Rummy’s raid on the Acolytes’ precinct provided the perfect cover for Lieze and Alma to make their escape. As the two of them moved south, detachments of guardsmen were already responding to the conflict, sprinting towards the northern district in overwhelming numbers.
“...I think we’ll be safe here.” Lieze concluded, pausing next to a streetlamp to catch her breath.
“I’m glad to see you aren’t hurt.” Alma smiled, “How were you captured in the first place?”
She didn’t receive an answer. Rather, she found herself recoiling as Lieze suddenly kicked the stone base of the streetlamp with an irritated expression,
“That worm…” She seethed, “How dare he make a fool of me like that? Does he even understand the enemy he’s made?”
“Lieze…”
“He’ll regret not killing me on the spot. A necromancer would never waste time with interrogation and due process.” She continued, “These people… this entire city is pitiful… fools who can’t even tolerate their own beliefs--who shy away from justice while calling themselves paragons of virtue, content to take advantage of those beneath them but never courageous enough to face down a true enemy.”
Alma averted her eyes as Lieze walked over and placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders.
“The Order will uproot the weeds infesting this monument to lost pride, and I will be the one to ensure that worms like Helmach and Ricta are not allowed to stand in the way of our ideals. I took a great risk by confronting you, Alma, but you’ve proven surprisingly resourceful in such a small amount of time. Follow me towards the inevitable conclusion of this world, and I swear the Order will welcome you with open arms.”
Alma found herself unable to ignore the sheer determination burning in Lieze’s eyes. The sight brought to mind the image of some deranged cultist--a zealot feverishly selling her cause to a sceptic. But, even so, she had extended a hand to Lieze unconditionally. Despite the girl’s threats and domineering attitude, there was something about her; a mixture of honesty and purposeful stubbornness, which transfixed Alma.
“Your desire to understand necromancy is no doubt conflicted with the morals of a mind poisoned by the influence of the priesthood.” Lieze continued, “I can nourish that urge you feel to cast aside the dogma of this eroding city. It may be difficult--no, it almost certainly will be, but that first step towards understanding the truth will grant you purpose. I will transform you into a fine necromancer. You need only say the word.”
She spoke with an almost pleading tone. Lieze didn’t make any attempt to guise her intentions. She desired power and influence, and in her eyes, Alma was the first step to attaining that goal. Her innocence was almost pitiable. Or, perhaps it was all a farce of manipulation. As that thought crossed Alma’s mind, she realised that she didn’t care. It terrified her, knowing she’d fallen so far as to disregard the possibility, but Lieze had promised her a future all-too-tempting to refuse.
“I… I understand.” She answered meekly, “...I’ll follow you.”
The girl smiled at her. It was a terrible, crooked expression not suited to her in the slightest.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Lieze replied, “For now, we should return to the hideout. Once Helmach realises I’m missing, I can’t imagine he’ll be very happy about it.”
One nod from Alma was all that preceded their hurried paces through the midnight lanes. The destroyed husks of the northern district soon gave way to the still-bustling pubs and brothels of the south. As soon as they passed through Tonberg’s main gate out into the frigid-cold air of the countryside, Lieze wasted no time in explaining the circumstances of her sudden kidnapping.
“Helmach… knows you murdered his sister?” Alma questioned.
“He doesn’t. But, he knew Noma well enough to conclude that the girl was no thief.” Lieze lowered her head, “There was something… off, about his sheer bull-headedness. As if there was no reason for him to be anything but completely certain that I was her murderer.”
“Baccharum wants us to dismantle the Acolytes for good.” She replied, “It’s, uh… our payment for requesting his aid in freeing you.”
“I’m not surprised he wanted something in return.” Lieze paused, “...Well, no matter. I wouldn’t be satisfied letting Helmach get away with this, and he’s a threat in need of elimination besides. Silas is a smart Elf--he knows I’ll relish the task.”
“But… we’re necromancers. How are we going to make a move against Helmach when he’s inside the city?”
“It’s a common mistake for new members of the Order to believe that without thralls, we necromancers are utterly useless.” She explained, “My father was the first to expound the argument that a single-minded devotion to the craft is a recipe for disaster. Like all great leaders--Logaram of the Steppe, Alberich the Tyrant, the 16 Sages… we must seek to undermine our enemies before we defeat them.”
“When will the Order be returning?”
