A wise person once said that ''routine, in an intelligent man, is a sign of ambition.''
If so, Walter Tye was the most ambitious undead in the world. Unless disturbed or overseeing a crossroads deal like tonight, the necromancer followed a tight schedule.
He opened his magic item shop one hour before sunrise, although he mostly handled his suppliers before welcoming customers at dawn. Morning was the busiest part of the day since adventurers purchased supplies then to tackle the dungeon in the afternoon. Pressure remained strong until roughly two in the afternoon, after which customers became so scarce that it allowed Tye to focus on more unique tasks, such as assisting the blacksmith¡¯s guild to create magical weapons, providing apothecary services to his community, or simply searching for hard to find material.
Since he didn¡¯t need to eat mortal food nor drink, Tye always lied about eating only once in the evening, due to his busy workday; since he had carefully developed a reputation as a workaholic, nobody suspected the truth. He closed the shop at nightfall, then often went to the tavern to play Board & Conquest; more to fuel his gaming addiction than anything else.
When most people went to sleep, the necromancer returned home to work in his secret laboratory after touring the dungeon and overseeing Hagen¡¯s progress with the excavation. He would emerge from his lair at dawn, to repeat the cycle.
Walter Tye was a mask that the necromancer had cultivated for two years, like a wallflower. He was part of the scenery. Nobody paid attention to him, for as far as anybody was concerned, he had always been there.
Leaving him free to spread his roots deep underground¡
As he walked through the busy streets of Lyonesse in the afternoon, between the fortifications and the temple district, Tye politely nodded at citizens whom he recognized, a basket full of remedies in hands.
¡°If you go out at night on the last day of the month, the Ankou will come to take your soul.¡±
Tye briefly paused, glancing at a trio of children playing dice in a street corner. ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± one of the children said.
¡°It¡¯s true!¡± protested a brown-haired kid whom Tye recognized as Emile, the eldest son of the leader of the craftsmen¡¯s guild. ¡°First you will hear a wail, then the sound of a coach approaching. That¡¯s the Ankou¡¯s coach, where he carries the dead of the year to Helheim. If you evade it for the night, you will live for another year, no matter what; but if he catches you, you die by the next morning, and your whole family too!¡±
¡°That makes no sense,¡± the girl laughed. ¡°Mom said you only go to Helheim if you don¡¯t worship any god and die without fighting!¡±
¡°Well, your mum doesn¡¯t know anything. If the Ankou gets you, you always go to Helheim.¡±
Even if Tye hadn¡¯t hunted for sacrifices in Lyonesse itself for a year, and had only fed on troublemakers no one missed back then, the rumors had survived. It had made moving around the countryside harder, as adventurers often sought the ¡®death coach¡¯ to kill its rider. Thankfully, if the kids were of any indication, most would remain misinformed.
Sending people to that dreary, gloomy Helheim was the last thing on Tye¡¯s mind.
At the thought, his eyes wandered to the gigantic, distant trunk of the world tree Yggdrasil in the horizon, rising from the ground and reaching up all the way to the skies. The source of all life, and of the System that governed the Nine Worlds.
According to most scholars, the realm of Midgard was flat, a vast continent of land surrounded by waters and the primeval serpent which gave the realm its name. But Midgard was but one world among many, connected by the cosmic tree.
Its roots touched three worlds: the ever-burning Muspelheim, ruled by the Fire King Surtr, the enemy of the world; Niflheim, a cold hell inhabited by fiends; and the dark Helheim, the land of the ¡®worthless dead.¡¯
The branches, meanwhile, touched five other worlds. Svartalfheim, kingdom of the dwarves and the dark elves, always at war; Jotunheim, the land of the giants; Alfheim, a world of fairies and elves of light; Vanaheim, home of the Vanir gods, chaotic and wild; and finally Asgard, the supreme world of the civilized Aesir deities.
Only recently had a tenth world been found, one untouched by Yggdrasil: the mysterious Earth, from which the gods summoned ¡®heroes¡¯. The process mystified necromancers like Tye, who sought to master the cycle of souls.
Well, he had all the time in the world; or at least until its fated end.
After a short walk, the necromancer reached the temple district. The lion¡¯s share went to Odin¡¯s cathedral, more fortress than a church, but every god had their own seat of worship, separated by canals; even Hel, the dreaded goddess of the underworld, held a patch of land where people buried the criminals, the oathbreakers, and the exiled. Respectable citizens had their corpses cremated.
The church of Balder, the god of beauty, art, and light, was not as impressive as the All-Father¡¯s cathedral, but it certainly stood out for its beautiful architecture, a prism-like, small pyramid seemingly made of crystal with doors of silver. In truth, as the patron god of the city, his church dominated Lyonesse¡¯s politics; and his priests were smart enough not to advertise it. Soft power at its finest.
Tye entered, finding himself walking through exposition rooms showcasing vivid paintings of ancient battles, marble statues of heroes, and other wonders created by the Avalon Kingdom¡¯s greatest artists.
He found the curator and high priestess of Balder, Yseult Whitehand, painting in one of the rooms. Often said to be the most beautiful woman in Lyonesse, she had once been a vision of divinity, a fair maiden seemingly sculpted from silver, with platinum hair and sapphires for eyes. Her modest white silk dress only showcased the perfection of her features, of the face that made men kill one another for.
But even with his treatment, her illness had left marks. She had started to lose hair, revealing the emaciated skull underneath; while she hid it well through careful dressing, she had lost weight. Still, even diminished, an angel was an angel.
¡°Welcome, my friend,¡± she told him with a kind smile. ¡°You are late. I was starting to wonder if you had met trouble on your way here.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was too busy dismembering a chicken for the evening,¡± Tye said.
¡°He didn¡¯t run fast enough?¡± she giggled.
¡°No, he didn¡¯t,¡± Tye said with a knowing, cruel smile. ¡°How are you feeling, Milady?¡±
¡°Better than yesterday,¡± Yseult replied. ¡°I no longer lose hair.¡±
¡°Good. That means your body is getting used to the treatment.¡± The earthlanders called her illness ¡®cancer,¡¯ and from what Tye had gathered, they hadn¡¯t managed to cure it either. Most [Cure Disease] or [Purge] spells removed foreign bodies, like viruses or bacterias who had yet to develop resistance to magic; but when illness came from the body¡¯s lifeforce itself, they had little effect.
