B4C27 - Giant Strides (Patreon)

The wagon rattled over the uneven backcountry roads as Tyron slept. Twenty skeletons were hitched to the front, pulling it along while drawing on his magick, but he could maintain that sort of draw forever, even in his sleep.

Walking alongside the wagon, two large, armoured figures, each burning with an inner, sickly green flame directed the lesser undead, ensuring they didn’t stray from the path. After so long beyond the rift, pushing himself to his limits and beyond, Tyron was tired down to his very bones. After the journey back to Cragwhistle had begun, he’d collapsed into the wagon, barely able to keep his eyes open long enough to lay out some crude bedding before he’d lost consciousness. 

For eighteen hours, he slept like the dead, heedless of the chill or the constant jolting of the wooden wagon bed.

When he finally awoke, he felt like death scraped over burnt toast. The first sensation to return was, of course, pain. Roused at last from his dreamless sleep, Tyron gradually became aware of throbbing pain through his head and back. He drew a sharp breath as his right hip twinged, only to start coughing and spluttering at the foul sensation of his bone dry mouth and throat.

A pounding headache soon followed, along with a rumbling stomach that felt as if it might chew through his skin and start working on his belt if he didn’t eat soon. 

All things considered, he felt absolutely awful.

“Finally awake, princess?” a mocking voice called from alongside the wagon.

It had several unique qualities to it, this voice. It was raspy, and somewhat… hollow… as if it were an echo reverberating out from the interior of a crypt. Even on first listening, nobody would ever think the words had come from a living being.

“F-Filetta?” Tyron groaned as he pulled himself upright.

Despite his absurdly high Constitution, the repeated battering of the road had eventually gotten through to him. After a couple of hours, he’d be as right as rain, but for now, he took some time to rub down his aching limbs, pushing the heel of his hand into the protesting muscles to help get the blood flowing.

“Is that still my name?” she mused.

“Call yourself whatever you want.”

His pack wasn’t far away and Tyron reached out to drag it to himself, undoing the strings and rummaging around inside. He hadn’t stayed long enough in Woodsedge to eat and rest, despite Elsbeth offering to house him for a few days, but he’d been sensible enough to grab some provisions before leaving. Elsbeth had packed a few meals for him, bundled up and tied in cloth.

He withdrew and opened one to find some cheese, meat and fruits, which he began nibbling at. Eating too quickly would only make him sick. His diet had been… poor, over the last month. It would take time to put the flesh back on his bones.

But it was worth it. The progress he’d made was so valuable, he was convinced it would propel him forward in his search for revenge.

“What sort of name would suit me now?” Filetta mused. “Arabad the Black? Fiorahn the Unbound Spirit?”

“You are most definitely bound,” Tyron grumbled. “Should an undead soldier be this whimsical? Does it matter what your name is?”

“I am not one of your nameless skeletons, Tyron,” Filetta retorted. “I’m helping you, but I’m not a mindless slave.”

“So nice of you to help, out of the goodness of your heart. I’m sure trying to avoid your fate as a wandering spirit doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Hardly worth mentioning,” Filetta said, waving a skeletal hand, “I just want to be helpful. Speaking honestly, being in this state isn’t that much better than being a spirit.”

Tyron frowned.

“That’s nonsense. You have access to the Unseen, a new Race and Class, what more could you possibly want? I practically gave you a second life!”

“I can’t feel anything, Tyron! No warmth or cold or touch… or anything!”

That didn’t sound so bad to him… Goodness… was he part lich already?

“It’s not the worst way to go through unlife,” his second wight observed, “but it’s a long way from actually being alive.”

“From you of all people,” Tyron glared. “I’ll happily revoke your speaking privileges again, Laurel. I didn’t turn you into a wight so you could provide your insights.”

At the mention of being unable to speak again, the wight Laurel snapped to attention and continued to walk alongside the carriage silently.

“What did she do to piss you off, again?” Filetta asked.

“Tried to kill me for money,” Tyron growled, settling himself more comfortably. Already, he was starting to feel better. He continued to sip water to help ease the pounding headache in his temples, and nibbled slowly at the food to regain his strength.

