of them I go to them and ask about the young child by himself. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    The woman looks sad and this appears to be genuine and replys ¡°That is David, he lost his entire family when the village was attacked. He must have slipped away while we were not paying attention, he is a good boy but the loss of his parents have weighed heavily on him¡±

    ¡°His eyes speak of despair, the kind that will not leave. Has he withdrawn heavily from the world or expressed interest in learning to fight?¡±

    ¡°Yes he expressed interest in learning to use the sword but none of us are soldiers so even if we allowed it we could not¡±

    ¡°He has magic potential, he will discover it eventually. As followers of Veuna I assume you know what may happen if it goes wrong¡±

    The two flinched and spoke about how they had worshipped Veuna for generations and had a few hedge mages come from the family and even a few talented enough to join without the expensive associate system of the magic guilds but of course none of those mages are with the family anymore. They have a cursory knowledge of magic but it is the domain of each family to take care of such matters, obviously david¡¯s family died without telling anyone about him. They expressed concern about what will happen if he is taken under our care. I admitted that it will be hard for him, nothing in life is guaranteed but I will do what I can to watch over him and ensure that he would not destroy himself in hatred.

    They look at each other then bid to their fellows that they will be back in a little bit, then they walk with me and say that they wish to hear whether David wants to join first. Walking to him I can see that he has finished most of the food and is slowly drinking some cider, he is looking a little better with some food but is still not doing the best. Only time and care will ease the pain in his heart, I walk over to him and bend back down to be level with him and look into his face once more.

    ¡°Do you wish to learn to use the magic within you, to be able to strike at those who would cause you harm. I can teach you to hone yourself into a cold blade to strike those that try to destroy what is yours, to keep what you have from being threatened. I offer you this opportunity now, you can back down and live your life with your villagers under my care or join me and grow strong.¡±

    Goading him through hatred while something that will cause him to grow fast will kill him quickly, I build to last. He looks me in the eyes and asks whether he can fight the church, I say that he can grow strong enough to defeat them if they come. Now is not the time to confuse him with words of caution but nor is it the time to push home the church as an enemy. That is for when he learns under me, slowly will I push home that hatred will only get him so far. It is calm rage and a clear mind that will allow him to thrive, emotions are good but they are second to being calm and controlled. I can allow him to hone it like a cold blade ready to strike before it becomes warm with fresh blood and then to continue fighting without losing himself to bloodthirst.

    He considers it only for a few seconds and replys ¡°Yes, when can I start?¡±

    I smile and reply ¡°Tomorrow but you can watch now¡±

    He nods and reaches out his arm which I grasp and pull him up to his feet.

    ¡°Welcome to the conclave my child, you will see what the future holds now¡±

    Bringing the child with me I head back over the the necromancers and disciples and decide to give a little lecture on a few things to flesh out their knowledge along with some demonstrations to illustrate my points. David watches from the side, not understanding but engraving my actions into his mind. What I do now may prove useful as I show the more direct uses of miasma for battle instead of the debuff/buffing that is normal. I see that even the more experienced necromancers here have gotten something from my work but the days draws to an end and things are dispersed while the minions start clean up. A fresh start tomorrow will certainly be called for after the alcohol is gone from their systems and hangovers are nursed. David will be given a little rundown of things and what is planned for him before he seriously started training, I have hopes for him to succeed in what I promised.

 23-State of the group and defenses

    It has been several weeks and our newest member David has started with basic training, I do not believe that he will be satisfied with becoming a necromancer but that is not the only path. Becoming a warrior is still possible despite people¡¯s image of those that use miasma and necromantic energy, I simply have to add a few things to make a good spellblade. For now I strengthen his body to the extent he can without causing trouble with his body, then I will have him strengthen himself by absorbing mana and miasma. When he is ready I will start having Cor¡¯lothen teach him to fight once ready and then ways a warrior can manipulate miasma and necromantic energy. A dark knight if you will, that should be enough for him.

    As for the senior acolytes I have promoted them to full apprentices, if they are worthy enough then they will become true necromancers. However if they have talent like I have not seen before then perhaps they can become legacy apprentices truly fit to inherit my deepest teachings and the accumulated knowledge I have from both my master and my own creations. Perhaps in the future but for right now they are the farthest of the acolytes along their work. They have a year or so under their previous teachers and now that we are in a stable environment which allows them to dedicate more time to training without the need to worry about daily necessities or materials to use. I expect only two or three years and they will be qualified to call themselves necromancers. If they wish to stay on for more time in order to learn more than they can, but at that point they are ready to start independent studies.

    It is because that they have the soul link that I can allow them to go forth for they cannot spread my secret arts so easily and they can benefit from being able to watch my work in the laboratory. It is during this time that they find their own ways to create special creations such as skeletal dragons or other creations of such scale. Even more time will be needed for indepth studies on subjects such as the soul and advanced spirits. Perhaps they can create their own original work in the future and spread the legacy of advancement.

    The group of full necromancers is being led by Zanna and they have been learning what I allow for them, as full necromancers I will not simply hand over my own work without being able to guarantee their trustworthiness. I have not allowed them to examine my important work in depth or enter my labs to watch my research efforts. Some of the group including Zanna understands and I have granted each private small scale labs to allow them their own work. I provide a number of raw materials but they will not be able to learn much if they intend to reverse-engineer them. Wild necromancers simply cannot gain the resources to be able to create great works that most mages are able to.

    Now that there is this opportunity they salivate, this was a large part of why many joined for the promise of stability is powerful for such wanderers. Of course not all are grateful and I expect the others are dissatisfied but keeping quiet after my display, they have their own pride as well so will not beg to learn as that will bind them to me as master and disciple. A few I suspect of biding their time as they cannot leave me for decades but will gather what they can before leaving, I bid them good luck in such acts. For now they do my grunt work and soon when they reveal themselves will learn truly what happens when someone tries to steal my work, one bonus of being a necromancer is that even in death they are not wastes.

    I have sent my scouts further afield and I have found some trace of the incoming crusade, whispers are spreading outward of their coming here to subjugate this land. There are rumours that is because it is to expand the arable land or to take down a lich. Others speak of wilder things such as that a demon lord has arisen and that the crusaders come with a hero to destroy him. This I find hilarious as people simply distort things as time passes. However they do not have any forward supplies organised, a big mistake for it appears they do not know about the food shortage that has started to worsen even more here. Some desperate families have started wandering into the fields inorder to try to find food, some I have taken into isolated villages and provide food for them. Harvest has come and gone and it is bad this year but the measures with my mana stone pillars and agricultural work along with the sheer fact that we have less than a hundred people to feed and a third do not eat much is simplifying things. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    One of the portions that the dungeon system gives are adding elemental effects to the mana stone pillars so that I can cause plants to have the right conditions to keep growing and the 4 field system allowing consistent production keeps the stock pile of preserved food growing. Now that we are growing in size and territory as my expedition parties continually push the borders I find more features available now than before including the creation of mines. A prospect I find physically and magically impossible from a logical point but then again this is a divine ability I received from a high tier deity, do things actually need to make sense after all. While I could provide us mines for raw ore I need the smelting facilities and they are harder to get and use with only one blacksmith and an apprentice, for now rocksalt, stone and coal instead since we have enough scrap iron to be refined instead. Not a glorious thing but still necessary for the key point of not starving to death like I plan for our enemies and we need at least some trees to remain for other necessities.

    The key points of my exterior defenses are currently being properly prepared and fortified for use. The beetle project has succeeded and passed it¡¯s tests rather well barring the occasional squashed undead that are fixed by mages that will accompany the beetle. I do not expect them to control the beetle however as that would be stupid since I gave the beetle a good quality pseudo soul and energy to grow. If one is going to have large beasts of burden make sure that they are either loyal and intelligent or very easily controlled. Losing your handlers however is of course a concern which is why I used the pseudo soul, that should reduce issues with command to a degree. This will be the cornerstone of my main reactionary force for the outer defenses and a mobile base of resupply for my forces with a larger quantity of undead beasts of burden and horses to ensure mobility. The graveyard is fortified with a packed earth wall with ramparts and towers while defensive ditches with spikes are spread throughout the area.

    I relegated a good quantity of forces to hold and if it is bypassed by the enemy then it can be used as a staging ground for supply raids and flanking attacks. The tomb will follow a similar process but with it¡¯s better quality undead compared to the graveyard I can expect better upfront battles in set piece warfare. If they try to siege a spot reinforcements from the others will be there quickly, even trying to bypass will not work for they need to camp eventually and undead do not need rest with this much miasma. I can guarantee at least one pitched battle to reduce their forces before they reach the lines and then another if they try to bypass or siege a hardpoint. Admittedly keeping undead forces too far away from concentrated locales with miasma will drain the latent miasma quickly in large groups but the mages can compensate. The miasma drainers on the farms create stones with concentrated miasma for later use in casting stronger spells or maintaining our forces.

    Now that the labs are better I can create proper blades of bone instead of mostly blunt weapons for these will come in use for the battle as the weapons for my minions improve. Mass production continues and the vats continually grow my forces sustained by miasma and mana collected from my domain. Watching the constructs of glass, crystal, metal, and stone at work is calming as I watch my projects slowly come to form and I smile at the thought of what terror they can wrought.

 24-Final measures and first sight

    Finally after all this time waiting I get to see my first look at the crusaders coming to fight me, I see a nice grand procession advance across the field being too large for the single lane dirt road. Banners wave in the air presumably of the church and each unit from the various lords that joined. They are relatively equipped with cloth armour and various weapons even for the levy troops, of course the knights are proceeding on their horses without the plate as it is stupid to ride with it on when not about to go to battle.

    A few priests are around the center of the formation with a large cart that should be an icon of the church. Surrounding this lot are levy with the symbol of the church dressed in better gear then the rest. Higher grade nobles are spread out with their forces and retinue standing out and mages are scattered as well. At the back near the end of the column which look like someone finally got the idea of the scale of things needed for the logistics even if it is bloated even more with the knick knacks that the nobles and church have are the adventurers and mercenaries. Still there is an actual logistical unit here though it is the classical supply train. Should be more easily raided if the others become the guards instead.

    These are a motley group but I expect the most trouble from them, the levy while equipped nicely are not hardened for true war while the knights are the same. The mercenaries look competent enough and are in good formation ready for anything even without a threat so far. The adventurers are also the same in keeping watch and look equipped properly for a fight with undead, I respect whoever actually hired them as they did good work choosing the adventurers and mercenaries. Guards are posted to the flanks while some outriders are also deployed.

    These will be the troublesome bunch as I see at least some have experience fighting undead, of course these are not my undead. Those silvered arms will only do so much for them. Judging from the lack of apparent centralized command I can suspect only the roughest of tactics will be used. Should see to splitting this lot up quickly, don¡¯t want to actually lose anything important in fighting them.

    My skirmishers are preparing for attrition warfare right now. They are disguised and equipped without my signature bone weapons but scavenged arms and the regular process built bows and arrows. I plan for another week of delay at the least by my forces. I do not expect to inflict serious casualties as I will not commit so many to this work but still that is enough. If they fracture into smaller units then I can start taking the risk of using dire wolf packs and my cavalry. If I can overrun some outlying units without alerting the rest then all the better with securing more. I am a hoarder but that is the product of campaigns with minimal supplies that I get very paranoid and respectful of attrition. Now we watch and wait. Hope I do not succeed too much and they scatter too much, hunting small remnants is too much. The Flotogen campaign was enough of a pain for me to watch a repeat develop.

    Once they camp near Vocaten I will see whether this lot gets up to too much plundering or other mishaps. Should be a good sign of whether they are disciplined or not. May also ensure a few things are ¡®gifted¡¯ to help keep track of them. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ________________

    POV Change

    This is the journal of Baron Roger Termest Rolavest embarked on the Holy Crusade of the Cursed Lands by the Church of Holy Light. We are over a month into the crusade and can expect to arrive on the outskirts of the cursed lands soon. We have just finished meeting with the mayor of the large town of Vocaten and have organized the troops for a march. We have at last count over 3000 total men at arms including the various other forces and not those accompanying us that will not be fighting. This is one of the larger affairs organized among the provincial nobles and an undertaking that would be risky if not for the promised reduced church alms in the future.

    The alms for the church of Holy light are considerable for those with only small plots of land or without trade connections which prompted many of my fellows to join. I have a responsibility to my people to ensure that they can survive, times have been rougher with the harvest and if not for the church giving contracts promising the reduction along with providing a portion of the needed supplies then I would not have joined. Even if I die my people will be fine and my son will take over the title, I sunk my more tenable favors as will into this so that I can receive the support I rely on to see this through. I have used the Black Dogs warband several times in battle with my direct neighbors and they are a reliable and well equipped force, I also managed to sway some gold grade adventurers to join as did a number of other barons.

    The overall marshall for this crusade is a count¡¯s second son, a Gregor Elsev Soletar. While the lad is young he was favored to a degree by his father so has some experience at war. He made sure to bring a large force of his house¡¯s men at arms along with several mercenary warbands as well bolstering our forces. But sharing leadership however is Bishop Lelitar and his aide/second is Vicar Dasco. Alongside those two who are the main representatives of the church are various priests and deacons. While they have kept to a minimum when it comes to commanding the force they have spoken in ways to seem to prefer speed when it comes to this crusade.

    Thankfully the marshall has only listened to them to a degree and made sure that we were properly supplied first with a little to spare. There was no forced march so our forces are not very tired as we continue advancing. This crusade was called to reclaim and cleanse the cursed lands in the name of the God of Holy Light but I do not see how this is possible, surely the men of the church cannot possibly cleanse such a massive blight on the land so easily. I also find strange how much military force they wished to have with them, I have heard rumours of a lich in the land but do not know for sure.

    What worries me however is the fact that they have kept mum about a failed first expedition by a few priests who gathered a group of adventurers and were never heard from again. Did they encounter the lich? None came back whether the adventurers, priests or the cargo bearers. On that note the church providing a considerable number of slaves to carry much of the supplies taken from conquests of the various heretics and deviants in the lands here and beyond. They speak of absolution in service but I can only pity them as slavery is widespread enough that I cannot go against it even if I do find it personally distasteful. I can only march on and hope this expedition is successful regardless of it¡¯s discrepancies.

    Surely with over four thousand troops we can trample over the paltry undead we may find and we have enough supplies to last a few months, if this goes well then perhaps some artifacts can be unearthed that could be of use or sold off for funds. We can show those fancy core nobles the fighting spirit of those who live with their lives on the line on the borders, perhaps we can grow our influence in the kingdom¡¯s court with this successful expedition. We cannot afford to stagnate on this, they already push so much of the burden on us without proper dues. This is going to be the best chance to bring the church to our side. Hopefully I can rally my brethren to follow me as well. Now where is my squire, have to see if that lad is not slacking off again.

 25-First Blood in this holy war

    Same POV as ending of last

    ___

    The tidings are ill this day. To ensure that the column can move in a prompt manner we split ourselves into three groups to use multiple paths. But as we discovered while traveling along a formation of hills a group of soldiers were ambushed. From the bodies we discover that arrows had rained upon them and while the troops were in disarray they continued to do so. From the tracks the survivors had attempted to withdraw to the side but were also slain. This time we found a number of horse tracks and sweeping trails of blood. Whoever is our enemy is equipped quite well and prepared for a fight.

    The worse thing is that while we can assume all the soldiers are dead there is not enough blood to assume that the slaves also were killed. Perhaps they now bolster the marauder¡¯s numbers. I know that this may be over reaction but that was over a hundred slaves and we do not know who attacked them and why. Thankfully we have kept this quiet to a degree but those informed are worried. Of course those that understand the implications. Some of those that brought troops are spoiled heirs of smaller houses and do not understand the implications this has to those who have fought before.

    None of the nobles who are allowed forces fight like this and as far as we know there should not have been any tribes or other such entities here. If this was undead then we have a very cunning foe to face. Perhaps those rumours of liches are true for they could have raised the dead and brought everything away but what need for food supplies would undead have. I would think that undead would either destroy or ignore such things but never before have we faced undead on such a degree. Normally against such a foe for every one of theirs that falls another takes it place and our dead rise to join them. I am worried about this mystery and have worked with the adventurers and mercenaries to try to fix this. But they have never fought with such numbers before so what advice they have can really only be used by them, still it is something. Whoever it is the only thing we can do is keep moving forward.

    Our forces are to from now on head forth in large groups even if this slows us down, the marshall is not risking anything and we are deploying advance parties to keep watch. I have kept my part of the force in organized formation and now am glad for it, we have not sustained any losses and I hope to keep it that way. The last assumed position of the first expedition is a fort deep into the first marked zone of the cursed lands¡¯ proper. We are heading there as the ruined castle will provide a good base and if there are indeed undead there it is our purpose to cleanse them. We are proceeding carefully and hopefully there will not be any further attacks with our larger groups.

    ___

    It has been almost a month and it has been hard going. We have lost about 500 in total from various parts of our fighting men. Along with these losses are the supplies that they carried which equal enough for another few hundred besides them. The only sad grace is the loss of so many means our remaining supplies can cover the loss. We were not quite foolish enough to lose too much at any one point but we certainly are depleted. The thing is that not all of the 500 were lost to our unknown attackers but desertion from those whose leaders were killed by foolishly leaving themselves open and were assassinated. The only thing we know is that they appear to be well trained.

    The survivors see only silhouettes and the sight of cloaks and various weapons. They have some mages judging by the remains left over in the aftermath of attacks on various points which only worries me further for this means that we are not facing some random bandits especially with how far the attacks have followed us. It is as if they do not need to rest or are restrained by the night. Infact now it is at night when many of the attacks occur.

    But if it is undead then how could they follow such tactics, are they truly so smart as to be able to commit to such tactics. If they have mages then are they gathering our fallen to create an army against us. Whoever is commanding this posses much acumen but surely a necromancer could not have such expertise. Pondering without any way to find the answer is pointless.

