Reud awoke to silence.
The air was cold and damp, heavy with the sour smell of stagnant water. An oppressive sense of weight hung over him, a sensation that pressed down and made him feel smaller than the smallest ant. A familiar feeling.
So, he was back in his phylactery room.
Opening his eyes, Reud looked around the room that held the secret of his longevity. He hadn’t been here in centuries, not since the bone mass had taken up residence in the dead zone around it, but it looked like it hadn’t changed one bit.
Once it had been the core room of the great dungeon that lay under Srinaber, a source of much of the city’s wealth. The core room was where the dungeon’s mana flowed from, and therefore the place where the mana was at its very strongest. It also normally held the strongest monsters, and the most valuable materials.
And this room was no exception.
Jagged crystals jutted from the smooth rock walls of the almost-circular room, shining with a milky-white internal light. Amplifier crystals, they had once been called, a material that when implanted into other enchantments could amplify its effects. Srinaber adventurers had regularly ventured into its depths to harvest the valuable crystals, and the enchanters filling the city had greedily turned them into the items that had brought the city riches beyond imagining.
Those times were gone, however.
The only remaining amplifier crystals were those still embedded in the walls, and no more would ever grow within the dungeon’s depths. Not whilst Reud’s phylactery consumed every last bit of mana that would have spread through the dungeon, that was.
The phylactery itself hung in the middle of the room, attached to each wall by chains made of a yellow metal, another material with fantastic conductivity for soul aspected magics. Those he’d looted from the coffers of the city, repurposing what would have otherwise been left for the ravages of time. The chains, along with the crystals, would have equalled tens of thousands of crowns back in his day, an obscene expense when used in the quantities he had.
But it was the phylactery that was the most valuable item in the room.
It was a hexagonal prism, the size of Reud’s torso. The chains attached to each face, linking from faintly glowing sigils on the phylactery to the crystals covering the walls. The phylactery itself was made from a silvery metal, dotted with globs of a strange orange crystal. A strange hybrid-material, mined at the location a meteorite had impacted, many years before even Reud’s time. The astronomers at the academy had speculated it had come from the moon, but had been unable to prove anything with any real certainty. It had been determined that it held unparalleled magical resonance, but due to its unique nature had been held to be studied instead of crafted into an item.
Once everyone had died, however, Reud had decided it was finally time to put the priceless material to use.
Standing, Reud brushed himself off, shivering as the cold air leached the warmth from his naked skin. His overuse of magic had evidently overtaxed the mana that kept his body intact, and it had finally fully disintegrated, leaving him to restore here instead of where he had fallen. An irritating problem, if the bone mass had still been wrapping the room like an overzealous wall of death. That, however, was no longer a concern.
Now he could just walk out.
Weaving through the ancient tunnels of the dungeon brought Reud to the tunnels that criss-crossed beneath the city, taking him over to his research chambers. There he quickly redressed himself in a robe, and headed back up the surface. Night was fast approaching, meaning he’d been out no more than an hour or two. Smoke still rose over the city, but it was far less than what it had been when he and Rachel had emerged earlier. The fire fighting efforts were obviously proving successful.
Casting his senses wide, he found Bo standing together with Rachel in the north-east part of the city, close to the eastern wall. And if Bo was back, it meant Lilia was back.
His pace quickening, a smile spreading across his face, Reud rushed back into the city. The people that had fled it the last time he’d passed through the gates had re-entered, but their expressions were shaken. A few waved to him as he passed, others bowing their heads, but most shied away, fearful of what he represented.
Reud couldn’t really blame them, the Seekers had attacked their home because of him.
Jessabelle spotted him first as he rounded the corner.
“Lord Reud!” She shouted, waving.
It was a fairly large group that filled the street, Hamo, Marla, and Vorlo at the centre of it. The three young mages were working together like a well oiled machine, their combined efforts sending a cloud of dark sand spraying out over the dimming flames of a building, many others along the street showing the signs of being smothered by their efforts. At Jessabelle’s shout, their magic sputtered and failed, the children turning towards him with exhausted, haggard expressions.
Before Reud could say anything, something hit him from the side, wrapping him in a warm embrace. Lilia. Almost instinctively, Reud clasped her tight, pulling her into his body.
