Iorrjaer

Chapter 7

Nellnis, the halfling female that was hot on the trail of Häsmæl and the others, wandered upon the scene of her newest creation's death. She stared for a long time at the decapitated bear, particularly at its split skull. She was displeased as much as she was impressed. She had not expected the bear to go down so easily. She was on the verge of feeling defeated when she saw something that gave her a little hope.

She examined the bear's claws a little closer and found that they were still stained with blood and had the tiniest bits of flesh. She lifted one paw, wet her thumb with her tongue and rubbed it on the claw, the dampened blood transferred to her skin and she could feel the traces of necrotic magic that lingered, but it was weak and dissipating. She then examined what was left of the bear's split skull and found that its teeth had the same blood stains and bits of flesh. The same weakened residual traces of her necromancy. It too dissipated upon her touch.

The magical connection between the head and the body was gone. Even if she wanted to now, there was no way to reanimate this corpse; all of her magic was dispelled.

"So," She said to herself aloud. "The indestructible orc is not so indestructible after all." She washed her hands in the stream and while pondering her findings, noticed the disturbance in the dirt. She followed the traces to a nearby rock where the ground was still warm from its large occupant. "Necromancy is your weakness? But how much would be needed to break your defenses?" She pondered the potential amount, it excited her but also caused her to hesitate. "Too much to be safe."

She stewed, lost in thought about what she was finding. The 'indestructible' orc had vulnerabilities. "Of course, he does. Nothing is truly unkillable. It's just a matter of finding the right combination of magic, power, and speed. Something that is naturally potent in those areas... something that is more ancient than an orc... elves? Older, sure. But not nearly as powerful as... this orc is not like the others." She realized in her thinking that this orc that she pursued was not akin to any city orc she had met. "Elves are out... dwarves? No. What is older than elves and dwarves?"

A thought of something entered her mind but she dismissed it. It was too much, even thinking about it made her shiver. Still, it lingered and she knew why, it was something worth exploring. Although, she had no idea where to start. Besides, even if she did find it, what could she do with it?

She picked herself up, "Nothing like solving an unsolvable puzzle."

Just as she did, she noticed something that was out of place. There were no sounds. No birds nor their songs; no squirrels, and their rustling through the underbrush, searching for seeds and the things they need. She stood and smiled to herself.

"Guess I was the fool to think that you would have moved on from your scene so absently." She waited to hear a response. The silence was all that she needed to hear to know that she was still not alone.

"Let me guess, your archer has an arrow trained on me. How have you hidden the others?"

"It's just us." Sorâth said, appearing behind her. No matter which way she turned, he was always positioned behind her.

She smirked as she sighed. "Nice trick. Keep me guessing where you actually are. My guess is that you aren't near here at all."

Sorâth's images disappeared and he seemingly emerged from thin air. His poise was guarded, ready to strike at any given second. She knew of the Pale Drow's reputation and knew that his draws were some of the fastest in the world and that her head would be clean off her shoulders before she knew that he had moved.

"Why do you follow us?" He asked, stoically.

"General curiosity." She was trying to be witty to hide her anxiety. Face to face with the Ronin - The Pale Drow, and with the world's best archer hidden at her flank, she was in a precarious situation. She had to keep talking to keep herself from panicking. "Rumour is that your Orcish companion is unbeatable nigh indestructible. I'm a curious one by nature and striving to perfect my fusion of Iørr's magic,"

"By creating monstrosities."

"All for the sake of the art of fusion." She said impulsively. Hoping that he would buy into it and not press any further. "I swear, all that I am doing is purely for the science of magic."

Sorâth narrowed his eyes on her. He saw a vein on her neck pulsate.

"You corrupt Iørr's gift. Cease your efforts."

She sighed heavily. She did not like being told what to do. She was not someone that could be ordered around and she was not about to let some ancient drow dictate her life or actions. Despite his prowess.

"See," She heard herself say, just as he had turned to leave. He stopped in his tracks and trained an ear back to her. Inviting her to finish her thought: "You say that I am corrupting Iørr's magic. I don't think that I am. I'd say that I am doing exactly what it was meant for, experimenting. Malka makes a humanoid familiar and no one bats an eye. He's praised for his abilities to stack magic so that it augments itself.

I make a few experimental, maybe fiendish, reanimations of dead animals and I'm the enemy. I'm the evil one. No longer worthy of tutoring, stripped of my titles, and left to fend for myself. Left with nothing but the magic that got me banished. Just because I dared to experiment with necromancy. Just because I dared to dream of doing something that rivaled Malka's great accomplishment."

Sorâth studied her as she spoke. There was no doubt that her control over the magical energies was formidable, possibly even rivaling Malka's. However, it was her anger and eagerness to prove herself that was the danger. She was after something much more sinister than simply 'magic for the sake of science'. His hand remained ready on his katana hilt but his expression was neutral, he was invested in what she was saying.

"Malka's creation is for his protection. Yours have been for the hunting and killing of people."

"Malka did not give his creation a will. His familiar is as narrow-minded as a dog. Mine have their wills intact. Am I still the monster?"

"Yours have only their most savage instincts augmented. Evidence presented by this bear of yours - killed by who was not his initial prey. Maybe Malka understands such dangers."

"Maybe." She sighed. She was a fool to think that she had stumbled onto something wholly unique. It made sense to her that her fusion would have been something that Malka would have considered and something that he would have dismissed. Still, she was too far into her experiments to give up. She was close to perfecting it.

Sorâth smirked. He respected her silent admission. "Cease your efforts, Nellnis. I will not show you mercy a second time."

"Why spare me now?" She asked again, it was before she could stop herself.

"Curiosity. There is still good that you can do with your pursuit." Sorâth turned to her fully. "Know that you are known."

And just like that, Sorâth was gone as was his archer. The birds returned to their songs and the squirrels returned to their rummaging. The suddenness of the sound was deafening and she felt like screaming to silence them once again.

Sorâth's threat was not idle. The Pale Drow's reputation was one of high regard – no one ever escaped him once his sights were on you. She knew this and knew that she would have to be extra careful now so as not draw attention to herself again. She needed a benefactor or someone that could help hide her from prying eyes.

She still had her new experiment and there was no way she was going to give it up. Her ultimate creation was just within reach. She just needed to figure out how she was going to hide herself. Considering Sorâth's careful admission meant that she had falsely set the bear upon its killer without knowing what led to its death. Who had been its original target?

"Might as well keep following them. They're bound to create some kind of opportunity for me."