    While we have much of our forces losing about an eighth is still heavy. But we also managed to reduce the follower train since many were spooked and left, small blessings. I pray that they survive to be able to leave this land. Besides the constant ambushes I have seen something else. Only now do I truly realize why this place is known as the cursed lands. The very air sucks at my strength and the light of the sky is dimmer.I start to curse the fact that I allowed myself to join this crusade but we can only push forward for if I leave then who knows when it will be that my party and I disappear. Then again now that we have reached the open plains there have not been any attacks against us. I can only assume those we left or left us are dead. For some reason I feel as if the enemy does not know the meaning of mercy.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    In the next few days we should reach the castle and hopefully a true battle instead of this mess. As it is right now only the nobles and knights are able to have protection from priests but not all of us all the time. This curse is not very strong but it is constant, even the priests grow tired form use of their powers. Some have paid clerics from adventurer parties to shield them and I have also arranged such a manner But what I worry about now is whether the rest of our forces can manage to survive long enough. I pray that this cursed air does not grow stronger deeper in but regardless we march on. Doomed if I stay, Doomed if I leave....

    _________

    Third Person POV

    Looking from above three columns of men and beast of burden advance upon a low hilly plain with clouds of dust floating in the air from the numbers. They advance upon this lonely plain until they see other clouds of dust in the distance, and it is not just one. There are three main clouds of dust in the air approaching, while not as large as that created by the columns this carries a much more disturbing view as the scouts soon reveal when they return at speed. Like a kicked nest of hornets the human army shifts itself into battle position. A solid battle line of spears and shields with supporting units of armoured infantry with various arms to the flanks or in reserve. Knights are deployed behind ready to sortie when the chance arises and archers are at the very front ready to skirmish.

    The opposing armies gather their forces in opposition. However unlike the human side their opponents are gathered in groups with clear avenues between. Larger groups of calvary are spread out in flanking positions with bows and other weapons. Infront are even more skirmishing forces of several mixed weapons, the army seems much more diverse and mixed of arms and few have armour. Those that do are dressed in antique styles not seen for centuries, everything about their arms seem outdated as well but the size each undead suggest a people well fed and prosperous with frames dwarfing the average man by a small but still noticeable fashion(if average is 5¡¯8 these are 5¡¯10).

    The truly distinguishing factor however is that the entire force is undead, they number the same but are much weaker except for the anchoring points in the formations. Even from a distance formless black streams swirl around these forms which are fully armoured knights with heavy weapons and mages with their staves. However unbeknown to the human army these are not the only force deployed. From hidden points packs of direwolves and boneclaws gather, their packmasters ready to give the order to strike. A battle is in the promise, there will be no parlay for the dead care not for such niceties. Banners fly opposing each other, on one side pristine and proud the other ragged and defiant of life itself. Unbeknownst to the confident humans for such weak and few (in terms of accepted 4-1 odds needed for undead to win an army battle) undead will surely be crushed under the righteous humans this is but a play with discardable pieces.

    The true army marches from further away, the tramp of armoured boots and hoof in utter unison leave their mark on the soil of this blighted land as they advance tirelessly to spill bright red blood in tribute to their lord who intends to continue the history of bloodshed upon this land filled with the consequences of past affairs. Oh will the blood flow for this land has thirsted enough and will soon be quenched, but ever will it hunger for nothing satisfies it forever. More will come as they have before and more will lay their bones to rest only to rise once more, such is the cycle upon this tainted earth.

    Author¡¯s Note

    Want to know my calculations and technical details for the battle here you go

    Anyone interested in the number crunching statistics let us have the crusade army

    (note rounded numbers to the fifth or tenth)

    Beginning-Around 4400ish

    Levy(includes archers)-3500

    Knights(Does not include commanding nobles)-170

    Mages(Not including adventurers)-30

    Priests-50

    Adventurers/Mercs-700

    Attrition Casualties

    300 dead from ambushes over the course of two weeks both day and night

    200 desertions due to conditions or died of sickness

    (look at disease and desertion rates of medieval armies, its not pretty)

    Start of Battle- 4000ish

    Levy-3050(25% archers)

    Knights-160

    Mages-25

    Priests-45

    Adventurers/Mercs-630

    Opposing Undead Army

    Total-4000

    Bow Calvary-100

    Elite Command/Mage-30(some necromancers)

    Boneclaws and Dire wolves-270

    Produced from defensive posts-3600(400 in reserve and not deployed)

    pre battle spawn rate per day

    Quality defined as

    light-weapons only

    medium- has a little armour and better gear

    heavy- relative intact full armour and weapons

    Graveyard-15 undead both light and medium

    Dung Beetle-25 undead mostly medium and a little of the rest

    Tomb- 10 mostly medium with a little heavy

    Days to produce-80

    If I made mistakes please point it out.

 26-The cruelty of unseen watchers

    As the skirmishing force from both sides begin to strike it is the undead side that eventually prevail. Bare bones care less for arrows many of which glance while leaving a gash in the bone. Some strike home destroying the spine or removing arms and skulls but such losses do not enter the minds of the overseers. Return fire hits more heavily as flesh is broken or numbed by various projectiles ranging from arrows to javelins.. However this fire is not as devastating as even while bones are not as easily damaged they are not as strong as flesh . Eventually a retreat is called as the levy¡¯s morale is broken. With this the knights press forward to rout the enemy while they are concentrated on the skirmishers.

    With banners held high, war bugles blown and lances at the ready a tide of wood, horse flesh and steel advance to crush bone to dust. Fire is slowly redirected but it is even less effective against the armour of the enemy. However even as the knights and horses scream their own cries to mix into the sound of breaking bone and clash of metal a change occurs.

    Clouds of black fog descend on them and with their momentum lost through sheer quantity of undead, they are truly caught and weakened as strength is sapped away. Before they can ride away from the fog caught as they are in the mass of undead skirmishers a new foe emerges. Previously undetected in hidden parts of the land the boneclaws and dire packs strike. Horses are dragged down weakened by the cloud and their throats torn by fang while the riders face sharp claws slashing down. While the heavy armour resists many strikes others strike in gaps and blood spurts outward as flesh is hewn.

    Cries of fear and outrage add to the mix as the infantry rush forward to save their lords only to face another rain of projectiles. The undead skirmishers make themselves known once more as those intact let fly their arms. While much less numerous of a barrage the charge is slowed in places and it is an uneven charge that is launched.It is this that the undead take advantage of.

    Hoofs strike in the earth and arrows are loosed with deadly consequence as the bow cavalry sing their deadly song. Arrows arch through the air while undead horsemen ride in a circular formation, their imprint dictates a whirlwind of death. Without the advantage of a solid wall of wood and metal arrows strike at will, many fall not dead but unable to fight effectively for this battle. Regardless they are stirred forward by worried lords hurrying to the aid of their comrades. Fallen or injured knights are dragged under cover of shields to be taken back. Here the mages and priests get to work to aid their comrades with either healing the injured or pouring arcane and holy might at the enemy in vengeance. Bone burns whether by fire or holy light and the acrid stench rises and is stirred by the wind.

    Undead horses are struck by thrown rock or wind and collapse to pieces their riders soon to suffer a similar fate as their sounds add to the chaos. While many knights are injured few have died, almost 3/4 of their number remain but much was lost in the retreat. It is the poor levy who lays fallen in the cursed earth, his soul gone from his body or worse trapped and festering in hate at those who killed them or those who pushed them to death. The dead do not like to stay still in this land but for now they lay unmoving freshly slain. As boneclaw and dire wolf throw themselves at the enemy with silent roar to give no true rest. While a pile of horse flesh marks the forward point of ground behind them many levy were slain as well. It is on this space that footman strike footman.

    Here truly the living dominate for even with the strengthened bodies of the undead they do not have the numbers to fight and now the hardened mercenaries and adventurers thrive. What can the poor levy with a spear do against an undead who cannot be stopped by the driven metal point, here silvered sword and mace burn or shatter bone. Here mages and clerics continue as well striking the enemy with impunity as they are almost helpless to fight and bone scatters. Soon however more undead strike out from the gaps in formation allowing more to advance in charging groups to fall upon the living. The line ebbs and flows but ultimately it is the undead who are thrown back, bone does not do well in such contests of brute strength.

    However once more streams of dark fog flow over the living, sapping muscles already tired from battle and sustaining the undead as the air seeths unnaturally. Bones once shattered flow roughly and reconnect, fingers once again dig for weapons or simply tear into flesh of the unsuspecting who do not see the movement behind or beneath them. Dead Knights stride the land gathering more to them as their will calls those who have fallen to rise and strike the unprepared in flanking attacks. TUnauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    he living falter for a time worn from battle while more undead claw their way from their fallen positions to rip and tear while their hearts are seized by the fear of the dark. What should not move stirs yet and muscles seem filled with the coldest lead. It is now that terror of facing the still draining blood of your comrade brings more terror to the levy as screams of fright and despair rise even louder. Even the associate mercenaries and adventurers who should be more hardened to this act tremble. Over head cleansing light and magic sweeps the field forcing back the dead knights, At the same time bones are cleansed and pause from rising once more as the freshly risen return to the earth.

    Some still remain and the living battle onward. Arms are slashed while ribs break inward, head turned where they should not and legs are crushed into paste. Suddenly however a strange quiet is on the field. As the last bone clatters onto the ground no more undead dwell in sight. Where are the large armoured forms striding at the back of their lesser compatriots and the weavers of flowing miasma who sapped the strength and courage of the living?. Both are not in sight their chorus empty. They are suddenly gone and not a sign lay of them either walking or fallen on the earth and the still air mocks those still alive.

    Where were the architects of despair and pain that forced so many to never breath once more? Banners no longer flap in the wind where they lay, stabbed in the earth from where their bearers lay fallen. Once more cries ring out from those trying to gather their flock or see fallen comrades amidst the soaked earth. Many are touched in one way or another never to be the same again. As they tramp the earth in the aftermath of bloodshed fewer and quieter than before when they stood arrayed and proud of their cause. The first ensemble ends off their music now, descending to only the lonely or rather not lonely cries of wounded horse and human.

    ________

    It is now that those who watched from afar gathered around a reflecting pool where the sight of the battle had always been seen. Dark garbed figures shuffle and check scrolls and notes of the affairs that occurred and must be tallied. Here one dressed in fully concealing robes and face covered such that nothing can be seen asks ¡°How long till our army arrives to strike?¡±.

    One figure raises their head from making marks on his parchment and replies, a male voice speaking ¡°In a week my lord, they move without pause and soon will cover the new distance between us and our old location. The defensive holds where we once had our old base before shifting now add new forces to their reserves. They will have gathered a large enough host to check their advance and weaken them again if we desire, or strike with the hammer we have moving to position now¡±

    ¡°Let us give them hope, gather them and when the enemy lays siege to what they believe was the old castle. When they are triumphant over the pawns then will the queen move to checkmate. Ensure that nothing prevents us from such an act¡± A cold voice gives forth orders to ensure that none will survive the month, victory is presumed assured and none can see anything that would cause this to be disputed for the hills have eyes and the air itself carries voice to that which was once flesh and blood but no longer can be touched.

    Empty eyes watch and translucent ears listen, even the paltry defenses cannot hold against those that watch from afar. A fact that will be exploited to whatever ends can be done, for whoever said that war is fair across its very long lineage. Impassioned hands move to record the dead, or perhaps too passionate hands record eager to lay them upon those freshly fallen to work their twisted arts. Others marshall forces who move as one to pre-planned areas ready as the spider in it¡¯s web.

    Unseen and unheard to the rest of the group a small mutter comes from their high lord.

    ¡°If overcomplicated plan 1 fails, plan 2 is swamp them with numbers. Plan 3 is next set of complicated plans. Plan 4 is the next backup plan if anything too detailed fails. They will find that they prefer a quiet death at the hands of my minions¡±

    Author¡¯s Note

    Casualty count Crusade army(Rounded)

    Note-Casualty does not equal dead

    -60 knights

    -140 adventurers/mercenaries

    -1400 levy(poor bastards)

    Survivors-2600 (60% survival rate)

    Destruction count Undead

    Infantry and Auxiliary(boneclaws/dire wolves)-Complete Wipe

    Elite Command/Mage-None

    Bow Calvary-50

    Total Destroyed-3920

    Units cared about surviving-all elites, half the bow cavalry(62% survival rate)

    Reserve /remaining undead forces

    -400 Infantry

    -50 bow cavalry

    -30 command units

 27-Back to our reporter

    Back to our reporter

    ___

    Things have gone somewhat to plan in the continued liquidation of the crusader¡¯s forces. I have culled their forces heavily, even if only a fourth of the entire force are truly dead many are injured as well. While it was unexpected for them to truly bring over 3 thousand it was still close to estimations, though I am greatly annoyed by the fact that they have organized such a large force so easily. How much power does this church hold to gather so many? This is not a logical step when they gave up on scouts after entering the plains. Unimpeded sight does not mean you should be so complacent. I wanted to see how their forces fought which is why I did not obscure the vanguard.

    Regardless they now cannot hope to take on my primary force now and more undead rise from the spawning points as time passes. I have cut their levy forces to barely more than half, shaved their knights by a third, and taken almost a sixth of their core mercenaries and adventurers. While the command and mage group are only minimally touched that is satisfying for now. My guerilla troops are busy with bolstering their numbers from the slain while the liberated slaves and supplies now move on another path to my holds guarded properly of course.

    I can expect that my enlarged main force can finish the job in an acceptable fashion. I found more graves sites with my expedition forces bolstering my main forces by 50% and doubling my auxiliary forces(peons, workers, dire wolves, boneclaws, expendable infantry). Thanks to the various spawn sites which while are not as good as those I already found are acceptable. Bolstering the work forces, skirmish troops, and expendables is good enough. I expect the crusade will rest for a few days while the dead are gathered and cleansed along with what can be scavenged for use again. The survey work for the new site was finished while this was going on. The earthworks continue to rise as the workers toil at it.

    Now while the crusaders are delayed if they truly are incompetent and hasty then perhaps they will leave the bodies but I doubt that. I expected losses from inadequate supplies which did not happen but they will be ground under by my boot soon enough. The process of either burning or protecting the dead will take some time what with the limited wood in the area and I don¡¯t know exactly how generous the priests will be in placing wards around the dead. Attrition warfare is not just supply loss but also throwing bodies and buying time. There is nothing like undead for throwing bodies or buying time. The inherent weakness of undead compared to humans is hard to bridge though, I have spent decades on this with results but still too far. It took me time to realize that I was approaching this wrong. Yes improving each individual undead is useful but concentration is needed, spread my efforts too far and it collapses.

    If only I could get my hands on wyrm or dragon bone but that is likely not to be the case until I can raid the kingdom¡¯s treasury. Even that move is a little too high profile for me. Of course I could find a dragon on my own but I would rather not since the most common are fire dragons which of course undead...I could win through throwing everything at once but the losses would be intolerable for me as of right now. I do not have such luxury with my current forces. The workshops are not yet prepared for the next phase of expansion. I need to go beyond infantry and cavalry to truly have an edge. Some necromancers are obsessed with taking powerful dead to become their minions, they are too fixated on taking existing bone. All one needs is a small sample and they can go far. This is part of my hidden study, no one will be allowed to receive this portion of my knowledge. Not even my apprentices or whoever will be my successor, they must discover it themselves for there is much searching of one¡¯s heart for this.

    Shaking myself from this revelry I am still rather paranoid about the shadows remark by the goddess, but my enhanced warding measures have found nothing nor the physical patrols. Even my spectres have found nothing whether living, dead, or otherwise. I hate this feeling but I can only repeat once more that I can only go forward as the only path available to me despite my continued frustrations.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Deciding to check if anything had changed in the archives of the ring I find something rather important. The apparent declaration of holy war was not simply a figure of speech apparently, well...

    ¡°Yep it is not, however considering that you are really the only one of my followers here and you are obviously going to try your best not to die or lose your lands I did not mention anything as you are not going to be changing how you act anyway¡±

    ¡°So even if I do not actually worship you simply being your chosen counts?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have done good work considering that besides you there are only a few shrines and that small group of worshippers on my side. This is normally considered a lost cause but of course you are not one to take such a thing lying down and have done splendidly so far. Just keep up your normal work and I can offer you a few hints to help you with a few of your material deficiencies later on¡±

    ¡°Hmph not like I can truly change what I will be doing anyway aside from I can presume burning every church of the God of Holy Light to the ground¡±

    ¡°While extreme yes that is about it, not like you are intending to leave any priests that attack you alive anyway¡±

    ¡°Not the most enlightening of talks as before but I suppose it is something and you truly have time do you not?¡±

    ¡°I admit this is entertaining and you understand the waiting game of course, with our scale that is simply extended even further so please do good work¡±

    ¡°Sighh of course¡±

    This is not enough to distract me from my paranoia still different as it was from normal life, checking the links to all I see that there is no pressing issues. The acolytes are at work studying or working in the labs. My elites are busy with undead creation or patrols and while taking a stroll in order to spread my senses out none of the necromancers are doing anything particularly deviant. A group are gathering but it appears to be an experiment, hmm looks like they are trying to experiment with forming bones into weapons and controlling them remotely with necromancy. A so called flying sword, an interesting proposal if done properly bone is rather light but we will see how they progress.

    Certainly something I will keep an eye on as they are not taking the proper measures at keeping it hidden, slack on this and it is your own fault. Speaking of which checking the wards again will be a good measure I suppose to keep things busy. Taking my surrogate for a nice stroll I pass a few respectful intakes who are now working as servants carrying food and other menial work for more support to their families in the villages. I keep them fed and not starving but if they want a bit more to be able to improve their lives then they should work harder. Not that they complain since this is an improvement to before with the famine starting to set in.

