Rainfall Forest, Necromancer's Underground Lair.
There were torches lined across every wall in the vast underground cavern, bathing the rocks and stalactites in a ghoulish green glow. There were various channels in the cavern, leading to different parts underground. Some were lit with Necro-Flame, others were so dark walking in them could drive one insane. But in most of the dark spaces, there were tiny green lights, twinkling like fireflies, but were immobile. Their collective lights allowed one to vaguely see the outline of the undead gathered in them.
Occasionally, there would be Necromancers arriving and leaving, they'd take small groups of undead with them and return with twice the amount. From humans to animals, to all sorts of magical beasts, the underground lair would be a trove for researchers who were brave enough to enter, as long as they were ready to forfeit their lives as well.
The Necromancers that came in arranged their undead in a rather neat fashion, the undead were packed in a square formation, their bones clacked and rattled as they followed their leaders. Traffics were occasionally occurring, and the undead of different necromancers would mix together and the necromancers have to slowly use meticulous magic control to untangle them.
There were undead moving rocks and mining for scarce magic crystals under the watch and control of necromancers, the whole underground space looked like a haunted community.
Suddenly, a large group of undead rushed through the open space, three necromancers rode skeleton horses in the front while a large group of undead ran after them. The speed at which they were going created a massive disorientation, but while being mildly annoyed the other necromancers didn't stop them nor demanded explanations, because although there were three necromancers on skeleton horses, one had to be tied down to keep them from falling. With their affinities towards death, the other necromancers could feel the life slowly ebbing away from their constricted companion.
The other two gave a silent command to the undead following them, ordering them to store themselves, then continued on hastily into the innermost part of the lair.
After riding for a while they reached a blockage of some sort, a bone wall three meters high stood between them and their destination. They halted their horses when they got close to the wall, even though they could open up a passage in the bone wall they didn't have the authority.
One of the necromancers raised their hand and summoned a green flame before sending at the bone wall, the flame quickly spread across the entire wall. The bone wall didn't burn, instead it shook slightly, the bones clacked and rattled loudly, announcing their presence for those on the other side.
The necromancer repeated this three times before stopping, they seemed indifferent and calm, their hoods made it impossible for their emotions to be discerned, but their tight grip on the reins of their skeleton horse betrayed their anxiousness.
A few moments later, a small part of the bone wall trembled then separated, making an opening big enough for a carriage to pass through. But even with a passage open the necromancers didn't move from their spots, they waited until a man slowly walked out of the opening. The man was dressed in a simple black robe just like the rest of the necromancers, but he didn't cover his face with a hood but rather exposed his dark skin.
''Greetings, Gatekeeper.'' The conscious necromancers said respectfully.
The Gatekeeper stared at them emotionlessly – his eyes lingering on the unconscious necromancer for a few seconds before speaking, ''Welcome back, you have undoubtedly contributed to the cause. But you are one month behind schedule, care to explain why, Lamia?"
The necromancer in front removed her hood, revealing a somewhat youthful face, she would have been considered a beauty if it weren't for the numerous scars on her face, "Of course, Gatekeeper, I know we must have delayed the schedule a bit, but as you can see, one of my companions has been inflicted with a deadly poison that is slowly corroding his insides. Because of that the both of us had to take control of his batch of undead, which made the journey a bit arduous and slow, considering the fact that we had to hide from the public eye.''
The necromancer Lamia exhibited respect as she spoke, she didn't act otherwise. Although there wasn't a hierarchy amongst the necromancers there were some individuals who were tasked with keeping order, they not only had stronger spells and higher clearances but were also in possession of the dreadful Greater Undead.
The Gatekeeper was one of said individuals, the Bone Wall was his creation, and he had a deadly Undead Knight in his possession.
"How did he get poisoned? Did he touch some sort of deadly flower?" The Gatekeeper asked, "but even then, we necromancers are highly resistant to poison…''
"No, sir. We were attacked."
The Gatekeeper's eyebrows rose in surprise, before furrowing, ''Follow me.'' He walked away quickly, forcing them to rush after him. They had to leave their skeleton horses on the other side of the bone wall, keeping only the one the unconscious necromancer was on. As they walked by, they caught a glimpse of a hulking figure standing motionlessly beside the bone wall, most of it's skeletal figure was covered with heavy armor, two green flames could be seen burning in its helmet.
The necromancers shuddered and looked away, the pressure the Greater Undead created was stifling.
The inner part of the vast cave was just as hectic as the outer, the only difference was the amount of undead, and the fact that there were only Greater Undead past the bone wall. There were little to no necromancers around, but the Greater Undead carried out their orders very efficiently. They moved just like living beings.
The ground rumbled slightly as a three-foot-tall skeleton of what looked like a bear walked out of a wide tunnel, Lamia and her compatriots stiffened when it passed by them, the necromancer riding on top of it glanced at them briefly but didn't say anything. Lamia and her companions shuffled closer to the Gatekeeper and tried to ignore the quelling aura that surrounding them.
