System, tell me about advancing my primary rune.

[All Netheryn must specialize with a subclass. This subclass grants a specific rune, called the primary rune. The primary rune has access to a special path of advancement.]

[As a Necrolyte, your primary rune is Summon.]

[Would you like to advance your primary rune now?]

Yes.

[Opening primary rune interface…]

[Primary Rune: Summon

Level: 1

Available Advancements: 1

Special Effects: None

Description: Summon a thrall based on the essences offered. No essences will result in a default thrall, based on the Netheryn’s source.]

What are essences, by the way? I’ve only been summoning my default thralls.

[Essences are objects infused with the powers of the old gods. A Netheryn may use essences to modify the source component of a spell.]

Old gods? Are there more gods than Mortem and Somnia?

[Yes, the pantheon consists of ten gods.]

Ed’s suddenly felt dizzy. Ten gods? What the hell have they been doing all this time?

[The gods rest in their own realm. Their influence has waned significantly compared to millennia ago.]

The System wasn’t willing to share this much information with Ed before.

Are the other gods evil like Somnia?

[Evil is a human concept. All gods operate based on their own divine will.]

Not a reassuring answer.

Alright, let’s advance the primary rune. What do I have to do?

[The summon rune has three branches of progression.]

1. Thrall Variations – Unlocks advanced forms of thralls beyond the default option.

2. Thrall Enhancement – Enhances the power and defenses of summoned thralls.

3. Summoner Resources – Improve the resources of the summoner, including sanity and insight costs.

Improving sanity cost sounded like a fantastic option to Ed. The thirty sanity cost was certainly prohibitive, especially if he was going to pick up a new spell with the Contact rune.

But summons new types of thralls or making his skeletons stronger… those options were too enticing to not learn more before he decided.

Tell me about the first option.

[The first point of advancement in Thrall Variations offers one of three options.]

1. Crypts Crawlers – Small skeletal creatures, adept at burrowing and ambushing. Weaker than the default but the amount summoned is two-to-one with the default.

2. Bone Sentinels – Tall skeletons armed with long weapons and shields. Fit for defensive maneuvers. The amount summoned is one-to-one with the default.

3. Skeletal Construct – A lumbering skeletal beast, slow but powerful. Always summons one construct but grows in size and power based on the number of default summons.

What about the enhancement options?

[The first point of advancement in Thrall Enhancements offers one of three options.]

1. Marrow Infusion – Skeletal thralls gain large increases in strength and agility stats.

2. Spectral Armor – Provides summons with ghostly armor that provides stealth and protects from attacks.

3. Death’s Embrace – Skeleton thralls explode upon destruction, causing damage and inciting fear in nearby enemies.

Might as well show me the summoner options too.

[The first point of advancement in Summoner Resources offers one of three options.]

1. Sanity Reduction – Reduces the sanity cost of the summon spell.

2. Summoner’s Echo – Multiplies the number of summons by two. Additional points increase the multiplier.

3. Death’s Perception – Allows the summoner to sense the world through their summons. This includes sight, smell, sound, and touch.

What about taste? You’re missing one of the senses for Death’s Perception.

[Thralls are unable to taste.]

Ed thought of his poor skeletons, unable to enjoy life’s simple pleasures like eating a jelly roll. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Ren asked, eyeing him like he had lost his mind.

Ed cleared his throat. “My thralls have no sense of taste.”

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“Poor bastards,” Ren said solemnly.

Ed turned his thoughts back to his options for the primary rune. Jokes aside, this was an important choice. His gut told him that reduced sanity cost was the right option. But he was intrigued by the variations, especially the construct. A giant skeletal beast sounded frightening and powerful. But he’d probably sacrifice the stealth and strategy he had developed with his thralls for pure power.

And he already had Ren on his side. They probably didn’t need any more blunt force strength. Besides, she’d probably get jealous and want to fight the construct.

Ed decided he was happy with his skeletons are they were, for now. So, he considered the enhancement options. Marrow Infusion was promising, it would make his thralls more effective. Spectral Armor was similar, though it could allow for some stealthier tactics which Ed appreciated. Death’s Embrace seemed dangerous, plus they had the Impact glyph.

The sanity reduction was still an obvious choice. Summoner’s Echo would give him four skeletons instead of two, which was his second favorite option so far.

Death’s Perception was fascinating, though. The opportunities that option would open seemed endless. But its combat options seemed minimal, and Ed and Ren had barely survived against a pack of coyotes. That could be a good option for another day.

So, it was either Summoner’s Echo or Sanity Reduction. Ed lay down on his bed and pondered the options.

“Hard to choose, isn’t it?” Ren asked, sensing Ed’s struggle.

“I’m deciding between a sanity cost reduction, or doubling the amount of thralls I summon,” Ed replied.

Ren seemed surprised. “How is doubling your skeletons not the obvious choice?”

Ed sat up on the bed. “It costs thirty sanity for me to summon my skeletons. It feels like I’m going to pass out and cry every time I cast the spell.”

“Huh, conjuring my scythe only costs five. That makes more sense,” Ren said.