    I liberated or took in several hundred slaves and refugees who were brave enough to head here. I had some peons and workers make new villages out of mud brick as obviously trees are not that plentiful until the new saplings grow up. A few coal mines certainly help cut down on wood fuel needs for other works. A few shrines and mana stone pillars helps keep things habitable and expands my domain of course. Still everyone who swears themselves to me with binding oath gets a nice necklace with a shielding effect from miasma, they all agreed after living under the harshness here deeper into the fields. Once again I am astonished at how wasteful the church of Holy Light is, they have craftsmen here and simply because they do not follow their doctrine or are not human do not make use of them.

    As said quite a few of the slaves were not human and from various races, a number of dwarves and other groups known for their metal work certainly will be helpful. These people had been forced to work for years as slaves, joining me was a simpler choice for them. Not that I gave them any other options as well... I of course had to expend dungeon mana on creating more pillars to sustain them but a small price to pay for craftsmen, deficient as I am. They won¡¯t be able to produce enough to fully sustain all my forces but if I can introduce some sort of mass production to them then it would certainly alleviate things, craftsman have their pride even after having been reduced to slaves once before.

    I do not however need to force them to fully change, perhaps suggestions to have apprentices work on such matters as part of their training before working on more masterpiece work as normal. Certainly now that I provide a constant source of metal and fuel without charge for them to work with I expect some high quality pieces to eventually be made. Thanks to all this I now actually have my own little castle town here with skilled workers and supporting villages for food. However this is a little too vulnerable, those earthworks are high on the priority chain.

    The city planning was a rather nice step up but still it is time to see if I can find something to allay my paranoia with. Habits formed over decades are not something easily broken, certainly kept me alive through assassination attempts but I can never truly rest because of it. There must be something I can do to keep my mind off of thinking about it, another walk around the place then even if it does not do much. I wonder if I have been inspecting them a little too much, well it is not a skin off my back.

 27.5-Food for thought Time

    Honestly experimenting everyday without rest was never actually a relaxing task for me. It would take utter insanity or fanaticism to do so considering how much waiting time is actually involved in research. The short answer is that it takes a very, very long time to create elite units. My latest project itself having now entered the prototype stage especially is draining much of my resources and time. Now however all I can do is wait as everything cultivates. So many small parts and spirits need to be crafted carefully. The motive forces have to be just right or this would be a crude piece of work. At the least the proof of concept has to be good, no expenses spared. But past that I have the time to indulge in my little hobby.

    Heading back to my quarters I enter the small workshop. Here I make everything for my personal effects whether tailoring or maintenance of arms. But this little beauty was the more peaceful exception. Crafted meticulously by hand it was finally ready to be used. The varnish has finally finished and it gleams well by the crystal light.

    The design was based on that of the then latest design, even when I had left it was still the most popular variant. Lovely hardwood frame and softwood belly. High quality horses hair and wolf sinew along with some careful silver strings. It was hard work getting the correct tension and diameter on the strings but certainly worth it as a few practice as I draw the bow across it. I have a certain bit of satisfaction in using this design considering where I first received one of it. Well received is a nice way of putting it, more like taken from the study of a traitor after stepping over his cold body.

    The fool had attempted to betray me by having me killed in the chaos of a battle. The Cori¡¯gal tribes had been acting up and had led a coalition of our enemies against the empire''s northern borders. The short sighted fool felt that it would be worth usurping the old general''s position. Hmph I had been fighting wars for as far back as when his grandfather was just born. After making an example of the tribals and striking a good blood treaty it was time to clean the household. It was simple really, few opposed me especially after having obtained the Judicator¡¯s writ. The authority they possess is enough for me to condone him to death. The least I can say is that he certainly did not fail expectations. Taking as long as possible to drag his valuables along I found him in the study of his mansion. Hand on the frame of his secret escape tunnel as well.

    I simply grabbed him by the throat read his sentence as decided by the Judicators and killed him. Storing his soul for a later snack I felt a bit of interest in his valuables. Obviously a rather quick and dirty soul interrogation shows that there were no traps along with any and all assets he had. Removing traces of any illegal means and ensuring that there were no loose ends I left the estate. I do not understand how he managed to survive the ceremony of succession with such little intelligence but we all get lucky sometimes.

    I would have expected greater will power from one who took the oaths and blood pledges but ohh well. Still for cleanup his lands were handed over to the imperial family for a bit of favor while I distributed a fourth of the money to my soldiers. The rest was funneled to the Judicators, other nobles, and my own research fund of course. Same with the valuables except for a few interesting baubles. The first iteration of this violin was among the spoils there. I had felt a bit of interest seeing it spread amongst the orchestras of the capital and liked the sound of its music. This little high quality version became my practice piece.

    It was another hobby that was non violent and even if I was mocked by friends I still learned how to play. I suspect my music teacher is still annoyed at me, at least the pompous elf grudgingly acknowledged that I was not wrong with my way of creating music. Learning from scores was never my strong suit, playing by ear felt more satisfying. Still a few written pieces was good for the ones I particularly favored. Certainly felt good to mess with those old sods by planning a performance to surprise them. Admittedly there was a decent amount of gossip afterwards but well worth their faces at the reveal when it was over. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    I actually got a few legitimate requests to perform but no that was not for me. This was still mostly a personal hobby, not something I would show off all the time. Like how some of the others took up painting or poetry this was what I dabbled in to pass the peaceful times. Admittedly we are not quite there yet but the calm before the storm is always a tense time. Perhaps something to stir up the group would be in order. This would certainly make them confused, especially that lot who overthinks everything. When one is well into their second century for a short lived race as humans are one learns many traits. Even now I still have a good bit of time ahead of me, only a gray hair or two here and there.

    Placing my fingers upon the pegs I ensure that the instrument is tuned as I begin a simple warm up. Going from open to double stop on the four strings and from the bridge to the finger box I go over a wide spectrum of possible notes. After this I decide to start in earnest, an older piece I made before. This one focused more on the harsher and lower tones available and could be considered somewhat forceful and dramatic. I was feeling somewhat in the mood for such a piece and let it go to fulfilment and on. It would be interesting to have more instruments but then again I am more used to solo parts with a few background additions. Food for thought in the future.

    Now, I feel like I should check on young David later on today. It is not good to have him completely isolated or he will have a few development problems. If my somewhat chaotic days at the academy taught me something, it is that there should always be some interaction. I had my fair share of issues when I was less experienced with life but that simply means I should try to help him.I do not want a psychotic teenager running around my castle much less allowing him on a battlefield. If he dies in battle on his own terms then he lived his life hopefully with minimal regrets. If I send him untested into a killing field then that would be my own fault barring required tactical concerns. Still that reminds of what this war means.

    I am not a despot sending untrained youths to their deaths, I at least ask once. The dictates of the nation and our concerns of the region would rule whatever my war goals would be. However here, here we have a much different type of war. This land is not considered its own sovereign nation or even force. The niceties that man creates to curb its worst excess is free to be used. Of course moral depravity for its own sake or gratification is banned by blade of the axe. I had to enforce discipline early on with the rescued slaves. Some were actual criminals and had rather terrible crimes, the disgust I faced when a few offered their services to my surrogate.... A quick execution was the only mercy I gave them, I prefer saving slaves for manpower in the future but any such troublemakers will be dealt with.

    Still if I am to break the will of the armies they send I can afford to unleash a few more unscrupulous tactics. Some more unrestrained... attacks on military targets is of course free for the taking. If they send any army too large then it would be a pain to kill every single one of them, I want victory not a pointless field of bodies.

    Whatever politics caused this will be tiring to disassemble. I miss my old home for times like these, brute force and authority figures reduced politicking. Total assassination of all targets is not a good method, ascension through such bloodthirsty ways encourages others to follow my example. Whatever ways I can find to end this war favorably needs to be looked at. Killing both the adventurers and this army will be needed simply for the bodies if nothing else. The weapons and arms is also a primary concern, freed slaves are simply a bonus. I will not make excuses, I could have tried to parley but chose not to, I did not expect results regardless. Now simply have to punt back their forces and ensure that the borders are secure. Somewhere into the wildlands between our two regions.

    But also of vast concern to ensure this little plan is a display of power, if I do not show my strength then why bother with coming to the table. Any complaints about the deaths is more than covered by saying that they invaded without attempt at negotiation. There are none capable of speaking against this after all. So many things to juggle, both with personal affairs and then caring for the people. So much work, well my life is now once again filled with action I have not had since I was only a century old. Odd to think that those with only a little magic potential would be long buried by that point, well back to work then.

 28-And off again

    POV Change

    ¡®Curses what is this, I spent days wandering lost ahead of the holier than thou group only to see the big castle teeming with undead simply vanish and in it¡¯s place another fortress teeming with undead. What trickery is this! Well after tracking down some patrols I finally found once again the big castle with undead. It was hell trying to break through the rather religiously renewed outer wards only to find spirits wandering around like no tomorrow. Avoiding those was torture and just as I think my luck has finally arrived as I see what are obviously servants walking around with plates of food I see someone in a dark robe and what looks like bone trinkets also walk towards my target of potential disguise.

    The robed guy as I can see takes the food laden tray and walks back the way he came, I felt a distinct bit of fear just being near him so I kept back incase he could sense me. Even an experienced rouge such as I am feeling goosebumps the more I spend in this land and especially here in the castle. How the hell does a normal looking servant manage to live, the guy does not even look to notice anything at all but then again I see what looks like a bone trinket around his neck. Perhaps that could be it but right now following the more important looking robed man is the goal¡¯

    ¡®Following robed guy as close as I dare I see him enter a large room and slip through the open door. I see that the guy has walked to a group of his fellows who are taking some of the food on the tray to eat. They have their hoods down and I see pale people who I assume are mages or with the amount of undead guarding the outer places they are necromancers?

    Regardless I see a number of magic circles on floor, floating mana stones, and tables with parchment. I can assume this is a testing area of some sort so best leave for now, by the way these fellows are acting and my instincts the I want is not here. I need biggest honcho here to kill if I want that nice reward offered by the fellows in the guild. They don¡¯t like this guy who apparently leads the group not that even they knew even the littlest details about him. Still blessings of our shadowed god along with many nice enchanted items makes me risk this anyway. As one of the strongest independent workers regardless of the blessing I felt that I could take this on, I have killed kings and mages before so this should be the same.

    Creeping along the area I walk through deeper into the castle and finally catch what I assume is a lucky break. Walking down the hallway in an arrogant and confident manner is a figure dressed heavily in multi-layered robes and a mask with cloth bundled around it. This guy is just like a walking pile of blankets but the good quality of it all along with the numerous talismans paint this to be a big wig. Probably an eccentric one but so are all high and mighty mages and my instincts tell me this is the target. It just screams this is it and the little trinket I have also glows brighter than ever before.

    Making sure my obscuring artifacts still work which were a hell to pay and kill my way to get. My daggers were also something I was proud of, a bit of actual honest work for a mage who wanted some items from the wild so of course I robbed some merchants and got it for him. I could have robbed him as well but I don¡¯t risk stealing from mages, killing yes but stealing no that is too risky for some tracking thing. I already have my work cut out making sure there are no curses that activate once I kill the fellow no need for more. Waiting in an alcove for him to walk by and checking for guards with my glasses, a bit of a risk but better the slight sound and glint then getting hidden guards like no tomorrow. No spirits appear around him from the mirror or other arcane traps, alot of barriers but that is to be expected.

    Seeing nothing else around him I sneak closely to him and readying my daggers reach up to stab one through the side and another in the leg. If one fails then the other will certainly cause problems to anyone. Quickly pulling back and stabbing again through the other leg and an arm I pull back again and see something that shocks me. No blood only a little powder on the blades and what is more I realize I did not feel the usual sinking of blade into flesh when I struck. I am so used to this that I did not notice when I quickly impaled him with the daggers. I quickly bail away and attempt to run back the path I marked to escape only to feel a terrifying horror enclose my heart. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°So you are the one that I felt such unease about these past weeks¡±

    A cold voice echoes the halls and I turn to see the robed figure with mask now askew hanging from the cloth around his head. What little I can see fills me with fear, bone and not the bone of a skull mask but an actual skull. Baleful fire is visible in the one socket I can see, that eye seems to suck in all the light that enters it and never releases it again. I struggle as much as I can but cannot move, I feel a coldness that has nothing to do with temperature binding me down.

    ¡°You are well equipped to be able to sneak this far and only trip a few silent alarms. I was rather worried I was going mad with worry that I had been simply too paranoid about a few vague warnings until well you showed up. I must thank you for that but now well the only reward you will receive is......¡±

    <hr>

    Why bother finishing the sentence as I have my spectres yank his soul out screaming, fixing my get up once more I start to examine the soul. A cursory look only reveals some assassin¡¯s guild and a reward for my death. Useless since he did not have a description of me and the guild did not allow true faces or voices to be used, they did well keeping things secret though I hopefully have a rough idea of their strength from this fellow. I can assume that this ¡®shadowed god¡¯ that I glean from the soul is another little potential irritant but for now I can leave getting the knowledge of other lands for later. Seriously it is a miracle that this guy did not stab someone random before finding me, without the barest information possible he tried this, then again he did stab sorta the right person. Instincts are rather developed but still you stabbed a proxy, I would hate to be assassinated without the assassin knowing who the actual target is. This trinket of his though, that is worrying...

    Of course these blades are not enchanted enough to be able to truly kill me, kill the body yes destroy the soul not so much. By now a few necromancers have come to look and seeing me poke around with a soul while a corpse of some obvious assailant is here leave slowly. There will be questions later but they know to wait, from his memories none of his equipment is cursed so this is good fortune for me. Releasing a worker from storage to bring the body I return to my work chambers in the labs.

    Preserving the body I start checking what he had in depth more in my study, I trust the soul memories but I need to see if he missed something that a mage would find. Once I have things checked I can create the second of my special agents, a skeletal assassin will be useful for silencing any enemies I need. I hope that was the shadowed presence from before but I will need to look at the artifacts used for concealing to check, something that works on my enchantments cannot be that simple surely and the possibilities......

    ¡°I heard that¡±

    ¡°Why, not like I am your appointed priest just yet¡±

    ¡°If you do anything bad then I will not be happy¡±

    ¡°So...no assassinating the enemy leaders and stealing their plans? What did you expect me to do with it, I intend to actually win this war you know¡±

    ¡°Just....Nevermind¡±

    ¡°This artifact will require some time to be revealed and I must continue my work on expansion of the city. May I inquire if there is anything else?¡±

    ¡°Just wait, I have had a few issues with another sect priest and his issues that I can hear. Let us say I am a little tired¡±

    ¡°Get rid of him then, simpleset fix. Not like you can get reform him if he is so deviant to cause troubles if you have given him chances¡±

    ¡°I would make a comment about your bloodthirst but then again what did I expect, still I can do something about it I suppose. Ohh and about the material issue, there is likely to be the bones of dragons or other related creatures near or on a mountain in the general area of your search parties. Just have them keep looking and you will find it eventually, don¡¯t expand beyond the zone they are in or you may miss it. Do beware of the locals though, you are not the only one drawn here before¡±

    ¡°That is actually very useful, thank you my patron. Now if you excuse me I need to make more force allotments now¡±

    ¡°Remember when you face the crusaders get rid of their icon to weaken them even further, I feel some concentrated power of the light so beware¡±

    ¡°Understood, now I will be needing to truly get to work once more¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    Leaving the room and sending out orders via my link to move troops where I want them I can¡¯t help but think about why she wanted the last word, a pointless thing. Now I have important things to do.

 28.5-Simple Concerns

    ¡°My lord, it is an honour for me to be granted this audience¡±

    ¡°Cut the pleasantries, I do not desire them¡±

    ¡°Of course.....my lord¡±

    The little appointed village headman Sebastian requested a meeting with me over a few matters of concern. Frankly even though my schedule should have been a little too packed I still managed to find some space. Only a few minutes after one of my training sessions I decided to meet with him. A few bandages were needed but otherwise I could meet with him quickly. For some reason I wanted to listen to him, not sure why but I felt it was the right thing to do.

    ¡°Now your concern?¡±

    ¡°My lord while the village you constructed is adequate for now, these new arrivals may be too many¡±

    He seems to be trying to reign in his anxiety, I would have a cup of something for him to drink but sadly that was apparently one thing I forgot to do. Still I did have some thought to solving this issue before it got out of hand.

    ¡°That is of little concern, new residences are being built and the new arrivals will not be sent to live in the village. I need to ensure any weeds are plucked first before I allow them to stay¡±

    A simple matter, allowing potential troublemakers would be tiresome to take care of. It takes time to steal the records of these people¡¯s fall to slavery from the relevant sources or fallen bodies. Targeting whatever they had for pursers and financial officers was a priority during the attacks. I need their records to plan for things. Then I looked for those who had committed undesirable crimes, sorted out a few that looked to be on trumped up charges and left it to those on site. Whoever is left is put on probation till they prove their loyalty or at least that they won¡¯t try anything.

    ¡°Yes my lord of course, however the people of the village are happy and well families are expanding. Eventually we will need to either expand or split the village¡±

    ¡°I know, there are plans to fix that. I would like to show you something. Now this is how I intend to shape this nation that I am creating¡±

    ¡°My...My....lord..this... I don¡¯t even....¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes you probably do not understand. Suffice it to say, this is the city that I will have built. Over the course of a decade more than a million people may live in or around it. All you need to know is that your people may move in after another two or three months. Those that wish to stay in their villages may do so. However I plan for most of those with skills to eventually move here to live, they will be well cared for and protected¡±

    ¡°My lord, I can only thank you for the care you show¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is so. If there is nothing else?¡±

    ¡°No, I would like to withdraw now my lord¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course¡±

    The man let the room while looking both confused and reassured. I should probably not have shown him the diagrams. Yes they were the rough layouts but I fear that the numbers and letters confused him. Actually now that I think about it I am not even sure he can read, or that he knows Imperial standard. Yes that is an oversight. While most of the items I wrote for the cadre are in this land¡¯s basic, all my personal notes and plans are still in Imperial. Odd now that I think about it. Sigh I need to establish the schools needed for teaching such things. Just another of the items I need to think about.

