Small random excerpt:

Stepping closer to the motionless figure, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and focussed. This would be easier if I was in contact with the man, but I really didn’t fancy touching him, so close range would have to do.

Carefully, I probed his mind, finding it strangely unguarded. This in itself was unusual. Any powerful mage worth their salt would have mind wards, surely, even if it wasn’t one of their talents?

His surface thoughts were one of fear, confusion and anger even, but there was also a feeling of relief at seeing us. Odd indeed.

I probed deeper, and suddenly found myself back in the reception chamber again.

No, it wasn’t. This was a recreation within the necromancer’s mind. My party weren’t behind me for one, and for another the mage before me was…

I blinked. He was tied up, a little like a fly trapped in a web. That was quite a good analogy actually, as the threads holding him resembled a spider’s silk, albeit a giant one. He was held motionless by them. Some were bound around his body and limbs, others stretched off outwards, to a destination I couldn’t see, holding him in the position he was in.

“You’re a mind mage!” he said.

“You can speak!” I replied.

“In here, yes. You have to free me!”

“What’s going on?”

“It was them! They’re monsters! I was forced to do this. I don’t even have remotely enough energy to raise such an army, but they fed mana into me. So much power! Now they’ve gone I can’t supply enough to keep going, and I’m not able to release them. It’s draining my life force. Please! You need to free me!”

“Who is they?” I asked.

“Hello Theo! I’m so glad it’s you who found us!”

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I jerked madly. Two small figures had appeared from nowhere. One of them, the blonde girl, ran over and hugged me, then clung onto my arm and looked up.

“It’s nice to see you again,” Day said.

The Twins! Fuck!

“N… Night, Day,” I stammered. “What are you doing here? Wait, are you really here?”

“No, you’re talking to some memories we left behind,” Night, the boy, said. “It’s a clever trick though, yes?”

I nodded.

“We just thought we’d hang on a bit, see who finally turned up,” Night went on.

“We’ve missed you!” Day said, smiling up at me.

“I’ve, er, missed you too,” I said. Like a hole in the head. “What are you doing here? What’s with this chap?” I nodded at the necromancer.

“Oh, he’s just a tool. We needed to get into the treasury and get something for Fell,” Night said. “Feel free to kill him. He’s really weak, not worth the term ‘mage’ at all.”

“We had to do most of the work ourselves almost,” pouted Day. “Barely worth having him along.”

“You can’t get the staff these days, can you?” I asked.

“Right?” Night seemed to take me seriously. “Anyway, we’re only memories, so we’ll be going now. See you around, Hand of the White God.”

“Bye Theo!” Day waved, and they both faded from view.

“You know them?” the necromancer asked. “You’re a Hand?”

I sighed. Why was my life always so complicated?

“Get me out of here, please!” the mage begged.

I stepped forward an examined one of the threads holding him, and then plucked at it.

Immediately a wave of confusion washed over me, forcing me to stagger backwards. Those twins may be creepy as fuck, but they were horribly powerful too.

I switched my staff into a sword and swung at the thread, only for it to bounce off, the impact numbing my hand.

“Crap,” I said.

“Please, do something!” the necromancer cried. “I’ll lose control of the horde soon, they’ll run amok!”

I nodded. “As you say.” And retreated from his mind.

“Fuck.” I blinked.

“Are you all right?” Jinsu was beside me. I was back in the real world.

“Step away,” I said, to her and the rest of them, falling back myself.

They did as I bid. When we were at a suitable distance, I raised my staff and put all that mana to use.

“Lighting Explosion!”

The white bolt of energy streaked out and hit the necromancer, exploding in a flash of blinding light. The room shook, and dust fell from the ceiling.

“Bloody hell Theo!” Mary said. “Some warning next time!”

I brushed some mortar from my hair and looked at the spot the necromancer had been standing. There was now a small crater there. A single hand, charred at the severed wrist, had landed on the table, and the smoking black remains of his staff was on the floor.

Other than that, there was no trace left of the mage.

“Our job’s done,” I said, turning back. “Let’s go home.”