Hungry Necromancer

It's the third day of my prolonged stay in Carbina.

The third day since the first camp was cleared out and I publicly transformed a man into a Ghoul. It is also the second day since the Caravan was sent out to Aste for trade and news about the happenings in the Kingdom of Ire.

That's right, I finally learned the name of the Kingdom I'm in.

It turns out Mathilda is a treasure trove of unexpected but useful information. For instance, the cave I came out from was likely in the Holy Theocracy of Veril, the place that housed the HQ of the Synagogue and many of the Synagogues high officials.

The Theocracy also exerted control over the rest of the continent through its position at the centre and just happens to be overflowing with riches and gold despite having only one port city.

Or at least, that's what Mathilda says.

I'm still not sure their story with the Synagogue; they expressed little faith in the Following and even less in the powers of a Diviner.

Maybe I should ask, I have a feeling it'll be one heck of a story.

But that'll have to wait until I get back, right now I'm seated at the front seat of a carriage filled with men wearing gloves and cloths over their noses.

We're headed to the first camp to gather up the bodies there for my next assault on the camps.

I was meant to do this yesterday but as soon as my head hit those soft luxurious pillows, I fell asleep instantly. And by the time I woke up the men I asked for had long dispersed.

I didn't see any point bringing them out of their homes at night time to carry some corpses for me, so naturally I went back to sleep.

No doubt, Anselm did not approve of my laziness. But I can't hear him nag at me now, mostly because I haven't summoned him all day and I really don't want more nagging; He's right and I am getting on it.

With my current levels and proficiency, I think after my one-man awesome assault on the next camp, I'll have levelled up enough and gained the right amount of proficiency to start using the bone and maybe even the blood series.

Once I do clear all the camps, there won't be much else to do here, nothing to stay for. I expect to stay a day more and leave in tomorrow's afternoon.

For Carbina's sake I hope Leriva wakes up before I leave.

Mathilda, her primary caretaker, has explained to me that the mana exhaustion she went through from trying to keep the Amphitere she summoned around is this severe because her pathways are damaged.

I don't understand any of the pathway talk she gave me but the gist of it is that her MP was exhausted yet her spell demanded more, so her body instinctively began to absorb raw, external mana, the purest it can get.

This type of mana is a no-no for humans or any living thing in general, her comatose state is just her recovering from the damage absorbing mana from the atmosphere did to her pathways. She won't be awake until her pathways can keep her own mana in and external mana out once again.

It honestly sounds like a cycle; the more external mana comes in, the more damage it does, hindering the repairs of her pathways. Unless she can heal faster than the world can kill her then I can only hope for a miracle.

The carriage slowly comes down to a stop at the incline of the first camp. We can't go down because we won't be able to come back up with the carriage.

"Ugh! This place stinks!" one of the labourers yells.

"What do you expect, its decaying corpses!"

"Yeah, and they've been out here for days, in the sun. Better get moving else this place will smell some more. The faster you work the earlier you get to leave and the earlier Carbina is safe from more of these Cultists thanks to Lord Ash. Now get moving you lazy, drunken bums!"

The men laugh and concur with their foreman's words. I'm glad the tall tanned man is here to motivate the men to their purpose. I could have convinced them myself, just not without some if not most harbouring poor feelings towards me.

I stay up in the carriage and wait for them to finish loading up the carriage with the bodies. With them piling up at the back I realize I have it worse than these men, I'd have to ride all the way to the third camp with these bodies punishing my nostrils all the way through.

I wish there's some Necromancy spell to get used to the stench of death and decay, unfortunately there isn't.

There's a lot of convenient spells too, my favourites being just out of my reach, requiring level twenty-four and twenty-seven, as well as a lot of preparation for the last one. I call up the spell list just to stare at it and daydream about how useful it'll be to me.

[Dark Step: Allows user to displace an undead in range.]

[Requires: At least one Undead.]

[Familiar: Creates a permanent fiendish familiar out of the prepared components.]

[Requires: One whole skull, casters vial of blood, salt, and a medium amount of coal.]

Dark Step would essentially let me teleport around the field and deftly avoid the reach of my frustrated opponents, leaving an undead in my place. I can't see the mana cost yet but I trust I'll be able to handle it once I reach level twenty-four.

Familiar, well, the spell is permanent and won't require constant mana upkeep. Much, dare I say it, unlike Summon Spirit. Having a familiar will help me in battle, besides, I like the idea of having a large bear following my every command.

Well, maybe not a bear but, I'll figure all that later.

"Sir, uh I mean, Lord Ash," the foreman bites his tongue over the proper way to address me, I only chuckle though that only seems to make him even more nervous.

"You are forgiven, go ahead."

He nods thankfully, "The back is full, the men want to know if you require any more assistance, say a driver to the camp?"

"No, that won't be necessary, besides, it'll be unsafe for whoever comes with me. Tell the men to have a good day, I'll be fine on my own."

With that out of the way I whip the horses forward to my next set of victims.

***

Just like last time, with the second camp, I send out my undead to cut down the Cultists. Also, like last time, I can tell at a glance that their numbers are not as plentiful as they were in the first camp.

However, unlike last time, I prepared the corpses to ignite before heading out for the assault. This is a huge help since the carriage could only carry so many corpses stack up on each other.

I let some Zombies be swarmed and ignite them in a fanciful flash of guts, bones and teeth. A few of these helped cut down the cultists, but when powered by their Generals magic, it is as if they became more intelligent.

Seeing their comrades become victims of corpses exploding in their faces they became more cautious in their attacks, preferring ranged attacks to their usual swipes.

I let the Ghouls close the gaps with those unwilling to face us. Meanwhile I…

"So, you have come to befoul the presence of Phien with your stench of unbelieve and despair?" Is the General's immediate address upon seeing me.

"Despair? I've been feeling quite chipper mind you." I chuckle but it's hard to hide how truly nervous I am facing this General.

He is unlike any of the previous Generals but because of that, I'm beginning to see a pattern in the differences. The first held magics of all kind and could fend off Leriva and her summons twice and would have survived longer than Leriva could keep the Amphiptere summoned if it weren't for Anselm.

The second failed to empower her minions with stronger magics and relied mainly on herself and her speed to fight me off.

And here comes the third, towering massively over me. Standing close to the height Leriva's Hounds achieved, his body is toned and he wore nothing above his waist, showing off a and absurdly sturdy body.

"You laugh despite garnering the ire of Phien? You overestimate yourself, Pluzur, or do you call yourself Asher now?" He snorts, "No matter the name you hide behind, the power of Phien will yet prevail. Now die."

His fist shoots at me but meets the unforgiving ground instead as I hop back at the last second. As his fists make impact where I stood before I barely manage to get onto my feet again after falling over.

Without pause he draws back his other fist and sends it hurtling at me with the full indignation of the being he served.

BOOM!

At the last moment, I roll out of the way as yet again his fist makes a crater where I sat.

"You will not take your death still? You intend to make me chase you, do you?" He snorts, like a bull, his bare body visibly steaming as he slams his giant palms on the ground.

I feel a wave of mana pass underneath, it has my hairs standing on end and my gut in a knot.

Then, all around us the ground shakes violently as it spits itself out in a giant reinforced wall that encloses us in a ring.

Satisfied with his work he rises to his height and fashions a weapon, an axe from the ground beneath his feet, "I will not."

I realize, I may be unprepared.