《Necromancer's Legacy (Dark Fantasy Murder Mystery)》 1. The Visitor The man in the doorway appeared bewildered to see me, most of them are, of course, that''s to be expected. Their heads are always filled with mythical expectations which may either be entirely dissipated, or proliferated beyond imagination upon meeting me in person. Ernard was a short man, or at least shorter than me, and probably could have been described as stout not so long ago, but now would be more aptly described as ¡®withered¡¯. He had a commoner''s face in every sense of the word, the structure of his skull and inclined slope of his face suggesting an individual well adapted to a life of field-bound drudgery. ¡°You are¡­ Svisha the Skull?¡± he asked. ¡°What gave it away?¡± I gestured to the skull marked upon my face, the bone-white standing stark against my ashen black skin. ¡°you uh¡­¡± ¡°So are you going to invite me in or not?¡± It was raining and though some Magiar can pass through a typhoon without so much as a drop landing upon them, I was very obviously not one of them. ¡°p-please.¡± He gestured inside. His house was a humble construct of wood and thatch, the standard for villages of this region though this one appeared to be more than a little worse for wear. The detritus around the edges and the small stream descending from the roof being the most obvious signs of dilapidation. ¡°So you¡­ you uh¡­¡± he began, seemingly bewildered. It was the reaction I was used to. ¡°Let me guess, I¡¯m not what you expected?¡± I asked. He shook his head. I took off my wide-brim hat and wiped off the rain. It was only drizzling outside but the trip had been long enough to soak me all the way through. ¡°Some pale ghastly fellow riding atop a skeletal horse, maybe a rotten undead squire carrying his belongings; a staff made of a human spine with a skull on top, I¡¯ve heard it all before.¡± All nonsensical hearsay, of course, anyone who¡¯s even looked at a horse skeleton can tell you why sitting on it is a bad idea. ¡°no, I just thought you¡¯d smell really bad.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I- what?¡± ¡°Necromanti are supposed to smell like rotting corpses aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°No? We use embalming fluids and incense- do you think we don¡¯t clean up after ourselves or something?¡± He shrugged again. ¡°Don¡¯t you have corpse wives?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk about that.¡± ¡°Or corpse husbands, in your case.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m not going to talk about it. Now, Ernard yes? I trust you still have need of my services and that I haven¡¯t trudged all the way here for you to change your mind?¡± ¡°y-yes. That¡¯s right.¡° ¡°And you have my payment? Upfront as we agreed?¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± I held out my hand and he placed several golden teeth upon my palm. I examined them closely, they looked authentic but displayed a noticeable variety in age and wear. Almost certainly the product of grave robbing. Something I happened to be all too familiar with. ¡°These all your teeth?¡± I asked. ¡°Would it bother you if they weren¡¯t?¡± he replied. Most of my clients were desperate so it¡¯s not uncommon to see them resort to extreme measures to afford me. ¡°Not in the least.¡± I tipped the teeth into my coin pouch. ¡°So when can I see her?¡± As tired as I was, it was already night, waiting for tomorrow would mean waiting around in this dump longer than I had to, better to be done with it.¡± ¡°One step at a time, do you have the items I requested?¡± ¡°This was her blanket as a child, this Is her... it''s hers.¡± He handed me an old blanket and a thin object wrapped in bandages. I nodded. ¡°Now I need a flat surface to perform the ritual, ideally somewhere she spent a lot of time.¡± ¡°I set out a bench in her bedroom.¡± ¡°That should be perfect.¡± He led me to her old room, everything in there lay beneath a layer of dust. Left undisturbed since she left. With some reluctance Ernard cleared a space on top of the wardrobe, gently placing the objects on top within one of the draws. ¡°Now then.¡± I began. ¡°I already laid out the rules in my letter but for the sake of absolute clarity I¡¯ll go over them again.¡± He nodded. ¡°First and foremost you do exactly as I say, you do not contradict my orders and you do not ask questions while the ritual is underway.¡± ¡°Second: You will be silent at all times and only speak when I give you a direct cue. You do not ever interrupt me and if I interrupt you, then you will return to silence, if I shove your leg or step on your foot you will do likewise.¡± ¡°Thirdly; don¡¯t ask small talk nonsense like ¡®how are you?¡¯ or ¡®how do you feel?¡¯ Those questions just waste time and never lead them anywhere good.¡± ¡°The last and most important rule of all is that she cannot ever and I mean ever realize that she¡¯s dead. If she even begins to start piecing it together, I¡¯m ending the ritual then and there are we clear?¡± ¡°y-yes. I understand.