“Bad move.” I said slyly before taking a swing with my free hand, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to double over, making me all the more grateful that I’d put points into strength instead of simply maxing out Wisdom.
The necromancer wasn’t going down without a fight though, and right as I went to lay down a killing blow he deflected, sending me stumbling off toward a group of cowering mages.
“Don’t do this,” I groaned as I got ready to attack again, “don’t make this go on any longer than it has to.”
Unsurprisingly, the necromancer wasn’t really interested in paying attention to my requests, and decided to take a running strike for me.
I was too quick though, and managed to sidestep out of the way, which resulted in him toppling over the mages and landing in a heap by the wall.
“Wanna help me finish him off?” I asked as I watched Fluffy wrestle her prey to the ground.
The snake, to my great disappointment, didn’t respond, and instead proceeded to gnaw down with an undeniable tenacity on her near-paralysed snack.
“Guess not then.” I chuckled before turning back toward my kill, “Where were w-”
I was taken off-guard by the necromancer who, with surprising speed, had recovered and charged me once more, his legs apparently ignoring all the students who were underfoot.
In a move that I honestly don’t think I could’ve foreseen, I was scooped up off the ground by the waist, and dumped hard in a puddle of blood that had seeped its way from Fluffy’s victim.
“Ow…” I groaned despite taking no damage in the assault while my tackler got to his feet and went to plunge his sword into my gut.
He was too tired though, and I was too quick, and before he could successfully disembowel me, I rolled backwards and sprung up to my feet.
“Alright, I’m done.” I muttered before leaping toward the necromancer who was still midway through attacking the empty space I’d been occupying, and slashing at his throat.
Critical Hit!
+1 Singlehanded Blade Skill.
Progress: 37/100.
+10 XP.
Progress: 3630/7500.
With a few death gurgles, the necromancer fell to his knees, his hands clasping desperately at his opened neck in an attempt to try and stem the bleeding while his sword clattered to the floor, before finally, with a wet, chesty cough, falling onto his face.
End of Conflict Report:
2x Level 9 Necromancer Warriors.
+950 XP.
Progress: 4580/7500.
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Save the Mages.
Objective added: Lead the Mages to Safety.
Custom Journal altered.
Learn magic.
Go to the MoDA.
Work on increasing:
Archery (22/50)
Singlehanded Blade (37/50)
Speech (11/50)
Enchanting (1/50)
Smithing (51/100)
Armelia: Chapter 15
Fluffy had apparently been starving before getting the opportunity to eat some delicious necromancer flesh, but I didn’t wholly mind waiting for her to finish up while the mages slowly got to their feet, staring at me as they did so.
“Yo-you’re the druid Vilor was training, aren’t you?” one of them stammered out as I approached him.
“I am,” I replied confidently, “he’s dead now.”
The mage looked upset for a moment, but then turned curious as his gaze fell upon my cracked skin, “And you killed the Supreme Necromancer?”
Unequipped Necromancer’s Bane.
“The former Supreme Necromancer, yes. Now, grab those weapons,” I ordered, gesturing at the dead necromancers, “I have no idea how to shut off that blocker, and there’s a chance there are still some necromancers getting around.”
It was a precaution I wasn’t sure I needed to take, but at the same time I didn’t think taking any chances would end well.
“B-but…” the mage, whose name was Gil based on the tag that had finally popped up, trailed off nervously as he struggled not to stare at the green that covered my body, “shouldn’t we be hiding until the school is clear?”
“Possibly,” I said before growing a grin, “but it’d be really helpful for me to have some bodies between myself and the necromancers. Makes it harder for them to kill me, see?”
“Oh… oh alright…”
“I kid, but I really do need all the help I can get.” I practically groaned, my irritation at Gil’s immunity to my classic humour growing to the point where I was genuinely considering going even further towards the dark side.
Like Anakin laying waste to room full of children dark side.
Anyway, Gil didn’t say anything after that, instead opting to go ahead and start grabbing up the swords that had been sufficiently blood-soaked by their former wielders.
“You almost done there?” I asked the clearly overzealous Fluffy, who purred as best as she could in response, “Come on, we haven’t got all day.”
She didn’t like it, but once I started for the door Fluffy quickly followed after me, leaving a snail-like trail behind her, only with blood instead of slime, before climbing up my body.
“I can’t believe not a single one of you raised a hand to the necromancers,” I scolded as much as I could while still maintaining a tone that made it clear I didn’t care about them, “I mean, you had them outnumber three-to-one, what happened?”
“They had swords,” Gil replied, a certain level of confidence in his voice coming through as he held his newly acquired sword out in front of him, “and they said they’d cut us all down if we tried to fight them.”
“Not that you could,” I said, noting Gil and the other’s clumsy grips on their blades as we ascended into the library, “how have any of you survived this long without knowing how to fight?”
Gil waited a while before responding, as if he were collecting everyone’s opinions psychically first, then cleared his throat and joined me at my side, “Magic.”
