by Sarah Lin
"Indeed."
"Excellent." Bloodwraith turned and gestured out of the cave. "Meara, come join us!"
She came immediately after, carrying Izilthor's body. It remained still and without consciousness, but the gray flesh had apparently grown over the entire body. Meara had wrapped Izilthor in a gray cloth, which seemed senseless given that it was just a ghoul. That wasn't enough to prevent a reaction from Gharavi.
"Uh, Meara... why exactly are you carrying a flesh-eating ghoul?"
"Oh, this?" Meara's eyes wandered to Bloodwraith and she smirked. "This is the little bundle of joy that brought meaning into Bloodwraith's sad and empty life."
He growled. "Enough of your impertinence, harridan!"
"Isn't he such a proud father? You should see how much effort he puts into parental necromancy. His heart just melted when his precious child came into his-"
"Enough blithering!" Bloodwraith moved forward and forcibly took Izilthor from her, not that she resisted. After confirming that the necromantic energy was still completing its work, Bloodwraith set down Izilthor carefully. Danniah moved beside it and smoothed the dark hair that had emerged, a smile on her face, but he was already focused on the real conversation again. "You've already met Meara. In addition to being the bane of my existence, she is my most important ally."
Meara bowed. "Entirely true."
"Your readings are odd." Gharavi examined Meara while her hands played over the bones on her necklace. "I've been wanting to ask about them ever since our previous conversation. You're definitely not one of them, but... did they change you?"
"You could say that." Meara's smirk vanished. "The details of my story are not relevant to anything that concerns you. What matters is that I have some limited ability to observe and manipulate the system the Outsiders set up. I won't be any use in combat, but I will help where I can."
"Pleased to meet you, Meara. I have a feeling that though you might have underestimated me, I underestimated you even more."
"All is forgiven. Frankly, I'm glad to meet someone else actually trying to wrestle with all this."
While it was lovely that everyone was getting along, Bloodwraith had no time for such niceties. "We have given you a great deal of information. I expect you to reciprocate. How did you come to know all this?"
"That's... a bit of a story. More than we have time for now." Gharavi saw their expressions and realized they would not be put off. She took a few steps back and leaned against the cave wall. "I can manage the short version. Have you heard of someone called the Blood Sorcerer?"
Bloodwraith knew the name and he glanced toward Meara. Her eyes widened for a second before she suppressed it and then she said nothing, so he spoke for them. "A tyrant who formed a large conquering army, yes? I have heard of him, though I understand he fought very far from Bannlind or the Master Lich's territory."
Gharavi shook her head slowly. "I was a child when he appeared. And though I didn't understand it at the time, his arrival changed the world. Later everyone said that his blood magic easily enslaved the orcs because they were inherently bestial, but I refuse to believe that. Something turned them into brutes, something greater than mere blood magic. Where there had once been culture, the Outsiders left only beasts to rape and kill. The worst part of it is that I still don't know why."
"They fear complexity." Meara spoke softly, barely above a whisper, her eyes not focusing on any of them. "Our world was not suited for the game they wanted to play, so they changed it."
"Are you certain of that?" Gharavi moved forward, barely restraining her intensity because she saw Meara's strange state. "You must understand, this changed everything for me."
But Meara only shook her head, staring into nothing. Bloodwraith moved to step between them and addressed Gharavi quietly. "None of us have true answers, only fragments."
"I... apologize."
"No, you are right to be enraged that the Outsiders have treated our world so cavalierly. But I have an essential question: how did you discover all this? They have been manipulating our world for years and yet very few have ever truly noticed. The other person I have met who knew of this went completely mad. How have you developed such sophisticated magic?"
Taking a step back, Gharavi traced the bones of her necklace. "The foundation of the work was done by my father... and though I cannot be sure, I think that it broke him in the end. His belief that there had been manipulation was unshakable and it drove him to study the magical theories of other worlds. I built upon his work to create a spell that could detect the presence of those from outside our world."