¡± he replied. I can only hope he''s telling the truth, they don''t always mean it when they say that. ¡°Good, now then, my strategy is to present her with a scenario, she¡¯s just awoken from a terrible accident but she¡¯s perfectly fine and on the way to make a full recovery. Any emotional state you find yourself in will be the result of you being beset with worry for so long. If it comes up I will be the assistant of the great healer; Doctor Waltner to whom she owes her recovery, he will be out for the moment and check in later.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look anything like a healer.¡± Ernard raised an eyebrow. ¡°From my understanding the experience is like a dream on their end, she''s unlikely to question any inconsistencies unless direct attention is drawn to it. Did you have any other questions?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good, then we can begin.¡± 2. The Calling I first prepared the room by removing all mirrors from the vicinity, in this case it was just one sitting on top of the wardrobe, next I layed out my tools on the bench. Candles, incense and a small bell. The candles, once lit; burned with a pleasant soft blue light, the incense smoked with a scent indiscernible to those still alive. Hopefully this all goes smoothly. I took a deep breath, with my left and made the sign for calling and with my right picked up the bell. ¡°Hear me, oh Pharisa, dearly departed, deeply missed, I call out to you.¡± I chimed the bell, its soft tone cutting the silence, the sonorous wake lingering long in the air. ¡°Daughter of Clarise and Ernard, from beyond the void, I call to you. Come back to us.¡± I chimed it a second time. ¡°Hear my voice, follow the lights, your remains yearn to embrace your spirit once more.¡± a third chime. The air above the shrine shimmered faintly. ¡°Child of earth, child of flesh, leased from the maw, I bid you return to this plane once again.¡± The fourth. The air now glistened with faint light which gradually shaped itself into the form of a young woman, her mostly transparent body floating gently in the air above us. ¡°h-hello?¡± she asked softly, her voice muffled slightly, as if emitted from beneath a thin layer of water. ¡°Ph-pharisa is that-ah.¡± Ernard called out but I stomped on his foot. ¡°Pharisa, can you hear me?¡± I asked. ¡°Y-yes I think so, what happened, where am I?¡± Her head turned to examine the room, her shape seemed to flicker, minutely adjusting and readjusting itself, as if it were indecisive over how it was supposed to look. Perhaps it was; the spirit unable to clearly recall the memory of the body. They don¡¯t always look how they did when they died, from my observations, this depends on multiple factors. ¡°You¡¯re home dear, you were in a bad accident but you¡¯re fine now. Everything is going to be ok.¡± I confirmed. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Your father is here to see you, He was worried sick, weren''t you Ernard?¡± I gestured towards him. ¡°oh pharisa, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± he practically wailed, the tears already forming in his eyes. ¡°Father really, I¡¯m fine.¡± She reassured him. ¡°Pharisa! please know that I love you more than anything else, you are my world.¡± Ernard wept. I really don¡¯t care for the bawling they always seem to do, but in these scenarios, it''s practically obligatory. ¡°Please father, Where is this coming from all of a sudden?¡± she asked sheepishly. ¡°he¡¯s simply so relieved to see you¡¯ve made such a flawless recovery.¡± I stepped in with a believable excuse for her father''s state. ¡°He was afraid you might have suffered some kind of permanent injury? Isn''t that right?¡± ¡°y-yes I- was so worried.¡± Ernard agreed. ¡°I¡¯m sure he just wants to hear you say you love him back,¡± I suggested. ¡°Oh father, of course I love you too.¡± Ernard seemed to ease up a bit. Sometimes they don¡¯t say it back, they try to avoid it or even just flat out refuse, now those ones are really uncomfortable.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°And who are you?¡± she asked me. I prefer involving myself in these conversations as little as possible but it''s usually unavoidable that I have to explain myself to some degree. Fortunately, my fabricated backstory is tried and true. ¡°I¡¯m the assistant of the Traveling Healer Walten. He¡¯s the one who saw to your injuries, He¡¯s out for the moment but he will be back with us later.¡± Claiming to be an assistant works far better than claiming to be the healer myself, that way I can simply defer all questions of medical expertise to the good non-existent doctor. ¡°Well then I thank you very much.¡± She bowed her head slightly. ¡°The doctor and I appreciate your gratitude.¡± I used to say something humble like ¡®Oh it was nothing¡¯ or ¡®Oh I¡¯m only a mere assistant¡¯ but that frequently led to an obnoxious back and forth of insisting and deferring thanks. ¡°Your father here thought he might have lost you, fortunately, he had nothing to worry about.¡± I gestured back to Ernard, this should cue him in to say whatever it is he has to say. ¡°Pharisa, Pharisa what happened to you?¡± What? I gave him a kick to the leg but he ignored it. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡­¡± ¡°On the cliff, what happened to you?