Chapter 361: Demonic Tendencies (1/2)

“Seriously Walter. Would you be willing to teach some people your brewing craft? Or is it a closely guarded secret?” Ilea asked, her inner Lilith showing herself at the marvelous opportunity to get insanely capable people to work for her.

He shrugged. “I suppose I could teach some. Not enough room and resources here to produce bigger amounts. Not that I could do everything myself anyway. It’s one of our best sellers in Riverwatch. Do you mean people around here?”

She quickly shook her head. “No, Ravenhall and perhaps Hallowfort. Either seems too far away now but maybe we could open a school in Riverwatch. I’d pay you handsomely of course.”

Walter laughed. “We can talk about that after I met Alistair. I’m apprehensive of even entering the city as it stands.”

“You’re a mage, not a necromancer though.” Ilea pointed out, identifying him to be sure.

[Mage – lvl 207]

“There’s more to identifying someone than the skill used. Dark magic is easily spotted by anyone with an advanced mana perception ability. Plus, I might get surveilled or even followed simply for my high level and unknown status.” He explained.

“Complicated lives, being a sorcerer of dark magic. You should get a healer tag, people either cherish you or underestimate you. Perfect for most situations, really.” Ilea added.

Lucia chuckled. “Try the enchantress tag, I’m like a magnet for fucking thugs. It might be different if they knew I was a necromancer too.” She laughed, joined in by some of the others.

“Timeless.” Neeto grumbled from behind, his literal bone fingers sliding over the chest piece of the Eternal Guardian armor.

“It is.” Ilea said as she turned around. “What do you think?”

“I would like to meet this fellow too. Was he the bone shaper?” Neeto asked.

“No, that was one of the elves.” Ilea commented.

“Powerful and inexperienced. I had assumed elves were ancient beings of unlimited knowledge. It is good that the smith was present.” He explained as he let go of the armor. “Do you have other bones or perhaps skeletons with you?”

Ilea looked through her storage items quickly, the only thing notable being the red liquid from the Descent. Still, she thought it best to keep that under wraps for now, same with the Tungsten Key. Neeto and in case of the key, Iana were both surely capable but they could tinker with something less mysterious and potentially dangerous first.

Ilea was quite aware of her hypocrisy but getting herself in danger and getting her friends in danger were two completely different things to her. Iana has the Gate key to figure out. As for Neeto. She got up and motioned for the skeleton to follow. “I have something but it’s kind of messy still.”

“Bones?” Maro looked up from the rune he was staring at.

Indra turned his head too. “Bones? A corpse?”

“Food?” Weavy beamed into her mind.

“Thirsty fuckers.” Lucia commented and held her glass out to Walter.

The sorcerer complied and smiled towards Ilea. “Appreciate you not dumping them in here again.” He said and waved, walking back to the bar to get his woman a drink.

Ilea was let to one of Indra’s experimentation rooms, candles already lit and burning down. What’s their budget on candles? She wondered and summoned Green’s corpse onto the wooden workbench.

“That’s…,” Weavy exclaimed in their minds. “Evolved Spawn… very rare. It was… powerful too. More so than me even.” He explained and hovered closer.

“Yea, the head is messed up from when I killed him but the rest should be relatively intact. Knock yourselves out.” Ilea said and stepped back, watching the group converge on the corpse like starving vultures. She rolled her eyes at the accidental connection.

She let them be and blinked back into the common hall. Maro was there so whatever sinister idiocy they could cook up, at least someone powerful enough to deal with it was present.

“More elves?” Walter asked, placing filled glasses onto the table.

Only the initiate girl Ellie, Celene, Walter and Theo remained. The rest apparently left to see whatever she had brought as well.

Ilea quickly collected her bone armor and hammer again before she sat back down, sighing and taking a sip of her filled glass. “Fitting name for your brotherhood.”

Walter chuckled. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of thought I put into it.”

“Did you shag one of the elves?” Celene suddenly spat out.

“What?” Ilea asked.

“Shag, fuck, had intercourse with. Made love. You know what I mean, come on. Did you?” She insisted.

“I did.” Ilea replied simply. “But it wasn’t a very different experience than having sex with a human. I don’t think your fantasies would be fulfilled.” She explained plainly.

Walter chuckled while Ellie got red. Theo didn’t really seem to listen at all.

Celene looked like someone had doused her with cold water. “Really?” She asked meekly. “No special abilities? How was the-”

The barkeep cut her off. “Please Celene, I really don’t want to hear about about an elf’s cock.”

“Not much different honestly. I was a little let down myself. At least he was level two hundred, I think you should shoot for that instead of a specific race.” Ilea nonetheless replied, smirking at Walter and the look he gave her.

“There you go.” Walter commented. “Knowledge I neither asked for nor needed.”

“They still have balls to rip off so it might in fact, come in handy.” Ilea commented with a grin.

The man waved his hand sideways. “I suppose that counts.”

“A healer that kills.” Theo suddenly said, looked up and got something from his pocket. A harmonica. “Life and death. What a spectacle.” He murmured and started playing a melancholic tune.

Walter got his lute and joined in.

The conversations died down and music prevailed. Some of the others returned but the necromancers stayed in their experimentation chambers for the next hour.

Ilea excused herself to sleep an hour or two in one of the rooms, summoning her bed to make it an acceptable stay. She drifted off quickly, Meditation and her healing magic calming her mind. I like these misfits.

Ashen limbs extended as her sphere spread through the room, adrenaline pushing her to wake up. Demon.

She sat up while rubbing her eyes. “Weavy, what are you doing here?”

The demon floated near the door, curiously looking at the ashen protrusions. “Marvelous power. You do not stop surprising me.” He chuckled, imitating the noise well.

“Answer me.” Ilea demanded.

Weavy sent her an emotion that suggested his eyes rolling. If he had any. “This is my room.” He simply stated.

“Oh.” Ilea replied and yawned. “Sorry about that then.”

“You may use it whenever you please. The demon you brought… its corpse that is.” He continued, casual about the intrusion. “A thinking, calculating demon spawn. Extraordinary. I understand there were reasons why you killed it but would you tell me of him?”

Ilea felt a little bad that she had taken up his room. The small and empty room that was. She assumed it was meant for storage. “Of course. What time is it?”

“Time? Ah… yes. It is the time of moons still. You were asleep for two units.” Weavy replied.

“Units?” Ilea asked and got up, storing her bed again. “You mean hours.” She stretched and cracked her neck. Two hours. Fucking luxurious at this point. “I can tell you about Green.”

“He had a name?” The demon hovered closer, his voice sounding excited through the connection.

Ilea nodded and opened the door. “Let’s go somewhere with light. And yes, a name. I assume he evolved somehow or leveled Intelligence. He was at level three hundred and forty.”

“High but not immensely so.” He touched his chin as he floated behind her.

They went to the common hall, Walter the only one there.

“Back already?” He commented. “Weavy, you’re done with the skeleton?”

“I am no necromancer or bone magic wielder, sorcerer.” The demon replied.

Ilea went on to explain her encounters with Green, the way he talked, his abilities and power, as well as the apparent wish he had.