Dark Age Year 871
Twenty Third day of the Third month
In the woodlands. Climbing out of the massive dug-out pit that was surrounded by a magic circle filled to the brim with bones, blood, and loose bits of tissue was Tharos. As he emerged from the grave pit, his armour and clothing were dripping with blood, Standing in front of him to greet him was Rayner, next to the bodies of recently slain flesh golems that were guarding this ritual site. Rayner was pinching his nose. As Tharos approached him, Rayner spoke:
“How long do we have to search through more of these grave pits? The smell is going to kill me quicker than I kill people.”
“Oh, is the mighty Rayner afraid of getting his hands dirty?” he said in a mocking tone of voice. “And I told you, since we can’t find the necromancer hideout, we will track down the ritual sites where undead are being made,” he said, brushing off random bits of bone and meat from himself. “I am going to need to bathe after this.”
“And what good would that do?” Rayner asked, while he pinched his nose.
“Well, for example,” Tharos looked at the magic circle that made up this ritual site. “For starters, based on the simple script of that magic circle, we are most likely dealing with someone who has a good understanding of magical theory but is not a master of it. Based on the traces of mana I can feel, we are dealing with someone who has an average quality of magical energy. So, we are dealing with an average mage, which is useful information to know.” Tharos explained.
“So when do we go find and kill this bastard?”
“In due time, I suspect we will have a chance to strike when they attack the village again,” Rayner nodded with a smile. “Good, let’s hope they show up tonight; his axe is getting hungry,” Tharos looked to the side. “I hate to inform you, but that’s highly unlikely. If there is another attack, they will most likely be watching the battle from a safe distance. Let’s head back to the village. There is not much left we can find, and we need to prepare for the next attack.” Both of them headed back to the village.
After a several hour walk the village of Aurelia Silva came into view, both Tharos and Rayner was soon bombarded with the sickly sweet and smoky smell of human remains being burnt. No matter how many times he caught that scent, he didn’t think he would ever get used to it, no matter how long he lived. It was a smell that was paradoxically pleasant, but at the same time awful, as it was the smell of death. It signified that someone had left this world, that they had returned back to the Spiral, and that one day they would come back anew, not as they once were, but something new and hopefully better. Around the funeral pyre, many villagers were gathered in a semi-circle. Some of them were painted with sad expressions, tears streaming down their faces like droplets of spring rain, their crying forming a wailing chorus. It was a sombre sight, but it did not affect him, as much as it should have
Turning his head to Rayner, whose eyes were becoming more bloodshot and body more wolfish as the full moon approached. Tonight was the night of the full moon, and if there was another attack on the village, Rayner would have to stay back for his safety and for the villagers.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay tonight? Do you have a place you hide yourself away.” Tharos asked.
“I’m not a child, Tharos. I’d rather put my axe through that mage’s skull instead of hiding like a coward,” Rayner replied.
“I’d like that too, but we can’t have you lose control in the village. Even if you didn’t harm anyone, the people might turn against us, regardless.”
“There are welcome to try,” Rayner responded, cracking his knuckles and shifting his posture, with a creak of his bones. As they entered the village and headed to Nico’s home to clean up and report their findings, Tharos realised something was amiss. He couldn’t find Cenric anywhere, not since his presence when they went up to their room; some of Cenric’s belongings were missing. Tharos turned to Rayner, who was holding a large jug of apple cider. “Quick question, have you seen Cenric?”
“No, don’t tell me the runt got captured again,” Rayner said in an annoyed tone of voice. “Would this be what the third or forth time?”
“I don’t think so. It would be the second time.” Tharos corrected. “That business with the slave trader and the noble women doesn’t count,” Tharos said as he scanned the room. It seemed like Cenric had just taken some of his things and left.
“Maybe he got tired of your lectures,” Rayner said. “Perhaps, or maybe he went somewhere,” Tharos replied, looking at Cenric’s dented shield. “And where would he go? There’s nothing for miles.” It wasn’t until then that Tharos noticed a small farmstead in the distance outside the window. He turned to Rayner. “Do you think he went to check out that farm?” While he wanted to investigate the farm, he had more pressing concerns than an unsolved murder.
“If he did, I’m sure the kid could handle himself,” Rayner stated. “He did well last night.”
“True, but I wouldn’t want to take any chances. You stay here, and I’ll head to the farm to see if I can find him,” he said. Rayner set down the jug of cider he held and drank it in one large gulp. “We should go together; I don’t want to miss out on all the fun if the little runt is in danger,” replied Rayner. They left Nico’s house and were about to exit the village, making their way to the farm through the northern gate. As they did so, they noticed a moving golden patch from the treeline. It was Cenric, a little dirty with dust and a few scratches from trees and bushes. He waved to them as they approached. Tharos could see that Cenric looked happy, as if he had found something. His eyes sparkled with joy, there was a pep in his step, and a small smile graced his face. As Cenric got closer, Tharos could sense something magical in Cenric’s satchel
“Cenric, where have you been?” he asked. “I got bored with digging ditches, so I snuck out to check out the farm,” Cenric replied. Tharos gave a quick sigh. “I appreciate your initiative, but you shouldn’t go off by yourself, especially without telling us or with undead stalking about,” he said, crossing his arms in disapproval. Cenric looked down at the ground for a second. “I know, but I couldn’t sit around and do nothing. I wanted to help. I don’t know if these would be useful, but…” Tharos raised his hand, signalling him to stop before asking, “Alright, so what did you find, Cenric?”
