A mostly intact structure peeked out from the undergrowth ahead of them, completely covered in ivy. A heavy stone slab covered where the door of the building would once have been, sealing off the entrance.

Reud gestured at the rock. “We can get to the underground through here, which is where I’ve been working out of. How about you open it up, test out your strength. Just move the slab to there.” He pointed at a patch of dirt with a deep indentation.

“Easy.” Lilia said, smiling, flicking her hair back over her shoulder in a familiar gesture. It was strange, seeing it come from the Seeker’s body, a woman who mere hours ago had tried to kill him.

Reud shook off the thought. Even though the outside had changed, the soul within was the same Lilia he remembered. It would just take some time to get used to.

Closing her eyes, Lilia drew in a deep breath, holding perfectly still for a moment. Then her eyes snapped open, blazing with purple light. The distinctive sign of a mage channelling mana. A brilliant white glow covered her, flowing over the curvature of her muscles like a second skin, the distinctive magic of a kinetomancer, or force mage.

Squatting, she wrapped her arms around the rock, then with a grunt, lifted the huge rock straight into the air. Lilia staggered a few paces to the side, then dropped it, the rock slamming down into the groove.

Reud smiled widely. “It seems your affinity is intact. How does your body feel? How does your magic feel?”

Lilia frowned down at her hands, flexing her fingers. “I feel irritatingly weak, this woman evidently neglected her training.”

“And your magic?”

“That feels… different. Stronger, maybe, but like I’m pushing it in the wrong direction.” Lilia shrugged. “It’s weird.”

Reud tapped his chin. “That’s interesting. The Seeker was a cryomancer, if the ice she was tossing at me was anything to judge by, so maybe some of her affinity remained? I’d always thought that affinity was inherent to the soul, but if you felt a change then…? Lilia, maybe you could try-”

Lilia snapped her fingers in his face. “Oy, Reud, snap out of it. I’m starving.”

Reud looked up and smiled ruefully. “Of course, this way.”

The inside of the building was lit by faint light from small holes in the roof, illuminating the bare stone interior. To one side of the entrance lay a travel pack. Opening it, Reud rifled through for a moment before pulling out a bundle wrapped in cloth.

“Finally!” Lilia exclaimed, bounding forward and snatching the bundle from him. Quickly unwrapping it, she revealed some sort of sausage and a selection of dried fruits that she immediately began to tear into.

“Thish ish sho good.” She mumbled around a mouthful of food. Suddenly, she stopped. Smiling sheepishly, she offered the remaining morsel of sausage to Reud. “Did you want some?”

“That’s okay. As a result of all this.” Reud gestured to his pale skin and bone white hair. “Eating is just a waste of mana. You finish that off.”

Shrugging, Lilia turned back to the food and tucked back in.

Reud sat in silence, watching her polish off the rest of the package’s contents.

“Wow, that was so much better than the brown sludge we’ve been eating for the last few years.” She frowned briefly. “Before my death, that is. Wow, that sounds so weird to say.”

She walked over to the pack and stuffed the cloth into its open top. “So what now?”

Reud shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. I didn’t think at all about what would happen after I brought you back… It just always seemed too far away. How about you, what do you want to do?”

Lilia looked thoughtful for a few moments.

“Well, first I think we need to get you back to civilization. If nothing else, some new clothes would do you wonders.” She pointed to Reud’s threadbare robe, its pattern long-lost to the ravages of time. “Then, who knows. You said only nobles can practise magic?”

Reud nodded.

“So adventurers aren’t really a thing any more?”

“Sadly, yes. Nobles willing to risk their lives are few and far between. As far as I know, no one is clearing out dungeons any more or culling the chimera population.”

Lilia smiled. “In that case, it sounds like a lot of people willing to pay us for our skills. It’ll be just like old times.”

“You are right there, my love.” Reud smiled. “If we’re going to go as adventurers, then I need to finish work on something. Come this way, I’ll show you some of the magic I’ve developed.”

Reud headed through to the next room, Lilia trailing along behind. The floor there had collapsed, a ramp of rubble leading down to an old tunnel beneath.

Reud lit two lanterns, handing one to Lilia, before leading her into the blackness of the tunnel. A few steps into the gloom and the light from the entrance had vanished, leaving only the flickering lantern light to push back the darkness.

“Did you have to set up your base in such a creepy place?” Lilia whispered, pressing closer to Reud. “I know you’re a necromancer, but still…”

“Best place to hide out and not be disturbed.” Reud said, taking her hand in his. “Ever since the waterworks collapsed a few centuries ago, these tunnels were sealed off except at a few select entrances. There have been a few explorers of the city above, but none of them ever came down here.”

“What about the Srinaber dungeon? Wouldn’t that be overflowing up through here? It’s been a while, but I recall the tunnels connecting to it, didn’t they?”

“I dealt with that a long time ago as well.” Reud said, smiling softly. “Down here, we’re safe.”