    First I had to establish the basis for an organized society that consumed most of the first few months here. Creating a code of law, planning out villages, setting routes of communication and the roads needed for them. Then there was creating an army and preparing resources for the cadre. Of course I could not forget about the important research and ensuring everyone is fed. Now I have to consolidate my territory and the exploration of the unknown lands, planning one battle is simply a pittance in comparison. Yes I had the cadre concentrate on preparations but in the end the battle plan itself was incredibly simple. Some skirmishing of forces, key assaults at the right time, and maintaining the battle line. Basically a little warmup to allow them a glimpse at warfare. A battle with living troops is actually more complex, if one is to gain optimal efficiency there needs to be much organizational work. Lines of communication, who had what authority to commit actions, whether troops are adequately supplied with food and rest. This is a simple matter that only experience can solve. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Right now I expect an isolationist society with most of the population coming from immigration and emancipation. Due to the lack of much of an economy I am implementing a mostly state-run system. Various tokens will be the currency, all production will have certain quotas to fulfill for the state and the rest can left to the individual. All products will go to state-run stores and the populace will receive guaranteed supplies for their livelihoods. Anything extra will require them to either barter or receive tokens from a state-assigned job. This should ensure a well fed and prosperous society in the meantime as my capital is built.

    Over 40 million square meters of earth will need to be shifted for the walls alone. I have as many of the peons that I have created as possible working on this task at all times. This is at the moment a rather considerable force. My own personal troops number less than two thousand while I have a few thousand auxiliary troops. This is only those I deem capable of combat, what of all the rest? While not deemed worthwhile for combat that is over a hundred thousand bodies. The accumulated death of centuries for a large territory is enough. The preservative soil and magic simply aids in this, many things are unable to decompose in the wasted pits and graveyards.

    A hundred thousand peons to commit to whatever task I wish. Even if all I can create are mudbrick and rammed earth that is enough. 20m tall walls, 20m at the base and 14m at the top stretching over 120km. Such work would seem monumental to a kingdom that must pay to house and feed all the workers along with the material needed. For me I can throw half my workforce into this endeavor after modifications. Even only creating a basket system to move dirt is enough. I expect about a fourth of the skeletons I send to work to eventually be broken and then recycled. Times like this can showcase just how much an undead workforce can create, yet it requires conditions like the agros de mortis to allow. Never in my time with the Empire did I attempt operations on this scale, I would drain myself ragged to fuel them in less than a week, moreso with the modifications to allow them to work without tools.

    Now however, I can afford to fuel such a force here deeper in the lands with the assistance of the ring. The location I moved my castle to was by a river that flowed from north to south farther to the east. Taking the several months of accumulated mana I diverted the river to my task. Changing the course to fill a three layer cake like canal system to act as the moat of my city. Such a work actually speeds up my task even more once I can craft barges to transport the dirt from top to bottom. However I do not know of any better ship building techniques myself, I have used and had ordered barges built at times. Even with the basic knowledge I have stored it does not cover that far.

    The planned capital city will compose of a three district city and a several fortresses both within and around for protection. The northern of the three planned districts will be my military-industrial-magical core, the central will be the heart of the city. It will contain many of the key components from an internal agricultural zone, administrative cities, and house much of the military and workers needed. The southern district will concentrate more on the housing for the common classes and their necessary industry. Eight great avenues will be the vessels of the body in addition to the moat/canal system.This ambitious project consumes most of my ¡®free¡¯ time that does not include mandatory work, training, and breaks. Still even with such a schedule I find myself wanting.

    Sometimes I find myself waiting, expecting someone to speak up whether to approve or disapprove. Then I turn and remember that I am alone, I am the only one to dictate what will occur. Even with all the powers I had in the Empire I was usually not alone. Whether fellow members of the academy dictating school policy or Theresa and my nephew. Either them or the various marshalls of the Empire and the officers of my own legions. I had others around me who advised, acted as overseers, or sought advice. Now I have only my undead and a few subordinate necromancers or commoners. No equals or direct subordinates to share my time with. I took in young David on almost a whim, I never lied but at the same time hid some of my motives. Sadly it fell through, David is too absorbed in gaining strength. I teach him what I know and try to mold him but he is dedicated.

    A reason to live is a powerful thing, we go so far to fulfill or protect it. It is how powerful undead are born from battlefields. The despair and hatred they feel fuel them, their sheer resentment and blood thirst for vengeance cause them to return. Particularly powerful individuals can retain some of their intelligence and create plans. Such vengeful events is fodder for the bards and the reason that necromancers were allowed into the Empire. If a country conquered many lands it must beware of the dead lest they be torn asunder. The Empire¡¯s induction of necromancers and a centralized warrior priest system allowed their expansion to the largest Empire in milenium. So large that it is a point to call itself only the ¡®Empire¡¯, no other land deserves the title. Few reasons so petty as a name could dictate being a target, yet it still occurred.

    No other nation dared expand so far lest the size cause them to suffer from too many internal problems. Often nobles at the fringes grow greedy, nobles in the inner lands grow conceited, and the people are over burdened between. Other nations grow worried and if the conquered people grow resentful, all that is need is a spark. Often undead resurgences provide the trigger for this or simply hammer in more nails.

    What was once a cycle of rise and fall of nations changed with the Empire. A meritocratic dictatorship, it is innovate or die. Periods of warfare with resting times to consolidate and create new weapons. Bonds are forged and broken in the fervor to follow the creed. Here I created the bonds with my comrades and subordinates, there I found contentment of some form. Yet here I am in another foreign land, fulfilling what I thought to be my heart¡¯s desire. Unlimited research and manipulation of the dead. That was one of the reasons I felt I could accept the offer, yet I find myself missing home. Perhaps I can create new bonds here, I suspect they have already moved on at home. For their sake I hope they have. However the die is cast, all I can do is move forward. I gave up truly worshipping any god at a young age, all there is is contract. To take and give in return, I hope I can continue to find a reason to live in this new land.

 29-Crusade Round Two

    Finishing up my preliminary checks of the soul I started answering the questions of the necromancers. Afterwards I proceeded in giving them a lecture about security which made some of them become drained of blood in fear at the revelations I had found. After making sure they did not forget my words and checking to see that they actually followed through I converted this fellow in secret. A low mithril assassin will be in good use along with the wight who also became high silver after conversion. My personal hands and feet, a praetorian guard so to say but no need for it so far with only two confirmed members and the eldest elites possibly being added in if needed, but they have jobs already.

    My forces won¡¯t collapse if I am somehow incapacitated though that is unlikely. This was an issue before but it is even more apparent now. This new body is ....clean. It is utterly pale and free of blemishes or scars. The decades accumulation of experience and life are simply gone. One bonus however is the lack of impurities or damage in the body, it is much easier to simply conduct raw power through my veins and arteries. However such ease is a double edged sword as I have to undertake a grueling regime to reforge my body in between all my work. This in itself causes new scars to come forth, a necessary event. Blood for effort, effort for blood. Some amongst the group who catch portions of the routine are disturbed but they should concentrate on the next upcoming battle.

    Still a bit more than a week has passed since the first skirmish and the enemy has finally reorganized itself after burying their dead in warded burrows and burning the rest. They will soon see the fortified tomb which should be enough to trick them into believing it to be a castle. The original above ground portion of the tomb has been improved. Thanks to the features of the dungeon system I was able to conjure stone blocks to become the outer and inner covers of the pounded earth walls. Adding watchtowers, murder holes, and crenellations should be convincing enough. The walls are a little thin for my taste but will suffice. There is enough room to maneuver units on the walls thanks to the wooden platforms, this should allow rapid movement of my forces.

    My forces have for quite some time been streaming to the rally point from each production area. Enough time has passed that the gathered force is comparable once again to the crusading army. The rather tattered regalia of the group still irks my aesthetic values but these are cheap forces. Of course my main hammer is ready hidden in caverns dug on the flanks of the predicted engagement zone. For this I will watch the expendables be broken either by force or perhaps a hidden card of the crusaders. Then will I use my own to say personal troops to clean up. Now once again gathered in watch I wait, a spider patiently waiting for the prey enter the web.

    The only irritant is that they brought friends, I heard rumours about paladins from the very first group but did not see anything with this group. Now however my scouts found them marching fast, they were apparently late and will soon rejoin this lot. My guerilla forces are out of place to intercept and those that can will do nothing worthwhile other than announcing themselves. The large group of mounted soldiers and paladins would be too much for them to handle. Regardless my forces are ready to fight, they will be enough if I simply add in my elites and a bit of personal overview. And a live combat test....

    _________________

    POV Change

    Once more the journal of Baron Roger Termest Rolavest

    It has been a time of mourning and calls for vengeance among this army of the God of Holy Light, our numbers reduced to barely more than half. The only saving grace but one that brings much friction is that the holy icon of our god is prepared for use, many are angry that it was not ready earlier. The reason for this is apparently the icon was not complete and needed a finishing touch. Said component was brought by a group of some 30 holy knights led by a paladin along with more troops and supplies who arrived a few days after the battle. After bestowing the artifact to the priests, the troop has been walking amongst us leading prayers and healing the wounded. For this I am thankful that they can calm the levy who have been through what would be a most harsh trial by fire.

    We spent much time both allowing for people to heal and for the bodies to be buried and consecrated which the holy knights have helped with. We had the peasants and slaves hew out rough burrows using what little wood we could find while the mages shaped the earth. After consecrating the grounds the air actually cleared somewhat, this was the same for the icon they have finished. Many spend time there praying, or at least pretending to as it is a reprieve from the gloom and thick air elsewhere. I find my faith shaken with the events of these past few days yet what else can I look forward to. I feel so bitter and impotent, I find myself unable to do anything to express myself. This anger keeps boiling within me.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    I suppose watching the accursed bones of the enemy be burned is something. We dug great ditches and set the bones on fire. The priests and the paladin also aided in casting their holy might and the air was choked with ashes for hours. While listening to the sermons I now see why we marched for if that army had been allowed to be free then surely the lands would have been laid waste to. Still from the priest¡¯s manner I see that this many were not predicted. What is worse however is that the leaders are still on the loose. We found only bone and weapons, nothing to indicate whoever raised these undead. No matter how we sorted through the bones we found nothing. All that we can do now is to march once more to war. I see that the castle must surely be their craven lair, we must cleanse it to give peace to those that have died here. I pledge this to those who have fallen in valiant battle against this wretched foe that I will see them burned to the ground till it is naught but ash. This is the only way to direct these feelings deep in my heart.

    After days of travel we have arrived on the plains before the enemy. Their castle stands, somewhat in disrepair and not close to it¡¯s former glory. However it appears to have been repaired somewhat from the changes in the stonework. I see one set of ruined walls on the outside and a more complete one within. The castle keep is not as prominent as would be expected but still sturdy enough. We have prepared siege weapons to scale the walls and breach the gate, thank the mages for finding enough trees and using their magic to better shape the siege weapons. I feared we would not have enough between the wood for fires, burrows, and other uses.

    However now we need steel and courage in our hearts to win this battle after we purge the outer walls. I was a devout follower but now after that battle I find myself not as pious. Still I mutter a few prayers upon my lips for fortune in this battle. These undead must be purged from existence, what the church does with the land afterwards is less of a concern. Even if they offer to grant it to us as spoils I would not accept, it is an ill land. I knew it was a place of misfortune before and now I know it further. Still as horns blow I reaffirm my grip on the reins and my sword before turning to see the icon in the distance. May they succeed in their task.

    __________

    Battle Overview POV

    The living army arrays itself the knights, mercenaries and adventurers at the ready in front with levy carrying siege weapons by them. Once the ladders are in place they will scale the walls while the gate is battered down, once the first wave is through the levy will pour through and join them. The holy knights stand poised with their paladin leader to burst through the gate once breached. Without any proper ranged siege weapons and the inability to starve out the enemy only direct combat will allow them to win. The saving grace is the use of the icon of the Holy Light, with it cleansing light will flood this wretched place. The undead force has gathered it¡¯s ranged forces at the ready on the walls that enemy intend to strike any who come close. Their reserve forces stand ready to join once the ladders are in place and the gate breached to hold back the living. Rusty arms and scant armour mark these undead¡¯s origin. The marks of a lost kingdom adorn these creatures, there is no rest even in death for these ones. Their deaths in life were almost meaningless as it would be in the afterlife. Their stories found in old journals that were preserved against all rights, time... That was the entire net worth of their existence, to buy time. A certain ironic dark humour at this revelation when it was unearthed rose to the fore of one being. Yet he still pushed it forward, what meaning was there in such an act when they would never be able to ascend to anything. A harsh lesson learned early, sometimes life is simply not fair.

    Author¡¯s Note

    Start of Battle Crusade Force

    Knights-120

    Mages-25

    Priests-45

    Adventurers/Mercs-580

    Levy-2500

    Holy Knights-30

    Church Levy-200

    1 paladin

    1 bishop

    Start of Battle Undead Tomb Force

    Shock units(boneclaws/dire wolves)-300

    Auxiliary(Dungeon Spawn)-2000

    Bow Calvary-250

    Undead Personal Troops

    Shock-300

    Warrior-700

    Ranged(Mixed Bow and Crossbow)-450

    Veterans-250

    Cataphracts-70

    Mages-10

    Knights-20

    Commanders-5

    Priests-5

    Necromancers-10

    Surrogate-1

    [Redacted] Prototype-1

 30-Unveiled Battle

    Still Third person POV

    _________

    As the banners flap in the swirling air two forces stand on opposite sides opposing each other. The eternal twilight casts strange shadows across the barren gray land as dust swirls between. One side is arrayed on the plains before a fortress prepared to scale walls, the other stands on said walls ready to repel any attempts. An eerily melody flows over the land from the castle, an ill sound that digs on the nerves of the living. However there is a subtle change in the air on the plain. Robed figures push forward a cart upon which a massive icon to their deity is emplaced. The figures in robes and many in mantled armour stand before the icon hands clasped as a robed figure in resplendent robes solemnly walks forward hands grasped around an object. As he raises the object to the icon in supplication both start to glow and a connection is made. The figure turns around and resplendent in holy light points forward at the undead gathered in the fortress.

    Suddenly a massive wave of roiling light sweeps forward from the icon and by extension the figure. It flows forward sweeping away the wisps of darkness constantly flowing in the air and soon clashes into the walls of the fortress. The once freely flowing shroud of dark fog is dispersed heavily and ashes flow into the wind as the undead on and just behind the walls struck are burnt to naught but ash. The sound that was once all encompassing is gone, even the light itself seems to grow brighter in the aftermath.

    Battle cries and chants to the God of Holy Light are raised and the levy charge to place their siege weapons on the wall or to hit the gate. Banners are resplendent in the air on one side but fallen on the other. Undead that have survived the wave rush forward immediately to fill the empty walls but many of those with ranged weapons were there on the walls that were hit. Javelins, arrows, and rocks start impacting the levy but there are much fewer then there would have been before. Some levy die but the ladders reach the walls and the gates are starting to be hammered. Solid wood reinforced by strips of iron pound into rusty gates. The undead work to unseat ladders from position but they are held in place by grappling ropes and spikes quickly tied down. Arrows impact into those around the battering ram but shields hold as the bearers strike the gates.

    One ladder falls from axe blades swung by fleshless arms and people scream as they fall to the ground more than 2 stories in armour. Gory flowers of red and iron bloom and soldiers wince. But the rest of the troops have already started ascending, their hearts shaken but determined to see this to the end. The vanguard adventurers and mercenaries quickly clear space on the walls, their abilities smashing nearby undead. Immediately afterwards holy knights finish climbing and the walls are hastily being held against the swarms of undead swarming. Some forces arrange for a holding action while the rest rush downwards. The levy forces march forward with several mages and priests and prepare to enter the central zone to take the fort itself, here is where things change.

    If you listen carefully you can hear the sound of stone and earth thudding inward as hidden entry ways open up to reveal ramps, and at the bottom disciplined columns of undead marching forward in unison. Soon ranks of undead are aligned on the plains, rows upon rows of undead with bone scalemail march forward with a variety of weapons. Some march forward with shields and swords, others hold two handed weapons. If you were to look down a column of these warriors armed with the same weapons you would see only one. Undead horses with scale barding and riders in plate mail advance forward composite bows at the ready. They ride to attack and before those left outside the walls attempt to react. The harmonious clacking of bones is heard stronger than ever. Packs of dire wolves and bone claws rush the lines intending to hold the enemy while the personal troops of the Hierarch arrange themselves in formation to deal with those troops left on the ground.

    The inside of the fort is not silent either as on the keep itself skeletal crossbowmen reveal themselves and fire upon those trapped between the outer wall and the keep. From other entrances to the side, gates open and more undead advance. These are different from those outside however. Covered in bridgaines and mirror armour from head to toe these too carry a variety of weapons in their grip as they march forward to face the enemy. Unlike their more common brethren these ones have flitting sparks of darkness that appear and fade from existence. Meanwhile on the corners of the walls not taken more undead appear carrying bows to fire upon those on the other side. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    There is however no pause to take things in for themselves as bolts and arrows rain upon the stunned foe. Screams fill the air as armour is pierced from the power of the weapons used, heavy crossbows capable of punching through plate armour at range and composite long bows boasting of the same deed. The priests and mages inside the fort attempt to stop this but there are too many launched. Only so many can be blocked and some fly with such sheer force that they are only slowed enough to maim and not kill. A fate not at all appreciated as pincushioned adventurers and mercenaries scream if they are capable of such an act, for the unlucky groups without shields. Some strong ones manage to stop the arrows whether through skill full weapon use or the ability to clad themselves in a protective barrier or item. Those who can quickly attempt to find cover or gather for protection.

