Kai’s eyes narrowed in concentration as he looked at the book in his hand. He cautiously flipped open the cover, and a faint scent of aged paper tickled his nose. The yellow papers had his sole attention.

He turned pages one after the other. He couldn’t help but be absorbed in the letters, lines and curves that were inside it.

It was written in Manakrit, a language often used for magical art. Kai had read books in it all his life and although the ones here had words and sentences that he was unfamiliar with, he had adapted.

“What is it, Lord Arzan?” Francis questioned curiously, breaking his focus.

“Well…” Kai started but his eyes were glued on the books.

A moment of silence passed as Kai kept reading as much as he could.

He saw Francis leaving the question behind and bending down to look at the other belongings of the necromancer.

The first few pages were detailed sketches of various golem designs. Their forms ranged from hulking and imposing to sleek and agile.

There were ones made from clay, wood, and metal and one small drawing of what looked like a golem that seemed to have been scribbled as a pastime.

As he turned the pages, his heart skipped a beat.

Among the diagrams were handwritten notes, the ink a faded brown, hinting at years of study.

Most of the notes were in Manakrit, but from time to time, there were languages like Elfham, an ancient language of the elves that human scholars would sometimes learn the basics of.

There were also different handwritings, meaning that it had been passed down a lot.

This must be quite old.

With just one look, he could say that the notes spoke of different materials— enchanted metals, infused clays, and even rare, alchemically treated wood— each possessing unique properties that imbued the finished golem with specific strengths and weaknesses.

The written material made his eyebrows knit together. There was considerable detail and dedication that was put into explaining everything.

Hmm.

His fingertip halted in between pages. Besides the words that were written in Manakrit, there were some scribbled notes in the common tongue that he assumed came from the necromancer.

Kai squinted his eyes trying to look at them closely, but the dim light made it harder for him to focus on the insides.

He closed the book gently. It didn’t seem like a mere reference book on golems. It was a personal journal passed down to a lot of people, including the necromancer. The notes and the creases that were in the book were evidence of how long the journey of the journal had been.

On the other hand, golemancy itself was a rare and misunderstood school of magic.

Unlike necromancy, which manipulated the deceased, golemancy focused on the creation of sentient constructs. It was an art steeped in history, practised by ancient civilizations who used golems for construction, defence and even companionship.

Kai vaguely remembered the rumours passed in whispers, of a kingdom far to the east ruled by a powerful mage who employed an army of golems. He didn't know if it was true, or if it even existed in the current era, but it was a famous story to tell whenever golemancy would come up.

However, the art had faded into obscurity by the time he had begun his magic training.

But, how did this book end up in the possession of a necromancer?

He finally glanced at Francis, his voice layered with surprise.

“Francis,” he inquired gaining his attention from where he was staring at the staff, “was there any indication that the necromancer practised… golemancy?”

The latter stood up from the crouched position and stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Yes, Lord Arzan,” his eyes widened. “I remember several notations like that in the report sent by the Blackwood Duchy. He had it as one of his magical arts.” He paused for a moment. Before Kai could say anything he continued. “From what I gathered, his knowledge of golemancy was what allowed him to grasp the fundamentals of necromancy quicker than most. It is quite sad if you ask me. He was a Mage, someone countless people would do anything to be in his shoes, but he threw it away.”

Francis said, heaving a sigh in the end.

Although Kai agreed with his sentiments, his attention was on something else. Looking down, he dusted off the book.

The necromancer learnt the basic necromancy through golemancy. That’s interesting.

A wave of realisation washed over Kai.

He guessed that the necromancer tried to master golemancy and since both magical arts overlapped on controlling other beings, no matter how different they were, he was able to master necromancy easily.

With golems, he must have been working on his enchantment skills since those two gelled well together.

It explained certain things about his fighting style and as Kai made more conjuntions about the necromancer, Francis took his attention.

“If you want more details, I can request from the Duchy, My Lord. They would be happy to provide us with more information,” he said while looking at Kai and searching for an answer in his facial expressions.

Kai shook his head. “I will let you know if I need them.” He lifted the book that was in his hand. “I’ll take a good look at this book, Francis.” He pointed at the rest. “But these… They need to be purged immediately. Burn them, every last one of them.”

Francis scrunched up his nose. “I agree, Lord Arzan. They reek of something disgusting. I will burn them right now,” he said and nodded.

Kai understood that he was referring to the scent of the necromancer's cave that was still in the air that was on his belongings.

It was indeed disgusting.

***

The flickering flame of a single candle emitted dancing shadows on Kai’s face as he sat hunched over his desk.

His face was close to the book as he tried to take a look at the patterns and designs that were etched on the cover of the book. The scent of the aged pages mixed with dust hit his nostrils.

Although he took a glance at the book when he was with Francis, he wanted to go deeper into it. The subject interested him for several reasons.

Without thinking further, he opened it.

