Armelia: Chapter 12
I almost immediately regretted my decision to fast travel over to Girit, mostly because I’d missed out on a great opportunity to see what it would’ve looked like from a distance, but also because it meant I was dropped on the exact opposite end of town that I wanted to be in.
My irritation at that quickly faded though as Shadow-Stal and I trotted through the destroyed and blood-soaked streets of Girit, with only the orange sunlight of early morning to cast any beauty over the once bustling town.
Occasionally we’d pause to look up at the green flames that licked the buildings which had once loomed over the streets, but had since been brought down to little more than rubble.
The whole thing was a mess, that being said I was surprised that I hadn’t run into any necromancers, or even something as simple as a recently risen villager.
“It’s quiet,” I whispered before growing a sly, almost taunting grin, “too quiet.”
I’d always hated when people said that in films or telly, but it was a load of fun being able to say it ironically.
“Jesus Christ…” I murmured, my jaw damn near dropping to the floor as we rounded the final bend and came face-to-face with what was left of the college.
It was a mess, fire everywhere, the entirety of the façade having been completely destroyed by the necromancers, their portal still swirling and bubbling in front of the building where it had spawned.
Still, there were no necromancers, or anyone for that matter.
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Go to the Girit Mage’s College.
Objective added: Investigate the Girit Mage’s College.
“Hello?” I called before hitching and dismounting Shadow-Stal, “Anybody in here?”
Silence.
Summoned Miss Fluffy-Scaleskin.
“Go on,” I said after summoning my snake, “see if you can find anyone.”
I didn’t think she would, but I figured she would at least offer me some company as I scrambled through the wreckage of the once beautiful college.
“What a fucking mess…” I muttered as I tried to find my way back to my old room but found the way blocked by fallen stone and wood, “Hello!?”
I was quickly coming to the conclusion that there wasn’t anybody left, and what I was looking for was simply some sort of object that would lead me on some other wild goose chase.
Then I got out into the courtyard, where Relian’s tree still stood strong, and heard someone coughing.
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Investigate the Girit Mage’s College.
Objective added: Help the Buried Mage.
It didn’t take long to find the source of the coughing, some poor bastard who’d had the bad luck of being next to an archway by the library when it had collapsed, but I was unable to make out his face through the rubble.
“Are you alright?” I asked as I looked for some kind of prompt to start uncovering him.
“That seems like an oddly self-serving question based on my present state,” a familiar voice replied between chesty coughs and groans, “get this off of me.”
“I’m doing my best…”
“Well do better,” the voice snapped, “because if I die down here, I’m going to make sure that the rest of your life is spent waiting for me to stop haunting you.”
I went to reply with something snarky, but then I found the first of many shiftable rocks and went to work with uncovering the unlucky, if slightly ungrateful mage.
After a few seconds that felt like minutes of digging, I reached the mage and, with a slightly confused smile, let out an amused huff.
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Help the Buried Mage.
Objective added: Talk to Flari Tomn.
“The hippy healer of Girit,” I joked as Fluffy found me and climbed up my body and the old Master pulled himself up out of the rubble, “I take it a few hours under piles of rock has made you somewhat bitter?”
“You’d be righ-” Flari started snippily then stopped abruptly when he saw the cracks in my skin, “What did you do?”
“Oh, this?” I asked, gesturing at my body, “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got a plan to fix it.”
“Is that plan killing yourself? Because I’m afraid that won’t work.”
“I-wait, what?”
Flari looked me up and down a few times, then shook his head in relief, “No, if you’d have died already, I’m sure we’d know.”
“Know what? What are you talking about?”
“You killed the Supreme Necromancer, yes? Using Necromancer’s Bane?”
I wasn’t altogether comfortable with the fact that he knew that, but I quickly regained enough composure to nod, “Yes, how did you know?”
“Because that is the only way to put down a Supreme Necromancer,” Flari replied somewhat disappointedly, “otherwise they’ll… you’ll just come back more powerful and with less control.”
There was some part of me that wanted to toy around with that, maybe go pick a fight with a giant and see what happened when I respawned, but when I took into consideration what less control could mean I decided against it.
“I’ve heard there’s someone who can help.”
Flari didn’t seem to like that response, and it seemed to leave a sort of sour taste in his mouth, “Wizard?” he asked as if the word was some kind of vile curse.
“Yes, someone practiced in the ancient ways?”
Again, Flari seemed opposed to that idea, but he was apparently more concerned with what we were dealing with in the present than what would happen with the dreaded ‘Wizard’ in the future, “We will discuss that matter later,” he said flatly before gesturing to the library, “for now it’s important that we find a way inside.”
“And why’s that?” I asked, not bothering to hide the fact that I was somewhat irritated that we couldn’t and probably wouldn’t ever pursue the topic of what was happening to me.
