Adventures in Necromancy

[GhostSpider]

"I do not advise this course of action." Karlash warned me as I opened the door to the New Age shop.

I ignored him as I walked in, we had already spoken on this and we both knew there were no other options available.

"Hello, anyone here!" I shouted, as I looked around the shop. It had the standard New Age-y stuff. Crystals, tarot cards, incense, books galore, and more.

"We're closed." A voice said from a door toward the back of the store. I smiled, recognizing the voice. I quickly moved to the door and peeked in. A small, thin man was in a store room, his head between two shelves practically groaning with candles.

"Hello Manning." I said, smirking as he smashed his head against the shelf above him in surprise. He fell on to the floor, a mixture of shock and pain on his face.

"Sp-spider, what are you doing here?"

"I hear that you've gone back to your old ways Manning. That you've been practicing again."

"Lies, all lies. I haven't even looked at corpse or bone since you and Ed spared my life. I've kept to the deal, I swear."

I just sighed and looked around the room, quickly finding it. I drew Karlash and pointed him at the one wall not covered in shelves. I let loose a force blast, which hit the wall and blew the hidden door off its hinges. Almost immeditely the smell of death pervaded the small back room.

"No necromancy huh?"

I walked over and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. I easily hefted this weasel of a man off the ground and held Karlash to his throat.

"You remember what we told you would happen if we found you practicing again?"

He squealed in fear and then pissed his pants. I snorted in absolute disgust and threw him into the hidden room. How this weasel had ever managed to take control of a small town in the midwest was beyond me.

I walked through the concealed door, and took a look at his sanctum. EVery wall but one was covered in necromantic regalia and artifacts. In one corner, neatly stacked, were about a dozen skeletons. In the center of the room were several magic circles, and a large altar. On the one uncovered wall was a desk and a laptop.

As I looked around, Manning babbled on and on about how sorry he was and he wished for mercy. I let him stew for a few more minutes, letting his panic grow.

"Today may just be your lucky day though, cause I'm feeling particularly merciful today. I'm willing to overlook certain things, maybe even forget about then altogether. For a price of course."

Manning might have been terrified, but he was no fool. He knew a out when he saw one, and practically began begging me for anyway he could help me.

I reached into the duffel bag slung over my shoulder and pulled out a book, tossing it to him.

"Look at the marked page, I want that done."

He looked at the page in question.

"This is possible, but it will require me to use my entire stock of these reagents, many of which are very expensive and..." He trailed off as I leaned on Karlash, making sure he caught a good glimpse of the length of the blade. He stopped his complaints immediately.

"I trust you brought the other piece this ritual calls for?"

I reached into the duffel bag again and pulled out a human skull.

"Get to work." I told him as I tossed him the skull.

[Lord Shakar]

Dangerous to trust the dark Art of Necromancy. Things can easily go wrong when using Intimidation with one who wields its Deathly Knowledge.

[GhostSpider]

I sat down at the desk while I waited for Manning to complete the ritual. He would, at times during the ritual, complain about lost money and components. Whenever he would start, I would slam Karlash down on the desk, and apologize saying something like, "Oops sorry, saw a bug."

It took him about nine hours to complete the ritual. He started around nine in the evening, and was finally done at around sunrise the next day. Upon completion, he handed me the skull. He was about to say something, when ringing from the front of the store interrupted him.

"Damnit, you could have locked the front door." He muttered as he went to the front.

I ignored him as I studied the skull. He had done good work, the runes on the skull were perfectly placed.

A scream, quickly cut off, interrupted my musings. I grabbed the duffel bag, tossed in the skull and the book, and headed to the front of the store.

Once I got to the front, I saw a man, his back to me, drawing a sword out of Manning's dead body.

"Thanks bud, you just saved me a whole lot of trouble." I told the guy.

He turned towards me, brushing his long red hair out of his eyes. It was those eyes that caught me. They were burning with a...power I guess.

Seeing him straight on now, I could see that he was wearing a breast-plate and gauntlets.

"In my time, I have learned not to converse with one eyed men, or things that wear the skin of one eyed men." He said, looking me right in my eye. He lifted his sword and began advancing on me. Something deep inside me began gibbering in terror. Before I could think of anything else, I teleported out of the store.

