Chương 67: The Road West

"So let me get this right, there's an entire guild of you with the sole purpose of hunting Necromancers. Why have I never heard of this?" Aaron said.

"Well, you hadn't met any Necromancers, so is it really a big surprise?" Replied Paige.

"We're secretive for a reason. Necromancers don't exactly parade around showing themselves off. And neither should we. The enemy has no idea how to find us and barely knows who we are, and we'd prefer to keep it that way," Giddeon said.

"If you're so secretive, then why did Selezar call you Crystalblade?" Aaron asked.

"I'm kind of a big deal." Aaron mentally rolled his eyes. Giddeon was actually opening up about some of his history and organisation, and Aaron didn't want to ruin it, despite the blatant arrogance.

"How so?"

"I have killed many of their kind, and had dealings with Selezar. I fought him once and thought he was dead. But he survived, like a cockroach. He put some of himself into that staff."

"How is that even possible?" Aaron asked.

"It's typically an Ectomancy power. We can project our own spirits out. It's risky though. If our body is lost or damaged, we can get stuck in that form. What did you think ghosts were?" Aaron scratched his head. He was still coming to terms with the fact that magic didn't always work in the way he had been shown. Not everyone had a tome and an assigned class. Many people learned by training with a master and with focused practise over a long period of time. At least that's how Paige explained it.

Giddeon continued, "He's been alive a very long time and has had time to master all sorts of magic."

"Does he still have a body? Where will he go?"

"We burned his body. He will probably seek out a new host." Aaron shuddered. The idea of another spirit crawling under his skin was disgusting. It also meant that he could be anyone.

"So we are going to meet the rest of the guild. What will we do there?"

"Train!" Paige said. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't you think they will be hostile towards me? They are Necromancer hunters after all."

"That's why we won't tell them you're a necromancer," Giddeon said. Paige gasped in protest.

"But the undead will be so good for training. I mean it would be so useful for the guild to have an allied necromancer to study."

"That's true, but you know how they are," Giddeon replied. Paige grumbled. They had made good progress and learned a lot by training with Aaron's undead in the past few weeks. He initially agreed to do it to pay her back for helping free Cuthbert, but he had started to see the value in training his new powers, even if he wasn't doing it strictly for healing. Selezar would come for him eventually, and next time he probably won't take no for an answer when he refuses to join him.

"And what about Cuthbert?" Aaron said. Giddeon sighed and pinched two fingers onto his temple.

"He doesn't look undead. We can tell him he is your familiar, and I think no one will notice. Not unless they use any magic to scan him."

"And Tim? He literally has claws now."

"We will just tell them the truth. The mages there are a bit stuck in their ways, but they won't turn their noses up at a victim of a Necromancer. They might even be able to teach him to control it." Tim raised his eyebrows and exchanged a glance with Aaron.

"You'll all have to pull your weight. There's no freeloading over there. And everyone will have to train." Giddeon focused his gaze towards Alex, who was lagging behind them and humming. Alex folded his arms and frowned "Why are you looking at me? I earn my keep."

"With what? Music!?" Paige scoffed. Alex went to reply, but quickly shut his mouth when he realised he was being mocked. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Psychic magic is powerful and extremely useful to the Guild. Our mages use it to gain intelligence and scout for potential Necromancers. It is also a key part of our plan in case of an undead uprising. We need a way to keep the crowds from panicking and evacuate people quickly and safely in an emergency. They would welcome you to the cause, even if your magic is a bit…. musical."

"You were going to say weak," Alex huffed. Giddeon let slip an evil grin.

"Well if the boot fits." Alex looked outraged. He inhaled deeply and raised a finger, but Tim spoke before he could argue.

"Where is this place anyways?"

"A few weeks' ride north. We need to avoid the roads, so travel will be slow," Giddeon said.

"How will we cross the road safely with the peacekeepers out on patrol?" Tim asked. Aaron put his hand up and called out to Cuthbert mentally. His partnership with the crow had grown strong since rescuing him. He called out using his Dominion Over Undead talent, but was communicating with him rather than commanding him. The bird was more than happy to listen and help without being forced to do anything. Not that Aaron would force him to do anything against his instincts and own will. Cuthbert wasn't truly undead.

