The brilliant light of the moon filled the dark sky as Neske flew, the cold winds below the clouds whipping around the wings of her bat form. From this far above the world everything looked small and insignificant, a view that enhanced her already strong superiority complex. The kingdom stretched out as far as the eye could see in every direction with forests, plains, and cities appearing like a patchwork quilt. Her goal was in sight however as in the near distance the Hiejeuk Mountains stood tall like the spine of the world rising up from the earth.
She had been flying for many hours by now, the journey from Vinedenne having taken half the night. Now the moon was quite low in the sky and the sun would be climbing up to take its place in only a couple more hours. The remaining flight would take less than an hour however so she had little to worry about, not that the sun could actually harm her thanks to the ring she possessed. The bright and unforgiving light was still horrible to witness and she hated it regardless.
Soon the vampiress was flying above the mountains, their rocky crags already covered with light layers of snow in some places and heavy blankets in others. It was there among this natural and unforgiving stone fortress of the land that her master's castle stood. She hastened her flight in order to be reunited with him that much sooner. Down out of the sky the giant bat swirled until her destination appeared in a small mountain pass.
There among the rocky crags stood a large castle hewn from the mountainside itself. It stood taller than any human construction with spires standing hundreds of feet tall, only held from toppling by the support struts that went into the mountain itself. Balconies and walkways stretched out to connect the many towers and the handrails were the only barrier keeping pedestrians from falling to the valley far below.
Surrounding the castle were the grounds with tall stone walls forty feet tall enclosing them in an impenetrable aegis. There one would expect beautiful gardens and hedge mazes, but this far up in the unforgiving mountains so close to the sky such things were impossible. Instead sparse scatterings of pine trees and ragged grass were the only vegetation to grace the silent monolith.
The castle and its grounds were devoid of life and no living thing could be found creeping there save for the rare incest down among the stones. That was not to say there was no movement however, for as closer inspection of the place revealed its inhabitants made clear the nature of its ruler. There wandering among the stone buildings and along the walls were skeletons, animated by foul magic and armed as if they were human guards.
Yes. This was Castle Korchok: a place where death held dominion. No living thing was welcome here and none would dare to trespass. Even the wildlife of the mountains avoided the place out of instinct, the undeath clogging the air more suffocating the closer one got to the castle itself. It was here the master of the dead lived and the one who the vampire woman called master.
Barthenor: The Demon Mage of Henjuk. A man who long ago gave up his humanity to continue living forever has an undead abomination, though he wasn't truly living at all. Now he was an undead creature known in legend as a lich, a mere shadow of himself in terms of body as a ragged skeleton walking. His magical abilities though, oh those were even greater than ever before, and even a creature as power as Neske had no choice but to submit to his power.
Neske knew he waited for her return there in his castle, her capture putting her report quite far behind expectations. There was fear in her cold dead heart for his reaction to her arriving so late. All she could do is hope and pray to death itself that she would be spared this day. With these thoughts consuming her mind she flew down to the second floor of the castle where the library was located. Her master would surely be there.
The vampiress alighted on the balcony of the library on her human feet after transforming out of her bat form. The castle was dark as always as everyone occupying it could see in the dark as clearly as it was day. There was however a small light here in the library, the glow of a single candle that assuredly meant the lich was in there. She stood nervously at the door debating what she should say. All the thoughts rolling in her mind were soon overpowered by the understanding that delaying further only carried further risk of punishment. She steeled herself and pushed the door open, stepping into the library and preparing for the worst.
As the door was opened the whistling wind rushed in alongside the woman, the dust within being caught up and sent swirling through the air. Quickly she closed the door and looked towards the faint candlelight.
The library was truly enormous, easily the size of most king's throne rooms. All around were towering bookshelves that made way for a second floor with more of the same. The shelves were simply filled with all manner of books, tomes, and scrolls. No one could know the wealth of knowledge contained within this place besides the master himself. As for furniture there were ladders attached to the bookshelves and small stools scattered about. Seating was fulfilled by small tables accompanied by fancy chairs, the candles upon them in dishes having been unlit for untold amounts of time.
As Neske walked through the forest of shelves her footsteps echoed in the dead silence of the room, the only sound to be heard at all being the howling wind outside the glass windows. The silence only increased her fear until it was terror gripping her still heart. Then as she rounded a shelf and saw the source of the light she froze completely.
There sitting at one of the small tables was her master. He was an almost pitiful looking collection of bleached bones hunched over in one of the chairs at a table. Despite his bones he was dressed in rather elegant robes of pure white with stripes in a myriad of colors. He was adorned with jewelry and had a crown of pure gold upon his head that was fitted with many gemstones. On his shoulders were huge pauldrons connected around the neck with two huge orbs of pure obsidian lodged within.