As they walked deeper, they could see a dull green glow that got brighter the closer they got to it, and the undead went from scarce to completely empty. Soon, they reached the end of the lair, where a man was sitting cross-legged in front of a pool of glowing green miasma.
"Greetings, Enactor." The Gatekeeper said with a bow.
Lamia and the other necromancer followed suit, for they were facing Logan, the Enactor, the first necromancer.
Logan shifted his body to look at them, and then they were faced by a corpse. With sunken bones, pale skin and a paralyzed face, he looked no different from a cadaver. He was wearing a long coat with a hood just like every necromancer and trousers, he did not wear a shirt though, Lamia and the others could see his protruding collar bones from where they stood.
"What is it?" He spoke, his voice as rough as sandpaper.
The Gatekeeper stepped forward, "Sorry for the disturbance, Enactor, but I've brought some disturbing news.''
Logan didn't say anything but just kept staring at him, the Gatekeeper seemed to take that as a go-ahead and continued speaking, "These necromancers were delayed from supplying their batch of undead because they were attacked," he said, a bit gravely, ''attacked by someone who was able to override the necromancers poison resistance."
Logan stared at Lamia and she jolted a bit before speaking, although she couldn't quite figure out what was so serious about the matter, "Yes sir, we were in the process of harvesting bodies in a small town near the Green Turtle Duchy when we were suddenly attacked, which was weird because we casted the Sleep Spell beforehand…"
"What? The Sleep Spell did not work on them?"
Lamia didn't mind the Gatekeeper's interruption and nodded, "Yes, and they attacked us right before the start of the harvesting, it was almost like...''
"…Almost like they were there just for you." The Gatekeeper completed, "Were they lying in wait, or had they been following you? Hmm…" he mused.
Lamia shrugged, she too couldn't understand anything about the attack. She was about to speak when Logan's raspy voice sounded.
"Did you kill them?"
Lamia's mind blanked out for a second from the question, "We destroyed the town and brought back every dead body… as for the attackers… I… uh… I don't think so.''
As she was talking, she began to realize the gravity of the matter. As a rule, necromancers don't leave a single person alive when harvesting, since the person could spread out news about them. And the people who fought them seemed… powerful, if they were a part of an organization then –
Lamia gasped, she finally realized their blunder. She glanced at the Gatekeeper and Logan, they were both thinking deeply, although it was evident on the Gatekeeper's face.
A few seconds of contemplative silence passed before Logan finally spoke, "Usman, summon everyone."
The Gatekeeper nodded before leaving, taking Lamia and the other necromancer along, but leaving the poisoned one behind. Logan didn't even glance at him, he silently turned back to miasma pool and sat unnaturally still. His glowed green as he channeled his magic, then he began murmuring a long incantation. At first, nothing changed, but then the miasma began churning violently.
Logan's body shook as he tried his best not to lose the connection, when it's stability was ensured he began the process of the next step. He divided his concentration into two places, he reached into his soul and dug out a large piece of it.
Logan groaned in pain, his body turned cold and he trembled uncontrollably, sweat rolled from his forehead and unto his eyelashes. But he didn't stop, he couldn't afford to. This was the most crucial part, if he could complete it the next step would be success.
A formless energy floated out of his body and slowly dropped into the miasma, as the owner of the soul he could feel it connect to a foreign body, then the churning miasma went still. Logan could feel a presence in the miasma, a presence connected to him. A trace of a smile appeared on his face and the glow of his irises dimmed, he had succeeded.
Footsteps sounded behind him, Logan turned his tired head to see a woman walking towards him. The woman was beautiful, with luscious brown hair and a healthy, plump body covered with a dark purple dress. But the beauty of the woman was overshadowed by the monster that floated behind her.
It was called a Shrieker, and it was a Greater Undead. The Shrieker was the most twisted version of undead ever made, because a necromancer had to begin the transformation process while the person was still alive. That way, they would be able to trap the lingering soul in its skeletal form. The Shrieker was an uncanny existence, it was just a skeleton, but its body stopped at the torso, its finger bones had elongated into long, lethal claws, and its jaw was completely open, making it look like it was constantly silently crying out in pain.
The Shrieker had a light blue, semi-transparent energy around it that keeps it afloat. It only had one ability called Soul Rendering, it was able to use it shrieks to directly attack the soul. It was resistant to physical attacks and possessed great regenerative properties, it was a perfect killing machine.
But there was only one of it in the whole undead army, and it owned and created by the woman.
The woman smiled cheerily as she watched Logan, ''Do you need my help?" she jutted her chin towards the miasma pool.
''No.'' Logan turned back to the pool.
"Are you sure? I am the one who taught you how to make greater undead after all, I can help you speed up the process – "
"I don't need your assistance, Belinda." Logan turned his head to glare at her.