Cenric nodded in response, “Yeah, I found a lot.” Tharos noticed Cenric reaching into his satchel and pulling out a few items, which he handed to Tharos: a few sheets of paper and a glass vial filled with silvery-blue liquid, one that Tharos could sense had been imbued with magical energy.
That vial looks familiar he thought to himself. Before he could examine it in greater detail, Cenric spoke up, “There is a mage’s study at the farm in the cellar, filled with books, scrolls, and magical stuff.” Before Cenric could continue, Tharos cut him off, “A mage’s study?” he said in surprise.
“Yeah, i think it belonged to Faustina. She and Ozias were living together.” Tharos saw Cenric’s pale face turn a slight shade of red. “They were even expecting a child…” Tharos, for a moment, wanted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming. A mage’s study was a treasure trove of knowledge, and to think this wellspring was only a few miles away. However, he would have to hold back his growing excitement, for there were more pressing concerns, and this new information was intriguing.
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, I almost got trapped in the house by some skeletons, but they didn’t see me, and I got away,” Rayner interjected with a snort. “Kid, you don’t to need to run from such weaklings.” Cenric responded. “There were a lot of them, and one of them looked really tough.” Tharos turned his head towards Rayner. “That is enough input from you for now,” turning his head back to Cenric. “You did well, go clean yourself and rest up.”
“Okay,” Cenric said, giving a quick nod and rushing back into the village. Tharos read through the few sheets of paper as he unscrewed the lid of the glass vial in his hand. One of the papers contained an alchemical formula for a potion, which was essentially a magical poison that could mimic the effects of a plague. In simpler terms, it would make someone appear as if they had contracted the plague while slowly killing them. Tharos cautiously sniffed the potion and was grateful for once he didn’t need to breathe or eat, as the smell was so repugnant that it almost made him nauseous. The foul odour could make one’s eyes water and the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end. Rayner, who was nearby, also recoiled and covered his nose.
“By the north, that smell,” Rayner exclaimed. Tharos quickly screwed the lid back on, and as he did, the smell started to dissipate. Tharos noticed there was something familiar about this smell. Although stronger, it was similar to the smell in the well. Tharos gave a small smile before turning to Rayner. “Do you know what this is.” holding up the vail to Rayner face
“Yah, something that smells worse than pig shit.” as he waved his hand.
“Close, but this is the poison that was used in those settlements.”
“And what good does that do?”
“Well, for starters, we might just have the location of the necromancer hideout” Rayner looked at him with a grin of wolfish excitement. “Why didn’t you say so? This is the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“I would agree, Cenric did a good job.” Quickly scanning the other sheet of paper that Cenric had handed him, Tharos discovered a detailed sketch of a young man and woman. The man appeared to be a farmer, likely Ozias. The woman, adorned in a fancy robe with glass vials incorporated into it, exuded beauty with her short, curly hair and slender, delicate frame that Tharos found somewhat captivating. Hastily reading through the letter, he was unfamiliar with the names Azure and the purple-eyed vampire mentioned in it. Turning to Rayner, he inquired, “Do any of these names ring a bell to you?” Rayner responded with a slight smile, “Never heard of them.” Tharos was now certain that he had not encountered Faustina in the village; a woman as stunning as her would have surely caught his attention. As he contemplated further, pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, leading him to formulate a theory about the unfolding events.
The timeline of events that he was envisioning in his mind suggested that Faustina was attacked by the necromancer, most likely to obtain her research in alchemy or perhaps even her equipment and supplies, with Ozias caught in the crossfire. Conflicts between mages were common occurrences, even in his time, often resulting in collateral damage. Sometimes these conflicts stemmed from personal grudges that escalated into full-scale confrontations, but most of the time they were related to matters such as magical research or territorial disputes. Mages, by their very nature, were often quite egotistical and prideful. Despite the empire having schools for magic and an organisation to govern and police mages, there was still a significant amount of infighting among various competing factions.
However, there was one piece of the puzzle that didn’t fit into this theory. Why did Nico lie to him? Could it be as simple as him not knowing the truth, or perhaps he lied to protect her existence? Regardless, it was a question that lingered in his mind, but now he had a lead. If that farm had a mage workshop and there were undead patrolling the area, that could only mean one thing: the necromancer’s base was located at the farm. It was close enough to the village for the necromancer to maintain a connection to their undead servants, yet far enough away to avoid any immediate danger.
“New plan: we head to this farm tonight. With any luck, the necromancer will be there, and we will be able to nip this issue in the bud.” Rayner responded with a wide grin. “That’s more like it.”
“Until then, you should rest up. It’s going to be another long night. I tell Nico what we have found out and what our next course of action will be.” Rayner nodded, turned his back to Tharos, and headed back to their room, while Tharos went to look for the village elder. After a few minutes, he found Nico and told him what they had discovered and what the next course of action would be. If he was right, there would be another attack, and these attacks would keep coming until this necromancer was stopped, here and now.
