Chapter 13: Necromancers

“Lady Mira, we’ve received reports that the first son of Duke Vasu has begun his travels into the Catacombs. Should we,” the man reporting slid a thumb over his throat then waited for his Lady Mira response.

Mira Doom looked at one of her many servants and spies and sighed. Internally she was thinking how much of an idiot this one and most of them were.

“What do you think Duke Vasu would do if his first son went missing or died?” She asked the servant still kneeling in front of her.

The bandit Charles scratched his chin before answering. “Investigate thoroughly and probably kill the culprit?”

“So, Charles if you could think that far ahead, what in your right mind made you think killing the son of a Duke was a bright idea?”

“My Lady, we’ve been looking for an opportunity to strike a crippling blow to the Dukedom for over 2 decades. If not now, then when?” Charles the Bandit cried in protest.

“We will strike Charles just not kill his son. Capturing, torturing, disabling, remember what we have put in motion for such a long time. Remember necromancy is outlawed in the Empire, yet such a strong force exists underneath the Dukedom. Do not let vengeance cloud your judgment.”

Charles took a long look at Mira before sighing. He gave a bow and dismissed himself. 20 years, 20 years ago he and his band of 6 other brothers were captured by the dukes’ forces. He was the youngest of the brothers and managed to escape through the sacrifices of his other siblings. A bloodline all but wiped out as their mother died after giving birth to Charles and their father succumbed not long after due to depression of losing his wife. Far from the orphanages of the capital he and his band did the only thing they could do to survive. Steal.

From stealing, it only escalated to robbery and from robbery to heists. From 7 brothers they became known as the 7 Scourges of the Golden Pastures. Each brother running their own bandit gangs. They became big ultimately to big because Duke Vasu forces came marching. That was twenty years ago. Charles, in depression and despair from the loss of his wealth and death of his brothers, wandered the dukedom until he met Mira. Until he fell in love.

Mira was cold to him, finding how laughable that the 7 Scourges who pillaged, raped, and lived like kings could get even lower than they already were. So, she offered Charles a deal in exchange for his services.

See an army couldn’t run itself especially a bandit one. Logistics, planning, communication needed someone with knowledge behind it. That’s how their bandit group evaded the dukedoms forces for such a long time, well the bribing of a few minor nobles may have been involved. Besides the fact that the Dukedom was massive and had plenty of areas one could hide in. Charles was the coordinator for their group and the one thing Mira’s already vast forces of necromancers was missing was a solid planner and coordinator.

Charles helped turn their disgruntled ‘resistance’ against the Empires forces into an actual fighting force waiting to strike a decisive blow. Mainly against the Dukedom. The Empires shield where it would hurt the most. He wanted to strike the duke exactly as he struck him. Killing his family and burning everything he loves.

Charles would start with his son.

*

Mira watched Charles leave. She looked around her office then to the door behind her that led to her lab the only way in and out of it. The office was messy with magic formulas and half written spell constructs strewn all about. 20 years ago, she and her fellow necromancers where barely above a bandit group themselves. Running from the law and doing experiments in abandoned keeps from the Age of Eradication. The Age of Eradication, how Mira wished she had been born during those times if only to stop the events that turned necromancy in the Empire into its outlawed state today. When humans where fighting for a chance at survival they turned to any magics they could use to stop the unending hoards, necromancy of course was one of the biggest reasons humans were still existing to this day.

Just after humanity won Eradication, Duke Rognif Claw, who was a leading necromancer and in charge of most of the necromantic forces and research, coup d’état. The duke felt as if it was a prime opportunity to change leadership within the budding Empire.

If he won fine, Mira wouldn’t have cared, but he didn’t. Necromancy was outlawed and all who practiced the art were hunted down. Those who didn’t give up on it, executed.

How were tier 6-20 beings supposed to give up on the path of power and their very foundation. Years of accumulation down the drain. They were supposed to be willing to cut off their own legs. So, they went into hiding in what used to be Duke Rognif territory until the new owners came. They had learned to blend into society and the young Duke Apollo never fully pursued them.

When Charles became their chief coordinator and suggested they establish a base in the Catacombs after living in remote regions and rarely meeting up. Mira, the most powerful and oldest of the new age necromancers accepted and for 20 years they grown and thrived. Mira’s goal had always been to study her profession in peace. Just like her father and his father. The power of the undead were practically limitless. Undead soldiers, undead craftsmen, and undead farmers. Their potential was always there but the goodwill had all but disappeared. Mira found how stupid it was for her ancestor to start a rebellion knowing the royals were the very bane of his necromantic army. But the downfall of men will always be their need for power and want for beautiful women.

Mira was downright gorgeous, pale skin and red eyes. She stood around 162cm tall and fit the description of an hourglass figure. Her hair was black with streaks of grey and white running through it, and she wore a white lab coat. If Aegis saw her, he’d say she was a female version of Reed Richards. Mira had always been a genius in the arts of necromancy. It was she who figured out the next step in the advancement of power after knowledge had been lost and never properly passed down.

The tiers are, the first step of any mage, warrior, or being of power would need to breakthrough to be considered notable on this continent. Completing your first rank is when you earn your title as a Land God, for those from minor and lesser worlds see a being of that strength as nothing but a god. Untrue on the continent of Nia but with reaching tier 10 or rank 1 you could destroy vast swaths of land in these lower worlds until your power ran out. See the beings of Nia had discovered that their quality and quantity of magic was vastly superior to anyone from these worlds. In doing so they classified themselves as a god when entering a lower tiered world than their own.

Mira had figured out how to progress in the path of necromancy to next major rank. Rank 2 titled Sky God. The minimum needed to establish an Empire on the continent, but one Sky God would not be enough not after a thousand years of peace.

