XXXIV.


    He was in the middle of patching up a patients mid-section, when there came a polite knock on the door to his consultation room.


    Zelesti, if you wouldnt mind?


    The Demon-construct waddled over to the door and opened it,ing directly face-to-face with Pernille. She let out a tiny squeal, which seemed to amuse the Demon.


    Am I disturbing, Magister? she asked, after regaining herposure.


    Not at all. What is it?


    Theres someone here to visit you


    Is it Guiume?


    Yes, and he has brought friends


    Let them in.


    Of course, Magister.


    Momentster, a ck-eyed Guiume entered, six of him in total. He was familiar with the visage of the corpse-doll that had travelled with him and Heskel to Rooskeld, but the other five figures, two men and three women, were all new to him.


    Jakob waved Zelesti over to him and bade her finish up with the patient. For once, the Envy Demon seemed happy to oblige, perhaps sensing the true nature of Guiume. Wothram stood stock-still in the background, and two of the five figures were staring intently at him, perhaps sensing an ember of the Eternal Serpent within his Birthed Sentience.


    Is there a problem? Jakob asked, as he wiped his gloves with a cloth to remove the blood.


    The red-haired corpse-doll stared up into the ceiling, as though watching something. Jakob followed his gaze, but sensed nothing.


    <strong></strong><strong>we are being</strong><strong></strong><strong>observed</strong><strong></strong>


    On pure instinct, Jakobs right glove turned into a vicious set of ws. You fool! Why would you bring its attention here! Nothing can observe <em>me</em> directly, I have made sure of it!


    It had been merely a whim. A way to destress from the nning of war. Some minor fancy that he thought might help him sleep better at night, but now it was revealed to be far more than that.


    Sirellius had used his scrying bowl to learn where his once-favourite servant had gone. It had pained him to see that smiling boy be overtaken by the Undying Daemon, but he had kept him around for sentimental reasons, and so his absence was noticeable, even after a different mind upied his body.


    He had hoped to learn that his former servant was going around exploring the metropolis on behalf of Guiume, but when he had looked into the water of his y bowl, he had seen a different ce entirely, one which he knew quite well from his extensive dealings with its noble-born: Rooskeld.


    He had watched the corpse-puppet move around the streets, gathering other converted puppets to itself, before going into some nondescript uptown clinic. Once in there, he had recognised Count Bastians niece, Pernille, who seemed to be working as a receptionist. But then things had taken a turn, as he had seen, from his birds-eye-view, a bone construct open the door to the main operating room of the clinic, and within this room stood a figure in strange robes, but who was unmistakably Jakob the Summoner.


    In the same moment that the realisation had struck him, the corpse-puppet of his former servant had looked straight into Sirellius eyes, as though capable of viewing him through his scrying waters. It took him a second to realise that it was not something the Daemon was capable of, but, rather, the other corpse-puppet who was standing in the room behind Sirellius was the modus by which the Daemon could see itself.


    With reflexes he thought himself too old to possess, he whirled around and cast an incantation that sent a spear of translucent mist straight into the corpse-puppet behind him. When the magic subsided, arge hole had opened through the face of this once-human figure, and ck blood gushed from it as it copsed to the floor, well-and-truly dead, finally.


    Sirellius did not waste a moment to rouse the Royal Guard of the castle, and, within four days, they had hunted down everyst one of Guiumes corpse-puppets in Helmsgarten. They had also secured his vessel in the castle tombs, so that no more Undying ves could be created, and arge contingent of Knights were formed under Major Tress and sent towards Rooskeld, with orders to kill every ck-eyed corpse-puppet they encountered, as well apprehending the Fleshcrafter. Though it was insubordination, Sirellius had told Tress that she would not be punished if the Boy was to perish in their captivity.


    It had taken every ounce of Jakobs self-control to not immediately y Guiume and his manifold undead mannequins. There was no doubt in his mind that the Daemon wished to bring the attention of the Crown back onto Jakob, so that he could utilise his many seeded-and-prepared soon-to-be puppets and ingratiate himself with Jakob.


    As the Undying Daemon prepared for war in Rooskeld, awakening its hundreds of subjects created through Jakobs giving of the blood pellets to his patients, Jakob himself finalised preparations to gather the Branch from the Sacred Grove.


    In an uncharacteristic move, he urged Pernille and her uncle to travel to Lleman to visit rtives, and though the Receptionist seemed unwilling, she trusted his judgement and obliged.


    Three days after Guiumes transgression, Heskel returned to Rooskeld. Jakob greeted him thankfully, when he entered the third-floorboratorium next-door to the clinic.


    The Wight lingered by the doorway for a moment, his naked multi-hued skin exposedpletely, which concerned Jakob, as he thought his quest might have not borne fruit. But then Heskel urged someone behind him forward, and a woman entered, wearing his demon-skin poncho, which covered her entire figure and sagged deted in the shoulders.


    It took him a moment to notice her peculiar appearance, but then he nodded, pleased with his Lifeward. He put a hand on his chest and addressed the neer.


    My name is Jakob, he said in Demonic. I have not met an Elphin before.


    The woman bowed deeply and then replied, in a shaky tone, I am Ciana. I am here by the grace of your manservant.


    You do not need to bow before me, Ciana. And Heskel is not my servant, he is my protector andpanion.


    Jakob turned to his Lifeward. Have you seeded? Have you found a Name we can use?


    Once again, the Wight urged the tiny Elphin with a tap of his hand on her back. She moved forward only a step, but then drew an item from within her borrowed poncho. It was a mask made from human skin, utilising a form of Fleshcraft that Jakob himself had not utilised in ages, but which was capable of turning skin into a rigid form throughpoundingyers forcefully and utilising Necromantic rites such as Ironflesh, in concert with the Amalgam Hymn.


    What is this? he asked, hefting the mask in his hand.


    <strong>Tool. Daemon within.</strong>


    You summoned and sealed a Daemon within this?


    Heskel nodded.


    It seems we were of one mind: I too had considered using a mask as the vessel. Now, tell me more. I wish to hear all about it.