    But is not only crossbows and bows that are used in this battle. Giant bolts tipped with bane fire launch themselves into the holy knights in particular. Only a few are fired but the effect is devastating. Any in the direct path of fire are skewered and burst into green flame, their life force combusting and spreading to others. While some of the holy knights can put this flame out quickly the levy near them die howling in fear. One such bolt heads for the paladin but he deflects it, golden sparks flying from his shield as the bolt strikes the wall behind him imbedding itself. Attempting to rally his forces the paladin bellows out words of inspiration laced with holy power. His efforts yield some effect even as others scrapple at their eyes in despair at the wave of staffs and skeletal hand.

    But the counterattack has been launched to devastating effect as half of those that entered now lay upon the ground dead. Hundreds have fallen dead whether from projectiles or magic. Still hundred more living soldiers remain scurrying around like mice. Those leaders still alive attempt to rally their forces to attack. Barking out orders, they try to outmatch the screams heard from both within and without the fort.

    Outside of the fort walls some spearmen, mercenaries, and adventurers are arrayed around the icon. Many of the priests and those mages not committed to the attack attempt to shield their forces. Those few seperated are struck down mercilessly whether from bow fire of the cataphracts or light cavalry that strike from different sides. Meanwhile spells launched from behind the ranks of undead moving forward spread their deadly effect. The icon itself takes a massive wych fireball and as the corrosive black flame spreads so falls the morale of those around it. The icon was a symbol of their strength and a guiding light in this blighted land. But as it burns and crumbles so too do their hearts as some succumb to the roiling miasma and lay down dead from still hearts. Others cry out in fear and terror maddened as the full force of the sweeping clouds of terror hits those already weakened from seeing their comrades dying in droves.

    A few lucky soldiers look around as if in disbelief at still being alive. Or perhaps not as some snap and start charging the undead ranks advancing forward only to die on blades out thrust or swung down hammers. Those stronger of heart gather together with those few priests still alive outside under outstretched arms projecting holy aura. The one in the most resplendent robes waves his sceptre and holy light falls onto the nearest groups of rampaging boneclaws and dire wolves. They start soundlessly howling to the air as they disintegrate and plunge their fangs or claws into any enemy they can. The undead shock units soon lay dead now slain by the priests holy power, but their meat shields are heavily depleted and now the main force arrives. Dust rises in the air as units advance under clouds of nebulous dark fog, cavalry with lances raised charge also under such clouds obscuring them just as much as the dust.

    Hooves beat into the ground and the points hold steady, pointed straight at those still alive. There is little to no glint of metal here for few have metal weapons or armour as a human army would have. Blood flows upon the ground in almost black rivers as even with the efforts of the priests there are too few to combat the flowing clouds. Even with the bishop desperately bringing forth his light more fall. This faux battle continues until the warriors march forward and the resistance ends. The sounds of the living cease and it is soon apparent that there are only those left in the fort itself. But there is no rest from them either as the dead know no such concept.

    A figure in black and gold upon a warhorse in simple armour detaches from the calvary that has finished with running down those outside the gates. Raising an ivory hand it points at the keep and the undead redirect themselves. Blood splattered banners radiate forth his will and soon something else stirs. With the infernal scrape of bone and thudding steps, another being rises from its post under the earth. A soundless howl marks its acknowledgement as it begins its slow march. After weeks of growth and many dozens of infused soul fragments it now bears baleful intelligence, all for the purpose of following its creator¡¯s orders. A horrifying smile on the robed figure¡¯s skull spells the doom of those within.

 Poll TIme

    Alright, next set of releaseswill probably be the finale for arc 1 of this fic. Gonna set up a poll here for my next project and the direction it will be in. When one of the options is chosen I will go ahead and release another post for you guys to give comments on what you want or any options I can think up for the theme of the fictions. Voting will be elimination, choose two and then go from there.

    Just to save time and give some direction I''ll outline a few of the things

    Arc 2

    -continuation/expansionThis tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    -go into world transfer parody

    -bring in people from elsewhere in-universe

    -your guys thoughts

    Vampire Fic

    -Romance theme

    -psychological theme

    -whatever you can think of, don''t expect regular comedy I am not good with that

    Space Sci-fi

    -this one will be a somewhat hard sci-fi setting with an alien race, not much more since I already wrote a good chunk of it and don''t want to post spoilers already

    Other Fic

    -just give me whatever you can think of, if it is bad or not in my scope of creative ability I won''t bothermentioning it

 31-Cue Random Holy Knight POV

    Said Random Holy Knight POV

    I scream to our leader ¡°Lord Paladin what do we do?!!¡± as bolts rain upon the earthen walls conjured by the mages in desperate haste, and my heart thumps in disgraceful confusion and fear. We had come to purge this land of undead and cleanse it so that humans could live on it, to better the people, but now we face our most desperate hour. We came confident that any remaining undead would soon be cleansed by us for the icon of our god had unleashed its power to purify this cursed land. All we had to do was ensure the destruction of any wretched idols of heresy before beginning the placement of shrines to the Holy God to claim and purge this land.

    Now we are here, trapped like rats in a barrel as the cursed fog that drains one swirls around the undead marching on us. Marching like that was a term that would usually be applied to an undead until I saw it with my own eyes. These undead I see are covered in bone armour, and advance in perfect formations. Their steps perfect but filled with an eerie dissonance regardless. The malevolent feeling from each simply magnified en masse from their formations as they slowly march upon us. We cannot expect aid for those still on the walls report in despair filled voices that those outside the castle were slain and we are now hemmed in.

    The mages cannot help us break forth for it is all they can do to keep the walls up under fire from what appear to be ballista of considerable strength. Flames of fearful green lick the air from where the bolts struck as those in the open have already fled back into the walls themselves or are here with us. The rest lay lifeless around us for now, I see lifeless eyes stare back to me as blood pools around the fallen, those eyes like they accuse me.... The priests are using their holy might to keep the enemy back but cannot last forever for their strength is weakened in this godless realm, what dark deity holds sway in this realm to empower such fearful creatures.

    ¡°Rally men, our only chance lies in slaying their leader and the rest will crumble. All knights, adventurers and mercenaries gather now!! Mages and Priests shield as much as possible from the ballista bolts, we need to charge into the castle before the enemy can emerge fully. Holy knights use your power and destroy the gate quickly, everyone else hold shields to cover us. Levy hold the line, if we cannot slay their leader none will survive hold I say HOLD. Quickly we have no more time, FORWARD MEN FOR THE GREAT GOD OF LIGHT¡± As expected of our paladin standing strong with his golden armour resplendent in his holy aura even in this land, he raises his sword and holds his shield high and advances.

    Quickly spurring myself forward as I take heart in his words I muster the power bestowed to me by the god of light and project my holy aura to shield me. My brethren do the same and the others clad themselves as well if possible in whatever similar ability they have. Now is the time for action for we cannot afford to simply stay still. As the lord says we must give our all now more than ever. His words ring clear as we rush forward as fast as we can. Some have fallen but enough have survived that we can do this. With pounding feet and hearts we rush to the front gate of the castle. I hear war cries shouted as we move blocking the projectiles if possible and soon some war cries are cut off in shrieks of pain but still we move forward.

    Arriving at the gate my sword shining with the power of light I slash at it in an attempt to break it and others join my effort. Though the wood and stone portcullis and gate are strong eventually they break under our attacks, but we lose some to bolts fired from murder holes.Rushing inward I see a group of skeletal spearman but unlike the others these are not as armoured but still plentiful, our lord paladin rushed in quickly and seeing them made a decision. ¡°Mercenaries hold them off with some of the knights, we move now for the leader for surely he is in the central area!¡± Obeying his words some rush to contain the spearman and we break through and keep running, as we move through the corridors and up the stairs some more undead appear of various strengths. I am angered by this act but it is the only option left, quickly destroying those we can and having more stay back to hold the stronger ones off we dwindle in number as we advance. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Inside these corridors we are stronger than the undead for they cannot surround us with so many numbers and we prove it moving through the castle. If standard castle design is followed then we are nearing the central chambers where audiences are held, and to prove we were right the dark fog becomes stronger as we approach. If we did not use our holy light to push back this fog then we would have been suffering it¡¯s draining effects even greater than before. Eventually fighting through we find a massive set of doors with fog liberally spilling from gaps around it. Taking a breath to catch ourselves I see that over 50 now crowd these halls and a handful more eventually catch up with us bringing it to just around 60. The few who were not either slain or holding the enemy back at the various paths are now here. Only these poor souls are left but if we can kill their leader who controls all these undead then surely they will collapse for it is the only hope we have. My palms in their gauntlets are sweaty but readjusting my grip on my sword I will not sway against the enemy anymore, this is the oath in my heart as I gather myself.

    Mustering our strength once more some of the remaining knights push open the door and we all rush in. It is a large gathering hall but with columns and arches along the wall, further down I see a dais with a throne made of what appeared to be bone in the center. Along both sides instead of the wall are stairs leading further on to another set of gates higher up, what is immediately apparent however are the previous occupants still here facing us. Along the walls stand what appear to skeletons dressed in black plate and arms but from the glimpses seen through openings in the helmet the bones are also pitch black bone. They appear like little holes in existence that absorb light in distorting ways, but around the throne are figures not to even mention the throne itself.

    Arrayed around the throne are more guards but one stands out from it¡¯s appearance, dressed in robes with wretched runes and heavy armour appears a very powerful being. From the fog of green and black drifting from its clothes and arms it is a wight, and a powerful one but it is the figure on the throne that is the priority. Seated on the throne in an imposing fashion is a robed figure with a hood, a fleshless hand holds a scepter currently placed in the lap while the other is on the arm of the throne. When we all enter it lifts its head and we all see malefic blue fire burning in the sockets. Without a single word we all knew this was the foul lich responsible for all the death this past battle. I am proud that none wavered for we all knew that this was it, slay this one and all will be over is the prayer we have however slighting it is against God. My heart beats so quickly but I cannot back down, I know that such weakness will only sign my death warrant sooner.

    Our lord paladin walked to the front and roared ¡°Damnable Demon! Perish by my hand in the name of our Great God of Light for we will cast asunder all you have created and purge this land of your unholy craft!!¡± Accompanying his words he raises his sword against the lich and prepares his sword with holy light. Praise our great champion who faces the enemy!! Silence dwelled after that declaration only to be broken by cries of fear as suddenly several warriors were attacked faster than they can react and blood spilled once more. From behind the pillars I see several of the black skeletons with crossbows already recocking them.

    Fighting back we all started to engage as we holy knights pushed with our paladin to kill the lich. In my heart resounded the belief that if the lord paladin can slay the lich then we have won. It has to be or all the sacrifices of those who died to get this far are for naught, how can we go on if our great champion cannot slay the enemy. As I raised my blade to strike one of the black guards with all my power, nothing is held back for this desperate battle. All that exists in me now is determination and righteous wrath to destroy all who block our God of Holy Light¡¯s Righteous Crusade of this blighted land, we can defeat the enemy for surely the Light is with us. We will succeed for how can we not, PRAISE THE HOLY LIGHT!!

 32-Words from our anchor and an interview

    And now words from our news anchor at the station

    ______________________________

    Watching the assorted knights fighting the black skeletons I made as higher tier infantry I turn from that to the main action of the high grade pawns. The wight I despatched to make this fight believable is currently holding off the paladin rather well, looks like this guy is comparable to high-silver. The wight is currently also high silver so it cannot actually beat the paladin by itself in a speedy manner. No matter, with this I know a good deal about the potential forces I will face. But then again I sometimes prefer the simple core part of necromantic battle tactics and in general all army battles, overwhelming numbers. I am a very unorthodox general but simple number games do matter.

    Our wight has a few helpers in the form of a wraith host flying around and being a nuisance, even if it is an improved wraith it is still rather weak in comparison. Then again it¡¯s main job is causing the paladin to be off balance not to actually do meaningful direct damage. The many tendrils of shadow flail around trying to hold the paladin. I put a little effort into creating such disturbing imagery as faces half melted and flailing bone arms to appear. Anyone caught in the grasp will be subjected to intense amounts of fear and terror, some are strong enough to desperately escape while others die as their hearts fail them. This is rare but the fear spreads all the more because of this.

    Of course our little ¡®Lich¡¯ is supporting everyone with spells which are making this a slow but eventual death for the paladin. Our actual lich is busy controlling his old body to do such acts, still I feel a little too much malicious joy. Should make sure that is balanced out, I do not need my creations going psychotic. That would only decrease the efficiency. Some of the little command cadre here are actually betting raw miasma stones I gave as allowance on how long the paladin lasts. Nothing I need be truly concerned with since they are here to record numbers. As long as they keep record of the casualties I do not care about this side business. This lot is never getting into an actual battle anyway since they have the nice permenant job of being bean counters. Meanwhile the others who are productive are paying attention to the tactics used so far...

    Actually nevermind they are betting too, I suppose this is one way to make them more interested in learning. I should keep this as a note for the future if something similar comes up. I was hoping for a bit of professionalism but no real need to thrash them yet. Back to making sure everyone important is killed in a non messy fashion so I get plunder to use. As part of a little clean up plan for the remainder outside I sent one of my prototypes to deal with them and it is certainly doing work. Watching through the eyes of my surrogate grants an interesting perspective as I have it walk through the gates to oversee my creation.

    It is a bit incomplete but still has most of the core functions I care about and am testing out for viability. Of course making these into the so called ¡®production model¡¯ for wide scale use is a concern but at least it was not a complete waste. If it turns out to be too wasteful to make more of it,I have other projects. While my prototype focuses it¡¯s main form in getting rid of the levy and other fodder I have the more important priests, knights and mages silenced by it¡¯s other functions. If this does not work then I just send out the Revenant Host to clean house, having it hover above for now is certainly giving me a bit of side show entertainment from the reactions. I still do good work with terror weapons, always quite effective results.

    Cue reactionary reporting from on scene and an interviewThe tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    _________________________

    ¡°BLESSED LORD ABOVE US!!!!!!¡±

    ¡°By the Light what is that monstrosity!!¡±

    ¡°We are all going to DIEE!!!!¡±

    ¡®Wilhelm scream¡¯

    ¡°RRRROOOOOOOAAARR¡±

    ¡°Mind Shaking Ghostly Moans¡±

    ¡®My master has called for these beings to die and I will comply, for I serve my creator. These beings that have rejected my lord¡¯s dominion have had their sentence passed and I am the executor. They scream in fear or defiance but it matters nought to me. My arm cleaves a path through those in front of me as it¡¯s massive scythe cuts those struck in twain, those I missed during my swing to my sides are dealt with by my kin. The waving blade of bone attached to my back controlled by my spirit kin ensure that those that dare strike me from behind or attempt to run are slain. A group of them corralled by one of their so called leaders attempts to resist me despite what has occurred to their brethren, but I see no reason to crash into them so easily as they believe. I raise my other limb and release fury upon them as bolts of bone fly outward and strike many, as the spirits in the arm move bony hands to reload the bolts I swing my other arm into those still standing.

    As the sentence is passed on another group I sense more that still must have the decree enacted. My lesser brethren have penned them in for there are none that now can threaten me. Those that can threaten the passage of punishment have been eliminated by my roving kin and task accomplished the roving spirits return to the spikes that host them on my back. I direct the other less servants of my lord to disperse those that disobey the lord¡¯s decree. None may gain clemency here for all who trespass with intent to destroy my master¡¯s works are guilty and so have been sentenced appropriate. It is simpler to deal with them piece by piece in a set area. Another group of perpetrators realize the decree given to them and so forfeit their lives willingly and so are not punished further.

    Those that still resist are drained of some of their soul energy being being allowed to leave, whether the soul stays intact is not my concern. All who have resisted my lord have had such a punishment enacted and our numbers grow because of such a decree. My master has whispered to me of progress and tests and I will pass all I can for that is what I wish for, to serve my master in what ways I can for I am a warrior and death is my cause¡¯

    Thank you for your words and back to our anchor

    ______________________________________-

    With the rather successful work done outside now to finish up with cleaning the insides, the rather large amount of holy light being flung around is annoying to my eyes purely due to how glaring everything is. Thankfully there are no mirrors in the room since that would simply be much too burning to the eyes, still I simply have to pat myself on the back as my creations are still holding up even if the miasma has cleared up to a large degree. Certainly I can see the confidence that they had of being able to purge this area but did they think that they could do so further on into the fields? Still more raw material for me in my work to subjugate the area is simply falling into my lap so easily.

    Our unfortunate pawns have been rather dwindled and only the poor paladin along with a handful stronger lackeys are holding on, a number of scattered black bones and broken armour attest to their struggles but still I can make more or simply fix the ones still there after reimbuing them with energy. I see that they are about to go for the last ditch effort as the light only increases in the room. Now this would be annoying for me if this lot goes berserker as the final few minutes come up. The wight and the paladin have been rather absorbed in their little duel. Quite a few minutes have passed as they fight back and forth with longsword and shield. The paladin brings his shield to the side as he thrusts forward, the wight with his sword in low guard parries the blade to the side and retaliates. The paladin backs away and attempts to bat the sword away with his own. The two lock blades before the wight twists and shoulder bashes the shield arm. Driving the pommel into the body as well a dent is made in the scarred plate mail.

    The paladin swings the sword but is blocked. Driving his own body forward the situation resets as they stand separated by only a few feet. The paladin is breathing heavily and is shaking in exhaustion. If he expected a moment to catch his breath he is wrong, bringing his blade from down low a thrust is thrown but it is a feint and turns into a cut. Another ringing blow as the paladins swordhand is hit and the blade falls away. The paladin back peddles and his face is enraged as he looks upon the corpses of his comrades. Quickly he drops his hand and reaches for a pouch on his belt. Ahh the moment I was waiting for.

 33- And we have a winner(Obviously)

    POVs are fun, MC again

    ___________________

    I expected some last ditch event to occur to try to change things so I am glad I am not disappointed when something does occur. The paladin screamed something about giving his life for the god of light and pulled out a chunk of stone from his pouch and attempts to crush it. The reason it is attempt is the activation of a little present on the roof of the room. There I had placed various magic circles meant to immobilize those inside the room. As the stone is brought out the array activates nd the paladin is halted just before he flexes his fingers. His eyes bulge out and spit flies from his mouth as the crossbow bolts impact the back of his head. These ones were forgotten in the battle as I had them withdraw. No one had the time to deal with them once the guards engaged in melee. The paladin¡¯s body is held still thanks to the array causing his body to undergo paralysis and the bonds of air around his body.