“Because there are a group of necromancer’s in there that must be dealt with,” Flari replied matter-of-factly before gesturing the bottom half of his bloody robes, “and considering what has happened to my leg, you’ll have to do it alone.”
“Why not simply heal yourself? Isn’t that what you do best?”
“At any other time your insistence on pursuing conversation would be annoying, but this is getting to the point of dangerous.” Flari practically snapped, followed quickly by a defeated sigh once he saw my irritated expression, “That being said, perhaps it is important that you should know. When those necromancers came through the portal we put our new safeguards into effect.”
“Safeguards? What safeguards?”
“The ones put into effect following the last invasion, they were something myself and the others developed while Lyrias and Vilor were out gallivanting with you in the mountains.”
“Show some respect for the dead.” I snapped for no other reason than to see his reaction which, while slightly sociopathic, was more than worth it.
His face drooped, his eyes widened, and I swear I could see his heartbreak, but he shook all that off as quickly as he possibly could, “There will be time for honouring them after we cleanse the school.”
Slightly disappointed by his emotional fortitude, I let out a sigh and turned my attention to the library, “Alright, so walk me through these safeguards.”
“Stage one was a standard defence, which quickly crumbled under the necromancers’ force,” Flari said with a speed that showed just how grateful he was for the subject change, “then stage two was a more archaic though effective manoeuvre that had us collapse parts of the school so as to trap the necromancers, and then… stage three.”
“And what is stage three?”
“Stage three is…” Flari trailed off almost ashamedly before straightening up, “Stage three is cutting off the magi
c.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Stage three is cutting off the magic.” Flari, with more confidence, repeated, “It was a hard decision to make, but it was the right one. The only other option was allowing the necromancers to turn our own dead against us, and I assure you that that’s not what they would’ve wanted.”
“But how many would’ve lived if they’d still been able to use their magic,” I replied aggressively, “beyond the occasional enchanting ritual, I very rarely see weapons here, and almost never in the hands of the students.”
“What were we supposed to do? Allow Girit to get destroyed along with the college?”
“Girit is destroyed,” I barked, “that’s kind of what happens when magic users go up against each other in such a confined space, people get hurt.”
I hadn’t fully realised when I’d first started talking, but as I looked at the well and truly defeated expression on Flari’s face it occurred to me that he, nor anyone else in the college knew what had happened beyond the confines of their school.
“How could this have happened?” Flari muttered as he looked around at the destroyed buildings around us.
“Because you removed the means for the people to defend themselves,” I replied coarsely, “and now everyone’s as good as dead. Those necromancers? They aren’t afraid to fight tooth and nail. Can you say the same about your students?”
I’d well and truly broken Flari down, beyond the extent that I’d intended to when I’d wanted to get a little payback for him being snippy when I’d saved him, and I wasn’t entirely sure that he’d recover.
“Go in there and get rid of the necromancers,” Flari finally said with a sort of deadness in his voice, “I’ll see if I can find anyone else that we might have buried.”
And with that, the conversation was done.
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Talk with Flari Tomn.
Objective added: Get into the Library.
“Fluffy?” I whispered to my snake as I watched Flari stalk the rubble with an undeniable cloud of depression looming over him, “I think I may have done some damage there.”
Fluffy didn’t seem to mind that I’d hurt what used to be the happiest man in Girit, and brushed her face against mine instead of giving me the lecture I was sure I deserved.
“Alright, I s’pose I’ll just get to work then.” I said before turning to face the collapsed entrance to the library, “Now… how am I meant to get in there?”
Armelia: Chapter 13
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Get into the Library.
Objective added: Investigate the Library.
It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be to find the gap in the collapsed archway, but once I’d pushed my way through the mostly blocked door I regretted my hastiness.
Equipped Necromancer’s Bane.
“What in the Hel happened in here?” I asked the scores of mage and necromancer bodies and toppled shelves while Fluffy went to work exploring what must’ve been an exciting new world for her.
The library was a mess to say the least, and any semblance of direction or order that had once been there was all but gone, replaced instead with a grisly display that made even me feel uncomfortable.
“Who could’ve done this?” I muttered as I stepped over a destroyed collection of encyclopaedias.
“Is someone there?” a weak voice called out from somewhere in the middle of the library, “If it’s another bloody necromancer, I swear I’m going to use everything within my power to rip this place to the ground.”
I followed the source of the voice and the raspy breaths that came along with it to discover a familiar face.
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Investigate the Library.
Objective added: Talk to Joliv Fren.
“Figured you’d survive this,” I chuckled as I went to work pulling the Master Librarian out from under the necromancer and pile of books he’d managed to get himself trapped under, “you’re too stubborn to let a little thing like a horde of corpse-raisers to get you down.”
“Ah, the druid.” Joliv half-groaned, “Why did it have to be you?”
