Church of Isekai -2

Борис Беленький

Church of Isekai -2

Happy Campers Part 1

It went much easier than I feared. Once I’ve turned the entire enemy camp into Zombies, they actually became a collection of well-behaved “normal” individuals. I’ve seen plenty of videos where a rescue team arrives at a scene of a large disaster and I could only imagine how nerve-wracking it must have been for them to feed, shelter and maintain order for the endless crowds when there’s only so few of the helpers. I don’t know how they do it in the real world. On the other hand if I don’t know it, doesn’t mean there aren’t people who do. Probably they’ve gathered some smart planners and they’ve stocked up on some supplies including tents and water-purifying equipment and maybe they hire people who don’t want to shy away into the nearest little hole when they are faced with a screaming person, like the Old Me would’ve done.

In my case, things went much easier than I’ve feared. All newly-created zombies knew that the ones who took their lives were the Old Camp-Boss’ Assassins who needed to bring up their levels as soon as possible and now the Boss is dead by my hand. They knew the Assassins are dead too, mostly having killed each other under orders to come up with one Ultimate Assassin who’d have a chance against me. He didn’t. Now he’s also a fellow Zombie. It doesn’t matter that in my Old World he was my classmate, Val. The camp Guards and the Barrack Heads, who have enjoyed a free reign over the Level-1s were slain by the camp Assassins. Even though they were re-animated, I ordered them to assist the commoners in their tasks or be busy with raising their own Levels. The Captain of the Guards – a demi-Wolf – issued his instructions to them and left to build-up other Demi-Humans. The Guards got busy with Level-raising activities, like hand-to-hand combat and stamina training. Exactly what I’d expect in a military academy in my Original World. I don’t think they could even think of goofing off – when I don’t exert absolute control over a Zombie, I think I still give off a Power Of Suggestion and that should be enough for now. Besides, it’s our understanding that once a person settles down and kind of gets comfy in the current setup of being say a Nasty Goblin Level-1 or a Silly flying Fairy (I don’t think they have Levels), that person just doesn’t wake up one morning and the body dissolves in the rays of the raising Sun. Which is a bit annoying to me as a Necromancer, as I’d like to collect a few of those bodies for experiments, but being in the Forest before sunrise is not my idea of fun. Luckily I have 2 Pixie Friends – Terry and Peach – who seem to be IN LOVE and don’t mind spending a night in a secluded location. Besides having been turned into Zombies they don’t get tired and they see very well in the dark.

My other Friend – Kate the Healer who have became a Necro-Healer after getting Zombified – and is known in this World as Nectar, have followed my orders gathering everyone capable of casting any kind of Healing magic and started training them. I think my Demi-Wolf was happy some of his potential cadets were taken. No matter how Evil, the Guards have a concept of Discipline built into their Character – Rabbit-Boys and Puppy-Girls – not so much. However even they ended up learning to crawl through the grass and telling the plants apart. I’ve even seen them learn some hand-to-hand combat training. A very, very cute version of it. My Assassins from both of my teams – humanoids and Drows – showed up to watch claiming it was their Stealth exercise. I asked if it also was their “Stifled Giggling” training and the Drow Captain Shade-1 lied looking me in the eye that the assignment was to avoid showing any emotions and that the Team had failed it and will have to repeat it tomorrow. I was going to tell her that I do sense her lies but instead suggested that if they like to play with the cuddly demi-Humans they are welcome to do individual combat instructions and let the Demi-Wolf rest. The Captain of the Guards apparently heard us well as he looked at us and eagerly nodded. Shade Team Leader was about to find a good excuse to Shadow-Jump off, but suddenly dropped her Stealth shocking the Fluffies and both Assassin Teams followed. For the next hour or so the terrifying Assassins were giving individual training to the weakest members of our Society who were the most diligent students.

Former Bodyguard Paladin Level-10 gathered his students, a Level-5 Tree-Mage Girl led hers. I can’t find a good use for all specialties – no matter how good is a Cook or a Bard, we can’t let them enjoy their line of work because we, Zombies, don’t eat and we don’t have much time for the ballads yet, but the Cook was sent to the Alchemist Lab to do Measuring and Mixing and the Bard was requested by the Artifactors who needed him to fine-tune some apparatus by the sound it’s making. The two Humanoid kids – Twins Dar and Dara – who got into our World from the neighboring one where they were involved in Genetic Engineering of Monsters, demanded to be allowed to work in the Labs despite having no magical powers. We agreed – mixing their Brilliance with Magic Ingredients can produce unexpected results. Besides, research isn’t about adding magic but rather finding patterns and maybe some intuition, so I have high hopes for what these kids would do for us.

