Chapter 40: Gerald
“She just needs some more rest and soon she will be up and saving us all in no time.” I told the inquisitive young thaumaturge.

It was partially correct, she would wake up soon. The spells had done all they could, her rising should be imminent. Whether or not she could save us is wishful thinking. I mean her demons are fearsome and the weapons they are making even more so. But against such vast numbers, I don’t know much about war, but that seems like bad odds.

“She will Master Gerald, she will wake up and defeat those bad men.” Her confidence was everything a child was capable of.

Emily was a bit of a paradox, she could act like a child her age, saying outrageous and naive things. But on the other hand, she could talk to a vampire and a horde of demons. Child-like bravery I suppose it was.

“I’m sure your right and it’s Senior Gerald, I’m not a master.”

She covered her mouth, trying to draw back those careless words. “I’m sorry Senior.” She apologised, ashamed.

“Nothing to apologise for, I won’t be a master anytime soon.” I thought about my drug habit and figured that being recognised as a master was not in the cards.

“I’m sure you will some day.” She beamed.

I shrugged not dismissing the possibility. Looking over the mistress, I checked her temperature and found no fever, she was recovering well. I hoped she would wake up soon, I can’t keep the charade going much longer. And who knows what the demons will do?

I hadn’t heard anything from the chamber guards, so perhaps they were too occupied to notice. That seemed far-fetched, but can’t deal with that now.

Suddenly the room shook, and the sound of a booming impact rang throughout the castle. “What was that?” Emily asked.

“Dammit, they are using catapults, their is going to be so many wounded.” I spat those words, knowing full well I am going to be busy.

I decided to get a jump on events and quickly left triage, telling Emily to stay put. She was annoyed but eventually relented, good thing to, as taking a child into a war zone is not my idea of a smart move.

I turned right and quickly jogged down the hallway, the sound of further impacts could be heard. They were going to town on that wall. Unsurprising since the first assault was a failure, whoever was in charge is probably pissed.

I left the inner castle and entered the courtyard, the place was swarming with activity. Soldiers ran around madly, making their way up the wall, trailed by reinforcing undead.

The peasents were scattering to safe areas, running past me and down into the keep. I looked around for wounded, but none so far. I turned my gaze to the wall, noticing a giant object descending rabidly.

It struck the wall with a terrifying crash, I jumped at the sound. Everyone else scattered for cover and I did the same. I hid inside a nearby passageway. A few peasents had the same idea and quickly ran by me, hiding further in.

Several more impacts resounded and I started to notice they were getting closer. I could hear another volley, instead of colliding with the wall, it overshot and landed in the courtyard.

Slamming into a nearby building, crashing through the roof and collapsing the structure. When the dust settled, the building was wrecked. Recalling there were people in there, I tentatively looked to the sky. Noticing no further volleys were forthcoming, I raced over.

Pulling away small debris and casting a few spells to locate survivors. I sensed three living and trapped, with that knowledge I called everyone I could. Only managed to get two soldiers and one brave burly peasant.

“Help me with this!” I directed the trio to several pieces of debris.

Collectively we removed them one by one, and what we found horrified us all. The dead were strewn about the building, and a collapsing roof left very few survivors. Mangled corpses littered the area and one of the soldiers emptied his stomach right on his shoes.

I didn’t waver and immediately directed towards the survivors. It appeared to be a mother and child huddled in the corner, now that the debris was gone, we could hear the wailing.

One of the soldiers and the burly man went to her. I followed suit and gave her a quick once over with a minor healing spell. She only had scrapes and bruises. I would thank the gods but it’s hard to when so many others are dead.

They took her and her baby out of here, while I and the remaining soldier found the third survivor. The moment I identified him beneath all the dust and debris, I came to the conclusion the gods hate us.

It was Wilhelm, badly injured and out of commission. “Two wizards down and an army at the gates. We are screwed.” Luckily the soldier didn’t hear me and I set to the task of first aid magic.

The healing spells I laid on him were pretty strong ones and mana expensive. He had a broken arm, a nasty head wound and bloody gashes all over. I added a numbing spell for good measure, just in case he woke up.

The soldier came back with a stretcher, luckily I had the foresight to spread these things all around the castle. Loading the wizard, we quickly walked him away from this death trap and into triage.

The woman and her baby followed suit and triage was getting full. I could see several newcomers, luckily with only scrapes and bruises.

Laying him on the bed, I continued with his treatment. “What are we going to do?” One of the guarding footmen asked.

“I don’t know.” I replied, genuinely not knowing.

I am a dropout thaumaturge with a shady record and some decent healing spells. I don’t know the first thing about how to command a castle in a state of war.

“Sir Felmun will take charge.” I added, desperately hoping the knight was doing his job.

“But what about the demons, your control ring? Can’t you command them to repel yhe invaders.” The footman questioned, referencing the lie I told.

“I don’t think we need demons right now.” I evaded.

“But they have taken the wall, I heard from some of the soldiers. They managed to seize a section.” He explained fearfully.

“What?!” That was all I could say.

If that was true then we were screwed. Besides the undead, our soldiers were not equipped to fight in close quarters. They were green, only partially trained men at arms. Minus Sir Felmuns contigent but they were few.

Magical and undead support was the crux of the defence, less we want to see our defensive line fall upon the first attack.

“Like I said, can you send the demons. All will be lost soon!” The footman wailed getting too much attention.

I yanked him by his collar and faced him sternly. “Shut up, less you destroy any sense of morale we have left.” I whispered angrily and he nodded timidly.

I looked around and to be honest not much in the way of morale, but then again this was triage. I thought about his request while finishing up my spells. The rest could be tended to by basic medical knowledge most peasents knew.

With my spells complete I made a decision. “Monitor him, I will be back.” That was all I said before leaving triage and making my way down.

Arriving at the summoning chamber, the guards looked fearful, their gazes looking to me for answers. “Open the door.” I didn’t satisfy them and instead gave an order.

They obeyed, so rank had its privileges. I entered briskly and they shut it behind me. Instead of a horde of demons I just found the mistress third order, Asmordis as he was calling himself.

“Were are the others?” I asked.

He turned to me from whatever he was doing and spoke. “They are gathering components from the Abyss. I want to a try a few things.” He explained before turning back to his work.

“Get them back, the enemy is on the wall, I need you to repel them,” I said plainly, no fanfare needed.

“Where is the mistress, shouldn’t she give this command.” He said and his words cut through like a knife. I didn’t answer and that was all he needed. “Is it perhaps she is unable to.” He turned to me with an evil grin. “Perhaps I am free from control while she languishes in slumber?”

I rolled my eyes, he had the right of it but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being scared. “So you know, are you going to help me or rip my guts out and rampage?”

His talonned hand went to his chest like he was affronted by the idea. “I am scholar young wizard, I don’t rampage.” He explained raising his nose at me.

“So if you not going to rampage, will you help me?” I asked, pressing the question again.

“Perhaps, but this is a request not an order, so honour demands an exchange be made.” He explained.

“You want to make a deal, what do you want?” I deflated, dreading this eventuality.

“Nothing of import, I merely wish to extract a promise.” He offered and I was puzzled.

“A promise?”

The demon grinned as if everything was going as his devious plan intended. “Yes a promise to assist me in a great task, to obtain an answer to one of the great mysteries of the multiverse.” He went on a little theatrically.

“What are you talking about, what mystery?” I asked, wanting him to get to the point.

“The greatest mystery of all.” He paused for effect. “Where do demons really come from?” He poised the question as if it was an ancient mystery that we didn’t already know.

“The Abyss.” Was my answer and he frowned, it was quite frightening.

“No, I have it on good authority that demons are not native to the Abyss.” He corrected and I felt like I was in school again. “But that is for another time. Do we have a deal?” He offered a clawed hand to shake.

“No contract?” I asked, expecting a giant document to sign.

“Nope, merely a deal on a gentlemen’s honour.” He corrected.

I paused wondering if this was the best course and then thought better of it. I took his massive hand and carefully shook it, sealing the deal.

“Excellent now let’s summon my demons.” He said, withdrawing his hand carefully so as not to slice mine in half.

He began chanting a summoning spell and I noticed the chant was slightly different than the ones I had seen before. Suddenly a familiar demon phased into existence. It was Astragoth holding a bucket filled with steaming sand.

He looked around confused before settling on his demon lord. “Boss, I haven’t finished collecting this stuff.” He said, gesturing to the bucket.

“Put it down Astragoth, it is time.” The demon lord explained and his minion dropped the bucket, excited.

Asmordis turned around and grabbed a long staff, charred black and threw it across the room. Astragoth caught it in two of his hands, caressing it lovingly.

“Don’t worry baby, I will be gentle.” The demon whispered to the staff as if it were a lover.

“Take that and eliminate the enemies on the wall.” The demon ordered and Astragoth saluted.

I thought to myself again if this was the right thing to do. But then again the other option was getting killed when the enemy sacked the castle.

Chapter 42: Erik
"Oh that hurt like hell!" I complained, pulling my head out of the ground.

A demon came out of nowhere and blasted me off the wall. I shook the dirt from my hair and inspected my body. Whatever spell Sig put on me, protected me from most of the flames. 

I was still singed, it wasn't perfect protection, but for a vampire, it literally kept me alive. The fire was a big no-no for vampires, so was running water for some reason. No clue why that was a thing, but apparently it was.

Getting to my feet I surveyed the battlefield. The undead forces were still shuffling along the ladder. Acting on the last order I gave them. Edmund should still be on the wall. I could hear is battlecry, no doubt the battle maniac was flinging his axe at the demon.

Thinking about the situation, that was probably a second order. That would mean they have a number of demons, how many will determine whether or not we survive this attack.

Quickly I ran to the ladder, only to witness it burst into flames from a fireball. That demon was flinging around flames like a madman. Well he was a demon, they were known to be crazy and bloodthirsty.

I smiled at that, I mean I am a vampire, so bloodthirsty comes with the territory. Without the ladder, I tried to scale the wall. Vampiric strength aided with that, but still, it took a frustratingly long amount of time to reach the top. Peaking over the side I saw Edmund blasted off the wall and sent flying over my head.

I traced his arc through the sky and saw him land not too far away. Looking back to the wall I saw another demon descend next to the first one. A familiar axe was in one of the demon's heads, the second one chastised the first and yanked the weapon out.

