“I have been known by many names. A common one was the Shadow of Aurulian.” Those words struck fear in my heart and I took a step back. A necromancer of great evil who had been cast down over seven hundred years ago. “I see one person recognizes that name.” He said looking at me.
“A necromancer from long ago.” I whispered out.
“A necromancer, a mere necromancer-“ Karn moved in an instant cutting off the robed one’s speech. His massive sword hit the black cloak at the waist in an attempt to bisect the creature in front of us. The black robes collapsed and white dust poured out from beneath them. Karn quickly backed off.
“Priest cleanse this taint.”
“By the Gods of urrrkkkk…” Priest Gregson let out a death gurgle. I spun towards him and saw one of the corpses lying about the area standing up and with a sword extended into the priest’s chest.
“I am no mere necromancer.” In the fading light the black robes began rising back up looked far more sinister. “I am Magnus, an immortal, and so much more.” The hood fell back and revealed a white skull with glowing red eyes. It could only be one thing, a Lich. An undead abomination of the foulest nature.
All the corpses began to rise up around the area. “Karn we need to leave!” I shouted as sweat began to run down my face despite the chill in the air and not exerting myself that much at the moment.
“No. I may not be soldier anymore but I have my honor and will defend this kingdom. Come puny monster feel my strength!” Karn let out a roar and charged. The Lich called up a blade of darkness and began to deflect and block Karn’s punishing blows with apparent ease. I thought I could even feel the ground shaking with each blow.
I raised my hand, “Slow.” The Lich raised his free hand as I had used my ability and there was an orb of black light that quickly dispersed. The Lich had countered me perfectly without a care in the world. This was beyond me and I needed to escape. I grabbed my pack that I had brought over for the runes and I quickly began running back towards the wagons and the rest of the group.
They were being swarmed by the undead. While slow, they could take a beating. Harold’s arrows along with the remaining porters had little effect. There was a ring of at least three deep around the surviving members of the caravan. Harold looked at me a moment before the undead swarmed him and he was ripped apart screaming.
I heard muttering from the carriage nearby. “Not me, not me, not me.” That was probably the Baron locking himself away in his metal box. A servant was banging on the door as undead began ripping him apart.
“AHHHHHHHHH!” I heard Karn let out another loud roar. I went for the horses but they had been killed as well. The undead were slowly encircling me. I had to escape, I couldn’t die. I couldn’t die. My heart was pounding in my chest.
I ran for the gates. I had to get out of this death trap. A number of corpses were blocking the way out of Goldtown. “Stop, stop, stop, stop.” I yelled out. The corpses in my path halted and I quickly darted past them out onto the road and kept running. I looked back and the corpses were pursuing me at a walking pace. I had no idea how necromancy even worked to have a clue on what I should do.
I stopped my hurried pace and kept up a brisk walk. I had a half filled canteen, no food, and my pack. Looking back I could still make out the undead following me. There was no doubt in my mind Karn was dead. Everyone was dead. I took a drink from my canteen. An actual Gods forsaken Lich, the Shadow of Aurulian himself.
The stories said he had been killed but that clearly wasn’t the case. Or was it? He was undead so that meant he was no longer living. I shook my head, what mattered was that there was a Gods forsaken Lich. I needed to lose the undead following me. I didn’t know if the Lich could track me through them but I didn’t want to take any chances.
I could go into the forest in hopes of losing them and not being eaten or I could try and put as much distance between me and Goldtown. Looking at the darkened forest on either side of the road, I wasn’t tempted in the slightest. It was too dark for me to spot any monsters or an ambush in the foliage and I was out of light runes.
I just had to keep walking and not get caught by the undead trailing after me. The night was long and I kept my sword drawn the entire time. When the overcast sky began turning slightly brighter I felt a bit better. I was finally able to count my pursuers. There were ten undead following me. I kept walking, I didn’t have enough mana to comfortably take them all down without risk. I also needed food or I wouldn’t be able to make it. I could go a day, maybe two, but after that I would be in trouble.
As the sky became a gray blur instead of a black blur the undead seemed to slow down. I had read about day and night playing a role in certain mana but I had never seen it before or heard anything outside of one book I had read.
Turning around I looked at my opponents. I moved to the side so I would only have to face them one at a time. I hacked off one limb at a time as I slowly cut down the undead. Once separate from the main body the arms and one leg stopped moving. The ones I decapitated also collapsed like a puppet cut from its strings. I moved away from the corpses and sat in the middle of the road for a bit to recover and think about my next move.
Food remained the issue. I needed to go back to Goldtown to get food or I needed to try and hunt something down in the forest. Both options were terrible and I couldn’t think of a third. I pulled myself up and began my trek back. The overcast sky made it impossible to tell the time of day which was concerning.
As I walked I thought back to what the Lich had done. It had intercepted my ability. I didn’t even think that was possible. The mana flowed from my hand and targeted something within its range near instantly. I couldn’t send my mana through solid objects or liquids. Also I never saw my mana moving from my hand to my target. I had always assumed it was instantaneous but clearly that wasn’t the case.
