Andries waited in the lab after hours, anticipating Eldrin's arrival. The mage eventually appeared, flanked by two skinless mutants who aided him.
"My lord, you called me?" Eldrin asked.
"Hey, I wanted to talk about this 'my lord' thing." Andries began.
"Is everything all right?" Eldrin inquired.
"I'll tell you in a minute." Andries said. "Do you know why I wanted to be a king? It wasn't because I wanted to rule and be great. I wanted Nilfgaard to be destroyed and I wanted a place where everyone was accepted. I wanted a land that I could make better using my magic. The thing was, I wasn't going to wait for someone to do it; I had to do it."
"Sounds like a good cause." Eldrin said.
"Here is the thing." Andries continued. "I hate ruling a kingdom. I really don't want to be stuck in one place. I am more of a magic and invention person who likes to kill people, not a ruler."
"What are you getting at, my lord?" Eldrin asked, though a hint of understanding crept into his expression as he smiled.
"I am not giving you full control of the land." Andries clarified. "I still want a voice in the council, but I want it to be that a council rules, and I am simply a voice that is needed but not the ruler. I want you people to rule instead of me."
"If you didn't want to rule, then why did you do all the things you did?" Eldrin asked. "You acted like royalty insulted by our actions, threatened us, invited us, and didn't allow us to even take a seat until we agreed to serve you."
"Because I want you to serve me in the coming war." Andries said. "I saw your town and it was great, but I never saw you in war, and there is a good chance you wouldn't be able to do much without my support and help."
"That is understandable, but why talk to me and not others?" Eldrin asked.
"You look like a guy who likes to lead and rule." Andries said, then his voice turned demonic. "I also want to threaten you because you are the most dangerous as a mage. If you betray me, I will do anything to make you and everything you hold dear turn to ash."
"I understand." Eldrin said.
"Good, I will take my leave now." Andries said and started to leave.
Andries walked out into the halls of the mansion and headed to his room, flanked by his bodyguards. Upon reaching his room, he saw Felix on his bed. He moved Felix, which angered the little cat, and then went to bed. His guards slept on the ground near the bed. Mathies was fine with the ground, and the rest had no desires other than to serve.
The next day, after having breakfast with his guards, Andries decided to contact Tissaia. He rummaged through his belongings and found the crystal designed for long-distance connections. He waited a little for Tissaia to find her crystal and answer.
"Mourning, Andries," Tissaia greeted as her image flickered to life in the crystal.
"Mourning, Tissaia," Andries replied.
"Is there a reason you called?" she asked.
"There is," Andries confirmed. "I wanted to know if you can send letters to kings, asking them to send their war prisoners to us. Tell them we are trying to test poisons or something like that."
"Why would you need prisoners?" Tissaia asked.
"Well, do you remember the skinless mutants?" Andries inquired. "It turns out the council of mutants can make more. So can I now. It is a lot faster than the half-undead, and the skinless mutants have less chance of failing. If they fail, I will get more undead."
"That isn't going to be easy," Tissaia said.
"Why not? They wouldn't have to feed their prisoners anymore if they give them to us," Andries reasoned.
"I will see what I can do," Tissaia said.
"Thanks," Andries said. "By the way, how is the academy? Are the protection spells working well? How is the golem mind working?"
"It is working well, too well," Tissaia said. "It knows what spell is needed, sometimes even better than people."
"Sounds amazing," Andries remarked.
"And terrifying," Tissaia added. "Mages already think themselves gods and goddesses. Now imagine if they learn the possibility of creating life."
"I don't think the golem mind is actually alive," Andries reassured.
"Let's hope so," Tissaia said. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot of work to do. I will send the letters you asked, but I don't promise anything."
"It's fine, thanks for the help," Andries said.
"Goodbye, then," Tissaia said.
"Goodbye, Tissaia," Andries said, placing the crystal back in its place.
He then turned his attention to some of his equipment, suddenly struck by an idea. He usually extracts mutagen agents from the blood and flesh of monsters; could he do the same with mutants?
Andries grabbed a tube connected to a hollow needle, a tool he typically used to draw blood through psionic manipulation. He used it to extract some blood from Wyrmblood. Flanked by his bodyguards and twelve half-undead minions, he walked to the lab. It was night, ensuring they would not be disturbed. Andries began working, drawing blood from Blightborn, Wyrmblood, Umbra, and himself for testing. He avoided Mathies, who had a hard skin and disliked needles.
By morning, Andries had successfully extracted some mutagen agent from Wyrmblood and Blightborn. However, his blood and Umbra's blood proved more challenging, containing something that resisted extraction.