The demon's head was split down the middle. But the moment the axe was removed it started to nit back together. He still looked like a mangled corpse, but he was far from dead as anyone could be.

"Screw this." I cursed, letting go and landing as stealthily as I could.

Turning back to the army, I ordered a retreat and sped towards Edmund. Reaching him fairly quickly I picked up the heavy-set man and ran for dear life. It must have looked quite strange, my tiny self lugging around a giant on my back. Vampiric strength was really a boon for my line of work.

Fearfully I glanced at the sky and was horrified by the scene. Five demons were soaring overhead, each brandishing wands and staves. They stopped just above us and lingered for a moment.

That was when all hell broke loose. The demonic horde began indiscriminately blasting the field below. Fire rained down from the heavens like the wrath of the gods. I suppose in this case it was the wrath of the Abyss.

It swept away the army like a fiery blaze. They carpet-bombed the entire region and it did not look like they would stop anytime soon.

The death torrent advanced towards Sig and I knew what would happen. I sped up, reaching maximum velocity. We traversed the battlefield in mere moments. Sig and the rest were waiting, I could see them barking orders, hopefully, to retreat.

We arrived as the men were ready to leave. "Sig!" I shouted over the clamorous sounds of men. He turned to me, taking his eyes off the descending demons. "Run!" I screamed, dropping Edmund and ducking for cover.

That picture was the last thing I saw as fire rained from the sky. The explosion was deafening and Sig vanished from my sight. The world inverted and a sense of weightlessness proceeded a violent drop.

I woke up, no idea how long after. The first thing I noticed was the smell of fire and brimstone. My eyes adjusted, and I could see through the column of smoke and ash. 

Sig was down, the entire command site was in shambles, and fire was everywhere. Looking around I could see a few shambling undead, most of them were on fire.

I rose to my feet, ignoring the pain. Stumbling over to find my friend, I found him charred and prone. But he wasn't alone, Sven was atop him, fangs sunk into flesh and his life draining away.

Without a thought I propelled forward, grabbing the vampire by the shoulders and violently pulling him off. I threw the bastard to the side, instead of crashing to the ground, he easily righted himself.

Red eyes, fangs and blood dripping from his mouth was what greeted me. He even had the gall to smile as he sped away, likely invigorated by my friend's blood. I wanted so badly to hunt him down and tear his head off. But Sig needed me and so I let him flee like the coward he was.

Fearing another attack by the demons, I picked up Sig and ran to a safe distance. Once we were some distance away, I inspected his wounds. He had fire burns all over his body. His survival was probably because of his protection spells. Too bad it couldn't handle consecutive fireballs.

His neck had the fang marks of a vampire and his heart was still. "Sig! Don't you die on me!" I cupped my hand over the wound, but it was fruitless. Nearly all of his blood had vacated.

I listened closely, using every ounce of my senses to locate some sign that he was still alive. No matter how hard I listened, all I heard was silence. "No!" I screamed, trying to deny his death as if my words would raise him from the grave.

My eyes were tearing up but instead of the clear tears of a human, blood dripped from my face and down my cheeks. The blood gave me an idea. I had a vague notion of how vampires were made and so I sank my fangs into my wrist.

Desperately I tried to feed him my blood. But no matter how hard I tried, the dead could not drink. I even attempted to pour the blood down his throat, but the wounds in my wrist kept closing.

I tried everything and nothing worked. No matter what I did, his death kept flaunting its certainty in my face. His body was growing cold, I could sense that. No life remained, every vampiric power at my command told me the same thing.

I was trying to save the corpse of my best friend. A man I had served with for more years than I could count. Burned up by demons and drained of blood while he was weak by that waste of space Sven!

I was going to kill him, that was a certainty but first I would ensure the fallen the respect he deserved. 

"Erik, your alive." An out of breath Edmund spoke just behind me. "Sig get up sleepy head, we got to get back to camp." I could hear his footsteps approach, they slowed down once he got close. "Sig?" 

"He's gone Edmund, he's dead." I said with a finality I hated.

"How?" That was all he said in that disturbingly neutral tone.

"Sven." I answered coldly.

Edmund paused in his words, leaving a moment of silence. Then suddenly the sound of an axe being drawn and the cracking of a neck.

"Then we best go kill him." He declared and it was music to my ears.

I cradled the corpse of our friend, turning to meet Edmund. His face showed no emotion, it was cold and unmoving. All he did was follow behind as I put one foot in front of the other.

Chapter 44: Asmin
"That went rather well, don't you think my apprentice?" I conferred with Etragos and he nodded. The battle had been over for a while and all the rats had fled.

The five of us were slowly gliding across the battlefield, following our bombardment of the invading army. We had used up most of our stock, and many of the wands exploded. That was an issue I needed to correct. I mean it wasn't a problem for demons, a little fire is pleasurable, to be honest. But for mortals, they could lose a hand.

Examining that line of thought, I found myself differentiating my existence from that of humans. Even though I was a human at heart, I don't feel human anymore. Sure I remember being human and acting per my old human morals. 

I shrugged, sighing heavily and trying to let the tension go. I have been noticing far too much that my instincts have changed. And what's terrifying to me, is that I don't seem to have a problem with it. Being a demon just seems natural to me now.

I wonder if that is how all demons feel. If this case of humans being converted into demons is widespread, would this explain why most demons don't usually act like humans? Is it part of the conversion process that changes them both in mind and body?

I shook my head, setting these thoughts aside for another time. "What's wrong master?" Jelmak asked, concern in his voice.

I glanced at the little demon, he was floating alongside us. The four of us were lined up side by side in mid-air. The little first order was holding a rather large sack of backup wands and staves. He was distributing them to any demon that had used up their own.

"I am fine Jelmak, just lost in my thoughts." I answered, trying not to show any of my true feelings. 

"Ok master." The little demon spoke in a soft and low voice.

Glancing towards him, I noticed a gleam in his eye as he scanned the destruction. I wondered what had drawn his attention, was it the corpses or was he marvelling at the destruction? Then it hit me, I had completely forgotten. 

"You may loot the corpses, take anything you fancy." I offered and the demon turned to me with eyes wide and a terrible grin.

Jelmak made a dive and flew down to begin his pilfering. The others looked to me as if waiting for their turn. I nodded and gestured for them to go nuts. They whooped in glee and flew after him. Only one demon remained, and that was Etragos.

"Do you not wish to indulge in the spoils of war?" I questioned my apprentice, grinning happily.

"I would not presume to partake in a mass scramble for loot. It is only prudent for the spoils of victory to be allocated to those of proven merit." My apprentice explained proudly.

"I would agree, that seems a more effective method. Is that the norm for the Abyss?" I wondered aloud.

Etragos turned to me, perplexed. "Not particularly, the lords of the Abyss care little for us lowly second orders. We tend to take what we can get and hope no one bothers to destroy us." He stated rather frankly and without a preamble.

"Seems like a bad system." I muttered.

"Yes, the Abyssal lords could do well to study the way of Yassa." He spoke, mentioning another unfamiliar concept.

"The way of Yassa?" I asked, curious.

He nodded sagely, turning to me to begin his explanation. He tried to kneel but remembered we were floating far above the ground. His explanation didn't take long and was fascinating as it depicted a legal system unfamiliar to me. He also mentioned a culture I had never heard of. When I asked from what culture this code came from, he stated they were not in this localverse.

The Code of Yassa as described by Etragos, was a set of legal codes used by the Mongol Empire. A powerful culture that spanned across nearly an entire continent on a world called Earth. I chuckled at the lazy name and he shrugged.

Yassa was a secret code of legislation known only to the Great Khan their version of a king or leader and his subordinates. That way the code could be modified at the ruler's discretion. The code encompassed the legal structure of wartime and expanded into a code of conduct in peacetime.

"The way you describe this code, suggests you had personal experience with it?" I queried, attempting to probe for more information.

"Yes, when I was human, many years ago I served in the Golden Horde under Batu Khan. I died shortly after the sacking of Kievan Rus. Conjured to the world of Nysegard by my very first master." He explained, revealing another victim of this conspiracy.

"You must hate your master to have ripped you from your home and bound you," I spoke softly, hiding my complicity in such acts. Astragoth always served as a reminder of that.

The Mongolian demon titled his head, he didn't seem to completely agree with that. "He wasn't that bad of a master, never had any interest in torture like others. He was a soldier in war without end and I was his demon. We fought many battles together and I saw first hand the scale a war can reach when it became routine." Etragos sighed. "I mourned his death when it inevitably came." He added, genuinely sorrowful.

Digesting his words, I came to understand my apprentice a little better. He was another victim of this inconceivable idea that conjury can create demons from mortal souls. And yet he held no real animosity towards the wizard who perpetrated such a violation. It was in stark contrast to my own experience and the feelings Astragoth felt towards me.

"We honour the fallen, that die in service to something greater than themselves," I muttered, recounting the words spoken by an old friend from my human days.

"Yes my lord, the fallen deserve respect when they fought honourably in life, in service to their Khan." 

The two of us had a moment of silence for the many warriours that died in service to such an ideal. I am not a warriour, but even I could understand this much.

"Let us inspect the battlefield, I am curious about what the enemy has left behind." I suggested, but Etragos saw that as a command.

We descended at a leisurely pace, I could see the rest scouring the field of battle, taking anything of value. The spoils of war, too bad much of it was scorched. But there was still much to be taken.

I let them continue their work and we soon landed upon scorched earth. Examining the remnants of the enemy's makeshift camp, I could spot the abandoned catapults. They were in a sorry start after the bombardment. They were not set ablaze, merely impact damage. I casually considered the efficacy of transporting them to the castle. They could use such weapons on the wall.

"Kalrun, would you be able to drag these catapults to the wall?" I called out to the demon, he looked up from stripping a corpse of its armour.

Dropping the dead man like a sack of potatoes, he came over and inspected the siege engines. "We could do it, hey Astra come help me lug this stuff to the wall." He called out, receiving a loud and very annoyed groan.

"But I'm looting, it's not right to interrupt a gentlemen when he is looting the corpses of his enemies." He complained, inspecting a melted axe.

"Take it up with the boss!" 

Those words seemed to compel the young demon to jump to the occasion. He dropped his disfigured weapon and ran over quickly. Head bowed slightly he timidly spoke. "Sorry boss, thought Kal was trying to loot the catapults for himself." I waved away his concern and had them continue.

"Keep an eye on them will you, make sure they don't goof off." I requested my apprentice, and he agreed almost immediately.

