The Death Spire was the first indicator to appear over the horizon that Calvartem was almost home. As he approached the town, the grass seemed to be slightly withered under the effect of the Spire. In the town the bodies still lay, slowly rotting and drying up, although even the flies, maggots and mould were scarcer than expected due to the draining effects of the Spire. If Calvartem had a functional nose he would smell the stench of decay and death, and he would be pleased with such a stench. Standing in the streets was the dark shadow of an imp, which swiftly glided over to Calvartem once the imp saw him. Recognising that it was one of the scouts, with a wave of his hand Calvartem flicked a dark mote into the imp's incorporeal form to grant it the privilege of speech.

"Master, to the west and slightly to the south I have found a town on the coast," said the imp in its faint, ghostly voice, "A fishing town. Ships pass by there."

Calvartem nodded. "Is that all?"

"Yes," the imp answered. It squeaked faintly as Calvartem waved it into the void. While the town would be similarly easy to conquer, it would also be a high-profile conquest. Ships would pass by, notice the dark, magical tower and the town full of corpses and report back to the major city. He was not ready for that yet. First he needed a more rounded army.

Calvartem walked around the town and found a particular corpse. For his next Construct, he needed a steed which would allow him to traverse at enormous speeds. While he could mould this from human corpses, it would be far better to use the corpse of a steed. He entered a stable where two horses were slumped, massacred along with the townsfolk by the walkers. Choosing one which seemed stronger, the Necromancer tapped its forehead with the top of his staff and brought it to life as a Walker, its eyes burning black. He opened the stable doors and lead the shambling quadruped down the street and into the darkness of the crypt. He sealed the door behind them and, once he was satisfied with where the horse was standing, Calvartem revoked the spirit making it animate. The Necromancer then stepped over the body and settled down in his throne, where he extended his consciousness so he could work on making this horse a worthy steed.

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