Withering Ambition

Embracing Corruption

Kaeman had worked for days. His arms hurt. Everything hurt. But this is where it all paid off. His hands shakily began to move. His eyes fought against him, trying to close and get some rest. But he persisted. Runes began to materialize in the air around him. Kaeman pressed his eyes shut and twisted his face in concentration. He gritted his teeth. Why was it not working?

His concentration gave way to frustration and his focus was lost. The runes faded and he fell to the ground. I just need rest, he thought. That will do it. Then I will be able to cast the spell. 

Kaeman fell asleep in seconds. His sleep schedule had fallen into disarray with his studies. He dreamt of his wife. That he had never lost his daughter. That he had never stolen that stupid book.

He woke up filled with resolve. Hardships? No matter. He would finish the spell today. Then he could finally carry out his plan of striking down the corrupt Mage Academy. He felt powerful. His left hand, while withered, tingled with energy. It seemed that the withering allowed him to tap into dark magic much more easily. 

He cast out his hand, and runes flared to life around it, much brighter and more powerful than before. He felt his energy being drained into the spell, but he had to sustain it for at least a few minutes. The stone walls of the monolith around him flickered with ethereal light, a deep purple darker than black. 

Slowly but surely, the shape of a skeleton formed on the ground in front of him. The stone withered and shrunk, becoming denser and more... powerful. It became harder than steel, and as it lifted slowly out of the mold of which it was created, its eyes flared to life with a black fire. 

The skeleton towered over Kaeman, easily 3 meters tall. Its sword, made of polished stone, was sharp enough to cleave through almost anything. One by one, more of these wither skeletons began to emerge from the stone of the monolith, the floor of the cave collapsing and revealing the heart of the Spider's Den. The spiders deep inside seemed mesmerized by the power which stood before them. 

It was time to leave this place. The Spider's Den had been his home for weeks. The wind seemed to call out to him. It seemed almost... musical. It reminded him of his journey through the sky which he took to get here, and he closed his eyes to reflect on his adventure.

Kaeman hummed the melody which the wind seemed to sing to him, and he felt tingles through his arms. This place would always be part of him. He now embraced the withering of his hand. It was a part of him too. It was beautiful, in a way. Tragically beautiful.

He picked up the Necronomicon and the Dragon's Heart, as well as his makeshift notebook of spells. With a sigh, he cast a spell to allow his army to cross the gap to the main island. This was the only thing left to do.

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