Tye himself would have permanently cured that woman of everything with [Blood Magic] long ago, if the kingdom didn¡¯t outlaw this school of magic. Since other spellcasters could identify traces of his spells, the necromancer instead started working on an alchemical remedy. He knew of an alchemical beverage called [Panacea], which could cure every illness, but he needed ingredients he couldn¡¯t access yet. So he had to settle with delivering his patient less effective elixirs.
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The necromancer treated that woman partly out of gratitude for helping him settle in Lyonesse when he first arrived, and mostly for the sake of his research. In his drive to find the ultimate cure for death, Tye had to understand life. If he could cure an illness born of life¡¯s own unchecked growth¡ these results could help him with a breakthrough.
Tye glanced at the painting, the portrait of a handsome, youthful knight with chestnut hair and noble eyes. His armor seemed woven with flowers, and he carried a harp alongside his sword. ¡°This is the famous Tristan?¡±
¡°He will visit me this summer,¡± the maiden beamed with happiness. ¡°After his introduction ceremony to the Royal Knights.¡±
The most powerful, highest-leveled champions of the realm; although not all of them were knights, nor even knightly. Tye wondered where that one ranked on the scale. ¡°I am almost finished with your landscape painting,¡± Yseult told him. ¡°I will have it delivered to your house by the turn of the moon.¡±
¡°Take your time,¡± Tye said before his sharp hearing picked up the sound of two newcomers entering the temple. ¡°Your paintings are lovely, Milady, but I do not help you against payment.¡±
¡°I know, but I wish to express my gratitude somehow.¡±
The steps grew closer, Tye turning around as Yseult did. A strong, powerfully built old man with a grey beard and piercing eyes walked into sight, backed by a freckled, redheaded boy in his teenage years. While the warrior wore thick armor and top-notch equipment, the younger boy, probably the squire wore leather armor too big for him and a bow.
¡°Ser Sigurd,¡± Yseult recognized the bigger man, although Tye couldn¡¯t remember that man''s name for the unlife of him. ¡°What a joy to see you again, dear knight.¡±
¡°You have grown ravishing, milady,¡± the man said while politely neglecting to mention her illness, before frowning at the sight of Tye.
¡°Greetings,¡± the squire shyly bowed to Tye and Yseult. The necromancer couldn¡¯t recognize his accent; probably an earthlander. The older warrior kept his eyes firmly on the alchemist as if struggling to remember him.
¡°Why the gaze?¡± Tye asked. ¡°Have we met?¡±
¡°No, it can¡¯t be,¡± the man shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t be you, unless you haven''t aged in thirty years.¡±
While Tye kept a blank, pallid face, his mind froze. He furiously tried to remember if this man could have crossed his path. Where, when?
¡°I see that you have taken an apprentice,¡± Lady Yseult smiled at the man¡¯s squire. ¡°What is your name?¡±
¡°P-Percy,¡± the boy said sheepishly. ¡°Percy Greenfield.¡±
¡°The princess Gwenhyfar and the latest promotion of the Royal Academy will soon arrive in your fair city,¡± Sigurd spoke, all business. ¡°She will visit the temples and the highest institutions, bless everyone¡ the usual.¡±
Since the increasing rate of Convergences and the arrival of earthlanders to fight them, the kingdom of Avalon had the brilliant idea to create an institution to manage both. A school which would train the heroes of tomorrow, teaching them magic, combat, leadership, and how to fit into the ruling structure. An organization which only allowed the best of the best, or earthlanders, into its walls, and prepare them to defeat the Five Calamities.
¡°I will gladly show Her Highness the wonders of Lyonesse,¡± replied the priestess of Balder, before turning to Tye. ¡°My friend Tye here is a genius [Alchemist]. I am certain the new hopes of our nation will enjoy discussing with him.¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re an [Alchemist]?¡± Percy asked him, curious.
¡°I¡¯m just a shopkeeper,¡± Tye replied, more bothered by the older warrior than his squire. ¡°I don¡¯t feel well in the spotlight.¡±
¡°I see,¡± the older knight said, his voice betraying no emotion. ¡°Maybe I will buy supplies at your place.¡±
¡°You said you were a knight?¡± Tye fished for information. ¡°A Royal Knight?¡±
¡°For thirty years,¡± the squire boasted for his master, while Sigurd kept a stoic face.
¡°I retired,¡± the man said, ¡°Now I¡¯m just an adventurer on a job.¡±
Royal Knights, thirty years¡
Ah yes, the Purge of the Pale Serpents. How could Tye forget that mess? The necromancer must have sighted this Sigurd among the kingdom¡¯s soldiers, as they stormed his order¡¯s Citadel, killed his lich master, and forced him to run for his life. That went so far back, he still needed to breathe back then.
While Sigurd seemingly dropped the matter, Tye wasn¡¯t stupid enough to believe him. Even if the knight truly shrugged him off, a mere word to his fellow Knights could bring heroes to the necromancer¡¯s door.
Should he skip town? No. That would certainly bring suspicion upon him, Hagen hadn¡¯t unearthed enough material yet, and he had grown too fond of Lyonesse to leave. Yseult would probably die without his treatment, and while he could always raise her as an undead, he wouldn¡¯t deprive her of the life she seemed to cherish so much.
He would simply stage an accident. Mercenaries lived short, brutal lives after all. For now, Tye decided to send minions to keep an eye on the former knight until the right opportunity presented itself.
He had more pressing business for tonight.
Driving his black coach, pulled by skeletal horses and guided by a flock of fearsome crows, Tye stopped at the appointed crossroads. His ¡®secret suppliers¡¯ awaited him among the trees. The new moon was high in the skies, covering the Forest of Broc¨¦liande in shadows.
For this kind of meeting, Tye had switched clothes for something more impressive to mortals: a crimson cowled cloak, velvet gloves, boots, and most importantly, a silver mask covering his whole face except for his crimson eyes. Demonic runes inscribed on its surface shone with a fiery light, giving the necromancer a fearsome aura.