“I did the same thing, though?” she pointed out.

“You didn’t grow up with me.”

“I was fucking you, though.”

“Is it… is it really necessary to point that out? Things didn’t exactly turn out well between us, considering I murdered you, so why bring it up?”

The wight chattered her teeth at him creepily.

“Because I still hate you for it.”

Well, when she put it like that. Filetta was… a little different from the rest of his undead in that she retained much more of her free will. She was even able to dislike him. More than that, she could think about harming him. She just couldn’t act on it….

This was part of the agreement he’d made when she had decided to become a wight, and he didn’t want to betray that trust without good reason.

As for Laurel, she had been much easier to persuade. As she’d said herself, unlife as a wight wasn’t the worst way to spend your time dead. Not even close. 

Even when alive, she’d always acted in her own self interest, and this was no different. She would do anything Tyron asked to improve her situation even a little.

Two wights, his finest creations. The amount of mana required to maintain them was staggering, possibly as much as a hundred skeletons, but with everything he had done to mitigate the drain on his power, he could create several more without overly taxing his magick. 

Even better, the spirit flesh had proven to be a medium capable of holding the status ritual. Filetta and Laurel had both been able to perform it and confirm their new Race and Class without having to use his blood.

Speaking of the status ritual…

“Keep an eye out for a secluded spot close to the road,” he instructed his two commanders. “We’ll need to stop for a few minutes.”

Laurel just nodded her skeletal head, but Filetta released an odd noise, as if she’d tried to whistle. Without lips. Or air.

“Finally time for the status ritual, eh? You ought to get a few levels. I’m surprised you managed to wait this long.”

Tyron rolled his eyes. Of course he was impatient, but there was good reason for delaying this long.

“Performing the status ritual inside the rift is a bad idea. Every slayer will tell you the same,” Tyron defended himself as he continued to nibble at some cheese. “Changing the way your body feels, or gaining new abilities that change the way you fight, is a terrible idea while surrounded by enemies on all sides. Slayers will only do it if the situation is desperate.”

In his case, it would have taken time for him to adjust to his new self, time he couldn’t afford to waste. Between the research, work, and fighting he’d been doing, he couldn’t afford the luxury. Also, he… hadn’t exactly been in his best mind for the last few weeks. Making permanent decisions about one's future in such a state wasn’t something he would recommend.

“Let me know when you find a spot,” he told her, then settled in to finish his recovery, ignoring Filetta’s muttered insults.

Over the next hour, he gradually began to feel better. The headache retreated as he slowly rehydrated himself, and the hunger pangs faded with continued nibbles of cheese and smoked meat. The pain in his limbs faded away and he started stretching himself as best he could in the moving carriage, feeling the life return to his body.

“Found a spot,” Filetta announced. “Give us a few minutes to get the carriage off the road.”

Tyron felt his heart rate pick up as the moment of truth came closer. He’d made incredible progress, and he was sure the Unseen would be generous with its rewards. He hoped to have at least one of his mysteries upgraded, but he didn’t let himself to expect too much. Mysteries lived up to their name; nobody could say for certain when or how they would improve, or exactly what they would do.

He could still recall, barely, pieces of the vision that had assailed him after Filetta had been raised. No sooner had he completed the ritual than his consciousness had been swept away. Flashes haunted his subconscious still, glimpses of death, vast fields of skulls, pillars of black smoke kilometres thick rising into a storm of power, words rumbling upward from the wormy earth.

And spirits, so many spirits, wailing in agony and despair as they slowly melded into the darkness.

The vision had shaken him, but even though he couldn’t recall much of what he saw, he remembered his visceral reaction.

That will never be me.

By the time the carriage finally rattled to a stop, he had paper and a knife prepared.

The moment the carriage bed was finally still below him, he cut a neat slice in his thumb, pressed it to the page, and held his breath, eyes wide as he stared at the page.

Blood flowed, trailing across the paper, then curling into letters that soaked in, combining to create the words of the Unseen.

Eager, Tyron’s eyes raced down the page as things began to fall into place. There was a lot there. A lot. He didn’t let himself dwell on the individual skill notifications, but honed in on what was most relevant. 

