Necromancer's Requiem

IV

I walked out of the library feeling remarkably refreshed. Though the world had changed and I had lost many of my resources, it felt good to have an objective in my heart.

To have befriended that eel in the very city I had been slain in… He knew. He had to know. What she had done to us, what she had done to me… Raphael Varisis knew, and had chosen to stay silent. I hope the years of fortune he undoubtedly enjoyed were worth the kind of death I was going to be giving him as soon as he told me what I wanted to know. 

Still, as I cast my eyes upon the city's landscape once again, I was forced to pathfind my way back to where I knew the Varisis Manor was. 50 year ago, it had been positioned next to Sulfusius Park — but gods only knew how much the city had changed since then. I had to take it slow.

I wonder… would I even know to walk back to the laboratory I had been slain in now? What had been made of it?

Sooner or later, I will find out. For now, though… I best find my way back where I would like to go.

"Excuse me, mister?" I said to a random man as he walked by. He looked like nobility, which made him both pissed at me for daring to interrupt me and respectful of me when he noticed my garbs. "I have been instructed to meet with my teacher near a particular landmark I'm unfamiliar with. The Varisis Manor. Would you perhaps mind directing me there?"

He dissected me with his eyes for a few seconds, then sighed, waving his hand.

"Take the second right after this one, then follow the road. You can't miss it; as soon as you see the Pegasus Statues, you've found your landmark. Now I really must be going."

As he walked off in the opposite direction, I nodded to myself, inhaling softly and rolling my neck. The roads in Erenen were simple enough to follow; as a noble-looking child, it was remarkably simplistic for me to remain mostly unbothered, though to say I was unnoticed would be erroneous.

Still.

As I finally caught sight of the absolutely humongous manor and it's respective grounds, staring in awe at the 4-meter tall Pegasus Statues built from solid White Gold, I could not help but stop to take in the sight. Though the house of Varisis had already been luxurious when I was alive, it had most certainly not been to this extent. Their property now was almost 10 times its size then, and it had already been large.

Which brings the question… how did they manage to get this much richer in only 50 years? I'm pretty sure I know the answer.

Though the average magician wouldn't even dream of catching sight of it, my trained gaze also instantly noticed the small, disguised runes inscribed across the fences that separated me from the beautiful gardens that surrounded the manor. Detection, Alarm and Lightning runes — inscribed by a master runesmith at the very least, from how thin they were. They barely shone, too; compared to these, the ones in my complex were quite conspicuous. 

Cool enough, I thought, approaching the gates that kept me away from the fields of colour and the mansion itself. Definitely impressive. But not enough to stop me.

I looked around. It was still bright outside, and there still were people walking nearby. I could disguise my inspection as a child's awe at seeing such a surprisingly beautiful place, but actually breaking in would be different. Perhaps, I thought, I should find myself a place to let the time pass me by; waiting for nightfall is most definitely the better choice here.

No.

Even that is too hasty. I knew next to nothing about my target. Neither his tastes nor his times nor his weaknesses or even his face… nothing. Breaking into his residence now would accomplish nothing. But…! 

I wanted it.

I wanted to take the first step in getting back at her. I wanted it more than anything else in this whole fucking —

"Hey, you!" A girl's voice called out.

And a hand tapped my shoulder, ripping me unceremoniously from my musings as I turned to look over my shoulder in surprise.

The first thought that crossed my mind was not, "Beautiful". No, that was the second, even though she most certainly was beautiful and then some. With features that managed to be both delicate and well-defined, long lashes in the same light purple colour as her long, wavy locks of hair and eyes that almost seemed to shine in their emerald intensity, the girl — who couldn't be too much older than I, perhaps a year or so — was absolutely stunning.

Her attire was gorgeous, too. A mage's ornamental battle dress, kind of a mixture between a high-ranking soldier's garbs and a dress — it was woven from pure white linen, with vulpine imagery all over it in shining thread. She had a small book on the right side of her waist, and a straight longsword sheathed on the left.