Once Bloodwraith would have pushed forward to demand answers, but he was dimly aware that to do so on such an emotional subject would be ill-advised. Instead he spoke softly on another issue. "Meara told me that you know of other Outsiders called the Aesidh?"
"Yes. Invaders from another world." Gharavi snapped back to being fully present. "At first I thought I had discovered the answer, but when I improved my spells, I discovered that the resonance was wrong. They are from another world, but one rather similar to ours - not one as alien as that of our Outsiders."
"You call them invaders - why do they not feature prominently in our history?"
"I'm basing that solely on a short conversation I overheard. Unfortunately, the Aesidh left before I could learn more or interrogate them. But they implied that they have entered other worlds in force and conquered them. They left our world because it was unsuitable... perhaps because another force was already present."
"Our Outsiders." Bloodwraith nodded thoughtfully, coming to several conclusions. "Then these Aesidh are clearly a potential link to learning more, if they have mastered such magic. We might be able to use it to strike back against the Outsiders who have manipulated our reality."
"Though we will need to start with this 'Raigar,' since he clearly poses the largest threat."
"Of course. But it is a far better long term plan than I had been able to develop based on limited information."
"Yes, I had been meaning to ask about that." Gharavi tilted her head to the side, watching him thoughtfully. "Your life was not defined by these 'box gods' until just recently. Before that, it seems you led an undead horde to conquer the world. While I agree that we might be allies, you must understand that I am a bit uncertain about what it is that you actually want."
"That is... a fair question." Bloodwraith gestured for all of them to go. "Come, we can continue this conversation in our crypt."
"You have a crypt?"
"It is a work in progress."
Chapter 18
Though Bloodwraith wanted to discuss every matter exhaustively, looks from Danniah and nudges from Meara eventually convinced him that he might be pushing too hard. Gharavi did seem somewhat fatigued on their way back to the crypt. Once he considered the matter from her perspective, he could understand how a critical part of her life had changed in a short time. He had needed time to adjust, flailing at the boxes for days, so he could respect that.
It might have been easier for her if they had not been attacked as soon as they returned to the crypt. More undead from the lower levels had overrun the basic defenses he'd been able to set up. They included a large golem of bone that would have been a long and difficult fight... if not for Gharavi.
As they fought, he watched her carefully. Her axe appeared to be a simple if elegant weapon normally, but when she activated a command it shifted, the blades on either side sliding so they were merely a finger apart. Instead of swinging it as many mages did, she held it with both hands, one near where it was braced against her shoulder and the other toward the end of the axe. It seemed that she used the tips of the axeheads to aim, then let a bolt of lightning fly.
Having a powerful ranged attacker was exactly what they needed against a slow but powerful opponent like a bone golem. After one of its arms was blown off, it tried to attack Gharavi, but with Danniah providing defense and Bloodwraith providing another threat, it didn't have a chance.
[Victory! You received 23,318 EXP, Bone Golem Body x1, Skeleton Body x3, and Wight Body x4.]
Bloodwraith smiled in satisfaction at the new rush of power. They had taken some injuries, but nothing compared to what they would have faced in the same battle without magical support. He turned back to Gharavi in time to see her staff slide back into axe form as she returned it to her back.
"That weapon is-"
"I'm sorry, but I'm very tired." She gave him a weak smile and then looked around. "Is there anywhere safe to sleep?"
"Of course. While our defenses need considerable improvement, we will all be awake in case there is another attack."
Gharavi nodded gratefully and went with Meara, who showed her to the room where they'd set up mats and a simple living area. Bloodwraith spent some time dragging all of the bodies together, since they would provide an excellent meal for Izilthor later.
Thinking of the undead prompted him to look back. They had left the body near the entrance and he felt a moment of worry before he realized that Danniah had gone back for Izilthor. He moved to catch up to her and discovered Danniah sitting beside the body, brushing its hair with a soft smile.