A mere stage trick, but one he had found useful for business.
Tye glanced at the four men waiting for him, recognizing his usual supplier, the balding, overweight merchant Patrick, and three new crooks with swords. One of them, a snake-eyed swordsman, appraised Tye with a calculating look.
¡°You¡¯re the client?¡± he asked, as Tye climbed down his vehicle. Patrick confirmed with a nod. ¡°Who¡¯s inside the coach?¡±
¡°You do not want to meet my passengers,¡± the necromancer replied, his [Mask of the Forsaken] changing his voice into the echo of a legion. ¡°You have the merchandise?¡±
The man presented him with the prize. A grimoire was as large as a recipe book, with a screaming, grinning face for cover. Together, the teeth had arranged to spell the title: ¡°Mimir¡¯s Testament.¡±
Its cover seemed made of human skin.
Because the whole book was.
¡°Can you imagine how many corpses it took to fashion this book?¡± Tye asked, instantly recognizing the book as the original. ¡°The miles of human skin? The sheer impracticality of the craftsmanship?¡±
¡°The money first,¡± the leader said. Unlike Patrick, who had arranged the meeting and done business with Tye for years, this one didn¡¯t know him enough to trust yet.
Tye grabbed a purse attached to his belt and tossed it to Patrick. The merchant nodded and then opened it, his fellows greedily glancing at the alchemically-created rubies inside. ¡°They are worth eighty thousand gold coins,¡± the necromancer said. ¡°Twenty thousand each.¡±
Patrick counted the payment, before nodding at his colleagues. ¡°Good,¡± the trio¡¯s leader said, but didn¡¯t hand Tye the book. ¡°Now, we can discuss the finder¡¯s fee.¡±
¡°The finder¡¯s fee?¡± the necromancer repeated, frowning behind his mask.
¡°We suffered significant expenses in obtaining this book. Avoiding knights isn¡¯t cheap.¡±
¡°I paid the price Patrick asked for.¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t agree to this, Narbon,¡± said the merchant, apparently as surprised as Tye himself.
¡°Because you don¡¯t know how business works,¡± the man replied, before giving the necromancer a crooked smile. ¡°Since this is our first deal, I will give you a discount.¡±
¡°And if I refuse?¡± the necromancer asked.
The man put a hand on his swords, as did the two others. ¡°Then no book.¡±
¡°[Spellsight],¡± Tye whispered in response, seeing the three men appear with colored auras. They had cast protective spells on themselves before the meeting, conveniently keeping Patrick in the dark. They also wielded impressive equipment, such as a [Mystical Sword of Demonslaying].
If they had confronted the average dark wizard, they might have seemed intimidating.
But at level fifty-three with elite classes, the necromancer was in another league entirely. ¡°Does he speak for all of you?¡± Tye asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t agree with him and rather do a fair deal, please take a step backward in protestation.¡±
Only Patrick did so, Narbon¡¯s smile turning colder. ¡°No cut for you then,¡± he said.
¡°Indeed,¡± Tye replied. ¡°[Death X].¡±
The three men dropped dead without a sound. Patrick alone survived and recoiled in horror as the corpses suddenly hit the ground.
Much to Tye¡¯s frustration, he didn¡¯t even get a new level out of it.
¡°Patrick, I believe in keeping one¡¯s word,¡± the necromancer said. ¡°Or else, how can we make plans for the future? Existence should be ordered, like undeath. A state without the messy unpredictability of life, nor the sudden interruption of this temporary inconvenience we call death. And I swear it when my work will be finished, death won¡¯t even be that anymore.¡±
He knew he was rambling and that the merchant was too terrified to truly listen, but Tye liked the sound of his own voice.
¡°All of this to say, you should select your associates better next time,¡± the necromancer said, before looting his book from the dead¡¯s hands. ¡°When you meet someone with a coach pulled by dead horses to overcharge him a book made from human skin, it¡¯s not business. It¡¯s natural selection.¡±
¡°Y-yes, sir,¡± Patrick said.
¡°You can keep the change,¡± Tye said, letting the merchant flee with his rubies.
3: Dungeon Management
Upon death, souls had only three places where to go.
Those who truly dedicated themselves to one fickle god joined their master in Asgard, to serve in death as they did in life.
A few, whose devotion was found lacking, but who proved their worth as warriors, would be collected by the valkyries to rest in Valhalla. They would train surrounded by luxury, bolstering the armies of Odin when Ragnarok started.
Everyone else went to Helheim.
That dreary, cold world ruled by that cursed, fickle queen Hel, where shades wandered in the dark forever. The mere fear of ending up there forced the mortals to worship the gods for protection, or to become warriors worthy of a valkyrie¡¯s attention.
Midgard¡¯s afterlife was a divine protection racket. One that only brave, selfless necromancers like Tye tried to shatter.
Of course, the gods justified their system with the fear of Ragnarok, the apocalypse when the Five Calamities escape their bindings, as the barriers between worlds crumbled. Midgard regularly suffered from Convergences where the Nine Realms aligned, allowing monsters to cross from one to the other, and they would only increase in severity over time. According to the prophecies, nothing could be done to stop the end.
The gods, to avert their fate, had even started summoning heroes from that tenth realm called Earth, hoping that they could defy the prophecy by destroying the Five Calamities. With luck, one of them could perhaps slay the Fire King Surtr, or the Fell God Loki. So far none succeeded, but Tye admitted that maybe they had a shot.
But even if they won, the system wouldn¡¯t change. It was broken from the start.
It was on these thoughts that Tye studied Narbon''s grimoire, searching for spells to add to his considerable repertoire.
|
Rite of the Bloody Chalice
Type: Ritual
Focus required: Black Grail, desecrated altar of Hel.
Tier: X.Cost: Three sacrifices, 100 SP per daily prayer.
