The next day a small crowd of townsfolk gathered in the square outside of the town hall. Mayor Ned had hosted a meeting the night before, and the consensus was to send three of their fastest riders to Sinora to confirm if Prince Zaverick’s army was on the march. The other agreement from the townsfolk was to clear the Caizene from the hills to allow Nameless and his companions to travel safely north to alert the Imperium in Tameal.
The morning was a bustle of activity as the townsfolk set into action to prepare for their immediate threat. Refugees from the surrounding farmsteads came into town with horror stories of nighttime attacks from the winged monsters. Family members were murdered, and livestock was stolen.
“They are getting food and settling. The longer we delay, the harder it will be to eliminate them,” mayor Ned observed.
Nameless nodded his great helm in agreement as the two walked through the growing crowd. The tension was high in the air with fear over the impending army and the demons. During the previous night’s meeting, most of the people were reluctant to leave. However, the terrifying reports from the farmsteads caused many to reconsider. This made preparing to fight the demons a much more urgent matter. The two heard townsfolk mumbling about the strangers.
“I couldn’t sleep last night knowing this thing was in our town,” a man with tufts of white hair and a round belly said.
“Were they sitting like that the whole night?” Another townsfolk, a stout woman with red hair, asked.
“All morning for sure, at least several hours, and I have yet to see them move,” a young man with rolled-up sleeves answered.
Nameless and Ned found the academy students sitting by the rubble of a vacant burnt-down building. Townspeople cautiously kept their distance and observed from a semi-circle perimeter. Zel and Elora were seated with their legs crossed and eyes closed. Somewhere from Nameless’s memory, he recalled that mages needed to meditate in order to steady their minds. Especially after using magic because the power can taint and damage the mind and body. Mages dance the edges of insanity when they channel the mystical powers through their bodies.
Karl, the Ooraki, did not channel magic through him and was not “tainted.” He sat leaning against the wall, dust gathering on his thick workman’s pants and boots. The magical sledgehammer rested beside him. The thing that gave the townsfolk worry was Zel’s Caizene zombie. It stood beside the necromancer like a grotesque statue. Its flesh slowly rotting and dripping dark fluids.
ZOMBIE DEMONS
IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? YES, YES, IT IS. WHY? IT IS SPECULATED THAT DEMONS ARE FROM MALEVOLENT ENERGY OR ARE SPIRITS IN THE PLANES OF HELL, BUT WHEN THEY CROSS OVER INTO THE MATERIAL REALM, THEY MANIFEST MORTAL BODIES. THAT IS CORRECT. THEY MANIFEST MORTAL BODIES WHERE THEY NEED TO BREATHE, EAT, AND POOP. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY ARE NORMAL. THEY ARE STILL INFUSED WITH DARK MAGIC, ALLOWING SOME TO FLY, SHOOT FIRE, AND HEAL RAPIDLY.
IT DOES TAKE CONSIDERABLE SKILL TO ANIMATE A DEMON CORPSE INTO A ZOMBIE. ZOMBIES HAVE NO WAY TO SUSTAIN THEMSELVES, UNLIKE THE HIGHER FORMS OF UNDEAD, SUCH AS GHOULS AND VAMPIRES, WHICH CAN CONSUME MORTAL FLESH TO EXTEND THEIR MISERABLE AND CURSED EXISTENCE. ZOMBIES REMAIN BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF MANA USED TO CREATE THEM AND CAN LAST LONGER IF THE CASTER CONTINUES TO CHANNEL MANA. THIS IS RISKY, AS IT FURTHER PUTS THE MAGE AT RISK OF THE TAINT.
One day, Nameless will need to know who is sending the messages to him. Was it his armor? Or the mysterious force that was compelling him? He felt he must be on the right track because the compulsion to save the Gifted One had not been that strong. Currently, it was a slight nagging, and he was convinced that Tameal was the direction he needed to go. But the message from the armor was disturbing regarding Zel, and the knight looked warily at the necromancer.