He used Blightborn's blood to mutate one of the twelve half-undead that hadn't yet been altered. Using the lab's materials and some spells, he began the mutation process.
As he worked, Vesperia and her apprentices entered the lab, surprised to find Andries mutating someone so early in the morning.
"Um... my l... Andries?" Vesperia stammered.
"Mourning," Andries said cheerfully. "It is a great day today, don't you think?"
"What is going on?" Vesperia asked.
"I extracted mutagen agent from the blood of a mutant," Andries explained. "I don't think it would be as effective as the first mutation, but it can be good enough."
"Really?!" Vesperia exclaimed, moving closer with interest. "This can help a lot. We wouldn't have to farm ghouls anymore."
"Farm ghouls?" Andries asked, taken aback. "Wait, you guys have places to farm ghouls?"
"Yes, we do," Vesperia confirmed.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Andries asked.
"Seraphina wanted to show you the town, but you stayed in the lab for most of the day," Vesperia said.
"That's fair." Andries conceded, smiling.
"So how does this mutation extraction work?" Vesperia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Well, just like you extract mutation from normal monsters," Andries explained. "I take mutation from their blood using this." He showed her the tube. "I don't take too much because I don't want my people to die, and I get a lot less mutagen from them."
"That is an interesting way to do it," Vesperia remarked. "I have to check the mutagen extracted from the blood myself to…"
Before she could finish, Draugor rushed into the lab in a hurry.
"My lord, um… Andries," Draugor said breathlessly. "We got news, the queen of Cintra, Ciri, was found by Nilfgaard."
"I heard, that one is a fake," Andries replied. "Rumor is that she was taken from Aretuza but she teleported away from that place. The Nilfgaardians are lying."
"That isn't important," Draugor said urgently. "The Cintrans are believing it. There are people of Cintra that are deserting to the side of Nilfgaard."
"They can't be that stupid," Andries said incredulously. "Nilfgaard says, 'We found Ciri,' and the rest of the world believes?"
"People are stupid, and they will believe anything," Vesperia said.
"How does this affect the war effort?" Andries asked.
"Nilfgaard is spreading the rumor and deploying their soldiers," Draugor said. "The Nilfgaardians are attacking the southern areas of Temeria. Not the main army, but there are thousands marching east toward Verden. The Nilfgaardian main army is still matching north."
"What is the Verden army doing?" Vesperia asked.
"What army?" Draugor retorted. "Compared to other kingdoms, Verden's army isn't as powerful or strong. They are using hit-and-run tactics to weaken the Nilfgaardians in hopes of other armies coming to their aid."
"Did they hit Brugge?" Andries asked.
"No, they are moving through the south," Draugor replied. "They are going through Vidort toward Dillingen. The hills to the north of Dillingen make it hard for them to hit Brugge."
"That's good," Andries said. "I don't need a big army to weaken the Nilfgaardian army. I will take my device with my guards and go to Brugge. From there, I can go east, then Mayna, then south to Armeria. That will put me behind the army. That is if Armeria wasn't hit."
"No, Armeria managed to hold back the attack, but how are you going to hurt Nilfgaard?" Draugor asked.
"I will raise the corpses left behind," Andries said. "I don't put runes on them, so they will be weaker, but having hundreds of undead rush toward the army from behind should scare them enough so my undead can do a lot of damage."
"How about the undead you already have?" Draugor asked.
"I have to ask Eldrin for that," Andries said. "I know mages that can make areas that prevent meat from rotting inside. If Eldrin can do that, then I will leave the undead there with him."
"One of my apprentices can ask Eldrin," Vesperia offered. "You should go and get your things ready. If Nilfgaard reaches us, we would be slaughtered."
"That is a good idea," Andries said.
Andries cleaned himself and ordered the half-undead that was mutating further to be carried out to his room. The mutation was set so the body would change on its own. He needed to be prepared for the coming battle, and every minute counted.
Andries gathered a few supplies and placed them in the bags his guards would carry. He then grabbed his staff and the undead device. He meticulously checked the two brains inside—one human, one elven—ensuring they were functioning correctly. He also verified the crystal was fully charged. Satisfied, he donned his outdoor clothes, strapped the device to his back, and held his staff firmly in hand.
As Andries and his group made their way out of the mansion, they encountered Seraphina approaching them with urgency.
"Andries! We got horses for you and the mutants with you," Seraphina announced.
"Mathies can't ride normal horses," Andries replied.