"Don't worry, Bloodwraith. She's alright."
From Meara it would have been mockery, but Danniah only meant to encourage him. Still, he was irked by her stubborn insistence regarding Izilthor. It might appear more human with flesh and a head of dark hair, but it remained an undead. "Earlier you were saying 'he' - does Izilthor become a 'she' just because it acquired some hair?"
"Come on, don't be so stubborn. She looks so much more... I mean, not human, but she has a real face now."
"I didn't realize 'having a face' was a primary sex characteristic."
Before Danniah could respond, Meara walked in to join them. The instant Bloodwraith saw the wry smile on her face, he knew that he wasn't going to like what she had to say, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
"I didn't tease you about it in front of Gharavi," Meara said, "but Danniah is right. Not to put too delicate a point on it: your Great Devourer of Flesh is anatomically female."
Bloodwraith spluttered, staring between them. "That's... that's irrelevant! Undead have no relevant gender and sex is meaningless to them!"
He might have said more, but at that moment Izilthor stirred. Bloodwraith bent down beside it - her? - immediately, pushing Danniah aside. Izilthor murmured and then slowly opened its eyes. They glimmered bright red, then opened wide when they saw him.
"Da!" Izilthor leapt to embrace him but was thoroughly tangled in the cloth, making it more of a flop. Bloodwraith just wrapped his arms around the whole bundle, then stared past her toward the other two.
"Not a damn word."
Meara mimed closing her mouth while Danniah just beamed happily. Meanwhile, Izilthor was wiggling in his arms, so Bloodwraith pulled back.
"How do you feel, Izilthor?"
"Good!" She used sharp claws to tear her arms out of the cloth, forming a makeshift sleeveless tunic. After hopping around several times, her smile widened. "Fast!"
He checked her box briefly and realized that there were still 9 NP remaining after the transformation. Best to invest everything now. "You still have the capacity to grow more. Is there anything else you want?"
"Teeth! Make teeth boxes!" Izilthor hopped back to him, so he dutifully began searching through the various boxes. It felt bizarre to think that the undead sitting on his lap was a daughter, but their relationship was not really changed. So long as he managed to ignore Danniah watching Izilthor and cooing, anyway.
Soon they discovered exactly the trait they wanted:
[Razor Teeth
Cost: 8 NP
The Undead Companion's teeth will become dangerous weapons, gaining +2/+5 to damage and scaling with Tier development. Taking this trait requires Might of at least 12 and will also grant Might +1 if Might is below 25.]
"Teeth!" Since Izilthor seemed quite pleased with this one and it had potential, Bloodwraith selected it right away.
For a moment Izilthor made a strange hissing sound, mouth contorting. Then she smiled, revealing that her mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth. She bounced happily, sniffed the air, then rushed into the other room. Bloodwraith followed just in time to see her snap clean through a wight arm in a single bite. Then she looked up at him, gleaming teeth trailing undead flesh, and beamed an enthusiastic smile.
"Thanks, Da!"
Bloodwraith glanced back toward the other two. "Cute little thing, isn't she?"
Danniah gave a queasy smile while Meara just kept smirking. But as he watched Izilthor eagerly consume the rest of the undead corpses, Bloodwraith didn't mind.
~ ~ ~
Though Bloodwraith wanted to aggressively pursue their plans against the Outsiders, the simple fact was that they couldn't afford to burn energy on speculative concerns. The truth was that Raigar still posed a huge threat and needed to be defeated before they could even think about making any deeper attempts against the ones manipulating their world.
He comforted himself by thinking that Raigar was also their most useful lead on the subject. Magical testing was well and good, but they had one of the box gods in mortal form, right in front of them. Though he wouldn't hold back the next time, if they could somehow capture and interrogate Raigar...
In any case, the result was that Gharavi started not with any grand spells, but with helping them on a simple matter. At the moment she was seated with her legs crossed on the floor of the crypt, working on the silver sphere they had taken. An array of spellwork floated around it in addition to several gemstone pins, floating in a larger sphere as she reworked its processes.
