Heather the Necromancer

Book 4: Chapter 17: Dear Heather

Heather opened heavy eyes to a dark room. Her vision felt unfocused and slowly came together until she was looking up at red curtains. The only sound in the room was a gentle shrill snore from Webster lying by her feet. A foggy mind labored to remember what happened, how had she gotten here? Her muscles felt slow to respond, almost delayed, as she sat up and looked about a very unfamiliar bedroom.

It was full of ornate and decorative furniture, from the white marble-topped table to the matching cabinets. Chairs, chests, and even a potted plant that resembled a giant fern decorated the space. The papered walls were hung with paintings, and the floor covered in a thick rug. Her scythe rested in the corner, her pack on the chair beside it. The crown dangled from a spike on the chair back, a green twinkle visible from where she sat.

It all seemed unfamiliar until she spotted the towering skeleton in black plates standing silently beside the door. Her memory came rushing back to the battles and the final moments where she used a simple cantrip to pull the crown free. Webster yawned in a strange squeak and turned in a complete circle in place before settling back in. She reached down to pet his furry back, marveling at how much like wire his bristles were. He curled into a tighter ball with what she could only assume was a sigh as she stroked him.

Where am I? she asked aloud and heard a squeaky voice in her mind in reply. Were in the wizards home? she said to Webster. He filled her in on what happened and how they carried her here to wait for her to recover. How long have I been here? she asked and nearly fainted at his reply. Three days!

Webster did a funny sort of stretch with four legs stretched forward, and his but up in the air. He made a clicking noise, and she heard him again.

It doesn't matter that I am safe. I was out for three days! Something is terribly wrong with me. She heard him again and put a hand to her forehead as his words sank in.

I don't know, she replied. I have no memory of any of the things the goblins, and now this wizard says. I feel like I am living a second life after the first one was erased. I can't be who he says I am, though. I don't have any holes in my memory, I know exactly where I was before I came here, and I can tell you about everything that happened since. When could I have lived this other life?

Webster squeaked a reply, and she lay back with an arm over her eyes. I never thought of that, but if your right, there has to be a way to prove it.

There was a tap at the door before it slowly opened, and Frank peered into the room. His eyes went wide, and his ears pointed straight up to see her awake.

Youre awake! he shouted.

Please, dont shout, Heather groaned, her ears adjusted to the quiet. Just come in and shut the door.

He did as she instructed and stood just inside, wringing his hands. We were worried about you. Breanne said you might have caused some magical harm by removing the crown like that.

I'm fine, and whoever that voice is never tried to take control, Heather said and sat up. She turned to the side and swung her bare feet over the edge. Come over here, she said, patting the side of the bed.

She watched as he sort of shuffled to the bed, looking unsettled before sitting beside her. She ignored his behavior and latched on to his arm, desperate to have an anchor to hold her sanity in place.

I had another dream, she said. I keep seeing the same place, a desolate place under a sky of rolling black clouds. There is nothing but sand inside a sort of open space ringed by stone hills. In the center is a crumbling pyramid, but every time I see the pyramid, a voice screams at me to run.

You see this every time? he asked, sounding concerned.

Not every dream, but this one has happened multiple times. This time was different though, it went on much longer, and I saw more. There were things in the clouds, enormous things with black tentacles hanging down. I ran into a narrow canyon and kept going until I couldn't go on. When I stopped, I said I wanted to go home, and the bracelet started to glow.

Your bracelet was glowing when we put you here, but it faded a few hours later, he said.

Heather looked down at her arm and held the bracelet up so they could both look at it. In the dream, the glow illuminated the canyon wall and written all over it were the words home. There were arrows pointing back to the pyramid as if somebody was trying to tell me I had to go there. This bracelet is important to what is going on.

How is it important?

She tried to remember what the wizard had said, and his words suddenly came back.

Where is the hand? she asked, and they both leaned back as a stone started to glow.

What does that mean? he asked, his eyes focused on the light.

I think its a compass, she said as she started to turn her wrist the light moving so that it always pointed in the right direction. The light always points in the same direction.

To a hand? Frank asked. What is the hand?

I don't know, Heather said with a shake of her head. But, the bracelet is meant to lead us to it.

What about the egg? Frank asked.

I have no idea why that's here either. The wizard said he and I were working together, and he was helping protect it for me. I hate not knowing what anybody is talking about, she added as her arm fell, and she looked down with a sniff. I don't know who I am.

Frank put a long rubbery hand over hers and pulled his other arm free to put it around her shoulders. You're my friend, and you have been pushed into all this against your will. Moon forced you to be a necromancer, and you just happen to look like some women from before who did some very strange things.