¡± I stomped on his foot hard. ¡°the cliff¡­¡± she paused. ¡°there''s no need to discuss such things.¡± I cut in. ¡°much better to focus on how glad you should be to-¡° ¡°-please, I need to know what happened?¡± ¡°I remember falling¡­ falling for so long how¡­ How did I-?¡± ¡°-Enough!¡± I held out my arms and made the cession signs with my hands. There was a flash of light and her spectral form dissipated. ¡°Pharisa-!¡± he cried out but I struck him across the face. ¡°What the crux do you think you''re doing?! Did you listen to anything I told you!¡± I shouted. ¡°I did but-¡° ¡°-the purpose of this ritual is for you to say farewell, not for you to reopen dead wounds.¡± ¡°I know but-! But I have to know what really happened!¡± ¡°You know exactly what happened! She died! She fell off a cliff and splattered her organs on the ground.¡± ¡°no.¡± he spoke silently, but adamantly. ¡°no?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been up that cliff hundreds of times! There''s no way she just fell!¡± ¡°Yeah and I¡¯m saying you know why that is as well.¡± ¡°What are you saying?!¡± ¡°Exactly what we both already know, she jumped.¡± He shot me a briefly furious glare but swallowed it down. ¡°N-no, never, I know my little girl.¡± ¡°Clearly not as well as you think.¡± ¡°And what the crux would you know?! You¡¯re a corpsewik! What do you love? What do you have that loves you?¡± he demanded. ¡°I know the truth and the testimony of countless souls who preferred the companionship of the void to the ¡®love¡¯ of their present company.¡± He made no reply. ¡°I¡¯m finished here.¡± ¡°wait!¡± he cried. I began to pack my tools. ¡°Please! I have to know!¡± He held his hands over the mat. ¡°You broke the rules, it''s over.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay you extra, I still have-¡° ¡°It¡¯s not about the pay you oaf! It¡¯s the risk, and I''m not taking it.¡± I snapped. ¡°Please I beg you, I¡¯ll give you anything you want! I have nothing else left, this one ounce of closure is all that I have!¡± I stopped. ¡°¡­You really think this will bring you closure?¡± ¡°Yes, I know it will, I just-¡° he began. ¡°-You don¡¯t know anything, what will you do once you learn? When she tells you she just got fed up with being alive?¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done this ritual dozens of times and you know why I demand payment upfront?¡± He remained silent. ¡°The ¡®dream state¡¯ these specters exist within makes them easy to deceive but it also makes them more candid and more inclined to say things they¡¯d ordinarily keep to themselves. All too often you end up hearing things you didn¡¯t want to hear, learning things you can never unlearn. Even if they already made the agreement, no one likes paying for that.¡± Ernard seemed to consider my words, he took a moment before he spoke. ¡°And what''s the alternative? To be left eternally wondering? to live the rest of my life forever consumed by the unknown?¡± Hmmm¡­ ¡°Tell yourself a comfortable lie, tell it to yourself every day and every night, you¡¯ll start to believe It eventually.¡± ¡°My daughter, my only child is dead, no lie could ever bring me such comfort. No, I want the truth, even if it hurts.¡± I sighed. ¡°you¡¯ll eat those words, just you wait¡­¡± 3. The Recalling I readied myself once again. ¡°Fine¡­ she¡¯s likely to be less stable the second time, so don¡¯t you dare break my rules again, understand? If something goes horribly wrong I¡¯m going to abandon you here, got it?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°good.¡± I took a deep breath and recited the calling once again. As before her spectral form parsed through the air. ¡°what¡­? what is-?¡± ¡°-Dear me you passed out before, you must still be tired. The healing process can be greatly fatiguing, so that¡¯s to be expected.¡± ¡°I see, thank you again, for everything.¡± Her form seemed to be flickering more frequently, more erratically now, the shell of her skin briefly giving way to reveal the ethereal blood and organs beneath, spectral veins pumping blood out of time to a heart beating out of pace. ¡°You can thank Healer Walten in person when he returns, he¡¯ll be thrilled you¡¯ve made such a strong recovery.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so grateful.¡± ¡°Of Course¡­ now then¡­¡± Am I really going to do this? ¡°he asked me to inquire as to your accident, to ensure there are no repeat occurrences to you or anyone else.¡± The hairs stood up on my back. ¡°yes I¡­ remember falling¡­ so very, very far¡­¡± ¡°The brush you landed on greatly cushioned your impact, you were lucky of course but its not an unheard of phenomenon. You have the good doctor to thank for patching you up so well.¡± ¡°Then why do I feel so¡­ far away?¡± Questions like that are not a good sign, she might be starting to release. ¡°That¡¯s a mild side effect of the medication still working its wonders, it should wear off in a few hours.¡± ¡°That''s good, I¡¯m glad.¡± Yes, yes of course you are, we¡¯ve been over this! ¡°Very good dear, now, regarding your accident?¡± ¡°Well, I remember looking out over the edge but¡­¡± Would she even admit to throwing herself off? Even as a spirit they can still lie.