He traced his finger across the diagrams he first saw that depicted figures of clay, stone, cloth, and metal. Besides the diagram, the descriptions of them were explained in Manakrit language.

Kai paused for a moment and started reading them.

In the initial pages, there were a few details on golemancy. The details included the materials that could be used and in which ways.

It was a basic introduction telling the reader about how to go on with selecting the right materials for the golem.

Something caught his eye as he continued reading.

It was mentioned that depending on the materials and enchantments, different powers could be manipulated. But the heart of every golem, the text mentioned, lay within the core.

This wasn’t a singular object, but it was rather crafted by fusing alchemical concoctions and materials harvested from vanquished monsters.

I have only seen one golem core before and it barely functioned.

Kai thought back to the time he had been in an artificial dungeon where he had found a room with golems in it. They weren't operative and most of them were in bad shape. There, he had seen the core of it, but it wasn't in a shape to be studied.

He turned the page and saw a pulsating, red orb labelled “Dungeon Core.” The text explained that these rare cores could act as an alternative to the standard golem core, granting the construct life force and even a rudimentary form of sentience.

A shiver ran down his spine as he read it. Looking back, he saw the window open and closed with an easy-to-do wind spell.

His eyes fell on a scrawled note in the margin of the page. The ink was a darker shade than the rest of the text. The handwriting seemed like someone had been in a hurry.

Too expensive.

The note read. It was written after circling one of the few materials that was needed to craft one of the golem designs. Nevertheless, the two words had been underlined several times for emphasis.

On the next page, there were other freshly-inked words.

Materials alone cost a fortune, even with bartering with those damned dwarves. Enchantments getting better, but the coin purse is running dry faster than my patience.

Kai frowned, and a jolt of understanding shot through him.

It seemed like the necromancer liked to write down his thoughts and struggles while going through the book. It was not just a book on golemancy, but also a personal journal for him.

Though, he had to say that his handwriting was bad.

They were cursive and the letters barely connected their lines and curves properly. It looked like he had been writing in frustration and didn't even bother properly scribbling a few words.

Kai placed his finger under the notes, reading them once again. Quickly, he started turning pages to find if there were more notes.

Like he thought, there were a few other notes in different places as he read through.

The man had known the art of golem, maybe even had the ambition to master golemancy. But the cost of materials, and limitations of the resources he had led him to another path.

He must have wanted to take revenge, but golems were too expensive. Unlike them, the undead could be raised easily from a cemetery.

He didn’t need coins, nor rare metals or build up a space to do golemancy experiments.

Kai flipped back a few pages, his eyes landing on the section detailing dungeon cores.

Another note filled the margin. The letters were written in a bolder hand.

Dungeon core! Answer to everything! Power, life force, minimal cost! Just need to… experiment.

Kai sighed.

The necromancer was desperate… and needy. The details and the necromancer’s scribbles implanted in his mind— the high cost of the materials, the limitations of traditional magic.

He let out a humourless chuckle.

Even if the necromancer was desperate, he had taken up getting corrupted and turned into a lich rather than being an honourable Mage. In the end, it had cost him his life.

In a way, the necromancer wouldn’t have been the first, nor the last to be lured by dark magic just out of sheer desperation.

But the pages felt extremely interesting. The way the details were described to the way even little details mattered— it was all fascinating. Apart from the details on the golemancy, taking a peek into the necromancer’s mind was also intriguing.

Maybe… trying golem wouldn’t be impossible. Kai suddenly thought. The book, the notes— they were all too tempting.

In his past life, he had taken alchemy as a primary magical art, and only took a basic interest in the other types of arts that his master and other Mages taught around the Sorcerer's Tower.

Alchemy had its perks that Kai was drawn to— the resourcefulness, the experimentation including many other aspects made him master alchemy with need.

But he had always been interested in building things.

His eyes fell back on the book. He traced the diagrams of the simpler golems. the hulking stone brute, the nimble wooden scout – the possibilities swirled in his mind.

A major reason the necromancer wasn't able to build golems was the cost and wanted to get dungeon cores to facilitate it, but going into a dungeon was dangerous. He was desperate.

But Kai wasn't a desperate man. He, however, understood alchemy, a discipline built on meticulous control and precise calculations.

He also had access to a noble's resources, a luxury the necromancer hadn't. The sheer allure of golemancy and its potential tugged at him with an irresistible force.

A mischievous grin spread across his face. If he were to take this path, it wouldn’t be easy. It would need meticulous planning, a fusion of his alchemical expertise and a lot of help from the book he found. The rewards though— he could make groundbreaking discoveries.

The smile on his face faded as he remembered he still had other stuff on his agenda. The girl they rescued, recruiting more people, and even the castle affairs.

They all required his attendance.

But mastering a useful art wouldn’t do any harm. I can try making some basic models that are in here and see where it goes.

He closed the book with a thoughtful thump. He stood up and walked to his bed, all the while thinking about golems.