The Lich had sensed my mana and countered it with an ability of its own. I doubted Karn had won either since the undead had chased me the entire time. It was a fact that when a person died their mana died with them. It was how the guild kept track of who was alive. I made it back to Goldtown.
There were no corpses that I could see but scattered bits of flesh from the people and the horses that had been ripped apart. The entire place had an eerie feeling about it. I made my way to a wagon and quickly began stuffing dried meat into my pack. I needed to leave but I also didn’t want to go back empty handed.
I searched the wagons and found the chest the caravan master used to cover expenses on the trip. I searched the ground around the wagon and found the key in the bloody clothes of what had been the caravan master. I unlocked the chest and took in the sight of number of documents and a large pouch of silver, at least seventy pieces. I took the silver and left the rest. I made a quick survey of where Karn had been fighting the Lich but there was nothing there, not even a corpse.
I heard movement from the nearby carriage. I looked over and saw it was dented all over and covered with blood stains but still secure. “Hello?” I said aloud.
“Someone there? Who is it?” The voice was clearly Baron Hartsford.
“Edward Monteger.” I had an internal debate for a moment. It would be a pain to bring this man back but I could shift everything onto him. “I am leaving. You can get out and come with me or stay.”
“There are monsters out there.” The fear was clearly etched into his voice.
“They are gone right now. I am leaving. You want to come along or not?” I asked. A panel opened in the door and I could see his blood shot eyes looking out at me. The door finally opened and a disheveled Baron came out.
“What happened?” He asked as he looked around.
“We can talk while we walk. I don’t want to be here when night comes.”
“I can’t walk, it is dangerous.” I just stared at him in disbelief.
“There are no horses. Like I said I am leaving.” I turned and started walking away. After a moment I heard the Baron catching up with
me.
“What….what happened?” He asked as we left Goldtown. I debated on what to say. It wasn’t so much that I was planning to lie but what I would focus on.
“There was a Lich.” I began but was then interrupted.
“What is a Lich?” Baron Hartsford asked.
“A Lich is an undead monster that used to be human. A Magnus that has used their powers as a necromancer to cheat their natural life and become a skeleton that retains its mana.” I explained.
“What?! Why was it in Goldtown?” He asked.
“I don’t know. Regardless everyone else perished. I was barely able to escape while undead chased me.”
“You mean those people who came back to life.”
“They were never alive. The mana of the Lich animated them somehow.” We walked in silence for a bit after that. “Why was my sister there?” I asked. The Baron was silent. “I will have an answer.”
“She was managing the town in my stead. My family was granted the town as our holdings and I had left her to manage it while I managed my affairs in Azalon. It wasn’t meant to be like this. Gods, I am ruined now.” He sounded incredibly sad and pathetic but I could care less.
We passed the place where I had killed the undead that had been chasing me. The Baron looked like he was going to be sick but didn’t say anything. The sky wasn’t clearing up as it slowly got darker. It appeared the day was coming to a close. I stopped at the side of the road next to a stream.
The water was clear and free flowing. I normally didn’t boil my water, but there was a risk drinking the water when there had been so much death in the area. After a quick debate I got out my metal pot and began heating up the water to purify it. I wish Priest Gregson had survived, this would have been infinitely easier to purge the water of taint if any existed.
Next I got out some of the dried meat and began chewing a piece. “Ummmm, can I have some.” I looked at the Baron in his fine clothes. I had heard the jingle of coins on him and was tempted to ask for a piece of gold. I handed over some meat and shared the water was it had been heated close to boiling for a bit.
I pulled out my blankets and lay one on the ground and used the other as a pillow. I made sure to keep my sword nearby just in case. There would be no fire tonight. “Do you have an extra?”
“No. The next couple of days are going to be difficult. I need proper rest if I am going to fight.” I began meditating. I needed mana and my reserves were so large it would take almost a month to regenerate naturally. With meditation it would take close to a day to regenerate my reserves if they were fully depleted. I didn’t have that much time to spare but all the mana I could recover would be highly useful.
I lay there while the Baron quietly cried. Despite being a noble he was still a young man and clearly not used to difficulty or hardship. I gave up on meditating after a while and dozed off. It was a restless sleep and the few images I did remember consisted of the Lich staring at me with its glowing eye sockets.
When I woke up I saw the Baron propped up against a tree looking completely miserable but asleep. I relieved myself and then got food and water. “Wake up.” I said.
“Whaaaa!” He shouted out and leapt up.
“Quiet.” I hissed out. “Have some water and meat. We have a lot more walking.” We set off again and I slowly chewed on a piece of meat as we traveled along the road. There was nothing to talk about or do except trudge along in silence.
***
We finally reached Raftin. The town was a sight for sore eyes. The Baron was dead on his feet which had blisters and were quite sore. “Halt.” The guard said as we approached from atop the wall. We both stopped. “State your business.
“Survivors of the caravan to Goldtown. This is Baron Hartsford.” Nobility had their uses like getting us quickly ushered inside the town. I took the Baron to an inn and left him in the hands of the hostess. He seemed to spring back a bit when he was put in a chair and given some food. After eating I took my leave while he was taken to a bath.
I went to the Adventuers Guild. “Hello there.” A middle aged man said from behind the customary bar counter.