They passed a number of doors set into the stone wall, before Reud pushed one open and stepped inside. The room was unfurnished bar a single large chest, no decoration or carvings marking its smooth grey walls. Entirely boring, except for one other detail.

“Are those… skeletons?” Lilia gasped.

“Glorious, aren’t they.” Reud said, his voice full of pride. “You have no idea how long it took me to perfect this little spell. They’re so much better than zombies, all the benefits of an undead without any of the disease and stench and whatnot.”

Lilia walked over to the ten figures, holding her lantern high. “How are they… you know, standing?”

“So that's the interesting thing. The bones form the anchor for a spell construct, that in turn supports the bones in the air. A sort of recursive link that lets them act as if they had a fleshy body.”

“Aren’t they kind of… frail?”

“You’d be surprised. The bones are quite durable, given they are reinforced with magic and can float back and forth to absorb blows.”

Lilia raised an eyebrow at that. “What if I grab and crush it?”

“In that case, the parts of the bone would be pulled back into place, and the skeleton would continue. Only if enough of the component bones are shattered into small enough pieces will the construct dissipate. Until that point, it’ll just keep on going.”

“Very impressive.” Lilia said, walking over to the closest skeleton. It stood perfectly motionless as she reached out and poked its floating skull, sending the bone rocking back and forth.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“So do they only do what you say, or can I boss them around.” She asked, amusing herself with pushing random bones and watching them float back into place.

“They will take your verbal orders, assuming the orders are possible, and don’t contradict any of mine.”

Happily, Lilia clapped her hands. “Alright you boney lot, stand on one leg!”

“Ah, I wouldn’t-” Reud started, but it was too late.

Chaos broke out.

Some of the skeletons dutifully raised one leg off the ground, balancing on the other one. Some more of the group tried the same, but over balanced and fell to one side, knocking over others. A few more of the group took the opportunity to stand on the fallen femur of one of their comrades, only to be sent stumbling to one side as the bone was yanked out from beneath them. The clattering and screeching of bone on bone echoed all throughout the room.

“Stop! Stop!” Lilia shouted, waving her hands frantically. She looked over at Reud with a pleading look in her eyes.

“They take orders very literally.” Reud said, chuckling. With a thought, he commanded them to return to the positions they had been waiting in, and the racket slowly died down. “They don’t have true souls, instead just artificial ones I have constructed for them. That means they have simple minds, at best. They will try to interpret and carry out orders as good as they can, so make sure you are explicit in what you tell them to do.”

“I thought stand on one leg was pretty explicit.”

“Maybe raise one of your legs off the ground and balance on the other would have been more suitable.” Reud said. “Though, I really only command them with magic. There’s no ambiguity there. Over time, the spell animating them will improve itself, will learn to understand more nuance, but for now it's basic, clear orders only.”

“Maybe I’ll leave you to do the skeleton command for now, then.” Lilia said, backing away from them.

Her light fell on another skeleton, its bones lying on the floor, tucked away in the corner of the room. The bones of this skeleton were covered in a dense pattern of tiny sigils, carved into the surface with painstaking precision.

“What’s that one?” She gestured towards it.

“That is the reason we’re down here. Another avenue of my research I haven’t had the mana to complete, until now.”

“Why’s that?”

Reud turned and pointed at Lilia. “All my mana was needed for another project. You.”

“Oh.” Lilia said. “That’s going to be a theme, isn’t it.”

Reud shrugged. “Full resurrection, or should I say, soul transplantation, is the most mana hungry spell I’ve ever seen or heard of. It took literal centuries of every scrap of mana I could store, every single day, to build up enough to attempt it even once.”

Lilia looked to one side. “Reud, I’m sorry you had to-”

“It was worth it, every moment. And now you’re back with me, which is all that matters.”

Lilia smiled at him. “So the skeleton? Why is it all fancy.”

“Right. I was investigating undead with a true soul fully bound to it. Not a simulated soul, like in those skeletons, or a temporary binding, like in traditional undead. A true, permanent binding, letting the original soul control the bones freely.”

“Why?”

“If the soul transplant didn’t work, this is what I’d have tried next for you. I call it a greater undead. It should, over time, allow the soul to control the construct body to equal or even greater ease with which it controlled its original body. Maybe even enhance its affinity and ability to channel mana. True undead life.”

“You always did aim high, didn’t you.” Lilia said, smiling.

“I try my best.”

“So, who was he? Or is it a she?” Lilia asked, peering at the bones curiously.

“A man, you can tell from the pelvic bones.” Reud said, pulling it from the pile. “Beyond that, however, I have no idea who they were. I found these bones in an old crypt, revealed on the outer reached of the tunnels when the waterworks collapsed. They had a… resonance. I think this was someone special, or at least someone powerful. A person like that would have a strong soul, one that would persist all this time. A soul just like yours.”

Lilia looked away, blushing slightly.

Reud walked over to the bones and sat down. “I just need to put the mana into this spell, and it should be the perfect companion for some chimera hunting. Just give me a few minutes.”

Lilia pouted. “So I’m just going to wait here whilst you do your necromancy stuff?” She wiggled her fingers in what Reud could only assume was supposed to be a magical fashion.

