"Ok seriously, who actually killed people here?"
I asked turning to Jax as Thalia and Selene walked with yet another necromancer and their undead to the entrance. Over the past two hours of our trip we have come across 6 necromancers, and not one was actually evil.
The first we came across was a necromancer who left a sound bait and had us watch his dramatic entrance despite the fact that Thalia called out where he actually was with her strings.
"Wait, hold on, at least let me do my bit here, do you know how hard it is to set up a spring loaded wall coffin in a dungeon!?"
He had protested, so we ended up standing there as his undead started snapping and holding a beat as he appeared in a flash and struck a pose before Jax walked him to the door. Jax apparently asked and there was really only one killer necromancer, so we ended up splitting up to have everyone grab people while Liora and I were posted at the door.
From what Jax had reported, the necromancer we were looking for was a woman named Lily who had been the one to kill the 10 people in the report. She had also dragged the bodys to the item room to use for making more minions.
"Ok, but it's like one girl, who don't we just sneak attack her?"
I asked turning to Liora who sat with me on one of the benches that hadn't been destroyed when Aiden had been running from what he called "The whole dining room getting thrown at me".
"If she were a normal Control Class then maybe, but the problem lies in what she can do as a necromancer."
As she spoke she grabbed the Journey that had the class list from before and flipped it open for me. Before we had started this quest we had gone to the library to research necromancers, and that plus talking to people in town seemed to reveal quite a few of the classes on the list.
melee
1: Warrior
2: ???
3: ???
4: Pugilist
5: Guardian
6: ???
7: ???
8: ???
9: ???
10: ???
11: berserker
ranged
1: ???
2: warlock
3: ???
4: Earth Mage
5: wind mage
6: fire mage
7: ???
8: ???
9: ???
10: ???
11: ???
12: ???
13: ???
14: Archer
15: Gunner
16: ???
support
1: shrine maiden
2: ???
3: priest
Medic
5: ???
6: Thief
mixed
1: ???
2: Druid
3: ???
4: ???
5: Bounty Hunter
6: ???
7: ???
8: Pirate
9: ???
10: ???
control
1: Necromancer
2: puppeteer
3: ???
4: cultist
5: ???
6: Scryer
7: ???
other
1: ???
2: werewolf
3: vampire
4: Oracle
5: ???
6: ???
7: ???
8: ???
9: Homonculus
10: ???
11: mutant
production
1: Blacksmith
2: ???
3: ???
4: ???
5: Leatherworker
6: ???
7: ???
8: ???
9: ???
10: alchemist
11: ???
12: ???
13: Gardner
14: ???
15: courier
She reached over and tapped the name Necromancer as a system window appeared
Necromancer
Class type: control
Class energy
MP - applied in their casting of spells, as well as using other skills and effects
Miasma - acting less like a direct energy, and more akin to their tolerance, it allows them to forge a connection with the undead by keeping the undead fresh
Necromancers are mages that specialize in the undead, using their abilities to animate the dead in 3 general forms.
Skeletons - the offensive unit a necromancer can create, they are deadly with a weapon, but lack durability
Zombie - the defensive unit a necromancer can create, what they lack in offensive might they make up for with durability
Wraith - the support unit a necromancer can create, they often serve to enhance the abilities of a unit or even the necromancer themselves
Hidden benefit
Among the dead: As a being tied so closely to the dead, undead often do not start out as hostile unless you are traveling with those they would be hostile towards or unless they are provoked.
Hidden flaw
Miasmic sensitivity: Due to their connection to the dead, Necromancers who spend time around bodys will be too exposed to Miasma and can start to suffer side effects if the bodys are not purified or converted
Fun fact about necromancers
They must take time every day to infuse an amount of a minions miasma into themselves. This serves to both keep the minion in their current state of decay as well as tame the minion as an undead who has accumulated too much Miasma does not follow orders and is considered feral
"Ok, and why are you showing me this?"
I asked turning to Selene as the two little angels flew around my head
"Well Beatrice, I can call you Beatrice, right? Well Beatrice, take a closer look at the fun fact part."
I scanned the text before turning back and asking.
"So what exactly about that stops us from just charging her?"
Liora sighed and said.
"Her minions aren't just gonna fall apart when she dies, so even if we get in and kill her quick, who knows how many undead she had under her disposal, especially since she took all 10 bodys of the people who died."
I nodded at this, unsure of what to make of it when Sera and Mal flew over to near my head.