“I have urgent news from Goldtown. Can you gather anyone of importance from Raftin?” I asked.
“Sure, but what is going on.”
“Goldtown is no more.”
“What!” The man shouted while the other three adventurers sitting around looked at me.
“Yes, now I need to speak to everyone who matters. Now.” A short time later I was taken to a large house where a number of people had gathered.
“What is it Yalner? Why have you got us all togeather?” A large burly man said.
“I asked him to call you all.” The five men and one woman all turned towards me. “I am Edward Monteger from Azalon. I was part of a caravan to Goldtown. We were attacked twice along the way by bandits and elves and suffered casualties. When we reached Goldtown the place was wrecked and everyone had been killed.” There were gasps at that.
“There is no way-“
“I am still speaking.” I cut the man off. “I discovered my sister was dead, the wife of Baron Hartsford. I burnt her corpse. That was when…when a Lich confronted us as night fell.” The room was deathly silent. “We attempted to defeat it but it countered my mana and caused all the dead from Goldtown to rise and attack. I barely escaped with my life and was pursued by the undead.”
“When dawn broke I slew the pursuing undead and returned to Goldtown to gather food to make it here. The corpses were all gone with only some mutilated pieces of flesh scattered about. I found the Baron Hartsford we had been escorting still alive in his carriage. I then escorted him back here. He is currently recovering in the inn near the west entrance.”
“A Lich, surely you must be joking. How would you know what a Lich is? You probably saw something and got scared.”
“I know what is a Lich is. It spoke and had mana. I am a scribe and am well read. I have warned you all of what has transpired I am leaving tomorrow and not coming back to this accursed place.”
“What proof do you even have?” Another man spoke out.
“My word and you can ask Baron Hartsford. While he probably did not see much he clearly heard the screams of the dying outside his carriage as they were ripped apart.” I turned and left. Yalner the individual running the local Adventurers Guild followed after me. I was done with all of this.
“Wait up.” I looked at Yalner over my shoulder and paused for a moment. “Not as young as I used to be.” He let out a breathe and we continued on towards the guild hall together. “A Lich you say?”
“It claimed it was the Shadow of Aurulian, but that necromancer is from seven hundred years ago. It claimed it was a Magnus and from what I could tell in the brief period I fought, it was definitely skilled in the use of mana. I am leaving and not looking back.” I said.
“You won’t stay and explain things to expeditions that come through?” Yalner asked.
“Like I said, I am leaving. I reported what occurred in Goldtown. If that Lich showed up here could anyone defeat it?” I asked already knowing the answer.
“No, but that is why we all need to work together. I am sure a request will be made for a rank five to come out here and deal with things.”
“Let me put it another way for you. I have fought goblins, wargs, yetis, cockatrices, elves, and undead. None of those things scared me. Sure I had some close calls but there was never a chilling despair that I had absolutely no hope. I made an effort to kill the monster but I need a break. That Lich is bad news and I am running away. Call me a coward, but I would rather live and be a coward than die.” I said. We entered the guild hall.
One of the adventurers came up to me. I noted he was a rank four from his medallion. “What happened?” He asked looking between me and Yalner.
“A Lich apparently, wiped out Goldtown.” Yalner said. The man looked at me.
“Really?”
“Really. Feel free to chase after it if you want. I
need a room for the night and a meal for two.” I told Yalner. I handed over some copper and locked myself away ignoring all the curious stares. They could go question the Baron. I began unpacking my pack. I had quite a bit of money from the looting I had done and my last mission. The real prize were the two gold pieces.
The forth night in the wilderness Baron Hartsford had collapsed when we stopped in exhaustion. It had been a simple matter to take the two gold pieces for services rendered. Saving his life could easily be worth far more, but it would also be a hassle to call in such a debt if he didn’t acknowledge it. Now that we were back in civilization I didn’t think he would be that generous, hence the reason I took the two gold as payment.
I could live in the capital for fifteen copper a day. Another ten copper a day to spend time at the library. A single gold piece would easily buy me an entire year of free time. The rest of the money could be used to spend money on parchment and supplies to further my studies on runes.
Putting my money away I took out the mage’s journal I had taken a while ago. I hadn’t bothered to look at it during the trip in case anyone saw and was too exhausted to look at it while rushing back here to Raftin. I flipped it open and began to read what Mage Karen had written down.
It was a detailed list of everything in regards to the Chant of Lightening. The chants themselves, their uses, and even speculations about how the skill increased in level. It was very similar to my own personal journal and I rated it more valuable than all the money I had gathered during this trip.
As I read it became clear that she was at the senior level for the Chant of Lightening. I would definitely be learning this as soon as possible. While the Chant of Time was great it lacked direct combat applications for my mana. There was something about throwing a fireball or shooting beams of energy that was far more satisfying than slowing things down.
Later on in the manuscript it talked about mana. There was a section on Meditation but there was nothing I hadn’t already figured out. There was a brief mention of trying to absorb back the mana after it had been cast forth as an ability. I read that part again and grinned. I had never considered that in my attempts to gather mana more quickly. I would have to consider it in my future experiments.
Adventures of a Scribe Page 22