First, the levels. Lord of the Ossuary had reached level fifty-three, a gain of five. Considering how slow the levelling process became at this point, he was shocked and pleased with the result. Perhaps it was to be expected, considering most teams that travelled through the rifts would be teams of four or five. Splitting their gains between them, they’d leave with a single level each. As a Necromancer, he’d been able to take everything for himself.

Two more ability choices and another feat to choose. That was excellent. Eager to see more, he continued to read.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he didn’t gain nearly as many levels in his Forbidden One Sub-Class. The only way to improve it was to do the work of the Scarlet Court, Dark Ones and Abyss, and he hadn’t done a whole lot to advance their schemes as of late.

What he had done was apparently sufficient for another two levels.

Death Mage had gained more than expected, but perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised. It was still a low Level Sub-Class, and it would continue to grow rapidly until he advanced it. Still, another six levels was more than welcome.

Then came the message he’d most been looking forward to.

Reaching for the unknown, refusing to settle for what is offered and daring to risk yourself for power are valuable characteristics. Your arcane prowess, mastery of magick and deep insight into the workings of Death are rare gifts. Continue on your path, and you will be rewarded. Mystery: Essence of Death, has grown to Emergent. Mystery: Soul Magick, has grown to Emergent. Mystery: Words of Power, has grown to Profound.

Three?! Words of Power had grown?! Tyron boggled at the page. This would… this would change many things! What sort of effect would this have on his spells? It was impossible to say. This level of support from the Unseen was extremely difficult to get.

He was so shocked he almost didn’t notice that he’d gained a Race level as well. Perhaps spending time with and teaching the students had caused it? Was he more attached to them than he thought?

Many of his Skills and Spells had improved over his stay in Nagrythyn, especially his new selections. His repeated experimentation and use in battle had been fruitful indeed. Enhanced Minion Commander had reached its max level of twenty, as had Bone Forging and Bone-Soul Melding. 

A new Skill had also appeared: Spirit Flesh Formation. A result of his breakthrough in creating a medium a soul could inhabit along with its skeleton.

In addition, Spirit Binding had changed to Advanced Spirit Binding, its maximum level increasing by ten. Clearly, his control over spirits had warranted reward.

Many of his Skills, and his Spells as well, were hitting their caps, which meant he would need to prioritise pushing those higher so he could continue to progress. An ability stuck at level ten wasn’t nearly as useful as one that had reached twenty.

Dimension Weaving had reached ten already, which made sense considering how much he’d been messing with said weave lately. Several of his stubbornly stuck Enchanter Skills had also levelled, which was pleasing to see.

He turned his attention to the Spells, going through them one by one.

For his efforts, Raise Dead and Bone Animus had reached their max level, as had Bone Armour. His newer spells had increased in level, but even his frequent use of Greater Death Bolt and Death’s Fist wasn’t enough for them to reach the cap.

Crone’s Shade and Blood Shield had seen a significant improvement as he’d used them frequently during large engagements. His abilities had grown by leaps and bounds over the months-long period of intense combat and experimentation. Now he could select his new abilities and begin to exponentially expand his horde of undead.

He felt almost giddy with excitement as he began to consider the possibilities. After everything he’d done to allow himself to control more minions, the limiting factor had become his attention, rather than his magick. Oh, he could have utilised a thousand skeletons, but only crudely. To bring out the best of their abilities, he’d needed to micromage them, after all, they weren’t all that durable. Left to their own devices they would charge ahead blindly, or swing wildly, where caution was required.

Splitting his attention in many ways would have meant his horde would be larger, but the losses would have added up very quickly.

Now, he had his wights plugged into the horde. They could handle the minutiae while he focused on the big picture. Even so, he still wished he’d taken the skeletal captains option when he’d had the chance. Sharing the mental load would enable him to increase his skeletal army further and further. He could only hope the same option, or a similar one, would appear soon.

Already pleased with his results, he turned his attention to his new selections, excited to see what the Unseen was offering him.