“Don’t sulk, it won’t take long.” He responded, chuckling softly.

“I’m just teasing, you do what you need to do.” Lilia tossed her hair back from her face. “I'm just going to take a little rest over here. This body is… unbalanced.” With that, she dropped herself down against the far wall.

Turning to the bones, Reud focused in on the spell he’d developed for it. It was mostly already in place, the runes on the bones forming the necessary patterns to channel mana into the required forms. It just needed the requisite fuel to begin.

The familiar act of spellcasting was comforting, soothing his racing pulse, helping him calm his nerves. After all this time, all this worrying and planning and preparing, she was finally back. It felt unreal, as if a dream he would suddenly wake from. Though, it had been a very long time since he’d last dreamed.

After all, he didn’t need to sleep any more.

Focusing back on the task at hand, Reud raised his hands to the bones, letting the mana flood out from him and flaring the spell to life. With a rattle, the bones jerked themselves off the floor and span into the air, scraping past one another as the spell bound itself into them and pulled them into place. In moments, a skeletal humanoid stood before him, motionless.

Mindless.

With the other skeletons, this was where he’d implant the magical mind he’d built into them. This time, however, his sights were set a little higher. This time, the skeleton would have a soul.

Increasing the mana stream to a torrent, Reud lifted his hands and sent his sense out to feel the bones, calling on the affinity that made him a necromancer to guide him, his soul magic affinity. The echo of the soul that had drawn him to these bones in the first place called to him, and he latched onto that feeling, feeding it to the spell.

Like a hound chasing a scent, the spell shot off, lancing into the ether, following that echo. Sweat beaded along his brow as the spell pulled more and more mana out of him, digging deeper into that metaphysical space in search of the soul.

A minute passed. Then another.

Reud gritted his teeth, holding firm. It was only a matter of time before the spell found its target. Only a matter of mana.

And if there was anything he’d perfected over the centuries, it was channelling mana.

When the spell finally found its target, Reud’s eyes were stinging with sweat. From there, however, the spell was easy. In an instant, it snapped the soul out of the ether and slammed it into the bones, binding it right back into the place it had occupied in its life. The soul barely even struggled, settling into the skeleton like into a favourite coat.

A quick final twist, sealing off the soul tethers to hold it in place, and the spell was done.

The torrent of mana cut off, and Reud dropped his arms, feeling exhausted. Letting out a long breath, he slowly stood, massaging sore legs that ached in protest. Looking around, he found Lilia watching him, her knees pulled up, resting her chin on her hands.

“That was… One impressive mass of mana.” She said. “I assume it worked?”

Reud nodded.

Lilia pushed herself up as well. “I assume this means Boney over there is coming with us?”

“Sure is.” Reud said, walking over to the large chest and rooting around within. “What kind of necromancer is complete without a minion or two?”

Lilia strode over to the skeleton. “Well, seeing as we are going to be travelling together, we’d best get to know each other. I’m Lilia. May I call you Boney? No, that doesn’t sound good. How about Bo? Yeh, Bo, I like that. You're Bo from now on.”

Reud stopped his digging, and turned around to see Lilia shaking the skeleton's arm up and down in a one-sided handshake.

“Seriously, Lilia… I literally just made him. He’s not ready to hold a conversation.”

Lilia grinned back at him. “It’s alright, I think he likes his name. You like being Bo. Yes you do.” She rubbed the skeleton’s skull in an affectionate way.

Reud shook his head and smiled, before turning back to the chest. He pulled out a set of mail armour and a bastard sword.

“Here, these should fit.” He said, laying them to one side.

Lilia pulled on the mail with practised ease. Reaching down, she grabbed the sword, hefting the heavy chunk of metal into the air. She gave the blade a few swings before grunting in approval and buckling it to her waist.

“This will do for now. Not as good as my old equipment, but I guess that is long gone now.” She looked up at Reud. “Unless you…?”

Reud shook his head. “Sadly not, I barely escaped that dungeon with your soul. Your body, I’m afraid, I had to leave. Though… it may still be down there. With almost no adventurers, no one is going into dungeons, so there's every chance it's stayed untouched.”

“Let’s put that down as a potential future expedition.” Lilia said. “I sure would love to get my sword back.”

Pulling out a longsword and a cloak from the chest, Reud mentally commanded the new skeleton, Bo, to get equipped. It shambled over and clumsily hitched the cloak over its body, and took the offered sword.

Finally, Reud pulled out a purse, clinking with coins. “Here, you might as well hold onto this, you’ve always been better with money. The denominations are about the same as you remember, just the faces stamped are different.”

Lilia took the purse and tied it onto her belt.

“If you’re ready, shall we head out?” Reud asked. “There’s a village called Littlestream a good few hours walk south of here.”

"Will they have an inn there?" Lilia asked.

"I assume so. Why?"

"That means a bed, we have a lot of missed time to make up for." Lilia said with a sultry look.

Then it was Reud’s turn to blush.