One of the most notorious threats that travelers can face are necromancers. Rogue necromancers, specifically. These outlaws are those who have found the way of a licensed necromancer to be too restrictive and set off to perform experiments on their own.
Normally, in places like Green Oasis or Mount Averus anyway, an aspiring practitioner of the Art of Death needs to make numerous vows. The most important of these is the vow to only use the bodies of those who gave their consent when alive. This, along with the total absence of ethical oversight, is why necromancers go rogue in the first place. It is also for similar reasons that mechamancers go rogue as well.
Like rogue mechamancers, rogue necromancers also have a tendency of dying due to an ill-advised, ill-conceived, or ill-executed experiment. As a word of warning to any aspiring necromancers, do not, ever, try to force a rage core into an undead all willy-nilly. Proper containment must be maintained or your experiment is just a rage Lich with extra steps.
-Follow the Tides, by Nathan Aster
*=====*
“So you didn’t,” Fara said, sighing. Walking over to Mori, she lifted the dirty blanket she was using as a cloak, revealing the mechanism she was wearing on her arm, “Hmm… It’s bulky, unwieldy, and is obviously a first creation. But this isn’t too bad for a first. I mean, who would think to slap a Clockwork gatling gun on an arm guard as-is? And is that an entire Clockwork Scout hand? Why…?” she rattled off, Mori seemingly shrinking with every comment.
“Hey… It’s the best I could do…” she defended, “Besides, I did all I could in an afternoon.”
Fara raised an eyebrow to her comment, “You didn’t even test it? Eh, makes sense. Anyway, for future reference, there’s something you need to know about Clocksteel and anything else from a Clockwork: it is contaminated by the Devil of the Clock,” she stated.
Mori tried her best to look confused and looked at the large contraption on her arm, “I don’t know what that is. Also, what do you mean by 'contaminated?’ This stuff looks fine enough to me,” she remarked.
“The Devil of the Clock,” Fara began, “Is the creator and master of the Clockworks. She placed them on Granulous to eradicate every sentient being in this world. In response, the Two Creators forged the system out of their blood and mana, giving us the power to fight back. Or so they say. Others say it was the opposite, that the system is what brought the Clockworks here.
“Anyway, the point is that humans and whatever was derived from them began to use the metal obtained from the Clockworks in… well, whatever they could. They learned the hard way that, normally, clocksteel is ‘synchronized’ with the Clockworks. That meant that the metal could be influenced by the Devil of the Clock; breaking at inopportune times, revealing your location to them, that sort of thing.
“Seeing this, a new Trait was added to the system: the Purifying… whatever it is. Personally, I can use my hand to purify whatever I touch when I put mana into it. So just give me a second, and I can purify this stuff for you,” Fara touched the metal softly, wiping away some sand that had gotten on one of the gears. Suddenly, a soft, red glow flowed from her hand and into the metal. As the glow continued, Mori noticed how the metal became lighter, and less cumbersome. Once finished, Fara smiled and examined the device once more, “Yep, definitely a first time creation,” she mumbled. At that moment, Molly walked over and looked at the device as well.
Examining every part of the creation, including the power cell hanging in Mori’s ribcage, she began to grumble, “I never get any of this stuff… the only thing I understand is the runic aspects. Hey, Fara, why don’t you two see if you can improve anything?”
The woman looked at her mother for a second before sighing, “I’m tired after outrunning a Headhunter squadron. Besides, Mori has to agree beforehand… Hmm… Mori, do you want to tinker with it tomorrow? Or do you want to move on?” she asked.
The small flames in Mori’s eyes flared for a moment and she chuckled, “I’d love to. Besides, you did save my life. Uh… second life,” she corrected with a laugh, “Anyway, don’t you think you should eat? It’s been sitting there for a while, so it might be cold.”
Mori’s mention of the food snapped Molly out of her interest in the Lich and back to the food, “Ah! You’re right! Alright, I'm going to reheat it; do you want any, Mori? Actually, can you even eat it?”