He turned his attention to the Feats first. He had one to choose from Death Mage, and Lord of the Ossuary. Although there were several tempting options for Death Mage, one stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Efficient Death had, in fact, reduced the cost of all his uses of Death Magick, including the drain of his minions. It was such an absurd bonus that he was unwilling to consider anything else in this slot.

He placed a mark next to Efficient Death II and moved to Lord of the Ossuary.

There were several choices here, but again, a few stood out. The feats that expanded or empowered the Ossuary in some way were interesting, but he believed he would be better served by stacking his existing feats to higher levels. In that department, he had two options: Bone Mastery II and Skeletal Focus IV.

Likely, he would take both in time, but for now he selected Bone Mastery. That would have a greater impact on his other project.

Now for the ability selections. He moved to choose from his less important Classes first, leaving Lord of the Ossuary for last. Forbidden One offered two new abilities: Rot’s Endurance, or Expert Suppress Mind.

Rot’s Endurance was tempting, if vague. By utilising the spell, he’d suppress his ability to feel pain and discomfort? That was certainly useful, if a touch grisly. Suppress Mind had proven to be incredibly useful, and empowering it further wasn’t something he could gloss over. As little as he liked employing the spell, it was extremely potent when used correctly.

After hemming and hawing for a bit, he selected Expert Suppress Mind and moved on.

For Death Mage there were three selections to make. Quickly, he decided to take Expert Death Magick and the upgrade to Shivering Curse. That was a curse he used frequently, and improving Expert Death Magick, the fundamental of fundamentals, was something he’d passed over last time, but not again. That left him with one choice to make. Curse of Pain was a new option, and one he didn’t like that much. It wasn’t that causing pain to his enemies bothered him, he just worried it wouldn’t be that effective in killing them.

Eyes of Death and Hand of Corruption were similarly unappealing. If his enemies were close enough for him to touch them, then he was probably dead already. Eyes of Death was a specific and probably more effective version of the Eye Magick Dove had taught him, but he didn’t feel it was needed. He’d invented his enchanted Glass to be track minute traces of Death Magick, he could make something similar to do the same job on a larger scale.

Instead, he selected the Curse Weaving Skill to empower his curses further. They were an effective way of levelling the playing field for his undead, and Death Mage was providing a significant number of curse oriented bonuses so far, making it a prudent choice.

Then, he turned his attention to the new offerings from Lord of the Ossuary. There were four new abilities to choose from and he considered each of them in turn.

Horde Conductor replaced Undead Control and raised the maximum level by twenty, quite a potent option. Undead Control improved the finer aspects of control over his minions, making them move in specific ways, for example. If he wanted a skeleton to angle its shield to deflect a blow, it was Undead Control that helped him form those instructions. Horde Conductor appeared to do the same thing, but applied on a wider scale. This was an interesting option, but he wasn’t certain it was what he needed right now. Directly controlling his minions was something he was hoping to move away from, after all.

Field of Death created an area that constantly drained life from the living. From the description, that would include himself if he was foolish enough to put himself within the effect. If it applied to a wide enough area, this could be effective, but how effective was it? If the drain was too slow, then would it have any effect at all? Did the Spell only do damage, or did it heal him as well? He’d be healed a little regardless, thanks to his Sap Life Feat.

Death Nexus was another option. The description said it would ‘create a lodestone that connects to all nearby undead, sharing its power with them’. It sounded useful, but Tyron was close to creating something that essentially did the same thing. His cauldrons already fed Death Magick to his minions, empowering them, and came with the Black Miasma spell bound into them to boot. It was possible this spell would do something his constructs didn’t, but he couldn’t tell from the description and he’d hate to waste a selection.

Speaking of Black Miasma, the next selection was an upgrade. Cursed Miasma would raise the level cap on the ability by twenty, not too shabby, and also would alter the Miasma to carry curses within it. At least, that’s what the description seemed to suggest.

If that were true… he could spread his curses over an even wider area by pushing the miasma further out. Of course, this would come with limitations. If someone were able to counter the miasma, disperse or dispel it in some way, then his curse would go with it. Also, the effect carried by the miasma was sure to be weaker than the curse itself. Nonetheless, this could be a powerful effect if utilised correctly.