“Magic?” I scoffed, “Fat lot of good magic did you today.”
“Yes, well…” Gil started then stopped as he realised he didn’t actually have a follow-up.
“Just stick close to me,” I ordered before opening the door to the library, “last thing I need is for one of you greenies to get lost in the stairwell.”
The mages did as they were told, and stuck to me like glue as we made our way over to the still prostrate Joliv.
“I see you managed to save the students,” Joliv said with an undeniable level of disinterest, “hooray.”
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Lead the Mages to Safety.
Objective added: Get Joliv Fren Outside.
“Well what else was I supposed to do, leave them to figure it out for themselves?” I chuckled, “You two, help him up.”
“Heh, I have a feeling you’re going to be the first Grand Master I actually like.” Joliv replied with a smile as two of the young mages picked him up by the arms, “That’s if you decide to accept the position.”
“Isn’t that something we’ll have to discuss with the other mages?” I asked, realising that I hadn’t actually thought about what would happen once I saved everyone in quite some time, “Or at least some sort of vote?”
“Bah, getting tied up in bureaucracy is the last thing this college needs right now.” Joliv grunted as we started toward the exit, his legs proving to be more damaged than I’d first expected, “You think the necromancers were a problem? Wait until you have a bunch of mages in a room arguing about due process.”
I smiled at that, then turned mildly serious, “So you’re suggesting I, what, just take the position?”
“Why not?” Joliv scoffed, “Not like anyone can stop you. You’re the hero of Girit, what’s left of it anyway, and you can’t be properly killed with that evil inside you, so why not go ahead and
grab it before someone else tries to?”
“I agree with the Master Librarian,” Gil chimed in as I went through the library doors and started toward the gap in the rubble, “you saved us, and I don’t think there’s a single one in our number who wouldn’t willingly follow your command.”
It may not seem it, but the decision was actually proving to be kind of hard for me.
Becoming the Grand Master seemed like a step in the wrong direction as far as my new path was concerned, but at the same time I knew I could use that influence to achieve all sorts of great things.
Not only that, but it also meant that I’d be the ruler of both major magical sides, which I thought could only be a good thing.
“Alright,” I said as I stepped through the rubble and was hit with sunlight, “I shall take up the mantle of Grand Master, but let’s get everyone outside first.”
“Agreed.” Joliv replied somewhat bitterly as he was forced through the gap by the two mostly useless students, “Then you can expel these two idiots, or better yet, kill them with your Supreme Necromancer powers.”
I couldn’t tell if he was joking, and if the young mages’ faces were anything to go by, neither did they, but I decided against following his advice, and turned to face the crowd of twenty or so that Flari had assembled while I’d been in the library.
Progress made in mission: Path of the Necromancer.
Objective completed: Get Joliv Fren Outside.
Objective added: Make Your Choice.
The new objective seemed to be deliberately ominous, but as I looked out over the worn down, bloodied, and dust-covered mages in front of me I realised what it meant.
I could continue on the path of light, help those people and use my newfound position of power to shape a better tomorrow, or I could take the advantage and kill every last mage left standing.
“What’re you waiting for?” Joliv goaded as he was sat down and propped up against a piece of rubble, “Do it.”
That was all I needed to make my decision.
I was going to go with something in the middle.
I was going to change the course of the college.
Armelia: Chapter 16
“We are fewer in number,” I said, starting the speech that I hoped would be enough to sway the obsessively ‘good’ mages, “but no weaker in strength, for this battle has made us stronger.”
“How?” someone in the crowd scoffed, “The college is destroyed, Girit lays in shambles, in what way are we stronger?”
For a moment there I wanted to go and find that interrupting twit and show him the business end of my dagger, but instead smiled and nodded like so many politicians had done before.
“You’re right, we have been hit hard, but that doesn’t mean we have to accept defeat.” I replied, effectively dodging the question, “We will rebuild the college, and the town, and the power that we rightfully deserve.”
+1 Speech Skill.
Progress: 12/100.
+10 XP.
Progress: 4590/7500.
At first I didn’t understand the point I’d earned, but then spotted the mage who must’ve heckled me back away to the edge of the crowd.
He wasn’t the only one with concerns though, and before I could continue on another mage stepped forward with a sour look on her face, “You’ve clearly just been corrupted by the power that comes with being Supreme Necromancer. We’ve never been obsessed with the pursuit of power.”
“And look at what has become of us.” I barked back, “We were almost destroyed by what can only be described as a splinter of what the necromancers’ army is. If you wish to lay down and die, then you are welcome to do so, but I plan to create fighters, real fighters that will be able to not only defend themselves, but also lay waste to any necromancers that we may find.”
+1 Speech Skill.
Progress: 13/100.
+10 XP.
Progress: 4600/7500.
The process repeated, one mage stepped back, another stepped forward, “So you’re suggesting we go out and hunt down the necromancers? Offer them no chance at peace?”
“Do you think they deserve peace?” I replied with less aggression than I’d given the last critic, “Look around you, this is the world that the necromancers would create if given the chance.”