Belinda pouted and gave him a faux glare, "You're still treating me like this, after everything I have done for you. I even stayed here just to help you – "
"You stayed here because people aren't fond of witches, Logan interrupted her, "You are here because there is no nowhere else for you to go."
Belinda kept quiet after that, and even though Logan's back was to her he knew that she would currently be staring darkly at him. When he first met Belinda he had already began amassing undead while she had just been kicked out of her coven. She stayed with him for two things, revenge and power. But even after helping him tremendously, Logan didn't trust her, and he never will.
More footsteps could be heard after their exchange, Belinda snorted before walking to the side and leaning on the cave wall, her Shrieker following her like a ghost. Logan stood up and faced the arriving necromancers, he remained quiet until everyone of them had gathered in front of him.
Soon, every necromancer had gathered, and silence reigned over the area. But the feeling of anticipation hung heavy in the air, with the fidgeting feet are the deep breathing, it was very clear that they were all anxious to hear the announcement.
Logan kept quit for a few more seconds before speaking, "It is time."
Those three words created an electrifying feeling in everyone's chests, their breathing got more rapid and their eyes were shining with excitement.
Logan waited for a few more seconds before continuing, this time with more resolve in his voice, "Yes, the time we've been waiting for is near. After months of waiting, and planning, and amassing strength, it is finally time for us to launch our attack on the people who wronged us."
As he spoke, the miasma began rising. Something was coming out of it.
"After waiting for so long, it is time to fulfill the goals we set," a large skeletal structure rose slowly behind him, "be it revenge or power, we will seize it!" The skeleton stretched itself wide, flinging the miasma on its body to the side.
The necromancers gasped and retreated involuntarily, they couldn't be blamed for their fear and cowardice though, after all, this was their first time seeing a dragon, albeit a skeleton one. Belinda clenched her fists as she glared at Logan from the back, she could see her plans to usurp shattering to a million pieces with the appearance of the Skeleton Dragon.
A green flame bloomed in the ribcage of the Skeleton Dragon, then spread throughout its entire body, making it looks like it had been set ablaze. The flame formed wings on its body, and as it flapped them they created strong gusts winds. Although it couldn't roar because it was just bone, it looked domineering nonetheless.
''We will create a place for us in this kingdom, a place where we rule!"
…
After issuing commands and setting up a date for the upcoming assaults, Logan retreated back to his living space. He didn't need to give a speech to boost the necromancers morale, they all knew what they were here for and there was no time to waste, some people had already left the lair and are traveling through the chain of underground tunnels that lead to almost everywhere in the Dragonstone Kingdom.
The underground tunnels were really a blessing for them, they were created by a civilization not inferior to the Dragonstone Kingdom, and they – if the books were correct – predate the entire kingdom. But almost all of the Under-Dwellers had gone extinct, with the exception of Mole People and some other insignificant beings.
And with the tunnels they left behind, the necromancers would be able to attack the kingdom from multiple sides.
Logan's living space was deep and divided into two, the first side was where he slept and ate, in the second side however, he kept a secret. His living space was divided by a huge boulder, and next the boulder were five skeletons. With a thought, he commanded the skeletons to move the boulder to the side, the skeletons all moved to a side of the boulder and pushed it as hard as their bones would allow.
Slowly, the boulder was pushed aside, revealing a hole wide enough for two people to pass through side by side. Logan conjured a flame and entered the dark space.
The Necro-Flame illuminated the stark darkness, shining light on a pregnant woman who sat on a wooden chair. At first glance, the woman didn't look different from any other person, but with a closer look her rotten skin would become more visible, the pregnant woman was actually a High Undead named a Zombie.
Zombies were named High Undead because unlike the normal skeletons, it had muscles on top of its bones, add that with its never-ending stamina and the undead capability to ignore most fatal attacks, they weren't easy to bring down. But the thing that made it deserve the name 'High Undead' was a very interesting fact – it still had a brain.
Different from the other undead, the Zombies held a spark of intelligence after the transformation process, giving them basic familiarizing capabilities. They could also know the position of things through sound which could be both helpful and inconvenient since that also means that they could easily be tricked.
All in all, they were still dumber than animals.
But even though they had little intelligence, they were still placed under the Greater Undead because they lack one thing: power. The Greater Undead were transformed from the dead bodies of beings with powers, such as Swordspeople, Sorcerers and Magical beasts, and although the transformation process rid them of their flesh and blood, the Soul Flame allowed them to use their innate skills.
There wasn't an undead creature that could have both intelligence and power, yet that is.
Logan walked towards the Zombie and bent down to its round stomach, the Zombie twitched and jerked its head towards him. He kept a palm on the stomach and injected a bit of Soul Energy into it.
''I can't wait for you to be born,'' he spoke a bit affectionately, "if I fail, you will succeed for me, my child."
He felt a soft thump as a response.