" Wrrr... "
A group of Night Rippers surrounded a stranded spider at the edge of the forest. Although it was a mistake to call the overgrown cats Night Rippers... let's leave their topic for later. Let's focus on their prey.
A spider with eight legs as thin as pins let out a piercing screech. This was intended to frighten the uninvited guests but didn't have the intended effect. The monsters were getting closer to their prey with every second, growling menacingly.
The terrified creature's heart was pounding like crazy. In his two pairs of bright green eyes reflected the silhouette of the four Night Rippers. If one had looked closely, one would have seen the fear in the monster's eyes.
Being cornered on all sides, the savage beast lost control. The mysterious-looking skull located on the spider's back lit up, releasing dark green smoke from its empty eye sockets.
The Night Rippers, unconcerned, moved forward, sinking their fangs into the fresh flesh of their victim. It was quite a brutal sight. A group of ten cats tore a defenseless creature to pieces.
Within seconds, the surrounding area became a veritable mess. Everywhere were the scattered remains of a huge spider, bathed in a dark green secretion that resembled the creature's blood. Some of them remained on the web, hanging limply in the air.
" They are good. "
" I predicted it would be worse. "
A man stood on one of the branches of a nearby tree. His amethyst eyes gazed with interest at the battle unfolding a few feet in front of him. The brutal scene he witnessed didn't elicit any reaction from him. Besides, this wasn't the first time he had witnessed such scenes.
His raven black hair with white tips moved under the movements of the small creature. A small fairy poked its head out of the man's luxuriant forehead. Like the man, her amethyst eyes gazed at the battlefield.
If someone were to compare the two to each other, they could be considered siblings.
The man sighed in boredom. He unwillingly shot his knuckles. Before anyone could blink, several ice spears made of pitch-black ice appeared around him.
Swoosh!
The weapons sliced through the air at a dizzying speed, piercing through several spiders the size of an adult human.
The monsters had no time to react. Before they realized what was happening, they were already halfway to the ground.
Boom!
The spiders' bodies shattered on the hard ground with a loud bang. Except for a wet spot, no trace of them remained.
One of them managed to avoid a close encounter with gravity. Thanks to above-average instincts, it shot a thin web from its abdomen, which clung to a loose branch before it fell. However, it didn't change anything. The unfortunate man's fate was a foregone conclusion the moment the former hunter's spell hit him.
Within seconds, the spider's body turned into an ice sculpture. The frightened monster tried to use its own mana to stop the freezing process, but it succumbed to its fate after a few minutes.
In its fading eyes, the back of the man towering over it could be seen. The man who was responsible for the monster's death didn't even look at him.
Not even a minute passed, and the spider turned into a beautiful sculpture made of ice.
" How annoying... Why don't you kill them all yourself? "
The fairy rolled over onto her back. Her bored eyes stared at the rock vault covered with endless webs. She put her tiny hand to her mouth and covered it with a yawn.
" This is weak because Darwin developed an antidote. Without it, dealing with them would be damn annoying. "
" But this is boring. The only interesting thing here is to annoy you... I'll give you my hand; the ruler of this area is also boring and simple. "
The man who heard the fairy almost vomited blood. What the fairy was doing was asking for trouble. An insurmountable opponent always followed, no matter what kind of movie he watched, such words.
" Emmm? Is Ramiel all right? " The fairy felt an impenetrable fear as she watched the man falter. Has Darwin's antidote stopped working? Thought the little creature.
" It's nothing... Your stupidity amazes me, Avi. Don't you know that after such words, the main character of a web novel is fucked? "
The fairy looked at the man with pity. Her gaze expressed more than a thousand words.
" And you are the protagonist of a web novel? "
" -_- " - Ramiel
" It doesn't change the fact that one doesn't say such things. Despite appearances, he still wants to live for these two and a half months. " Ramiel scolded the fairy. As he said, although he had little time left, he didn't want to accelerate the date of his death needlessly.
Avi rolled her eyes. Seeing no chance to win, she gave up on the topic at hand.
" By the way, Seraphine's monsters are doing quite well. "
Ramiel nodded softly. His attention was focused on the ten Night Rippers. They weren't exactly the same monsters, but the difference was really slight. It consisted of a barely visible mist floating around their half-dead bodies.
This was due to one simple fact. Ramiel killed the monsters and delivered them to Seraphine's workshop. There, the necromancer used magic to perform her hocus-pocus spells, and ten Loyal Monsters were created in a few days.
Ramiel was pleased with the results. The investment in Seraphine is more than paying off. Thanks to her unique abilities, many of his plans can move forward.
The monsters Ramiel fights are a special kind of spider that inhabits dungeons in tropical climates. Their distinguishing feature is a human skull made of thread. Not only does it serve as an ornament, but in a strange and unexplained way, it produces a venom that paralyzes the victim's nervous system.
Hence, the spider's name: Corpse Skull.
Ramiel discovered the monsters while exploring a newly discovered area in the abyss. It was a tropical forest, rather not too large. It was about the size of a small town.
Apart from a few poisonous plants from which Darwin will be able to make poison and the ubiquitous spider webs, there was nothing of interest here. The monsters inside were terribly weak, but this was due to the fact of the alchemist's developed antidote. No, even without that, Ramiel could classify them as of a lower order.
With that, Ramiel divided his forces into two groups. One consisted of all the available units in the dungeon, and Asme commanded them. This was to be a test of sorts for the woman.
Once, during training, Ramiel noticed in her some qualities of a good tactician. Since then, he has been training her in that direction. Perhaps she will become a capable general after my death. - thought the man.