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°there was¡­ something behind me¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Ernard. ¡°I think¡­ something pushed me.¡± ¡°What?!¡± I blurted out before I could stop myself. ¡°w-what do you mean, something pushed you off?¡± ¡°I think it was a person¡­ they must have¡­ I remember feeling the shove on my back.¡± I turned to look at Ernard but he just stared at her, mouth hanging open. ¡°Pharisa... you wouldn¡¯t happen to-?¡± I began. ¡°-Who?! Who was it?! Pharisa you have-¡± ¡°-Calm down now Ernard, don¡¯t lose your head.¡± I ground my heel into his foot. ¡°Pharisa dear, I don¡¯t suppose you know who this assailant was, they seem to have meant you harm¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, they must have come up behind me¡­ I never saw them.¡± Uh oh¡­ I don¡¯t know if this is better or worse than suicide but its not good news either way. ¡°Well we¡¯re all just relieved you¡¯re alive and well, that¡¯s what''s¡­ most important.¡± ¡°Yes, it does give me the shivers to think about but I¡¯m here thanks to you.¡± Ernard looked to be on the edge of a breakdown, and at this point even I couldn¡¯t blame him. ¡°indeed¡­ You look tired, Pharisa, perhaps you should rest some more, you¡¯ll be able to recall more in the morning.¡± ¡°Yes, I do feel¡­ rather tired.¡± ¡°Let''s all say goodnight then, until the morning.¡± ¡°Goodnight father, Miss, thank you again for all you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°Goodnight dear, Ernard, why don¡¯t you wish your daughter a pleasant sleep so that we may also call it a night? ¡± But he said nothing. What are you doing?! I gave him a light kick. ¡°Pharisa¡­ I¡¯ll never, ever forget you.¡± Said Ernard Idiot! It giggled softly. ¡°Oh father, you don¡¯t need to be so dramatic, I¡¯m only¡­ ¡° The spectre trailed off and its expression changed. It¡¯s warm smile slowly seemed to melt, the skin fading in and out to display the skull behind it. ¡°wait¡­ what do you¡­?¡± the air around it began to warp, the spectre''s ethereal form flickering more rapidly but parsing further in the world. It looked around more frantically, desperately searching for something, likely something to prove it wrong. Uh oh. ¡°What are you?¡± it turned and spoke directly to me, the sweetness in it¡¯s tone entirely gone. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m the assistant of the Great Healer Walten.¡± The spectre¡¯s face almost appeared opaque now, no longer flicking, solidified as a skinless skull, eyeballs glaring out from their sockets, the rictus grin, static as it was, somehow appearing as a scowl. ¡°No.¡± Its voice resounded through the entire building, resolute and cold. ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± It reached out its skeletal arm towards me, its bony hands quivering with unknown emotion and purpose. Oh no! I threw out my hands and made the signs of cessation. ¡°Begone from this world creature of the void! I banish you! Return from whence you came!" The creature¡¯s form erupted into a blinding light as a harrowing shriek pierced the air. But after only a moment, nothing of her remained. Cut it way to close there¡­ Ernards face had turned from sorrow and fury to shock and horror. Too bad she couldn¡¯t just go quietly. 4. The Bitter End ¡°What did you do?!¡± Ernard yelled. ¡°Emergency banishing, wouldn¡¯t have been necessary if you used your head before opening your mouth. ¡®I¡¯ll never forget you¡¯, what''s that supposed to mean to someone who¡¯s still alive?!¡± ¡°I was- I was saying goodbye.¡° ¡°goodbye forever! Did you even think how she might interpret that?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°You almost made her realize she was dead, the thing I told you most specifically not to do!¡± ¡°She¡¯s my- she was my daughter, she deserves-¡° ¡°-she¡¯s dead, there''s not a single thing more you can do for her. These rituals are for the people on this side, not the other. Nothing you can say to her will matter after she departs.¡± ¡°She won''t remember?¡± ¡°No, she barely remembered the first calling and that was only because the second was so soon after.¡± I usually keep that part to myself but perhaps I should make it another rule to avoid this happening again. Ernard looked crushed. ¡°Ahem¡­ I hope you realise I put my neck on the line calling her a second time, I seem to remember you saying something about extra pay?¡± Ernard looked downwards, I didn¡¯t really believe he had the funds to pay me anything more than he already had. ¡°alright¡­¡± He went into a side room and came back with a piece of paper. ¡°here. This is the last thing I have.¡± He passed it to me. The deed to the house. ¡°yeah right, what am I going to do with this?! Ask everyone I walk past if they want to buy a mouldy old shack in some backwater village no ones ever heard of?¡± He looked personally offended. ¡°It¡¯s worth something-¡° ¡°-it¡¯s not even worth the effort! Do I look like a saleswoman to you? Would you buy a house from a Satalan Magier with a skull painted on her face?