Seconds after the bounty hunter is fully summoned the figure stands still. He looks at me curiously and as I'm about to speak I feel movement on my lap. Before I can say anything, long black nails are piercing the undead figure.
"Is that my… meal?" Professor Cranium asks, her voice filling with an eerie predatory glee. The man looks down and sees the nails stabbing him but doesn't react immediately.
"He tastes funny." The professor complains. Is the cannibal professor a picky eater? I am about to say something when the slain bounty hunter falls to his knees. His skin begins to turn black and in the span of time it takes a heart to beat he rots. His body falls apart, splitting into distinct pieces as Professor Cranium seems to recover.
"Ah that feels good. I'm feeling much better now." She remarks, as her nails begin to shrink back to their normal size. She sits up and looks at the strange corpse.
"Hmm… Well I hope he wasn't a friend of yours Lalo. If he was… Maybe he was sick." Professor Cranium says, before flashing me a smile. I can hear emotion and confusion in her voice and so I ask her if she's alright.
"I'm fine Lalo. I'm just fine. I've fed, I've been dealing with this for years, I'm fine." She tells me, and as she speaks I can hear her confidence growing. Her strange features are fading and she's returning to her base form. As I watch her return to normal I speculate that she probably becomes more monstrous if she's unable to feed.
"Professor… can I try something? To heal you?" I ask. My professor looks at me curiously as she stands and I feel her wonder if this is a passing flight of fancy. I can feel her sometimes unnerving intensity spike as she scrutinizes me before she relents.
For a moment I wonder if I should go all in and reveal my ultimate tool; wishmagic. It only takes me a brief moment of consideration to keep that secret tool in my backpocket but to not rush into using it. No one in this world knows about my wishmagic, something that is extremely and uniquely an ability possessed by genies here.
"You didn't come here to deliver a meal to me. And so you've stumbled across something important. I suppose I might as well allow you to try." She replies after taking stock of her situation. I nod at her and pull out a trick I've only had rare cause to try.
One of my magical secrets is that I have the power to overclock magic. This ability isn't super easy, or cheap, but it's been a power in my arcane toolkit the entire time I've been able to use magic. It involves me making my magic more costly but in exchange I get to amplify it. With this even cheap, simple spells can do more. Normally when I've used this I've overclocked dwarven enchantments, but back on Veiled Earth I sometimes used this to make my Troyverse healing magic more effective.
I put a hand on Professor Cranium's stomach and feel her smile. I close my eyes, though my eyestalks remain open, and begin to purposefully channel the spell I've selected for this purpose.
I have an innate connection to healing magic. It's a curiously natural fit for me and one that is a manifestation of a Veiled Earth perk. In this jump I haven't been an active healer due to my desire to keep some of my curiously diverse toolkit a secret, something which I've been moderately successful at doing here on campus even if Arsinoe and Ava both know about some of my magical abilities. The spell I've chosen to use is essentially a Troyverse version of a D&D spell named "Lesser Restoration" which is a spell that aims to heal various injuries and can undo supernaturally caused conditions.
My eyestalks catch my fingers glowing as the spell begins to manifest. The good scientist closes her eyes as the magic begins to pour out of me and into her. I purposefully pour more of the energy in the reactor inside of me into the spell and the glow in my fingertips begins to intensify. In moments I am actually feeling the spell begin to take enough energy to drain 1% of my reactor's output.
"Professor, is this doing anything?" I ask, causing Rachel to correct me.
"If we're doing this you might as well call me by my first name Lalo. And… yes, actually." She says. She opens her eyes and my eyestalks catch her looking at her stomach.
"I'm feeling the tiniest, slightest ease of hunger. This is new," She admits. "Normally even after I feed there's a small, residual ache of hunger. Over the course of a few months it builds in intensity until it reaches a point where it can no longer be resisted and the only solution is for me to feed. But right now… It's being held back." She explains.
I pour more power into the spell. Over the course of several seconds the room fills with the curious light until it is all that can be seen as I pour more and more of my reactor into the magic. I pour 100% of its contents, something I've never done before, into the magic and feel the spell come to an end as I can no longer continue to cast it. When the light fades and I can see Rachel looking at me in shock. My reactor is empty but I can feel it working even now and beginning to work on producing new magic.