He had part of his own spirit within him and part of a light spirit. It felt immoral to bend sentient creatures to his will. The crow majestically swooped down from its perch in a tree above them and landed on the leather pad on Aaron's forearm. His hand glowed blue from the light emitted from the cracks between his feathers.

"I'll send him over to see if it's clear." Aaron used his Blood Bond to swap to Cuthbert's perspective. The bird trusted him, and there was no resistance as usual. He looked through the crow's eyes, with the narrow and more focused field of view. Everything was vivid and hyper-focused. He took off into the air with a couple of swift beats of his wings. He gained enough altitude to be out of the reach of arrows and, with enough time to dodge any bolts of fire or ice launched his way.

The camp was a speck in the distance to the east, and he couldn't make out any individual people, even with his enhanced vision. The road was much closer and probably only a short walk from where his party was. It was clear of peacekeepers. Aaron glided west along the road to check for any patrols, but found nothing. If Thomas and his men were around, they were either back at the camp or long gone west retreating back to the city. Godric's farmhouse was just north of the road and it looked safe to approach.

[Skill proficiency increased] Blood Bond: Level 3 He was pleased to increase Blood Bond's rank, but still hadn't quite figured out what it was doing as it got stronger. He did feel that it was easier to coordinate his wings and fly, but figured that was just practice, rather than his magical abilities getting more powerful. Aaron returned to his body to find an earthy taste in his mouth. He spat out a handful of daisies and looked up to find Alex giggling to himself.

Tim was pursing his lips together, looking like he was barely able to hold back his laughter.

"It's clear, there's no one on the road," Aaron said, wiping his mouth. Everyone had already seemed prepared to leave. In the minutes he was gone, all of their bedrolls were packed, and everyone had their backpacks on, ready to travel. Aaron picked up his staff, which was resting against a tree. There was a cut, shortways along the middle of the shaft where he'd damaged it with his dagger. It was enough to release Selezar, but the structure itself was still sturdy and worked well as a hiking stick.

He was excited to find out more about the power in the staff and repair it. His tome had assigned it a rank, suggesting it could level up just like the rest of his abilities. He fully intended to do some serious levelling as soon as he had a chance. And he knew Paige would jump at the opportunity to join in. It took the rest of the morning to reach the farmhouse. It felt slow and annoying to be back on his feet after feeling the freedom of air under his wings.

From the sky, it felt like the farmhouse was only a short trip away, whereas in reality, walking the distance took ages. Godric was pleased to see them, as was Aaron. He knew it was low risk and no one knew he was associated with them, but he would have struggled to forgive himself if the man came into harm for helping them. He generously gave them some supplies for their journey and packed them into Giddeon's cart. Aaron felt guilty because Giddeon didn't allow them much time to hang around.

It made sense as they didn't know for certain that Thomas' men wouldn't come back. But still, he wouldn't even accept any of their coins in gratitude. Giddeon fired up the machine, which pulled the cart. It made its distinctive mechanical clanking and grinding sounds as it whirred and built up speed and power. The old man sat up front with the four of them and Cuthbert in the back.

The keg of mead has suspiciously emptied whilst they were away at the mine, but it was the least they could offer Godric for his support and discretion. The silver lining was that Alex got to sit in the back with them. Giddeon would have almost certainly killed him if he had to listen to him sing and ramble for weeks.

"A few weeks of travelling north, right?" Aaron said.

"Yep," Paige replied, "that's a few weeks of training whilst we're on the road." Alex folded his arms and frowned.

"Isn't the dragon's lair to the north?"

"Yes, as is my village, but it's much further north than where we're going," Paige replied.

"Good, because I don't want to deal with the creatures that spawn out of that pit. If that tiny staff caused so many problems, imagine what a dead dragon's soul could do," Alex said.

"Hordes of gigantic monstrosities, last I heard," Paige said with a grin, to which Alex huffed and looked away.

"Do you think its body is still down there?" Tim asked. Paige sucked in her cheek and frowned.

"I suspect so, given the state of the corruption around it."

"You should raise the dragon from the dead. I'm sure Selezar wouldn't see that coming!" Alex giggled.

"Maybe I should," Aaron laughed.