Three dead people stood in the basement of the stone masons guild. A slain priest held a jar in its hands. In front of the dead man where its two younger siblings. A dead woman in a stained white dress. The other a dead man dressed as a stone mason.
"Siblings father has given us a great ingredient," declared scab holding the brain in a jar. "It is the job of us wights to build and control the lesser undead. It is also our responsibility to find new ways to kill the orange coats and the knights."
"What is so important about this brain?" asked Tragedy. "Why do I sense life from it?"
"The mind is trapped in a state of near death and should be able to teach the dead more complex tasks," explained Scab. "We can manipulate the unliving to do as we instruct but without our full attention, they are nothing but mouths and teeth. Unless the corpse had some technique was practiced heavily while alive."
"Useful muscle memory doesn't seem like something common," said Puss. "If the muscles are damaged in the fighting can we still use them?"
"No," declared Scab. "If a dead musketeer's arm is broken, we lose its speed and dexterity. Witch is why a mind that can store and give those memories to any corpse is so valuable."
"What memory is stored in this brain then?" asked Tragedy.
"That is the best part this mind is near blank," declared Scab. "Father had hoped to steel all that a craftsman new. He deemed this one a failure but in doing so he wiped it almost completely clean. It is sure to be a quick learner. Behold!!!"
Five dead men entered the room at Scabs command. Three wore the tattered remains of orange coats. The other two where dressed as stone masons. All the dead men had muskets shouldered.
Scab raised his hand and the dead men began to load the muskets. The dead orange coats loaded the muskets in seconds. Practiced hands loaded at the pace set by their former Sergeant. Or at least as fast as could be done with death stiffened limbs. One of the masons slowly loaded his gun while the last one stood unmoving in the room.
After a minute, the first mason had finished loading his musket. The wights stood around the squad of corpses.
"Yes, a clear difference," decided Tragedy. "You say that the brain can help?"
Scab had the dead solders fetch new unloaded muskets. As the dead men rearmed Scab drew a rune It had seen in one of its fathers' books onto the pot and then on the dead soldiers. Scab touched the runes with borrowed moonstones, and they began to glow. The dead orange coats began to load the new muskets with the same speed. After thirty seconds they where done. A rune was drawn on the second craftsmen and it began to load. The dead mason loaded with the same efficiency of its more professional counterparts.
"Amazing," declared Tragedy. "Could it learn an animals' movements."
"Or perhaps it could learn to move in a way not imagined before," declared pus.
"What do you mean?" asked Scab.
"Could we nit make some larger monstrosity and let the mind figure out how to move the new body?" asked Puss.
"Ah yes perhaps if we sowed a carriage out of bodies the mind could figure out how to move it for us."
"An interesting Idea I'm sure would terrify the orange coats," agreed Scab. "Let us set up lord brands diversion for today and then begin work on this new carriage."
"Lord Brands diversion?" asked Puss.
"We must create a large amount of walking corpses on the other side of the city," explained Scab. "It keeps that obnoxious Sun mage away from where we build our real forces."
"Yes, having a walking sun upstairs would be bad for us," Agreed Puss.
"I will show you the ropes tonight and tomorrow we will begin taking turns," declared Scab walking to the stairs. "Lets go raise the dead."