What if I am her? Heather asked. Webster has a theory that makes sense.

What theory? Frank asked.

Heather looked up and smiled, feeling funny to have his arm around her. He said there was no way for me to know how long it took before I came in. From the moment the visitors abducted me, to the moment I woke up in that clearing, months or years could have passed. What if I did have another life, and I was reset? What if we forget our previous life when we reset? I could have come in here years ago, done all these things, and then been reset. That dragon knight claimed they killed me before, maybe they did, and now I'm back.

I have never heard of anybody losing their memory when they reset, Frank said. Lot's of monster players were reset in the past, and I am pretty sure they remembered. Besides, New Eden isn't that old.

We have no idea what the date is outside this world. We all think its only been here a few years, but a hundred or more could have passed. Time might be completely different in here for all we know.

He let out a sigh and squeezed her hand. Youre right, and I know you want some proof, but I dont know how to find any.

She nodded and sniffed her mind spinning with the mysteries. Where are the goblins?

Most are waiting in the village, Umtha is up here with us. She refused to leave you and insisted on being nearby.

Heather nodded and looked around the room. I guess you couldnt leave until I woke up.

No, and we wanted to search for the workshop. We found it a level below, and its hard to explain whats there. Legeis and Quinny have been pouring over while you slept. Breanne and I have been searching the other rooms and looking for secret doors and traps. This place is full of hidden passages and tunnels.

Well, now that I am awake, I can go look at it. Oh, and I want to spend some time in the library. Frank flinched and took his arm away, causing her to turn and look at him. Is something wrong?

He played with his fingers a moment before letting out a sigh. The library is gone.

What do you mean its gone? Heather snapped.

It must have belonged to the wizard, and he reestablished a home someplace else. His points here were removed and the things he spent them on with it.

Heather rolled her eyes in frustration to hear the one shining light of this trip was gone. Now she was stuck with the burden of the egg and a long list of mysteries. She looked at the bracelet on her arm and had a thought. Where is the mother of the egg? she asked. The light on the stone moved now, showing a new direction. Well, well, This could be useful, she said with a smile.

It doesnt give you any indication of distance, Frank said as he looked away.

No, but it eliminates the need to hunt down somebody who can answer questions. I am tired of people giving me more mysteries than answers.

Do you feel well enough to move? he asked, standing up and looking awkward again.

She shrugged and carefully stood up. Her legs felt a little tired, but that would work itself out with some movement. She reached a hand out and spoke a word, the scythe turning into black smoke before forming in her hand.

You won't need your scythe, he said, but she laid it back on her shoulder anyway. I am sure I won't, but just in case.

A little yawn made her look back to see Webster leap from the bed and land beside her.

My faithful companion, I guess spiders are a girl's best friend.

Not any girls I ever knew, Frank said.

Well, my spider can speak and leap across rooms. He's an adorable super spider. Webster looked up and made a strange chirping sound, and she smiled back at him. Ready to go see the workshop?He bobbed like always, and Heather nodded to Frank to show them the way.

What about him? Frank asked, indicating the bone champion.

Heather took a few steps closer to the towering creature of death. His head turned so that his eyes could follow as she came to stand before him.

You stay here, she said in as commanding a tone. The skeleton tensed, but she reached up and put a hand to the side of its helm. I promise I won't leave the base without you. It nodded slowly, and for a moment, its eyes shifted to Frank, who tensed uneasily under its gaze.

Let's go, she insisted to move them along. She was led on a twisting path to a stairwell down to an extremely wide tunnel. It was odd how high up the ceiling was as they walked. The walls were lined with columns, maybe a dozen steps apart. Each was a smooth marble connected by a delicate arch at the top. Hanging in each arch was a glowing blue stone that shed gentle illumination on the hall. At the end were a pair of wooden doors that looked like only a giant could use them. Two piles of black rubble lay in front of the doors, and Frank explained they were golems that crumbled when the wizard left.

The doors were slightly open, and she passed through the narrow gap into a room that dazzled her. The room was rectangular with two arch doorways on the far walls. In the center of the room was a raised platform of polished white stone. Three bands of metal rings circled a central platform with a single glowing rune at its center. There was a metal post on the far side that ended in a sort of box with blue lines down its side. Tables lined the left wall, on which were a few books and a large assortment of metal tools. To the right were piles of statue parts. Wooden legs, stone heads, and even a full metal torso on a cart waiting for use. It didn't appear there were enough parts of any one material to build a complete golem, but maybe there was more in the other rooms. The room had a faint hum to it, just audible enough to be noticed. There were pillars on the walls with t glowing gems to illuminate the space, and in places, extra lights hung from long chains.