Shaking her head, she refused, “Sorry, I can’t. I eat mana for my core. I’ll let you look at it later, alright?” Her preemptive agreement to Molly’s desire earned a happy hug from the woman before she went to tend to the food. “For now, I’m going to go my system; there were some notifications during my fight,”
“Alright, We’ll eat while you do that,” Fara said, gathering utensils for the two humans to eat.
“Be sure to tell me if anything interesting comes up!” Molly called.
“I will,” Mori agreed as she opened the system messages.
[You have created a basic undead from your natural death mana. Experience has been awarded.]
[You have created a basic undead from your natural death mana. Experience has been awarded.]
[You have created a basic undead from your natural death mana. Experience has been awarded.]
[...]
[You have reached level 3. One physical Trait slot and one spiritual Trait slot has been unlocked.]
[You have created a basic undead from your natural death mana. Experience has been awarded.]
[You have created a minion. The Minion Page has been unlocked.]
Seeing the last message, Mori became curious and tried to inspect the Minion Page text. Fortunately, it worked.
[Minion Page: Allows for you to manage any intelligent and unintelligent minions. Allows for you to choose your minions’ Traits as they level up, name them in the eyes of the system, share experience, and remove them from your control.]
‘Oh? That looks quite useful,’ Mori thought, ‘In that case… I could do a lot. If I can choose a minion’s Traits, what would happen if I raised a high leveled creature? Would the Traits already on the body be counted? Maybe I can ask if there are any necromancer colleges. First, though, I need to look at this Minion Page.’ Mori nodded to herself and thought about the new feature. The system responded, showing the new box.
[Minion Page:
Current Minions: 0
Former Minions: 46]
She nodded to herself, finding no fault in the numbers. She eyed the Former Minions line and tried to inspect it. Another box came up, covering the first.
[Former Minions: 46
Former Minion Types: 3
Former Named Minions: 0]
She wasted no time in examining the Minion Types.
[Former Minion Types: 3
Minion Type 1: Undead Clockwork Scout
Minion Type 2: Raised Metallic Scrapheap
Minion Type 3: Undead Metallic Monstrosity]
‘What kind of thing did I accidentally create to be named a “monstrosity”? Which one of those serpents qualified? Wait… now that I think about it… Nah, I’ll have to ask her about it later. For now though, let’s see what these things are…’
[Undead Clockwork Scout: An undead automaton created through a Bargain Lich’s power. All connection to its former master severed, it will serve the Bargain Lich who raised it with the same energy that it served in life. Like all undead, it requires occasional mana to fuel its soul.]
[Raised Metallic Scrap-heap: A pseudo-undead created through a Bargain Lich’s power and the combination of many automaton husks. Similarly to Flesh-heaps, it can consume scrap metal to grow or repair itself. Weak in physical power, it's only upside is that it is relatively difficult to kill. Like all undead, it requires occasional mana to fuel its soul.]
[Undead Metallic Monstrosity: A large undead automaton created through a bargain Lich’s power. Using parts from many scrapped automata, a large husk is repaired to the point that it has regained minor function. Due to inconsistencies, it is possible for the undead to die immediately after reanimating. Like all undead, it requires occasional mana to fuel its soul.]
Reading over the options, Mori took no notice of the two women stealing glances at her, ‘So raising machines is unique to me then,’ she thought, ‘That’s a leg up for me then. But, there are still some things I need to test. First of all, what determines a Metallic Monstrosity’s survival or death? What happens when I, say, stitch two automatons together? Either way, I won’t be able to play around with all of this until I get more parts. For now, let’s pick my next Traits.’ With that, she closed the Minion Page and opened her Status Page.