    Just incase as I want to make sure the wight drops his sword and takes a dagger from its sheath. Jamming the blade through the armpit, the mail covering it is pierced from the impact. The blade travels to where the heart should be and the body convulses more. Plucking the stone the wight carefully hands it to another black skeleton who then takes it away to a side room and closes itself in. I can retrieve the stone later on as I finish directing the skeletons. The bodies are stabbed to ensure that they are truly dead, one slumped against the wall makes more noise and is promptly finished off. I think he was trying to mouth something while staring at the paladin but whatever.

    The command cadre are making noises about the bets that won or lost. Smacking them on the head to give them a nice distraction of actual physical pain instead of having their eyes get teary for a second from loss, I ask for the latest rough tally of forces. To sum things up we have lost all the spawn again and taking minimal losses with our actual forces which can be easily fixed. By the way this is not even mentioning the several thousand dead here and those buried elsewhere which I expect to be broken quickly once I turn these priests here. Even if I cannot get their souls thanks to that damm shielding effect of the holy magic, having so many corrupted priests can easily crack the wards inplace. Having the cadre start organizing clean up operations I move my conscience to check for myself how my prototype performed.

    Contacting my prototype which I am calling an ossuary strider for now I check more indepth what both it and it¡¯s subsidiary spirits have done. Suffice it to say a job well done, butchered levy fodder, silenced priests and mages, and slaughtered the knights. Good to see that it can assess threats, is familiarized with battle tactics, and is properly able to command. If I made a basic controlling binding then it would have probably wobbled around striking anything that wanders too close on instinct but with an actual semi-sentient pseudo soul the calculated carnage is certainly more than qualifying for me. I decide to grant this one a name(Gra¡¯Stolat) and title(Nuntius Edictum) in honor of it¡¯s successful execution of orders, as a note Cor¡¯lothen,Or¡¯tharn,Alberack all have titles as well planned or already given for when their souls are fully ignited(Or¡¯tharn¡¯s is praefectus primus). A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Now that this stage of the battle is complete time to prepare for the next escalation, obviously I can expect more for this is a war and not just one battle. I have won the opening salvos but time to ensure that I continue to do so. At least now even if I cannot get those souls for myself I ensured a little more that no one else will be getting anything of worth either. I wonder whether a tenet of their faith is that the souls of those that follow them are sheltered with their god, well that is correct for a rather tiny minority for sure. Those that died in the first battles before I burned their icon down are certainly better off then afterwards not that I planned on getting them whole since that would be a rather large investment of creating mobile soul casks which are not a priority.

    Souls even for the weakest are still a rather large glob of energy that takes specialized facilities to hold for long periods. Tearing fragments from prisoners is a much simpler task. Still preparing for such acts can come later. I do dislike pointless attrition so having the cheap and disposable units ready for larger battles is a must. I cannot waste this time if I truly want a break. I better win this since I have rather planned things such that even in death I get no sleep, rather literal being a necromancer with assorted back up plans. Things go on as they always do for even necromancers are not always stagnant beings and especially my conclave and domain.

    Thinking about the next steps needed I return to my chambers to ponder once more, I am not one for celebration parties but checking on the conditions of the group including young David who while not happy at not getting to fight understands that he would not have done anything short of dying. Breaking the news to the old and new tenants about the deaths of their immediate persecutors I get a mixed bag of emotions, nothing that would suggest trouble for me other than heavy fear and awe of course.

    Good to know that this lot will be most productive in working for me, I do not want only mindless minions around as having a kingdom of the dead sounds exciting but it is not practical. The intelligence level of a normal undead leaves much to desire, the same could be said for peasants but that is another discussion. I wonder what upgrades I can make to my forces with what I have available now? The drums of war will beat once more for the kingdom will not stay quiet once the annihilation of their precious crusade is discovered.

    And of course the exploratory expeditions deeper into the domain, while me and the bean counters were busy directing the battle the other necromancers are busy expanding my realm. As they go further along this band of the field the undead grow stronger and more organized. This is not deeper into the realm so something else is allowing these undead to perform so. It is only simple probability that intelligent undead lurk somewhere in that region. Looking at the map of the explored region I mark the borders I plan to make, they stretch only a minimal amount into the kingdom¡¯s territory. Most of the domain will be in the agros de mortis, hopefully I can implement such a border. The kingdom can rot itself to death once its armies are shattered, I can take in some people but I will not rule such a large territory.

    I know my boundaries and hope I can keep within them, I prefer having time to be able to rest..... Sigh, I do not need your giggles at my expense my patron. I can flip this chess table if I felt like it. I follow your agenda where I see fit, I will not deny the entertainment value but that will not compromise my course. I feel pity at your life, what it must be to live for eternity. Death can be circumvented but only for a time, such an endless existence does not speak to me. Remember that....

 33.5- The perpetuation of war

    As the officer cadets of this Imperial Academy, it is up to you to lead our legions in the upcoming age. It is of course required that you read of those marshals and generals of the past so that you may prepare for the future. Here we shall go over the Dendosi War and in particular General Garrick Kaskerk. This was the last major war fought by the Empire only three decades earlier. The enemy Dendosi Coalition was formed from the kingdoms of Dendosi, Tervi, Selculd, and Gaulit in order to counter imperial interests in the west. The events that led to the war will be covered in another class as our interest is in the battle of Ephrait. Taking place in three different clashes over two months this battle led to the destruction of Dendosi and Selculd as independent lands along with the subjugation of Tervi and Gaulit. The initial battle took place on the Ephrait Plains between the forces of the Tenth Legion and the army of Selculd. In the battle the General Wult of the Tenth Legion attempted to advance along the road spanning the Ephrait Plains to reach the capital city of the Selculd, Hasibygan. The Selculd army gathered upon the plains and initiated combat.

    The battle ended in heavy losses to both sides with ultimately the death of General Wult and the decimation of the Selculd army. During this battle the infantry battalions of each side engaged in combat with each other while General Wult¡¯s archers engaged the enemy flank. The Selculd calvary in wedge formation attempted to attack the eastern flank while on the western flank the imperial cavalry attempted to route the flank. The imperial cavalry achieved great success in inflicting casualties in concert with the battlemages but General Wult who had been part of the infantry battalions near the front was killed by the enemy. However the other officers of the legion managed to hold the army together long enough for the Selculd army to retreat due to losses. Still with the loss of the General the legion could not advance further and it withdrew to fortify.

    Both sides being forced to withdraw called for reinforcements which arrived in a month for both sides. The Twelfth legion led by General Tamin and the Seventeenth legion along with the personal legion ¡®The Undying¡¯ of General Kaskrek responded. Meanwhile the Coalition dispatched their own armies to the field and this would prompt the second battle of the plains.

    General Tamin having taken command of the Tenth Legion led an assault upon the central core of the Coalition while General Kaskrek¡¯s forces enveloped the western flank. General Tamin was wounded in battle while the Selculd and Tervi armies were shattered. Both sides once again withdrew to reorganize. As the only general left General Kaskrek assumed control of the remaining Twelfth and Tenth legions into his own forces.

    Due to the loss of so many officers during the two battles General Kaskrek assumed personal command of the Tenth and Twelfth while leaving the better condition Seventeenth legion and ¡®Undying¡¯ to be commanded by their subsequent officers. Sending the Seventeenth and his personal legion forward to hold the enemy army inside their fortified camps, General Kaskrek led the reformed remnants in a daring night assault. Calling upon the mages gathered from the entire army he conjured a massive fog bank that enveloped the enemy camp. At a prearranged signal General Kaskrek led the reformed units to breach the northern approach to the enemy campgrounds. Meanwhile the other two legions advanced from the south, the pincer assault managed to overrun the grounds directly between the Dendosi and Gaulit forces splitting the two from being able to join together.

    Breaking straight through General Kaskrek reunited with his own legions and double enveloped the enemy forces leading to their complete annihilation. With the destruction of the enemy the General proceeded to the capital city and demanded its immediate surrender lest they suffer a similar fate. The city attempted to resist regardless and the general using his magic powers captured the enemy gate house. In addition was his use of sappers supported by mages to undermine key positions in the walls to allow his forces to enter the city. The siege took only one week and the city was taken. The population within was spared while the officials and nobles responsible for the defense were executed. Afterwards the general persuaded the town guard who had not participated to maintain security lest the population face retribution. Of highlight is his emphasis on fair treatment of the general populace. This is a continued trait of the general with regards to capturing cities and the strict adherence he demands. During the occupation he even personally executed over two dozen legionaries who had violated his decrees by pillaging and committing crimes on the populace.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The city achieved pacification status in only one year and was fully integrated into the empire only five years later. In the aftermath the General wrote an analysis of the campaign, please refer to it from the academy library as part of your next reading. In it he outlines some of the reasons behind why he acted as he did and ways in hindsight it could have gone better. In particular he highlights his rather cold disregard for casualties and morale amongst his allied forces. While he chose to lead them directly inorder to ensure they would act, he expressed reservations about extending this policy to non-imperial allied forces and the inadequacies of applying such tactics when troop preservation is a concern.

    Trapped enemy forces tend to either break down or become death soldiers, unwilling to ever go down without killing as many as possible. A point to take note is the effective use of the imperial battlemages not only for direct combat but also tactical advantages. His occupation strategies are considered effective if hard to emulate as the general makes use of a personal unit of inquisitors to root out any dissenters amongst both the populace and his own forces. Without an equivalent unit one cannot achieve such results, analysis of imperial occupation in the past will be of aid in further research of this matter.

    Of further note is General Kaskrek¡¯s own personal legions. As a margrave the general was allowed to raise his own personal legions in addition to the forces that a general would command. At this point in his career General Kaskrek had served for almost a century through various commands having risen from a simple mageblade to being recognized by the Emperor of his time himself for his command ability. The ¡®Undying¡¯ is a unit personally trained by the general himself and is currently under the command of his imperial majesty as his personal house troops.

    The legion is famous for its ability to weather against any foe and endure ferocious attack. Comprising a combined arms approach it is an oversized legion with two battalions each dedicated to firearms, archery, heavy polearms, and swordsmen. The ability of both General Kaskrek and the officers of the unit to force the enemy into favorable positions, to devastate those caught between with the legion has its own book. However despite its name the unit is also famous for its high rate of casualties who, while often treated to health by the cherugions of the general is still a feat that would be hard to replicate by others.

    Many of the general¡¯s tactics often resulted in high casualties though never without some meaningful gain, that often led to criticisms of the General¡¯s approach to warfare. However this tendency was often alleviated by two additional legions that would be known collectively as the ¡®Deathborn Triumvirate¡¯. These two legions were the ¡®Colossus and ¡®Ashen Skies¡¯ legions. The first comprised various warmachines and golems created by the general or his students and craftsmen which served as a special unit. Its heavy focus on offense would allow shock tactics that the ¡®Undying would then exploit¡¯. The third unit comprises a mixed mage, airborne, and field artillery unit known for its high maneuverability and deadly ability. This unit was often responsible for creating openings for the other two legions to exploit.

    This is an example of one of the special legion groups that one may create after having risen to such a high position and gaining decades of experience and achievements. Now next class I expect an analysis of your own about one of the battles in the assigned readings, those with the best analysis and suggestions will be awarded accolades. Imperium Ascendant cadets, dismissed.

 34:Epilogue part one-A few minor points

    A field of bodies lay spread across one''s sight. Whether it was the courtyard of the fort, its ramparts, outside, or inside the fort itself the bodies were spread out. Yet these bodies did not exhibit many of the normal aspects of the aftermath of a battle. Even if it was only three hours after their deaths they still did not exhibit many of the signs of death. Rigor mortis had not quite set in and there was a strange lack of the smell associated with so much death. Perhaps it helped that the light was eternally cast over or that there was always a slight chill in the air. Yet here in this land there were other dangers, some bodies already seemed to twitch on the ground despite their grievous wounds. Through this field strode many skeletons, most were apparently scavenging the area. Arms and armour were stripped and gathered, while bodies were transported to carts waiting around the area. Walking upon the ramparts were a group of figures dressed in robes.

    One strode with a strange gem and crystal spear in hand while the others mostly carried bone staffs except for one who walked with a sword belted to his waist. Beside the one with the spear the others were young, from 14-18 these were only young adults. Already some had pale faces from the blood having drained yet none looked in danger of becoming sick. They had seen similar things before in their life, little that it was so far. Yet this was on another scale for them, thousands lay dead across the land. Halting by a bloodsoaked ladder where the bodies had not yet been cleared from that part of the walls the group is halted by the leader. Turning to the others he gestures grandly with one hand to the scene around him before speaking.

    ¡°Gaze upon the carnage here today. Death, Death in its bleak aftermath. I will not lie, many here died for a cause they never believed in. The resentment and despair is palpable as you should be able to see. The agros de mortis seems to especially bring it out. I will not deny my part, by my will and order did these four thousand human beings die. This is the reality of the world, war is not something that we humans can seem to ever let go. You four came here for various reasons, but remember what you see before you. Death is rarely ever sweet, never take pleasure in killing. Especially never for pointless killing, the day that occurs is likely the day I will have to end you as well. There must be a reason for killing, something strong enough to be able to break that seemingly duplicitous human nature. We so yearn to not kill, yet seem so capable of doing so under the right circumstances¡±

    The apprentice steward turns to his mentor and replies ¡°But isn¡¯t the reason we grow stronger is to be able to stand on our own?¡±. The other two apprentices nod and David simply taps his sword in thought. To this the Hierarch necromancer lightly thumps his spear into the ground and adds his counterpoint, ¡°Yes an admirable reason but you have to decide, is that truly what you wish for? Relentless pursuit will cause heartache in the end, moderation in all things is key. You can listen to what I say but in the end you must make the decision for yourself¡± Turning to the horizon in the west he points at it before returning his gaze to the group.

    ¡°What may come deep down the road of life is never truly certain. But I know that the blood shed here today will not be the last, more will come. Life in this land will never truly be sheltered, there will be much slaughter in the future. Remember this, sometimes one can only rise up and take hold of what one wants. Peace is never something freely given, make of this quiet calm what you can¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Then let them come, I will never let them conquer us again¡±. David speaks with much conviction but to this is only given a head shake. ¡°Yes they will come, but it will not be the ones actually responsible for what has happened before. It will be their hapless pawns, do not hate the masses for they are but sheep. Hate the shepherd and sheepdog for bringing them to be slaughtered. Hate can bring you much strength but it can also bring sorrow. Do not descend too deep into such an abyss. Now come with us, I think the people could use a calming presence. War always brings up the best and worst of people, do not dwell forever on this particular field¡±

    The group slowly descends the ramparts through the cleaned courtyard and into the fort itself. While they have been talking and observing the outside the bodies were removed. Even the ground itself was swept clean by a skeleton mage as they head through to a seemingly normal room. Hidden inside is a teleportation matrix as the group enters a large hall. Striding past the guards the group is dismissed for the day as their mentor heads his own way. The group of youths walk outside the fortified villa that houses the matrix and decide to walk the newly build roads. Wide enough to accommodate six carriages traveling abreast with space between it is one of the main avenues of the newly built city. All around the sound of hammers and saws echo as workers both undead and living create a new land. As far as the eye can see partially built walls stretch around this central district. Undead swarm on scaffolds bearing baskets of dirt and great hammers 24/7 work to finish these walls.

    The trio take the time to walk to a large garden established in the south-eastern portion of the district. Here plants can grow in natural daylight as does much of the city. Great pillars of magic stone absorb and cleanse the air allowing almost the entirety of the sun¡¯s light to reach the city. Barring of course the shadow¡¯s that they cast, a rare bit of paradise in this cursed land. Yet this beauty is not theirs to always be able to ponder, they are the wardens of the city. The sword and shield, trained to protect it as dictated by their mentor. As much as they are allowed freedom, new chains rise to restrict them. Chains of responsibility and debt. Yet they willingly take it, the door is never barred for them to leave. Freedom is a concept that is only allowed as far as it benefits the group.

    But on the countenances of those living workers on break as well in the garden there is no sign of depression. Instead there is even happiness and satisfaction, to be able to live safe within the walls. To be able to build what would eventually become not only their homes but homes to countless others who were once bound like they were. Life is actually good for these people, they do not need to worry about a place to sleep or even to raise a family. Neither do they have to worry about their next meal or a job to take. For them this is enough, they are honest men and woman. To them their lord is strict yet benevolent, crime is punished harshly while taxes are light. Their lord cares only a little for such material as gold, silver, or copper, they instead dedicate time to public projects such as this for their tithe.

    The common people have even grown numb to the countless bones that are often dug up from the earth, such are things of the past and matters for those greater than them. They bring such items to the carts that are for such a purpose while those of their own are interned as ashes in the graveyard of the city. It is not their kin who become undead at the will of their lord, those who live here have grown beyond such petty concerns. Their common anger at the kingdom is but one of the pillars that bind their hearts. Binds made deliberately and slowly by a mastermind. Yet time goes on and brings its cycles of life for those in this massive world, what is but one land in the many planes of existence?

 34: Epilogue Part Two-Interesting Discussion

    Inside a small conference room a group of individuals were gathered around a table. Sparkling robes of white and golden embroidery, cassocks of bright red, and golden symbols on beads of redwood were their raiment. But the one sitting at the head of the table was dressed in the finest, a conical hat of golden cloth enshrined his head while his mantle was of fine velvet. Yet in contrast was the yellowed tome upon old bronze chain around his waist and a sceptre of gnarled wood was by his side. Over them all however was a statue, a statue of a man in brilliant marble. His eyes were covered by a blindfold of black silk yet a blade of silvered metal was grasped in his hands. His eyes should see no more yet his face was set as if guarding against the dusk. Before this scene the man with the second best hat spoke to those gathered.