Hey! She's awake, Legeis called, drawing Heather's gaze up.

She looked to see the room was domed, and a metal walkway ran around the upper ring. Quinny was up there as well, waiving from as Heather noticed the large magical emblems painted on the ceiling. She spun around and realized that this room was full of magical symbols forming a pattern centered on the rings.

This is amazing, Heather whispered as she walked in.

Sheesh, we thought you were going to sleep forever, Quinny said as she dropped down a ladder by the door.

Heather smiled and looked about the space in awe. Have you learned anything?

Plenty, Quinny said. Legeis understands more of this than he lets on. You put a statue of some kind on the table and then use the kingdom heart to steal an NPC from the buffer. It animates the golem and gives it life, sorta.

Its more complicated than that, Legeis said from above. These magical symbols are doing something specific. Its shaping the NPC so it will be specific to the task.

It makes them mindless, Quinny added.

Not mindless, obedient, Legeis corrected. It takes away any sense of self.

Why would you want that? Heather asked as she continued to look around.

I dunno, probably so they dont go crazy, Legeis answered.

Heather looked up at him in confusion. Why would they go crazy?

Frank jumped into the conversation with the answer as Heather waited.

We think the NPC spirits are programmed to think they are alive and real. When they are summoned, they expect to be a certain type of being, but the wizard was forcing them into golems. So to avoid them having a bad reaction, he was making them blank.

Blank? Heather asked.

No expectations or memories, Frank said. So the Wizard could imprint the programming he wanted on them.

I see, Heather said as she wondered if something like that could have happened to her. She looked around the space and had one question that didn't seem answered. But how do you know they make them blank?

The papers on the tables are research notes. It explains the process of how they do it, well sort of. We don't understand some of the terms they use, and a lot of the pages are drawings of magic patterns, Legeis replied.

What's in the other rooms?

Legeis looked at Frank, who pointed to the door on the left. That one is a sort of assembly room for golems, but there is something strange in the right one.

Stranger than this room? Heather asked with a raised brow.

You should come to see, he said with a wave.

The room was perfectly square with a curtain on the far wall. It rose nearly three times her height and was connected to a rope and pulleys. Frank grabbed the rope near the end of the wall and pulled it, parting the curtains to reveal a towering mirror of silvery glass. It was held in a golden frame that had seven colored stones on each side. Like the doors, it was made for a being much larger than they. And wide enough that they could stand side by side and have room still before it.

It's is a mirror, Heather said but felt a strange feeling about it.

It is a mirror, but it doesn't show our reflections, Legeis said.

Heather took a moment to look and realized he was right. The surface showed something, but not a reflection of the room. It was too vague to make out and seemed to be moving inside.

What kind of mirror looks like this? she asked and dared to touch the surface. It was cool to the touch and smooth as glass as she dragged a finger across it.

We were thinking it was like the door where you found the crown, Frank suggested.

Heather turned about to see all three of them looking at her as if waiting for her to verify it. She stepped back and looked to the colored stones on either side. She touched a few, and they lit up, glowing softly as she considered the idea.

So it's a portal to another place, Heather said and put her hand to the surface only to feel cold glass. But it doesn't go anywhere.

Legeis shook his head and stepped forward to point at the stones. There must be a pattern of light to open it.

And now the question is where does it go, Heather said as she looked around the otherwise empty room. And, there is nothing here to indicate the code.

Nothing we have found in the notes, Frank admitted.

Hmm, Heather said with a curious expression. Maybe it goes to where he is getting the golem parts, a base someplace else, or a magical golem kingdom.

I dont know about that, Legeis said. But maybe a quarry, or a foundry for the metal ones.

Heather nodded and looked over the mirror, wondering what the solution could be. She pressed more of the buttons, but nothing happened or offered further insight. This could take weeks to find the right combination. We don't even know how many buttons need to be pushed.

That brings us to the question then, Quinny said.

Heather turned about and looked between them as they stood in a line waiting. What question? Frank stepped forward and scratched at his head as Heather waited for her answer.

We thought that maybe we could stay here, he said.

It took her a moment to fully comprehend the idea and give it some thought. Why?

So we have a better setup, Frank said. Even Legeis wants to move here. He can use this level as his workshop.

You didn't answer my question, Heather interrupted. Why do you want to move here? She turned to Quinny, who stepped back as Heather fixated on her. Do you want to stay here?