“Reud, I had no idea… I’m sorry.” She whispered into his neck. “I was out seeking revenge, and you were here dealing with this.”
Reud ran a hand down her soft hair. “It’s okay, you couldn’t have known. I didn’t know either until they were already on top of us. You did the right thing.”
“Still, I should have been here.”
“It all turned out fine.” Reud said, pulling back and kissing her softly on the forehead. “Did you get justice?”
Lilia nodded.
“Good, then there's no need for regrets.”
Looking up at the rest, Reud could see the toll the day had taken on all of them. Aleida’s eyes were red and puffy from crying, her clothes soaked in dried blood. The other mages had sunken eyes, the purple that blazed from their pupils glowing fitfully. They were right on the edge of mana exhaustion themselves. Jessabelle looked equally worn, her face streaked with dried blood and soot. In fact, only Cecily looked like she had any life left in her as she hovered protectively around her children, jumping at any movement around them as if every shadow held some attacking demon.
And then there was Rachel.
The skeleton worked side by side with the people in the crowd, lifting a fallen beam from one of the houses out of the street. Her bones were…
Well, they were glowing.
A pure-white radiance, faint but definitely distinguishable, shone from every single one of her bones. Around her frame a ghost of a figure moved, the shadow of a woman, her body vague and formless but distinctively there. It was her head that had the most form, hair that flowed like it was underwater and a face that was distinctively Rachel, but with empty, pupil-less eyes. The soul and animation spell that raised her made visible. Her very being oozed power, streamers of iridescent mana falling away at irregular intervals to drift lazily to the floor.
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It was truly a breathtaking sight to behold.
Before Reud could lose himself in studying the magnificent heights the spell in Rachel had climbed to, his attention was yanked back to the living.
“If you’re back, my lord, does that mean it’s over?” Aleida asked.
“The Seekers at our gates are all dead, yes.”
“Yeh, what happened there?” Lilia asked. “I went to the gate where they said you were and there was just bones. A lot of bones.”
“It is really quite creepy.” Jessabelle said.
“My lord, I… Uh… Leo…” Aleida said. “Rachel helped me move him to the necropolis with the others. I didn’t want him left out there with all… that.”
Reud nodded to her. “You did good. I will see what can be done for him soon, but the battle has left me drained.”
“Of course, my lord. I wouldn’t presume to-”
Reud held up a hand. “Relax, it’s okay. I’m sorry for losing my cool with you earlier, I was just a little preoccupied.”
“You do not need to apologize to me, my lord. We should have thought about…” Aleida trailed off and bowed her head.
“So, does anyone know the extent of the damages?” Reud asked.
“I… uh… Felix gave me an update earlier.” Jessabelle said.
Reud gestured for her to continue.
“It isn’t terrible, but it isn’t great either. The fires the Seekers started in the south-eastern parts of the city spread quickly through the districts closest to them, and almost all of them are completely destroyed. Especially after the… thing tore them apart the rest of the way.”
Jessabelle looked at him fearfully for a moment, before continuing.
“The southern fires we managed to stop from spreading far, due to the heroic efforts of Hamo and the twins.” She gestured at the children, prompting them to twitch out tired smiles.
“The northern fires only stopped spreading once they ran out of new buildings to ignite. We’re currently putting those out, as you can see.”
“And casualties?” Reud asked.
Jessabelle looked pointedly at the children.
“How about we quickly finish up here and get you home.” Cecily burst out, ushering the children away.
“I’ll go make sure they don’t overdo it.” Lilia said, pulling Reud into a kiss, then following them.
Once they were out of earshot, Jessabelle continued. “A few dozen confirmed, easily ten times that injured. Aleida has helped with those, but…”
“There’s only so much you can do, I understand.” Reud said.
“I wish… I wish I was stronger, could help more.” Aleida said.
“You’re still training, you can’t expect to become an archmage overnight. In fact, you’ve exceeded every expectation I had for you, given how new to your magic you are. You all have.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Jessabelle continued. “People are scared, the suddenness of the attack, and the kinds of dangers that appeared during it… No one here has ever experienced something like that before. They could do with some reassuring, I think.”
Reud nodded. “A speech, maybe, to set their minds at ease?”
