For all he knew, Lith had only a shot at getting his hands on the forbidden knowledge Kaduria held. Before sending Redan on his way, Lith used Life Vision to scout the path ahead. The castle was almost empty.
Aside from the eight clerics whose energy signature Solus was able to recognize, there were only a few people moving through the hallways. In other circumstances, Lith would have considered it a good sign, but after knowing Redan, he felt on the edge.
‘If Redan is one of the ‘sane’ Kadurians, I can’t imagine the rest. Those people might ignore him or kill him just for laughs. Without him, my plan will fail. I need to make sure he gets to the target in one piece, but how?
‘I can’t send Solus because the Black Star is aware of our existence. I can’t give Redan magical items because they would raise a huge red flag above his head. I hate gambling, luck has never been on my side.’ He thought.
‘Don’t forget the clock is ticking. We have yet to kill anyone during this light phase.’ Solus pointed out.
Lith took out from his pocket dimension two small carcasses. They belonged to a rat and a snake. Both were in perfect condition, Lith had killed them without leaving any injury on their bodies.
“Weird choice for a snack, but to each his own, I guess.” Redan shrugged. Even the sudden appearance of the carcasses left him unfazed.
“They are not meant to be eaten. Do you know Necromancy?”
“Yes, it’s forbidden magic. Using it is a crime. The clerics say raising the dead is a sin and that Necromancy is taught by the demons to their followers to spread death and plague.”
“It’s no wonder Kaduria fell. Mixing science and superstition it’s a recipe for a disaster.” Lith sighed while snapping his fingers. A black fog came out from his eyes and mouth, seeping into the carcasses’.
Instead of the red light of undeath, their eyes were blue. It was the sign that Lith’s mind was controlling them. Redan watched the creatures quivering to life and whistled in surprise.
“This is the best day of my life. First the flight and now I get to witness demonic arts. I’m starting to believe you about the possibility to be freed from this nightmare.” He said with a big smile on his face.
“If you didn’t believe me, then why are you helping me?” The Lith-rat asked.
“Why not? Even if you are lying, what do I have to lose? Nothing I do matters anymore. Good and bad have lost any significance centuries ago. I chose to follow you because even if just for one day, you’re giving me a purpose.
Today my actions mean something. I couldn’t ask for more.”
“Thanks.” The Lith-snake replied. “There are no demonic arts, though. Just magic.”
“You’re no fun, Linjos. Your mouse doesn’t squeak between words and your snake doesn’t hiss on the s. The lack of clichés is ruining my childhood horror stories.”
Lith’s undead squinted their eyes in annoyance.
“How can you be so laid back? This is no game. We have only one shot and if we fail, there are no second chances.”
“That’s what makes this so exciting.” Redan shrugged. “Let’s move. I can’t wait to have more fun.”
‘I’ll accompany Redan as long as I can. You keep an eye on my body. Remember, no killing is allowed. Feel free to use all the mana you need, my treat.’ Lith told Solus before leaving the room.
In its true magic version, Necromancy had a few more tricks up its sleeve compared to its fake counterpart. The undead entered Redan’s shadow while enveloping themselves in a layer of darkness magic that made them almost invisible.
Only their blue eyes were faintly noticeable.
Redan moved with a quick pace through the castle, taking shortcuts and secret passages that allowed him to avoid most of the people wandering around. He still met a few with no hostile intentions.
The moment they turned their backs to him, Redan slit their throats and resumed walking before the corpses had the time to disappear.
“Just to be safe.” He replied to the four eyes he could sense staring at his back.
“They could have changed their minds or we could have met them on our way back. As you said, we have only one shot at this.”
‘Heck, I’m going to miss this guy.’ Lith thought.
On their way to the stairs leading to the main temple, the trio met a soldier. He was a middle aged man with finely trimmed mustaches. He wore a light armor consisting of a chest, arms, and legs protectors.
The moment he saw Redan, he unsheathed the short sword he carried on his side.
“Redan, you blasphemer! Are you here to sh*t on the altar again? Or maybe are you planning to defile the holy scriptures?” Rage was visible on the soldier’s face.
“F*cking zealot, I’m here to do both. I want to see if your precious High Sun will strike me down this time or if he’ll do nothing. Because, you know, he doesn’t exist.”
Redan’s words struck a nerve. Even after centuries of agony, the soldier still clung to his faith. He was way more experienced than Redan, so his eyes were fixated on the enemy’s shoulders, to predict his movements.
‘I have the training and range advantage.’ He thought. ‘I’ll make him squeal like the pig he is.’
“I’ll punish you in his stead, you heretic!” The soldier charged forward, annoyed by Redan’s unusual relaxed look. Suddenly, he tripped on something. He tried to roll to quickly recover from the fall, but his legs were pulled down with enough strength to make him fall face first onto the ground.
Redan wasted no time, stomping the soldier’s neck with his heel and killing him on the spot.
“Thanks.” He said to the two creatures still holding the disappearing corpse. “Nindro usually beats me nine times out of ten. He is a stupid zealot, but I learned a lot from dying at his hands.”
“I can’t risk entering the Black Star’s line of sight.” Lith said while watching at the stairs with Life Vision. The good news was that there was no one but Meru in the room. Redan had a clear path, at least for a few minutes.
“You are on your own.”
“I’ll be quick then.” Redan tensed up for the first time in decades. Death would mean ruining the adventure of a lifetime.
The moment he entered the room, the high cleric turned around.
“Are you here for the temple or for me?” His voice held no fear. Meru had been chased, tortured, and killed so many times he had lost count. Pain was an old friend, nothing scared him anymore.
“I’m here to pray. I just wanted to… Praise the High Sun! It’s a miracle!” Redan said while pointing his finger to the ceiling.
The high cleric looked up believing his prayers had finally been answered. The pommel of Redan’s knife struck the back of Meru’s head, making him faint on the spot.