Our Dragon-friend Victoria got introduced to everyone and promised not to eat the Campers but no, she won’t give rides. Petting is OK but some. She’s a busy Dragon and she has places to fly to. Out Pet Monster Phil got his share of scares and attention but soon enough even a giant caterpillar with a head of a lion gets accepted and even hugged. When it was turned into a Necro-Creature after attacking us, it was re-programmed as a large friendly dog so at this point it was basking in attention. The only other Teammate who is alive, is a Sprite named Fizz. He’s a Master of Air and has been very useful to us in that quality. He should be able to arrange his own Leveling Up and I have no idea how he does it. He told me he’ll survey our World and look after the Gatherers we’ve dispatched into the Forest for Ingredients.

I know I have promised to get the commoners out of the Barracks and into cottages but luckily the Barracks are still standing and the Barrack Chiefs, who abused the residents, have been under the strictest of orders to behave and I think, with their new Necro-personalities, they would not try to go back to their old ways. Thorough oversight and genuine interest in details from the Higher-ups does wonders to the local managers.

I need to map out the camp, I need to design those cottages, I need to learn if the Labs figured out something we could use for Building Materials – be it bricks or wooden logs. I need someone to calculate all forces and counter-forces but I have neither the necessary background in math nor the lab data on the materials which don’t even exist. I don’t have any properly-trained Architects in this World… Wait a second… We came across an Architect in the World that sent a Dragon at us. Surely it worked out great and we’ve “tamed” that Dragon and contacted their Officials and even taught one cocky high-ranking fool a lesson by “saving his life” and returning him home across the deadly Shimmering Veil. Nobody needs to know that he came back a Zombie – let’s not get too picky. They owe us a whole bunch of stuff – blankets, one-piece suits and whatever else. I’ll send my Necro-Drone to them again just to rattle their cages – figuratively speaking.

Not now though. I have something I need to attend first. When I have captured the Soul of the previous Camp-Boss, I’ve learned that he was a Librarian who managed to manipulate everyone into making him the King. He ruled with an iron fist keeping the low-levels from advancing and encouraging the bullies to torture and terrify the rest. And they did. They’ve supported him because he allowed them to be “on top” and without him they are miserable nobodies. I hate people like that – they are worse than the hooligans themselves. At least the later often outgrow it whereas the manipulating psychopaths get their thrills from the countless lasting scars on numerous good people who just weren’t strong enough to resist them. I must read his soul to learn his secrets but I’m not really eager to do it. I must and I can’t put it off any longer. Let me get into the Mansion he had build for himself and sit where his body is still laying in “Stasis” I’ve cast and just… do it.

