Sorry for the late chapter! I'm getting really busy these past few days.

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Chapter 16: Eve of the Disaster

Grinning with the acquisition of his newest spell, Kaz thought about how he would modify his Mental Spike incantation.

{Not everybody can get their modification right on the first try, don’t get too cocky just because you’ve succeeded once. Plus, it’s not even a more powerful spell since you left the size modifier of the incantation the same.} Grumpy with what he saw as unnecessary wasting of time, Ahriman scolded Kaz.

“It’s not always about more power in the spell. Different spells have different uses. Frozen Spear is a good single target spell, but it does not help me when I am trying to get away from multiple enemies. Plus, I find that my spells do not need to be so powerful in order to kill the hunters that will soon catch up to me. Frozen Spread will do nicely to help me keep multiple opponents at bay.”

{I guess it’s nice that you’re starting to work your way through magical theory sooner than later. It’ll come to be very useful when you’re finally manipulating Soul Power to animate undead minions. Aaannnnd...he’s not listening to me anymore. He’s just lost in his own world trying to think up a modification to his Mental Spike, I guess.}

“I use Mental Spikes primarily to disrupt magical defenses. They work by attempting to distort the magical connections between the sigils in each Sigil network. Mental Spikes also seem to have an increased effect against creatures of a magical nature, such as that floating skull spirit thing.”

Grabbing his knapsack from where he left it near the door, Kaz sat down against the wall. Reaching into his bag, Kaz brought out his water flask and a small bag of jerky.

“I’m glad that those hunters had so many supplies on them. I wanted to ration out these for a bit longer. That deer that I tried to cook was a disaster. I don’t know what went wrong, but I had the worst stomach-ache after I ate some of it.”

{I don’t want to hear it. I could almost smell the aftermath of your stomach-aches, and I’m dead. If we could just focus on the magic during our talks, that would be great.}

“I still need to eat. I’m not dead yet.” Muttering to himself under his breath, Kaz quickly finished a small portion of dried meat. “I’m not sure if it’s my palette, or the way that this meat was prepared, but I really can’t tell what animal this jerky is made of.”

{I’m not surprised. Alright, do you have an idea of what you’re going to modify so we can get on with the other two books that you brought. I can just smell the boredom on them.}

“Prepare to be surprised.” Grinning, Kaz took a long swig from his water flask before putting it away.

Concentrating, Kaz stared at the golems.

“The core Sigil in the Mental Spike incantation is Distort. The supporting sigils are Condense and Cone with a Small size modifier. I guess that the Condense Sigil is to concentrate the magical energy provided into the shape of a Cone. The Small modifier is the same as that of Frozen Spear, it measures how much mana the incantation takes from my pool.”

Picking up a nearby pebble, Kaz tossed it up into the air and caught it with his hand. Repeating this, he thought about possible changes that could be made.

“Mental Spikes are primarily to undermine magical defenses. I don’t think I can modify this spell to undermine physical defenses since that would require either a different Core Sigil or a large increase in the size modifier. Therefore, the supporting sigils are what I must change. I should not modify this incantation to require more mana to cast since I have a limited energy pool. This is actually a real dilemma…”

{Look, just..tell me when you’re done thinking. I’m going to go into a near comatose state for a bit just so I don’t have to listen to you blather on. It’ll be similar to what I was like when I was trying to to hemorrhage mana previously.} Finally reaching his breaking point, Ahriman decided that it would save him from a lot of boredom to just go to sleep. Well, as close to sleep as possible for a deceased necromancer can get to.

“I wonder if Ahriman was as cranky as this when he was alive. I never got the impression that he was completely bored with everything around him. Actually, could physiological effects carry over when the soul has been ripped from the body after death? Being forced to be hungover for eternity would definitely put a damper on anybody’s mood. Gah, why am I so easily sidetracked? I need to focus…” Closing his eyes as he sat down, Kaz began to continue his theorycrafting.

“Although I already have two spells that are designed to ensnare living enemies, both Bitter Chill and Rigor Mortis are spells that affect a target’s physical capabilities. In fact, both of these spells are extremely similar, mainly affecting the target’s limbs. Furthermore, like Frozen Spear, these spells are all single target spells. I think it’s in my best interest to make another area of effect spell, but one that will affect another body part than the limbs.”

As Kaz sat on the ground contemplating his modification, a Klavan hunter-killer squad was closing in on his location.

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“Sergeant, it appears that the rogue magi’s trail of destruction leads to those ruins over there. What are your orders?” Walking back towards the rest of his squad, the forward scout did not make a sound as he moved, phantom-like.

“What are your thoughts on his capabilities? We saw his handiwork firsthand from what little remained of the first hunter-killer squad that was sent after him. It appears that they let down their guard somewhat, from what little information we could gather.” The sergeant was sitting on the side of a tree that had been knocked down. Looking at the deep claw marks on the side of the tree, he could only guess at the true size of the creature that had destroyed the tree.