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t-¡° ¡°-No? I sure as crux know I wouldn¡¯t!¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°w-what else do you want?¡± A thought crossed my mind, there was something he could offer me, something he might even be hopeless and fearful enough to give me willingly. I could tell from the way his expression melted that he had drawn a similar conclusion from my stare. I¡¯d be lying if I said it wasn¡¯t tempting, how often do I have the opportunity to work with fresh materials¡­ ¡°Forget it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°huh?¡± ¡°trying to squeeze anything more out of you would be more time and suffering than anything you could possibly have left.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± He said, as if trying to conceal his alleviation. ¡°Yes, well, I should have known better. This concludes our business, I¡¯d tell you to recommend me, but I don¡¯t think there''s any point now.¡± Ernard said nothing. I packed up my tools and made my way to the exit. ¡°Where are you going now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stay at the tavern.¡± ¡°I could put up a bed for you here.¡± Ernard offered, quietly. ¡°It might be a bit musty but...¡° he added quickly, likely hoping to dissuade me. ¡°No, I rather think you need some time to yourself.¡± I¡¯d rather sleep in a muddy pothole than spend the night here. ¡°I see.¡± He barely hid his relief. ¡°Well, goodbye¡­ thank you¡­¡± It was very clear to me that he didn¡¯t mean it. I took the pain of his exasperation, the pain of his unknowing and simply exchanged it for pain of another kind. Old wounds are sealed as fresh ones are torn elsewhere. He¡¯s just a few gold teeth lighter. ¡°Farewell Ernard, I¡¯d wish you the best, but it wouldn''t make a difference.¡± I opened the door to leave but he spoke again. ¡°You¡¯re wrong about one thing.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I turned to face him. ¡°There is something I can do for her.¡± Oh boy¡­ ¡°If you¡¯re going to tell me you plan to track down her killer, let me tell you right now, don¡¯t even bother.¡± ¡°but I-¡° ¡°No, it¡¯s hopeless, that happened months ago and you don¡¯t have so much as a single lead on who that even could have been.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t care, I¡¯ll find them anyway.¡± Ernard stammered, I could tell he meant it, regardless of how incapable he knew himself to be. I sighed. ¡°¡­fine, clearly I can¡¯t tell you what to do, if you want to spend the rest of your life chasing shadows go ahead, you won''t be the first.¡± I gave him a half hearted wave and departed from his home. Perhaps this is better than the alternative, what would he have done without his daughter anyway? Probably go and kiss the void if I had to guess¡­ at least he has a purpose now, even if it is a phantom¡¯s pipe dream. A hopeless crusade of vengeful justice, at least it''s better than dying. It was still drizzling outside but I found myself too distracted to care. That could have gone a lot better, but it could have gone a lot worse. Bitterness, melancholy and regret, this is the typical outcome of my rituals. Only in a precious few of them did I make a genuinely positive change. More than that went horribly wrong¡­ This isn¡¯t how I wanted it to be at all¡­ The name of the village tavern was ¡®the drunken monk.¡¯ Curiously the monk comically depicted on the sign wasn¡¯t a Lorentian devout who were known for their brewing prowess and love of their drink, but a High Consort of Khalidhavra who were allegedly forbidden from even smiling. Better hope those guys don''t set their sights on this old place¡­ 5. The Drunken Monk The atmosphere died almost immediately as I entered the room, all conversation ceased and it appeared every single patron had turned to stare at me. This is the usual reaction of course. Most of the time, they¡¯re too scared and too intelligent to try and start something with me. ¡°What do you want Corpsewik?¡± one of them stood up from their table. This was apparently not one of these times. ¡°I want something to drink, why else would I be here?¡± He walked over to me. The tavern thug, he had a facial archetype I¡¯ve seen a few times. It''s all in the jaw of this one, an inherent desperation to prove himself the most important man in the room, but not capable nor strong enough to do it in any place more significant or populous than the local village tavern. ¡°We don¡¯t have any corpses for you to violate, so why don¡¯t you clear off.¡± He attempted to stare me down. ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by corpses.¡± I stared back. This put him off a bit, enough to make him step backwards. ¡°That''s enough of that Tiero, no scaring off the customers.¡± Called the man behind the bar. ¡°didn¡¯t you see the sign?¡± He pointed to a painted wooden board near the entrance. ¡®Zero tolerance for discrimination any peoples¡¯ I raised my eyebrow. That¡¯s surprisingly- My train of thought ended as I noticed what was written below. ¡®Unless they are: Prissilican, Haro, Khalidavran. There it is. ¡°You see Satalan on there?