"These are mutated horses," Seraphina explained. "They can handle his weight, but I'm not sure if he can ride."
"He can't ride," Andries confirmed, then turned to Mathies. "Mathies, buddy, I'm sorry, but you have to stay back here." He handed Felix to Mathies. "This is a dangerous mission, and you should keep Felix alive."
"Protect you!" Mathies insisted.
"I will be fine," Andries reassured him. "I have fifteen people with me. They will protect me. You should stay here. Don't let them experiment on you, but help them if they need assistance with physical tasks, okay?"
"Okay," Mathies said, looking very sad.
"Don't worry, buddy. I will be fine," Andries said, patting Mathies's hand. He then turned to Seraphina. "Please take care of him. If anything happens to him, I will burn every single one of you."
"Don't worry, he will be fine," Seraphina assured him.
"Now, let's go get the horses," Andries said.
"This way," Seraphina directed.
"Did you talk to Eldrin?" Andries asked as they followed Seraphina.
"He said he will take care of the corpses, whatever that means," Seraphina replied.
"Good," Andries said, deactivating the device on his back and allowing the corpses to fall.
Andries and his team were led to the stable. The half-undead mutant was assisted to the stables. There, they saw sixteen horses saddled with supplies, ready to move. With Mathies staying back, they needed only fifteen.
The horses were big, strong, and had slightly hooked faces. Each one bore a different form of mutation. Andries approached a horse with white fur and slightly sunken eyes. It was as strong and big as the others.
Two mutants moved to assist Andries. He slammed his staff to the ground and used it to jump onto the back of the horse. The rest of the mutants mounted their horses at Andries's command. The one undergoing mutation needed help getting into the saddle, he was then tied to his saddle so he wouldn't fall.
Andries connected his mind to Umbra and, through him, checked the minds of the half-undead mutants. All of them knew how to ride a horse from their past lives.
Once everything was in order, Andries and his group started to move. He held his staff in one hand and the reins in the other as they rode through the streets of the town. They proceeded slowly while in the town, then galloped once they were out. The town was close to the river bordering Temeria and Verden, so they rode alongside the river, heading south.
Andries and the group rode as fast as they could. Andries periodically checked on the one undergoing mutation, sending mental commands to that mutant's horse to ensure it kept up.
The mutant horses moved swiftly, the air pressure hitting Andries's body, giving him intriguing ideas he couldn't explore at the moment. Their speed allowed them to reach the bridge connecting Temeria to Verden quickly. An outpost marked the border between the two kingdoms, and the bridge was crowded with thousands of refugees trying to cross.
As they approached, Temerian and Verden guards, visibly frightened by the group of masked men on mutated horses led by Andries, stopped them.
"Stop, who goes there?!" one of the guards demanded, his voice shaky.
"We are from the mutant town to the north," Andries replied. "We want passage to Temeria. We hope to fight the Nilfgaard in any way we can."
"You do? I mean, yes, everyone has to do their part," the guard stammered.
"Wait, if there is a town of mutants, why aren't they sending more?" a Temerian guard shouted.
"They already sent more," Andries explained. "They could survive in the water, so they went through the river. They will attack the Nilfgaard from the sea. Others teleported there with the help of the sorcerer child and his giant."
"Really? Oh, thank the gods," a Temerian guard said, relief washing over his face.
Hearing this and seeing the guard's reactions, Andries thought, 'These are idiots that believe anything.'
"Can we pass?" Andries asked. "We want to join the battle as soon as we can. We don't want to miss the main battle."
The guards nodded and opened the gate. Four guards led Andries and his group to the other side, under the watchful eyes of officers, soldiers, and refugees. One of the officers inquired about their identity, and the guards relayed Andries's story. The officer, like the guards, believed them and allowed them passage.
When the refugees saw the gates open, they wanted to rush inside but stopped when they saw the mutants. Their presence was menacing enough to grant them passage without issue.
Andries and his group continued east along the road. The road was filled with refugees—men, women, and children, some injured, some healthy, but all without hope. They looked at the group riding alongside the road, some with awe and others with fear. No matter how long they rode, refugees crowded the road.
They rode until nightfall. Andries and his guards could continue, but he didn't want to tire the horses. They decided to camp away from the road near the river. The horses drank water and grazed on the grass near the river. Andries hitched the horses, though he doubted the rope could hold them.
They slept away from the horses, wary of their tendency to eat almost anything. Andries ordered some of the half-undead to stay awake, guarding the area and ready to wake the others if anything happened.