To undo what the gods did, to give back the darkness its forbidden power, one must offer blood and sweat. On each day, at midnight, offer a prayer to the Black Grail, for it is the source and end of all life. Sacrifice, on the longest day, the blood of the virgin maiden, so that the chalice¡¯s hunger be awakened. Sacrifice, on the day where dark and light are equal, the blood of the holy, so that the gods may know that their rule is challenged. Sacrifice, on the longest night, the blood of the kings, to show that all are equal before the will of the darkness.
Once its hunger is satiated by the three bloods and its pride renewed by the vows of the blackhearted, the Black Grail will reward the wicked with the gift of life eternal.
|
¡°Hagen.¡±
¡°Yes, chief?¡± the Dullahan said, having dutifully kept watch over his superior.
¡°Why are the gods and dark arts obsessed with virginity?¡± Tye asked, closing the book in disappointment. ¡°I have yet to see any mystical value in something so easy to lose.¡±
¡°I dunno, chief. I am but a knight. You are the spellcaster.¡±
The sorcerer laid back in his chair, putting the grimoire next to a shelf full of forbidden texts which he had saved from pyres. Truth to be told, the book did contain many powerful spells and secrets; but most of them were so highly tiered, that only the most powerful of archwizards could use them. Neither could the immortality ritual, the main reason he purchased it, be easily replicated.
The necromancer wanted to mass produce a cure for death, not a one-party trick.
The Yggdrasil System which administered the world classified magic in various specializations. [Songs], [Necromancy], [Prayer]... one needed levels in specific classes to learn one, and no class combination allowed someone to master them all. Spells were separated by Tier, from I to XII, which themselves needed specific class Perks to learn and cast.
Over his undeath, Tye had optimized his build to master sorcery itself, eventually promoting his original [Necromancer] and [Alchemist] classes into stronger variants. Through his thirty [Deathlord] levels, eighteen [Infernal Alchemist] ones, and his five [Ankou] racial levels, he had learned to access seven specializations: [Necromancy], [Alchemy] and its [Forbidden] subschool, [Occultism], [Dark Arts], [Diabolism], [Blood Magic], and [Rituals]. He could cast spells up to Tier VII, which was beyond what most spellcasters could achieve¡ but not enough.
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Well, he had all the time in the world to catch up.
For the glorious purpose of human advancement, nothing was forbidden.
The Ankou left his study to wander his lair, Hagen following him as his dutiful retainer. He was very proud of his laboratory. It had once been a hidden part of the dungeon, some kind of hidden tomb for the ancient civilization who built the ruins below until Tye reconverted it. The sight of vats containing half-formed artificial humans, dissected demon carcasses, or monstrous test subjects soothed his heart. Crude [Flesh Golems], towering constructs built from dozens of gathered bodies, cleaned the ground under the watchful eye of [Infernal Fire Elementals], horned figures made of flames providing the area with light.
Over time, Tye had divided the laboratory into sections, the book study where he stockpiled forbidden grimoires with his own research being in one of them. He spent most of his time in the cauldron¡¯s room, named as such because he stockpiled and mixed potions there; a technomagical, heart-shaped device called the [Athanor] mixed the various beverages he gathered into a single substance. Most went to the shop above, but the rest¡ wouldn¡¯t be safe to sell. This area served as the laboratory¡¯s hub and could be accessed directly from the shop or dungeon through tunnels.
To that room¡¯s left, Tye¡¯s minions gathered corpses for him to dissect, so he could understand how life and death worked. While most of the remains on his operation table belonged to monsters, he had also opened up those of dead adventurers. While frowned upon by most, especially those who favored healing magic, this activity had helped him design new medicine way beyond his time. He extracted the parts useful for magical research and animated the rest. No meat wasted.
Finally, isolated from all other areas, was the summoning alcove. It was the smallest room, a mere chamber with a pentagram drawn on the ground and surrounded by candelabras. As per the name, Tye used the area to summon otherworldly creatures to recruit or exchange with. He had found demons to be the most useful source of information and good servants if cowed into obedience.
They usually wised up, once they saw their kindred chained to one of the walls.
Once, the demon Beli had been a towering engine of fire and destruction, and the ruler of the dungeon before Tye unseated him; repeated lifedraining sessions had turned him into an emaciated shell. Far from the humanoid, winged fiery terror, he had once been, the fiend had become a cindered husk glaring at his captor with snakelike eyes.
¡°Who is a cute demon?¡± The fiend hissed in response at Tye¡¯s mockery. ¡°It is you! Yes, it¡¯s you!¡±
¡°You will pay for this." Even in his weakened state, the fiend still clung to his delusions of revenge. ¡°One day, these bindings will weaken, and when they do¡ I will repay your torments tenfold.¡±
¡°Yada yada, eternal fire, blablabla,¡± Tye replied, having heard it all. ¡°You have preyed on mortalkind for many eons. Consider this community service.¡±
The Ankou put a hand on the fiend¡¯s head, even as it vainly tried to escape his touch. ¡°[Lifedrain],¡± Tye spoke, his fingers draining the fiend¡¯s lifespan. The sensation didn¡¯t fill the necromancer, who had dined on this meal for two years, but it was passable.
As an Ankou, a rare form of undead born of... unique circumstances... Tye fed on the time of others, needing to roughly steal a year to be fed for a day. Once he exhausted his supply, he reverted to his natural, predatory state, with all the associated complications.
While he had at first preyed on whoever he could get his hands on, he eventually found this fiend a much more convenient, renewable source of energy. What were a few centuries of stolen life, to a timeless fiend? So long as Tye avoided overfeeding and killing him, Beli would sustain him for decades.
One day, once he had completed his work, the Ankou would no longer suffer from this frailty. But alas, until that day, the captive fiend would fuel his unlife.
Tye wondered what would happen if he were to consume other kinds of immortals, such as valkyries. Maybe he could even devour a god, under the right circumstances. Food for thought, he mused after leaving the drained fiend to continue his tour of the lab.
He found his zombie draugr workers at the hub, bringing him the night¡¯s bounty: a small pouch full of a crimson, vibrant crystal radiating heat and life. Alkahest.
¡°That¡¯s less than last time,¡± Tye told Hagen, disappointed.