“I can’t say for sure.” Lieze admitted, “We lost many thralls during the siege, and reinforcing that loss is more complicated than simply raising corpses… if I was forced to make a prediction, I would say that we should expect to be contacted by the Order in the next week or two.”
She didn’t reveal to Alma that neither her father nor any of her allies in the Order were even aware that she was still alive. Not that much would have changed without her. The thought of surprising arrogant peers like Drayya with her newfound power inflicted her with a fierce determination to continue her training.
The Dwarves contracted to carve a more accessible entrance into the hideout had returned home for the night. As would be expected of them, the project was proceeding at a speed completely incomprehensible to the human mind. As Lieze and Alma dropped carefully down the pitch-black rope, a horrible mass of flesh made a disgusting sound as it haphazardly flung itself into the entrance after them.
“You brought the Fleshbag with you.” Lieze noticed, watching the pitiful creature spreading like slurry across the cavern floor, “Not a bad idea. They’re powerful tools for surprise attacks, but don’t try to meet an enemy head-on with one. They’re not the most durable of thralls.”
“I understand.” Alma replied, “Necromantic alchemy is still something I’m not familiar with…
“Altering thralls is doable without an alchemy table, but not entirely efficient.” She began, “We could do with one down here…”
As if responding to her thoughts, a new notice appeared on her scale.
New Quest Received! "Magnum Opus" - Acquire an Alchemy Table. Reward - 500xp
“600…” The number crossed her mind.
Current XP - 750/850
“One more level, and I’ll reach another milestone.” She considered, “Alma.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I’ve decided that you’ll be in charge of securing an alchemy table for us.” Lieze ordered, “It’s an important acquisition--not just for our needs, but for my personal growth.”
“Personal… growth?”
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“Ah…” Sighing, she remembered the importance of hiding her trump card from others, “There’s only so much that I can accomplish with my bare hands. Find an alchemy table, and I will be able to create monstrosities far surpassing mere Horrors and Fleshbags.”
“Alchemy tables are quite expensive…”
“A necromancer must cultivate resourcefulness.” She taught, “Reach out to Baccharum. I’m sure he’ll be able to point you in the right direction. In the meantime, I hope to gather more information about the Acolytes while bolstering our ranks.”
“You want to recruit more necromancers? That seems… difficult.”
“I was able to pin you as one from the moment we crossed eyes.” She countered, “Do you really doubt my ability to discover more of our fold hiding away in the city?”
“N-No… of course not.” Alma fidgeted, “I’ll begin looking for an alchemy table immediately.”
Lieze didn’t think it necessary to inform Alma that there was a convenient line of text hovering above her head that advertised the girl as a necromancer. The thought made her realise that it would be a troublesome affair masquerading as a more powerful sorcerer than she really was--until she could gain a few more levels, that is. She would need to be careful about what she let on moving forward.
The Gravewalkers populating the hideout paid the two no mind as they proceeded through the cavern. After having control of her Fleshbag usurped by Alma, Lieze was maintaining a total of 8 thralls, though there were still a handful of corpses fresh from her deal with Baccharum that could be used in a pinch. As the Horror lumbered its way past the duo, another notification appeared from her scale.
New Quest Received! "Consolidation" - Control 3 Horrors simultaneously. Reward - 200xp
“That’s not a bad idea…” She muttered.
“Excuse me?” Alma lifted her head.
“We have an abundance of corpses. A few extra Horrors could provide the hideout with some much-needed security, especially now that Helmach has it out for us.”
“And it would also help me free up some space for new thralls…” She thought, “Plus--200xp… that would be enough to push me towards level 10!”
“I see. Perhaps I could learn a thing or two by observing your alchemy?”
“So long as you don’t get in the way. I’ll be requiring complete concentration for this.”
It was a bare-faced lie. Lieze didn’t feel much of anything when she made use of her [Necromantic Alchemy] skill, but she needed Alma to think that her power was the real deal.
“Let’s have a look…”
Ability - Necromantic Alchemy (Create Horror) Description - Spend 1 hour to combine 2 or more existing Deathwalkers into a Horror. The resulting creature's level is equal to the combined level of the Deathwalkers, but cannot exceed a maximum level of 20.