"That was… That was the most powerful healing magic I've ever felt. Lalo what are you?" She asks, completely seriously. I've never heard her be more present or aware, and I realize that her constant airheadedness is a symptom of her condition and not an actual quirk of her real personality. I remember something vaguely similar from when I had chronic pain, a sort of difficulty with focus and being present that in my case wasn't especially pronounced if someone only met me a few times but was something that close friends noticed.
"I'm a friend. But I'm also not important. How are you doing?" I ask, disarming her. She eyes me curiously as she turns inward and mentally examines herself.
"My hunger is gone… For now. But I don't feel so fundamentally different that I think it's gone in the long term. At most I think what's happened is that your power is giving me some time to be myself. To gather myself." She admits quietly. I nod at her, unsurprised that the solution to her problem is not so incredibly simple as to be a low cost spell overcharged to a ridiculous degree.
"Look… Do you want to come to Ankoros? I mean not immediately but in the next few days? If I vouch for you Arsinoe will happily invite you to join our faction of the royal family and while I've done all I can to learn what I can learn here, there are cursebreakers and other sorts of healers in Ankoros who might be able to help you." I offer, which causes Rachel to pause and think. She is quiet for a moment before asking if she'll be imposing and I shake my head.
"Okay. Okay, sure. I can join you in the desert," She states. "Yeah I've never been to Ankoros but Prince Kleoshebet and I were friends once. If I tell him of my condition and explain that you and I knew each other… He'd want to help if he could." She says, her voice softening as she realizes what she's agreeing to. I study her for a brief second before growing satisfied with the developments I've seen and nodding at the human.
The next few minutes pass in a blur. I leave the woman's dorm and head to my own one last time. I enter the sarcophagus that was made for me a few years ago and step through it into my room in the royal palace of Nekros. I am greeted by Arsinoe who I almost run to and pull into a kiss.
Her lips are warm, intensely alive, and she matches my energy. It doesn't take us long before I embrace the hedonism that colors this country. I delight in Arsinoe's embrace of her people's traditions and minutes into my post-college life I get to experience a fun kind of bliss.
During my first few days in Ankoros Arsinoe and I are practically inseparable. It's not hard for me to persuade Arsinoe to extend an invitation to Rachel, even without me explaining why I want her to come and join us. Arsinoe and I are the sorts to not really deny each other anything, so long as its within our power to grant. In some ways my generosity is pretty natural but dating Arsinoe has caused it to become enhanced and come to the fore more often.
Arsinoe catches me up to speed very quickly. As a royal she is going to be doing government work, but she's been putting it off to some extent while I've been finishing getting my degree. We were dating for so long, and I became such a regular face in Ankoros, whenever I could at least, that no one really tried to fight her on waiting for me. It helps that I learned from many different people in the palace and befriended both government officials and simple staff in the building so a ton of people were on Arsinoe's side when she revealed that I was going to be coming here. I know in a few days Kleoshebet will be calling on us to begin to do… something government-related. It's possible we'll be governing some part of the country or something or that we'll be appointed to work in a government ministry.
After a week Prince Kleoshebet sits Arsinoe and I down during dinner by telling us he needs to talk to us. Dinner is something that we, the royal we in this instance, do regularly despite it being common knowledge that none of us need to eat due to the fact that all of us, myself included, are undead. He is well-dressed though the only clothes he has on are elegant pants. I am in an amalgamated form, blending my base human body with the eye and eyestalks of a beholder and I patiently cut into deliciously prepared meat. Other royals, including Arsinoe's cousins, sit down with us and eat as we all listen to music in the background.
The royal chefs are stunningly talented at their jobs, in much the same way as the musicians who entertain us are among the best in the kingdom. There are perks to being royal, though part of what is happening is due to me. I glance at the instruments of the musicians and note the faintly glowing sigils and runes that are visible on them. My ability to learn from my students and make discoveries while teaching has paid off and allowed me to learn to see runes and the like with the naked eye, which is a subtle but nice reward for my work. That, and the loyalty of my students, are the main rewards I've earned for this but those rewards aren't nothing.
