Silence fell over the group as they waited for Volodar's return. Looking over Gaulk's injuries, Drake felt that his medicine was working as he took off his helmet. "You'll live Gaulk, nothing that a good night's rest can't solve." He grunted in response as he rested alongside the dusty stonework of the keep. Outside, Adelia could see that almost all the plants were decaying before her eyes. The jotuns hacked into the dead vines, chopping apart what little were left of them. Bodies that were used as conduits could be seen in the distance as she walked back inside.

What once would've shaken her to the core, like seeing a dead body, was strangely just an unnerving part of life. She looked towards Drake, "Does adventuring get easier? There's so much death."

Drake cleared his throat, "I think so, but it didn't truly get easier for me. There are just better reasons I have for dealing with this line of work." Adelia thought about his words as she watched the staircase for Volodar's return.

Minutes pass as Nokken looked towards the ceiling. His ears perked up as spoke, "Sounds like he got them."

"What did you hear," Gaulk asked.

"Cries for help, I think." What seemed like an eternity passed before Volodar appeared on the steps. He was alone as he held onto the banister going towards the group.

"The issue is solved," Volodar stated. "They won't bother anyone else."

Gaulk pulled out his waterskin, "Good. We can go turn this in then."

"You guys can go turn it in. My army and I will remain here. I'm going to take a hold over this castle, it'll be the place where I fight Boar's men."

"Lad, I don't know if I agree with this."

"It's fine Gaulk. Take Drake and Nokken with you. The money will help you all out more than myself anyhow." Volodar scanned over the group as they said their goodbyes to one another. Nokken didn't say much until he reached the door, only looking back one last time as his eyes darted around for something. "We have much to do Adelia."

She seemed confused as he made his intent clear. All the jotuns worked in unison as they cleared whatever was left outside. Most of the damage to the buildings were superficial and the magic faded with the death of the coven. Hunter was busy scouting the location as he searched every hallway and staircase. No stone was left unturned on his quest to secure the castle. The stairs that went down appeared to be a dungeon with quite a few cells to contain people.

However, Volodar simply placed Gratia under house arrest in another one of the guest bedrooms. Doppel was to be her guardian and overseer for the time being as they fortified the motte and bailey. Many bodies remained from the time of being Gratia's power supply. He had troubles debating on whether he should raise them. It would be a sizeable number of skeletons as there were over a hundred who resided within the walls of the settlement. What bothered him most was the fact that those who died here never wronged him to begin with. Choices like this were much easier with Lucas around, he thought.

I will protect my own, he thought as he whisked dark magic over the castle. Dark energies poured from him as they sought out the dead nearby, finding their way into every crevice of the fortification. Those skeletons would support the jotuns in their tasks, fully securing the location. Days would pass as the workload fell within the castle. Other besides the bolstering of the palisades and a digging of a moat, there was no need for him to stay outside anymore. Walking back to the keep, he thought about Gratia's secrets to power. He paid her a visit as Doppel swung open the door.

"Gratia," Volodar took a seat, "it's time you've shown me your source of power."

Silence passed for a moment as she frowned, "I'll show you what I know." Volodar led her to the dungeon alongside Doppel and Hunter. He sent an internal message to Hunter, granting him permission to kill her should she rebel against them. In that case, he would just have to pry the information from the corpse.

Gratia placed her hand upon herself, "The true power source is the soul. It's what powers each of us through our day to day lives."

It would certainly be true in the case of Doppel and Hunter, he thought.

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"Using that soul as the conduit, you can do much for no effort. Let them do the work for you." She showed how it could apply in different scenarios. Volodar watched as he mentally noted the utility of her magics. In theory, I could raise shadows and spirits of my enemies using this, he thought.

"Interesting," Volodar responded, "what are the drawbacks to this technique?"

"The soul is a fickle thing. Gods will hate you for meddling with their magics and it is abhorrent to most who stumble upon it. Sometimes, the spirit won't be able to bind to your magic and will simply go berserk on its own accord."

Volodar waved his hand, "I don't care about the stories told about gods. As far as I'm concerned, they haven't done much for me in life." He thought hard about the skeletons he raised and the morality of what she spoke about. I wonder what Adelia would've said about this. Certainly, there shouldn't be a reason that he would sympathize with traitors. "Don't take this the wrong way, Gratia. I believe that your magic better suits the weak. The concepts are interesting, but I already knew of ways to get shadows better under my control. It's a matter of practice and experience that I lack."