He considered his options for a while going back and forth until he eventually settled on Field of Dead and Cursed Miasma.

It was disappointing not to see anything more directly minion related, but it was possible he’d trumped the Unseen by creating wights on his own. Doubtless the Lord of the Ossuary would offer him more skeleton related abilities over the next three selections.

Grinning widely, Tyron ended the ritual and felt the absurd rush of power flow into him. Once he got back to work, everything was going to change.

Chapter 26

Name: Tyron Steelarm.

Age: 23

Race: Human (Level 21)

Class:

Lord of the Ossuary (Level 53) 

Sub-Classes:

• Forbidden One (Level 32) 

• Focused Enchanter (Level 40)

• Death Mage (Level 12)

Racial Feats:

Level 5: Steady Hand.

Level 10: Night Owl.

Level 15: Well of Magick.

Level 20: Arcane Renewal.

Attributes:

Strength:

88

Dexterity:

145

Constitution:

216

Intelligence:

332

Wisdom:

247

Willpower:

192

Charisma:

101

Manipulation:

117

Poise:

145

General Skills:

Arithmetic (Level 5)(Max)

Handwriting (Level 5)(Max)

Concentration (Level 5)(Max)

Cooking (Level 4)

Sling (Level 3)

Swordsmanship (Level 2)

Sneak (Level 3)

Butchery (Level 5)(Max)

Engraving (Level 5)(Max) 

Sculpting (Level 5)(Max)

Weaving (Level 5)(Max)

Dodging (Level 3)

Running (Level 3)

Skill Selections Available: 1

Necromancer Skills:

Corpse Appraisal (Level 20)(Max)

Corpse Preparation (Level 20)(Max)

Advanced Death Magick (Level 20)(Max) 

Enhanced Minion Commander (Level 20)(Max)

Undead Control (Level 10)(Max)

Minion Modification (Level 10)(Max)

Bone-Soul Melding (Level 20)(Max)

Death Infusion (Level 8)

Bone Forging (Level 20)(Max)

Spirit Flesh Formation (Level 5)

Anathema Skills:

Abyss Tongue (Level 6)

Spell Concealment (Level 10)(Max)

Dimension Weaving (Level 10)(Max)

Arcanist Skills:

Expert Magick Scripting (Level 30)(Max)

Channelling (Level 10)(Max)

Pliance Control (Level 10)(Max)

Expanded Sigil Formation (Level 19)

Core Linking (Level 10)(Max)

Advanced Fine Motor Control (Level 19)

Expert Network Formation (Level 30)(Max)

Advanced Conduit Magick (Level 20)(Max)

Advanced Core Sense (Level 16)

Expert Power Control (Level 28)

General Spells:

Globe of Light (Level 5)(Max)

Sleep (Level 5)(Max)

Magick Bolt (Level 5)(Max)

Magick Eye (Level 5)(Max)

Necromancer Spells:

Raise Dead (Level 40)(Max)

Bone Animus (Level 40)(Max)

Commune with Spirits (Level 10)(Max)

Shivering Curse (Level 10)(Max)

Death Blades (Level 10)(Max)

Empowered Bone Armour (Level 14)

Minion Sight (Level 10)(Max)

Advanced Spirit Binding (Level 14)

Death’s Fist(Level 14) 

Anoint Dead (Level 7)

Black Miasma (Level 10)(Max)

Greater Death Bolt (Level 10)

Summon the Ossuary (Level 7)

Bone Lance(Level 7)

Ossuary Vent (Level 4)

Blessing of Bone (Level 6)

Anathema Spells:

Pierce the Veil (Level 10)(Max)

Appeal to the Court (Level 5)

Dark Communion (Level 3)

Advanced Suppress Mind (Level 20)(Max)

Repository (Level 10)(Max)

Fear (Level 5)

Glamour (Level 10)(Max)

Advanced Invasive Persuasion (Level 12)

Crone’s Shade (Level 8)

Bewitch (Level 10)(Max)

Necromancer Feats:

Skeleton Focus III

Magick Battery II

Bone Mastery

Spirit Mastery 

Undead Specialist

Awaken the Altar

Anathema Feats:

