A Noble Cause

by mari tech

4. The Story. (Skippable)

Author's Note:

Please note, this chapter is pretty dark and is entirely skippable, after this chapter, the funny things will be back. I just wanted to give context for Conrad's sovereign. I hope it's a good attempt at a journal thing.

~The following is an excerpt from Rosa's diary days after her incident, it was used to keep her grounded in reality and to help her tell real from illusion. A copy was gifted to Conrad.~

---

It was darker than night. The adobe cell had no windows except the one on the small door that food came through. Every night, those brutes would take me and torture me for their own amusement. I was lucky that I wasn't like my cell neighbors that are forced to dance for them at the risk of losing their feet. Gods above I hate them. I had barely any sleep last night. Yelling and moaning filled the halls and kept me up, not like it was easy to sleep on dirt. But something strange happened that night. I was taken earlier than usual in the dead of night. I guess those brutes got excited for what sick torture I was 'due' for.

My tiny and starved body was grabbed by the strong and green hands of my captors. I wouldn't be surprised if they left marks on my sickly pale skin. Wouldn't be anything new. What was new however was that I taken down a different path than normal. I saw the night sky for the first time in what seemed like months, all the stars were shining bright. My happiness in seeing the night was cut short when I saw my destination. My dead-end as it seemed. A platform was in the mud made of wood, upon it was an operating table that was converted into an altar to the obscene.

This was finally my end. It was 5 years by that point that I was a slave to some petty orc raiding band after being stolen from my parents. At that point, I could only wonder how my twin was doing. I was unceremoniously thrown on the perverted altar. At that point, I grimly wondered what was gonna be my end and hoped for something quick and painless, however unlikely that was. And then I saw it. That cursed needle.

It turns out that these bastards had gotten hold of some potent new drug. Poison would be the more fitting name. They wanted to test it on a prisoner rather than on one of their own. It's almost like they cared about each other. I had to hope that it would be quick. I was chained down facing the stary sky, flicking my head to get the gray-ish silver uncut locks of hair out of my dead blue eyes. I made my peace and prepared myself for the welcoming darkness.

The sting of the needle entering my flesh and into my heart will be remembered for my entire life. The burning was like acid dripping into me. But the worst part was to come, I could feel my head tighten like insurmountable pressure was being put on it. I had to let out a scream of pain, the last scream of pain I ever let out. I tried to focus on the stars and beyond if only to dull the pain a little bit. That is when the world slowed and stopped, the color was drained from everything until it was all gray. I had not exactly noticed at the time because my attention was kept by the acid in my heart.

I had wondered for many years if death was like that, a dulling of the world around you while you can't focus on any of it. But as it turns out, death was not like that. Apparently, that drug wasn't just any drug. I was injected with Vladari. The most potent drug one can make on this plane of existence and only in the Underdark. I had read at some point that it was used in dark elf executions.

Another little known fact about this cursed substance, is that it causes the injected person to become like a torch in a dark room to creatures beyond the veil of our sanity.

I don't remember all too much of the experience fortunately enough. Only that I was contacted by something beyond the stars that I was fervently watching, and a minor deal was made. It had seemed that I was destined for things other than servitude to a patron. I can't remember the specifics of the deal, but I do remember waking up in my cell again a while later. It was still night and everything was the same, except for a few minor details.

The pressure on my skull remained for a few moments before dissipating. When it did, I had gained clarity that I never had before. My vision was surrounded by dark tendrils as I focused on the newfound clarity and I could see it finally. I had been trying so hard to manifest magic to help me escape. I never could until this point, but whatever deal I made had let me finally cast spells. I would've been happy about this, but I felt nothing. No anger, no happiness, nothing at all. I just didn't feel anymore. That is when I noticed that my body was numb like everything was disconnected. But I had bigger fish to fry now that I had magic. It turned out that the stars would aid in my escape, and I was more than ready.