With that done I flew back to the wall, landing on one of the battlements. I chose this one because I spotted Gerald hunched over some wounded. He was tending to them like a good healer and so I flew over. The moment I landed a few of the soldiers fearfully pointed spears at me. Guess they forgot I was on their side.

"Do you greet all your allies with sharp sticks?" I grinned at the sweating men.

One of them pissed himself, I could smell the ammonia. Out of respect for the man, I didn't mention that to his colleagues and luckily they didn't notice. Codpieces are good for something I guess.

"Asmordis, I'm working, can you come back later." He palmed me off, trying to pull an arrow out of a crying man's shoulder.

I looked at the injury, puzzled. "How did he get shot by an arrow? I don't recall the enemy using many bows." I wondered aloud.

Gerald started to laugh, pointing to a rather sheepish-looking young soldier, standing at his right. "This genius thought it was a good idea to start shooting arrows all over the place. Ended up missing every single enemy but got this guy right in the shoulder." He gestured to the young man, waiting patiently for healing.

I leaned to the side, ignoring the spears levelled against me. The young soldier seated against the wall was groaning in pain, so in pain, he didn't even register the gaze of a demon. So affixed to the arrow lodged in his shoulder. 

"No, no please don't." He begged while an uncaring Gerald got a grip on the arrow shaft.

"You want me to heal you with the arrow still stuck inside. That is a brilliant idea, you should be a thaumaturge." The wizard spoke sarcastically and the patient seemed to not like his bedside manner.

"Not very comforting is he." I commented, grinning at the spear wielders, they did not appreciate my joke.

"I know, he should really learn some bedside manners. Like that girl Emily, she is way sweeter then you." The injured fellow declared.

"Then how about you go and have her help you. I'm sure her minimal experience will work so well." He told the man and I chuckled.

I sometimes wondered how he ended up a healer, considering his terrible personality. Well, I am a demon so I can't judge and reflect back, I had an ego when I was human. And there I went again, thinking of myself as not human, I needed to get a handle on that.

The sound of a pained yelp was heard. I looked at Gerald, he had a bloody arrow in his hand and was a very upset patient. Luckily the healing magic came soon after and the man stopped vocalising his pain. 

"Can you tell the castles finest to stop waving their spears at me. I feel the urge to snap them in half." I requested and Gerald waved them off.

"But Master Gerald, what if the demon rampages?" One of the soldiers asked.

"If he did, do you really think spears would help? I have the ring, he is under my control." He spoke and they visibly relaxed.

I mean he just lied to them, but best not correct him. "Is the lady of the house awake yet?" I interjected, wondering how she was doing.

"Not yet, but she should wake up any moment now." Gerald said, rising to his feet as his patient was taken away.

He turned to me, and his bloody hands reached for a nearby bucket of water. Cleaning the blood off, he asked a question. "What of the invaders?"

I gestured to the field of battle. "Scorched and fleeing." He nodded, likely happy we weren't all dead.

Before I could say anything else, I sensed the approach of Jelmak. The little demon flew over to me, his bag filled with loot. "Master, something is happening at the enemies camp. Undead are pouring out in mass. Many coming this way." The little demon explained, oddly excited.

"Oh by the gods will you give us a break!" Gerald cried out, cursing the sky like a cleric to his silent gods.

I could see the rest of the men pale and so I approached the wizard, he flinched as I leaned over to whisper into his ear. "I can help, but that would require another deal." I smiled and the wizard did not like that.

Chapter 46: Emily
"That speech was epic, she is so amazing," I whispered, hiding behind a crate.

I wanted to jump for joy and wave at Mistress Ephemia, but I couldn't embarrass her or myself. So instead I hid behind this crate and the people cheered her on. I admit that I did follow her out and maybe I snooped on her conversation with Gerald.

It's not like I am a spy or anything, I just wanted to talk to her and couldn't help but listen. I tried to rationalise it, but I still felt bad. What I heard sent chills down my spine. Gerald lied about keeping the demons under control while the mistress was injured.

It seemed like she approved of the deception, which I couldn't understand. Isn't it bad to lie to people, daddy always said so. But if the mistress said it was okay, it was for a good reason. The amazing Lady Ephemia protects the people, she wouldn't do anything to hurt them. 

With that certainty, I peeked around the crate, basking in her presence. Her demon was standing beside her, she had made him kneel to her. It was like a knight kneeling to a queen. I chuckled at that, thinking of a demon being a brave and gallant knight from all those stories.

I liked the stories of mighty dragons and then knights. Most of my friends adored the tales of handsome knights rescuing the princess from a tower. I loved the tales of powerful dragons, I could recite their names by heart, and my friends would tease me about it.

I shook my head, trying to focus on the mistress speech. Looks like it ended and the people were turning to their tasks. I should get back, don't want to cause a fuss.

While everyone was distracted I quickly snuck back into the castle, down the winding hallway and into the room. The footman at the door smiled at me, as I entered.

His name was James, he was nice and let me go out to see the mistress. If not for him, I would have missed her amazing speech. I entered the place called triage and went back to my work.

It was boring but important. These poor people needed someone to help them, especially while Senior Gerald was out helping other people.

I sat next to my patient, the other wizard of Mistress Ephemia's prestigious school, Senior Wilhelm. He was hurt rather badly but was healed by Senior Gerald's amazing skills. 

I hoped one day I would be as good as him. Oh, that would be a wonderful day, especially if the mistress would praise my skills. My head filled with wonderful thoughts, while I tended to the sleeping Wilhelm.

"You always had a gentle way about you." A familiar voice said from behind.

I looked towards the origin of the voice and brightened immediately. "Daddy!" I leapt into his waiting arms, thrilled at seeing him up and around.

"Sweetheart, it is good to see you are well and helping the people." Father praised me and it felt good to hear it.

I pulled away from his embrace and inspected him. Using all I had learned about healing, I could see he had recovered. Perhaps I could try a minor spell to help him? I quickly decided against it, since I was still new to magic.

"What will you do now father?" I asked, noticing he was wearing a leather gambison, something the soldiers wore.

Father sighed, he only had that expression when he was about to say something I didn't like. "Daddy will be helping with the defence. Helping mistress Ephemia in fact." He explained, adding the name of my idol at the end.

I perked up at that, but quickly frowned, once I realised what father was saying. "Your not going to get hurt? Are you daddy?" I sheepishly asked, terrified at the idea of losing him.

Despite myself, I clung to him harder, desperately trying to keep my father close.

"I will be fine sweetheart, I will be in the rear, supporting the men." He said and I still frowned.

I didn't understand what that meant, but if Father said it was okay, I would believe him.

"Looks like a happy family reunion." Gerald commented as he entered the room.

"Senior Gerald." Father bowed to the wizard and I curtsied by reflex.

"I'm not a noble, no need for that." He waved his hand as if he was trying to wave away our gratitude. "I will be needing your daughter, got quite a lot to do, having my little apprentice would be good." He glanced at me, naming me his apprentice.

My heart swelled at the idea of being personally taught by a wizard directly under the mistress. Of course, being taught by the mistress would be better. 

"Yes senior wizard." My father agreed, turning to me with a smile. "Go on sweetheart, don't want to keep him waiting." 

I beamed a smile and followed behind the wizard, father came along as well. He was probably going the same way, to do his job and I to do my own.

It didn't take long for us to reach the castle courtyard, the house that was hit by the flying rocks was still collapsed beside me. People were littered about attending to their tasks.

I said goodbye to my father as he left to help the soldiers. "Please take care of my daughter, Senior Wizard." Father said before he left. I excitedly followed Senior Gerald as we spoke.

"I forgot to ask with all the confusion, but what spells can you use?" He asked.

This was my moment, puffing out my chest, I proudly listed what spells I knew, however meagre the list. "I know some geomancy, the basic spell to manipulate earth, a spell to manipulate vines and branches and a simple spell to help with aches and pains." 

He stopped in his tracks and I nearly bumped into him. I wondered if I said anything wrong. Was I a lost cause? Did this show that I wasn't worth his teachings? So many bad thoughts raced through my mind, every one of them sinking my pride.

"Aches and Pains spell, the soldiers will love you." He turned and smiled. "How many times can you cast it?" He asked and my heart soared.

"Yes I know the spell, but I have only cast it a few times. So I'm not sure how many times I can cast it." I said, honestly.

He shrugged before continuing to walk. "No matter, we will work it out. Just let me know if you start getting exhausted." He turned back, his smile gone. "Make sure to stop casting when you feel tired. Okay?"

I nodded vigorously and many times to make sure. He nodded in return, grinned and gestured for me to follow. We walked not too far away and entered a strange building, just below the wall. I think I remembered Dad called this a barracks.

"Gerald you son of a bitch, were have you been, I'm bleeding here." Someone cursed inside, daddy should go tell him off.

"Language boys, we got a kid here." He chastised the man.

I peeked out from his side, making my presence known to a mottle collection of men. I think they called them men at arms, the soldiers directly under the mistress. The man who swore was a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair and green eyes. He smiled at me before bowing his head.

"Sorry little lady, we will be on our best behaviour." He turned back to the collection of men. "Isn't that right boys!" He received several shouts of approval.

"What is that?!" Gerald abruptly spoke up.

I traced his gaze to the soldier's arm, it was injured and poorly bandaged. Bloodstains covered the wound, with a piece of cloth haphazardly wrapped around it.

The soldier turned to the wound, figuring out what Gerald was saying. "Oh this? Battle scars, got knicked by that beast of a man with the axe." He said, proudly.

"Don't lie, we all know you nearly got your head cut off when that giant was waving around that axe. You got cut running the other way." One of the men seated on a cot joked.

"Your misinterpreting cowardice with a tactical retreat." He said in his defence, that the rest of the group didn't seem to believe him.

"I was talking about the bandage, didn't you pay attention to my first aid lessons. That is a travesty and will definitely get infected." Gerald complained, casting a witheringly long gaze upon everyone.

"What? It's not good?" The soldier said, puzzled.

Senior Gerald shook his head, he reminded me of my father when he was disappointed in me. 

"I cannot fathom how you would think that. Now come here, I'm changing that." He gestured him over and he did so, with some of the others snickering.

With his patient seated, Senior Gerald went about removing the sloppy bandage, disinfected the wound and replaced it with fresh bandages.

"Now you remember this, because I might not be around when someone decides to stab you, again."

