Duncan does not look good. He’s got deep bags under his eyes and a slightly crazed look, like he’s seen so shit. He looks thin, thinner than a fifteen-year-old should.
“Christ, Duncan! What happened to you? Where’s your brother?” I ask, my mind coming up with questions faster than I can ask them.
“Clark’s dead.” He says, a manic glint in his eyes. “But I can bring him back. We can bring him back. I got a [Quest] from my patron two hours ago to et a friendly face outside the Necromancers Guildhall, and as soon as the tir ran out, you were there. The [Quest] says that you have what I need to bring him back. Please, Ray, I need your help.” Tears are forming in his eyes, and he looks terrified.
Hearing that Clark died hits hard, a lot harder than I would have thought. I lose control of my mana arm, and almost a quarter of it dissipates before I get it back under control. Clark and I had a couple of classes together throughout the years, and I knew him well enough that we were friends. I hate that this place took him and what it’s doing to Duncan.
I can’t imagine what he’s been through, losing his older brother during all of this shit. And it sounds like he’s also got so godlike being giving him [Quests] and shit. I hate that he thinks I have what he needs to bring Clark back, because that only ans one thing. I take a deep breath and [Inspect] Duncan.
[Level 29 High Necromancer of Zu’El]
Duncan looks scared and worried and pretty damn desperate. There's no way I could abandon him here, even if his plan is to turn his brother into an undead. The ti I spent with Corvax and Daniel made forget how cruel this place really is.
“I’m here. I’ll help you. Let’s just get sowhere and talk first, okay?”
[You have started a new Secondary Quest]
Quest given by Peros
Secondary Quest
Help Duncan reunite with his brother.
Quest Description: Sorry about this one, Ray. It was sprung on last minute. Zu’El is an ally of mine, and she sees a lot of potential in the kid. He really can bring Clark back, and being an undead isn’t so bad. I’m friends with plenty of them. You’ll need to spend quite a bit of money and resources to do this properly, but it will be worth it if you follow Duncan’s lead.
No ti limit
Completion Reward: 1 to Constitution
Punishnt for failure: -1 to Mana Regeneration
My god, there’s a lot to unpack here, and I was hoping to relax once I got to the city. I still look wild and disheveled from my ti in the forest, and more shit keeps getting piled onto my plate. I can et Selle tomorrow to get my money. For now I just need to talk to Duncan. Daniel and Corvax are going to be less than useless. Our plan was to get shitfaced tonight, and I’m sure they started without . I still need to let them know what’s happening, so I pull out the communication amulet.
“Daniel, Corvax, can you hear ?” I speak into the amulet.
A few seconds later I get my reply. “Ray! Where the hell are you? We’re going to drink this place dry if you don’t hurry up!”
“Daniel, I ran into a slight problem and now have another [Quest]. Duncan found , and I need to help him out with sothing important. I’ll give you more details when we et up, probably tomorrow.” I respond.
Corvax is the next to speak up, having heard the entire conversation through his own amulet. “Do you need help? My family and I would be more than happy to join you.” The concern in his voice cut through the drunkenness.
“I think I should be good, Corvax, but thank you. It’s not that kind of problem. I’ll catch you guys up tomorrow.”
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“Don’t die. Or lose any more limbs.” Daniel says.
Duncan leads to a nearby tavern that’s quiet enough for us to have a conversation. I order a couple bowls of stew for us and an ale for myself. The food is pretty good and well seasoned, but the ale tastes like piss. I still drink it regardless.
After we eat in silence, I finally decide to ask him so questions. “So, what happened? And how can I help?”
Duncan takes a deep breath before he starts talking, likely preparing himself. He looks a little better after he had a few bowls of stew, but he still looks so tired, scared, and beat down.
“I’ll start with the first night, when the goblins attacked us in the clearing. Clark and I managed to escape together, fleeing into the woods during the chaos of it all. We kept running until we finally unlocked our active skills in the morning. He got [Bulwark], and I got [Soul Conduit]. A part of my skill lets sense souls around , so we used that to find animals to eat and to avoid any wolves or goblins.