Barthenor was hunched over reading a book, his bony finger moving the pages to create the only other sound in the oppressive darkness. There were several other books stacked on the table as well and he either didn't notice or didn't care that the vampiress was standing there just outside the candle's glow.
Neske wasn't sure what to say first and stood there frozen in terror. She was sure he knew she was there but yet he said nothing. Was his shunning proof that he had disowned her? All these thoughts filled her mind until she could take it no more. She kneeled down on the hard stone of the floor and kneeled in reverence. Her voice came out half choked by her fear.
“M-Master! Your servant has returned.”
Finally the lich stopped moving and the pages fell silent. Then with deliberate motion he sat up straight in his chair. He hadn't been a short man in life and stood close to six feet tall. Sitting there in the chair with his flowing robes and massive pauldrons he was quite imposing in the low light. When he replied there was a certain boredom to his tone. Though with no lips or throat the source of his voice was magical in nature.
“You disappoint me.”
His retort was short and simple which only made it hurt worse. Neske was close to tears if indeed she had been capable of them as a walking corpse. She threw herself down on the cold floor and groveled.
“Please master!” She begged. “Forgive your servant! I was captured and imprisoned! There was a goddess who-”
Barthenor interrupted her. “Goddess?”
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Neske lifted her head and peered up at her master. He had stood up from his chair suddenly and was looking straight ahead. She couldn't see his face clearly, though the yellow lights that filled his empty sockets didn't give much emotion away.
“Y-Yes master.” She replied nervously. “There is a goddess ruling over this kingdom now.”
The imposing lich turned to her and gestured with his right hand.
“You may stand. I shall forgive you for your lateness. I shall believe you for the fact such a foe is something you could never hope to overcome and little else in this world could best you.”
He waited for the vampiress to stand before continuing.
“You're not one to lie. So if this truly was a goddess than tell me about her.”
Neske had stood up and taken a couple steps further into the candlelight, its orange glow flickering across her pale features. The relief was visible in her body language and she thanked the heavens she had been forgiven. Though she was still recovering from her terror her voice was now filled with a level of confidence in herself as she gave her report.
“She is a young goddess, no older than a small child, though she seems wiser in the ways of the world than I expected. When first we met instead of smiting me she instead captured me in hopes of getting information out of me.” She stood to attention with her hands by her sides. “Of course she was unwilling to force it from me so she got nothing.”
Barthenor lifted his bony hands in front of the place his stomach would be and linked them together with clacking. His gaze lifted up towards the ceiling as he was deep in thought.
“A young child goddess?” He mused. “Tell me what she looks like. What is her portfolio? Her elemental affinities? I assume you learned that much at least.”
Neske shivered slightly in nervousness. She wasn't entirely sure what the affinities of the young goddess were and hoped what she did know would be enough for her master.
“Well I'm afraid I don't know her elemental affinity master.” She said with a slightly timid voice. “She used fire and stone both, though I heard claims of her using many other elements as well. It was her claim to be the goddess of both knowledge and light.” With a pause she looked to the floor. “Altogether I'm not sure what to make of her master. Please forgive me.”
With one fluid movement Barthenor lowered his eyes and turned to face his servant. The pinpoints of light in his eye sockets were ablaze with either anger or passion.
“Was it just this one?” He asked. “Were there hints of other goddesses?”
Neske kept her head bowed and shook it.
“No master.”
Barthenor then lifted his right hand to his chin and started pacing out of the candlelight an into an open space in the library. His robes and bones were almost reflective in the pale light of the moon.
“To think the goddesses are back stirring in the world.” He said mostly to himself. “That explains my awakening. The world must be quite vibrant with mana indeed.”
He then turned back to face Neske, who had herself turned to keep her eyes ever on her exalted master. The wind whistled over the windowpanes and the sound of hair could be heard clacking on the stone walls of the castle. There in the moonlight the lich stood as the moonlight illuminated him like some grotesque statue that had been placed in this library.
“I found myself awakening from slumber over a month ago today with nary a reason why, though now it presents itself to me.” Barthenor continued. “My long sleep was brought on due to my own folly, though the great of flow of mana has revived me for a purpose. The stars show that several centuries have passed since last I woke, and several centuries more since goddesses have walked the world.” He paced back to the table and past it. “I thought I'd have more time to plan for their eventual re-emergence, more time to study the knowledge that dims in my mind.” He then stopped and looked at the ceiling again. “It seems I have naught much time to prepare after all. Damnable goddesses.”