+1 Speech Skill.
Progress: 14/100.
+10 XP.
Progress: 4610/7500.
I waited eagerly for someone else to step forward, another opportunity to gain some more points, but was disappointed to discover that the entire crowd seemed interested to hear what I had to say.
“Today marks a day of change for the mages of Girit,” I said as powerfully as I could, “today we will rebuild the college, using naught but our hands and the tools available to us.”
“Why?” one of the masters interrupted, “Shouldn’t we be working toward rebuilding the college and healing those that need it then learning to live without magic?”
‘Ah yes,’ I thought slyly, ‘step into my web.’
“Why start tomorrow what can be done today?” I asked, “I mean, where do we draw the line? If we use magic to rebuild the school for the sake of ease, then when do we start to learn to work without it? After we fix the college? Or the town? Or maybe after we hunt down the last of necromancers? If we don’t start today, there’s no guarantee we’ll ever start.”
“And what of those who will die of their injuries?” the irate mage snapped, “Should we just leave them to suffer?”
“I’m sure there is someone amongst us who’d be willing to try their hand at conventional, non-magical healing.” I replied coolly, “Using life or death situations to learn is dangerous, of course, but those who do learn quickly.”
I silently scolded myself as I noticed the crowd begin to shuffle anxiously from foot-to-foot, those who still had feet anyway, and realised that there were definitely right and wrong ways to answer the questions.
“It’s important that we maintain our values,” I said in an attempt to sway the mages back to my way of thinking, “but we must also be willing to adapt our tactics to a valueless army. As much as I’m sure we’d all like to pretend otherwise, we are in a time of great danger and face the potential extinction of any form of light magic.”
+1 Speech Skill.
Progress: 15/100.
+10 XP.
Progress: 4620/7500.
“So, are you choosing to become our leader?” Flari asked before gesturing to the crowd, “Because I believe that we are all wondering exactly what gives you the right to tell us not to use magic until you dictate otherwise.”
Of all the people in that crowd, I hadn’t expected Flari to be the one to question whether or not I should get the title of Grand Master.
Some random mage, sure, but not the guy I’d saved barely ten minutes prior.
I was right about to answer when, out of nowhere, Joliv chimed in, “She has more of a right than anyone here,” he said, earning himself more than a few stunned looks, “if it weren’t for this druid before us, we’d all be dead, and possibly risen again by those who attacked us.”
“And that grants her the rank of Grand Master?” Flari sniped back, “A single good deed that benefits her more than anyone? I mean look at her! Joliv, she’s the Supreme Necromancer.”
“Which is exactly why she should be the Grand Master.” Joliv barked, “Or would you rather her go to the mountains as Aldok did and send horde after relentless horde of necromancers and the undead our way until we die for some pitiful cause?”
“But sh-”
“The fact of the matter is that this is the new world,” Joliv said as he gestured to the destroyed college as best as he could, “and we weren’t prepared for that. Too long have we spent our time fiddling with illusion and spelunking with students while Vilor and Lyrias fondled each other in secret.”
To be honest, I feel like he could’ve worded that last part better, but before I could draw attention to the fact that i
t clearly wasn’t all that secret, Flari shot me a deadly look, “And where exactly are they?”
“What?” I replied, hoping to buy myself enough time to formulate a decent response, “Who?”
“Vilor and Lyrias, the two people you went to fight Aldok with and who never returned?” Flari practically spat, “Or did you think it’d never be brought up?”
“I’d honestly hoped for that, yes.” I said with a brow so furrowed it made it look like I had a ‘V’ in my forehead, “But the truth is I killed them.”
And just like that, the world fell silent.
Nobody breathed.
Nobody whispered.
Nobody moved.
“We went to fight Aldok, and I saw that we didn’t have a chance, so I claimed I would side with him.” I half-lied, “In doing so, I had to kill Vilor and Lyrias to earn his trust. After that it was only a matter of time before I was in a position to gut him like the monster he was.”
Silence still reigned, but I could tell that the gears had started to turn in the mages’ heads.
“Then she truly is the only candidate,” Joliv proclaimed after swallowing hard, “if she was capable of defeating not only Aldok, but also Vilor and Lyrias, she is also clearly the only one truly capable of leading us.”
“To what? Our deaths?” Flari growled, “She just admitted to killing the former Grand Master and you want to what? Give her a promotion? We should kill her where she stands!”
Again, I was supremely shocked by Flari’s sudden turn to shouting and, apparently, murder mobs.
“Try it.” Gil warned before stepping between me and the crowd, “But after seeing what she did to those necromancers, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
For a final time, silence fell over the destroyed college, but instead of everyone staying where they were, the group I’d saved from below the library stepped forward and joined Gil in making a wall.
“She’s a hero, regardless of what she’s done in the past,” Gil said with a confidence that I didn’t think he was capable of, “and I know that I’d rather have her than anyone else here leading us.”
Legends of Tarthirious: The Complete Collection Page 58
