Chương 57: Corrupted Boonstone

"Hmmm," Giddeon grumbled in a gruff sigh.

"It's a weak healing enchantment, or at least it was," Giddeon said. Aaron's ears pricked up when he heard about healing. Necromancy was great and he was able to heal flesh and bone well, but something was missing in his heart where he used to practise spirit healing.

"Was?" Aaron asked.

"It's been corrupted and changed by whatever cruel spell was on that skeleton," Giddeon replied.

"It was a vitality spell which would grant the wielder increased energy and balance the spirit, or however you Spirit Healers call it. Basically, it makes you heal a bit faster."

"And now?" Aaron asked again.

"It still gives vitality. Quite potent magic actually, but it's got a drawback. It numbs the wearer to pain," Giddeon said. Aaron knew from his time as a healer that alleviating pain was a good thing, but without pain, how would you know you're injured? Someone could push themselves too far without knowing and do more damage than good.

"I guess that's why the skeleton was able to decay so much and screw its head back on," Aaron said.

"That and whatever dark spell was controlling it," Alex snorted.

"So can I keep it?" Tim asked. He was standing eagerly close to Giddeon. His eyes were wide with desperation.

"Tim, you only want it because of your curse. Whatever is affecting you is attracting you towards corrupted objects and Necromancy, just like those bats," Giddeon said.

"Listen to him, Tim. This isn't you thinking," Aaron said. Tim clenched his fists and extended his fingers a few times in frustration.

"I know that something's not right, but I can't get that thing out of my head. I don't need to put it on. Just having it in my pocket will be enough." He was visibly flustered with a red face and he spoke quickly as if he was rushing to get the words out. Aaron's heart sank in his chest, looking at the pain his brother was facing. Tim was a smart man. Smart enough to know something was off. But the feeling was clearly too overwhelming for him to ignore.

If he got to keep the Boonstone, it might have some sort of unknown effect on him. If they took it away, he might get agitated and lose his grip on reality, becoming more like one of those corrupted creatures. He was conflicted about which was the lesser evil.

"What are you thinking, Aaron?" Paige asked.

"We should let him keep it," Aaron said. Giddeon opened his mouth about to speak in protest, but Aaron quickly carried on louder before he could be interrupted.

"But he won't put it on. The closer we get to the relic, the worse he's getting. We can't risk worsening his symptoms by taking it away. And it's only temporary. Once we cleanse the relic and remove the curse, Tim won't want it anymore." Giddeon appeared mollified by Aaron's reasoning and simply grunted back at him. That's the closest to a "you're right" he would ever probably hear from the man. Giddeon was still holding Tim back from getting the pendant clasped in his fist above his head.

He opened his palm and lowered his hand, allowing Tim to grab the chain and snatch it away, stuffing it into his coat pocket before anyone could change their mind. He looked instantly calmer. A deep, distant shriek echoed around them. These sounds weren't abnormal in the mine. At least they weren't after hearing them so many times. It was probably another corrupted creature past the opening that Giddeon blew up. They must have heard the noise and come to investigate.

"Let's get a move on before whatever made that noise catches up to us," Giddeon said. No one protested, and they all continued down the tunnel, led by the large sphere of white light. The tunnel twisted and forked, gradually progressing deeper and deeper. But the path was clear to Aaron. They were close enough to the relic that it felt like the air was humming with familiar necromancy. He led them with confidence through each turn.

As they progressed and the feeling of the relic's magic became stronger, the effects became apparent. The rot on the wooden beams supporting the mine had almost entirely consumed all of the wood. In most places, if any wood was left, it was completely rotted to the core with green growths blooming out of it. In most places, the top beam on the ceiling was completely missing, and the wood on the walls only remained up because it was deeply embedded and practically melted into the rock.

It became noisier as they travelled. The shrieks and whistles of creatures became louder and closer. They were probably not on the main path to the relic, but hiding out further down the mine. Based on all of the cages outside and trapped Mana Hounds, the peacekeepers were actively hunting and capturing them. Perhaps they were sentient enough to hide. Or maybe the only ones left were cunning and intelligent, like the bat with humanoid arms and legs.

Whilst they didn't come across any beasts, Aaron dared not use his necromancy. There were almost certainly enough nearby to swarm them if they caught wind of his magic. In all of the corruption and terrifying noise surrounding them, it was a saving grace that Tim looked okay. Well, okay for recent times anyways. He was hunched over more than usual, relying on his cane to keep him steady.

He was more withdrawn and curled inwards and would jump at the sounds every now and then, but he wasn't agitated, and he sounded like himself. The Boonstone had clearly had a good effect. For now anyways. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Where will you go after this?" Aaron asked, trying to break the tension and take their minds off the agonised screeches.

"I guess wherever the hunt takes us next. Giddeon thinks this relic will provide clues leading us to the necromancer who created it, assuming it's still alive," Paige said.

"Don't you want to go back to your village to look for your parents?" Aaron asked. Paige sighed.

"Yeah, I do, but it's far up north near where the dragon was slain." Aaron winced. The dragon's soul was fabled to have corrupted the land around it upon its death. It was supposed to be the largest concentration of corruption in the northern expanse.