¡± he asked. I get Prissilicans are haughty assholes and the khali¡¯s are servile fanatics but what did the Haro do? ¡°She¡¯s a corpse molesting necro-¡° ¡°I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s molested a thousand corpses, if she¡¯s got sehrs she¡¯s welcome here.¡± The astonishing audaciousness of the barkeeper¡¯s comment made me subconsciously turn to the nearest person to search within them for some confirmation that he had actually just said that, in this case it happened to be Tiero but to my surprise he looked back at me clearly thinking the exact same thing. The tension that had been there only seconds ago was now replaced with a particularly excruciating silence. Our shared moment of uncomfortability must have generated some kind of mutual understanding because he gave me a kind of awkward nod and promptly left me alone. I looked back at the barman, he had a face that belonged here, harmless and inoffensive. Was that just an act of extreme free market mercantilism? Or did he plan that? ¡°You are Satalan right?¡± he asked. ¡°Goodness me, what''s someone with your detective skills doing working a tavern?¡± ¡°No need to get snippy, You could just as like be an outsider.¡± ¡°An Outsider?! Do you see any horns or gills on me?¡± I demanded. Yes, I do take offence to that. ¡°I¡¯d have wagered you¡¯re more like to be hiding tail feathers under that robe than to be Satalan Necromant.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°¡­Ok fine, fair enough. You don¡¯t get many Magiar from Satal.¡± it¡¯s true, I¡¯ll let him have that one. ¡°Though judging from your accent and attire you aren¡¯t actually from there are you?¡± ¡°Yeah but you could have pieced that together from the fact that I haven¡¯t been ground into red sticky juice.¡± ¡°Indeed, but I wasn¡¯t sure it wasn¡¯t a sore subject for you.¡± ¡°Not me, I barely remember the place.¡± ¡°Perhaps for the best, not like you can go back now.¡± ¡°yeah¡­¡± ¡°So what can I get you? We actually have Satalan saltbrew.¡± ¡°Urgh no thanks, I¡¯d just like a buttermilk please.¡± I asked him. ¡°A buttermilk?¡± he scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve had a long day, I deserve a treat.¡± I retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t have buttermilk, but I¡¯ll tell you what, I¡¯ll make you a regular milk and mix some butter into it. it¡¯s basically the same thing right?¡± ¡°it is not! if you don¡¯t have any then just give me something sweet.¡± He placed a jug of something thick and yellow on the bench before me. ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°Honey-milk.¡± I eyed it carefully. ¡°Milk from the cows or the spiders?¡± ¡°Friend, this is a tavern in a farming village.¡± He spoke bluntly. ¡°You know very well we can¡¯t afford cow¡¯s milk.¡± I sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so picky, it''s more nutritious.¡± He attempted to reassure me. ¡°and the honey? Birds or bees?¡± I asked. He paused for a moment. ¡°the lizards.¡± ¡°what?!¡± ¡°Lady, where do you think you are? this is the drunken monk, not the crystal towers of Cetravas.¡± Cetravas is the capital of Priscilica, a nation known for its decadent sweets, sugar snow, allegedly immortal rulers, and said rulers using their magic to raise a mountain range to surround the entire country to maintain their isolationism. ¡°¡­how do you even know what that is?¡± I asked. ¡°It was by the high Imperiat¡¯s decree that all individuals from all backgrounds should receive a basic education. For the foundation of all great empires are its common folk. Great isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I don¡¯t particularly like the idea of being outwitted by peasants¡­¡± This guy absolutely does not have the cranium of an intellectual¡­ perhaps his abilities are limited to geographical fact memorization. ¡°sounds like you should sign up for an education yourself.¡± ¡°I am educated and by a great intellectual at that.¡± I replied. ¡°Great intellectuals don¡¯t teach necromagik unless they¡¯re also great bastards.¡± ¡°That''s my master, your slandering. The greatest Necromant outside the mage-kingdoms, and maybe even in them.¡±¡± ¡°A Necro¡¯s greatness is measured in the currency of death, whether that¡¯s the men they¡¯ve killed or the liechmen in their armies.¡± ¡°What would you know of greatness?¡± ¡°An Feuermant Zuaberlord reignited the sun and ended the dark age, a wassermant held back the clypsal tide, even a Sanguimant supped his entire famine-stricken city with nothing but his own blood.¡± Damn it he knows history too?! ¡°Yet I can¡¯t think of a single great Necromant who used their great magik for something good, can you?¡± he asked. ¡°I-¡­¡± Am I seriously at a loss for words? This is a village barkeep I¡¯m speaking to! ¡°My master taught me everything I know, that has to count for something¡­¡± I know even as i say it that he would have punished me for such a pathetic response.. ¡°And what is it you do, Friend?¡± the barkeeper leant down to look me directly in the eyes. ¡°I¡­ I help people.¡± I replied. ¡°Do you?¡± His head tilted slightly as he stared at me, his eyes strangely wide, gazing into mine devoid of any discernible emotion. Judgement? pity? Contempt? ¡°No¡­ not really.