Looking through her available physical Traits first, she immediately noticed there being many more Traits available than before. Traits such as [Cut-resistant Bones] or [Aerodynamic Skeleton] were some of the more mundane options, with odd choices like [Bendable Bones] appearing every now and then. Looking through, Mori sighed and looked up at Fara and Molly, “Can you help me? I leveled up and I don’t know what Traits I should get. Can you help me?” she asked.
Fara seemed put off, but Molly looked ecstatic, “Ah! Yes! Of course! So, do you want to be able to do something new, or do something better? Or do you even want to begin the journey to a specific Trait Tree?”
Mori tried to speak, but came up short, after a few moments, she finally spoke, “Umm… What's a Trait Tree?” she asked shyly.
“Oh yeah,” Molly said, “You don’t have any system knowledge. Alright, so a Trait Tree is when you get a Trait that can be upgraded and becomes more powerful with every new Trait. For example, a very commonly taken Trait Tree is the [Mana Storage Organ] Trait. In the beginning, it does what it says it does: store mana. Eventually, however, you can make it store a certain type of mana, or be able to cast spells directly from the organ or- look, you get the point. Know, however, that not everything is suited for you specifically. Actually, do you have any other Traits that can be upgraded?” she asked curiously.
Mori reluctantly nodded, reading her Status Page, “I do. It’s called [Minute Skeletal Manipulation]. It can be upgraded, but it says that I can only upgrade it once, specializing it.”
Molly smiled and clapped her hands together, “Ah! That’s good! The turning point in a Trait Tree is when you can specialize it. I honestly don’t know what you will use it for, but the sky’s the limit with the system. Anything else, dear?”
Mori nodded, “Yeah, is there a way to filter the Traits? I have a lot available.”
“Well well,” Molly said with a teasing grin, “You’re already at that point… Yes, there is a way. Just make your intentions clear to the system, and it will do the rest.”
Mori nodded and tried just that. Looking over her physical Traits list, she tried to will it to show her only the upgrades of [Minute Skeletal Manipulation]. The other Traits seemed to fade into the background, leaving only three. She inspected them immediately
[Fluid Skeletal Manipulation: You may now alter your skeleton to a moderate degree. Additions of Trait-like parts do not count as a Trait. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]
[Qualitative Skeletal Manipulation: You may change the properties of your skeleton and minutely change its form. Parts removed from your main body become dust. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]
[Mechanical Skeletal Manipulation: You may minutely alter aspects of your body integrated through [Mechanical Integration]. May be upgraded by using another Trait slot.]
Mori almost instantly knew which Trait she would pick and chose [Mechanical Skeletal Manipulation]. Similarly to her first time picking Traits, her skeleton felt like it was being pricked by a thousand needles. It was barely a bother to her, however, and soon new microscopic etchings appeared on her skeleton.
Without taking a moment to rest, she opened her available spiritual Traits, she found another long list of Traits. She was about to pick [Mechanical Affinity II], the upgraded version of [Mechanical Affinity], but thought about her fighting style. So far, every Trait she had taken has been entirely focused on machines and their integration in her body. ‘But that means that all of my strength will rest on the back of my tools. That is probably a terrible idea. With that in mind, I know what can give me an inalienable edge,’ she chuckled to herself.
[Multi-sigil Casting: You may now use Sigil magic, the art of casting complex spells with infinite possibilities. You may use air or a material as a base for your Sigils, with differing benefits with each choice.]
She already disregarded it earlier, but she had a feeling that it was much more useful than she currently knew. After picking the Trait, she settled into the pricking sensation of her soul, the minor pain stopping after a few minutes. Once finished, she took a look at her Status Page.
[Name: Mori Athanatos
Species: Lich
Variant: Bargain Lich*
Level: 3(1%)
Traits:
Physical: (Mechanical Integration), (Mechanical Skeletal Manipulation)
Spiritual: (Multi-rune Casting), (Mechanical Affinity), (Multi-sigil Casting)
Granted Traits: (Universal Soul Language), (Adaptive Physiology)]