He began as a typical nerd in school. Not comfortable around his age-mates, causing laughter and harassment from all of the boys and smirking from the girls. It’s so hard to understand why – he’s so Smart, he’s so Special. All of his answers are right, he even corrects the teachers. This makes the jeering even more painful. In all honesty it’s not “all” of the classmates – maybe 8 or 10 but the rest are actively ignoring his plight or even smiling at his small figure crawling on the floor getting kicks and spits while trying to pick up the books they’ve knocked out of his hands. Life of pain and shame. Life of self-pity. All the way till that fateful Bus Trip. Only 10 survive the trip and they are sitting there shocked. He takes the initiative – telling them to get the sticks and starting the fire. He oversees building of shelters and now he gets a “group leader” status assigned by the World. He learns how to adjust group Energy Balance (I too have that feature) and skims a little from the top. He fears the two bullies will start tormenting him again. He doesn’t understand they aren’t the dangerous ones – they like to join in the laughs and maybe in the spitting, but they would never start it. Doesn’t matter – they are all guilty. His specialty being a “Librarian” allows him access to some “World Library” and he learns poison making and manufacturing of simple weapons. He instructs an Artifactor in his group and everybody gets armed. Food is easy to procure – plenty of edible plants around. One day a small Monster shows up and the team attacks and kills it. This is a joy for everybody but makes him wonder what draws the Monsters to a person and what would be a repellent. He concocts a poison but adds to it a “lure” that attracts the Monsters and soon enough the two bullies and two more of his mates are dead. He screams at the team for having been lacking in training and taking too long going up the Levels. They managed to fight off a few Monsters and he makes sure that everybody understands that it was all thanks to him and without him they are nothing. All the time he’s building up his own Levels reaching 7 while not letting anyone to go over 2. They don’t understand where all the energy and experience is going to. They are suspecting something and at some point a fistfight breaks out. He’s ready with several poisoned sharpened sticks. Two boys and a girl are dying, an Artifactor is hugging the remaining hysterical girl while the Librarian is “taking revenge” on the dying one for having ignored him earlier. In the morning the bodies disappear and he admits he may have over-reacted. He will protect the remaining teammates, they have his word. Soon enough there is a new Bus and now the “remaining teammates” become the overseers and trainers. He yells at them for being too soft and that he can’t carry the whole team alone. They actually believe him and start basically running his show. He comes up with an idea to feed the Newbies to the Monsters having sprayed them with poison first. Some Dwarfs and Gnomes build a Mansion for him and several more houses and even a wall around the Camp. He poisons them all and orders to kill them on-sight. First – why pay with a potion recipe if he doesn’t have to, Second – if they’ve built such wonders for him they might build something even better for his enemies. He appoints a couple of direct reports and the rest are declared “cattle” that they can do anything to. By that time the “remaining teammates” are dead – the girl just didn’t wake up once and the Artifactor was easily replaced by a newcomer. Just like that – encouraging the Human Vices for the few and keeping the commoners terrified plus an occasional drop of poison to remove the old “lieutenant” promoting the young and eager. How many times he told someone that it’s time for him to move up the ranks but the old Chief won’t just resign, right? So here’s a little phial – if you want a promotion – you can guess what you need to do.

Saved by the Doc Part 2

I was knocked out of my meditation to see Kate-Nectar looking shocked and worried at me and several low-levels crowding behind her. I feel that she just cast several Necro-Heals at me and for some reason I needed it. As I’m starting to stand up, she tells me that she felt me dying or, since we’re basically aren’t alive, she felt my soul leaving the body. Since she took over the Boss’ Mansion for the needs of her newly-formed Medical School she was able to run up and save me. The curious students are slowly sneaking in and looking at the body of the Old Boss and me standing next to it. Let me think – this is not the first time I’ve read someone’s soul and I was just fine. What’s different this time? I look at the captured essence of the Librarian Level-20 and see that it’s fully “Energized” – that can’t be, I’ve drained it the moment I’ve captured it. I drained it again, asked Dr. Nectar to stand next to me for a few minutes and go back to reading his Soul but this time just the last few hours.

Here he is, all happy having captured me in a cage. Getting even happier threatening his Underlings. Yes they will be punished and the Punishers will be happy to do it but then the Punished will remember it and will try to get back at them while the Punishers will know it and will focus on taking down the first and they’ll always be busy fighting among themselves. Shortly after, a totally different scenario plays out and he’s brought down. For some reason he doesn’t think it’s a problem. Let’s see… Looking up… looking down … Oh here – He has a well-hidden Energy-Storing Artifact that gets his soul “re-Energized” even while in my storage. That … is … AMAZING. Apparently he read up on this anti-Necromancer trick in the World Library that he has access to. Nice… So once I’ve focused on reading his soul, he almost managed to take over my body. If it wasn’t for Kate-Nectar I’d already be getting collected by the Dark Cloud. Well maybe not – even if he’d push me out, I’d just cast a “Stasis” on my body and drain his soul again while it’s in me, then go back. After all, the Magical Abilities are stored in the Soul not in the Body, and in a fight between a Necromancer’s soul and a Necromancer’s body with a Soul of a Librarian I’d still win. HOWEVER I can’t risk that he doesn’t learn something else.