But my eyes weren't attracted to her face. They weren't attracted to her chest, either. No — what I was focused on was her neck. And the necklace worn around it. A beautiful set of silvery-white chains connected to a pendant carved from silver and mana crystal in the intricate shape of a buttercup. 

The «Flower's Shepherd».

I knew that necklace.

I had been wearing it on the day I died.

"Hey, you!" The girl repeated, a frown on her face. "What do you think you're doing, standing in front of the gates?!"

"I—wha?" In my confusion, I accidentally said something quite shallow. "I was… admiring the place?"

She paused. Blinked slowly, and that gave me time to look at the scene unveiling behind her. Two knights — no, make that three — had been accompanying her all along, and stood in her shadows with their hands on the swords that they carried, ready to protect their lady. On their armour was the symbol of house Varisis, a wolf with a rabbit's ears. 

Which would make this girl a Varisis. Which meant an enemy... or a tool.

"...Is that so?" She looked a little less hostile, now. A little. "I suppose it is understandable, for ours is a beautiful property. But move out of my way, or I won't be merciful for much longer."

My eyes narrowed, but I slowly stepped aside.

"Lady, I was just looking." I made sure to make my tone of voice as irreverent as I possibly could. A test, if you will; I wanted to scout for information on the way she had been raised. "I would rather not get threatened for looking at flowers at the wrong time." 

I wasn't exactly baiting her into a fight. I was... extending the possibility. Should she prove too prideful, she would take offense to it, proclaim herself my enemy, and I would react accordingly. Should she prove herself more intellectually capable than that, I'd let her go and find another way to get attention from within the mansion.

Unfortunately for her, she fell into the first. Her fists tightened. And she was right back to hostile again.

"Excuse me?" Her voice, previously melodic, echoed across the streets, and I saw some passerby wince in anticipation. Oh my god, I thought, I hate nobility. Just as she started to prepare for her temper tantrum, which, God, I could almost predict word for word, her guards started to draw her weapons. Wonderful, really. "Do you have any idea whom you speak to?!"

I raised an eyebrow. Well... Hook, line, sinker.

"I may be of nobility," I absolutely was not, "But I am not native to this city. How on Izara should I know who you are?"

She paused again, for a split second or so. Like she was shocked. Was she really spoiled enough that she expected every damn stranger on the streets to know who she was…?

"Well, allow me to properly inform you, then! You speak to Elizabeth Azul Varisis III, heiress to the property you were gawking at!" And to add to the dramatic effect, the girl swiftly unsheathed her sword and pointed it at me. "And I would have you apologize for your rudeness, least I take off your head in combat!"

There it was. I'd assumed as much, but... How convenient. Really, the worst part is…

I'm pretty sure that, in her head, this girl was being 'merciful' by offering me such an 'easy way out'. She has most likely grown up unchallenged, and had not experienced much hardship or challenges to her pride. In doing this, she was both asserting herself as my superior and as a kind person — with a simple "You're right, I'm sorry", I would free myself from this situation at once.

But I am not such a kind person as to let such rudeness go unanswered. And I am not such a poor Necromancer — or magician, really — as to ignore such a clear challenge. If she was not only a Varisis, but the Heiress to the whole family, she would also make a wonderful spectacle. 

Perhaps even one good enough to get Raphael to check out the commotion, should he be home. Otherwise, I'd still have put one more noble in their place.

So, I grinned. If the Gods were real, they clearly loved me.

"Are you challenging me to a Duel, then?"

This actually caught her off-guard. And her soldiers, too.

"I — wha?" She blinked twice, shock clear on her face, stepping back just slightly as if struck.

Her soldiers weren't as kind, though. The head of them all stepped forward threateningly, overprotectiveness clear in his face. This wasn't just him bullying someone; he intended to intimidate me out of challenging the girl, as to preserve her well-being. If nothing else, he was a good guard.

"Listen here, kid —"

But I would not, in fact, listen.

Instead, I swiftly pulled off the glove of my right hand and let it drop to the floor. A noble's challenge. No getting out of this one, now. Did I need to do this? Not really. But I had a lot of pent-up stress, and I really, really couldn't stand stuck-up people.