Elora stirred and rose. Karl followed while Zel remained seated with their eyes closed. The necromancer’s skin was so pale that they looked like a marble statue. The elf and Ooraki walked over toward the knight and the mayor.
“What’s the plan?” Karl asked gruffly.
“You are to help Goodewin, our resident blacksmith,” answered Ned.
Karl nodded.
Elora asked, “what can I do?”
Ned looked at the elf with a sparkle in his gray eyes. He said, “you can sing, correct?”
Elora nodded, but her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“People are distraught and scared right now. We organized a potluck at our tavern. I was wondering if you can help uplift our mood by providing entertainment?” The mayor asked.
Elora’s face lit up in a beaming smile. This was her purpose and what she studied at the academy. “It would be my pleasure!” She exclaimed.
Ned led Elora away and left Karl with Nameless.
“I’ll show you to Goodewin,” the knight said.
“You met him?”
“Yes, will Zel be okay on their own?” The knight asked.
Karl glanced at the necromancer with worry etched upon his sharp brows. The Ooraki shrugged. “I hope so. I do not want to disturb Zel now. I fear they might have pushed themselves too far.”
“I can hear you,” Zel said without opening their eyes.
Karl’s mouth hung open, showing one sharp tooth.
“I’ll be fine. Go do your menial tasks,” Zel said as they continued to meditate.
The Ooraki scowled and turned to follow Nameless. The knight led Karl to a shop with an outdoor anvil and a large hearth under a wooden awning. All the guards have dropped off their padded armor and spears.
“Ned told me that the guards in this town never really needed enchanted gear. Their biggest challenges were traveling merchants and laborers. Other than that, this town didn’t see many problems until the Caizene showed up,” Nameless explained.
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“You want me to enchant their gear? Maybe do some smithing?” Karl said as his pale eyes scanned the smithy.
“Maybe a little more,” Nameless responded as a small figure emerged.
“This is my help, then?” The newcomer said with a deep squeaky voice. They came to about Karl’s chest, and the Ooraki was on the smaller end of his kind.
“Karl, this is Goodewin,” Nameless introduced the two.
Goodewin was a gnome with curly blue hair and pale golden skin. The major thing of note was that he was missing a left arm at the elbow. Goodewin’s green eyes sparked mischievously as they looked Karl up and down.
“You speak the Imperial language?” The gnome asked.
Karl scoffed, “of course I do.”
“No accent, I see. That’s good. That means you can follow my directions.”
Karl glanced at Nameless with an arched eyebrow.
The knight shrugged and said, “I’ll leave you two to it.”
Nameless departed and left Karl with Goodewin.
“I see by the looks of ya that you are a laborer, so get to laboring. Bring this stuff inside.”
Karl growled and began to gather up the suits of padded armor. “I’m a trained enchanter from the Academy,” he said.
“They let half-orcs in? Boy, have their standards dropped.”
Karl placed the armor down and glared at the gnome. “I’m Ooraki, and what is your problem?”
“Right, half-orc. It’s the same thing.”
“None of my ancestors were orcs, and my mom and dad are Ooraki!” Snapped Karl.
Goodewin shook his head and answered, “a savage is a savage no matter what pretty name you attach to it.”
“I don’t need to take crap from a crippled gnome. I can enchant all of this and be done by noon,” Karl stated as he gathered back up the gear.
Goodewin laughed loudly. “That is more like it!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I served with the Ooraki in the Legion. One thing I learned was that your people are rugged trash talkers. I thought maybe you were a special case with your sniveling sensitivity,” the gnome replied as he lifted a suit of armor with his one good arm.
“What? They allowed gnomes in the Legion? What for? To throw at the enemy?”
“Hah! We will get along just fine. Now stop your talking and lend me a hand!” Goodewin exclaimed, holding up his stump, and he laughed some more.
Karl shook his head, and the two carried the padded armor and spears into the smithy. The work area was neatly maintained, and the Ooraki was impressed. What caught his attention was the pile of mana crystals and fine engraving tools.
“You are an enchanter?” Karl asked.