Technically he was focusing on his own work, and he was exercising both his necromancy and his mana capacity, but he found himself watching. This was a type of work he had never specialized in, but if he had held his old power, he could have assisted the process. Now his magical senses could barely grasp the complex work that was being done.
"Done." Gharavi gave a small, satisfied smile, then got to her feet and began plucking the magical pins out of the air. "You'll want to step back."
The only one in range was Izilthor, who had been crouched nearby, staring at the magic in awe. Danniah had been training in another corner of the room, so the warning served to draw her closer. They all watched as Gharavi waved a hand to dissipate the magic and then held it under the sphere.
It dropped into her palm, and at the same time a huge set of metal armor crashed to the floor. Danniah clapped her approval. "Great job, Gharavi! Can you also do the part where the sphere gets connected to my armor?"
"No need." Gharavi handed it to her with a smile. "The sphere has been unkeyed - as good as new, in other words. Let me show you how to bind it to you, then you can store your equipment inside and practice."
Meanwhile, Izilthor leaned closer and sniffed at the armor. "Not eat."
"No, we aim to sell this." Bloodwraith knelt down beside her, summoning boxes for each piece of equipment. The armor was made from good steel and certainly had high defensive values according to the boxes, but it was absurdly heavy. Besides, at their level, it was more important to have good enchantments. "Help me put these into the bag so that Meara can sell them."
As they stretched the opening of the Extra-dimensional Bag wide to fit the armor, Danniah looked over from her lesson with Gharavi. "Could I just take it myself? Store both suits of armor in the sphere?"
"It doesn't work that w-" Bloodwraith cut off as he realized that Gharavi had started to answer at the same time. Though frustrated that he was no longer the resident magical expert, he waved for her to speak.
"Equipment spheres have a very limited capacity," Gharavi said, "so they can't serve as replacements for Extra-dimensional Bags. They're also most efficient when the settings are very precise, and efficiency affects how long it takes to summon the armor. You don't want your armor not appearing fast enough to defend you."
"Haha
, that's kind of how we got this one..." Danniah said.
"Yes, I heard how you tore those thugs apart."
"That's... it wasn't like that!" Danniah stared at Gharavi in horror, then sighed. "Oh, I guess it doesn't matter. Last time I went into the city everybody was scared of me anyway."
Gharavi gave her a slight smile. "I was just teasing. Once I'd met you and Izilthor, I guessed the truth behind the rumors. It was good of you to cover for your allies."
"Thanks, Gharavi. Oh! I was going to ask, do you have a sphere too? I noticed that you changed your equipment really fast before, but I didn't see it happen."
"Not quite." Gharavi raised one hand and gestured to a silver ring alongside several others. "Same type of spell, but it trades capacity for speed."
"That makes sense. We should put the sphere on a necklace or something so I'm always touching it. It'll be nice to not wear armor all the time, but I want to have it right there if I need it..."
While they discussed those plans, Bloodwraith and Izilthor finished putting away all of the heavy armor. Though he still hadn't made up his mind about the recent developments, every time they worked together he was reminded that it didn't really matter. Izilthor was still the same mixed blessing that she had been from the beginning.
He was actually looking forward to clearing more of the crypt, earning simultaneous EXP and NP. The combination of a ghoul's body and the new teeth had proven very effective at eliminating corpses, but he thought with the purchase of some more traits, Izilthor could become far more dangerous.
Thinking about the subject, he brought up her box and actually considered it in depth.
[Undead Companion
Name: Izilthor (Izzy)
Class: Ghoul
Unassig-]
Bloodwraith frowned. It seemed wrong for the top-most label to simply read "Undead Companion," considering the level of autonomy Izilthor had acquired. Though the boxes weren't always open to change, Bloodwraith forced his mind against it, commanding it to bend to his will.