Repository

Wall of Thought II

Drain Life

Stormwise

Arcanist Feats

Magick Thread Control II

Compact Sigils II

Conduit Seal II

Core Networking II

Death Mage Feats

Efficient Death I

Mysteries:

Spell Shaping (Advanced): INT +20 WIS +20

Words of Power (Profound): WIS +50 CHA +50

Essence of Death (Emergent): INT +8 WILL +8

Soul Magick (Emergent): WIS+8 CHA +8

Lord of the Ossuary has reached Level 53. Choose two additional Skills or Spells:

Skills:

Corpse Divining - Deepen your connection to the dead, allowing you to understand them more fully. Will replace Corpse Appraisal and raise its maximum level by 10.

Corpse Singing - Enhance your ability to empower remains, cleansing and purifying them. Will replace Corpse Preparation and raise its maximum level by 10.

Horde Conductor - Replaces Undead Control and raises the maximum level by 20. 

Spells:

Skeletal Sacrifice - Detonate a skeleton to shower your foe in shards of bone.

Field of Death - Create an area that constantly drains life from the living.

Death Nexus - Create a lodestone that connects to all nearby undead, sharing its power with them.

Cursed Miasma - Replaces Black Miasma and increases its maximum level by 20. Curse Miasma will carry your curse magick within it.

Forbidden One has reached level 32. Choose one additional Skills or Spells:

Skills:

Corrupting Presence - Subvert the Will to resist from those around you.

Crone’s Gaze - Sense the inner motives of another when meeting their gaze.

Raven Speech - Communicate with the children of the Old God.

Spells:

Advanced Bewitch - Replaces Bewitch and increases the maximum level by 10. 

Flesh to Power - Sacrifice your own body, or the body of another, to generate magick.

Rot’s Endurance - Employ the unending hardiness of Rot, who feels no pain and suffers no injury to impede him.

Expert Suppress Mind - This ability will replace Advanced Suppress Mind and increase its maximum level by 10.

Death Mage has reached level 12. Choose three additional Skills or Spells:

Skills:

Curse Weaving - Enhance your capacity to manipulate curses.

Expert Death Magick - Replaces Advanced Death Magick and raises the maximum level by 10.

Life Draw - Improve your ability to steal the vitality of the living.

Sense Living - Your senses are tuned to hunt the living.

Spells:

Wilting Curse - Weaken and enfeeble your foes.

Advanced Shivering Curse - Replaces Shivering Curse and increases its maximum level by ten.

Curse of Pain - Cause intense pain in an area to those who defy you.

Eyes of Death - See the flow of Death Magick with the naked eye. 

Hand of Corruption - Cloak your hand in an aura of death that can harm those you touch.

Lord of the Ossuary has reached level 50. Choose an additional Feat:

Ossuary Extraction I - Increase the amount of Death Magick available to the Ossuary.

Ossuary Expansion I - Increase the size of the Ossuary.

Ossuary Infusion I - Increase the efficacy of the bone receptacles.

Class Focus I - Choose two Class Skills or Spells and raise their cap by 10.

Skeleton Focus IV - Improve the quality of Raised Skeletons.

Bone Mastery II - Empower all Bone related Skills, Spells and Minions.

Half-Dead - Allow your own bones to be infused with Death Magick.

Bone Sculptor - Improve your ability to mould and shape bone.

Bone Animator - Empower your constructs.

Death Mage has reached level 10. Choose an additional Feat:

Efficient Death II - Your mastery will allow you to achieve more with less.

Empowered Death I - Your mastery will strengthen your spells to greater heights.

Penetrating Death Bolt - Your Death Bolt will pierce. 

Death Conversion - You will be faster when converting normal magick to Death Aligned magick.

Curse Tuner - You can apply curses to a wider area, or increase their effect.

Death Sense - Detect nearby sources of Death Magick.

Deaden Self - Your sense of pain will grow dull.

Eyes of the Grave - You will see as the spirits see.

Rot Claws - Your hands will generate Death Magick in your nails.

Fallen Shadow - You may store Death aligned energy in your shadow.