Chapter 101: Necrotic Power

The Marshal and I, as well as what remains of my retinue-about twenty men well fitted in armour- arrive at the scene. Like the boy said, the Necromage truly went around killing people.

His comrades blood colour the white snow filled ground with their blood. Despite there being several bodies, the amount of blood spilled is minimal, far too little for the number of bodies that are splayed around on the ground now.

But the reason for that is obvious. Many of the bodies are already shrivelled up, rapidly aged to the point of necrosis and some are just bones now.

What a terrifying power.

The Necromage is no where to be seen, fortunately for us, but his bloody foot prints make a glaring trail that leads into the camp of the Gamma Warrior of the South.

I'm surprised he headed that way, but I'm also grateful. "I'll go after him." I utter.

These words spur even more fear in the men behind me, I can hear and see their rapid breaths, the terror that clouds their faces and their shaking arms. 

"I'll go alone…I'm the only Mage here now. Bury the bodies of your comrades." Without waiting for forced objections, I whip the horse and trot ahead and after the Nercomages trail.

Strangely, I hear an overlap between the sound of my horse's hooves striking the ground and that of another. Looking back, I see my Marshal keeping up, "It's only proper that I enter battle with my lord, I am the Marshal after all."

"Thank you, Leon."

Our journey into the snowy camp doesn't take long, the trail ends abruptly too, but that is no matter, looking ahead, into the white of the terrain it's clear to see the lone figure dragging his feet through the snow.

And the Cultist minions that reveal themselves slowly, popping from underneath the coat of snow and from the distance. They number at least thirty, all of them simply circling the Necromage as they appear.

"What do you think is going to happen here?" Leon asks.

"A battle. Let's get closer."

"Closer? Closer than this?"

Nodding, I pull the horse ahead and it nervously, reluctantly moves forward. "Closer."

Leon trails quietly behind me, the only sound around us being our footsteps and the watery growls of the Cultist minions, the poor fools.

We get close enough that I can see the colour of their clothes despite the white haze of this light snowfall. The Necromage, surrounded on all sides wears simple peasant clothing. 

Red shirt, black trousers and a boot. Nothing noteworthy at all. In his hand is a bloody dagger, one I guess was used to spill all that blood. And on his fingers are two rings, one glowing a crimson red and the other a dull blue.

"The minions, they aren't reacting to us." Leon remarks.

He's right, last time I came close to a Cultist camp the minions lunged themselves at me, but now? They're acting strange. Even circling the Necromage. They're acting intelligent.

"I guess they have bigger pro-" I shut my mouth immediately as the Necromage begins to speak.

"…of Death." 

Instantly, all thirty plus minions around him fall over and stop moving. Not even a twitch.

"What in the name of-!"

"NEIGHHHH!!!" The horses become agitated, lunging off on it's two feet and knocking me off it's back. It doesn't waste a second after to get out of here.

"Woah! Woah there!" Leon is fortunately still on his, while I get off the snow patting myself down, "What was that!" 

I don't have time to think up an answer nor the time to utter an excuse. The Necromage makes a move immediately after.

Mana seems to well up in his centre and begin travelling down to his feet. The result is a small giant green wave of mana that bursts through the ground in a circle and even washes over us.

It smells. A shiver runs through me as the green mana passes over my feet, the feeling that wracks through my body can only be described as…as…torment.

The bodies of the minions, the dead minions begin to twitch, shaking violently in response. The one closest to be convulses like a fish out of water, flapping around in the snow, the poor mans veins turn green, his skin blackens and his teeth fall out with rot.

Within a moment the snowy field is filled with…undead.

It's the first I've ever seen. They moan and groan and gasp out hoarsely for air and harbour the stench of decaying bodies on them. 

This is Necromancy.

"Sire…we should go." Leon manages to spurt out on his horse, the horse still fights being here, agitated at the atmosphere of death that clouds us. "We should go now, Sire!"