¡± ¡°a shame.¡± He paused, withdrawing from me. ¡°but ¡®greatness¡¯ is hardly the best measure of the worth of one''s life.¡± ¡°easy for you to say¡­¡± He seemed to smirk momentarily but quickly replaced it with a more sympathetic smile. ¡°You seem down, friend, perhaps you¡¯d like something stronger?¡± he patted me on the shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone ever tell you to never get a magier drunk?¡± ¡°Someone did, but I only ask because you look like you need it.¡± ¡°Is that your business strategy, drop your patrons spirits to sell them more booze?¡± ¡°I can assure you, the only spirits I have in this establishment are the ones that uplift.¡± He smiled again. ¡°A drink sounds like an excellent idea.¡± Said a voice behind me. An unfamiliar man sat beside me at the bar. ¡°Let me get one for this nice lady.¡± He said to the bartender before turning to smile at me. The Offer ¡°Certainly.¡± the man behind the bar knelt down to collect a bottle from a lower shelf. ¡°huh?¡± The man next to me was wearing what appeared to be a guardsman''s attire albeit without the armor, the colors and decoration implied that this was someone of some moderate import in the chain of command. His face on the other hand was bizarrely plain in a way I couldn¡¯t read, his skull seemed to suggest nothing at all and yet within that nothingness was a suggestion of vast unknown possibility. This could very well be someone completely harmless or lethally dangerous. In such predicaments my master had taught me to assume the worst case scenario. Better to retreat and have run from a rabbit than to ¡®forth and find a fiend. ¡°You aren¡¯t here to arrest me are you?¡± I asked. ¡°Not at all, you see I¡¯m actually here to look for a necromant and I was hoping you might be able to help me find one.¡± This guy is either trying to toy with me or he¡¯s a huge idiot. Frustrating as it is that I can¡¯t tell, I want nothing to do with him either way. ¡°Yeah, you just missed him, rode off on his skeletal horse.¡± I gestured to the door. ¡°A shame, I had a particularly high paying job for someone of his talents.¡± He spoke in a manner that confirmed he probably was just messing with me. ¡°Ohoho well you¡¯re in luck, just before he left he taught me everything he knew.¡± I grinned. ¡°I see, that is fortunate. You¡¯re¡­¡± He looked me up and down appraisingly. ¡°Let me guess, not what you expected?¡± I suggested. He nodded. ¡°Anticipating someone more pale and ghastly? Wearing a cuirass of rib bones? A walking throne constructed of skeletons?¡± ¡°No, actually I was expecting someone who wasn¡¯t so beautiful.¡± ¡°I-¡± i started ¡°w-wait what?¡± He stared at me for a moment before speaking ¡°haha don¡¯t worry I¡¯m only joking.¡± he laughed. ¡°joking about what?! you can¡¯t just-¡± ¡°-My name is Maceon, I¡¯ve been sent from the capital on the queen''s orders, we have a job of the utmost importance that needs the urgent assistance of your ¡®unique¡¯ abilities. Needless to say that the pay for your success will be exceptionally good.¡± He procured some fancy looking document from his vest, it meant nothing to me but I gained it was meant to be proof of office. Probably something that¡¯s supposed to be important judging by the fancy looking stamps and writing. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± A job from a queen? Sounds too good to be true. ¡°I¡¯ll cut right to the chase, someone or something in the capital is killing civilians in the dead of night and we don¡¯t have the first lead on what it even is or even how it''s doing it.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°The Massaker as we¡¯ve called it has been slaughtering innocent people like livestock, every day we wake up to freshly obliterated corpses. You can see why someone like you would be useful in this situation?¡± Oh¡­ ¡°Yeah, sorry I can¡¯t actually bring people back to life, that¡¯s a myth, I could make them into leichmen but they¡¯re not useful for much besides warfare and if you have living armies they¡¯re supposed to be really bad for morale-¡± ¡°-What are you talking about? You can speak to the dead, can you not?¡± he asked. ¡°woah what? oh no, absolutely not!¡± ¡°Your advertisement insisted you were capable of this.¡± So that''s how he found me¡­ ¡°Of course I¡¯m capable, I just wont.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°But you could interrogate the spirits of the victims and uncover the identity of this killer.¡± ¡°Are you insane?! Asking a spectre who serial murdered it is about as suicidal as measuring how tall a mountain is by jumping off the top.¡± ¡°why?¡± ¡°isn¡¯t it obvious? How do you think it feels finding out that you¡¯re dead?¡± ¡°this is serious-¡° ¡°-No I''m serious.¡± I turned on my seat to face him directly. ¡°Actually, think about it for a minute, imagine learning right now that you¡¯ve died. You can¡¯t ever do any of the things you love doing anymore, can never see your loved ones ever again, will never do the things you always wanted to do but never got the chance to, never have the chance to fix your broken relationships or lingering mistakes. Tell me honestly, how would that make you feel?