The soldier rolled his eyes but ultimately nodded. Gerald turned to me with a smile and a wink. "Now let's get to why we came here. Anyone here on the next wall rotation?" He questioned the room and several hands raised. 

Gesturing the group of men to approach, only about five of them arrived. They looked haggard and worn, some of them seemed injured. But despite that, they still held themselves upright.

"These men need bedtime." I muttered.

"Unfortunately the enemy is tireless, which is the problem." Gerald responded to my soft-spoken words.

"Tell me about it, I hear their is going to be another wave. I am exhausted from the first two, I don't think the men can take so many." One of the five spoke up.

"That's why we are here." Gerald turned to me. "This little girl will be your salvation. But first we will have do some tests."

The men looked puzzled, their curious gazes flitting to Gerald and then to me. Even I was confused, but if Senior believed I could help, I would follow his lead.

"Kid, cast that aches and pains spell on this guy." He gestured to the one that had previously spoken.

"A spell from a kid, wait a minute Gerald. Are you sure?" He protested, looking at both of us dubiously.

"It's fine my man, you will appreciate it." He turned to me. "Hit him." He ordered and I obeyed.

I began the somatic gestures to cast the spell and chanted the words I remembered. A soothing energy extended from my outstretched hand and touched the haggard soldier. He winced, expecting pain, but soon his eyes were wide.

"Woah, I feel great." He touched all over his body as if trying to find some flaw. "What was that?" He asked, astounded at the effects.

Gerald chuckled. "It's one of the most basic healing spells, I haven't used in a long time. But lady Emily here knows the spell." He pointed to me and I felt everyone's gazes bear down on me. "With the two of us, this is what I propose. Every shift change, we cast this spell on the men. That way every soldier that reaches the wall will be fresh and full of energy."

That idea seemed to brighten the mood of the men. They started whispering to each other, smiling and genuinely hopeful.

"But before you all get excited, we need to test how many times she can cast this spell." Gerald explained.

"I don't know Senior Gerald, but I will do my best." I spoke resolutely, ready to do my part for the castle.

Chapter 48: Edmund
“Come get some you undead bastards!” I swung my axe, cutting down zombies left and right.

“Commander, there are to many, we need to retreat!” One of the men pleaded.

“Not until we find the captain, he should be near the command tent. Hold strong lads, I will see you through this!” I commanded and the band of misfits endured.

I needed to keep morale so pulled out all the stops. I wanted to keep this in reserve but decided it was a necessity. Withdrawing a vial from a hidden pouch, I downed the bitter liquid, all in one gulp.

Heat rose from my chest, a fire was stoked and rage built to a breaking point. The vial contained an alchemical cocktail used by my ancestors, it tapped into the unstoppable rage and power hidden in our blood.

I felt my eyes burn as the world went red. Most of my kin would be lost in the madness, but I had trained myself in control and despite the desire to destroy everything around me, I focused this rage on my enemies.

I felt boundless, I felt like a god, ready to destroy worlds. My two axes at the ready I weighed onto the line of undead, mowing them down like wheat in the field. Slicing, cutting and tearing them apart, blood and viscera flew in every direction. I barely felt any exhaustion as I made my way through the wall of undead.

I could vaguely sense my men following behind me, I acted as a whirlwind of death. “Charge men!” I heard them shout, their morale soaring.

I grinned as the wall of undead fell to my axes. Eventually, I had to drop the dulled weapons and replace them with a war axe, drawn from my back. The two-handed weapon cut through enemies like they were parchment.

Once we broke through them, I found the command tent. It was guarded by a familiar vampire. The loyal dog of Lord Drelem, the vampire Titus.

He stood with arms crossed, casually inspecting me as I approached, covered in blood. My heart was beating a league a minute, so loud it almost drowned out everything. I focused my mind keeping my rabid thoughts in check.

“Titus!” I bellowed cheerfully. “I was hopping it would be you, I’ve always wanted to fight you.”

The strict and stoic vampire grunted before cracking his neck. “I will admit, I had a similar interest. But I should warn you, I won’t hold back.” He spoke and it was music to my ears.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” And with that, the fight began. “Men! Go and find the others, I will handle this.” They agreed and gave us a wide birth.

I had a weapon in hand and he had nothing but his fists. Anyone who saw this fight would believe I had the advantage, but that would be foolish. I knew Titus very well, I had observed his sparing and his fights. He was a clear pit fighter.

I had some experience fighting in the pits, so I knew how ferocious they could be. But then again, barbarians like me made our names with ferocity.

Encircling each other, neither made a move. Instead, we gauged each other. Neither were we giving any ground nor showing any weakness. The stalemate lasted for mere moments before Titus made the first move.

He sped forward, flashing across my vision with all the speed a vampire could muster. For most mortals, they would be dead before they even noticed the man’s fist in their chest. But I was no mere mortal, at least not currently.

I could see the attack coming, my reflexes were enhanced by the draft and I blocked the attack with my axe. The blow was not very powerful and so was likely a probing attack.

He returned to his position, his fist was cracked and bleeding from taking the axe head-on. The wound healed in moments and the vampire took an appraising look at me.

“Not bad, that was far stronger then I expected of a human.” Titus appraised with an uncharacteristic smile.

“I’ll take that praise, it is rumoured my people were descended from Orcs.” It was only a legend, but the power we could bring forth under the berserker rage was inhuman.

“Orcs, I have heard of such beings. They dwell on Norelon, how did your people get here?” He asked, crossing his arms.

“No clue, something about shamans and some old, dead God. Besides do you really want to have a chat mid fight?”

Titus nodded, raising those deadly weapons he called his fists. I smiled, loving the shift from talking to killing each other. I decided to take the initiative, charging forward, my axe needing this man's blood. He dodged the downward swipe, I quickly turned the blade and clipped him in the side.

“Impressive.” He complimented and I pressed my attack.

Several consecutive swipes of my axe only met air, he dodged every one of them. It was getting annoying how agile he was, easily ducking, weaving and sidestepping every one of my attacks.

“Are you going to be dodging this entire fight?” I complained and he frowned.

“You want me to attack?” He asked and I was puzzled.

“Well yeah! It’s no fun if you just dodge everything.”

Tilting his head, he clenched his fists and cracked his neck. I could feel a change in the air, it was time for the real fight. My axe in hand, I forced my senses to focus on him, excluding all else. He was right before me and I was ready to sink my weapon into flesh.

He gestured, blurred and vanished from my vision. Flustered at the inhuman speed, I kept my guard up. He arrived before my vision and I attacked on instinct. My powerful swing again met air, followed by the sounds of several impacts.

They happened so fast that I only registered the blows a moment later. The impact was devastating, my chest felt like someone had crushed my ribcage with a Warhammer. I fell to my knees, coughing blood and spit. The pain threatened to take me out of this fight, but I endured.

Rising to my feet, I tried to keep my legs from collapsing. A burning rage warred against the pain and kept me upright. “Do you want to surrender?” The vampire questioned.

“I do not surrender!” I shouted, using the rage like fuel.

Summoning up all my strength, I leapt back into battle, slicing down with the war axe. He dodged easily and I switched my axe to my left hand, withdrawing a throwing axe from my belt. I flung it, anticipating his destination. It flew through the air at great speed, only to be caught in the vampire's fist.

Titus snorted at me, shaking the throwing axe in my face. “Do you want this back?” He joked, twiddling the weapon between his fingers.

“You can keep it.” I spat, trying not to let this get personal.

This was a fight, a battle between two monsters of the arena. He may be a vampire, but he was a pitfighter, just like me. So it was time to fight dirty, as we of the arena like to do. I downed another vial and reached my limit.

“Come on!” I roared and he answered.

Barreling towards me, I made ready for his next attack. He blurred again before raining down punch after punch. I blocked each strike by only a hair's breadth. The moment his final blow was blocked, I counter-attacked, slicing across his exposed chest. Finally, my axe met flesh, blood spewed from the wound as he fled.

Returning to a guarded position I watched him carefully. The wound quickly closed and all my effort was for not. “Fighting vampires is so annoying.” I grumbled angrily.

“It is quite unfair.” Titus commented. “But I think it is time to stop messing around.” He declared, gesturing to the throwing axe.

I was confused only for a moment and was on guard the next. Instead of blurring with inhuman speed, he nonchalantly approached me with a steady pace, undeterred by my hostility. Given he was an immortal and a supremely skilled fighter, he could maintain that attitude.

It was the right of the strong, the arrogance to face any enemies and know you would emerge victorious. I steeled my resolve and for a moment, I wondered if I would survive this.

I swung my axe, ready to cleave him in half. Using all my strength and speed, a blow would subdivide anyone in my path. Instead, my weapon was caught in my enemy's grip, before being torn from my own.

Now weaponless, I tried to back away, only for a flurry of jabs to make precise and damaging blows to every part of my body. I stood for only a moment, before falling to my knees in pain. I was at his mercy, he could make the final blow and end me.

“You fought well, but you were outmatched to begin with. Still, I thank you for the fight, it gave me fond memories of the good old days.” The vampire sighed, his gaze locked to somewhere in the distance. “Unfortunately, my master wants you dead, I am truly sorry.” He spoke, sincerely, I could tell that.

Coughing blood, I glared back at him, without an ounce of hate. “Tell Erik, that I went down fighting.” Those were my final words and he nodded, accepting.

Raising his fist to make the final blow, his gaze went elsewhere. I followed it and found the tent of his master, smoking before bursting into flames.

I looked back and found Titus had vanished. He left me, bleeding in the dirt and without a glorious death. “Guess he had a pressing issue.” I croaked, wondering if I could stand.

Chapter 50: Erik
"Were did he go?" The revenant asked, he was indeed such an undead.

I had heard of his kind but had never met one. They were created when a vengeful spirit repossessed their corpse and existed to facilitate that vengeance. To be honest, I should have expected this, given the cruelties this army had inflicted upon the land.

Even with my own and Sig's interventions, innocents still died. I lamented that he was another casualty in this god's forsaken conflict. We all knew that death loomed over us, it was part of a sellsword's life. But even with that, his death struck me harsher than I had ever expected.

Vengeance was all that occupied my thoughts, Sven's brutal death was all I needed, at least for now. "I can sense him, he went in that direction?" I pointed north, deeper into the forest.

I wondered where he was going, but that didn't matter since he would be dead once I found him. My undead companion in vengeance, nodded in affirmation and followed behind.

