Four walked through the streets of a sparking ancient city long since forgot and destroyed by the passing of time. In its peak it was a beautiful gathering of artistic wonder and value. Massive pillars stretch up into the shadows above and a river runs through the cuts centre. It was once a place where the best of the best architects would come point and brag about the wonders that they built a place of manufactured beauty. But now its a dead place that been reclaimed by natural as knee high ferns and bushes litter the place making travel through a chore. The great monuments cracked and broken. Rubble left over from the draven races last screams. A single place of pride for a dead people stands tall in the centre of it all. A castle of the draven ruler.
Thousands of spikes litter a cossall tower in the city's center. But from every window, ledge, terrace or roof there hangs a corpse. Or at least the rope that hung the corpse.
The four make their way through streets of increasingly beautiful design. I was a ordly place in it time. Not the clean streets and small door frames leave an creepy impression on those who pass.
But after passing those buildings the four arrive at the castle tower. A big noble and magnificent great door that's closer to a gate stands before them. Of the four the man in front Varon strives forwards and places his foot up to the heights where a handle would have been. Then with a creak the door shatters and dust flies everywhere.
Then the corpses began to sing.
“ We promise surrender. We speak lies
He promised life. He spoke truths.
We promise surrender. We speak lies.
So he promised life. He spoke truths.
Look, look can you see us sing.
Look, look can’t you see us cry.
Look, look you can’t see us die.
For this is the life. The life he promised.
For this is the life. The life he promised.
Look, look can you see us sing.
Look, look can’t you see us cry.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Look, look you can’t see us die.
And now we know the serpent doesn’t lie. Know we know the serpent doesn’t lie. But how we wish he did”
It was a croke voice and sounded mechanical and melancholy in nature. And it was repeated again and again.
The moment the four step through that door a world of various luxuries and wealth assaulted them. Hall after hall they pass through until they reach the throne room.
The sights were drawn away from the many pieces of art and wonder and unto a throne. Upon that though sat a skeleton a dagger placed in between his ribs. Held in place by his decreaped hands. But the skeleton wobbled and sob. “ please… please” it begged.
The small one a little girl dress in a plethora of stolen rags with a small red cape rans up to the skeleton king and very carefully with much hesitation. She removes the crown from his head and put it on her own. She is assaulted by a small sense of Déjà vu but shruggeds it off.
She then hurried back to Varon. For awhile the group waited in this room. They watched Varon who strove forwards and then bit into his finger. With his own blood he wrote “ Kung I have need of you” on the forehead of the skeleton king. But as they went to leave the skeleton called out and said “ What right do you have to deny god she said. What right do you have to be god I asked. And she showed me.
Why. Why can’t I kill my son. I just want to save him from his own existence. I didn’t know that my death wasn’t a right but a privilege but please my sons mind is that of a child. It is to broken to save. Only death could mend my people know. And yet you deny us this. Please let me kill him. My son has suffered far to much. I just wanted them to be happy. I just wanted my people to know the knowledge that my ancestors knew. Now I just want my people to die. Why won’t you let us die. Please” but as the group walked away until even his desperate cries can no longer be heard.
As the group moved forward Adria ran alongside Varon her arms out and a small golden crown sat upon her head. She look up at Varon and asked “ Whos is the serpent? Why won't he let the people here die”
Varon turned to her and said “ The name serpent is what the dragons used to call me. And they can’t die because… I said so.”
Adira look up at Varon with an incredibly annoyed look and asked “ Yeah by why can’t they die. I mean like even if you said it not like they can't just like smash their bones and call it a day.”
Varon felt Sharsha look over at him. She to was curious about this. Even necromancy can’t prevent death. In fact it just uses corpses as weapons at time. But the goal of necromancy is to rebuild the soul into a stronger form. See the body, mind and soul are the three things that make us who we are. If one is affected than the other two are as well. It's why when one makes too large of a change to their soul their flesh is unable to maintain itself and they become litchs.
But in doing so their minds are also changed in strange ways. See it almost like rock paper scissors. You improve your body or power you mind is effected. You improve your mind and you soul will be alerted as well. You changed you soul and you body will break. Although if you change you soul it’s possible to keep you mind in tact. But if you change your mind it’s impossible to keep your soul intact.
However these things are different. Their mind and soul are the same even as their body decays. It is indeed impossible for these things to die. Or at least Saharsa doesn't have a clue on how to go about killing them.
But Varon to Adria’s and Sharsha’s dismay he only look at them and smiles after saying” It’s because I don’t tell lies. So when I said they wouldn’t die it only makes sense that this wasn’t a lie
He then turned his head towards Adria and said “ Ok Adria what was the first thing I taught you to do when you found a corpse?”
Adria smiles and bounces a bit before pointing to the crown and at the tip top of her voice she yells “ Loot them”
Varon smiles and grabs her under the arms before picking her up and spinning her around him. She giggles but the moment her feet touch the ground she sprinting at the closet corpse with a serious expression on her face.