“I know you are slow, but did you not hear me? I served in the Legion. What did you think as? Infantry? Oh no, we had enough big dumb Ooraki to fit that role. I was a War Enchanter.”
“A War Enchanter?”
“You are deaf as well as ugly? Life dealt you a poor hand,” Goodewin said.
“I get it. If I had the body of a deformed child, I would be cranky too,” Karl teased.
The gnome laughed. “Anyways, the guy that is so ugly that he won’t take off his helmet told me you needed to learn some war enchanting. We will get to that after we enchant the armor and weapons,” Goodewin said while tossing a sack of mana crystals at Karl’s feet.
“Nameless?” Asked Karl.
Goodewin shook his head. “I’m not even going to make another deaf and dumb joke because I think you truly are dim-witted.”
For the next several hours, the two created ritual circles and etched fine runes into the padded armor and weapons. The completed equipment was then placed inside the circles along with a mana crystal where they were enchanted to be more sturdy. The spears were enhanced and made sharper.
When Karl finished the last spear, Goodewin placed a sizeable dusty tome next to the Ooraki. With one good hand, a pair of thick spectacles that enhanced the size of his eyes, the gnome flipped through the pages.
“Ah, here we go. A good one for us to start with. Explosives!” Goodewin said with a sharp cackle.
The gnome placed down a quiver full of crossbow bolts.
“Why don’t we place the enchantment on the crossbow?” Karl asked.
Goodewin shook his head. “Oh, that is advanced stuff there. Maybe if I had two hands, I could show you, but I wouldn’t risk it now. That won’t be a good first lesson for war enchanting. Bolts are less risky.”
“I’ve made a force Sledge Hammer,” Karl responded.
“Oh? Let me see that. Not gonna lie, kid. This is pretty decent work….” Goodewin said and added, “for a dim-witted Ooraki.”
Karl shook his head.
“Seriously, this is good work. You have some talent, but force enchantments are much different than explosives. You’ll see.”
Goodewin instructed Karl on how to inscribe explosive runes and how to create the ritual circle for war enchanting. Karl discovered that it was similar to what he learned but much more intricate. Goodewin warned that mistakes with war enchanting can be lethal. The gnome was deadly serious in his instruction but eventually nodded his approval when Karl finished the circle and the runes.
“Good, now channel the crystals into the bolts,” ordered Goodewin.
After several attempts, Karl was unable to complete the enchantment. The Ooraki threw his thick hands up and said, “I don’t know why it’s not working. I did everything you said.”
“Because you are enchanting without emotion. Your mindset is that of utility and crafting,” Goodewin replied with a sparkle in their green eyes.
“I don’t understand.”
“War Enchanting requires malevolence. Think back upon the anger you felt when I first teased you. Or whenever someone underestimates you because of your skin color,” Goodewin said.
Karl nodded. “That happens more than I like,” he said.
“You are a city orc, huh?”
“Ooraki,” Karl growled.
“There you go, now channel the crystals with that anger in mind!”
Karl did as instructed, and he grinned when the mana crystals faded and the cross bolts glowed, indicating the enchantment worked.
“Good work! Now the fun part, let’s test one of these poppers!” Goodewin exclaimed.
Outside, the two shot an explosive bolt at a wooden target, and it popped with a quick burst of flame.
“I was expecting something more,” Karl admitted.
Goodewin responded, “that was just a low-level explosive rune. As you get better, you can learn the bigger ones. I don’t recommend putting the bigger ones on crossbow bolts, though.” The gnome handed Karl his book.
“I can’t accept this.”
“Why not? You think I have use for it?” Goodewin replied, raising the stump of his left arm.
“I don’t want to be a War Enchanter.”
“War is coming, lad. Life does not care about your pretty little feelings. Take the book!” Goodewin growled.
“Thank you,” Karl said and hugged the tiny gnome.
“Okay, enough of that. We have more work to do. Break time is over.”
The two returned to the shop to enchant more weapons and armor to prepare for the fight against the Caizene.