"I accept your Duel, my lady." I flexed my now ungloved hand a few times, snapping my fingers for dramatic effect. "Come at me."

Fuck subtlety. I'd taken this world by storm once. I could do it again. Let's see if this draws out Lord Raphael.

Little Miss Azul looked absolutely shocked. She stared at the glove I had dropped in abstract horror, gaze wandering to her knights for a few seconds. Still, I could see the training in her stance; the moment my glove hit the floor, her legs had shifted to better sustain her, and her hand had tightened around the sword she had drawn.

The Knights looked just as lost, maybe even ashamed. They'd tried to stop me, after all. 

She took in a deep, deep breath. Calmed herself. Stepped forward. I stepped back, almost mockingly.

"Very well, then." She spoke clearly, her soft voice stone-cold. "I suppose it is my duty to put disrespectful people such as yourself in your place. But let it be known that I gave you an out."

I raised an eyebrow, drawing the dagger I had under my robes.

"Bark, bark, bark. But where's your bite, little lady?"

I heard a very distinctive growl at that, and it didn't come from the girl herself. The Knights, who had yet to clear the way for our little duel, looked about ready to murder me right now. Unfortunately, with the small crowd that slowly gathered around us as news spread, they couldn't do anything of the sort.

I met eyes with the one at the head and winked, just to piss him off. I swear he looked like he was about to explode.

But he, and his companions, stepped back a few times, forcing the crowd to step back with them. The area around us was clear, now, and I was very distinctively armed. Still, Elizabeth didn't look like she was going to attack.

"...Are you going to do anything?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows. 

She looked offended.

"I have given you my name. It is only proper that you give me yours before we duel. Or do you mean to say I am unworthy of even that?"

Ah, right. Honestly, I had forgotten all about that part of the etiquette; when a Noble introduces themselves, the one with whom they speak have to answer in kind. Refusal to do so is taken as a very severe insult to the person introducing themselves; a sign that you deny them any respect.

"That is precisely what I mean," I said instead, a grin on my lips. "Why should I introduce myself to the little lady who pointed a sword at me for looking at flowers? So unreasonable."

That about did it. One moment, she was staring at me from some 15 feet away. A split second later, the stone under her feet had been completely shattered by the force with which she kicked off of it, and she was right in my face, eyes shining with contempt and thrusting her sword toward my neck.

Oh, a kill shot — I'd pissed her off.

But…!

The sound of metal crashing against metal echoed around the place. In an instant, I parried her attack with my dagger from the left, pushing her sword away from me and opening her stance from an attack from that side.

She saw it, too; her eyes widened just slightly, and she started to shift her balance, jumping away from me to the right to compensate for any range I may try.

Too little, too late, though— My knee slammed violently against her ribs under the arm with which she held her sword, and I then extended my leg into a kick to push her away with smashing force!

To her credit, she took it well, crashing into the floor with outstretched hands to flex her elbows and stop the momentum, pushing herself up with a pirouette then to land on her feet in a ready stance. A small trickle of blood seeped out from her lips, but she wiped it away with the back of her free hand.

Her eyes were narrowed, now, both enraged and cautious. Pretty eyes, I thought. Intense and green. To answer her seriousness in kind, I casually drew my leg back and jumped back, holding my knife low in a mimicry of a relaxed stance.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, little lady."

"I'm taller than you!" She screamed back, irritated at that for some reason.

I blinked. Stared at her, then down at myself.

"So you are," I confirmed, a bit miffed. "But your brain? Pea-sized."

"Hrrh, you —" She paused, shook her head, silenced herself.

She didn't try to blitzkrieg me this time, though. She shifted her balance instead, focusing on me… and on the crowd around us. It was the nature of things that even in Erenen, where Nobility was majority, a good half of the crowd was cheering for me, the underdog striking back at arrogance.

I let my gaze wander back to the manor for a reason. Already some of the maids were starting to gather at the gates, intent on seeing what's happening. Louder, I thought to myself. Please louder. I'd love to take advantage of this situation, so please act as loudly as you can and draw out the big boar himself.