Leon isn't just being reacting to first demonstration of Necromancy in about a hundred years, but looking ahead, terrified at a new presence. 

Following his line of sight, I spot it. A single man followed closely behind by another horde of minions, at least fifty.

It's the Gamma Warrior of the South. There's no doubt about it.

He walks closer and the minions behind him spread themselves out, another attempt to encircle the Necromage. This time they don't spare a single moment and are donned with magic.

Chaos ensues.

Leon forcefully grabs me off of where I'm standing, pulling me along with his fleeing horse. 

But I see it and I hear it.

The Necromage's undead cry out with fury and mercilessly hunt the minions. 

The Nercomage himself becomes a spire of tendrils, several green arms shoot out of his body and latch themselves onto minions all of them die instantly, their souls sucked out of their shrivelled-up bodies.

The minions slice and dice and mash all the undead in their path with fireballs, ice spikes, lightning strikes, blades of mana, shields and hammers made of glistening metal.

But it barely slows the undead. They begin to explode. Guts, teeth, bones and all that can be found in a human body becomes deadly shrapnel that pierces the minions, shredding them to pieces and leaving them vulnerable to the bite of their brethren.

And then…the Necromage and Gamma square off. The Gamma's cruel laugh and cheerful preaching is countered by the soft words of the Necromage.

"I can't wait to eat you."

***

"Lord Mayor!" One of the men call out to me on the horse as we arrive back where we started.

Leon slows our stop and finally sets my arm free for me to jump off the back of the horse.

"Lord Mayor! We thought you were unsafe! Your horse came running back on its own, it looked like it'd seen something terrible." 

True enough, the horse still refused to stay still even in the hands of the men that caught it. No amount of petting and soft words would get it back to normal now…I'm sure.

"I'm fine as dandy as you can see. The Necromage is combatting the Gamma Warrior." 

At this news their eyes widen. It's obvious what their thinking.

'Perhaps one of them will kill the other, or they kill themselves and spare us some trouble'

I know because I'm thinking it too, but I also know the Necromage is far more likely to return the victor.

"I will wait here, the Necromage will return this way. I need to know if he can be communicated with."

Something about what the Diviner said tells me that he can. Even if he did massacre my men, I'm certain he can be reasoned with, it's worth a try at the very least.

"What!" Leon exclaims, "Stay here? Why? You want to get killed that badly?"

I frown, "Of course not."

"The why wait for the Necromage? You realize that if he can beat that Gamma then he can most definitely beat you, there's no doubt about it. You will die, Mattias."

Mattias. He must be really worried to use my name rather than one of my many titles.

"You all can head back. If he picks a fight with me despite my signing that I'm not up for one then it means we're all going to die today. That's how it's been for months now anyway. There's no use preserving life anymore."

"What about the truth? Come back with us and we can interrogate that Diviner, I'll even help you capture him and throw him out to the Necromancer if he doesn't give in to our demands, he'll be the first one to fall."

That's not very enticing really. But he's right, I do want to know the truth behind this kingdom. I want to know the truth behind the Synagogue and I want to know the real reason my family has been tossed to the Cult.

Why are we the ones to be sacrificed? Why did Leriva really have to die?

I want to know. But that'll have to wait.

"The Necromage is far more compelling than the Diviner, besides, it's not like he can safely escape right now, not without news that the Necromage is dead or alive."

Leon snorts, "You're far too lax around him, he's a snake. Right now, he could be burning our people alive to make his escape, or ransacking the treasury now that you're gone."

"That'll only slow him down."

"Not if you're dead. If you're dead he could take all the leisure time he needs before the Necromage pounces on the city. Let's go…Matthias."

"…Give me a minute."

With a heavy sigh and groan Leon falls on his ass beside me. "You men get going, watch the Diviner and tell him the Mayor is alive and well."

The men nod, the lot of them grateful to be released from the nightmare…even temporarily.

"Thanks, I promise we won't die."

Leon groans, "Don't lie to me."