“Oh Steve, we ALL need to have a nice, LONG dinner together” Geraldo said, A jolly grin crossing his ghastly face.

  —-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  A pungent smell of burning flesh filled the air as the pit smoldered below. The flames of death greedily consumed the lingering negative magics and reduced the bodies to fine ash. Geraldo did his best to extinguish the residual embers, but the mountain of corpses was halved from the fight. Steve could feel the air lighten, the loci losing much of its power as the grave titan burned. It was such a loss for the commune, all that energy gone in mere moments.

  Steve wandered the room, doing his best to attend to the injured. While he didn’t have much in terms of healing magics, he could assist in the quick sutures and other needs. Dozens of helpers began carrying the injured upstairs for further treatment. While the healers worked on those alive, the coven cared for the dead. The various corpses were gathered and tossed into the pit below. One final sacrifice for the pursuit of knowledge. Mops and other cleaning gear soaked up the blood and bits of gore; while the older members reworked the binding runes.

  It was brutally efficient and none dared to speak as they set about their tasks. A constant reminder of the powers of the world. Loci were dangerous objects, one mistake and pooling magics erupt. Thankfully, most of the safe-guards held. If that grave titan broke the barrier, a army of deadly dead could easily overrun the spire. But while they focused on their roles, wayward glances drifted to the defiant zombie. None dared to approach the hungered creature, the creation casually chewing on whatever slop it could find. Wisps of smoke clung to its charred flesh. As it ate, the damaged flesh sloughed off onto the group–revealing regenerated muscle beneath.

  Geraldo paused and watched the recovery with fascination. A few moments later, Reas was staring too. Both occasionally tossing bits of gore towards the thing, seeing how it reacted to infused flesh. Each bit of mana-soaked meat enhanced the recovery process. But what caught their eye was the spontaneous reanimation before consumption. The balls of flesh wiggled and shifted in the creature’s hands. It was like a walking locus of death, mere proximity resulting in miniature flesh golems. Both were taking notes, whispering to each other was they observed the creature. Only when the cleaning was done did they corner Steve.

  That old priest of Deas had nothing on the two high-level [Necromancer]’s. Geraldo was surrounded by classic creations. A towering bone construct with ruby red eyes, three ghouls that stood motionless, and a wispy shadow that flickered between existence. Reas was a bit more eccentric in his minions, merging his talents to create works of art. A living river of congealed blood coiled around his body, the undulating rot reacting to his thoughts. Blobs of tumbling flesh covered in distorted eyes rolled around his feet. Even his coat was composed of living skin, toothless maws spitting reagents upon request.

  Both flared their intense auras, pinning the low-tier [Friend of the Dead] in place.

  “Now Steve, we are going to need to take your…thing for safety purposes. Okay?” Reas said with a smile.

  This wasn’t a request, it was a demand. He wanted to fight back, give them something to work for but his very flesh rebelled. Reas’ aura tickling the skin, threatening to strip it right from the bone. While Geraldo’s burning eyes ate as his very soul.

  “Sure…but nothing permanent. I don’t think I can create him again…” Steve lied.

  Ryland stood behind his friend for support. His cold hands pressed onto the shoulders. It wasn’t perfect, but it did help. Both knew they had no leverage, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t tip the scales.

  “Don’t worry, neither of US want to see just a…PERFECT specimen go to waste” Geraldo replied.

  Steve nodded and Ryland pushed onto his bond. While his body wasn’t happy, he would listen.

  “Tell them to give him treats” Ryland whispered.

  “Uhh…make sure to give him. Or well it snacks. I’ve found that it listens better when full”

  Geraldo grinned.

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  “Listens…Well Steve that explains a lot. They should OBEY not LISTEN.” He snapped a finger and the various constructs followed.

  Steve split for his room while Ryland followed the others. Thankfully, the two leaders kept to their word. His body placed in one of the labs with plenty of bones to snack on. Satisfied that he was treated like the prince he was, Ryland returned to Steve’s dorm. He ignored the bit of annoyance pressing on his bond and sat at the end of the bed.