"Uh, hey Bea, You might want to let your friend know that whatever is happening in there, a lot of mana is moving, and it doesn't feel like any kind of good magic."
Mal said as he crossed his arms. Liora looked down at me, clearly curious as I said.
"Mal said something is happening with a lot of mana and bad magic."
Liora turned to the door with a look of worry as she began to open her mouth as if to speak when a strange pulse came from the door. With it the smell of rot and sickness came through as Liora stepped back, and handed over her mouth as she seemed queasy. Despite the feeling like I wanted to throw up in my stomach, I had been around rotten meat enough to hold it down.
"Uh, what in the hells, did one of you take a dump in a corner or something!?"
Came the Voice of Jax and he bounced in on 3 legs, one held over his nose as he tried to stifle the foul smelling air. Liora turned to Jax and ran towards him as she said.
"Beatrices contractors are saying some bad magic is beginning, Selene and the others are outside giving reports, Ill grab them, you and Beatrice stall until I get back!"
Jax's expression hardened as he ran over to where I was. The door itself was barred on the other side, we knew that from where we had given it a test push earlier. Jax turned to me as his face shifted to a more calm, almost playful expression as he said with a slight chuckle.
"Guess this will be your first big fight with us, scared?"
I raised an eyebrow at Jax as I asked.
"Of course, should I not be?"
This seemed to give him pause for a moment.
"Fair enough, most would lie and say that they arn-"
Jax cut himself off for a moment going silent before he lunged towards me. I jumped back, confused and alarmed, but as I did, I saw a massive fleshy hand come slamming through the wooden door as if it was made of paper. It grabbed Jax where he had been and ripped him through, opening a new hole in the doorway as the left door practically laid shattered on its hinges. A looming towering zombie with a mostly skeletal head wore black robes and Held Jax by the neck. Around him were 4 other skeletons, 3 of which wielded swords, while one farther back wielded a bow.
The three skeletal swordsman ran up, all thrusting their blades at Jax as an arrow flew. Despite the relentless assault, Jax channeled the white ki armor around himself as the attacks scratched and grated against the armor, but failed to pierce. I turned to the notification pop up as I had been told was something to pay attention to from time to time and worry gripped me.
Despite having blocked the attacks, it didn't seem like Jax had the Ki to do it again.
Party leader Jax's Soul Skill Feral Instinct(D) Warns him of an Ambush
Bone Golem "Papa" has made a strike at Party leader Jax
Party leader Jax has taken 17 damage
Bone Golem "Papa" has used skill Seize and Squeeze(D)
Party leader Jax has taken 9 damage
Party leader Jax is being held and fails to break free
Party leader Jax has used lifeforce Control(D)
Party leader Jax spent 13 Ki to take 0 damage
Skeleton "Jack" has made a strike at Party leader Jax
Party leader Jax has taken 22 damage
Skeleton "Jullien" has made a strike at Party leader Jax
Party leader Jax has taken 26 damage
Skeleton "Adam" has made a strike at Party leader Jax
Party leader Jax has taken 26 damage
Skeleton "Kelith" has shot an arrow at Party leader Jax
Party leader Jax has taken 15 damage
Party leader Jax has used Lifeforce Control(D)
Party leader Jax spent 45 Ki to take 0 damage
WARNING: Party leader Jax is low on Ki, 1 remains
The room itself was odd, almost designed like a child's bedroom, even including a box of toys in the corner. Staring at the other side of the room stood a shorter woman, maybe no older than 15 or so with slightly gray skin and a black book in her hands. Behind her a skeletal woman stood to the side, clad in a white dress as if observing. Lily gets a wide crooked smile, and lets out a raspy giggle
"PAPA A PUPPY! Can we keep him!"
The massive skeleton turned to the girl and said in a voice that sounded too smooth for a skeleton.
"Of course dear, but you need to finish the ritual with your mother first."
The girl crossed her arms as her cheeks puffed out a bit and she stamped her foot
"but that takes too long. I want the puppy now!"
The skeletal woman behind her seemed to float up and placed a hand on the girls shoulder as she said.
"Dear, listen to your father."
The larger skeleton turned to the doorway as I saw little purple flames in the eye sockets as it said.
"Tell you what, while you finish the ritual I'll finish preparing the puppy, and even grab you a little white fox too, that way they are ready for when the ritual is."
She seemed to beam at this, her smile growing bigger before quickly turning back to finish the ritual. I however had other things to worry about, as despite Jax's struggling to get free, almost his entire body fit in the rotten hands of the father-like figure as the eyes of the skeletons turned to me.