¡°New troublemakers wandered off through an entry we didn¡¯t identify,¡± the Dullahan said. ¡°Duke took care of them.¡±
Even then, extracting this material was the main reason Tye had set up shop in that dungeon in particular. Alkahest, once properly treated, could serve as a universal solvent¡ and a key ingredient in the creation of a [Philosopher¡¯s Stone]. Other [Alchemists] had designed one, using it to create potions that could extend one¡¯s lifespan indefinitely.
Of course, Tye intended to surpass his predecessors, synthesize an elixir that could not only bring eternal life but also fuel the magical revival of the dead; and one which he could mass produce. However, the necromancer would never achieve that without Alkahest; and if he had to fend off countless more adventurers to protect his bottom line, then he would.
¡°[Ghost Mirror],¡± Tye cast a spell, a purple specter appearing in front of him, carrying a mirror of ectoplasm. ¡°Show me.¡±
The mirror¡¯s surface shifted to reflect the dungeon¡¯s ¡°Level One,¡± a complex network of tunnels and partially flooded caverns where the dead wandered alongside whatever monsters Tye had allowed to make their nest there. Below them was the exploited mine, ¡°Level Two,¡± where most of the necromancer¡¯s undying children worked to extract the materials he needed for his research.
The third level, the underground ruins which adventurers fought their way down to explore, Tye had mostly ignored. The mine held plenty of Alkahest already, and the deeper levels held many dangers. However, the crystal was growing scarcer, and the adventurers bolder.
Duke, a [Zombie Lord] whose noble, tattered clothes had turned crimson from the blood of his victims, had slain three humans at his usual ambush site in Level One, a cavern covered with stalactites. The vicious undead loved to hide above the ceiling among them, only to fall on his prey with his rapier. Tye needed a notebook to keep track of all his victims.
¡°Which tunnel did they take?¡± Tye asked.
¡°They didn¡¯t use a tunnel,¡± Hagen said. ¡°They fought their way up.¡±
The necromancer frowned. ¡°They went through the ruins?¡±
¡°One of our draugr found that the altar in the underground chapel could teleport him to the forest of Broc¨¦liande,¡± Hagen said. ¡°They probably wandered there by accident, looted the area, only to have their exit blocked by our patrols. I had soldiers secure the other end, but¡¡±
¡°But there is no guarantee that this is the only entry we missed,¡± Tye guessed. Damn, he would have to fortify the deeper levels too. Curse the unholy architects who built the ruins...
The purple specter Ghostring phased through a wall, Tye and Hagen glancing at him. ¡°Chief,¡± it rattled. ¡°The knight you wanted me to follow...¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°He has entered the dungeon,¡± the ghost said. ¡°Patrolling with his squire and fresh meat.¡±
Ah. He must have been trying to scout the area so the princess¡¯ visit would happen without any trouble. A perfect opportunity.
¡°Shall we pay the knight a visit, chief?¡± Hagen asked, hungry for blood.
¡°His very last.¡±
4: Impulsiveness
The key to defeating so-called ¡®heroes¡¯ was a very simple set of tactics.
Overwhelming force on the first strike, so they never get the second. Always ambush, so they never have the time to prepare. Never allow them to escape, so they cannot learn from their mistakes nor spread knowledge of your tactics. Bring numbers, for chivalry is for suckers.
In short, never give them a chance. If this becomes a close fight, then you failed somewhere along the line.
Hagen had set up a perfect ambush position in one of the larger wet caverns, a large dome with blue moss-covered walls. Two murky pools made the ground difficult to walk on, except for a single, relatively dry walkway. The cavern served as a bottleneck, and one of the back entrances to access the mines below.
Clad in his [Robes of the Forbidden Rites] and his face hidden behind his [Mask of the Forsaken], Tye surveyed his warriors. Besides Hagen, he had called upon two of his elites: the zombie count Duke, and the mummy assassin Spook.
Spook was perhaps the most unnerving of Tye¡¯s undead retinue, largely because he never made a sound. Almost eight feet tall, the undead hid his flesh beneath bandages dyed black, and his face behind a shapeless funerary mask. He disdained heavy armor, wearing light iron for protection, metal claws to shred his foes, and a golden pendant around the neck; the last memento of his time among the living.
Contrasting with Spook¡¯s eerie appearance, Duke was ugly as they come, a rotting man with one eye bigger than the other. He had lost half his teeth, replacing them with gems collected from those he killed. In spite of his horrifying appearance, Duke kept wearing his tattered nobleman clothes, clinging to his former status. His rapier dripped with blood.
Ghostring also remained in standby as support, using a Perk of his to remain invisible.
¡°[Vorpal],¡± Tye cast on the trio, empowering their blades with foul, unholy energies. He kept layering himself and his troops in protective spells. ¡°[Elemental Veil], [Fallen Auspices].¡±
¡°Thanks, boss,¡± Hagen said, as his master briefly lifted his mask to drink a potion. Tye could cast powerful spells, but they cost him a lot in Special Points.
¡°[Blood Conversion],¡± Tye cast a final blood magic spell on himself.
| You can now use your HP instead of SP to fuel your spells. |
Since he had twice as many health points than special points, the necromancer could afford to give away some to avoid being drained. Even as an undead himself and no easy pickings, a lack of spellcasting would make him vulnerable.
¡°Knight comin¡¯,¡± Ghostring said, as he crossed one of the cave¡¯s walls.
¡°[Veil of Darkness],¡± Tye said while Duke and Spook climbed the walls to hide in the ceiling''s dark corners, leaving only Hagen to stand at the end of the walkway. An unnatural cloud of shadows surrounded the necromancer, allowing him to hide in the darkness.
He could already hear them approach from the tunnel.
Five people. The knight, his squire, and three unknowns.
¡°We should fall back,¡± a man said. ¡°It¡¯s getting narrow down here.¡±
¡°Stop being such a coward, Lamor,¡± a woman answered, her voice haughty and confident. ¡°You¡¯re the one who wanted a bigger challenge than goblins.¡±
¡°If we are to defend the kingdom properly, we must see it for how it is, not what the school wants to show us,¡± another womanly voice added, more wisely.
