Necromancer For Hire- Arc 1

Arc 1, Chapter 15

The Goddess

The trio, escorted by the burly female and her companion, were led above ground, and Umbra saw fully the naga kingdom.

The civilization was built into large trees, with rickety bridges linking each of the massive trees together. Huts were naturally blended into the large, outstretching branches.

All of the trees formed a massive circle, all centering around one sky-scraper sized tree. Unlike the other trees, the center one had no contribution to the forest canopy; instead the top was flat and round, like a humongous wooden cylinder.

They were lead to the base of the central tree, where several ladders were strung up the trunk, all of them perilous ways of getting to the top.

Pain traced through Umbra's shoulders and spine as he envisioned dragging he and his son up several hundred feet of rope ladder. Umbra had allowed Victor to ride on his back, as the boy had been growing weaker with every step. Now Umbra was beginning to regret that courteous act of parental affection.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but are we going have to climb those ladders to the top?" he said meekly, scrunching his face.

The large female naga shook her head, drawing the curved sword from her back. "Of course not- those ladders are for the slaves. We're going to teleport."

Umbra and Aunora took a cautionary step back as she slung out the sword, prepping the teleportation ritual. On Umbra's back, Victor shuffled in discomfort, weary of the long blade.

The naga slung the sword with precision and ease, slicing into the air a set of runes. Each rune that was cut shined a luminous blue, and a swirling portal opened up before the group.

Her companion quickly hopped in the vortex, vanishing as his body was sent through the magical effects of teleporting. If Umbra squinted, he could see the skinny snake man being thrown into existence on the top of the central tree.

"Alright, you three," she muttered, waving her clawed fingers at the portal. "Get in there."

Umbra and Aunora exchanged looks thick with tension, silently trying to decide who would go first. With a swift punch to Aunora's stomach, the naga made the decision for them. The demon horse staggered back, gasping and clutching her gut. She fell into the portal, leaving Victor and Umbra wide eyed.

"Stop looking like an idiot and get in there!" she snapped, and Umbra quickly stepped in the vortex.

----

The flat top of the tree likened unto Umbra as a round room without any walls. There were several thrones made of wood wrapped in vines placed on the floor, all centered around one huge throne decorated with gold.

Umbra pulled himself into a crouch, grabbing Victor by the arm and holding the boy against his body. He kept his arms in front of Victor in a protective embrace. Beside him, Aunora sat, gawking at a group of muscular, regal looking nagas that congregated near the thrones.

Aunora lightly touched Umbra's arm, pointing to an unusual being that stood awkwardly beside the serpent people. "That's him!" she whispered in a rushed tone. "That's Esper!"

Esper was shorter than the surrounding nagas, but then again, the nagas weren't exactly a good comparison for height, as they all seemed to be monstrously tall. He had a willowy, fragile frame, with light green hair that fell softly onto his upper back. His face was round and smooth, giving him a more gentle appearance. Bandages wrapped around the upper portion of his face, covering his eyes and stopping right at the bridge of his nose. Two small antlers sprouted from the sides of his head, wrapped in vines and dotted with tiny pink flowers. Esper's skin was an unusual tone, a blotched mixture between gray and light green.

Oddly, Esper was wearing a flowing white gown, making Umbra wonder if the person really was the male friend Aunora claimed he was.

Dodging away from the female naga's glare, Umbra hissed into Aunora's ear. "I thought you said Esper was a boy!"

"I never said that. Esper's a spirit, you idiot, spirits don't have genders! They're weird-glowey-shapeshifter-things!" she frowned. "Every form I saw him take on was a dude, so I just stuck to calling him 'he.' I'm not really sure why he's wearing the dress, though...maybe he changed his mind?"

"Shut your mouths before the council and goddess!" the female naga barked, snapping her fingers at the three foreigners.

One of the nagas, who was dark-skinned and had a green tail, slithered over to the female, giving Victor, Umbra, and Aunora a hard stare.

"Mala, why did you bring these creatures? Slaves aren't allowed here!"

Mala sheathed her curved sword, leaning in. She pointed at Victor, who let out a frightened squeak. "That kid's a necromancer. He's going to commune with Mossia."

The naga's eyebrows rose in interest, and he crossed his arms. "Really?" he whispered, looking at Victor in surprise.

Disregarding Mala's previous command, Umbra piped in the conversation. "Victor will only do it if you give us an antidote. Otherwise, he won't be doing anything for you." Victor nodded furiously in agreement.

The dark skinned naga wasn't phased by Umbra's audacious claim; instead he just shrugged at him. "What kind of antidote do you need?"

Aunora interrupted Umbra before he could speak. "The terrorbug. It's a brown, nasty looking lil' sucker-"

He gave her a bored look. "I know what a terrorbug looks like. I'll have our patron to administer the antidote, and she will bless it for you, too." He turned his head, looking straight at Esper, who had his back turned. "My lady!" he exclaimed.

Esper turned around, wringing his hands. "Y-Yes, Mister Damien?"

"Did you hear any of the conversation I was just having with the strangers?"

Esper nodded, shuffling on his feet. "Yes, I heard it all." he waved his arm at the nagas surrounding him. "Can one of you retrieve the potion and a needle for me? Quickly, please, I can sense how feverish the child is..."

Author's Note- The blog is up and ready for use! The url is necromancerforhire.tumblr.com! If any makes any fan art for the story, I will post it on the blog (with credit, of course!) I'll also do responses to ask messages with little comics and stuff! Make sure you check it out! Vote and comment, please.