“And the discrimination continues.”
“Nothing to do with discrimination,” Joliv quickly clarified, “I like druids plenty, I just don’t like you, especially now that you’ve apparently decided to take on the powers of Supreme Necromancer. Traitor.”
“Yeah, well, s’pose I shouldn’t have expected anything better.” I scoffed before taking another little look around the library, “What happened here?”
“I happened here,” Joliv replied coolly, “the students helped a bit, sure, but nobody knows how to beat a man to death with a book quite like a librarian.”
A little laugh escaped me at that, “I’ll have to take your word for it. This all of them?”
Joliv shook his head, which proved to be difficult while lying flat on his back, “A few got away after this one decided to fall on me, managed to grab a couple of the students on their way down.”
“Down?”
“They went to the lower section of the library when they figured that’s where we kept the magic blocker.” Joliv replied before letting out an irritated scoff, “Told Flari that below my library was no place to leave his traps, but no, they simply had to be down there. Anyway, you should hurry up, last thing we need is for these bastards to get back up.”
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Talk to Joliv Fren.
Objective added: Save the Mages.
I was kind of disappointed that I didn’t get to continue my conversation with Joliv, he was just the right amount of argumentative and stubborn to help feed the petty narcissism that I was cultivating.
That being said, the quicker I finished up with him, the quicker I could get to my goal of levelling up and going up against foes who’d actually pose some sort of threat.
So, after ensuring Joliv wasn’t going to die while I was gone, I found the door to the lower levels, where Fluffy sat happily waiting, and started my descent.
The swirled stairwell was dark and slicked with blood, the torches that had lit the way undoubtedly having been snagged by the necromancers, but I managed to find my way to the door at the bottom.
I waited a while at the door, listening for any sign of life, and damn near jumped right back to the top of the stairs when a sharp purple light briefly shone under the wood, before disappearing again.
“Guess that’s the magic blocker…” I whispered while Fluffy rubbed up against the door curiously, “Which means it’s still up and running.”
“Maybe we should try some kind of blood magic?” I heard someone from inside the room ask.
“And do what? Bleed all over the place and still get nowhere?” another person replied snippily, “These things are indestructible without some kind of magic or blasting powder.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
“Honestly? I think we should kill a few of these kids, show the ones up top that we mean business, then use the rest as bargaining chips to get us the Hel out of here.”
“That’s still only half a plan though, what happens when we get out? You felt the pulse. Aldok’s dead and there’s a new Supreme Necromancer.”
“Then we serve under them or go to Ailren. Either way, we need to get out of here.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s happening,” I said after finally stepping through the door into the small, dank space, revealing a dozen or so students and four semi-powerful looking necromancers, each armoured with thick leather padding and holding long, black blades while standing in front of this weird sort of magical generator, “you see, that new Supreme Necromancer, she doesn’t like the fact that you attacked her college.”
“Supreme Necromancer.” the first of th
e hostage-takers practically squeaked, “We… um… We humbly serve you. How were we to know tha-”
“It’s a bit late for that, what with you killing damn near every student here.” I interjected as Fluffy, with an undeniable fire in her eyes, climbed my body and started staring down the necromancers, “So, let’s get started.”
Armelia Fireheart is attacking a group of Necromancer Warriors.
4x Level 9 Necromancer Warriors, HP: 2500/2500.
Armelia: Chapter 14
I figured that them wanting to serve me would at least buy me a few seconds of stunned shock, but I figured wrong.
I’d barely taken a single step forward before the necromancers had leapt into action, lunging at me from all sides before I could react.
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone, and before I met the business end of a necromancer blade, Fluffy shot off of me like a viper from a cannon and latched onto the nearest of the necromancer’s faces, giving me the split-second I needed to work out what I was doing.
With barely a second to spare, I rolled forward, allowing the sword that had been coming my way to pass over my head harmlessly while I recovered and drove my dagger into my would-be attacker’s lower back, eliciting a high-pitched squeal that made me wince before he collapsed to his knees.
I’d been too hasty though, and had left myself open to an attack from one of the warriors to my right, a mistake that I was about to pay a nasty price for.
And then I heard a snap, a crack, and a yelp as Fluffy finished with the first of her prey and shot toward the one that was mere moments from landing what I was sure would’ve been a painful blow.
Miss Fluffy-Scaleskin levelled up!
Miss Fluffy-Scaleskin is now Level 5!
With three of the necromancers out of the way, and Fluffy having grown a great deal more, I was able to rise back to my feet, an action that wasted precious time and allowed the final necromancer to make a move for me.
He took a swing for my head, but not before I managed to lift my dagger up into a defensive position, saving my neck, literally, as I took the full brunt of his attack with little difficulty.
Legends of Tarthirious: The Complete Collection Page 57
