Chapter Fifteen: Lich King Saddal

Inside the dark halls of the Elf burial chambers, Nathaniel followed the others. He was quite shy, so he followed at the back of the group.

“And then there was this hidden lever here” Barraud, the skeleton said as he reached behind a statue into a small hole in the rock. Moment later a large wall descended into the floor, like it was never there.

The travellers walked through the new hallway and it was just as dark and damp as all of the others.

This hallway led into a room that was natural. It was a cave that the miner’s had found during construction. There was a large pool of water with a staircase that led into the deep water.

“Ahhh. It seems this passageway has been affected by erosion. Normally that water isn't there.” Barraud said, with a defeated tone.

“How far is the passage? Can we swim?” Tanner asked.

“A few hundred metres, maybe?” Barraud replied. “This is the only way to the secret chamber.”

“Okay, we're resting here for now. Start thinking, everyone. I need ideas now.” Tanner said.

The group finally rested. They started a small fire and the shadows danced on the walls. Nathaniel was handed a tough biscuit and he swallowed it down with some water. The party rested, most of them fell asleep. They had been dungeon crawling for the entire day. They didn't even know what time it was. They had no way of knowing.

A lot of the party members fell asleep around the fire. Nathaniel stayed awake, so did Tanner, Barraud and William. They spoke quietly.

“How did you all meet?” Nathaniel asked Tanner.

Tanner looked around at his sleeping party members.

“We met in church.” Tanner said. He was clearly lying. Then he sighed and looked at Nathaniel. The young man was sporting a fresh beard from the days of travel, and his tattoos and scars unsettled Tanner. “We were kids, some of us. Just friends at school, and then later in life, we needed certain people with skills. Nala is our horse-whisperer. Literally. She talks to the horses. She talks to all animals. We’ve got a mage, we’ve got a very skilled uh-...” Tanner thought of a word different to killer. “Gardener… and a few others we picked up along the way.” Tanner finished speaking and then decided to ask the question he’d wanted to ask the whole time. He opened his mouth to speak but Barraud stole his sentence.

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“Where did you get those markings under your eyes?” Barraud asked Nathaniel. Nate was caught off guard.

“My father gave them to me. He tattooed me when I was ten. It was supposed to stop the magic. It didn’t work. It’s not regular ink. Tattoos will heal if you cast a powerful healing spell. Mine never fades. It never loses ink. It never goes blurry. It’s a ward of protection. It’s alive, just as I am.” Nathaniel said.

“So now, I see ghosts I see everyday when I close my eyes. It’s quite harrowing actually. I sometimes hear voices from people who aren’t really there. People from the other side.” Nathaniel said.

“Are you a necromancer?” Barraud asked. He looked at the party members around him, and then back to Nathaniel.

“Yes,” he replied. “But I’m a good one. I didn’t choose my magical gift, and the nature of resurrection magic is destructive to the mind. That’s why most necromancers become villains. My magic is very powerful, and I know the call of evil. I don't have time for it, I don’t want to be king, or conqueror. I like painting, and drinking ales. I still get the visions. Terrifying. It’s like a grey tornado of mean looking faces, all of them calling me to find them and set them free. My magic is so much more powerful than most because I can bring the dead back permanently, with all of their memories attached. Every time I close my eyes, I-...” Nathaniel stopped talking and his gaze lowered to the ground. He was done talking.

“I didn’t know Necromancy affected the mind in such a way.” Barraud pondered.

“Can you control the dead, like, make em do stuff?” William asked.

“I can control anyone I bring back, but it requires effort. I can only pilot one at a time, and it requires me to enter a state of paralysis, I can’t move my real body. So it’s dangerous.”

“But I thought-... I heard about the conqueror Saddal. He, and his skeleton armies took over the realm a few hundred years ago.”

“Necromancers cannot control a whole army. Lich King Saddal was just… Really good at making deep connections with people, and inspiring them to be there. He didn’t control them with magic.” Nathaniel paused for a while, there was a silence except for the fire.

“Why are you helping us get the gold?” Nathaniel asked Barraud.

Barraud was stunned, it took him a moment to think for himself.

“I suppose. It was getting rather dreary back there, floating in essence. You are the first people I’ve met in two thousand years. I was quite a gentleman when I was alive. These bones and tattered robes don’t quite sell the picture. I dressed mostly in blue silk. I miss that.” Barraud thought about the feeling of the soft fabric on his shoulders and smiled. Though he didn't have any muscles, so nothing happened. He continued speaking. “To be honest, Asgrammor was always a bit of a chud. I thought he was trash, but he paid me millions to build this tomb, so I thought. Let’s build a fucking tomb, you know. Make it failsafe for robbers and thieves. I never guessed that I would be the thief.” Barraud thought for a moment then stared at tanner and Nathaniel. “Fuck yeah.”

“The serpent eats its own tail,” said Tanner, smacking Barraud in the shoulder with a punch.

“Hey, can I have some of this money? I’m a part of this heist too. Technically, I am alive. My soul is here in this room with you, AND my body.” Barraud bargained.

Tanner was not expecting this. He looked at William. They both shrugged.

“Sure.” Tanner said.

They started talking about old war stories, and past lovers as the fire burned. Nathaniel went to sleep shortly after.