The next morning, the group ate some of the provisions they had been given and set off again. They rode until they reached a fork in the road. One path led north and east, while the other led south and east. Seeing refugees streaming from the south, they chose the northern route toward Brugge.
After riding for a while, they spotted a raiding party of about a hundred Nilfgaardians approaching from the south. The Nilfgaardians, on horseback, charged toward them with alarming speed.
Andries halted the group and commanded them to draw their weapons. Five of the twelve half-undead carried bows, while the others wielded various melee weapons. Blightborn had his bow, Wyrmblood his long tail, and Umbra his flying daggers.
Andries sent his mind into his horse to keep it calm, then refocused on his metal staff. Holding it with both hands, he began channeling energy through it, drawing power from the elemental planes to amplify his spell. The Nilfgaardians were still at a distance, giving him time to charge the energy for a devastating effect. Andries really took his time to charge up for this spell.
The staff crackled with energy as Andries pointed it toward the riders. He unleashed a stream of lightning, sweeping it across the front line of the raiders. The bolts struck, causing hearts to stop and horses to fall. As the first line collapsed, the following lines collided with the fallen, creating chaos.
The surviving riders tried to turn and flee, but Andries activated the device on his back. The fallen soldiers shook and rose as undead, grasping at their former comrades. This sight terrified the remaining Nilfgaardians, causing more horses to fall as the undead grabbed at their legs. The undead used their hands, teeth, and weapons to finish off the fallen soldiers.
The surviving riders, too frightened to continue the attack, fled. Andries deactivated his device, letting the undead collapse into lifeless corpses again.
With some soldiers still alive but either mortally wounded or too scared to fight back, Andries considered the wasted opportunity of turning them to half undead. In the end he had more important things to do so he decided they had more pressing matters. The group rode on.
As night fell, they reached the area west of the Turlough hills. From a distance, they spotted a camp at the foot of the hills, flying the Nilfgaardian flag, a black background with a golden sun.
Realizing they would be spotted if they approached directly, they decided to wait until the Nilfgaardians were asleep. They found a concealed spot to observe the camp and prepare for their next move, knowing they needed to strike when the enemy was most vulnerable.
When they were sure the Nilfgaardians were asleep, they began to move again. As they rode alongside the camp, Andries conjured a flaming skull and sent it hurtling towards the largest tent. The skull exploded on impact, spreading fire throughout the camp.
The camp guards spotted Andries and his team, but being on foot, they couldn't pursue the fast-moving riders. The fiery skull served as a distraction and a deterrent, ensuring no pursuit.
Andries and his group continued riding until they had put a considerable distance between themselves and the Nilfgaardian camp. Confident they were not being followed, they set up camp at the foot of a hill.
As before, they kept a distance between themselves and the horses. After eating a little from their supplies, Andries assigned two half-undead to stand watch for the night.
The next morning, they had a quick breakfast and checked their supplies. Noticing they were running low, Andries realized they would need to forage or hunt soon. They mounted their horses and rode toward Brugge, reaching the city before noon.
Due to the ongoing war, the city's gates were heavily guarded and not open to just anyone. Unable to gain entry, they bypassed the city and headed toward Mayena Keep.
As they approached the bridge over the Cholta River, they were ambushed. Scoia'tael had hidden beneath the bridge and around the nearby abandoned farm. Two arrows flew toward Andries, who quickly conjured a simple energy shield with a wave of his fingers, deflecting the arrows.
More arrows rained down on them. The half-undead scattered, maneuvering their horses to avoid being hit. Despite their efforts, one of the melee half-undead was struck in the face and fell to the ground.
The half-undead archers retaliated. Blightborn, being more adept with his bow, managed to take out several elves. Andries noticed dwarves among the Scoia'tael attackers. A group of five dwarves charged at Umbra. Umbra stood his ground, creating mental shields to block the incoming arrows. As the dwarves closed in, he raised his hands and telekinetically launched his daggers. Four dwarves fell, pierced by the daggers. The fifth hesitated in fear, only to be skewered by the same daggers moments later.
Andries summoned a flaming skull and hurled it toward the archers near the farm. The archers dove out of its path, they dodged being hit by the skull but the skull exploded, engulfing four of them in flames.
With their attackers in disarray, Andries and his group pressed their advantage. The remaining half-undead engaged the Scoia'tael in melee combat, their superior strength and resilience overwhelming the ambushers.
Realizing the most dangerous of the group were Andries and Umbra, a band of ten elves and four dwarves rushed toward them. Andries swiftly ordered the half-undead to focus on the archers, leaving this new threat to him and Umbra.