¡°Milady, while I find your vision commendable,¡± Sigurd the Knight said. ¡°You should have chosen another place. These tunnels smell of blood and death.¡±
The group finally entered the cave through the tunnel, stopping at the sight of Hagen waiting at the other end. Besides Sigurd and Percy, whom he had already met, Tye noticed three young people on the verge of adulthood, all of them wearing some kind of silver and purple uniform. A boy with grayish hair and a noble, stern face; a strikingly graceful girl with a crimson mane and emerald eyes, whose numerous jewels only enhanced her beauty; and a refined blonde lady with piercing blue eyes always gauging her surroundings. A silvery feather brooch held her hair, radiating magic.
¡°[Super Magic Scan],¡± Tye whispered, hiding at the edge of the room. Textual information about the newcomers immediately appeared next to their heads.
The squire, Percy Greenfield. Level sixteen, ten in [Bowman], six in [Squire]. A nonentity in this fight. Since he seemed like a nice young man, and Tye had no quarrel with him, the necromancer had strongly considered sparing him; before remembering all the times a plucky kid escaped, only to grow into a troublesome avenger later.
The magician settled on a middle ground: reviving him as a sentient member of his undead retinue.
The knight, Sigurd Dragonbane, level forty-five. Many levels below Tye himself, although the necromancer couldn¡¯t identify his classes. Probably [Knight] and variants. Definitely the most dangerous of the bunch, but manageable.
The last man, Lamor Gales. Level twenty, ten levels in [Noble], five in [Magician Apprentice], and five in [Paladin]. A nice combination, but not one that could save him.
But the girls¡ his scan couldn¡¯t identify their levels, nor their classes. They must have items hiding them from his sight. Very powerful items. Tye decided to remain wary of them, and keep his strongest spells in reserve.
¡°Halt,¡± Hagen spoke at the end of the walkway, a sword and a flail in each hand. ¡°You shall go no further.¡±
Sigurd immediately drew his weapon, a large claymore which could cleave a man in two, while the others hid behind him. When his squire raised his bow to shoot the dullahan, the older knight put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°B-but sir¡ª¡±
¡°He¡¯s too strong for you, Percy,¡± Sigurd said, before glancing at the others. ¡°Too strong for any of you.¡±
¡°If you want to descend into the next level, you will have to defeat me in a fair duel,¡± Hagen said. ¡°Like a true knight.¡±
¡°I¡¯m no longer a knight, but I accept your challenge,¡± Sigurd replied, before muttering something to his squire, too low for Tye to listen. The young man positioned himself to protect the blonde girl, seemingly to make a run for it at the first sign of trouble.
¡°Sir, is this wise?¡± that wise teen asked, perhaps smelling a trap.
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¡°Sir Sigurd is a strong knight,¡± Lamor replied with pride. ¡°No way some lone undead could stop him!¡±
¡°I am no mere undead,¡± the dullahan replied, as he crossed blades with Sigurd. ¡°You face Hagen of Vendemar, mortal.¡±
While the two warriors fought one another in a great show of swordplay, Tye¡¯s attention remained focused on the rest of the group. While both Lamor and the redhead observed the fight with confidence, and Percy with concern for his master, the blonde¡¯s eyes trailed all over the cave, surveying it. Smart girl.
Her eyes settled on Tye.
She could see him? No, impossible, only a powerful mage could pierce the veil, and she looked no older than-
¡°Sir Sigurd, there is a mage hidden to your left!¡± the woman declared, before raising a hand to spellcast. ¡°[Revealing Light].¡±
Tye cursed as she summoned a shining flash stripping him of his shadow mantle, while Sigurd finally recognized the name. ¡°Hagen of Vendemar¡ Hagen No Mercy?!¡±
¡°Oh?¡± the dullahan couldn¡¯t help but rejoice at mortals remembering him. ¡°My infamous reputation precedes me.¡±
¡°Oh it does; your reputation for treachery and dishonorable combat!¡± Sigurd pushed Hagen back with a thrust of his sword, before immediately attempting to fall back and protect his charges. ¡°Kids, it¡¯s an ambush! Flee!¡±
Spook and Duke chose that moment to descend from the ceiling. The zombie immediately tried to stab the knight in the neck with his rapier. The man¡¯s sharp reflexes saved him, only to find himself trapped between the attacker and Hagen.
Percy raised his bow, to support his master, but Spook cleaved his bow in two with his claws upon landing. Before the kid could grab his sword, the mummy hit him in the chest with his knee, the sheer strength of the blow sending him falling on his back. Utterly merciless, the assassin raised a hand to finish him off.
Sigurd let out a furious roar, managing to repel Duke out of his way and charging at the mummy; Hagen, ever the pragmatist, attempted to stab him in the back, but his blade only grazed the armor. Spook abandoned Percy to parry Sigurd¡¯s sword swing with his claws, before attempting to slash at the man¡¯s face. The knight unleashed some kind of light spell, blinding the undead.
Now unveiled, Tye decided to enter the fray himself. ¡°[Dark Calling].¡±
A giant, corpse-like hand manifested below Sigurd, grabbing him by the legs. Before the knight could defend himself, the hand threw him into the murky pool, where his armor kept him down. As light as a feather, Spook joined his fellow undead in ganging up on the knight, walking on the mirk without sinking.
¡°Take care of him,¡± Tye left the knight to his subordinates and approached the others.
¡°Back off!¡± The redhead unleashed a volley of fireballs at the necromancer, while the Lamor kid summoned a sword of solid light and the blonde a shield of magic. The fire bullets bounced off his elemental veil, and Tye didn¡¯t give them the opportunity to retaliate.
¡°[Death X],¡± he cast, once these two were within his spell¡¯s range. The young man instantly fell dead on the cold floor, Percy letting out a wail of horror. "[Wall of Stone]."
Stones immediately condemned the tunnel behind the adventurers, trapping them.
The redhead only frowned and kept attacking, none of her spells even damaging Tye. How could she survive his [Death X] and yet pack so little firepower? It should kill anything twenty levels lower than him. A closer look at the girls told him why: the wealth of magical items they wore, from crimson pendants to rings of power.