  “Talk, now”

  “Fine…”

  Steve went to the idea board and pulled out a bit of chalk.

  “Sit down it’s a bit of a dozy.”

  The spire of healing was a bastion of light for the city. Their goddess blessed this sect and provided warmth, nourishment, and a natural locus of life. It was that barrier that isolated this region from the rest, why the priests of Deas couldn’t penetrate the magic. They were under the protection of one of the greatest.

  However, it came with a cost. All forms of magic require balance. For most spells, that balance was easily rectified with residual mana. The general weave of the world is a buffer for spellcasting. When fire mana is consumed, the imbalance is shifted far across the web and diluted through the greater network. For spells and rituals of massive sizes, it will begin to pool and become chaotic. Those that summon meteors from the heavens, huge fiery works involving extremely high leveled casters or city-wide rituals can extinguish the residual fire aether in the land. The result is catastrophic. Water-aligned mana has nothing to balance its power. Floods, devastating storms, and ecological disasters follow. Entire cities have sunk from the resulting backlash.

  It is the same with life and death. As those above perform miracles, they consume vast amounts of that life-giving magic. Sure the locus alongside the divine can help support the intense usage, but every gift leaves traces of death. IT was here that our great leader Reas stepped in, befriending those above and infiltrating their ranks. Posing as a student of learning, he quickly established himself as a prized student. It took a few years, but soon his theories on balancing took root.

  Thankfully, their goddess doesn’t care for the loci beneath the spire. In fact, she seems ecstatic at the solution provided. With the constant drain above, the healers can continuously work without interruption. What would animate graveyards before, is now siphoned down below. Furthermore it is a two-way street. We can practice our art without scrutiny from outside forces. As we level, experiment, and craft below, the by-products fill the loci above. Sure, they produce far more than we can ever use, but as long as the pit doesn’t fill the magics are contained.

  In fact, this method is so successful. Nearly every spire in the city has a pit below. While these are the primary halls for learning, we have plenty of safe-spots and backups throughout the land. You may not realize it Ryland, but it is through our craft that we can heal all above. It is the darkness below that lets the light shine above.

  But it didn’t stop there! Others soon learned of our presence. Pilgrims of magic learning about the protected lands. It is how John started, a ruthless killer on the battlefield…now a reformed surgeon. He studied under the doctors above, modifying his skills to help instead of harm. Within a few years, he’d transformed classes and could filter out toxins with a thought. We’ve begun partnering more and more, overlapping our talents with each other. Bringing in Geraldo to manipulate bone and graft the flesh, only for a nurse to work the life essence through the parts to prevent rejection.

  It is a grand cause benefiting society! Medical knowledge leads to greater creations below. Discoveries, ideas, musing, and hypotheses intertwine between life and death. Uniting together to create something greater than the parts. Who knows what we can accomplish? Even now we have infected corpses hosting various diseases. Undead creatures that can be used to train doctors and test cures. Labs stacked to the brim with state of the art magics and technology. Sure, some may take issue with our methods. I’m sure some would protest the use of their love-ones bodies, but what are a few lies to put death behind us?

  “Wow that’s great Steve, but don’t you think you should show me all this and not just…tell me. Seems a bit lazy” Ryland quipped

  “I am showing you look at the board” He pointed to his diagram, arrows crossing all over displaying the connections.

  “Besides, it isn’t like we are going to magic school. Studying for a year and uncovering some ancient secret that the lordly professors are hiding all while learning about the world’s system magics right? This isn’t fantasy Ryland, this is cold hard science”

  “Steve it was a joke, calm down”

  “Joke, Ryland I’m giving you a crash course into our greatest secrets. Don’t you think it would be good to know this before dinner?”

  “Well yeah, but like…it seems like a lot to take in.”

  “What did you expect Ryland. A bunch of interlude stories were we travel around the city learning new things. Visiting old friends and folks that we will never meet again? It seems like such a waste of time, some filler fluff when we are trying to get you back to your body.”

  Congratulations on Leveling Up! Please check your soul-board for further information.

  “Oh did you get that?” Steve turned mid-rant

  “Yeah strange to have it now, I guess it too wanted to hear you…”