We ducked and weaved through the forest, he was keeping up well, despite being a typical undead. Being tireless makes for a useful trait when chasing down an enemy. We made full use of this undead feature and made impressive time. 

We arrived at a clearing, the scent of that wretch was so very near. I could even hear his whiny voice, he was yelling at someone, which is typical for him.

"Open the coffin now!" Sven commanded, probably to some human toady.

We could hear a loud bang as something heavy landed on the ground. What followed was a piercing howl, similar to a wounded animal. It was more akin to a screech and was female, which again followed another scream, this one a male.

"Master save me!" The man begged, getting silence as a reply.

I gestured to the revenant to remain silent as we both crept forward. Hiding behind a tree, I peeked out from the side and detected several people. Sven was standing beside a coffin, imperious as ever, tapping his foot impatiently. The human I had sensed was on the ground, a female figure crouched over him. 

I recognised her, it was Jessica, fully transformed and feeding. It was likely she was caught in a blood rage and would be coming down soon. I looked back to the revenant and told him her situation.

"That vampire is a friend, turned against her will, I will take care of her, please don't harm her." I hoped he would agree and thankfully he did.

"Come on Jessica, finish him off. We need to go!" Sven demanded impatiently.

The newly created vampire moaned, and her head rose from the still-living man. I could see her face, covered in the man's blood, she was horrified and afraid. "What's happening?" She asked, her eyes still glassy.

Eventually, they cleared and she could now acknowledge the world around her. She turned to Sven and his smug smile. Before he could speak. she leapt at him, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"You bastard!" She clawed, bit and punched.

But given the power disparity, he easily repelled her. Knocking her back, he angrily retorted. "I have given you a gift, be thankful!" He said, raising a hand to strike her.

Unable to simply watch, I sped forward and caught his arm mid-strike. He turned his head, anger now directed at me. "Get your hands off..." He trailed off with a yelp of pain.

I looked down and found Jessica's foot longed in his crotch. The woman just kicked him in the jewels, I smiled despite myself and the vampire fell back in pain.

"Nice." I grinned at Jessica and she smiled back, the blood on her face was oddly appealing.

I shook my head, wondering where that came from. But now wasn't the time to wonder, I had to exact a price in blood from this bastard.

"Hi Sven, long time no see." I glared down at him, finding pleasure in his pain.

"It wasn't my fault, I was dying!" He pleaded, trying to excuse himself.

I ignored his pleading and struck down with Edmunds's axe, severing his left foot. He screamed in pain and I savoured his suffering like a fine wine.

"You think I care for an excuse!" I shouted, letting loose all the pent-up anger. 

I wanted to start cutting, but if I went all out, I would probably kill him and end his suffering. Instead I looked to my new companions. Jessica was angry, she was ready to start kicking him in the groin and not stop until he split in half.

The Revenant, I had since learned was named Samuel, was very eager to take revenge on this man. But vengeance took time and unfortunately, we didn't have much time.

"I would very much like to peel your skin and slice you apart slowly, but I am short on time. So I think I'll take my frustration out on you and then leave you to the lady and gentlemen." I gestured to Jessica and Samuel, the two undead eager to exact their gory revenge.

"You can't do this!" The pathetic creature with the face of Sven screamed.

"For Sig, I can and I will." Once I uttered those words, I went to work.

With the axe, I began dismembering the prone vampire, first his legs, then his hands and then his arms. With glee I took the sharpened tool to every joint, severing them without any attempt at finesse. It was messy and brutal.

Jessica and Samuel didn't turn away, the two watched casually. Jessica did eventually turn back to the man she fed on, her hunger still plaguing her thoughts, and she drained the rest of him.

I could sense her trepidation, but the thirst has a way of pushing such feelings to the side. She descended upon the man, taking his life and feeding her own, unholy existence. 

I could hear sobs as the truth of what she had done became all too real. I will admit, that I did the same, killing in a war is far too different, than taking a life for mere food.

Eventually, she came to and returned to our side. We glared down at the dismembered vampire each of us with our grievances. 

"You bloody peasents, I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" He screamed with all the rage a torso with severed stumps could muster. 

His screaming was short-lived, Samuel reached over and violently plucked his tongue from his mouth. All he could do now was gurgle and spit blood.

"This is for all the people you killed, friends, families and people I loved!" Samuel screamed, his boiling emotions erupting.

As if drawn by his zeal each of us gave voice to our hatred. "For Sigfried, you will suffer!" I spoke aloud the rage in my heart.

"For the life you stole from me!" Jessica voiced her and all three of us were resolved to do what needed to be done.

What followed was bloody, brutal, violent and sadistic. Each of us took turns tearing him apart, destroying his body and possibly even his soul. By the time we finished, there wasn't much left of him. I don't know if vampires could come back from this, but I rather doubted it.

"I need to get back, I need to find the captain." I told the pair as they attempted to clean themselves of the blood and gore.

"I need to return to, there are many others that deserve my wrath." Samuel spoke with such certainty and confidence. I had no doubt he would be a spirit of vengeance for all that deserved his wrath.

"If you can, please spare Edmund and my men. We didn't participate in the village attacks. In fact, Sig, my friend, warned the other villages to escape." I desperately hoped my words would reach him, enough to stay in his hand.

He closed his eyes and nodded. "May your friend rest in peace. I will honour his memory and spare your friends." He declared quite dramatically before walking away, without another word.

"Well that was dramatic." Jessica said, tilting her head with a smile.

"Yeah, guy needs to relax, but I suppose dying horribly makes someone a bit high-strung." I commented, wondering if I would end up like that eventually.

That was a problem for the future me, I am the present me, so I would deal with the here and now. "What are you going to do?" I asked Jessica, my words seemed to pull her from a daze.

"Not sure, I'm a vampire now so I could try being a vampire prostitute?" She suggested, but I could sense she wasn't serious. "But I was thinking of getting out of the game, so I'll stick with you handsome." She grinned, patting me on the cheek.

"Well, come along beautiful, to a life of bloodshed," I said in a sing-song voice as we left for camp.

We reached our destination quickly and found the place nearly abandoned, with only a few shambling undead lingering. I wondered what happened to the rest of the horde. I shuddered at the thought of that many undead spreading across the countryside.

"Erik over here!" Edmund called us over, he was surrounded by what remained of the mercenary band.

We arrived and I finally noticed the prone form he had clutched in his embrace. It was the captain, passed out and with a distinct bite wound on his neck.

"Erik, what's wrong with him?" Edmund asked worry clear on his face.

"Ghoulism, some damn bloodsucker bit him and left him alive to turn." I spat those words as if they were poisonous.

This was not good, we didn't have a healer as I'm pretty sure I saw the camp thaumaturge shambling around, very dead. So the captain would turn and live the horrific life as a ghoul.

I wondered if it would be better to put him out of his misery now. But the thought of killing the man who had led us for years was an act I couldn't bear.

"What's happening?" Jessica asked, sensing the sombre mood.

"He is infected and the camps thaumaturge is dead." I explained, wanting those words to be false.

"The castle has one, Wildhold has a healer." Edmund suggested but it was impossible.

"You mean the castle we have been trying to seige. I doubt they would want to help us."

There was no way they would even want to deal with us, the enemy that likely killed several of their people. I sighed, realising that it was our only card to play.

"Perhaps I can offer a solution." The voice of an elderly man spoke from the side.

We all collectively turned to the voice, finding an elderly man in a thick wizardly robe, wielding an obsidian staff. He was the centre of a collection of undead, slowly converging.

I initially thought to warn him, but realised the man was a necromancer. With that in mind, I was on my guard.

"Who are you?" I questioned, subtly reaching for my sword.

"I am Lord Belus, necromancer of Wildhold and I have come to offer you a deal, Erik." The necromancer offered and I will admit, I was intrigued.

"How do you know my name?" I queried, concerned.

The necromancer chuckled. "Let's just say, a little girl named Emily, spoke highly of your capacity for mercy." He explained and the light of realisation dawned on me.

The necromancer grinned as several undead converged, unlike the soulless corpses, these had the light of intelligence in their eyes. Samuel was included among their number. 

"What kind of deal?" I queried, hoping and praying to all the gods I knew of, that there was a way out of this nightmare.

Chapter 52: Asmin
"Astragoth, crush every undead on the western wall. Kalrun, the east. Etragos to me, we will drench this wall in undead blood!" I commanded with all the vigour of a demon lord.

Despite my feelings, my former human self wouldn't have had this much glee. But now, on this wall, amid bloodshed, I felt great.

Taking flight I left my mistress, my summoner and hopefully the key to the great mystery. Despite her enslaving me, I couldn't judge given my past actions, I needed her alive. She was the key to the puzzle and I will not allow this castle to fall.

Etragos flew to my side and we both looked down at the enemy below. The zombies were of little consequence, but their numbers were a problem. But for now, the Vampyrs and Ghouls were the enemy.

"I feel like I'm back in Nysegard, down in the muck with my fellow demons." The veteran beside me said, glee in his eyes.

"Well I hope this battle brings satisfaction." I said, matching his glee.

We scanned the field, locating several targets, pockets of higher-tier undead that needed to be exterminated. A collection of Ghouls and Vampyrs were making their way through the mass of corpses. Their intent was clear, climb the wall and make a path for their undead brethren.

Without hesitation, we descended rapidly, meeting the group head-on. Etragos withdrew a mace he had pilfered, and with reckless abandon, he hurled himself upon his foe. The mace came crashing down upon a Ghouls skull, the impact left nothing but fragments of brain and bone.

Before the group could even respond, I fell upon them like a whirlwind. Embracing the savage nature of a demon, entirely against my wizardly nature. I waded into the group with claw and fist. Three Ghouls fell easily, with only a few swipes to the neck and chest.

Cutting a swath through these bags of meat and flesh, I felt exhilarated. What I was feeling couldn't easily be explained. But one simple word was a close as any could be. I felt demonic, like a true demon.

These thoughts raced through my mind as I fought like an animal. I wished I could ascend to the sky and bombard them like a proper pyromancer. But I shouldn't waste the magic when such an effective weapon was literally at hand.

A Vampyr jumped onto my arm and sank its teeth into my flesh. To be honest, I was not sure my blood would even sustain such a creature. It didn't get the time to find out, once I reached over and pulled off its head. The wet flesh tore away like parchment and I threw the corpse at his allies.

