Withering Ambition

Forbidden Engineering

Kaeman lay sleeping on a sunny rock next to the monolith of the spider's den. Below him lay dozens of papers, marked with runes, words that were vigorously scribbled with clear intent. At the center, in Kaeman's left hand, the Necronomicon lay open, its pages glowing with powerful energy.

Slowly he woke, and held his hand up to the sky to block the sun's rays from hitting his eyes. A fog of confusion had shrouded his brain. He counted on his fingers and estimated the position of the sun. He had been asleep for... 18 hours? He shook his head and looked down around him. What a mess...

He frantically scrambled for a second, looking for the precious artifact he had acquired. The dragon's heart. It had not withered away when he killed the dragon, and it had called out to him the day before.

The heart of the dragon seemed to resonate with the Necronomicon, almost as if it was connected in some way. Perhaps the dragon had some connection to the dark arts. Nonetheless, its connection was helpful. It helped him create these spells, and it almost... taught him how to use them. It didn't make sense, but perhaps it didn't need to.

Suddenly, a small hiss echoed out from behind him, and as he turned to face it, he was met with a hideous eight-eyed face and fangs longer than his fingers. It was a fair distance away from him, but it began to slowly approach him. 

Scrambling to find the correct paper, Kaeman mumbled to himself attempting to recall the spells he had made before his... extended nap. He held up a random paper and began reciting the runes written. A skull appeared before him, accompanied by a hissing noise as it began to wither and blacken. 

He shot off the skull towards the spider, and it exploded on impact. The tissue of the spider shriveled and withered. It let out a cry, and fell to the ground dead. 

Luckily, the paper he had picked up had contained a simple spell. The more complex spells he had written would have either taken too long to cast, or were too advanced for his current state. He may be able to write spells, but casting them was a different matter. 

The most powerful spell he had written, was truly a marvel of engineering. Even with the help of the Necronomicon, only a skilled mage such as himself could even dream of such a spell. It would make him invincible. Perfect offence and defence. Unparalleled mobility. It was so complex, in fact, that it had to be written down on three separate scrolls.

But Kaeman was hesitant. This forbidden magic seemed to be taking a toll on him. The left hand with which he held the Necronomicon had darkened and began to wither. This magic in its raw form was too powerful for anyone to wield, even him. It needed to be... refined. 

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