¡°[Spirit Burn],¡± Tye turned part of his lifeforce into a screaming ectoplasm, firing it at the two ladies. The blonde unleashed a ray of light to stop it, but the ghost easily powered through before hitting her and her companion. The redhead collapsed, her skin pale and withered, while the blonde struggled to stay standing.
Amateurs. Amateurs with exceptionally powerful magical gear, but rookies nonetheless. They wouldn¡¯t survive a second attack.
The blonde must have realized the same thing, as she glanced at Sigurd, now a bleeding mess attacked from all sides by three undead. ¡°[Recall to Sanctuary],¡± she chanted, a white ring shining on her right hand, as she hastily grabbed both Percy and the redhead.
A [Ring of Recall]? "This dungeon is warded against teleportation," Tye taunted them, ¡°[Spirit Bur¡ª¡±
The mystery girl immediately vanished, taking Percy and another survivor with her.
What? How?
Questions for later.
Tye glanced back at Sigurd, who had lost an eye to Spook¡¯s vicious claw and more blood to Hagen¡¯s blade. The necromancer assisted his cohorts by casting a [Pain Spell], causing the knight¡¯s body to bend as his nerves flared up in agony. Finding a chink in the man¡¯s protection, Duke stabbed him through the chest. Sigurd coughed blood, Hagen hitting him in the back with his flail and throwing him to the ground.
Tye walked towards the knight, while Spook and Duke pinned him by holding both his arms. ¡°You¡ I was right¡¡± the knight hissed at the mastermind, somehow recognizing him. ¡°You¡¯re¡ a necromancer...¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you clever?¡± Tye confirmed. ¡°And soon to be dead.¡±
¡°It was¡ revenge? You Pale Serpents¡ had it coming!¡± The knight spat blood at Tye¡¯s feet for good measure.
¡°A bit more respect before the true lord of this place,¡± Duke said with maniacal laughter, while Spook simply stabbed his prey through the arm with a claw. The knight clenched his teeth and glared at the necromancer.
¡°I have better things to do than avenge my fellow necromancers,¡± Tye replied. ¡°Like raising them from the dead.¡± As for the knight, he might get claimed by a valkyrie if his soul was allowed to pass on; and the necromancer couldn¡¯t let the gods learn about a Pale Serpent¡¯s continued existence in Midgard.
Tye searched under his robes, bringing out a small jewel. ¡°[Phylactery].¡± Compelled by his foul sorcery, the knight¡¯s soul left his dying body and entered the jewel, turning it purple and leaving only a corpse in the mud. Maybe it would make for a nice [Death Knight]. Who knew?
Toying with the soul gem, Tye whistled as he examined the remains of that Lamor boy, who would serve again as a zombie. Still, the more he watched the boy, the more familiar his uniform seemed.
No way¡
A Royal Academy student. They had killed an academy student. A friend of Annie, probably noble-born, a classmate of the royal princess...
¡
The princess!
¡°Search the upper levels for the survivors!¡± Tye ordered. ¡°This is an emergency! Bring them back to me, alive!¡±
Spook didn¡¯t question him and escaped through the tunnels, although Tye doubted he would bring anyone back with all their body parts still attached. Duke and Hagen, though, seemed a bit surprised by his sudden panic. ¡°Now!¡± the necromancer ordered.
¡°Can¡¯t we simply kill them?¡± Duke asked.
¡°Alive!¡± Tye ordered wrathfully, his men running to do their job.
But it was all in vain.
After wasting hours, Tye had to accept the truth. His prey had fled the dungeon.
The next day, Tye witnessed a marvelous message appear before his eyes, as he finished mixing essential salts with pewter behind his shop¡¯s counter.
|
Congratulations, you earned a level in [Infernal Alchemist]. You earned the [Slime Brewery] Class Perk!
+30 HP, +10 SP, +1 SKI, +2 INT, +1 CHA, +1 LCK.
[Slime Brewery]: You can now intuitively create [Slime] monsters as you would potions. You cannot create slimes whose total level exceeds yours.
|
Finally. At least he received enough exp out of this fiasco to gain his fifty-fourth level.
¡°Why the sudden rush?¡± Tye complained to his client, a blacksmith whose name he never bothered to learn, as he handed him pouches of alloys. ¡°Your guild never buys alchemical metals in bulk.¡±
¡°We expect a massive increase in high-quality weapon demand,¡± the smith replied, raising an eyebrow at Tye¡¯s lack of response. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? Undead almost killed the royal princess Gwenhyfar in the dungeon.¡±
¡°No, really?¡± Tye asked with false astonishment and all too real embarrassment. ¡°What was she doing down there?¡±
¡°I heard she slipped out with her classmates to visit the less dangerous areas. A knight caught up with them, but they got ambushed. The eldest son of Jarl Gales got killed. Shame, that kid had a promising future.¡±
¡°Jarl whom?¡±
¡°Gales the Grey Wolf, the Jarl of Vingolf,¡± the blacksmith replied, amused. ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of him?¡±
How was he supposed to remember every damn noble in the kingdom? It wasn¡¯t as if they did anything better than collect his taxes. ¡°That¡¯s terrible,¡± Tye said, knowing the hammer would fall hard on his head.
At least he hadn¡¯t killed the princess. If he did, her father the King would have had the dungeon razed.
¡°And you know what¡¯s the worst?¡± the smith approached his head to whisper into Tye¡¯s ear, as if fearing that someone would listen. ¡°The rumors were true! The dungeon has a master, commanding the undead! Some kind of wizard!¡±
Aw.
Well, this was a mess. A huge mess.
¡°The princess swore that she would avenge her fallen classmate,¡± the smith said. ¡°She said she wouldn¡¯t leave the city so long as the killers went unpunished, and her whole class followed. The Academy is furious, but can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±
Good news, Tye would probably see Annie more now than ever.
Bad news, his peaceful days were over.
¡°Look on the bright side,¡± the smith said. ¡°We¡¯re both going to get more business than ever!¡±
Never Die Twice Audiobook & Tapas Release
Hello guys, long time no see!
Though it''s against my values to post non-story content, I am temporarily raising this chapter back from the dead to announce a few undead-related news.
First of all, Never Die Twice is coming back to life... as an Audiobook!