I come back before Dr. Nectar gets worried enough to kick me out of my meditation again, look around and walk toward the wall. Then I smash my fist at that wall. The Level-1s gasp and look at their instructor probably thinking if she can treat Mental Issues. Yes, she can but that’s not necessary. I cast a Quick Aging spell (Necromancer tricks are more than just souls and bodies) and a large metallic panel inside the wall turns to rust and pours to the ground. I hear the gasps again and I feel a strong disapproval from the Doctor. She noticed that my reserve’s almost entirely used-up and she doesn’t approve of this because she’d feel better with a Fully Charged Necromancer nearby. Yes, but if our World is indeed someone’s Video Game or a Show, they want Scenes that can be played and replayed so we need to churn them out. I reach in and take out several Crystals. The students are silent, the one who gasps now is Dr Nectar. I contact my Necro-Drone – a dead small flying creature called “Brownie” that I can control even at large distances, and order it to fly to me. Then under the wondering gazes of the Crowd I open the window, and just stand there. What they don’t know is that while waiting for the “Drone” I direct the Librarian Soul into my Magic Storage Crystal. Now I have access to the Librarian magic as well as the two other types I’ve copied before – Healing and Assassin. The soul, however, seems to still have the Magical properties. Before I’ve only created copies of souls and taken the Magic from them. I actually never bothered to see if the Copies still have their Magic. Apparently they do. OK, I’ll keep it in mind. But that’s beside the point.

I can’t risk having this soul inside me, so when the Brownie arrives, I lay it on the desk and tell the now-larger crowd that they are about to see some Necromancer Magic. If they are too sensitive they are welcome to leave. There won’t be any blood though. Everybody stays and I focus on the Brownie and insert a “De-Energized” Librarian Soul into it. I also re-power it with my energy so now the Identifying Text Pop-up reads “Necro-Librarian Brownie”. It sits up and tries to talk. Sorry, you can’t, I’ve made sure to take that away. It stands up and starts walking around making hand-gestures apparently typical for the Old Camp-Boss, and the audience breaks down laughing. I’m controlling the Brownie – it would've not been able to walk, unless Dr. Nectar spends hours on very fine repairs. She sees me doing that and keeps silent. In fact there’s a frozen murderous stare on her face – apparently her students have told her Stories about their lives in the Camp.

I tell the Students that I’ve captured the Soul of the Old Boss but when I wanted to do some experiments on it, the setup backfired and that Soul almost took over my body. Thank you Dr. Nectar for saving me. Now I’ll keep that soul in that dead Brownie and I’ll lock it into something sturdy until I no longer need it. The Brownie raised his head and shock his fist at me then walked angrily around. The audience rewarded my Marionette Control Skills with a burst of laughter and I addressed the Brownie, “What, you don’t like being locked into this body and then into a birdcage? Really? Well, what lesson did we all learn today?” I forced the Brownie to squeak angrily, “Never. Ever. Ever. Make. Your. Necromancer. Angry. Lesson’s over, class dismissed.”

Dr. Nectar takes the hint and starts herding her students out. A Fox-Girl we’ve came across and saved earlier turns around, looks me in the eyes, hugs her beautiful tail to her chest and nervously says, “Please don’t let it take over you. Don’t become like him. Please.” I smile and assure her that I’ll never become like him – I don’t need to scheme and plot to keep the people fighting among themselves – I am a Necromancer, I can just suggest to the people to be nice and respectful to each other and they will be. So don’t worry, dear Foxy. Is the tail OK? Oh good, good. Thank you Dr. Nectar for all you help – with that tail and for saving me now. Thank you most sincerely. I can’t thank you “from the tip of my nose to the tip of my tail” though as someone did once. Dr. Nectar smiles and the Fox-Girl gets all shy, hugs her tail tight and quickly walks away from the room and Kate-Nectar follows. Yes, dear, I won’t turn like that dead Librarian. I always fear I could get much worse though.

I don’t really need a container right now – I’ve stopped controlling the Brownie and it dropped onto the desk. Oh, look into these eyes. Not finding a source of information on breaking out of Necromancer control having been locked into a small dead flying creature? Did you specify that now you’re downsized to a Necro-Ability of that creature? Not a Human Librarian – a Zombie with a Librarian Skill. You’re mine and you know it. Let me study your soul without reading it. So… Usually I have an option of Dispersing a Soul that I have under my control – not this one because he’s Level-20 and I’m Level-10. As such there is a whole bunch of restrictions I have when it comes to me controlling him and if anything I clearly have to beware of him controlling me. Should have I read thing before? Oh YES. Did I though? What stopped me from looking into him once I’ve captured him? Oh yes the whole “setup up the new Camp and care for the Little Guys” thing. How do I balance My Needs with the Needs MY people. "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed" as said by The Fox in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince".