Why not? Quinny asked. The mountain is full of rooms.

What about your forest, and the graveyard? she asked, looking back to Frank.

We can build all that again in the swamp, he said.

What kind of graveyard can you build in a swamp? she asked, growing irritated at the suggestion.

He scratched at his head again, and she realized that was a nervous trait. He wasn't sure about his idea, or how she was going to take it.

There was plenty of land along the base of the mountain, he began. Room enough for me to build a graveyard and Quinny to build a forest.

I can build into the swamp, Quinny added. I can even change the land in the swamp a little to make more of it dry.

And then dangerous things won't come into our area very often, Frank added. Once we have the area marked as ours, we have more control.

Heather took a deep breath and nodded slowly. She didn't want to lose control or jump to any conclusions. Frank was a good friend with a big heart, and he was always trying to help. I don't want you to lose all your progress, she said. And this isn't close to a spawn anymore. We won't get any low-level players.

No, it's better, Frank said. Now we're close to a city. Once players start coming back, we will have all sorts of adventurers here.

Not to mention you will have a city to shop at, Quinny added.

That was a good point. Being close to a city would be very useful, and the queen did promise her a shop. Since the library was gone, the book shop was her best option. It would be nice to be nearby.

What does Breanne think? Heather asked, noting her absence.

She likes it here, Quinny said. She says banshee often stalked the swamps of Ireland.

She called them moors, Frank said.

It's the same thing, Quinny said. Anyway, she can haunt the whole swamp, and has special bonuses if she does.

What about those lizard wolf things? Heather asked. How are we going to get around them?

If we take full control of the base, we can remove them and put something else there, Frank said. We can even get rid of the lake monster.

Plus, there is a graveyard here already, Quinny added.

Yes, Heather said with a faraway look. There is a graveyard, but why is there one here?

Random world spawn? Frank guessed.

Heather looked around the room and paced slowly; her thoughts puzzling out what was not being discussed. Why is this room still here?

What do you mean? Frank asked.

The library is gone, I will assume so are some of the other rooms. Why is this one still here? Why are the tunnels still here if they belong to somebody else? She could see they had no idea. It was as big a mystery as the necromancers tower in the hills. Something was causing these structures to linger even though the owners were gone or moved on. It sounded crazy to be able to take over a space that belonged to another. The owner would surely object, but then where was the owner? Did we find any bodies? she asked as her pacing continued.

What bodies? Quinny asked.

Bodies, Heather replied in frustration. Like we did in the necromancer's tower.

Why would that matter? Frank asked, his eyes betraying his worry.

Heather kept her voice calm as she explained her theory that the body was the tower's owner, and since he never respawned, the tower remained. She assumed there must be a body here for the previous owner to anchor it in place.

The only body is the dragon, Frank said.

The dragon? she repeated as a thought dawned on her. Keven believes his dragon was a player, what if he was right, and this dragon was also a player. What if the dragon is anchoring this place here?

Players cant be dragons, Frank insisted.

Do you really believe that? Heather asked. After all the things we have discovered that don't follow the rules, are you going to say players can't be dragons?

I couldnt pick one when I came in, he said defensively.

She sighed and stepped forward to put a hand on his shoulder. Frank, I wasn't being mean, I just don't think we can assume anything. Maybe chosen can be dragons or other things, I don't know, I never finished looking through all the races.

I suppose that's possible, he admitted. But why would the dragon not respawn?

She took her hand away and then went back to the main chamber. I don't know, but look at this space and those doors. This could have been made for the dragon to use.

The others looked about as they considered the idea. It made sense. The doors and outer hall were certainly wide enough. The room was more than big enough for a dragon to circle the table, and even the mirror was gigantic.

I suppose it could be, Frank said. But why make all this for a dragon?

If it was a player, then they might have been working with it, Heather offered. I dont have any other ideas, just that something is keeping this here. The only body is a dragon, and the room and halls are sized for one.

It makes sense; I guess, Legeis admitted. But what were they trying to accomplish?

The wizard said I was helping them learn something. They figured out how to use NPC spirits to power golems, and I helped.

You mean Hathlisora helped, Frank said.

Lets just assume I am her, Heather said and folded her arms. Everybody else does.

So, this wizard guy said he knew you? Legeis asked, looking confused.

Heather nodded and launched into a long explanation about the crown and how it affected her. This was the image Umtha called Hathlisora, and it was somehow related to another woman who was the queen or ruler of Abbadon.

She calls this other woman the sister of Hathlisora, Heather finished.

So that's why you asked what your name was, Legeis said with a rub at his chin. And he called you Hathlisora.