After a long wait, I am proud to announce the official release of Never Die Twice''s audiobook in partnership with Podium Audio! Narrated by Jack Voraces, who also voiced my Vainqueur series, this necromancy manual is the only known cure for death. Necromancy is everyone''s concern nowadays, so I would be very thankful if you could share the link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Never-Die-Twice-Audiobook/1039404502
You can also see a sample here, where Tye teaches the value of good business to bandits with his sweet raspy undead voice (he keeps the normal one for friends and customers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t13Us2G_hXM. Or if you prefer, here''s a book trailer narrated by Jack Voraces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJRHy34qxo
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Additionally, Never Die Twice is now available on Tapas as part of the author premium program. It has encountered some success on that platform, and I''ve been informed that the better it does there, the greater the odds of NDT getting a Webtoon adaptation like Vainqueur the Dragon before it (which is currently in production with a release date expected around January 2022).
As such, I would appreciate if you could spread the word. Although nothing is guaranteed yet, I dearly hope to see a visual adaptation of Walter Tye''s adventures one day.
Tapas Link: https://tapas.io/series/never-die-twice/info
And that''s all. I don''t think I will post another chapter/update unless it''s webtoon or adaptation related.
Before I go though, I would like to thank all of you readers who supported this through its original run. Writing this necromancer''s journey has been quite the experience, and wouldn''t have been possible without the kindness of patrons and viewers both.
Best regards,
Voidy.
Never Die Twice going to KU on November 25th
Hello dear necromancers,
It''s been a while since I posted an update, and unfortunately, no, this isn''t to raise this story from the dead. In fact, I''m here to bury it and exorcize its soul to another place.
The thing is, I''ve come to inform you that I''m going to remove Never Die Twice from Royal Road and put it on Kindle Unlimited by the month''s end; my publisher and I have agreed for a target launch date of November 25th.
- The Context
I''ve got somewhat more in-depth about my reasoning on Patreon and other posts, but basically, it boils down to the facts that 1) everyone who wanted to read this story on RR already has, 2) it''s unlikely to get more visibility on the platform anymore and 3) KU is getting crowded.
Three years ago, when I published Never Die Twice as a standalone LitRPG novel (before Tye''s adventures continued in my crossover Apocalypse Tamer), the LitRPG scene was very different. There were far fewer large series back then and I still remember the days NDT had a spot in the top 5 best completed.
However, times have changed. Newcomers have come to leave the dead in the dust. Not only has NDT fallen off the RR front page (which, since it''s a completed series, kinda kills its visibility), but it has both been pirated to death and doesn''t bring in any new patrons. New readers are only likely to stumble upon the story if they actively look for it. I suspect Vainqueur the Dragon will eventually suffer the same fate (hence why I also intend to put it on KU shortly after).
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
However, Kindle Unlimited is a very different beast; there''s a reason why many authors, including myself, choose to go there. Going to KU greatly increases sales on average, and most of the audience there is both interested in LitRPG and has rarely heard of royal road. Sending NDT (and Vainqueur) to KU would help give the book a breath of fresh air. More funds means that I can also fund more projects like games or webtoons.
However, while Kindle Unlimited is currently the hot stuff for LitRPG, the market on this platform is clearly aiming towards saturation. New books must now compete with multiple volumes of the Primal Hunter, Dungeon Crawler Carl and quite a few other heavyweights. The competition is only going to get tougher as time goes on.
At this point, the more I wait, the more I feel Never Die Twice and Vainqueur will be drowned out in the crowd. I still have my name and reputation to surf upon, but as Hollywood remakes can attest, nostalgia only gets you so far.
The moment is now... and I''m probably a bit late already, to be honest.
- So what''s the plan?
After long discussions, I''ve decided to partner with Mango Media/Selkie to relaunch Never Die Twice on Kindle Unlimited (mostly due to algorithm shenanigans). This means that I will start with unlisting Never Die Twice from Amazon in the following days, at which point Mango will set it up again as a fresh book.
Our target date for the official KU launch is November 25th, so in three weeks'' time. As per KU exclusivity rules, I''ll be removing the chapters on RR a week or so before the launch date. So if you want to reread the story one last time on Royal Road, it''s now or never ;)
In any case, I want to thank you again for supporting Never Die Twice all these years. I know most of you moved on, but this story holds a special case in my heart; I still feel Walter Tye is one of the best protagonists (or villain, depending on your point of view) that I''ve created. I do wonders sometimes if I shouldn''t write another dungeon shopkeeper story sometimes. I hope his spooky adventures entertained you and helped you ponder if death is truly an inescapable face of life.
See you again on November 25th.
Best regards,
Voidy.
Never Die Twice launched on Kindle Unlimited (final post)
Hello everyone,
This will probably be Never Die Twice''s final post (unless the story gets a webtoon or the like down the line; who knows). As I''ve warned a few weeks ago, Never Die Twice, has now been relaunched on Kindle Unlimited in partnership with Mango Media.
If you''re reading these lines, you''ve probably already finished reading the book a while ago; even so, I would be deeply thankful to anyone leaving a review on it (if they have Kindle Unlimited) or just sharing word of the relaunch (if they don''t). Never Die Twice is a bit of an UFO as far as LitRPGs go (one book long, rather dark, somewhat philosophical) so there''s no telling how it''ll perform on KU. Every bit of help counts and will let the book find a new audience. Moreover, as I''ve said earlier, I intend to use funds from the relaunch to help fund future projects like webtoons or games.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Link: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0CMJTJMLT
I''ve said it before, but I''ll say it again: Never Die Twice has a special place in my heart because it''s the first of my novels that was entirely community-supported from its inception. I wrote every single chapter because dedicated fans wanted me to, and I''ve loved it so much I ended up making Walter Tye a recurring character in my general multiverse. That''s something to be celebrated I think. Never Die Twice was one of my first experimental project, and probably one I couldn''t have written without the support of so many friends and community members.
In any case, however the launch goes, I thank you all for supporting the story to its conclusion on RR and beyond. I hope you''ll enjoy my next works, and I wish you all the best.
Best regards,
Voidy.