She remained silent after being rebuffed for her life's work. Hunter wiped his hands off on a towel as he stood up. "So," Gratia said, "are you going to kill me now?"

Volodar's expression didn't change as he mulled it over in his mind, "I'm not sure. I haven't placed much thought into it yet. I'm not opposed to your death, if that's what you're asking." Awkward silence was the only redeeming quality in this conversation. One who reserved themselves for death didn't argue against it. His curiosity got the better of him as he examined her. "Should I kill you, would you be against being used as an experiment? Afterall, it seems only right after what happened to those folks in their sleep."

Doppel's deep voice boomed in agreement, "It's an honor to serve as a pedestal to raise the master higher in his sorcerous prowess. Be grateful, mistress of the broken coven, Gratia Haldine."

Her contempt was palpable as she glanced around the room, "I have been alive much longer than you. I've cultivated my magics since I was a girl, and you dare to mock me in such a way."

Volodar shook his head, "No. I know exactly what people like us do for a hundred years. Lucas lectured me at lengths about the failures of others who tried to pave their own way. You start small and work your way up. If I hadn't of killed your coven, you simply would've gone for another village when this one dried up." He took a step back as he nodded to Hunter, "Show Ms. Haldine a swift death. That is my mercy."

Before her complaints could even be processed, an arrow pierced her heart as Doppel caught her from falling backwards. As blood seeped out of the wound, Volodar patted Hunter on the shoulder. "You did well, Hunter. Thank you."

Hunter bowed, "The pleasure is mine, my lord. Doppel, let's clean the mess up."

"One second," Volodar looked at the body as he examined his own wells of mana, "I think I will try to raise this one as a shadow of her former self." Something strange happened without any input from Volodar. Her once young body seemed to rapidly age until it looked like someone on their deathbed, gaunt and wrinkled. "She expanded her life through unnatural means, that's for sure. Perhaps it was a secret that she refused to give up from her coven." He sighed, "So be it."

Over the course of a few weeks, he would raise dead from the nearby forests as the skeletal wolves were now too much for Hunter to handle on his own. Hunter was a simple ghoul now, but Volodar knew of the paths he could take to make him stronger. Each of the undead could go through a progression if their masters were powerful enough and had the correct energy source to power them.

An example would be the enhancement of Doppel, as the jotun leader gave Doppel tremendous fortitude where he was once weak. Stories of old would talk about a progression of ghouls to becoming ghoul kings, but how they got there is a mystery. Once Volodar felt that he was ready, he went to the body of Gratia that he preserved.

It wasn't a pretty sight, but Volodar started, nevertheless. Fully expecting that he should be able to conjure up a part of her shadow. Channeling his power, he saw the shape that he wanted within his mind. An image of Gratia Haldine appeared and started to fade away as he poured dark magic within the body. After a few minutes, the body seeped into dungeon floor as a dark shadow remained.

It faintly resembled Gratia in the vaguest of ways. In terms that it was humanoid and bipedal at least in its stature. Volodar pulled out a crystal as he tried to detect magical energies within the soul. What he found was faint, dark energies within it. Interesting, Volodar thought as he stowed the crystal away. "Well," he said, "it appears to be able to cast petty necromancy magics similar to Doppel. This one was a failure, although it should be useful anyhow."

Hunter cocked his head, "How is it a failure, my lord?"

"I wished to bring back her spirit on a stronger level to use her own earthly magic in service to me. However, it brought forth a shade. Shades are simple incorporeal creatures that use stealth to their advantage. Slowly, they'll sap away at your strength to fight." He continued to look at his newest creation. Gratia, "Do you remember who you are?" It seemed unresponsive until it shook its head negatively. "Do you hold any ill will towards me as your creator?" Fervently, it disagreed with the question at hand with its frantic waving.

Doppel gave a deep laugh as he witnessed the puppet dance about. "Any creature you raise will be forever loyal to you, my lord. It is what we were created for."

Volodar accepted cautiously, seemingly unconvinced in the statement that Doppel gave. "Someday," Volodar said, "there may be something powerful enough to disobey me. I must always prepare for that day."