Mace and claw were our weapons of choice and soon every undead of note was bloody chunks soiling the ground. Many other undead were caught in the battle, cut apart by a misbegotten swing of my claws or brained by a mace.

But in the end, the threat was neutralised. Or more accurately it was dismembered. Yet despite this bloody victory, there were too many for my demons to manage. Even if we spread ourselves thin and focused on the elite undead. Eventually, the castle would be overwhelmed well before we made a dent into these thousands of undead.

As I pondered this dilemma, I was struck by a sudden gust of wind. It sent me flying back and sliced me apart like knives across the skin.

Righting myself I scanned for enemies. What I saw was a collection of robed figures. They all had the bestial hunger for flesh. It was clear on their faces, but an air of intelligence remained.

"Ghoul wizards, be careful!" I shouted to Etragos, warning him of the threat.

Casting an eye in his direction, I witnessed the demon swallowed by the ground come alive. It reached out it with its earthly grip and swallowed him whole. He vanished beneath a swell of earth, animated by the power of magic.

Upon reflex I reached for my staff, sensing how many casts were left. Not many and so I needed to be accurate with my shots. Not wanting to test my own demonic endurance, I cast several warding spells, basically elemental protection.

Just in time as the same earth surge threatened to take me as well. The warding spell pushed back against the rising earth, long enough for me to take flight.

"That was Wizardry! Not demonic power!" One of the ghouls shouted, his mouth foaming like a rabid dog.

"Can we eat demons? I'm hungry!" Another ghoul rages aloud.

"Shut up! Your making me hungry. We need to get rid of this demon and get into that castle!" A third ghoul stepped forward and raised his staff.

The staff glowed brightly, releasing a gust of wind, it lashed against my wings, slicing them apart. My warding spell was easily overcome, I really should have studied wards in more detail. Groaning in pain I tried to keep upright but was unable to keep flight.

As I fell, I quickly pointed my staff and unleashed a barrage of fiery death. Plummeting to the ground, I landed with a painful thud.

Quickly reclaiming my wits, I watched as the fireballs struck the collection of undead. The blaze knocked back the first line of undead wizards, possibly killing one of them. But they too had elemental wards and so the attack was nullified.

"Oh come on!" I complained, trying to get to my feet.

"How do we kill it? Not familiar with demons!" The enchanter ghoul wondered.

"Kill it? Better yet can we eat it. I heard demons regenerate." The geomancer grumbled.

"You want to eat a demon? Aren't you worried about demonic corruption?" The third ghoul question, aghast.

"We are already corrupted you idiot! Did you forget we are flesh eating ghouls! What would eating demon flesh do? Make us slightly more damned." The geomancer shot back.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure you guys are already corrupted. Probably best not to compound the issue." I added to the conversation, mostly to give myself time to rest and plan.

"The demon has a point." The enchanter said.

"He is a demon, demons lie, everybody knows that!" The geomancer added.

I tried not to be offended, but that did not work. Then again, I had the same opinion as them, not too long ago. Well, at least I tried to study demons beyond the typical nonsensical texts written about them. I realise that is just rationalising, but I will die on that hill if I must.

"Yes but why would a demon lie about that?" The third ghoul wondered aloud.

"We are getting off topic, we need to kill the demon, get past him and eat everyone in that castle, period!" The enchanter declared, brooking no argument.

"You can't kill demons, they just fade to the Abyss." The geomancer added.

"He is right, I'll just fade to the Abyss if I sustain enough damage to warrant it," I explained, again I was not sure why I was engaging with them, I had finished my preparations.

With my spells ready, the somatic gestures and chanting the spell under my breath. I was ready to get back into the fight.

"Whatever, lets send him back to the Abyss and then we can get to the buffet." The enchanter suggested and received nods.

Getting my spell ready to cast, a figure burst from the ground and brought his mace down on the nearest ghoul. I witnessed the third ghoul get his head caved in. It exploded like a melon, blood and brain matter splattered across his companions.

Quickly the enchanter sent a gust of wind and pushed back Etragos mid-flight. Seeing my chance I sent the disruption spell, it battered against their wards, weakening the structure. At that moment, I summoned up all the staves remaining mana and sent a flurry of fireballs.

Their ward collapsed on impact and set the two remaining aflame. They screamed as the fire of the Abyss roasted them alive. I would feel guilty if they weren't just talking about eating people.

Etragos flew beside me, landing to my left. He inspected my work and nodded. "Impressive show my lord." He complimented.

"Not so bad yourself Etragos, that move of emerging from the ground and slaming your mace down on that ghouls head. That was quite a sight." I returned the praise and he smiled.

"I am unworthy of such praise." He answered and I frowned good-naturedly.

"You are very worthy, now lets kill the rest." I turned back to the forces arrayed.

The moment I did that, I wanted to cry. Despite roasting the ghoulish wizards, they were not the sum total of elite undead. A group of Vampyrs emerged from a mass of bodies and stood in formation. A ghoulish figure stood behind them, a dark and sickly aura spilled from his staff.

"A ghoul necromancer?" I wondered.

"That is quite a number of Vampyrs under his command." Etragos pointed out and I could not refute him.

"Master, I found something." Jelmak spoke across our link.

"Not now Jelmak, I am a little busy."

"But master, I found people who want to help." The little demon pressed and I was puzzled.

On reflex I ascended a little higher, casting my gaze across to the enemy camp. What I saw was another force exiting the area and onto the battlefield. I could sense Jelmak was among them, soaring overhead.

Examining the composition, I could see it was mostly composed of zombies. At the front was a very familiar figure. The necromancer Belus, flanked by two vampires, a giant with an axe, along with several undead that moved far too intelligently.

"What is going on?" I spoke directly to Jelmak.

"They want to fight by our side and free the castle from the siege. That necromancer, he is your ally right?" The little demon asked timidly.

"Oh, yes he is." I quickly replied, not wanting to elaborate.

"Asmordis, what is happening? Another force of undead has arrived?" Mistress Ephemia sent across our link, sounding exhausted.

"Nope, it seems they are on our side. Have your sorcerer direct one of his scrying spells, you will notice a familiar person." I suggested and waited patiently.

"Belus!" I heard her say over the link.

"Yes, I guess he has come to reinforce us. Best act accordingly." I added.

What followed was my mistress informing her fellow compatriots, followed by cheers. They were probably happy they weren't all going to get eaten and die. I grinned, I had taken a liking to the castle residents. I had no intention of letting them get killed off by some zombie horde.

"You may have defeated my ghouls demon! But now you face me!" The necromancer raised his staff, ready to unleash his minions upon me.

"Your not a ghoul?!" I asked, puzzled.

"I am a vampire you simpleton!" The supposed vampire retorted.

"Whatever! I would turn around if I were you."

"You think I would fall for such a simple ploy, I will enjoy sending you back to the Abyss demon!" The self-important possible vampire proclaimed.

I could see a monologue coming, but as soon as he spoke, an arrow lodged into the back of his neck and out his windpipe. He choked rather comically, trying to speak, but couldn't quite produce anything beyond gurgling.

Looking over to Belus and his forces, I heard a booming voice scream. "Charge!" This spurned the army forward, zombies, vampires and other undead made great pace.

The choking necromancer finally turned around. I suspect he didn't like what he saw. But none of that mattered, he was quickly trampled by a flurry of undead. His Vampyrs went to protect him but were mobbed by an avalanche of corpses. The vampires and the giant sprang forward, chopping their way through the blood and guts.

The group was composed of two vampires, a man and a woman, along with a giant of a man, wielding an axe. The trio attacked the necromancer from all sides. Axes, swords and claws skewered him from three sides. His Vampyrs were swept away by the tide, so he was vulnerable.

Despite all his bluster, he was torn apart almost instantly. I stepped back as the trio approached, they were covered in blood. The giant was smiling in glee and waving his axe in triumph. The two vampires were more subdued, the female seemed slightly jittery.

"So I shouldn't drink this blood?" The female vampire asked her companions.

"Not at all, you will not like what happens after." The male vampire answered.

"Alright I will take your word Erik, but I am getting hungry." She tilted her head in thought. "Or is it thirsty?" She wondered.

"I'm going with thirsty, but you can use the terms interchangeably." The vampire now known as Erik, declared.

"Hey, it's the demon!" The giant pointed at me.

The trio turned their gazes to me and while I saw a degree of trepidation, there was no fear. That was rather novel of them and so I approached.

"You work for Belus?" I asked tentatively.

"Currently yes, we made a deal and we will keep our end. In that spirit, were does your mistress need us." The vampire grinned, showing fangs.

I conveyed these words to Ephemia and together we decided on the plan of attack. I called my demons to me and joined the new army. The moment Astragoth arrived he pointed at Erik and the giant named Edmund.

"Hey you guys are still alive, me and Etty shot you both off the wall! Stoked you both are alive or undead in your case." He acted in his typical odd manner, but they seemed to receive him well.

"How's your head demon? Looks like you put it back together." The giant joked and I didn't get it.

"Yeah got one hell of headache. I see you both still have all your hair."

I let the conversation fade into the background and turned to Belus. Using myself as a go-between, Belus, Sir Felmun and Ephemia discussed the plan. It was relatively simple, keeping putting on the pressure, but on both sides. Thin out the enemy to manageable numbers.

My demons and I ascended to the sky. Belus and his army began their charge in earnest. Undead clashed with undead, the enemy had lost many of its higher tier undead and so it was a one-sided slaughter.

I sent my demons to swoop down and eliminate any undead that posed a threat. Isolated Vampyrs and Ghouls were swiftly eliminated one after the other. Eventually, we managed to create a breach in the enemy's forces. Belus force grouped in a wedge formation, cutting through the mass like a dagger.

As they pushed through, Belus somehow was able to seize control of any undead in reach. The process continued all that was left was a small pocket of Vampyrs that grouped. Instead of supporting their undead horde, they ran at full speed to the wall and the food within.

"They are making a break for the wall, stop them!" Erik shouted his command and his companions made great speed.

They were outnumbered, even though the Vampyrs were reduced in number. My demons and I descended to the ground and followed beside them. We caught up to the undead just as they were scaling the wall. My claws met flesh, tearing out one of their spines as the creature reached for a castle soldier.

Etragos and Kalrun were both intercepted in mid-flight, the Vampyrs leaping from the wall. They could handle it, meanwhile, several Vampyrs made it up the wall. I quickly ascended, and Erik did so as well, his vampiric claws traversing stone.