Mira progressed past her first rank as it was easier, and the knowledge was still available in her family. She knew that to pursue her studies she would need the strength to protect herself and was quickly gaining more and more of such strength. Gathering energy for the undead and converting it into death energy. Using that converted energy to build more complex spell constructs in her mind space, which would be able to support her into a new height.

That was what magical cultivation did. From her understanding and research. Magical cultivation was the understanding and building of magic in your mind. While physical cultivation was using magic to enhance your body. Mira was on the verge to climbing to the 18th tier as she felt the knowledge of the construct solidify in her mind. The spell {Ruina’s Call} was complete and Mira felt giddy at the thought of casting it. The necromancers, who were disconnected from the Empire and knowledge of further advancement lost after Clawdom, necromancy capital and home to Duke Claw, finally had a path to follow again.

Honestly speaking Mira could have been a rank 2 being long ago. She could have followed the path of a pyromancer, or earth shaper, yet those options would block her from studying necromancy and excelling with it. Most humans only had the magic aptitude for earth or fire. Once you passed tier 3 you would begin to specialize in one of the base 4. So, most of the Empire’s mages were earth and fire mages. Although your aptitude wouldn’t stop you from casting spells of the base 4 elements you would get a greater proficiency with the element most suited for your aptitude.

Mira sighed returning her attention to Charles and his foolishness. The man was little more than a boy in her eyes as she had lived far longer than her 30-year-old appearance portrayed. Whilst he hadn’t even hit his first century she was going on her 4th. Mira had never been in love before, but if there was something Mira could claim she loved it would be with necromancy. She knew every part of the human, goblin, orc, and several other races bodies. Both men and women had gone under her scalpel all to complete a goal, her goal.

Mira walked into her laboratory. It was much cleaner than her office with shelves upon shelves aligned with different bones and organs. Eyes, nose, kidneys, thyroids, and plenty more. A bubbling excitement started to build within Mira and her chest heaved up and down. Her hands became busy as she groped her chest and her breath caught as she touched her erect nipples. She always got this way in her lab. This was her passion finding out how the brain sent signals and the body reacted. In the center of the lab was her goal. The very objective that put her upon this pathway. Mira stared at it as shiver ran down her spine as the decomposed body of her great ancestor stared back. Well at least she hopes it would one day.

Mira was trying to revive him into a lich. The ultimate undead able to raise massive armies and cause great destruction through their magic. She hated the man, but he was also her best hope on breaking the boundary and leaving this continent to travel higher into the realm. She stared at him, her heart racing in anticipation.

A blush appeared on Mira’s face and her panties grew damp as she thought of the various experiments she’d run on the decomposing body, Charles all but forgotten.

*

“Mira has ordered the extermination of the runt of the Kan. You’ve been assigned to the task Kavlar Briggs. The boy’s strength is unknown however he should hardly be a match for a tier 6 necromancer.”

Kavlar looked at Charles searching the man’s gaze of any signs of misinformation. He dismissed the man with a wave of his hand. A boiling anger that had long been slumbering started to reawaken.

“VASUuuuuuUuu KAAAnnnNNN,” Kavlar said in anger. Ever since his run with the duke’s men Kavlar had never been able to talk properly as his throat was torn out. If not for Mira being in the area and her knowledge and quick thinking Kavlar would be an undead already.

Kavlar looked to his left where the body of a beautiful woman was encompassed in an opaque crystal coffin. She was his sole reason on becoming a necromancer. His wife, his life, his everything. He was willing to go beyond and back for the woman lying in that coffin. She was taken from him all too soon.

The nobles.

It physically pained him every time he looked at her. So, he encompassed her within an opaque crystal coffin as a reminder and something to always push him forward. In life Kavlar promised to reunite with her. The Kans almost took that promise away from him. It was the nobles who caused her death in the first place. Kavlar’s wife was a seamstress and produced some of the best work the Empire ever saw from human hands, yet in the eyes of nobles no matter how high you rise and how you serve them you will never not be them.

“Thosssee MAgggi huuuMMaans,” Kavlar muttered at least to the best of his ability.

Those magi humans took everything from Kavlar, and he wanted to take everything back. When his wife died, he turned to the dark arts in which he stumbled upon necromancy. A book on common spells and their uses and applications such as |Raise Dead| and others. The law is never far behind in detecting the use of the banned dark arts and within a few months they were onto Kavlar. Those banned dark arts included necromancy, blood sacrifices, body modification and more.

Kavlar on the run managed to escape far into the countryside away from any major city. Stumbling upon a village graveyard he raised the undead to buy him time. Using those undead to attack the very same village hoping to slow the knights who would rescue the villagers. Tenk Kralc one of the rising stars of the dukes’ personal guards was assigned to the task. Instead of helping to defend the village. Tenk chose to chase after Kavlar, catching up with him and tearing the man’s upper body apart with emphasis on the throat with his aura alone, a commoner who had barely stepped onto the path. It was a miracle Kavlar didn’t die immediately, and the forces of Mira appeared to repel the knights and rebuild Kavlar's body.

Kavlar looked at the crystal coffin still feeling a pain in his chest. He looked at his wife’s scarred body.

237.

237 different bruises were upon his wife’s body when he found her dumped outside their home and shop. Repeatedly r*ped and very much dead. All because she offended some pompous girl from the eastern nobility. 237 whips, cuts and grips from different men laid upon his wife. After gaining significant strength he started hunting them. Torturing every man, woman, or child that knew anything about the case or had a minor involvement. He would whip, lash, and r*pe each one of them.

237.