Intermission
Naraem & Esyllt
Naream woke up slowly, eyes opening and looked around with blurred vision before it cleared, he had woken up on the main labaoratory table in the pocket plane he had inherited from his uncle. But why had he slept here? Then it came to him, his latest experiment, his hand traced over the item and he felt the faint pulse, checking to be sure and then laughed softly. "It worked... the start of it at least." He muttered to himself and then reached for the necklace, activating it the portal came to be in front of him and he walked through, back into the chambers he had been assigned by the queens. "A new day, a new goal to accomplish." He muttered to himself still as he smoothed his robes out and went out. He had a certain golemancer to seek out.
The mission against the terrorists had haunted her thoughts and dreams. Never before had she fought a battle greater than a skirmish with common bandits; yet there she had enrolled into a war between planes. Of course, she had learned of the banishment of the gods, the conquest of the queens, and dabbled the mystic art of magic, but this felt unreal... And it was not just the battle either. Esyllt, tired from the previous day, laid in a chamber of luxury rivaling that of her lord. The touch of fine linen was pleasant as it was somewhat ghastly; as it's soft touch felt like an expensive bribe that yielded her life. Esyllt still held onto the soulstone Naraem had lend her as well... She was up against demons by order of the queens whom authorised resources such as human souls so easily and openly... A practice her home had always desperately to cover up... She thought, as she studied the stone she held in her hand.
Esyllt's thoughts were disrupted by a sudden knocking at her door. “Excuse me, a moment!” She called to whoever was on the other side, as Esyllt quickly put the stone in a drawer. She wouldn't want to scare anyone into thinking toying with souls was a trivial thing for her to do. Next, Esyllt pulled a green dress from her pocket dimension. She was in the presence of the royal family, so Esyllt knew she had better come prepared and dress the part. Even if it did mean her visitor had to wait a while longer.
“Naraem.” Esyllt said, somewhat surprised as she opened the door, “Thank you for your patience. I take it you've come back for your stone?”
He smiled and bowed lightly, "Indeed, it belonged to a fine warrior and I have a new skeletal body for it to inhabit." He paused, "Though I have to admit I had a second purpose, may I come in?"
“Of course.” Esyllt replied, stepping aside and making a small bow. When Naraem entered her room, she closed the door behind him and walked towards the drawer to take the stone from it. Although the use of it had made her feel nervous and it's presence made her uncomfortable, Naraem seemed to be proud of his possession.
“I apologise for not being able to return it sooner.” Esyllt spoke sincerely, doing her best to maintain eye-contact with Naraem as she remembered her inability to keep her promise to him earlier. Esyllt had never been arrogant, but she had considered herself a capable fighter... Yet she'd been unable to do anything of note in her last battle. Both her golems had been easily destroyed, and her telepathy hadn't reached any of her allies as she had fainted. Esyllt was therefore nervous of learning a second purpose of Naraem's visit. A split second she looked away, before ironing herself to not bow her head. She was one of the Queen's Blades now, she could not show a comrade her self-doubts.
“May I inquire what that purpose is, Naraem?”
He took the soul stone, tracing over it with his fingers, feeling the eb and flow of the soul within, smiling as he murmured something and felt the soul react. Putting the stone in a pocket of his robes he looked up, frowning, "Ah yes, I admit my memory is somewhat blurry of what happened but before I passed out and had to recover I recall a glimpse of the golem you managed to create, quite a impressive feat, especially since you had almost no time to prepare." He smiled.
"A question or two first. Your type of magic, the ability to create golems out almost nothing, quite similar to necromancy in some aspects. We both need the right materials to create a walking construct. But I am correct to assume, a golem you would create, it is reacting on instincts alone, yes? Not capable of complex orders or tasks?"
“Thank you, and indeed.” Esyllt admitted, relieved Naraem had praised her ability rather than to taunt it. “A golem uses the soul as a glue and a fuel, but it cannot employ the finer qualities of the human mind. It's understanding may rudimentary, but there are advantages to this. They are easily controlled and lack the sensitivity to be affected by spells that lower morale or induce fear.”
He nods, "Much like undead, although they are completely immune to matters that affect fear or morale, being dead and all." He chuckled as if it was a private joke and then stopped, clasping his hands together behind his back, he had made sure he had his gloves on and his arms were hidden by the sleeves of his robes, revealing one of his arms was entirely skeletal was perhaps best a secret still.
"The souls I use to power my more advanced undead constructs, like my wights, they are in essence, the warriors whose souls are stored in the stones and crystals I have. Only undead, they have their instincts, their training and experience they had when they were still alive. And that got me thinking, you see your golems are quite remarkable lady Esyllt. But imagine... how they would be if you say, were to combine them with a soul stone, crafted and focused by a necromancer? A golem, who had more than just instincts, the soul, the memories, the training of a sentient being as they had in life. It will be able to do more complex tasks and it fighting capabilities might be... Quite a sight to behold."
"So I had a idea, a proposal actually, I would like to ask of you to teach me golemancy, such a type of magic would strengthen my capabilities as a necromancer. In return, I was thinking I could teach you necromancy, if what I said interests you, because to me, it seems my magic combined with your golemancy could create... Something quite useful." He paused to let it sink in, "What are your thoughts on the matter?"
Esyllt was not of the same brand of humour as Naraem, but smiled politely at his joke. “An ambitious goal indeed.” The golemancer agreed, although she knew she was still far off from being a master of her own magic. There were yet so many scrolls left to study, and she had still not managed to grasp the delicacies of her father's recipes. Esyllt knew she lacked the finesse... Especially compared to Naraem's summons, whom had fought like true soldiers. Still; what was more frightening than a marriage of golemancy and necromancy? To play god to reshape and control life to the furthest extent imaginable... Naraem's enthusiasm was unnerving. Who was this man? He had fought beside her, but to give or obtain the potential for such power... Esyllt did not know if it was truly wise. Still, the war against the circles of hell was upon them and Esyllt could not take half measures if she was determined to play a part in it...
“If it is for queens and country,” Esyllt gave in, although not without hesitation. The stories of her father, who sacrificed his humanity for the power to protect his home, raced through her head as she made her decision. She had trained to become a knight for the same purpose, but yesterday she had come to face that her training up till now had not been enough. The gravity of her decision was already starting to weigh on her shoulders...
“I am no master, but I would be glad to teach you what I know.”
Naream smiled but his mind worked, she seemed hesitant at times even though it seems she was willing to teach him her art, then her little sentence of 'for queens and country' made him wonder and he grinned. "I will be happy to have you teach me what you know and I am certain you will be able to use aspects of necromancy for your golems. If you'd like I can also share a few tales of how I helped the queens banish the gods, if you are interested?"
Esyllt was struck with embarrassment and bowed before Naraem. “Then you must be Naream Baenre. I did not realise. Forgive my insolence towards a hero of Renalta.” She said, recalling his name from the stories she must had heard countless times as a child.
He chuckled, "Oh please, you did not insult me or anything, I was merely a apprentice at the time but I did my best to... help. But I will be looking forward to you teaching me and vice versa."