As for the little lady… honestly, I was actually kind of miffed that she'd pointed a sword at me. I had planned to initiate a fight, but that was a bit too easy. A noble throwing a temper tantrum — I'd seen it far too many times.

Time they were punished, for once. I mentally told Lurline to watch and learn.

This fight could kill me, theoretically speaking.

But it was okay; this was my first fight since my resurrection, and I was finding my body to be just as agile as it had been before I died, if not more. I was light on my feet and had keen instincts. I was no longer ill, and just as agile as I'd been in life.

She was still analyzing me. Thinking. Calculating. From our one exchange, she'd apparently caught on that she wouldn't be able to just blitz me.

Which, funnily enough, wasn't true. I had good instincts and was quick on my feet — but I wasn't built for strength or durability, ill or not. Parrying is one thing. But if she kept attacking me head-on, I'd eventually fall.

Of course, that is, I'd eventually fall if I was a dumb, proud noble who didn't use magic because my opponent didn't. Or, as I liked to call them, an idiot.

I pointed my outstretched gloved palm at her. Let my Mana Core flare up, crafting the Magic Circles in front of it.

"Aplis. Bultiņa. Samazināšanās. Atkārtošana. «Graveyard Arrow.»"

For you see, my dearest, Necromancy doesn't only concern itself with the reanimation of undead. Of course, that had been my biggest focus, my inspiration, my main objective and the source of most of my power… but the school of Necromancy was a school defined as 'That which studies the Opposite of Life'. Decay, Rot, Death and Undeath — those are all areas of the Necromancy School.

The 'Graveyard' line was the simplest line of Necromancy spells out there. Arrow, Bolt, Beam and Object were just the different ways you shaped the raw energy the spell put out, which would, when coming in contact with the skin, cause rapid necrosis.

A simple spell. But, if you remember it correctly, overpowering simple spells was about my specialty for the time being.

From the deep purple circles, the magical arrow exploded forward with a boom, spreading dust all around as it flew toward my opponent with explosive force —!

"Hyah!"

But she slashed it in half with her longsword at a moment's notice, the sword's edge splitting the threads of magic apart until the two halves flew harmlessly to either side. Then, pointing her own free hand toward me, she fired back with her own spell — 

"«Gaea Grasp»!"

Ah, fuck. I felt the earth under my feet rumble.

I instantly jumped up by exploding pure mana from the soles of my boots, boosting me as far up into the air as I could and just narrowly dodging the erupting wood tendrils that exploded from under my feet and whipped at me, each as thick as a whole tree and with enough force to crush my bones.

I hadn't jumped far enough up, but it was enough to not get ensnared; still, I had to kick off of one of the tendrils as it tried to slam into me, spinning vertically to then slash at another one while upside down —! 

Slash!

The thick wooden structure was cleanly split in two by the thin dagger which I held, much to the crowd's amusement. I completed the flip and got back vertically.

She may be arrogant, but she was a good mage, huh? Good to know. As my hair flowed with the dancing winds and I started to fall back down, I met eyes with Elizabeth from above — and, without delay, whipped my arm and —

"«Graveyard Arrow!»"

Fired another arrow of condensed decay toward her face. Setting up the repeating circle earlier was a good move; I didn't want to expose myself too much quite yet.

Elizabeth bent her knees, gritting her teeth, and leaped with the strength of a hundred horses toward me, already slashing her sword in a wide, calculated arc — This girl was really, really well trained! But, as she approached the arrow, I grinned manically… and snapped my fingers with a flare of extra mana.

Well-trained. But not enough.

"Boom."

Necromancy was my focus, my passion. I had mastered a school that most saw as evil or taboo like none others, and taken it to new heights in my short lifetime. Manipulating my own simple spells… was child's play.

The Arrow bubbled, and distorted, and contorted into itself. Now fundamentally unstable, the magic was unable to keep its proper shape and began to rapidly expand outwards in an attempt to stabilize itself.

The sound of the explosion that consumed us both would deafen anyone close enough to see it.