I have taken many of the crafters of the royal palace under my wing and taught them how to use dwarven sorcery in exchange for learning from them. A normal person wouldn't be able to learn how to do things like make and use musical instruments in the month-long periods I've had between school years but with my radical learning boosters I've been able to both learn instrument making, as well as how to play them, and I've been able to teach friends and teachers how to incorporate dwarven sorcery into their tool-making.
"So Arsinoe have you been educating Lalo in what is expected of you?" Kleoshebet asks, before taking a bite of steak. Arsinoe looks at me and smiles.
"Yes actually! He knows we're going to be doing something related to the government." She says proudly. She flashes her father a cat-like grin and he lets out a soft laugh. He looks at me and studies me quietly.
"Lalo, what did you study at MUU?" He asks, and I reply that I studied history. He nods and smiles at that remark.
"Excellent. In that case you will make an able aid for Arsinoe." He tells us, glancing at his daughter. She looks at him curiously as she brings a cup of wine to her lips.
"Arsinoe, I want you to be the governor of the Tapte province. It's already been approved and you have a cabinet of loyal aides ready to help. Plus you have Lalo, and Rachel's coming." The prince tells his daughter. I listen to this and stoically nod, ready to aid my girlfriend and be a loyal supporter of her administration. She takes this surprisingly well, though she's actually always been fairly amenable to her father's wishes. She's playful and likes to push the limits of her father's patience in small ways but in the big stuff I've seen her mostly relent and listen to what her father says. Kleoshebet looks back at me curiously.
"My daughter has taken this news well. Which is nice. Not unexpected, but nice. What do you have to say, Lalo?" He asks, and I smile at him.
"I'm happy to help Arsinoe shine. I shall do my best to see to it that she is an able governor and that we make Tapte the jewel of Ankoros." I state, with a confident and brightly non-toothy grin. Arsinoe's relatives laugh and smile at me.
In my own way hobnobbing with royals is something I do easily. Part of this is due to perks, and another, smaller, part of it has to do with acquired knowledge regarding this royal family specifically, but I have a personality that gives me a natural ease and edge when it comes to these kinds of interactions. I have little interest in showing off my power and I can easily support someone else's ambitions so I've blended in remarkably well. I am aided by my own powerful perks which seem essentially tailor-made for me to do well in a place like this. I have perks keyed to authorities, keyed to charisma, keyed to becoming accepted by people, and of course keyed to the undead. This country is basically something I'd dream up if I wanted a place that I could meteorically rise to power in.
The next few days are a blur with Arsinoe and I traveling to the distant province along with a small retinue of trained guards. It's far from Nefros and though I could allow us to travel faster I see no reason to do so. We travel via a carriage driven by an enormous stag-beetle. During this time I am given a crash course in Tapte's whole deal, learning of the isolated and distant province and its problems. Partway through the trip while the animal is resting I go to its side and I subtly heal the beast, quickly befriending it thanks to my powerful perks.
The rest of the trip proceeds smoothly, and I spend part of each day in my true form floating outside of the carriage and helping the guards. In time we arrive at the small governor's estate only to find the entrance to it closed. A pair of bronzed guards stand watch outside of the gates and call out to us as we approach. The driver of the carriage, Arsinoe's captain of the guard, obliges them and introduces me as Arsinoe's aide when they eye me curiously, with one even tightening his grip on the sword at his waist.
"Ah. I see. I didn't know the princess's mate was an…" He then utters a word I don't understand and laughs quietly.
"A few days ago the governor's estate was attacked by strange monsters during a meeting of the local council. Undead. One of them… They slew our necromancer, they were able to resist her commands and occupied the mansion. We sent word to the palace but I suspect that that was after you embarked on your voyage." The guard explains. Arsinoe's captain nods and turns to me.
"The necromancer's death is bad news. It leaves us in dire straits. I don't doubt that Prince Kleoshebet and the Pharaoh will send reinforcements, but if we're facing off against rogue undead then we're gonna be at a disadvantage unless we get a necromancer." The man tells me, before advising that we head back to town, the town of Besou which is the seat of the province.