    ¡°Pontiff, the alms and donations to the church are on average this year. We can continue to run the aid programs at the dioceses in question¡±

    ¡°That is good, now on to the last matter of the meeting. You had reports to pass Cardinal Sediven?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I am afraid I must be the bearer of bad news. These reports will explain¡±

    ¡°Are you sure of these reports Cardinal Sediven, have we lost paladin Doren in the expedition to the cursed lands?¡±

    ¡°We believe so Pontiff Pietas, there has been no signs of either his party or the initial troops sent there¡±

    ¡°So we lost the two hundred men of the church levy¡±-P

    ¡°The loss of so many men will be mourned, I propose a ceremony for those lost this day¡±-SStolen story; please report.

    ¡°Did we not lose a few provincial knights as well Cardinal?¡±-P

    ¡°Yes there were some... ¡®eager¡¯ volunteers who were lost as well. But the crusade was for a noble cause, they came from many sources for the noble task of purging the wicked undead¡±-S

    ¡°I will pray for their souls that they may find their way to our lord. May their souls be unburdened upon the path of the sky, may demons and heretics not block their path to our lord protector¡±-P

    ¡°Our prayers are indeed with those lost, however of most concern is the loss of so many on what was meant to be a simple mission¡±-S

    ¡°Yes, why did you bring out one of the Shards of Argentum. It is the crystallized power of our lord, was this not meant to be a simple cleansing crusade to join the hands of the faithful?¡±-P

    ¡°Indeed but what this means is that we should call for some of the inner realm nobles. The counts of the realm are powerful lords and have many men. If I may dedicate members of my order to aid in this endeavor?¡±-S

    ¡°Are you sure Cardinal? Was your order not depleted in the campaigns against the heretic Delian Kingdom only a few years ago?¡±

    ¡°Yes but the faithful will prosper, we have gained many recruits and have returned to full numbers. This campaign will allow them to be tempered in battle for our great lord¡±

    ¡°As long as all is for our lord. This should conclude the meeting, unless anyone else has thought of a matter?¡±

    ¡°No Pontiff there is no new matters¡±

    ¡°Very well, a good day to you my brethren¡±

    As the group disperses to head their separate ways the pontiff remains. Standing before the statue of his Lord the pontiff prays. So much power yet so little at the same time. To throw out the council would invite anarchy. To allow them to stay is to spit on the old teachings of the faith. How the pontiff missed his time as a simple father for his hometown¡¯s church. Yet his strength as a user of holy magic was unsurpassed. He could only pray and meditate when he is not working and thus grow stronger. He grows stronger such that he can serve longer and be embroiled in such politics. A vicious cycle, yet there is no escape. All he can do is siphon some of the resources off and attempt to reduce any embezzlement, he has only so much true political power. Once again foremost amongst his prayers is the wish for strength to sustain himself through this ordeal as the light from the stained glass window slowly dims into dusk.

 Arc 2 Prologue Teaser

    A scene appears. A hand protruding from a black robe, blood splattered across it¡¯s surface. Held in the hand, a long knife. With a thick blade meant for hacking through flesh and bone it is slowly being moved forward. The target for it is in sight, upon a stone platform is a body. Similarly blood splattered with armour rent in many places. There were even arrows imbedded into the plate armour of the figure. Lying upon the platform it at first seemed motionless, until you saw the twitching hand. Looking around there are similar scenes. Stone platforms at waist height, with bodies in various states upon them. A morgue, holding the recently slain.

    The view continues forward and the knife in the hand rises yet for some reason as a hand is placed upon the twitching figures helm the blade is pointed downward. Why was this strange? The blade was not pointed at the figure but instead heading to a point between the body and the person. The broken helm of the figure, rent with a mighty blow perhaps from an axe on the left side such that it exposes a portion of the face. A cut is seen just above the eye, the helmet apparently having not accomplished its purpose from the amount of blood. Yet as the blade continues to descend in slow motion the one closed eye opens. A hazel green eye is seen, wild in panic. Fear and then a desperate desire flashes through. Bloodied gauntlets spring into action as the descending knife is grasped at the handle.

    Cold metal gauntlets crusted with blood grasp a pale hand. The blade is turned further away, the tip plunging into the black robe of the figure. Bright red blood begins to leak as the blade goes from the right side of the figure¡¯s torso across the pelvis and into the left leg as it was taking a step forward. A grunt of pain is heard as the blade sinks inches into the thigh. Before it goes further however the pale hand finally reacts and halts the knife. Blood flowing even more across both figures their eyes apparently meet. Yet just as suddenly the gauntleted hands drop back down, their strength spent. Yet the eyes do not stop staring. Tired, but fierce. If this is the end then it will be faced head on.

    The pale hand raises the blade up from the wound and more blood flows out. It raises it inches up and then stops. The other hand reaches out and grasps the robe sleeve of the knife hand. Blade turned to the side it wipes the blood off before sheathing the blade on the hip sheath to the right side of the body. Hand still slick with blood both his own and from the encrusted gauntlet the figure touches first the slash mark on his torso and pelvis. Blood stops flowing and even seems to reverse, pale flesh untorn is seen from the rent in the robe. Then it repeats with the stab wound in the left thigh, only a faint seemingly long healed scar is seen. From there pale hands move forward and unclasp the rent helmet of the figure. Deep red hair falling just pass the jaw of the figure cascades from the helmet.

    Confusion and defiance is seen in the eyes, confusion even more so as the hand of the figure is placed upon the cut. More blood melts and flows and the cut is gone, only a pale mark iin the skin as a reminder of the wound. The hands travel along the figure removing clasps and buckles from the plate armour. Soon it moves to the gauntlets and picking one up in both hands slowly and with precision removes it. Scarred and callused hands are seen, bruised, battered, and nicked. More blood flows as the bruises retreat and the small nicks close. Removing the outer armour to reveal the linen undersuit of cloth shows more cuts and apparent bruising. Wounds are healed as the hand wanders from the foot upward, past slender legs and thin hips. With not even a sign of pausing the hand continues up past the slight bulge of the chest and to a cut on the shoulder. Confusion and anxiety readily apparent on the female knight on the platform. Eventually once all the wounds on the front are healed and the armour placed by the foot of the platform the apparent black robed healer moves to stand by the head of the knight.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Hands raising the head of red hair a large blood plastered bruise is seen and gone in seconds. Moving to the side the healer slowly helps the figure upright and attends to the wounds of the pale back. Once past only slightly pale flesh is seen through the many tears of the cloth. Even on the head there is barely a mark, only cheeks now flushed from the cold of the room. Finally as the hands finish moving across with no more wounds the healer adjusts his robe slightly, turning the cloth sleeves of his robe back to full length form where they were folded. Taking a slight moment to stand still the bloodstains of the robe are removed, while not pristine it is certainly sanitary once more. The same occurs for the knight as the red stains turn to dust and with a flick of a hand flow away. The healer turns and walks to a door back whence he had come. Past the other bodies not so fortunate to have simply been knocked unconscious. Something now more readily apparent to the knight as finally shock sets in as the mind returns to her.

    The whine of a door opening echoes as footsteps resound on stone. Minutes seem to pass as silence reigns once more. The knight attempts to get off the moratory platform she is one but cannot. Weak struggles halted all she can do is wait. Finally after what may as well be an eternity the figure returns with a wheeled chair and robes draped upon the chair¡¯s back. Bringing the large wheeled contraption forward to the knight the healer halts. With the plain robe draped on one arm, the healer helps the knight upright and places the robe onto her. Then the healer aids the knight in stepping down from the platform and to the wheeled chair. Once safely upon it the healer begins to move the patient out. Finally apparently having gathered her wits once more the knight leans back in the chair and turns her head to face the robed man.

    ¡°Thank you, and sorry for stabbing you healer¡±

    ¡°Your words are unneeded, though appreciated in both cases. However I am not a healer, I am a necromancer¡±

    Eyes fluttering open I see plain gray cloth above me. Looking around I see curtains drawn around a bed, also of the same drab gray. Looking up I see a pale hand, slight calluses upon it. There used to be more there, along with scars. But then again having your body rebuild by a divinity apparently means no need to perfectly recreate it. The marks one builds up on their body speaks of their history. While some caused problems such as sensitivity, aching, or other such events they were still reminders. Something to remember later on. Then again almost getting your privates sliced along with a stab wound is not always the best. Certainly an amusing story to bring up later on about first meetings and how you met your lover. Sigh.... clenching my hand and once again affirming that things have changed I decide to get up. I have my responsibilities here now, getting up from bed I gesture to the waiting skeleton butler. A simple morning robe on I head to the washroom to prepare myself. Perhaps a hot towel, something to help hold this melancholy back.

 First Draft:01-The drudgery of work

    ¡°Alright breaks over get packing you lot¡±-Leader

    ¡°Yes sir¡±-Aide Allen

    ¡°The sooner we get packed and moving the sooner this patrol can be over¡±-Leader

    ¡°Yeah I could use a drink when we get back¡±-Officer Bill

    ¡°Well you can once we are finished now get packing faster¡±-Leader

    ¡°You sure sir, we can wait longer for you to rest¡±-Officer Charles

    ¡°Enough of your lip officer or you get to personally clean the guts of the next batch of monsters we find¡±-Leader

    ¡°YES SIR¡±- Officer Charles

    Well the end of yet another exchange here in the wild lands, why did I get dumped with leading this large patrol of freshly trained soldiers. Oh yeah because everyone else is busy and we get the chance to refill the special shock companies here. My other title probably paid alot in getting this post out with the hordes of feral monsters, better this then holing up in some fortress for a few months. I will the horses back into readiness off their low mana mode and the clacking of bones fill the air. This batch of replacements I have finished is also woken up into moving order while those I have not finished are stuck back in the carts for later, yep the works of a necromancer in the military. At least I have seniority when I meet any comrades and can get them to do the grunt work, though not likely to occur considering I stuck myself here on purpose.

    Once this self imposed term of service is over it''s back to my nice quarters at the academy doing research and maybe taking on a position as teacher to have a few classes to teach the young ones, hopefully things have calmed down back home. It can be so annoying having to fight in the army but that''s what I get for my research grants and privileges in the empire, besides war has it benefits. Right now it is a time of peace however with a lack of aggressive campaigns so actual fighting is minimal but that just makes things boring if it drags on, so of course dammed people have to find something to do and I do not want to spend my days on warding off intrigue.

    Of course I also have to justify my title of nobility but really who can try to unseat me politically, my history of service is more than long enough along with current contributions to stop anyone who feels ambitious. I kept my hands off my territory after making sure I appointed proper caretakers to only need the occasional peek to ensure that things run smoothly and slap a few naughty hands. Well this is just the musings of an old mage and soldier out on patrol right now with no exciting work on my hands, the lesser of evils compared to bad work getting pulled too heavily into infighting. I have had enough of politics for a lifetime, things will hopefully be sorted out in the year or two I am gone on a tour of the border defenses.

    ¡°Alright sound off each troop, who has finished?¡±

    ¡°First Company ready¡±

    ¡°Second Company ready¡±

    ¡°Third Company ready¡±

    ¡°Fourth Comany ready¡±

    ¡°Rimark Regiment still needs time, half of the troops are ready¡±

    ¡°Corvesta Regiment is majority ready, only the supply train needs to finish preparing¡±

    ¡°Alright all separate troops move into position once Rimark is finished it will be rear guard with Corvesta just in front of them¡±

    ¡°Understood¡±

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Yes the last leg of the journey before we arrive at the fort and exchange posts. Rimark stays behind and I am off with the individual troops and Corvesta back to other fortresses. Once I drop off the completed skeletons and parts I can take that break. But first finish this patrol and guard exchange, alright good everything is packed up while I was thinking.

    ¡°Move out¡±

    ¡°Yes sir¡±

    Ahh the comfort of my personal travel mount, the combination of two avius land striders worth of bone means I have enough space for all my things and a good travel saddle with plenty of padding. Not to mention this thing is tough enough to massacre a full size platoon with ease by itself. Everyone else is moving forward on foot or on horses we should only face one more battle by the woods and then there will be only a few more days of journey. The tramp of boots and hooves mixed with the thump of bone claws and feet. The sun is hanging in the sky with a few clouds for cover, we are keeping an eye out for anything. There should only be monsters out here as any humans need to be in large groups to survive and bandits are not disciplined enough to survive against the large beasts here and as far as I know no other groups reside here ,or would have reason to.

    Out here on patrol unless you are a scout or an utter ascetic you can¡¯t help but start thinking about random things or reminiscing on your life. As I thought back to how I got my position, as a child I was an orphan in some nameless village on the frontier. Either I became accepted as a full member and spent a life of farming or died as a child without support in the harsh village life near the wilds. Except for my case I was taken in by my old master Thel¡¯Tholast, he appeared an old traveler and needed someone to help him on his journey. The village offered me up and I left with him in short order, as it turned out though I had some magic potential and so became a disciple. He taught much of what he knew but he got into trouble and had to enroll me in the local academy for safety. Still don¡¯t know what happened to him but he should be okay. The man was unstable at times, collateral damage from spells were high when he was ever forced into a corner.

    Still I learned pretty much whatever he had learned in regards to necromancy and anatomy along with some smattering of other systems of magic. This let me make my way in the academy before transferring to the royal capital¡¯s academy. Did well enough to be noticed and that led to a streak of mishaps that eventually then led to my rather lofty positions and various titles though I prefer just Hierarch necromancer and general. Necromancy is allowed here but under restrictions including clauses like only reanimating non sentient creatures only and other such things. Of course my own work paved the way for other methods of necromancy though mostly improvements to existing work.

    The military especially like my improved undead horses for logistic use, specialty warhorses are also something I make. This fuels my research into other forms of necromancy and magic though admittedly some are illegal. I did get nationalized for military use but the spoils of war and some active covert field testing does make up for it. Ahhh war is useful for many things though it does get tiring at times. Nothing like watching your creations at work and feeling that maker¡¯s pride, now on that point I wonder how the special troops I made for the young one is doing. He is a good lad and I hope he succeeds in his goal, I could probably improve his chances much more with direct intervention but he wanted a chance for himself and is good enough to try it at least.

    Ackkk ¡°SHIT, SCATTER EVERYONE SCATTER FORMATION. INCOMING MAGIC¡±

    FUCK my magic sense just found a massive blast of mana heading for the formation, this thing is powerful enough to wipe us out in one fell swoop. Who is crazy enough to attack this army with that scale of magic, the resources for this powerful a strategic magic is not worth it even if I am here. That is a massive raw mass of mana throwing out tendrils and flares as it goes, someone spent alot of charged magic crystals to make that. I doubt that gathering all the mana crystals in the empire can create a blast as strong as this. My magic is not special at least those spells that I have shown, others can make up for the slack if I die having left my teachings behind. There would be a temporary drop in logistics and shock company numbers but the reserves are enough to cover training more necromancers. It would be more worthy to attack a stronghold border fort or my labs then only a relative handful of troops.

    Any attempt at shielding against this massive an attack is worthless, telling the transport horses to head out as fast as possible with their crews and getting the troops heading outward of the blast zone. Some will survive but not many, at the center of the formation against a single blast my chance to live is unlikely. Taking out the control talisman for my undead I change the barrier settings to only allow my immediate superiors to use it and throw it out with my other grimoires and artifacts . Perhaps others may use it to avenge me for I will likely not live through this, I do hope that my back up plans work but I never planned them for such a massive mana blast.

    As the mass of mana grows closer the flare off its surface lash out at those nearby frying them in a bath of pure mana. Even running with massive mana infusion into my mount I am not far enough to escape, soon I feel a massive pulse of mana tear my component parts to bits than detachment......I feel nothing at all, total deprivation of the senses. My mind still functions but nothing else does, no limbs, no beating heart, nothing.... Pushing hard with my mind I soon feel something more familiar, my soul... I can sense it now but that is it, there is only my soul and the void. How can this be, a soul cannot exist without some sort of medium whether it is a body or magic essence to anchor onto and this is not one of my planned survival cards. Even so called disembodied spirits have some sort of essence to cling to even if it is metaphysical. Just what could maintain my soul in such a state, as I was to find out my answer would appear very soon.

 First Draft: 02-I have an offer for you good sir

    Some say that when they meet their deity there is a tunnel of pure light to enter before being able to meet, instead I am simply placed in some richly adorned room alone. You would think this is some rich noble¡¯s meeting room if not for the sheer mana interlaced into everything and the very air. Even the Arcane Consortium¡¯s Capital does not have this much latent mana infused into itself and that was the work of centuries of mana crystal formations and infusal rituals.

    Taking stock I see that I am dressed in my finer robes but this is not the formal dress set I wear but my finest warmage set, clothes I find rather comforting from the familiar weight. Perhaps if I had been wearing these I would have managed to escape the blast though walking half naked through the wilds would not be pleasant. Taking a bit more of a look at the immediate surroundings I see that there is the setting for a tea party here and the rest of the room appears like a study with shelves of books and cabinets with various objects in them. I suspect that if the cabinets were not sealed then I would have been driven mad by the sheer aura released by them, fitting to be called divine artifacts.