Arriving together we lunged for the rogue creatures. They turned from their human victims and tried a desperate assault. Before they could reach us, they burst into flames, incinerated by unrelenting fire.

Confused the both of us took a glance at the source. What stood before us was the mistress herself. Lady Ephemia, Mistress of Wildhold and the woman at the end of my leash.

"You must be Erik, Emily spoke highly of you." The mistress declared.

"That girl, I hope she and her father are well. Tell her I'm sorry." He spoke sheepishly, an odd contrast to his previous behaviour.

"Tell her yourself, after we win this battle." She declared and the both of us nodded.

The battle went far smoother after that. Most of the problematic undead were eliminated and the horde was substantially reduced. The walls became manageable and with the addition of new undead forces, they could easily repel any large masses.

There were still many undead outside the wall, some had even scattered throughout the countryside. But the castle was secure and safe. Belus had entered through the gate, arriving like a conquering hero. He bowed respectfully to Ephemia, acting like a typical noble vassal.

And my demons stood to the side, Jelmak was still patrolling the skies and reporting on issues. Erik approached the mistress of Wildhold, went to one knee and spoke.

"Mistress of Wildhold, Lady Ephemia of House Narfalon, I beseech you to accept my surrender. Please allow my men to receive medical treatment, in accordance to the articles of war." The vampire presented his sword, deferring his life into her hands.

It was a surreal scene, the mistress stood like a battle-hardened queen. No pomp or ceremony, just her nor bearing as they all stood upon the dirt as the castle resident watched.

She paused as if pondering how best to execute her enemy. But I sensed that was not how this was going to go. The Lady of Wildhold straightened and turned to her vassals, Sir Felmun and Belus. The two nodded and she continued.

"It would be well within my right to execute you. But I must ask, why did you aid us?" She spoke loudly for all to hear.

Erik paused, perplexed but eventually he spoke. "I have a duty to my men. With our leader incapacitated. It is my responsibility to see them to safety. Even if it costs whatever is left of my life." The mercenary spoke truthfully and sincerely, I doubt anyone would think otherwise.

The mistress smiled, it was filled with compassion and understanding. I had not seen her smile like that to me.

"It is not your head I desire, but your service in recompence for your past actions. They will be forgiven and if you so wish it, you will be given a place at my side. You and your men fought bravely in defence of my domain. What say you?" She offered and the vampire was perplexed.

He quickly reclaimed his bearings and seemed to be thinking it over. He looked to the side, noticing a young girl timidly peaking behind a man's back. She smiled at him, waving a greeting.

Still kneeling, he looked up, steeling his resolve to speak. "I will accept your offer and serve you faithfully, in the defence of your domain." His sword was tapped lightly upon his shoulders and so the sellsword rose a knight.

"Rise Sir Erik and attend your liege. Your men will be treated, as well as your dear former captain." She turned to the others.

"I don't want to be knight." Edmund quickly replied. "My lady." He added.

"Neither do I, but thanks for the offer, my lady." The female vampire known as Jessica added with a curtsy.

With the ceremony complete, I turned away to leave, letting them do what nobles and knights do. I called back Jelmak and sensed he was on his way. Just as I was about to leave, someone commanded me to stay.

"Were are you going demon?" I turned and found Mistress Ephemia.

"Back to the Abyss, me and my demons need to regenerate. You have all this well in hand." I answered with a smug smile.

"I see, but before you go. What deal did you make with Gerald? He is awfully concerned about it." She inquired, narrowing her gaze.

"Nothing much really, I just want his help with a great mystery."

"And what mystery is that?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Why the best mystery of all. Were do demons really come from?" I said melodramatically.

"The Abyss." She answered, puzzled at my point.

"Are you sure?"

She paused to think, I could see her mind mulling over the question. Eventually, she shrugged, accepting something, I do not know what. With a simple command, she sent me back to the Abyss. I faded away, quickly pulling on my links and my demons did the same.

Returning to my makeshift cave, I collapsed to the floor, truly exhausted. I was bone weary and ready for a good, long sleep. Looking at my palms, I sat against the wall, pondering my next move.

"What's next? I do like the idea of s school, perhaps I could make one in the Abyss." I chuckled at the ludicrous thought. But then again, why not? It was a crazy idea and I was going to do it.

I laughed uproariously. "I was planning to setup a home in literal hell. This truly was, a Wizard's Journey into Darkness." I chuckled softly as sleep took me.

Authors Note

What's next?

I will be working on volume two, planning the story and writing up a backlog of chapters. This should take at most a month and I will resume posting towards the end of September. Volume two will take place after a short time skip and will branch into two distinct storylines. I plan to feature new regions and worlds to explore. But as with this localverse, I need to take some creative liberties.

Where in the timeline is the story?

By the end of volume one, we are in the middle of Into the Abyss. Shortly after Tom and his companions arrived at Gizzor Del. The short time skip that will follow in Volume Two will have us towards the end of Into the Abyss.

What will I do in the meantime?

Every week I plan to post a short one-shot world-building story. These can range from character flashbacks to snippets of lore. I hope you enjoy it.

A personal thank you.

I thank you all for reading my story. I love the Demons of Astlan series and felt it deserved fan fiction. Or to me an "Unofficial Side Story". If there are any fellow fan fiction writers who wish to connect and collaborate, or simply fans who wish to discuss the series. Feel free to swing by the discord or Reddit.

Side Story: A Necromancers Dream Part 2
I was foolish to do so, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I took a boy, no older than five as my ward. His family and village were slaughtered by a vile man, who sold his pride for a taste of lesser immortality.

In his glee and bloodlust, the wretched fool laid waste to a village. I drove him off with the might of my necromantic power, but it left behind a child without a home.

Struck by an inescapable feeling of benevolence, I took that child and raised him as my own. For years I tended to his needs, giving him a home, education and all the needs a child requires.

I will admit, that it did require far more effort to raise a kid than I had thought. But after we got through the hurdles, I think I did a good job.

"Dad, where are we?" The now twelve-year-old Ren asked. 

The boy had grown quite well over the years, gone was the timid and scared child. What replaced him was a curious and inciteful young lad. Yet he still looked like that young scared boy to me. In need of a protector, a father.

"This my boy is the Magedom of Turelane." I gestured to our surroundings and the bustling city of its namesake.

"Magedom? What is that father?" The boy asked, ever curious. The twinkle in his eye was something he surely inherited from me.

"A Magedom is a realm governed by an archmage. Generally the position is filled by a wizard, not necessarily of impressive power. The current archmage is not well known for his skills in magic." I explained as we walked.

Travelling through the gate and into the city proper, the boy was in awe at the many sites of a well-developed city. Gone were the town inns and villages. Now this was a real city and luckily my wanted poster hadn't reached here or had faded from memory.

Being a wanted man required us to keep a low profile, for quite a long time. It was only recently we started to travel to more populated areas. Still, I was cautious, not a good thing for a necromancer to be wanted.

Travelling down a walkway, Ren's head never stopped turning, his eyes locked onto everything of interest. From the peculiar architecture, the flying carpets overhead and even the strange people who went about their business.

"Flying carpets, dad look!" He excitedly pointed at a wizard travelling overhead.

"Yes my boy, they are impressive. Quite a fine art to create such arcane devices. I rode one myself many years ago." 

"Could we ride one, please dad, please!" The boy pleaded, hands clasped as if praying.

I hadn't taught him about religion, but he picked up a few things as we travelled. Norelon was a haven for wizards, not so much necromancers. But religion still had its place here. The Narveson Pantheon once held sway, but the Etonians just had to spread their faith beyond their continent.

"Alright, we can see about hiring a carpet for a short ride." I caved and promised, something he would hold me to.

"You promise?" He demanded with all the force a child could muster.

Leaning over, I whispered in his ear. "I promise in the name of the storm lords."

His eyes widened and he smiled. This was a promise not so easily broken and so he was secure I would deliver. I chuckled at how adorable he was and continued.

We passed by many horse-drawn carriages and various people making their way. They were out of the ordinary in appearance, far removed from what Ren had seen in daily life. Unlike the typical style of clothing worn by the people in the United Federation. Turelane garb was the most exotic. They wore more open clothing, decorated vests and harem pants.

"Dad, what's that on their heads?" He pointed at a passerby who frowned at the gesture.

I quickly mouthed an apology and chided my son for the imposition. "It is not nice to point." I disciplined, not too harshly.

The young lad dipped his head, ashamed at the oversight. It was cute and he tended to do that to duck responsibilities. But to a powerful and black-hearted necromancer, it was a futile gesture.

I looked down at him, keeping my resolve, but surely a lapse or two is fine. "It's fine little Ren, just make the effort to avoid pointing at strangers, okay?"

He nodded profusely, up and down his little face went, before grinning happily. "Yes father." He agreed, still with a mischievous glint in his eyes, suggesting that agreement was not absolute.

"In answer to your question, they are turbans, a local fashion passed down by the founder of the nation. Ali I think his name was, I'm not sure." I frowned, trying to recall this place's history.

I hadn't been here in years, passed through a few times on my treks to the Grove. In fact, I spent most of my time passing through Norelon like a wandering wastrel. The downside of practising magic was that was illegal.

Given this nation was partially associated with the council states, their archmage had a seat on the council. It stood to reason that they would enforce the same laws.

And yet, I was able to cultivate a more free-thinking contact who was residing here. This proved you could never truly know what interesting personages dwell in the oddest of places.

"Dad? What is that?" He pointed to a plaza up ahead.

I turned in that direction, and up ahead was a place I wanted to visit, well any self-respecting tourist should. What lay ahead was a collection of decorative tents, neatly arranged in a massive plaza. It was surrounded by a cacophony of activity and voices. Many figures darted around the stalls, browsing the wares on display.

"That is the famous bazaar of Turelane, its a place where anything can be bought, if you have the coin." I repeated what a certain salesman said once.

"Can we go there dad? Please." He begged, tugging on my sleeve.

"We are going, just be patient." I calmed the excited heart of a boy tempted by wonder and adventure.

I was pretty sure I was unsuccessful, but what I have learned from fatherhood, sometimes that isn't such a bad thing. So I indulged his whims on occasion and the pair of us entered the bustling bazaar.

Eyes wide, Ren looked around like, trying not to miss a single thing. Decorative stalls, sizzling meats, exotic textiles and even arcane devices. All were on display and available for the right price.