"We could wait for reinforcements, and we will definitely benefit from them. But for now… Could you go with Arsinoe to an inn in Besou while leaving me a few guards? I think I can handle this," I explain, aware of the capabilities of the guards I've trained. The man, Asten, looks me over and hesitates. I smile and decide to play a perk I've never had reason to use. "Could you give me a chance here? I believe in my abilities and at worst I'll bring back the men and have some information for us and the replacement necromancer when they arrive." I tell the warrior, using the "Just give me one chance!" perk.
It's a powerful thing that skyrockets my ability to persuade people by asking them to give me a chance to do something. The one caveat with it, and it's an important one, is that I can only use the perk on someone once. I watch the perk work on him, causing him to relax a little and relent; agreeing to give me temporary command of two guards.
Arsinoe is unhappy with my idea but she eventually agrees when I point out how much acclaim we could accrue by successfully handling this ourselves. She wants to show her skill and acumen immediately and this crisis is a good way for us to do that.
She agrees to go to the local inn and in minutes I am in my amalgamated form equipped with a spare spear that I carefully douse in holy water, something I have thanks to my "Hunter's Kit" item. I do this with telekinesis since a nasty drawback I have taken makes me extremely vulnerable to holy stuff. The locals, Rua and Hakor, give me and my men a rundown on the monsters including something extremely surprising; they think one of the monsters looked like me.
I immediately realize what this means: one of my fiat-backed foes, a manifestation of "Behold your foes" is here, right now. They also reveal that none of the monsters have fled the estate in the time since. One minor positive note that I swiftly realize is that this place is not considered a monster's lair, meaning that the death tyrant, or possibly a regular beholder with magic, has not had time to make this place a lair.
I listen to the warriors and incorporate their guidance into my plan. They all look at me and wait for my go ahead, which I give after checking in with them and ensuring that they are ready. The gate to the estate is opened and we march in together.
As we step into the estate in lockstep I am behind a wall of muscular warriors. No monsters approach us as we make our way through a pleasant garden and lawn and to the front door of the mansion. As we move I summon my wand to my other hand, feeling its power surge into me. We enter a ruined, bloody foyer and I note the presence of numerous corpses, some of which have massive bite marks on their shoulders while others are unrecognizable due to powerful magic. A distant stairwell leads up to a series of bedrooms and private spaces while the bottom floor is the more public facing part of the home. When we make it halfway through the foyer the corpses begin to stir and I don't hesitate.
I hurl my spear at the corpse closest to me, while the soldiers move forward and stab a few different undead in the heads. More moaning begins to reach us from upstairs and a few of the more distant undead make it to their feet.
I silently cast my true undeath spell on a nearby corpse, causing it to begin to recover and return to its living form even as I telekinetically pull my spear out of one of the zombies and pull it back to myself. The undead charge at us and I move to the front of the group of warriors while shouting for them to get behind me. They obey me immediately and I get to do something I don't often get to do: use my abilities offensively. I focus on my central eye which is currently emitting none of my cone attacks. I choose to emit a cone of telekinetic energy and the monsters that enter it are immediately lifted into the air and rendered helpless. They continue to moan angrily as they spin in mid-air. My allies don't wait and impale each of the monsters in the head with their spears, cutting short their unexpected undead existences.
My beholder eye abilities function a little differently than those of baseline beholders. I can emit any of my rays as cones, and I can fire off negative energy rays and anti-magic rays, which are the signature conal abilities of beholders and death tyrants. My ability to fire off cones of telekinesis, of paralysis, of charming energy, of all of the beholder things is actually pretty powerful and when the zombies stop their moaning I switch off my telekinesis. Behind me a soft voice calls out causing my new friends and I to turn around. A short man with a large stomach greets us.
"Hello master. I am Ahti. I was the cook of the estate back when we had a governor. I was here when the monster attacked." The man explains, looking at me.
"Master?" One of the guards asks, turning and looking at me. I let out a quiet laugh and nod.
"Yep. We're gonna take back the mansion, person by person and room by room." I inform the guards and Ahti. Ahti smiles brightly at me and asks how he can help.