"Okay, seriously," Beatris asked, turning to Jax. "Who actually killed people here?"
Thalia and Selene walked past with yet another necromancer and their undead, guiding them toward the entrance.
Over the past two hours of their trip through the dungeon, they had come across six necromancers.
Not one of them had actually been evil.
The first had been a necromancer who left a sound bait for them and then tried to make them watch his dramatic entrance, despite the fact that Thalia had immediately called out where he actually was with her strings.
"Wait, hold on," he had protested. "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?"
So they ended up standing there while his undead started snapping their fingers and holding a beat.
Then he appeared in a flash, struck a pose, and was promptly walked to the door by Jax.
Jax had apparently asked around, and according to the necromancers they had found, there was really only one killer necromancer.
So they split up.
Everyone started grabbing people while Liora and Beatris were posted near the door.
From what Jax reported, the necromancer they were looking for was a woman named Lily, and she was the one who had killed the ten people in the report.
She had also dragged the bodies to the item room to use them for making more minions.
"Okay," Beatris said, turning to Liora, "but if it's, like, one girl, why don't we just sneak attack her?"
Liora sat with her on one of the benches that had not 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," Liora said. "But the problem lies in what she can do as a necromancer."
As she spoke, Liora grabbed the journal that had the class list from before and flipped it open for Beatris.
Before starting this quest, they had gone to the library to research necromancers. That, plus talking to people in town, had revealed quite a few classes from 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
4: Medic
5: ???
6: Thief
7: ???
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: Homunculus
10: ???
11: Mutant
Production
1: Blacksmith
2: ???
3: ???
4: ???
5: Leatherworker
6: ???
7: ???
8: ???
9: ???
10: Alchemist
11: ???
12: ???
13: Gardener
14: ???
15: Courier
Liora reached over and tapped the name Necromancer.
A system window appeared.
Necromancer
Class Type:
Control
Class Energy:
MP
Used in casting spells, as well as other skills and effects.
Miasma
Less a direct energy source and more a tolerance. Miasma allows necromancers to forge connections with the undead by keeping undead minions fresh.
Necromancers are mages who specialize in the undead, using their abilities to animate the dead in three general forms.
Skeletons
The offensive unit a necromancer can create.
They are deadly with weapons, but lack durability.
Zombies
The defensive unit a necromancer can create.
What they lack in offensive might, they make up for with durability.
Wraiths
The support unit a necromancer can create.
They often serve to enhance the abilities of another unit or the necromancer themselves.
Hidden Benefit:
Among the Dead
As beings tied closely to death, undead often do not start out hostile toward necromancers unless the necromancer is traveling with those the undead would be hostile toward, or unless the undead are provoked.
Hidden Flaw:
Miasmic Sensitivity
Due to their connection to the dead, necromancers who spend too much time around bodies may be overexposed to miasma and suffer side effects if the bodies are not purified or converted.
Fun Fact About Necromancers:
They must take time every day to infuse an amount of a minion's miasma into themselves.
This serves to both keep the minion in its current state of decay and tame the minion, as undead who accumulate too much natural miasma do not follow orders and are considered feral.
"Okay," Beatris said, turning to Liora, "and why are you showing me this?"
"Well, Beatris," Liora said. "I can call you Beatris, right?"
Beatris blinked.
"Well, Beatris, take a closer look at the fun fact part."
Beatris scanned the text.
Then she turned back and asked, "So what exactly about that stops us from just charging her?"
Liora sighed.
"Her minions aren't just gonna fall apart when she dies," Liora said. "So even if we get in and kill her quick, who knows how many undead she has under her control?"
Her expression tightened.
"Especially since she took all ten bodies of the people who died."
Beatris nodded at that, unsure of what to make of it.
Then Sera and Malt flew near her head.
"Uh, hey, Bea," Malt said, crossing his arms. "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."
Liora looked down at Beatris, clearly curious.
Beatris said, "Malt said something is happening with a lot of mana and bad magic."
Liora turned toward the door with worry on her face.
She began to open her mouth.
Then a strange pulse came from the door.
With it came the smell of rot and sickness.
Liora stepped back, clamping a hand over her mouth as her face turned queasy.
Beatris also felt like she wanted to throw up, but she had been around rotten meat enough times to hold it down.
"Uh, what in the hells?" Jax's voice called out. "Did one of you take a dump in a corner or something?"
Jax came bouncing in on three legs, one paw held over his nose as he tried to stifle the foul air.
Liora turned and ran toward him.
"Beatris's contractors are saying some bad magic is starting," Liora said. "Selene and the others are outside giving reports. I'll grab them. You and Beatris stall until I get back!"
Jax's expression hardened.
He ran over to where Beatris was.
The door itself was barred on the other side.
They knew that because they had given it a test push earlier.
Jax turned to Beatris.
His face shifted into something calmer.
Almost playful.
He gave a slight chuckle.
"Guess this will be your first big fight with us," he said. "Scared?"
Beatris raised an eyebrow.
"Of course," she said. "Should I not be?"
That seemed to give Jax pause for a moment.
"Fair enough," he said. "Most would lie and say they aren—"
Jax cut himself off.
For one silent second, his body went still.
Then he lunged toward Beatris.
Beatris jumped back, confused and alarmed.
As she did, she saw a massive fleshy hand come slamming through the wooden door as if it were made of paper.
It grabbed Jax from where he had been standing and whipped its arm around to catch him as he dodged.
The door shattered around him, leaving the left half practically hanging from its hinges.
A looming zombie with a mostly skeletal head stood inside, towering over them in black robes.
It held Jax by the neck.
Around the creature stood four other skeletons.
Three wielded swords.
One farther back held a bow.
The three skeletal swordsmen ran forward, all thrusting their blades at Jax as an arrow flew.
Despite the relentless assault, Jax channeled white ki armor around himself.
The attacks scratched and grated against the armor, but failed to pierce.
Beatris turned to the notification that popped up.
She had been told those were things to pay attention to from time to time.
Worry gripped her.
Despite blocking the attacks, it did not look 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.
It was almost designed like a child's bedroom, even including a box of toys in the corner.
On the other side of the room stood a shorter woman, maybe no older than fifteen 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 merely observing.
Lily's face split into a wide, crooked smile.
She let out a raspy giggle.
"PAPA! A PUPPY!" she cried. "Can we keep him?"
The massive skeleton turned to the girl and spoke in a voice too smooth for something so monstrous.
"Of course, dear," Papa said. "But you need to finish the ritual with your mother first."
Lily crossed her arms.
Her cheeks puffed out, and she stamped one foot.
"But that takes too long. I want the puppy now!"
The skeletal woman behind her floated up and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Dear," she said gently, "listen to your father."
The larger skeleton turned toward the shattered doorway.
Purple flames burned in its eye sockets.
"Tell you what," Papa said. "While you finish the ritual, I'll finish preparing the puppy."
His burning gaze shifted.
"And I'll even grab you a little white fox too. That way they'll both be ready when the ritual is."
Lily beamed.
Her smile grew even wider before she quickly turned back to finish the ritual.
Beatris, however, had other things to worry about.
Because despite Jax struggling to get free, almost his entire body fit in the rotten hands of the father-like figure.
And now every skeleton in the room was looking at her.