“I think that could work, my lord. Feeling like the people in charge know what they are doing can only help.”
“In that case, once the rest of the fires are out, can you and Felix spread the word to gather everyone at the western gate. That’s probably the best place to give a speech from, right now.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
—
Reud looked down on a sea of people from where he stood, above the western gate that led out of the city. The faces that looked back at him were filled with fear, covered in soot, dirt, or other stains. Many nursed injuries, or supported others who could not stand properly on their own.
A scared people, looking for reassurance.
“People of Srinaber.” Reud began, his voice cracking a little. He swallowed, then tried again. “People of Srinaber!”
The second time his voice held firm, carrying over the crowd.
“Today was a dark day. The Seekers came again to kill us all, to destroy our way of life. And for what? The crime of wanting to live free, without the threat of being executed at their whims. For not bowing and offering them our absolute subservience.”
A wave of murmurs ran through the crowd, faces clouding in anger at Reud’s words.
“I’m sure many of you have wondered where this city stands, and I think today you deserve an answer.”
Reud crossed his arms behind his back, trying to give off the strongest impression he could.
“We stand against the Seekers, against Lightire, and against anyone who would exploit the people!” He shouted.
Gasps of shock came from the crowd.
“For years uncounted you have been downtrodden. Obscene taxes levied by fat aristocrats forced you to skimp and starve. Chimeras roamed the lands, destroying that which you had built with impunity. Seekers stole your children, dragging them off never to be seen again.”
Reud threw his arms high.
“Well that ends now! Here, in this city, you will face none of that! Here, you make your own destiny!”
Reud gestured, punctuating each phrase with a jab of his finger or a wave of his palm.
“Together we will build Srinaber back to its former glory, and beyond. We will raise its walls once more, rebuild its avenues and parks and temples and theatres. We will reconstruct its docks, and fill our markets with goods from all over the Rudase. We will rebuild our academy, and every man, woman, and child will receive the education they deserve.”
Reud paused, looking over the crowd. They were enraptured, caught in the snare of the dream he was weaving around them, the dream of a better life.
“All I need from you, to make this dream a reality, is your knowledge and your support. I do not need you to break your backs, slaving away to build a place you will not live to enjoy. My skeletons are here for that. No, I need you just to guide them, to use their strength to bring your skills to the blossoming life they always deserved. Some of you have already experienced the advantages of working with the undead like this, but I tell you now that those same advantages are available to every single one of you. Because here, in Srinaber, we all share equally in the benefits and the risks building a new, better life entails. Merchant and mage, commoner and king, it is only when we all work together that we can become great.”
“Today, we crushed the forces the Seekers threw at us, forces they thought would wipe us off the map for good. But we prevailed today, and we will prevail again. Each time they come for us, we will throw them back, further and further until they are back in Lightire where they belong.”
Reud raised his arms.
“Srinaber will stand strong in the face of everything they pit against us. We are not some weak settlement to be bullied at their whims. We are more powerful than they ever imagined. The young mages we welcomed into our midst a mere month ago risked their lives to protect us all, bravely standing up against the dangers the day brought, despite their young age. And we will welcome more in the months and years to come, more mages the Seekers would have kidnapped and dragged off, never to reappear.”
Reud threw his arms wide.
“Together, we are strong. Together, we can stand against anything. Together, we are Srinaber!”
Reud dropped his arms, looking out over the crowd, hoping that his words had found their mark. It was silent for a moment.
Then a voice shouted.
“Srinaber!” Jessabelle shouted from inside the crowd, clapping.
Her cry was taken but by a gruff voice, Grym, the carpenter. "Srinaber!" He shouted, Hana, standing by his side, echoing his cry.
The shout was taken up by another person. Then another.
Then the crowd erupted with a great roar.
“Srinaber! Srinaber! Srinaber!”
The energy was palpable, a fierce power that flooded from the multitude of people stamping their feet, clapping, and screaming. A great outpouring of emotion and energy, an outlet for all the fear and pain the day had brought. It pulsed in the air, as potent and pervasive as mana itself.
Reud smiled as he watched his people cheer for the city, for their home. With this devotion, he knew that they would be able to withstand the challenges of the coming years.
Srinaber would stand strong.