Chapter 64 – Necromancer base.
After making the dwarf "Cooperative", we now had a problem.
As mentioned before, I fallowed the necromancer through his tracks as well as found out the poorly made fake wall that hid his passage.
Even if I didn't found it, it would be still matter of time before the guards would have found it.
And going back to the city and covering up the exists is out of the question, since the guards maybe already checking out the sewers. I straight up doubt that place is filled with brainless idiots and wouldn't check the sewers.
The exit of the tunnel is nowhere near our current hiding spot, but the city will be aware that the dwarf had left the city and was in this forest.
They may start making search parties in the forest and if players start getting here, oh boy. This will get annoying.
However, the necromancer had already a plan to move out into his laboratory. He was more prepared than I though.
Well, that was bit obvious.
This place doesn't have any workshop or anything like that in here, so even with the blacksmith hammer and other tools, it won't work with the rest of the stuff like anvil, furnace and all other stuff.
But I got to say. Damn! That dwarf tools are fuking awesome!
They are epic rarity items and the hammer is unique rarity one and strong one at that. I can't even wield that hammer with my classes and level.
I really want that hammer for myself…. But the dwarf will need it and the necromancer wouldn't like me taking it.
Anyway, we left the abandoned mine that the necromancer was using as his temporarily base and headed straight towards the necromancer true base.
I though his base would be somewhere even deeper in this forest where there would be monster that can even fuck me.
But no?
Actually, it turns out his base was beneath the abandoned mines.
Huh…. He had a secret passage in the abandoned room that was used to hold the dwarf inside.
The wooden walls of that room were put by the necromancer and the wall on the left can be removed, revealing a hidden path.
Okay… I even didn't noticed at all that thing being a hidden passage. He made it extremely well.
Not only that, nobody would have expected the room where the captive was held to be the entrance of the hidden base.
I got to say, he kind of surprised me.
Anyway, we cleared up the mine and entered his "Real" base.
"…."
(It's a large underground space, huh?)
(It's not like it's made out of bricks like some sort of dungeon, but it's still well made.)
(I'm honestly surprised.)
(Not only that… There is even more of those armored wearing skeletons in here.)
(Damn.)
(If I fought him head on, I don't think I would have won.)
(Well…. There is also this guy, but he isn't ready yet.)
(Not only him, but I'm also producing sewer other deadly chimeras.)
(Still…. Would that be enough?)
(The bear rabbit is extremely deadly.)
(It possess speed, defense and attack powers.)
(And it would definitely rip apart those skeletons.)
(The problem are those weird mutated ones. They are much stronger than of those just armor wearing ones.)
(That guy… He isn't weakling…. I honestly doubt I would win against him now.)
(…But…. His back is turned against me now…. If I use "That" …. He isn't undead so a proper hit may be able to kill him.)
(….)
(No.)
(Not yet.)
(The timing isn't right yet.)
(Also he is probably still on the guard against me and everything, so my assassination attempt may end up in failure.)
"Here dwarf."
"This room will be your resting area." – said the necromancer.
"And here will be your workplace."
The necromancer opened the door revealed a well build underground workshop.
"…"
(Huh… Nice.)
(This isn't some make shift one, but a proper one… I guess that guy really wants 100% of the success of the dwarf making the artifact.)
"…."
"I get that you want me to create artifact and everything, but you better tell me know what the hell do you want me to make." – said the dwarf.
"I cannot make something without proper materials or may need specific tools that you may not have here."
"…Fine."
The man walked towards the table that was inside the room while the dwarf and the doctor fallowed close behind.
"Here."
"I want you to create this."
"…."
(Is this…. A heart?) – though Phantasia while observing the blueprint.
"…."
"An artifact in a form of a heart…. But it doesn't look like normal artificial heart." – said the dwarf.
"Yea."
"It not only need to be able replace real heart, but It also needs to be able channel as well as produce rough necrotic energy as well as have an ability to grow with the user- "
"Wait, wait, wait, wait."
"You want me to make a heart that can function like real heart AND possess ability to channel and produce rough necrotic mana AND an ability to evolve?"
"How stupid are you?!"
"A rough necrotic mana is mana of the death element!"
"You want me to create a tool that can act as LIVING ORGAN while possessing a MANA OF UNDEAD ELEMENT THAT IS ALSO CALLED THE CORPSE ELEMENT!"
"A mana about corpse and undead!"
"And on top of it all, an ability to grow?!"
"Sorry, but how stupid are you?! Did you even though this plan through?! Do you have ANY idea how absurd your plan sounds like?!"
"…."
"I got to agree with the dwarf."
"An artificial heart that can deal with the necrotic mana as part of user body? This is bit crazy and even if dwarf would create something like that, wouldn't you just die?"
"It would make bit of sense if you were undead or something, but you are not. Unless you are aiming to become one like some sort of lich."
"No."
"I don't plan on becoming undead myself. Nor I plan for the heart to have an ability to turn me into an undead. I want to be the living being and have this heart inside my LIVING body."
"Then what? The necrotic energy that fused with your heart would act like poison and would kill you, even if you are necromancer."
"For crying out loud. I did some research regarding the necromancy and the necro mana and I can see how badly this can end up."
"Then- "
"Just let me fuking finish!" – said extremely annoyed necromancer.
"The heart won't kill me if it becomes part of me. Not like a part of my organs, but a part of me as whole."
"Simply put, it will mutate me and evolve in the sense."
"I won't get turned into undead once the heart would go inside me and instead it would improve me, changing my body from inside and allowing the necrotic mana to be made and function inside my body."
"I was researching this stupid thing for a long time and I know it is possible. I even used some lab rats as well as some talented craftsman and proven that it is possible."
"However, there are few problems."