Everyone who sees me like that calls me Hathlisora, Heather argued and started to pace. That's part of why we came here. I was hoping the egg would shed more light on the mystery. All it did was create more. She walked off, looking around the room. That wizard said he was the one guarding it. The goblins put it there, and he was protecting it. He intentionally ran the players out of the city to keep adventurers from accidentally finding it.

I thought that was to force the queen to marry him? Frank said.

I did too, but he said too many players were coming, and it was interfering with his research.

What about the stone? Quinny asked.

He was using it to draw NPCs out of the buffer to create golems. I can only assume he could have done more if he had more control of the stone. That must be why he asked her to marry him. He didn't care about her; he needed more access to the stone's power.

Then the queen launched that massive attack, Frank said with a nod. I bet the wizard sent all his golems to surround the city in retaliation.

But he didnt go after the queen, Quinny pointed out.

He couldn't, Heather said. Think about it. If the Queen died and decided to give up and move, the stone would vanish. He needed her to stay and keep trying to recover it. She probably just assumed the golems outside her city were more pressure for the marriage.

So he couldnt risk attacking the city, Legeis agreed. She might have given up and run.

They went silent a moment, processing the details as Heather looked around.

You need to get your armor suit here, she said. I bet I can figure out how to use the stone to animate it. It was a sudden change in topic, but she was tired of thinking about it. Better to finish the tasks at hand, and then decide what to do next.

I hadnt counted on needing to get it here, Legeis replied. Its really heavy.

I will summon more skeletons, and we can rig up some poles and ropes to carry it back, Heather offered. We animate your armor suit, then give the queen her stone back.

Shouldnt we use it ourselves? Quinny asked.

Heather turned to look at her with a funny expression, and Quinny shrugged. Why not make some golems of your own?

With what? Heather asked and then thought about it a moment. There was something she had in abundance that could be used, but would it work? She let that thought hang a moment and then shook it away. Better to worry about that later, Legeis was her first priority. I will think about that after we prove it works, she said finally.

Then what do we do now? Frank asked.

Heather thought about it a moment and came to a decision. We need to go back to the necromancer focus.

Frank nodded and took her back up and to the room where she summoned the bone champion. She walked to the center of the room and looked up to the brass bowl hanging above her head. With a quick chant, she took on undead sight and noted the glow above. And now I throw stones to knock down apples, she sighed.

What? Frank asked as they watched.

There is something in the bowl, Heather said. I can see the glow from here.

I can see it too, Quinny said as she strained to look up.

I don't see anything, Legeis said, flipping his goggles down. I still don't see anything.

Only the dead can see it, Heather said and then looked around. Where is Breanne? She could fly up there and get it.

She is outside in the swamp, Frank said. Your plant skeletons holding the palanquin wouldn't move. They are standing right where you left them, so she goes to check on them once in a while. She also brought the book in and put it in the empty library.

So I have one book, Heather laughed and returned to looking at the bowl before a thought dawned on her.

Webster, she said in a sweet tone and looked down for the spider. He was crawling along the wall, not paying much attention until she called. Do you think you could get to that bowl and tip it over?

The spider ran toward her with surprising speed and then came to a stop just below it. She watched as he looked up, and then yelped when he sprang upward, barely tapping at the bottom with this feet before falling. Heather panicked and dropped her scythe, desperate to catch him as he tumbled down. She set him on the ground and leaned over him with a frown on her face.

You scared me, she scolded. I didnt mean for you to get hurt.

Thats pretty high up, Frank said as he came closer. Maybe if he had something to jump off of.

Heather shook her head and looked to the walls. Can't you climb up and drop down on a silk? She paused to listen to his reply and turned to frown at him again. I don't care if its less fun, I don't want you to get hurt.

He made a funny hissing sound and crawled to the wall, slowly working his way up until he could drop down and finally tip the bowl. A round white bundle fell to Heathers waiting hands.

Its a scroll, Frank said.

What is? Legeis asked.

You really cant see this at all? Heather asked, waiving the rolled paper before him.

I dont see anything, he replied.

Heather shrugged and turned the paper over in her hands. It had a red band around the center with a golden seal on one end. The seal had a flower pressed into, and she carefully pried it open without breaking it. As soon as she did, the paper flashed, and Legeis said he could see it now.

She unfolded the paper and saw a written letter that made her blood run cold.

What is it? Quinny asked.

A letter, Heather said, her eyes transfixed as she shook her head.

A letter to who? Frank questioned and moved around to see it for himself. She held it up and pointed to the first line of the document.

Dear Heather,