“After about a day of travel, things were going pretty well, and we decided to try and ambush a few goblins. It was my idea. I wanted us to level up more in hopes of surviving better. It went well, really well. [Bulwark] basically made Clark temporarily invincible to the goblins' weak attacks, letting him tank all the damage while I snuck up behind them for a surprise attack. This continued for a few days, with us learning how to use our skills better while trying to survive.”
Jesus, they might have had it much worse than I did. At least when I was locked up in that goblin camp, I had rrick to give a little guidance.
“It was after one of our fights, when I was trying to experint on the soul of a recently killed goblin, that I learned what [Soul Conduit] really does. It allows to gather up the soul of sobody or sothing into my own soul, and then I can place that soul inside of a body, animating it. [Soul Conduit] forms a strong connection between my soul and the other one, granting complete control over weak souls.
“After that, things started ramping up quickly. I learned how to raise the freshly killed goblins into undead and how to coordinate and fight with them. For about the next two weeks we tore through goblin camps, rapidly gaining levels as we went, until we hit around the level twenty mark. We ended up accidentally pushing deeper into goblin territory while trying to get out of the forest, and a pack of ogres found us. They knocked unconscious during the fight, but sohow Clark managed to kill them all and drag to a nearby cave, despite his injuries. He was in bad shape, barely hanging on to life when I woke up. That was when Zu’El reached out to with a [Quest] and the promise of a way to save him.”
These Great Beings, or Gods, or whatever they are, seem to have a way of always finding people during their most desperate tis. Peros has been nothing but honest to , but I’ll never trust him. I have no real idea what his motive is, and now I have this sa problem with Zu’El. It sucks being weaklings with little to no knowledge of the world.
“I… I had to use my skill on him to rip out his soul.” His hands start shaking as he says this, and tears start flowing from his eyes. “I can still hear him, Ray, his soul suffering inside . It’s quiet, but I can hear him. It was the only way to stop him from dying for real, and now I help to fix his body and put his soul back in. His soul is too strong for to do it alone, even with the class my patron made for . I just managed to make it into the city a few days ago.”
“I don’t know how to fix bodies or move souls. What do you need from ? I’m a space mage and enchanter. I don’t know the first thing about making an undead.” I say, hoping I’ll be able to help.
“The [Quest] says that you have so specialized equipnt for making undead and that you have a connection with the Necromancers Guild. I think all I need to bring him back is your tools, soone who can repair or nd flesh and bones, soone who can make magic items, and one of the workshops in the Necromancers Guildhall.”
Damn, this Zu’El is all up in my business. But I have no issue with giving Duncan whatever he needs. I can’t imagine how much he’s suffering, and with his brother's soul stuck inside him too. I don’t even know what that really ans, but it can’t be pleasant for either of them.
“Wow, I can actually get you all of those, I think. I’ll have to pick up so of the tools from my friends, but I think Stella can heal flesh and bone, and I can create magic items. I also do have a contact in the Necromancers Guild, but I’m not sure how cooperative he’ll be. I literally just t him.”
“Really! Thank you, Ray!” His eyes light up with excitent, and so of the worry leaves his eyes.
“It’s no problem at all. Clark is a friend, and all of us from Earth need to stick together and watch each other's backs. Do you have sowhere you’re staying in the city? And where is Clark’s body?”
‘I’ve been staying in an abandoned warehouse, and Clark's body is in a bag of holding we took from a goblin camp. I can bring you there if you want.”
“Yeah, let’s grab Clark and then go to the Necromancers Guild. Maybe you can join them and stay there. I bet so of them might be able to help you as well. Is there any sort of ti limit for this? My [Quest] doesn’t have one.”
Duncan shakes his head. “Not really, I think the bag of holding helps preserve the body, and my skill will contain his soul.”
“Okay, let's get you to the guild then, and I’ll grab Stella and the tools tomorrow.”
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