I had to figure out how magic worked, it was never as simple as saying weird words and waggling fingers. So I focused and let the dark tendrils give me tunnel vision. Looking around, I would see what I had later named 'The Necromantic Web'. It was like looking at black cobwebs. Reaching out, I could pluck at it, and plucking a web using alerts its origin. I could feel the feedback from it. Looking to my side, I saw my hazy cellmate through the wall slumped over. They were dead and adding their power to the web. I tried to feel sorry for them as they were the only good company I had, but I just couldn't. I couldn't feel anything anymore, I would've been frustrated, but I couldn't be frustrated anymore! Why!

My vision flashed for a moment, clearing away the dark tendrils. I had been gifted the knowledge on what to do to escape my prison. I knew how I was supposed to escape, and it was in my grasp. I was not excited about what was about to happen. I pull a weak arm up to my face and rested my hand upon my cheek. I was so weak that the task was nearly impossible but I had managed to do it. I faltered slightly as I had opened my mouth. I nearly gave up when I reached into the back of my mouth. I tasted the unmistakable crimson iron when I pulled a canine out. I felt the instinctual response I would have from doing such a thing. I teared up and my body shook, yet I had not felt pain. I spit the crimson liquid onto the dirt.

I had come this far, I was not going to wait. I focused once more, this time on the bloody tooth. I saw the Necromantic Web connected to it, so I knew it would work. I crawled my crippled body towards the window in the door and pushed my pulled tooth out of it. I was too exhausted to work anymore, but luckily, I wouldn't need to. I whispered a few words that would pain those that could hear it and wave my hand in small and calculated motions. I tried to smile at the fruits of my labor, but I just couldn't force myself to do so. From the tooth grew a jawbone, from the jawbone grew a skull, from the skull grew a spine, and so the pattern continued until a full skeleton was made ex nihilo.

The skeleton got up and faced me. I had never seen a skeleton before this point, much less an animated one. I was tired. I never knew that magic could be this tiring. My last thought before passing out was about how much I needed to get out of this place. I guess that skeletons take commands mentally. I had been given the memories of the skeleton when it collapsed into dust a while later.

The skeleton had picked the lock to my cell with its thin fingerbones and was strong enough to carry me. It luckily didn't encounter much resistance. Only a handful of orcs were in the way, most ran when encountering the undead monster, but one was brave enough to stand against it. Unfortunately, the orc was stupid and swiftly fell to the untiring assault of sharp daggerlike fingerbones.

I only started to come back after the skeleton effectively hauled my body about 5 miles away. we had just started our dive into a dry forest nearby. I didn't have food or water, I was too weak to keep myself alive. I had almost forgotten the skeletal caretaker that was ready to throw down its unlife down for me at any time. It felt nice to be taken care of, but I couldn't express it as such. I still didn't feel anything. I still wasn't happy I escaped. I still wasn't angry at the orcs for what happened. I still wasn't in pain from ripping a tooth out. I̴̻̔͗̿ ̴͍͖̭̆̀̄̇j̴̦̖͕͝u̷̟͙̤̦̦̓͗̄s̷̙̳̗̩̉̇͜ṱ̸̢̺̓̆̀͐̏ ̶̮̭̥͉͑ẉ̸̒̑̍͠ă̷̧̼̩̽̀͜ͅs̶͎̞̳̏̈n̸̼͇̬̂͑͜'̵̱̮̱̿ṯ̴͇͎͑̔̈͐͒ ̵̜̰̘̜͆͛͆̓͝ā̵̝̬̉̀n̷̹̤͍̺̋̍͗̚͠y̵̗͕̳͒͐̓̑̑ͅͅm̸̺͖̄̀̈́o̵̬̝̕̕r̶̨̯͑̂̄̈͘e̴̛̖̊̈́̓͠.̶̬̬̎͝

I had my skeleton cohort drag me to a small river, no wider than 5 feet. That was the first time I saw my face in years. I looked like the undead I now control. Just a flesh sack of bones. I could see the bones underneath my skin. It was disturbing, to say the least. My eyes looked paler than normal as if I was truly dead. I couldn't care.