“It appears that he suddenly learned some aspects of eluding pursuers, but then advocated to just go as fast as he could through the wood. We would have caught up with him days ago if he did not suddenly know how to navigate efficiently through forests. It also appears that he’s unaccompanied by any other person or creature. Ultimately, I think he’s unpredictable and we need to be extremely cautious when attempting to engage with him.” Crouching down next to a bush as he gave his report, the scout hid himself from view from all but his squad.

“Very well. So is it confirmed that our quarry is within these ruins?”

“Yes, Sir. I’ve circled the compound many times in the last hour, and I saw no tracks of anything leaving the ruins. Unless our magi can fly or teleport away from this area, there’s no possibility except for inside the ruins.”

“So be it. I’m designating that the area of operation be these ruins for this part of the mission. Scouts Harken and Karel, you two will scout the inside of these ruins while the rest of us hide outside of the gate. Be careful, and expect anything to happen. We cannot fail.”

Nodding once after saluting, two of the hunters disappeared from view as they travelled through the trees towards the inside of the ruins.

Keeping alert, the sergeant unslung his longbow as he and his squad moved towards the gate at a slower pace.

“You’re not getting away this time, magi scum.” Muttering under his breath, the sergeant concentrated on his surroundings.

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Jumping up from a sitting position into a standing one, Kaz excitedly ran his hands through his hair.

“I’ve got it! The core Distort sigil is fine to design an incantation around, and I can modify the Cone and Condense sigils in order to get what I want. I need a spell that can disrupt the concentration of physical opponents, and I think I can do it! Hey Ahriman are you listening?”

{Ugh….yeah, yeah. I’m here. What did you come up with, and I really hope it’s interesting. Otherwise I’m going to mentally zap you, the consequences to my limited mana pool be damned!} Grumpy at being disturbed, Ahriman’s foul mood seemed to have been carried over from before his hibernation.

“The Distort Sigil can stay the same. That’s not going to be changed. I will replace the shape modifier of Cone with Cloud, and the Condense into disperse. I’m keeping the size modifier the same since I don’t have a large mana pool that I can use haphazardly.”

{...So you’ve made some weird cloud spell that’s supposed to distract your physical opponents with?}

“Well, in essence, yes. I can’t exactly test it on these golems since they’re not humans or living things, but the new spell should temporarily stun or confuse all who go into its area of effect. I’ll call it my Distorting Fog!”

{I think I’m going to say it’s a crap spell until you prove otherwise. Now, let’s get on with it. What other two books did you bring out of that library that you think are so important? I really hope they’re not more theory books. Practical knowledge is useful too.}

Smirking, Kaz reached into his knapsack and pulled out a thick black volume.

“Oh, I think you’ll like this one. Let’s have a look, shall we?”

{Oho! For all your boring faults, I will admit that you have a talent for picking some interesting books. This will do nicely, yes.}

Cracking open the “Necromancer’s Guide to Minions,” Kaz sat down and started to read.

“Hey, this is actually some really interesting stuff. The creation of minions is catalogued by types, and it seems that this book contains all the necessary incantations to create my own.”

{Or I could, you know, just shove that knowledge into you via the mental link. That way is much faster I would be less bored. Can you even imagine how gut-wrenchingly boring it is to have to watch somebody else learn the most basic of techniques that you already know? It’s like if you were forced to watch a small child learn how to read. I’m telling you, I would actually just kill myself if I wasn’t already dead just to stop from having to watch this.}

“So shut up. Stop being so dramatic, it can’t be that bad. You said it yourself, I happen to be an incredibly fast learner. You don’t even have to spend that much time watching me learn. Reading this book will take me several hours at most. Plus, I don’t forget anything that I’ve seen. It’s part of why I was chosen to be apprenticed to the Master Historian in the first place.”

Flabbergasted by what he just heard, Ahriman’s tongue was tied for just a bit longer than usual.

{Wait a minute, you say that you never forget anything that you’ve seen? Does that include book knowledge?}

“Well, yes. Why would I say that if I’m not serious about it? You can try me. Ask me anything about magical theory based on the first book.”

{You don’t need to convince me, boy. It actually makes more sense that you have a picture-perfect memory. When I first merged with your soul I saw waaaaaay too many memories. It was actually weird how many memories you had, particularly because a lot of them involved mundane things. Normal people would only remember the particularly emotional moments of their lives. Things such as deaths, marriages, birthdays, and the like. I had no idea why you remembered your adulthood Trial as well as you remembered the fourth time you did your chores.}

“Hmm...anyways, let me read this book. I understand a lot more of the material if you don’t interrupt me.”

{Shove a cork in it, brat. You have a picture perfect memory, it doesn’t even matter if you’re distracted or not since you can just go back to the memory of reading the book with impunity.}

“That’s not even remotely the reason I was asking you to stop interrupting me.”

Closing the book, Kaz sighed heavily.

“I was asking you to stop interrupting me because it’s harder for me to understand what’s written in this book if you keep bothering me. Whether or not I can remember the book’s contents is irrelevant. The sooner I understand how to create an undead minion, the sooner we can get out of here.”