“What option did you go with? I guess the scythe is your primary rune?”

Ren nodded. “Yep. I chose Reaper’s Arc. It’s supposed to send a wave of magic from my scythe when I swing it.”

“That sounds awesome,” Ed said.

“I haven’t been able to test it out yet, obviously,” Ren said, bouncing on her heels.

She was excited to test out her new power. Ed shared the sentiment.

Ed decided to go with the sanity option. It felt a bit anticlimactic, but he still needed to craft his new spell with the Contact rune.

Do I get to advance my primary rune every time I level up? Ed asked the System.

[Primary rune advancements occur every three levels, starting at level two.]

Damn.

So whatever choice Ed made now was going to last for a while.

He decided to go with Sanity Reduction. His perspective may change entirely based on what he wanted his thralls to do by the time he hit level five. But reducing the sanity cost felt universally useful, no matter what path he went down later.

[Primary Rune: Summon

Level: 2

Available Advancements: 0

Special Effects: Reduced sanity cost

Description: Summon a thrall based on the essences offered. No essences will result in a default thrall, based on the Netheryn’s source. Sanity cost is reduced by half.]

By half? Ed was giddy with excitement. That would lower his summon spell to fifteen sanity. That seemed more than reasonable. The only thing left to do was craft his new spell.

[Initializing spell creation…

Source: Mortem, God of Death

Available Runes: Contact

Available Glyphs: Impact

Insight: 2/4]

Contact required one insight, while Impact required two. Ed briefly considered adding an explosive element to his summons, since that was the only way he could currently afford to use the Impact glyph. It was an appealing option, but Ed wasn’t ready to start bombing people with his thralls.

Not yet anyway.

Ed conjured the image of the new rune in his mind, as he had back in the Nether with Mortem.

[New spell acquired!

Name: Death’s Touch

Description: Upon physical touch, a surge of necrotic energy flows from the caster into the target. The spell causes a small amount of initial damage while also inflicting the target with decay, causing damage over time.

Cost: 10 Sanity]

Ed felt equal parts impressed and scared of this new power. This perfectly complimented the combat style he was striving for with his skeletons. Ed could dip in and out of combat, applying damage over time without fully committing to a physical fight.

But necrotic decay sounded awful. Did Ed really want to inflict that kind of suffering upon others?

Ren apparently sensed his discomfort.

“What is it?” she asked.

“The new spell with the Contact rune… it inflicts necrotic decaying damage on my target,” Ed said. The words felt heavy on his tongue.

“Sounds great to me,” Ren replied.

“I’m not used to this stuff, Ren. I still don’t think I’ve processed the fact that we killed two men.”

Ren sighed and sat down on the bed beside Ed. He slid a few inches away from her uncomfortably.

Ren stared at him with a serious look.

“Ed, think about why we’re here. Your wife was possessed by Somnia. The most likely scenario is that everyone at that dinner is dead. A hundred people, Ed.”

Ed swallowed hard. He didn’t want to think about Lila right now. He didn’t want to talk to Ren about Lila. He didn’t want to share a bed with another woman, even if they were just having a conversation.

“And missing children in Silt,” Ren continued. “We’ve been given something special here. Something spectacular.”

Ren raised her hand and conjured her scythe. The sleek, glimmering blade coalesced in her hand, counterbalanced perfectly as she held it out in front of him.

“This is the power of a god in my hands,” Ren muttered as if she could barely believe it herself. “And this scythe isn’t for making friends.”

Ed nodded, feeling invigorated by Ren’s speech. “You’re right,” he said quietly.

Ren smiled, dismissing her scythe as she got up from the bed.

“I know I’m right. Now stop moping and get up,” she insisted.

Ed nodded. He stood up, glancing back at the lumie sleeping on his pillow. He gave the creature a soft pat on the head, careful not to wake it.

“I owe this thing my life twice over, you know,” Ed said to Ren.

“My mother always told me lumies were good luck charms,” Ren muttered as she gathered her equipment.

Ed smiled appreciatively at the slumbering creature.

“Hey, why do you think Mortem doesn’t just kill Somnia in the god’s realm?” Red asked.

Ed was caught off guard by the question.

“Uhh… I don’t- I don’t know,” he stuttered.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Ren continued as she slid her foot into a black leather boot. “Why does Mortem need us to do all his dirty work in our world? With barely a breadcrumb to work from. Seems easier to me to just cut the problem out at the root.”

Ed considered this. “Who knows what rules the gods operate by,” he said. “I didn’t even know there were ten gods until the System told me earlier.

Ren froze.

“Ten gods?”

“Apparently,” Ed said.

“Huh,” Ren mumbled, continuing to put on her other boot. “King Tobin always thought there were four.”

Ed felt a sense of something dark. Not quite dread, but a mix of confusion and fear. He and Ren were pawns in the machinations of gods. Who knows if or when they will be able to contact Mortem again? Ed wasn’t even sure he wanted to.

Lila was a pawn too, whatever her role in all of this was.

“Alright, enough chit-chat,” Ren said as she opened the door into the hall. “It’s time to rescue some missing kids.”