We passed by various stalls of interest, each merchant blabbering incomprehensible sales pitches. I will admit, I was not fluent in the language, but I could get by. Having a demon with the power to speak universal would be handy, but no one could trust them.

"Dad, dad, dad!" Ren repeated, getting my attention.

He turned to eye what he was pointing at. Luckily it wasn't another person, but a stall inlaid with delicious-smelling pastries. The aroma wafted from that direction, tempting passersby. It seems it had captured the stomach of a young boy.

"Alright, I'll get you one." I yielded and the two of us made our way to the stall.

"Welcome, we have pastries for any taste!" The merchant delivered his sales pitch. But I had already selected it and so pointed it out. He followed my finger and grinned. "Baklava, excellent choice." I gestured to purchase two and the exchange was made.

Handing the treat to Ren, he eagerly devoured it, I had to stop him from eating too fast, lest he get indigestion. I tasted my own and noted the almond filling was quite flavourful.

We adjourned to the side, far from the hustle and bustle, leaning on a nearby wall. Eating our deserts, I noticed Ren had stopped, his eyes skewering me with all the questions he wanted to ask.

"Dad, why do people hate necromancers?" He asked.

I nearly choked on my food, tapping my chest a few times, I managed to keep it down. "Why do you ask?" I answered a question with another.

He frowned for a moment, turning down his food. "Well, I just wondered why we have to hide what we are doing. It doesn't seem that bad to me, we are not hurting anyone, are we?" 

I sighed, dreading the day this would come. Gathering myself, I launched into an explanation all fathers should give their children. It was the talk, the inevitable one. Daddy is a necromancer and that's okay.

"Son." I paused before continuing. "Sometimes people think something is wrong, that doesn't make them right. Their is a lot of nuances that you don't know, but the crux of the matter is, they think its dangerous and don't like it when people do it." I explained to the best of my ability.

"So they think its bad because its dangerous?" He asked, puzzled.

"Precisely, but their are other reasons, the practice can conflict with their faith and some just think dead people should stay in their graves." I turned to him with a smirk. "But where is the fun in that my boy. Remember when I made that skeleton tap dance?"

Ren's contemplative and sour mood brightened noticeably, he laughed at the memory. I joined him, so father and son could laugh together. Once we were finished, we both took a bite of our pastries, while it was still hot.

"So, it doesn't make you a bad person if you learn it?" He asked.

I leaned down to one knee, looking him straight in the eye and spoke. "No, Ren, it doesn't make you a bad person. Necromancy is a skill, nothing more, nothing less. Bad people can use it, just as good people can use it. No matter the stigma." I explained, trying to soothe what I could see was the struggle of a child.

"Does that mean your one of the good ones, dad?" The moment he asked, I will admit, it hurt just a little bit.

"I don't want to lie to you son. I have done bad things before." I leaned forward, cupping his face in both my hands. "But raising you, was one of the best, good thing I did."

My boy smiled and that was enough, despite his confusion, I could see my words made him happy. When did that become enough, I don't know and I honestly didn't care.

"Come on, finish your food, dad has a meeting with Lord Exador." I pinched his face and he laughed.

A Necromancers Dream Part 4

"Will we be heading to the school yet?" Ren asked.

"Not yet, I need to get some supplies in the city," I explained, gesturing to the shops that lined the street.

We had just left the council clerk's office. I had to keep Ren from gawking at the receptionist who may have been Los Alvar. I am not sure since I haven't met many of the breed.

"Okay, Dad." He agreed rather quickly, despite his previous excitement.

We had inquired about schools for conjury, one of the bases of Necromancy. The practice of raising the dead was illegal, but summoning demons was completely fine. I wonder how many other wizards were attending schools for the sole purpose of developing necromancy later.

We didn't need to walk far, component shops were everywhere in this city. It was a cornucopia of wizardly wares. Well, it is a city built by wizards, for wizards.

We arrived at a nondescript wooden building, the place wasn't anything special, but I spied a few of the wares as we entered the city.

The name on the plaque above the door was written in cursive. "Griselda's Wizardly Wares," I spoke aloud.

"Who's that?" My boy asked.

"Probably whoever owns the store." I shrugged in answer.

We entered and a soft chime of a bell sounded from the upper right, announcing our entrance. This alerted the woman standing behind the counter, opposite us.

She was rather tall, around my height with messy black hair and deep blue eyes. I couldn't see very well, she was wearing a thick dark robe. She noticed us immediately and smiled brightly.

"Welcome to my humble shop, please feel free to peruse." She said calmly, almost sweetly.

I smiled, I couldn't help it. She was pretty and despite all that I had done in my life, raising corpses and slaying enemies. I couldn't shake that tiny little weakness for pretty women with dazzling smiles.

"I thank you madam, but I have a list of items I require. Can you assist me?" I said as we strolled up to the counter.

"Of course, I would love to help a gentleman like yourself." She turned to Ren. "And who is this handsome boy? Oh, he takes after his father, I can see that." She added, beaming at the flustered boy.

"This is my son, Ren. And he takes after his mother mostly, but I think there is a little bit of mischief in him. That's all me." I leaned forward conspiratorially, cringing internally at that cheesy line.

"Oh, I can see that; he is going to be a little heartbreaker when he grows up."

Ren frowned the moment she said that. "I don't want to break someone's heart." He pouted.

She leaned down to get a better look at the boy. Flashing a bit of cleavage, somehow the robe seemed to dip when she did that. I wondered if that was intentional. Probably just a sales tactic; yeah, I don't need to read into that at all.

"Aren't you sweet, I can see you will make a girl so happy one day with that attitude." He blushed the moment she said that.

The only thing I could think of was the necessity to have the talk with him. That would be important, but I can push that for later, yeah later.

I handed over the list, trying to get us back on track. Did she just caress my hand as she took it? Probably just an accident.

Perusing the parchment she nodded a few times, likely doing a mental check if she had everything. Sending a few furtive glances my way I again dismissed it. She was definitely not flirting, I mean who flirts with a single dad?

Ren was looking around the place, curious as any young boy should be. I nodded for him to go about his perusing and he practically skipped over a row of animal skulls.

"I believe I have everything on your list. Are you a conjuror perhaps?" She inquired.

"Something like that," I answered.

I was pretty sure she wasn't flirting. I mean, she might be a bit too young for me. I was totally a strong and virile man, but I was nearly sixty. From the looks of her, she was in her late thirties, maybe forties.

"Quite a dangerous profession." She leaned over playfully. "Aren't you worried a little demon might scratch your eyes out?" She gestured a clawing motion, more akin to a feline than a demon.

"Wizardry has always been a risky business." I leaned forward, only a bit. "But what's life without a little risk?"

She brushed against my arm and smiled. "That's what makes life exciting." She purred and now I was confused.

It's possible she likes older men, but that has just not been my experience. Besides, I have way too much going on to get involved in a romantic entanglement. Yes, fatherhood and necromancy require me to focus on the important things in life.

"Are you going to be my new mommy?" A certain child blurted from the side.

The both of us looked down with complete and utter incredulity. Did my son just say that? Did I not teach him the meaning of tact?

"The list?" I tried to change the subject and the flustered woman turned to me and nodded, withholding a cheeky smile.

What followed was an awkward wait, the collection of my goods, payment and a farewell laced with subtext.

"Feel free to come by anytime. You never know when you might need something." She said in a sultry voice.

I really wanted to chalk all of that up to her playing a customer. But I was starting to think she was into me. I nodded and shuffled out the door with my son trailing behind.

We met up with the carriage and entered. The driver was a human, a necessity for coming to the city. Usually, I would grab some undead and give him the reigns.

The carriage lurched and off we went to apply for a position in the most prestigious school in all of the council states. At least, according to the clerk, that was definitely paid to talk it up.

"Dad? Will I ever have a mother?" My boy asked, his gaze locked on the passers-by.

I originally thought his prior comment in the shop was just him being funny. He had learned to be mischievous from someone, definitely not me.

Taking his words seriously, I leaned forward, not sure how to answer. "Why do you ask?"

He paused for a moment, laying his chin on the window and absently scrapping the window with his finger. "I don't know, I just see all these kids with a mom and dad."

"I see." Was the best reply I could come up with. Way to go, Dad, for stellar parenting.

It was not like I hadn't considered it. I just thought it was too early; the death of his birth mother was not too long ago. And though I have healed that pain as best I could. Memories such as those are not so easily forgotten.

"It's not impossible for it to happen. It's just." I trailed off, trying to form the right words. "There is much in our lives that many would not accept. And to find a mother for you is to find a woman for me. She would have to be kind, understanding and tolerant of what we are. Sadly that is in short supply." I tried to explain.

He turned to me, with sad eyes. I hated to see that; I dare say it was a hate far greater than what I felt for Drelem. I hated that man and I hated when my son was in pain even more.

"But if you could find someone that accepted us. We could be a family?" He questioned, his lip trembling ever so slightly.

I took him in my arms and held him tight. Even with the carriage jostling around, I never let go.

"We are a family," I affirmed a certainty I desperately wanted him to have.

Yet I could see and understand that deep down he would have something missing. Something I could not provide. Something that was taken from him, callously and brutally. It left a void that a child would seek to fill without any idea how.

The love of a mother was something I had never known. I, too, was raised by a single father. My mother had died in childbirth and he blamed me for that. The drunk blamed me for many things and never let me forget it.

I never had a mother, nor did I have a father, looking back at my life. Perhaps that is why I loved him so. Why despite all that I had done, I loved my son.

It was no secret to even my own heart, the crimes and evil I had committed. And yet, I could not fathom how someone like me, so dark of spirit could ever feel this way. I could never deny the love I have for him. The need to keep him safe, to fill any void of sadness with joy and life.

I had no true father to teach me what it means. To love unconditionally, to show someone only the light parts of myself and shield them from the darkest recesses of my soul.

Is this what it means to be a father? To seek the betterment of yourself for the sake of another? To become what they believe you to be, what reality says you are not. To be a paragon without blemish or sin. That was not me, but for him, I would scrub this soul clean until my hands bled. Just as I would, without a second thought, drench it with the blood of any that would dare threaten him.

"If I find someone to bring into our family. I will do my utmost." I promised and I wasn't entirely sure I could keep it.

I trusted no one, not a single person, in this god's forsaken world. With only one exception, the smiling youth in my arms.

"Thanks, Dad." He said and it was everything to me.