I need to Level-up. The Crystals, that the Old Dead Boss have secreted away, identify as Energy Stores. Large energy Stores. Eight Level-20 and One Level-30. All filled to the brim over all of the time this miserable psychopath was taking revenge on Humanity for failing to appreciate him. How do I start my upgrade? Earlier, I’ve just began draining a Monster and it started. Now… Now I can read up, can’t I? Did I just get… WISE? Wow. Before I reach into the Magic Store Crystal that’s housing the Librarian Abilities, I look into the Librarian Soul in the dead Brownie and install every single restriction on it I can as a Master Necromancer over his Zombie. I’ve done it before for the Dark Drow Assassin Team. For them I’ve specified “Don’t attack teammates, Don’t communicate with other teams, Protect The Leader of the Team at all costs, Protect other teammates if possible and if not contrary to a more important mission, Obey The Leader of the Team”, but here I feel I need more. Let me add “Be an eager servant of the Master” with my darling self specified as such Master, perform analysis of any of Master’s ideas and matters that he learns of with an honest attempt to improve the outcome in the way the Master deems desirable. Clarify different priorities of goals and chances of obstacle overcoming. Clarify acceptability of Material and Personnel losses for a goal. If I can make that … thing… useful – why not.

I’ve activated the Librarian skill in the Magic Store and it felt like I’ve always had it. Somehow I knew how to search for data and how to go deeper for the explanations. So indeed, I just need to overflow my inner Energy Store for the upgrade to kick in. The next level costs twice my capacity. Normally I would need to pump a portion of my Mana into a Storage Crystal and wait for it to fill-up, then start the upgrade by sipping in some of my own Mana to get me over the top. Necro-Doctors also have a requirement of a certain number of Healings and other Experience Points. The more experience, the less Energy needed for an upgrade, down to even Zero with lots of work done. Similarly for the Assassins – every action they take, including Shadow-jumping or even Stamina Training, raises their experience points and will save on Upgrade Mana. Not that easy for me – many Zombies under my control let me siphon lots of Mana from the Group but if I don’t take care of them, I’ll have no Mana. I guess the idea was – a Necromancer attempting a Leveling-up, better have a group capable of providing him with at least the same amount of Mana as his Inner Store or he’ll burn up and take the group with him. Interesting side-note – at levels that are Prime Numbers, one gets a Quick Promotion chance. So a Level-1 can get a quicker chance to get to 3, 5, 7 and that’s what I got before. My next chance for that, is my next level, so let me get to the Level-11 and start getting ready for the Long Jump. If I’m right and if I score that chance again, I’ll have a choice of 13, 17, and 19. If I had a Level-19, I’d take that Librarian into a very firm grasp.

I quickly left the Library and felt relieved that the Brownie is still exactly where I’ve dropped it. I picked it up and went out with it in my hand. I don’t want to start the upgrade now – my own inner stores aren’t full yet but they should be soon. I need to look into the re-balancing of the Group Energy Assignment. The World sets it in some kind of “optimal” fashion where members with large reserves that can be quickly filled give off more into the Pool whereas Small Fliers who basically totally deteriorate without an external Mana Source get more. I’m feeling bad about it, but I’m establishing a 3% tax on the group and routing it into my Crystals. I’m really not a Megalomaniac – in the Human World it’s the People who define the King and the Kingdom. In the Necromancer World – the stronger I am the stronger they are. Yet deep inside I hear my own voice, “Just keep telling yourself that”.

Tight in a Box Part 3

I went to the Artifactor Lab to talk to the Chief. I don’t need a multi-slide presentation and a list of achievements – I don’t care about any of that. I want to sense the emotions that the Chief will give off while telling me about them. Everybody knows, the Lab Chiefs have done a lot of really nasty things to get to their places and to stay there. If I am not able to find an acceptable level of mutual understanding with them or if their underlings can’t forgive all the abuse and fear despite my power of suggestion, he and the Chief of the Alchemists will be replaced.