“There are limits on this, too…” She lamented, “Well, Baccharum’s corpses are all low-level adventurers anyway, so I suppose it doesn’t matter much. And their levels are going to be reduced by raising them in the first place…”
Over the course of the next 2 hours, Lieze set about the messy process of combining Deathwalkers together. Horrors didn’t need to be particularly pleasing to the eye. In fact, she preferred making them as grotesque as possible in order to inspire fear in her enemies. She composed the first of 3 unfortunate Deathwalkers, their bodies melding together in a writhing puzzle of flesh; bones and tendons snapping to form the asymmetrical limbs of Lieze’s newest creation.
MP - 238/245
A measly [Level 7 Horror] was soon filling the caverns with horrifying, guttural sounds. As she pulled her attention away from the creature, Lieze could see Alma attempting to keep her composure after witnessing the sight of three corpses being grafted together.
“Did you learn anything?” She asked.
“I-I… I’m not sure.” Alma answered.
“Not good enough.” She criticised, “Watch closely this time. Cast aside any semblance of fear for the living dead. As a necromancer, witnessing such a miracle should push you to the brink of ecstacy.”
MP - 225/245
Her second attempt was more fruitful. As the floor was dyed crimson with blood and viscera, Lieze used another batch of fresh corpses to conjoin a [Level 13 Horror]. With an impressive HP value of [226], it would be a force to be reckoned with in battle. Just as the creature was brought into being, the notification she’d been awaiting finally appeared.
Quest "Consolidation" Complete! Reward - 200xp
Level Up! You are now level [10] HP + 5 MP + 40
Milestone Reached!
[Lesser Necromancy (lvl. 2)] has been replaced by [Necromancy (lvl. 1)] Description - Use 120MP to reanimate a creature of level [25] or below. The creature's level as an undead thrall equals 1/2 of its original level, rounded down. You can maintain a number of thralls equal to your level.
[Necromantic Alchemy (lvl. 1)] has been replaced by [Necromantic Alchemy (lvl. 2)]
Enhancements Learned - [Infusion] [Strength Upgrade]
Unique Undead Learned - [Flesh Elemental] [Nightcrawler Breeder]
“Hm.” A self-satisfied smile appeared on Lieze’s face, “Not bad at all…”
After upgrading her [Lesser Necromancy], its mana cost had been reduced, but now that it had been transformed into ordinary [Necromancy], the requirement had suddenly jumped back up again.
Lieze was beginning to understand that raising an army of the dead wasn’t going to be as simple as it was for her father. As her power increased, redundant abilities were pushed out from her psyche, meaning she could no longer rely on simpler, less expensive methods to raise lower-level corpses. Was it a result of her innately poor aptitude, or was it a restriction imposed by the scale itself? Either which way, one truth had been made clear--she would always have to treat her MP as a priceless resource.
“...Are you feeling alright, Lieze?” Alma muttered.
“I’ve never felt better.” She replied assuredly, “That alchemy table can’t come quickly enough, Alma. I’ll be counting on you to retrieve one.”
“Of course. I’ll depart for the city right away.”
The former nun was utterly complacent. Lieze’s short speech earlier on seemed to have done the trick in convincing her. Whether her subservience was authentic or not, an extra ally wasn’t something Lieze could afford to turn down.
She didn’t waste any time in scouring her newfound abilities once Alma let her be. One of the newest additions to her potential roster immediately caught the budding necromancer’s eye.
Ability - Necromantic Alchemy (Create Flesh Elemental) Description - Spend 1 hour to extract coagulated blood from any thrall into a suitably large vessel (up to a maximum of 5 litres). Using 5 or more litres of blood, you may spent 1 hour to create a Flesh Elemental. A Flesh Elemental gains [3] levels for every 5 litres of blood spent during its creation, and must be a minimum of level [3] for the ritual to succeed.
“Hm… this involves a heavy investment of both time and thralls.” Lieze muttered, “But at the same time, this allows me to bypass the level restriction of my necromancy. Not to mention the advantages of having a Flesh Elemental around…”
It was a well-known fact that holy magic was a necromancer’s bane. Thralls crumbled when exposed to the art, and as such, priests were among the Order’s most dangerous adversaries. However, a Flesh Elemental was no mere undead abomination. As the name suggested, it was an elemental; a sentient amalgamation of primeval forces. They weren’t impervious to holy magic, but significantly more resistant to it than any other thrall.
“I suppose we’ll be needing a vessel as well.” Lieze lamented, “I wonder if Baccharum has a bathtub or two to spare. As if the smell down here wasn’t bad enough already…”