Umbra moved beside Andries, silently observing as the Scoia'tael charged. Andries cast a fire spell, simple but effective. He held his staff forward and unleashed a torrent of flames onto the ground, creating a formidable firewall before them. The Scoia'tael could circumvent it, and they seemed intent on doing so.
As the fourteen enemies began to move to the sides, Umbra raised his hands, channeling psionic energy into the flaming wall. This caused the firewall to project small fireballs at the advancing Scoia'tael. Though the fireballs were small, they burned their targets effectively.
Seizing the moment, Andries gathered more energy and began to cast a wind spell. At his command, Umbra linked his mind with Andries. Andries then flicked his hands and staff forward, sending waves of air at the enemy with enough force that could knock them down. Umbra's task was to compress the air into thin lines, transforming it into lethal air blades. Andries sent the first wave, and as expected, a blade of air sliced through the enemy ranks.
The first air blade cut down four. The second wave took down five more. The firewall weakened, but the Scoia'tael, now terrified of the near-invisible blades, began to retreat.
Andries launched a third wave, killing another three. Exhausted, he needed to recharge, but the combined power was proven effective.
Only two of the original fourteen attackers remained. Umbra sent his daggers flying, killing them instantly.
Andries surveyed the battlefield. Some of his half-undead were wounded but still alive. The only casualty was the half-undead who had fallen at the beginning.
He checked the horses. With one fewer rider, they didn't need all the horses. Not wanting to leave a mutated creature in the wild, he selected a wounded horse to be killed.
While his people butchered the horse, Andries looted the Scoia'tael bodies. He found some dried food and mushrooms and collected the daggers and arrows for his mutants.
Approaching the butchered horse, Andries used psionic and spellwork to determine if the meat was edible. Satisfied that the mutation had not made it harmful, they prepared the meat. The horse was large, so they smoked a significant portion of it. Surprisingly, the remaining horses seemed indifferent to the butchering of their comrade.
Andries then brought the bodies of the fallen Scoia'tael and the deceased half-undead to the horses. Stripping the bodies of valuables, he spoke a command word, allowing the horses to devour the bodies completely, bones and all.
It took a long time to smoke the meat, but it was worth it as they now had a lot of smoked meat for the road. They ate the roasted mutant horse meat, it was tough, but Andries liked it.
Andries and the group packed their things and resumed their journey. Very soon, they reached Mayena. Avoiding the keep, they continued south toward Armeria Keep. By the time they arrived, they saw that the keep had been severely damaged.
Wounded soldiers manned the battered walls, and workers were desperately trying to repair the gate. Nearby, piles of burned corpses served as grim evidence of recent battles.
Andries and his group pressed southward, reaching a battlefield by nightfall. The area was littered with corpses from both sides, with ghouls scavenging among them. The corpses were rotting, and the blood on the ground was thick and dark.
Andries climbed a hill to gain the high ground, surveying the sea of corpses below. He knew he had to act fast. Dismounting, he activated the device, channeling a spell through his body and into his staff. He walked forward and repeatedly slammed his staff into the ground, sending waves of necromantic energy through the battlefield.
He didn't just focus on the bodies, he also targeted the rotting blood on the ground. Speaking a hemokinesis incantation, he manipulated the blood to draw energy from the negative energy plane. The device aided in returning the blood to the bodies, reanimating them with ease.
The combination of the device, the staff, and the hemokinesis spell created a horrifying spectacle. Andries could feel the surge of energy, and so did every living thing in the area as the rotting blood started to draw necromantic energy from the negative plain itself. The ghouls, sensing the immense power, fled in terror. The grass beneath Andries's feet withered and died, and the crows overhead tried to escape, some falling as dried corpses. Only Andries and his group remained unharmed, protected by the device.
A crack appeared in reality as the corpses began to rise, it felt like something was attracted by the necromantic energy and it was pushing the world from the other side. The crack widening into a massive portal to an unfamiliar realm. The realm was dark, illuminated by eerie green lights. These lights drew closer until Andries realized they were wraiths, hundreds of them. The wraiths poured through the portal, drifting aimlessly among the corpses.
Andries noticed that his device had stopped sending energy once the portal opened, yet it remained active. Curious, he reached out mentally to the device and found he could control not only the corpses but the wraiths as well. To his delight, he saw that the device worked, both the corpses and the wraiths went to the are he ordered them.
He didn't understand what was happening, but he didn't care. He commanded his newly formed army to march west. The Nilfgaardians were in for a horrifying surprise.