{Fine. But you better not spend too long on this…} Grudgingly agreeing with Kaz, Ahriman fell silent.

Opening the book once more, Kaz read on.

“The creation of an undead minion requires two main things, a suitable soul as well as a body. The body can be ethereal or physical. In that case, I’ve already created some undead minions. I guess the spirits that I’ve been using count as undead minions, just a different type than what I had envisioned.”

{Heh, and what did you envision? I’ll tell you what you envisioned. You saw a horde of skeletal warriors, ready to conquer at your command. You saw legions of undead soldiers ready to do your bidding. You saw spectres of warriors long dead patrolling a castle made of bone. THAT is what you saw.} His voice near reverent, Ahriman’s voice rose to a near fever pitch as he described a grand vision.

“Well, my vision isn’t as grand as yours, but I suppose that’s only because I’ve barely scratched the surface of the art of Necromancy, isn’t it?” Still reading, Kaz paid close attention to the incantations described in the book.

“It seems that the ethereal body of a spirit is created on death by the Soul. When the ethereal body is infused into a physical body, that physical body can then be animated depending on the strength of the spirit. When the physical body is destroyed in any way, the ethereal body will be released from its prison and can then act accordingly. That explains why the red spirit was able to survive the destruction of its floating skull body.”

Focussing on the red spirit that he had bound previously, Kaz observed it as it glared hatefully at him.

“Heh, if you could, I’d bet you’d try to kill me because I enslaved you. But you can’t raise your hand to me now since I’m your new master.” Grinning, Kaz’s attention returned to the book.

Continuing to read, Kaz was lost in thought and wonder as he delved deep into the lost secrets of the necromantic arts.

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As quiet as cat’s feet, two silhouettes came out of the ruined gates and joined the four that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Hunter Scout Karel reporting in. Harken and I have secured the inside of the compound. There appears to be a courtyard within the complex, as well as an inner compound. I see the tracks of what appears to be our prey as well as the tracks of a large bear. The bear’s tracks are extremely heavy for its size. Either this animal is different from a bear, or it is the heaviest bear that I have ever seen. There is structural damage to some of the trees within the courtyard. It seems that our rogue magi decided to fashion crude torches before he went into the inner complex.” Reporting as he sat down on a nearby rock, Hunter Scout Karel didn’t even seem fazed at the daunting task that he and Harken had just completed.

“This tells us a lot about what we should expect, good work. It seems that the inside of the complex is dark enough to warrant multiple torches. Furthermore, it seems that there is a reason for him to want to stay for a longer period of time. Karel, how old are these tracks?” Stroking the stubble on his chin, the sergeant was busy formulating a plan of engagement. The man and his squad appeared as rugged mountain men. However, they were far more dangerous than simple mountain rangers. These men were a veteran hunter-killer squad sent from the Imperial Capital of Samara itself. Survivors of dozens of life threatening missions, these men had seen the the worst in humanity as they hunted down its criminals.

“The tracks appear to be about two days old. There are also no tracks leading out from the complex except for the ones to gather wood and resin to make torches. He doesn’t have any way of escaping unless he can turn invisible, but even then he’ll make noise as he walks.”

“Thoughts about his sudden ability to traverse the wilderness?” Always one to consider all of the options and dangers available to him, the sergeant trained himself to recognize any irregularities in the quarry that he was hunting.

“Although it seems that he did figure out how to travel through the forest suddenly, he favors speed over being untrackable. Even if he chose to erase his tracks, there was no way he could have avoided the notice of all six of us. No, our little magi made a conscious decision to favor speed over caution.” Answering between bites of venison jerky, Karel seemed to almost be disappointed now that the chase was nearly at an end.

“Yeah, the trail of magically mutilated animals in the woods basically painted a large target on his back. If he had not laid down those breadcrumbs, the search might have taken another few days since he favored caution in the beginning.” Grimly nodding in agreement, Harken adjusted his bowstring as he reported his views to the Sergeant.

“Well, it’s been quite a chase, but it’s not over yet. Let’s work quickly and carefully to bag this magi, then report back to base. For the Empire!” Slinging his longbow across his back, the sergeant walked through the gate towards the ruined compound.

“For the Empire!” Quietly but clearly repeating their slogan, the hunter-killer squad got into formation and followed the sergeant into the complex.

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“So all I need to do is to Infuse a spirit into a physical body. The most apt physical body for the creation of an undead minion would naturally be a fresh body, but not the same as the deceased since that would incite the body to rebel against the wishes of the necromancer. Ahriman, where am I going to get a body?” Frustrated at the realization that he had no practical way of practicing the incantation to create a skeletal minion, Kaz looked to Ahriman for help.

{Beats me. The only thing I saw even remotely close to a human body was that skull that you blew up with extreme prejudice.}

Blowing out a long breath, Kaz stood up and started to walk back towards the central mana crystal.

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