¡± ¡°not too great.¡± ¡°Exactly, now imagine that not only are all those opportunities lost to you, they were stolen. Not sacrificed to a higher cause, not the cost of an honest mistake, they were taken by some crazed maniac who did it for no other reason than because they felt like it. imagine how that would make you feel?¡± ¡°probably pretty upset.¡± ¡°to say the very least, and do you know what happens to a spirit when it becomes that upset?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°it transforms into a wraith, and it goes berserk.¡± ¡°Whatever the Massaker really is, it''s far worse than any kind of haint.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s actually pretty debatable.¡± ¡°Regardless you know what a wraith is and presumably how to deal with it do you not?¡± ¡°Sure, same way I know you can deal with a Klydosaur by cutting off its head.¡± ¡°Well we don¡¯t have the first clue how to deal with this thing. We¡¯re keeping the true numbers hidden from the public to prevent panic but over seventy have already died to this thing.¡± ¡°Over seventy?!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s just the bodies we¡¯ve found.¡± ¡°That''s insane! Either way this is way above my water level.¡± ¡°You know any other Necromanti?¡± ¡°uhh¡­¡± There is my master ofcourse but he¡¯d throw me off his mountain if I got him involved in ¡®civilian politics¡¯. Not to mention he¡¯s pretty far away from here. ¡°no. just me.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to do.¡± ¡°Look I understand your situation, I get it, lots of people are dying and that sucks but I can¡¯t risk my own life like that, either to wraiths or some mystery mass murderer.¡± ¡°not even to save the hundreds of other lives still at risk?¡± ¡°no, sorry, I¡¯m a necromant not a¡­ lebemant¡± ¡°That is¡­ unfortunate.¡± Maceon seemed to concede. ¡°but as this is a decree by the queen and we are within her regency, you don¡¯t have the option to refuse.¡± ¡°Excuse me?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m instructed to return you to the capital with or without your permission.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to try and abduct me?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± he dismissed. ¡°I¡¯m not going to fight a magier! I¡¯m going to tell them I tried to arrest you and you pulled some magik bullshrike out of your ass and jumped out the window.¡± ¡°oh, well, i guess that''s not so bad.¡± ¡°though once I report that there''s going to be a bounty on your head. But it should take a day or two to process, which ought to be enough time to leave the country.¡± ¡°WHAT?! How is that fair! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± ¡°Neither did any of that monsters'' victims, that''s just how it is, I''m afraid.¡± he said sympathetically. ¡°Why should I be forced to risk my life provoking wraiths and hunting down some mass killer for a bunch of unwashed peasants I don''t even know?!¡± ¡°you¡¯re a Magier, born with powers over nature, in this nation it is your obligation to use those powers for the betterment of the society, that¡¯s how the high Imperiat established it and that¡¯s how we¡¯ve kept it.¡± ¡°Crux to the Imperiat! I¡¯ll use my Magik how I damn well please!¡± ¡°Then you can choose to come with me or to run away, but you can¡¯t stay here.¡± ¡°but that¡¯s bullshrike!¡± ¡°I assure you the reward for this job is more than enough to-¡° ¡°-I don¡¯t care about money! Not more than my life anyway.¡± ¡°isn¡¯t there anything else you want?¡± ¡°nothing you can give me.¡± ¡°The queen still holds great influence over these lands, anything you desire she is willing to grant you to the best of her ability.¡± ¡°What kind of influence are we talking about here?¡± ¡°Name your request.¡± ¡°Are we really talking about anything here?¡± ¡°within reason, yes.¡± His eyes narrowed, presumably expecting me to suggest something horrendous. ¡­ ¡°I want to be a hero.¡± His eyebrow raised. ¡°That''s exactly what I¡¯m offering you, you¡¯d be saving countless lives catching this killer.¡± ¡°Let me rephrase; I want to be known as a hero.¡± ¡°Even still, that goes without saying, you¡¯d be celebrated all over.¡± ¡°Really? You wouldn¡¯t dispose of me the instant my usefulness was exhausted? To wash your hands of the foul necromant and her dark magik?¡± ¡°I assure you, if you save the queen''s people she would have nothing but love and gratitude for you, I swear that upon everything under the sun.¡± ¡°hmmm¡­¡± could this be what I¡¯ve been looking for? ¡°Fine, but on one condition.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°I want to be remembered as a hero, even if I fail, even if I die.¡± He pondered for a moment. ¡°Well, I doubt they¡¯d write any songs about that but I¡¯m sure we could get a plaque installed somewhere. ¡®Svisha the skull, the necromat who tried¡¯.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ guess that¡¯s as good as it''s going to get. Fine, I accept.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it, rest here for tonight and we can set out to the capital first thing in the morning.¡±