This was absurd, here I was, surrounded by trees now (where the hell am I) and trembling in undisguised terror. Sure I've been afraid before, but never of someone I was fighting or going to fight. Whoever this guy was, he had Power, with a capital P.

It took me several minutes to calm down, then I had to wait for sundown before I could begin the next half of the ritual. I had to draw a circle in the dirt, calmly and slowly tracing mystic symbols inside and outside the circle. By midnight, I had the circle finished, and placed the skull in the middle of it.

"Acba-Xy-Netosa-Acba." I intoned, completing the ritual.

"Time to arise my servant, you have had enough rest."

Immeditaley, purple flames shot from the eye sockets of the skull. The runes glowed purple as the flames touched them. The flames grew and grew, until the skull was engulfed in a pillar of fire. Slowly the skull floated into the air, until it was about eye to eye with me. Suddenly the flames coalesced into a man shaped pillar of fire.

"Thank you for bringing me back, Master." Spoke The Dark Voice.

[Willie Long]

What has become of you, GhostSpider?

[Lord Shakar]

This is most disturbing.

[GhostSpider]

Is the story over yet?

No, of course not. So, please save your condemnations for after its through. I had my reasons for bringing him back. He has answers, answers to questions that I am FUCKING tired of asking over and over again. It's well past time that I started knowing the truth. I'm done playing the waiting game. Too many have died while I dicked around. Somethings coming, and its time to suit up or run and hide.

[Lord Shakar]

I wasn't making condemnations. Though dealing with Necromancy is always a dangerous endeavor. One must be careful of the answers given by using Dark Magics.

[Willie Long]

Is the story over yet?

No, of course not. So, please save your condemnations for after its through. I had my reasons for bringing him back. He has answers, answers to questions that I am FUCKING tired of asking over and over again. It's well past time that I started knowing the truth. I'm done playing the waiting game. Too many have died while I dicked around. Somethings coming, and its time to suit up or run and hide.

That's better. You sound like yourself again.

[DarKnyht]

:roll:

Is the story over yet?

No, of course not. So, please save your condemnations for after its through. I had my reasons for bringing him back. He has answers, answers to questions that I am FUCKING tired of asking over and over again. It's well past time that I started knowing the truth. I'm done playing the waiting game. Too many have died while I dicked around. Somethings coming, and its time to suit up or run and hide.

Ghost I know you had to have good reasons for doing what you are describing, but I cannot help but worry that part of your tale doesn't sound anything like you. Your reactions and responses, even the tone and pacing of the posts sound like a different person was at the keyboard. I dunno if it is just the stress of the crap you are dealing with or something else, but I feel the need to ask...

Is your uninvited guest still just a helpless passenger?

[GhostSpider]

Boy are you behind the times DK. My helpless passenger and I combined months ago. Now all that is left is me.

[GhostSpider]

The Voice spent several moments studying me.

"I have to confess Master, this is not the way I had hoped you would turn out. You practically reek of goodness and Light. I had hoped that..."

He stopped suddenly as I reached into the flames, grasped the skull and pressed two of the runes. Almost immediately he began screaming.

"Remember who you are speaking to. Good or not, I am still your Master. Give me any more lip and you'll get more of the same."

"Of course Master, forgive me."

"I have questions, questions that need answering."

The Voice bowed.

"I am at your complete disposal Master."

I thought for a moment than said, "Lets begin with this:Why me?"

[DarKnyht]

Boy are you behind the times DK. My helpless passenger and I combined months ago. Now all that is left is me.

Perhaps I am or it might be that I am getting old. There is also the lack of sleep lately and the increased amount of stress overall in the general area I am at. Whatever the reason, I am somewhat absent minded lately.

Still, there are points in your tale where you sound less like the person I know and more than a little like the one you are merged with. Whatever it is that is going on, try to be careful.

[Hannah]

Hi Ghostspider

My father spent a lot of time talking about how we should be careful and watch for any strange behavoirs from you. He talked alot about there being a darkness from your merger with Belladox and that a vampire is dangerous even if it doesn't drink blood.

Maybe you need to think about what my father was saying and read the story you're telling us over again but pretend it's about someone else. Once you do that, ask yourself if this person in the story is a person you want people to think of you as.

Hannah

PS: You are a nice guy - but you seem to be forgetting that.