Neske stood there in silence not willing to risk angering him by speaking out of turn. She knew now first hand how dangerous a goddess could be and she knew this goddess wasn't even serious or grown. She hadn't been alive during the reign of the goddesses of old and knew only what he master had told her. It seemed that they were in serious trouble and now she had to put her faith in her master more than ever.
Barthenor turned back to the vampire.
“This goddess according to your reports acts mature yet makes childish mistakes. In what manner has she enslaved the humans to her will? Surely her worshipers are far spread. What manner of temples does she have built?”
Neske gulped nervously and shuffled her feet before answering.
“W-Well...” She started. “That's just the thing mater. She has no temples besides one in the capital it seems. Also while her worshipers are fervent it appears that many humans don't worship her at all. As if... As if she allows them to choose whether to or not.”
Barthenor tapped his chin with one of his bony fingers, the colorful gemstones of his many rings glinting in the faint light.
“Curious and curiouser. What game is she playing? Or is just childhood ignorance?"
"I don't think its either." Neske said with a brave look on her face. "I truely believe master that she means all her rediculous ideals. The humans, she treats them with geniune respect, I've seen it. They worship her out of geniune love. Its sick."
in reponse to her words Barthenor turned around to face her again. His hands clasped together somewhere behind his robe.
“How goes the army then?” He asked. “Not that they'll be much against her but her worshipers they will.”
Neske stood to attention again and looked straight ahead.
"The raising continued to go as planned master." She hesitated for a moment. "At least until her interference." Then she collected herself and continued her report. "Of course you are never wrong and the great many battlefields surrounding the mountains are full to bursting with a harvest of bones. All the undead I raised were sent here with the last batch surely arriving in my absence."
Barthenor nodded and walked back over to the table he had been sitting at. Then he reached down and closed the open book on it, the soft thump echoing louder than it should have in the dead silence.
“Yes they did.” He confirmed. “Now that your absence has been explained our plans must be altered.” He looked up at her with intensity. “You are still the only sentient minion I control and I see no reason to change that for the moment.”
Neske let out a soft sigh from relief as she heard that. It was true that she was the most powerful creature he had in his repertoire, something she was proud of. One of her greatest fears was being replaced. She remembered in times of old when there were many other vampires and powerful undead creatures like death knights that followed his will. She had just been one of many back then. Perhaps it was the will of the universe that she had been the only one left when they awoke.
“The fact remains that we shall need many more powerful creatures if we hope to stand against a goddess.” Barthenor continued. “My magical might alone will not suffice. In purpose of this you shall go out and seek more powerful creatures to raise as undead.” He raised his right hand above his shoulder. “It matters not if they were dead when you find them or if you change them to be.” He then dropped his hand. “Are your instructions clear?”
With a quick salute on her chest Neske stood to rapt attention.
“Yes master! Your will be done!”
The yellow light in Barthenor's empty sockets dimmed and if he had been capable he would surely have been smiling.
“Good good. If you cross paths with this goddess again you shall flee immediately. Do anything you can to escape. I shall work up a magic item to help with that so until it is done you are free to relax here in the castle.”
This brought a look of surprise to Neske's face. Had she really done well enough to deserve respite? If her master had said so surely she had. It was just so overwhelming emotionally and even though she couldn't blush she fidgeted around as if she was an embarrassed teenager.
“Thank you master!” She said exuberantly in contrast to her lifeless body. “I shall only work harder for you in the future in return for these gifts!”
Barthenor nodded solemnly and turned away from her and towards the windows of the great library.
“See that you do. Now leave me be as I have much to ponder. There is much to be done and scant little time in which to do it. If this goddess cannot be overcome and sealed our only hope is to bring her to our side somehow.”
Neske nodded and bowed without further comment. She was now most useful in standing out of her master's way so he could properly concentrate on the crises at hand. Honestly it was a great relief to her that she was able to serve someone as capable as him. If she had been tasked with surviving this goddess on her own she would surely not last long without hiding herself away shamefully.
After watching the skeletal mage walk over to the great library's windows the vampiress turned to take her leave. She marched with confidence and purpose out of that maze of books, her mind convinced of the bright future ahead of them. If she could prove herself useful enough than she'd never be replaced, instead standing above all the other servants as the most favored of all.
She strode into the dark hallways of the castle and towards the staircases to the upper levels, her crypt being above in one of the rooms. There her coffin awaited for her to return and rest for a short time, perhaps only one day. Her passion for serving her master had only been further inflamed of course and she wanted to get back out into the world and prove herself useful. One day she will be his second in command.