    After having finished taking in my immediate surroundings the door opens and in enters a woman in a luxurious cream robe with silver and gold accents/embroidery and wielding a scepter that seemed it was made of a more radiant gold. She was a stunning figure who would shame any woman who called herself beautiful, she seemed to embody the epitome of beauty that even a cynic could not dispute. Behind her were several maidens dressed in less vibrant but still high quality robes, they appeared to be something akin to handmaidens for a high ranking individual. This was one assertion that I did not think wrong judging by the body postures of the parties involved. I rose from my seat and gave a bow before saying ¡°Greetings my lady, I assume it is you I have to thank for bringing me to this place?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I was the did so, I can assume you realize your circumstances?¡±

    ¡°That I would have been a disembodied soul incarnate in whatever plane that was before without intervention then yes¡±

    ¡°That would be mostly correct though instead you would have gone to The Realm of Souls to be judged instead of that blank zone you were in, but then again you would have tried your best to avoid all that I am quite sure¡±

    ¡°Then I can assume that you have a reason for doing this, few are the beings who can give without something in return¡±

    ¡°Yes indeed, while I was not directly involved my colleagues were the ones who caused your death in an accident that even I find absurd to have occurred. The simple explanation is that you and your soldiers were hit by a how to say ¡®accidental release¡¯ of power, something that under the circumstances should not have occurred. Unfortunately for you we frankly do not feel that there is a simple method of reversing what has occurred so instead we decided on a more efficient outlook¡±

    ¡°So you do not want to waste power on fixing your mistakes and will instead take advantage of what has occurred and can I be so arrogant have me commit some act or service?¡±

    ¡°Yes that is indeed what we felt was best, we have a how to say vacancy in a position to be made and feel that you would be a good fit for it¡±

    ¡°What services would can I say a deity need for a necromancer, we are not exactly the most sought out figures when it comes to ¡®holy¡¯ work¡±

    ¡°Normally yes but in this case your expertise would be well put to work, something akin to being a warden or jailer¡±

    ¡°Exactly what soul would you want a necromancer as a jailer instead of one of your servants?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Not actually a singular soul, we have a how to say it rather large dumping ground of bones and bodies that is now grown so big that even the gods must now interfere¡±

    ¡°Exactly how many armies or countries died to need intervention from deities, and how can I actually contain such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Actually this predates us, the land of Veragan is older and larger then we gods. In the scheme of things we are a young pantheon, there were others before us that either died out or left this plane. In this particular case the many remains of those past era¡¯s are particularly collected in one location, that much death in a concentrated locale may give rise to things we cannot control. You will be sent to deal with that, but do not expect to ever see your homeland again. There are many lands beyond those that were the cradle of your birth and this new land is so far removed that it may as well be on another plane. This was partially why we did not notice this for a long time, but now that we have I felt that after having taken a look at those whose bodies had died in the ¡®incident¡¯ and became souls I found you¡±

    ¡°Well, you seem to have put some thought into this matter. I assume that there is not meant to be much reason for me to decline¡±

    ¡°That is correct, but do not worry you will have much to satisfy you as well as the largest possible research base and material for you to make use of¡±

    ¡°If what you say is true then indeed that is the case, but how exactly will i be successful in subjugating this area¡±

    ¡°You know of the dungeons in this world? That will be the general basis win which we can ensure that you will control this area¡±

    ¡°Those would be the creations of both the gdos and other beings for various purposes?¡±

    ¡°Yes those constructs were made by both we gods and others for purposes that vary though for us gods it was mostly ensuring that the flow of mana was not stopped, providing resources to our wards in a proper controlled manner along with containing one or another threats in a nice little confined space. You will be receiving such an aid in order to facilitate your stewardship of the area, but as both a test and being beyond our control you will have to beware of outer threats. Some will be greedy or foolhardy enough to attempt to venture into those cursed lands, you are free to deal with them as you wish barring of course anything too ethically wrong¡±

    ¡°Very well but I assume such a task will not be so simple for me to take up as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the distortions that that land give off makes travel and oversight from the heavens rather risky and for you mortals much more ¡®problematic¡¯. We can send you the dungeon system aid but too much more could cause, ¡®unwanted¡¯ effects. You will have to travel there from a relatively far point, but it will give you time to adjust to local affairs and not enter blindly¡±

    ¡°Will I be facing interference from shall we say other points, you are the only one speaking to me in what appears to be a private area after all?¡±

    ¡°Yes while it may not be outright warfare we gods do indeed have our share of politics, I can offer my aid and the non-interference of some of my brethren but others will attempt to fight you. I cannot account for everyone and there may be some I do not know of who will fight you, this is a source of necromantic energy that even gods cannot hope to gain without severe restrictions. And there may be other forgotten objects in that place that gods would gladly have under their possession. It is a wild land and you are the champion I have chosen to tame it¡±

    ¡°Very well, but what may I expect to be immediately available for me to use? If I am to actually even arrive at the location which I might add you never actually named, I will need more than what I assume is on me right now¡±

    ¡°Yes that would be most appreciated but some traveling amenities will be needed along with the course I will need to take¡±

    ¡°That is a given, I am not some forgetful deity so removed from my wards as to not know their needs. You will have what you need and a little bit more to ensure that you arrive where you need to be ¡±

    ¡°I believe this ends our business I will take up your task my goddess¡±

    ¡°Good I knew that I could trust in you Mr. Garrick, may the fortunes of magic be with you my chosen one¡±

    As the goddess smiles and holds out her arms I kneel to who I know to be Veuna the Goddess of Magic for her statutes are often in the temples from home. Soon I feel a swirling rope of mana wrap around me and spread to create stunning circles of unknown sigils to take me to where I must start. This will be an interesting journey to take and one that will perhaps hold much in the balance, but so be it even if I was talked into this at subtle sword point.

 First draft of 03-Taking an inventory

    So given a task by the gods to oversee a potential trouble spot, this sounds more like the job you would give to your church or a paladin group? The ironic thing about the churches of deities is that we necromancers sometimes get a better reputation than priests when it comes to dealing with funerals and graveyards, not much use for comforting the grieving except for ensuring the souls of the dead don¡¯t laze around. Much practical comfort in knowing that if your dead neighbor does come back you can whack him without care since not only is it weaker but a mindless construct without regard for rights of sentient creatures unlike priests who can only hope to their deity that the soul actually leaves unless they are some high ranker then why are they at some random village.

    Admittedly this is limited to the liberal sections of the empire, pitchforks and torches are obvious elsewhere, still we necromancers tend to get a bit more footloose in the world with our quest for new knowledge though it is common to some mages. Of course guaranteeing that the souls go to their gods is not part of the job description of priests regardless of orientation not that the commoners need to know. The stories you hear at times of the way some priests or mages act is amazing, of course you hear more about the crazy ones whenever anything happens.

    Many rouge necromancers go searching for hidden cairns or crypts to pillage bodies and souls, however enlightened necromancers know that keeping the soul of some random joe or jill paladin or other mighty figure in your troop is a recipe for stupid. Too much chance of rebellion for weak necromancers and those true masters of the craft are busy with more important large scale things. Getting some high quality pawn is nice but not when it takes too long and if it is truly a wonderfully strong one then who does not keep guards of some kind or other there an strong ones.

    These are the small time necromancers who burn out in a blaze of glory by going mad with believed power and massacre a few villages. After their large zombie horde is up they slow down to a crawl and get hunted down by either a group of avenging holier than thou paladins or the local noble panics and sends for the biggest army with the promise of spoils of war. The smart ones lay low and create identities that allow them to move freely, there are many necromancers that are not public and are just biding their time for whatever objective they have.

    But such matters were never much of an issue for me, master was a pioneer and sneered on traditional methods and made sure that I never went down the path of fool¡¯s power. In particular he experimented with improving animal and monster reanimation, it is quite effective compared to human reanimation if not exactly very flexible. Animals and monsters are usually much better for fighting long term, less fragile and need for equipment compared to humanoids but it is harder to give them equipment to enhance strength nor are they so available as humans. That monster reanimation was what made my career at the local academy, a more codified method to necromancy and also quite a bit of embezzlement for my personal research which spawned the golem corps. If they ever found my secret laboratory I would probably be burnt on the stake with holy fire, while I did not make a secret coup d''etat undead army I did do enough smaller scale work for things to not be tolerated if found out by the wrong parties.

    Of course it is not like I massacred a few towns to fuel my work but a few decades allows one to accumulate quite a bit of work material. Let us say that I never kept many prisoners of war around and had a good working relationship with those in charge of the penal work gangs not that it was any special act. An open secret was that most mages and nobles had similar connections and my making them was not viewed as special. One does not simply invent new necromantic creations without finding ways of making it possible to mass produce. Unfortunately most of that work was theoretical since I had most practical tests on smaller scales, I was perhaps too cautious in keeping things hidden but then again I did manage to rise to my high position and accumulate knowledge regardless.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Ahhh good, the goddess did keep my most important artifact intact.The culmination of my master¡¯s teachings and my research, my magnum opus; the Liber Sequenti Temporum Mortis. Here are recorded the spells I have learned over my time and hidden under the strictest protection my research. Every single magic imprint and ritual for creating undead of various types is recorded in this grimoire, perhaps one of the greatest accumulations of necromantic lore that would drive any who knew of it mad whether from the latent energy or the thirst for it¡¯s secrets. It was a piece of work ensuring that whenever I visited a conclave gathering of necromancers that I kept this under lock and key though any self-respecting mage hides their grimoire and research. The tales of fortified mage towers are often true, there are few things with less ethics than a mage with an intruder out for research in their quarters.

    The improved monster reanimation I learned during my tutelage, the bone golem research during my early time at the academy, and my experimental work on the latest military weapon. The new arquebus that was created recently, I don¡¯t know what made me so absorbed with it in the first place but I found much potential in them. Low grade necromantic creations cannot use them but stronger ones can, the destructive power they offer with ease of use even undead without shackled souls can use.The latest tactics fresh from the military segment of the academy was about conscripts enmass to counter heavy infantry and cavalry but there is so much more that can be done. Arquebus warfare arrays around formation use, formations that undead properly managed can execute much better.

    Leave the mindless swarms to those lesser necromancers, true grand warfare requires much more skill and superior troops. If what they say is true of the scale of the wasteland then I will have as much material as I need though world conquest is not something I desire despite my power, the theoretical and small scale ¡®tests¡¯ were enough for me. Imagine the bones of creatures from the early era of this world, the sheer necromantic energy that must dwell there makes me salivate at the thought. But still it is the path and not the end that I seek which likely were why I got the job, I prefer being left to my devices to experiment and study.. These gods likely know my end plans, moral code, and capabilities, lichdom and eternal guardianship hmmmm... how much energy from the miasma of death is actually there, perhaps perhaps......

    Well on to the more practical side of things, that was a bit of dangerous tunnel vision of not keeping watch of my surroundings even if I can feel my personal wards are still in place. Lets see a small campsite with fire in a clearing with woods surrounding it, nothing immediately dangerous in sight. This looks like a generic campsite that a traveler would set up for now that I check it is almost dusk, no food out but if this follows everything else there should be rations somewhere. Ahh after a it of rummaging I see a horse tethered nearby, patting it down and getting it used to my scent I check the bags nearby.

    Yep generic travel rations, various grains and grain meal for whatever suits the need, some travel breads/cakes, mead, water, beans/peas, soup stock and surprisingly a good bit of jerky. Looking in some of the rest of the bags I see some spare clothes and traveler¡¯s gear, good quality hat and wool cloak along with a good staff. Some of the others hold random assorted gear but one has what appears to be the kits needed for a doctor or apothecary along with raw herbs and tomes listing treatments and herbs. The hat with the symbol of a doctor is the final part, hmm guess that is my identity for travel. Not the worst one since it will be one that grants me good treatment and I can actually do a bit of such things but I don¡¯t want to be dragged into some troublesome matter if someone important is hurt. A sad bit is that there is not much leatherwork as everything is made of wood, felt, wool, cloth, and other textiles but a simple traveling doctor would not have that much wealth on them most likely.

    Now that we are in the backwoods I cannot expect much luxury but checking my satchels and purse I see a modest amount of copper and silver coins along with a rough cloth map of my general area. I appear to be in an unnamed forest between two small towns, judging by the black scribble of do not enter that is the mortis lands. Between here and that are are the aforementioned towns, a larger market/trade town and a fort but no cities. That market town would be the best place for me to find out the local situation and if I can get a bit of a look at the fort the more pertinent military structure of the area.

    A traveler¡¯s guide that is with the map calls this country Toratend under a king and some of the travel routes here. There is not much civilization past the fort which is likely some scattered pioneer villages making a harsh living, the guide describes that area as monster infested with the occasional undead pack roaming around. Looks like the potential for a bit of ¡®recruitment¡¯ is there though the more immediate possibility of bandits is a more available source for me as of right now.

 First Draft of 04-Let us be off but first more expo

    During this bit of information gathering my porridge is ready, a few scraps of jerky and mead add a bit of an addition to an otherwise bland meal of bread and porridge. I can fuel myself with necromantic energy but unrefined death mana will take time to convert to energy and the plant/wildlife there will probably be rather nasty affairs. Speaking of wildlife my scouts have returned, a few crafted mouse bone skeletons and spectres were taking a look around the general area and my guard spectres have a few wildlife located for me.

    I truly have to thank the goddess for retrieving all my gear as I rearrange my various talismans, bracelets, and my necklace. I smile at the thought of anything less than than a wizard or master maji attempting to fight me, it would take a weapons saint warrior to attempt to kill me and well the fodder troops would need a battalions worth. Perhaps a company¡¯s worth of elites but either way that would only be aiding me with so many bodies to use. The goddess knew what she was doing when she chose me, enough firepower to sweep most aside but not enough direct personal power to get attention from the strongest. I kept myself quiet for so long and now the chance to let loose a bit is glorious, still being stealthy has aided me all these years.

    As my thoughts turn to the goddess I realize something I did not notice on me before, how could I miss a ring on my own hand is a mystery to me though I suppose there is a rather obvious explanation for it. On it is an upraised hand with swirls drawn in the palm, the symbol of the goddess. Examining it more closely with my mind I feel that this is the trinket she mentioned would aid me, on it is a powerful concealment and binding that would be impossible for anyone other than the maker to remove. A bit of an experiment taking it off and storing it in a pouch shows that it returns to my hand after about 5-10 minutes. I feel as if I can cast magic better and more varied with this on, a powerful catalyst artifact for any mage.

    The effects are mostly focused on elemental magic from my tries but all magic in general gains some more ease in casting. A good utility object for helping me start my work, and hidden deep appears to be an archive of knowledge on the Agros de Mortis along with a grimoire like function to record knowledge. A nice side utility function appears to be the allowance of storing a small amount of items if they are enchanted with sufficient magic, something that my battle clothes are of course. A deeper look into the ring will be appropriate at another time but first a bit of sustenance.

    After a bit of a pick me up from some assorted monsters and small prey animals gathered for me I have a small store of necromantic energy(required for high quality necromancy) and some raw death mana(referred to as miasma as well) to refine along with a bit of food I smoked overnight. Having packed everything up and changed to inconspicuous clothes I started moving in the general direction of the next town, this path I am on is not the most defined, barely more than a game trail. I have not met any actual dangerous monsters yet, only larger game and weak monsters so far.

    Most were scared off after getting close enough to feel a bit of my aura, animals are much more receptive to small doses of my fear aura unlike humans. A bit of an inevitability for those who have been around or causing much death, partially responsible for those older veteran soldiers atmosphere. Other than the sight of wildlife that quickly left there were no other travelers according to all my senses. By my estimates depending on exactly which part of the forest I was dropped at it should be half a day to a full day of travel to the next town, once there I can get a gauge of local affairs before continuing. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    However my musings were interrupted by one of my scouts finding something of interest, looks like we have some fellow travelers ahead. Having my scout look closer I see that I was only partly right, looks like a few bandits are ahead with only the most rudimentary of weapons which were mostly hunter¡¯s bows and hunting knifes. I don¡¯t even need my actual servants to handle this even if my guard spectres are chafing for action, time for a bit of exercise if they wish for it. Moving along on foot with my staff I eventually meet said bandits, one is upfront while the other 3 surround me in what they believe to be stealth.

    ¡°Excuse me fellow traveler but I need a bit of aid, perhaps a little food and other alms for a poor fellow. I lost many of my supplies to bad luck and need some more to get to Trosafen¡±

    ¡°I would if I could but I myself am low on supplies and can spare only a bit, the rest of my wares are things that cannot be eaten unless you are in the need for a tincture against bad stomach pain¡±

    ¡°Ahh a doctor, no I only need a bit of food enough to get me to one of the villages before Trosafen, I can appeal to them for anything else I need¡±

    ¡°Of course a small bag of food can be spared, here let me get it off my horse¡±

    Hmm looks like they won¡¯t try for more, hearing that I am a doctor made them wary since offing a doctor gets the wrong attention not to mention that trying to sell my wares unless they want to go to the large market town is pointless. If they tried looking like your common peasant then someone is going to notice on the off chance that they are a bandit for a bounty, if not then the local guard will take in this obvious vagabond anyway to get credit when no one will miss them.

    They still do not make a move as I rummage in my pack while keeping my senses on them, looks like this lot is not a group of hardened criminals. Probably a few down on their luck hunters trying to survive, still this should inform me of the current situation. Not bad enough for true bandit gangs to arise but still not enough for people to survive easily. A single bag of peas, some hardtack and a bunch of berries later and I start asking about things ahead. The fool does not realize that I know he was not actually a just arrived traveler and starts telling me of local affairs. His buddies meanwhile have backed off and are being more productive on lookout for anything else. It appears that the town ahead is on rougher times, trade is not as prevalent as before and the harvest has felt a few hard times.

    Not enough for people to get desperate but belts are being buckled a bit tighter than before, some questions on local rates for goods along with the entry restrictions and that is enough information for now. I smile compassionately and inform the of a few wild game back down the path for him and his friends to go hunt and he has the remorse to look a bit shamed before bidding me farewell as I continue my trek. No need to expressly kill this lot since I won¡¯t get much food from them and if they had any valuables then why would they be doing this. The energy they would have is simply not worth it, if I truly wanted to store up necromantic energy or mass large amounts of death mana from them then 4 peasants is simply not worth the waste of time it would be to do so in the field.

    A proper lab where I can carefully drain them then perhaps but now, no it would be worthless and I need to get to the fields quickly before others come. As the goddess said she is not the only one who will take notice of what is occurring there and being first gives a powerful advantage. I can make my reveal to the world after actually having at least a small army, should find a better source as well since wasting time with only 4 low quality meatbags is not enough.