[GhostSpider]

There are certain things that need doing, and a certain ruthlessness they need to be done with. Being a nice guy isn't going to win this battle. I'm going to have to kill a whole lot of people, evil and misguided, to finally end this. Its not something I want to do, or look forward to doing. Still, it needs to be done.

[DarKnyht]

There are certain things that need doing, and a certain ruthlessness they need to be done with. Being a nice guy isn't going to win this battle. I'm going to have to kill a whole lot of people, evil and misguided, to finally end this. Its not something I want to do, or look forward to doing. Still, it needs to be done.

I think it is a dangerous road that you travel on right now Ghost. Are you really sure there is no other options except what you have done and may yet be doing?

[Lord Shakar]

A dead Enemy is better than a live one that can come back to bite you in the ass.

[Ron Caliburn]

He's dealing with Necromancy - even the dead enemies cna come back to bite you.

[GhostSpider]

It was either use a necromancer, or sacrifice three virgin girls after forcing them to feast on their parents flesh. I think I took the better option.

[Ron Caliburn]

Or you could have decided not to traffic in evil at all and let us respect you in the morning.

[Lord Shakar]

He's dealing with Necromancy - even the dead enemies can come back to bite you.

This is very true. Especially when dealing with things of a Necromantic or Demonic Nature.

[GhostSpider]

I have said all I will on this. I did what needed to be done.

[Sheyblade]

I have said all I will on this. I did what needed to be done.

I haven't been here long enough to judge you one way or the other on this. But I will say through this, garnered from my own experience: what "needs" to be done isn't always what you "want" done.

Reading through some of your earlier entries, it looks like you had a bit of "trouble." And you kept pissing people off by acting "cool" about it. And noe it sounds like you've gone full circle again. 360 degrees.

Nowhere.

If you want people to trust you, then you better open up. If you like being all badass and grating on peoples nerves, button your lip and spew some more of the same on what you've been doing without the why. I'll say it again: I haven't been hear long enough to judge. But that doesn't mean I can't think about what you've said.

Could be you're just pulling peoples legs and seeing who'll bite.

[Lord Shakar]

I have said all I will on this. I did what needed to be done.

I haven't been here long enough to judge you one way or the other on this. But I will say through this, garnered from my own experience: what "needs" to be done isn't always what you "want" done.

Reading through some of your earlier entries, it looks like you had a bit of "trouble." And you kept pissing people off by acting "cool" about it. And noe it sounds like you've gone full circle again. 360 degrees.

Nowhere.

If you want people to trust you, then you better open up. If you like being all badass and grating on peoples nerves, button your lip and spew some more of the same on what you've been doing without the why. I'll say it again: I haven't been hear long enough to judge. But that doesn't mean I can't think about what you've said.

Could be you're just pulling peoples legs and seeing who'll bite.

Very astute observation. I wonder how close to the mark it is.

[GhostSpider]

Sheyblade, have a monster pour its entire being into yourself, and see how you turn out. I think I'm doing rather well, considering how I could have turned out.

As for being open, I'll say this: I tell the Society only what it needs to know. It has a bad habit of making unfair accusations every time I do something even slightly "grey". Things that don't conform to their ideals on how it should be done.

[Lord Shakar]

Sheyblade, have a monster pour its entire being into yourself, and see how you turn out. I think I'm doing rather well, considering how I could have turned out.

As for being open, I'll say this: I tell the Society only what it needs to know. It has a bad habit of making unfair accusations every time I do something even slightly "grey". Things that don't conform to their ideals on how it should be done.

This is one of the reasons I am now a Free Agent. My former Colleagues and allies didn't agree with what I was planning to do and am still trying to do. So I walked away from them.

[Sheyblade]

Sheyblade, have a monster pour its entire being into yourself, and see how you turn out. I think I'm doing rather well, considering how I could have turned out.

That's just it though, isn't? Maybe I have a monster in my skull. Maybe my soul is gone and replaced by a demon's. And maybe you're doing far more poorly than you think. Then again, maybe I've only known freinds possessed and have never been myself.

Thing is, you don't know. But I do. And that's all you "need" to know.

[GhostSpider]

Thing is, you don't know. But I do. And that's all you "need" to know.

Thing is, I don't really care either.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

But please take it, Konrad. You’ve been through too much to be careless, now. Good luck, and please be cautious in actions and thoughts.

[GhostSpider]

Careless. Never.

[The Councilor]

Grow up.