"The first is obviously the heart itself. It need special materials, so it cannot be made with some random iron or white iron."
"Not only that, the craftsman crafting talent need to quite high as well."
"So that why I needed this guy specifically and nobody below since they probably wouldn't able to make the heart."
"And lasty is the research."
"I tested it on the living beings, but not humanoid beings like humans, elves and dwarfs."
"So, the heart need to be specially adjusted and those fuckers I used before were not up the task."
"So, beside myself, I need a skilled craft master to create the blue print that should work as well as the testing models."
"…."
"Wait." – said doctor.
"You said you used the heart, well inferior version on it on the lab rats, right?"
"But if you are thinking of kidnaping people, I'm saying straight up give up."
"Kidnaping people in the current stat is straight up suicide."
"Don't worry."
"We will be using the undeads as the test subjects."
"The heart special ability allows it to be used by both undeads and living, giving different effects to the each."
"But if it works on the undeads, then it should on the humanoid species."
"The problem however is still with adjustments and its not easy at all. I tried alone."
"Still, we have some data and everything, so we don't necessary need to do it from scratch."
"…."
"Good." – said doctor.
(I thought I would have needed to kill him now.)
(I need the dwarf trust later on when I rescue him, so killing innocent people for the experiment was out of questions.)
(I would have to either dwarf or the necromancer.)
(Still… A heart that can make you an being that handles a necrotic mana?)
(I still don't know much about the magic and everything, but when I did little research about the magic in the Dawn city library, I found out there exist different type of manas as well as well as mana types.)
(I don't know much and still don't understand, but take this for example.)
(Humans don't have any elemental mana, but they can use their mana to use fire magic.)
(However the fire elemental mana is straight up mana of fire and it would make way stronger resource for casting a fire spell. Not only that, manas can have different type of natures, but that is quite weird and I still didn't read enough about it…. I only know where is non type, natural, demonic, holy and stuff, but didn't really dived into it since I find out that I cannot even use it anyway.)
(Anyway, the items can contain some elements and they can give different effects and results depending on what you use on crafting. I even tested it myself and confirm that it is possible to create equipment with some elemental boosting power.)
(For example: The mage staff can either increase fire element power or the water element power, if you used water element based materials OR fire element based materials. I even made those kind of items myself, for example the giant sewer rat materials had poison element in them.)
(There are also magic tools, for example like the everyday tools that use magic to operate or for example some of my alchemy tools I use have special magic engravings.
(If you are blacksmith or alchemist you will run into elemental materials sooner or later if not from get go depending on your starting location.)
(Honestly, crafting alone was fun, but the elemental mana did gave a nice mix. It straight up gives you way more possibles.)
(Not only the elements, but the crafting process and tools as well.)
(There are many different tools and ways of crafting as well as the fact that you can use them together and there is also the fact that this world have many different materials with each of their own characterizes as well as ups and downs and depending on how you make it, you can make pretty interesting stuff…. Man... I really like the crafting in here.)
(But anyway. There is definitely a BIG reason why the necromancer want to have that kind of heart inside his body.)
(I don't know how exactly that heart would work nor what effect it could have. It could make him way stronger necromancer, like some sort of pseudo lich or it may be allows him hold some sort special power. I need to do bit research about the mana and other stuff by the look of things in order to maybe understand his goal.)
(As for creating that bizarre object…. It seem that the necromancer is quiet bit confided and he also said he did few test already that worked a bit…... And the dwarf seem to be already thinking about something while holding that blueprint.)
(Is it possible to create this heart thing? And if so, what it will be?)
(It honestly would be a good thing if could-)
"!"
(Wait…. Hm….Oh.)
"…"
"Fuck it." – said doctor.
"Do you mind if I help out?"
"?"
"What do you mean?" – asked necromancer.
"It's just like I said."
"I will help out since you may requite an additional pair of hands instead of those brainless undeads."
"I'm bit of craftsman myself so I can help out a bit."
"Not only that, I need to make sure that the dwarf won't do anything funny. We maybe hold the people of the city hostage with the plague, but that doesn't mean we had enslaved his mind. He may try to do something like for example messing with the artifact intentionally or maybe other stuff."
"It's better if I keep a watch on him alongside you."
"And the sooner we are done with this the better."
"You don't mind it?"
"…."
"Fine." – said the necromancer.
"More hands we have the better and its even better if you are craftsman."
"Okay. But I will need to have time of my own and will probably leave the base often. I need to keep my base in the city operational or that will be quiet problematic for me and in turn you."
"Fuck you…. Fine. I'm fine with you leaving and going out. But we won't be waiting for you when we will be experimenting and everything."
"I'm fine with that." – replied doctor.
"…"
(GOOD!)
(If I research that "Heart" with them, I could use that knowledge for my cyborg modification knowledge.)
(Not only that, this guy knowledge may help me AND the dwarf knowledge may also help me grow.)
(I will steal your knowledge and research for my own gain.)
(Still. If I do this way a lot of time will definitely pass… I may lag again in terms of leveling up…. No.)
(It's worth it.)
(And I will make sure to get everything bit of juicy knowledge and skill from you while also using you two to improve my own crafting skill.)
(The necromancer may realize my intention, but he doesn't have choice since I'm needed in order to keep the dwarf obedient.)
(Not only that, he isn't wrong. The more hands the better and not only that, we need to finish the heart as soon as possible, since even if this place is so well hidden, it doesn't mean it still cannot be discovered.)
(The time limit is unknown and I can also gain the necromancer trust by giving him more support.)
(Not only that, I also need to take care of my workshop and earn money so I can keep it operating.)
(There is also my cyborg research.)
(Those current hands of mine aren't perfect and are still prototypes.)
(It will be a lot of work… But it will be worth in the end!)