I had my cohort lay me against a tree and sent it hunting for anything to eat. Just something to keep me alive. I had time to think and observe before he came back... He? Why do I feel the need to give the skeleton a sense of Identity? It was no more than bones given animation... Why did I feel attached to it? Maybe because he was made from my tooth? Yeah... That's a comforting answer.

My... friend... came back with a handful of berries that I scarfed down. Where they poisoned? Probably not since I'm writing this journal. I needed to keep moving. Orcs are very territorial when it comes to their 'property'. And they most likely found that I was missing by this point. But where could I go that was safe now. Not only am I a fugitive to orcs and would likely sell for a lot. But I'm a necromancer now.

I... I'm a necromancer now... The reality settled on me at that point. I would probably be hunted for the rest of my life, my only allies being the dead. Other necromancers aren't exactly keen on being friends. I would feel lonely, but I can't feel anymore. I had looked towards my cohort and came up with a plan. A plan that still works, and seems to keep working. I don't feel anymore, that means that emotions no longer got in the way of logic. But there was still a glimmer of emotion, I could tell. I still had morality.

I had an idea for a plan. It was... crazy... to say the least. It looked impossible to achieve. But as I watched my skeleton caretaker, something came to mind. If I could feel, I would've grinned at the idea. I was going to build a kingdom for the undead. I would rule as its leader. I would bring harmony and morality to the unquiet undead. I would checkmate nearby kingdoms into alliances. I would become immortal and protect my kingdom...

I will awaken the undead and bring them from unlife to a semblance of life.

---

The rest of the journal was filled with plans and many math equations, eventually evolving into fevered scribbling that culminated into something amazing. On the last page was an illustration of a mighty and imposing kingdom. It was drawn with enough detail to see the undead in the streets that, rather than attacking the kingdom, were manning market stalls and doing other sorts of tasks or hauling great products to other places. It was a kingdom of undead perfection.

Comments

[mari tech]

Ten points to anyone that can guess what contacted her.

[Jest]

Oh hey this looks- *Notices that this story doesnt seperate spoken lines into their own paragrpahs* - wtf dude? I learned that shit in third grade how do you not know that? How have you lived your entire life seeing spoken lines seperated in everything from newspapers to novels and not think "Wow, thats how its supposed to be."

I know this sounds rude but honestly this is one of the most baffling repeated errors I've ever seen. Other then that one guy who never used periods.

[mari tech]

10473957
Chapters 1 and 2 are going to be restructured, hold your horses, my dude. I admit, such a mistake is on me, I wasn't knowledgeable about such a thing until comments before yours were made and I have made an effort to change how I write. To me, at least, I never noticed that is how writing was structured since I focused on the content of the stories I read, rather than structure. It's kind of like how you are always able to see your nose, but you just never acknowledge it unless you actually focus on it or if something is extremely wrong about it.

I appreciate that you took the time out of your day to comment, but the rudeness wasn't required to get the point of your comment across to me. I'm sure you are a great person and not this rude to people in real life. I genuinely appreciate the time you took to comment and read my story.

[Jest]

10473998
Yeah sorry about the tone of my comment but like I said I was just so baffled by it. Spoken lines being their own paragraph was just something I had to do every single year from grade 3-12 plus university and someone presumably doing all that only to not know that is like meeting someone who doesn't know that the sky is blue.

It's perplexing.

[mari tech]

10474006
I appreciate your apology and I thank you for not escalating the argument further which was my fear. I guess it just goes to show that you never know other people's experiences even with things thought to be common knowledge. Like one time, I met someone that genuinely didn't know how you were supposed to butter toast. That is not a joke, I met somehow that struggled with how to butter toast.

[Jest]

10474016
Thats hilarious and also very true. Everyone is different as are their experiences. For some reason I still spell freinds wrong no matter how many times I correct myself. XD

[Prince Jules Moonshade]

Really enjoying this hilarious story and I hope to see more soon! It a nice brake from the usual stories. Keep up the awesome work and hope to see more!

[mari tech]

10512699
Thank you for your kind words. I'm trying to finish the next chapter soon. I've just had a few speed bumps to get through.

[Razzy]

Orcs gotta orc.