The second group consisted of Seraphine and her dead soldiers. Ramiel was curious to see how the necromancer would cope. Just as the man thought, Seraphine didn't disappoint him.
Using her experience from her previous life, she perfectly commanded her units through the forest without the slightest problem.
Her unique magic was also good. It positively surprised Ramiel. He liked the medium-range spell the most. It consisted of sending multiple souls that tore the opponent's body to shreds. It was a rather brutal attack but extremely effective.
This was due to one simple fact. The souls were invulnerable until the last moment. This meant that they couldn't be avoided. The only drawback was the loss of souls. After a successful attack, they would disintegrate or, as Seraphine claimed, be released.
Ramiel didn't understand the element of necromancy and didn't want to delve into it. The element of necromancy was interesting and had a hint of something appealing about it, but it didn't interest him that much. It was enough for him to look at the previously unknown spells for now.
~~~~~~~
Ramiel's entire army had gathered in front of what looked like a giant cocoon. Splitting them in two proved to be a good move. As a result, the entire forest was cleared of monsters in less than a day. The only opponent waiting for them was the Queen of the Skulls.
" Ramiel, are you sure I'm the one to lead? " Asme looked at the man with unsure eyes. He was leaning against a tree and yawning.
All the while, Ramiel was bored as hell. Other than a few spiders that attacked him, he had no sources of entertainment. Of course, he could have cleared the entire forest of monsters on his own, but that would have defeated his purpose.
From his reluctance, Ramiel glanced at the horned beauty. His gaze went to her curves.
Despite the scouting cock on, Asme's figure seemed much more tempting to him than usual.
Her twin peaks, hidden beneath a thick layer of fabric, fascinated Ramiel strangely and inexplicably.
What is imprisoned must be released!
Avi, hearing Ramiel's embarrassing thoughts, pulled at his ear. From time to time, he lost control of himself by indulging in momentary lusts.
Ramiel wasn't usually like this, but his decaying soul makes him more susceptible to all sorts of impulses.
For this reason, Avi had to restrain the man's unseemly ardor.
" Mhm... You're doing well so far. Keep doing what you've been doing so far. If you slip somewhere, I'm here to help you. "
Spank
Asme slapped her cheeks in sobriety. If Ramiel believed in her, how could she fail? After all, if something went wrong, he would be there to help her. It's not like he will allow any harm to come to them. If Ramiel is calm, the opponent can't be that threatening.
With newfound determination, Asme turned around, setting up a formation. Rascal played the role of tank with the number one goblin. The main offensive force was the number two goblin with the two Condemned Wolves. Behind them was Asme, whose job was to support everyone with magic. The keen eye of Caera would watch over the rest in conjunction with the number two goblin.
When the main team would take care of distracting the boss, the other wolves would tackle the monster from the flanks by attacking its legs. The plan was simple and Ramiel liked it. He was extremely curious to see how Asme would deal with it.
The Condemned Sloths aren't involved in the battle. Ramiel hadn't summoned any new units since the last time. The cost of maintaining them was beyond his current capabilities. Unless it was a large-scale expedition, he preferred to save resources.
As the battle was about to begin, Seraphine stepped out from behind Ramiel's back, but he stopped her with a hand gesture. The necromancer, understanding his intentions, obediently stood beside him, watching the spectacle.
" Don't you overestimate her, master? She may have the right aptitude, but she is still a child compared to you. "
Ramiel tilted his head to the side, looking at Caera's fluttering ears. He answered reluctantly. "No, Asme is smart and can think calmly. Besides, they have to learn independence sometimes. I can't always be at their side and lead them by the hand. After all, one day, I will leave anyway. "
Ramiel took his eyes off Caera and shifted his attention to Seraphine. " Besides, you probably understand how little time I have left... If I don't help them now, I won't have the opportunity to do so in the future. " Ramiel said the last words in a hushed voice. He didn't want the women to know about it.
At the man's words, the flames smoldering in Seraphine's eyes dimmed. " What will happen to me? " The necromancer stared at Ramiel's figure with anticipation. Her future depended on his words.
The man leaned against a tree and wrapped his arms around himself. "I am not sure. After my death, the slave contract should disappear. "
Seraphine shook her head negatively. That wasn't what she meant. " Master, you have misunderstood me. I am asking what will happen to me after your death. I will be forced to serve the newly chosen one... Will you let me take care of Asme and Caera? "
Ramiel tilted his head, interested in Seraphine's proposal. It seemed extremely tempting. " What do you have in mind? "
" You underestimate the object you used. Its power is comparable to that offered by the core. If you give me the order to protect these two before you die... It should work. The chains that bind me to this place should be broken. "
As a former monarch, Seraphine had her pride. If the master didn't meet the minimum requirements, she wouldn't bend her neck before him, let alone serve as a slave. It was beneath her dignity.
In response, the necromancer received a cold smile from Ramiel. " What guarantee do I have that you won't kill them? It's not like our agreement will last forever. "
Cold shivers ran down Seraphine's back. Although she didn't have a normal body, all her receptors worked properly. Ramiel, wanting to intimidate the woman, used his unique ability to shout without raising his voice. It was more like an authoritative voice in the presence of which the whole body trembled with fear.
" This... I can only give you the word of the monarch... "Seraphine didn't let on that she was nervous. On the outside, she looked like a cold rock, but inside, her whole body was shaking. This was the first time she was afraid of Ramiel.
" A word... Do you know how much a so-called word was worth in my world? "
" I guess not much... "
Ramiel remained silent, staring at Caera and Asme's backs. His head was a mess. After a silence of several minutes, he spoke up.
" Fine. If you are lying, I would advise you to hide well. You may not know, but I like to go back beyond the grave. "