"When will you be ready to go?" Aaron asked. Paige shrugged, "No time soon. It's been a close call fighting a small flock of bats. Whatever is up there, near the heart of the corruption, is going to be way more powerful. I wouldn't stand a chance."

"How do you know your parents are there? Wouldn't they have fled?" Aaron asked.

"Probably," Paige said, slumping her shoulders sadly, "but maybe they left me a clue or someone around there knows where the villagers went."

"You'll get there," Aaron said encouragingly, "You're strong and determined. It's only a matter of time until your magic is powerful enough to get you around the Desolate Lands safely." Paige smiled at Aaron. With her mouth, not her eyes.

"What about you? Where will you go?"

"I haven't really thought about it. I've been so focused on getting Tim better. With Harrold after me and posters with my face saying wanted for murder everywhere, the city is going to be off limits. Even out here, they are looking for us. I'll probably lay low for a while and then try to find a life for Tim and me away from the city," he said, forcing a smile back at Paige. In reality, he was terrified of what life would be like if they made it out of here safely with Tim's curse cured.

It most certainly would never be the same again.

"We could do with someone like you joining the cause," Paige said.

"It wouldn't be fair on Tim. He got dragged into this because of me, and I owe him a safe, comfortable life. That was the whole point of curing him," Aaron replied.

"You haven't said what YOU want," Paige stated. Aaron hadn't really thought about himself much for a while. All he ever wanted was to give Tim a chance in life and had never really wanted much for himself.

"I guess I still feel like a healer at heart, so I'd like to do more of that. Maybe I can help victims of the corruption out here in one of the towns. I can't rebalance souls, but my necromancy lets me manipulate and heal physical wounds much more effectively than any traditional healer," Aaron said.

"You can help them by tearing out the root of the corruption. I've never seen anyone control these beasts before. You have something really unique to offer the world," Paige said. It was starting to feel like a bit of a sales pitch.

"How? It comes from the land. The soul has been destroyed by dragonfire and that's what twists the creatures into crazed beasts," Aaron said.

"Do you still really think that's true?" Paige scoffed.

"Then how do you explain the humanoid bat with stitched-on arms and legs?"

"Okay, I'll give you that. Something is out there creating at least some of the creatures," Aaron agreed.

"And why isn't Althea's soul healing and restoring the land?" Paige added. Aaron was lost for words. He was stumped by the idea that a god's soul wasn't recovering. Althea was the god of the land, who sacrificed herself to become one with it. She must be agonised to see these corrupted creatures and blackened dead earth.

"I don't know," Aaron conceded.

"Necromancers!" Giddeon interjected, "What god in their right mind would want their soul anywhere near this cursed relic? It's tainting and poisoning everything near it."

"Not ALL Necromancers!" Aaron corrected, although he had figured out by this point it was wasted breath on the stubborn old man. Giddeon grunted and went back to frowning and staring forwards down the tunnel.

"You're right, I highly doubt your magic is affecting the land and the gods. But I seriously believe that there are powerful beings out there working against Althea to keep the corruption around," Paige said.

"Who would want that?" Aaron protested.

"Probably people who want power. Imagine what you could achieve if you harnessed an army of near-invincible undead and corrupted creatures. You'd be unstoppable!" Paige replied. Aaron stopped to think about the implications. Someone would need to have immeasurable strength to control an army of undead. Aaron could barely control a handful of bats. He could only precisely control one, and it drained his mana like crazy.

"Shhh," Giddeon whispered, "I hear someone." The party froze. There was distant chatter ahead. Perhaps four to five men talking to each other and laughing. They were far away, but their deep voices carried through the tunnel. Aaron walked ahead of everyone and put a hand back, gesturing for everyone to wait. It was smart to send one person to minimise the risk of being detected. The path continued straight on without forking or branching into other tunnels. Aaron's sense for the relic was stronger than ever.

Where the mana in the air was humming before, it now felt like static before a storm. The hairs on his arms stood up on end in response. Intense rot scourged the walls of the tunnel. The green growths now penetrated the rock itself, rather than just the wood. In fact, there was no evidence of any wooden beams supporting the tunnel anymore. They must have been completely eaten away by the corruption. Aaron didn't remember the mines being so decayed. As a child, he would come in here often.

Whatever was cursing the relic must have gained power in the last decade. It was as if it was feeding off the land around it. The thought terrified Aaron. They were meant to be destroying it, but what if it had become too powerful? Aaron brushed his doubts aside and pressed forwards. The chatter up ahead was louder and clear now. He could almost make out what they were saying. Slowing his footsteps and treading slowly and intentionally, Aaron crept forwards.

There was no light orb to guide his way, however, there was a flickering of light from a fire up ahead.

"Harrold is NOT going to be happy when he hears this." A deep voice said.

"I'm sorry, boss. We will sort out the mess. What are your orders?" A quieter, scared voice whimpered back.

"My orders? To stop being such an incompetent snivelling mutt! What do you think!?" The first voice boomed back condescendingly. The voice was familiar now Aaron got closer, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Clean up the bodies of corrupted creatures and capture more?" A third voice answered.

"NO!" He yelled, "Find them!"

"Who, boss?" A dopey voice answered. The response was swiftly followed by the smack of a head landing in a palm.

"Find the Necromancer and his brother! Or my father will have your heads!" He shouted.

"Yes, Mr Umber, right away."