Chapter Nineteen: The Undead Demon Rat

Standing before the carcass of the rat-beast, the old necromancer let out a sigh of astonishment.

"We truly owe you for this one, Huey Glaire. It is hard to imagine how you managed to kill it."

"It was a formidable and terrifying opponent. I finally understand why magical beasts above level ten are called apex predators. Before the battle, I thought that with my Fire-Bird, I could at least fight it to a draw. But I was wrong. It possessed two types of spell abilities and was also highly skilled in close-quarters combat. Its tail, claws, and even its tongue were all lethal weapons. It inflicted severe injuries on me and my companions. Killing it was a matter of luck, but I cannot stake my future on luck alone. So, Ashlin, are you certain you can turn it into an undead creature and have it accept my command?"

Every time Huey recalled that day’s battle, he felt a lingering sense of unease.

The necromancer crouched down to carefully examine the beast’s remains. "Its head and right claw were severed by you; they must be reattached. I brought the head from Buckler, but the right claw... you will have to retrieve the missing part."

Huey casually produced a scout bee. "Find this creature's right claw." Unlike wind-warblers, these small constructs had the added benefit of accepting their master’s commands to autonomously search for targets with distinct characteristics.

The scout bee buzzed away. The necromancer looked at the small device with a hint of envy before saying, "A very practical little thing."

"Indeed. Practical spells are more meaningful than powerful but showy ones," Huey replied.

After carefully inspecting the rat-beast's entire skeleton, the necromancer pointed at the frame and said, "I can use necromancy to revive it as an undead creature, but at this level of resurrection, it will only possess the physical abilities it had in life. It will no longer be able to use any magic, and its bones will require reinforcement through alchemy. Finally, you must equip it with a core—a power source that will allow it to exist indefinitely. A rechargeable magical gem would be best. If the core's energy is depleted, you must refill it with magic. It must be necromantic mana... I forgot, you are not a necromancer."

"So, I still need to learn necromancy to use it?"

"The power of necromantic mana allows dead corpses to move; that is the nature of the craft. Unless you can ensure that the mana I infuse never fades, you must refill it yourself. There is no way around that. Of course, each refill should last about ten days, which is much easier than simply maintaining an undead creature with raw mana."

"It seems I am going to have to learn necromancy after all." Huey couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Honestly, I have no desire to learn such magic. Look at you—necromancy has eroded your vitality."

"True, learning and practicing necromancy devours our flesh and erodes our life force, but that is only for those who have reached a certain level. If your goal is merely to use necromancy to command the undead, you only need to learn the Resurrection and Summoning spells, provided you have the basic mana foundation of a low-level mage. For an alchemist, there are many ways to mitigate such erosion. Resurrection is for reanimating powerful creatures, while Summoning acts upon weak but numerous undead."

"That sounds reasonable and simple enough."

"Yes, very simple. With your aptitude, you should master it quickly. As for gathering the mana, even if you lack a natural talent for it, a period of practice will be enough to sustain a core."

"Has anyone done this before? If it's truly that simple to acquire necromantic abilities."

"Rarely. Without the bones of a powerful magical beast, the power of ordinary summoning is limited, relying only on numbers. But you must understand that necromancy is considered taboo because people believe we desecrate the dead; other forms of magic are not viewed with such disgust—or at least, not as severely. Resurrection and Summoning are the root of this perception. Not many would choose to become a pariah just to command the undead."

"Unless they are already a wanted criminal," Huey added.

"Exactly," the old necromancer said, his eyes narrowing with a smile.

"What will it cost for you to teach me these two spells?" Huey asked.

"Your little bees are quite impressive."

"I will not give you the production techniques, at least not for now."

"Then give me thirty finished units."

"Ten. Making these little things requires not just materials, but a great deal of effort."

"Twenty."

"Fine, but you will have to wait until I finish the work at hand."

"Then it's a deal."

The scout bee soon returned with the claw that Huey had severed. Huey retrieved the rat-beast’s teeth, bones, and tail. He did this in front of Ashlin, and when the necromancer realized that Huey Glaire possessed a spatial storage item, he trembled in shock.

"If our cooperation continues, one day I will make one for each of you," Huey said, casting his bait at the perfect moment. Lilith would surely warn Buckler about his danger once she returned; he needed to increase the stakes to entice Buckler. Let Ashlin and Lilith argue; he would sit back and watch the show.

"Remember your promise," the necromancer said through gritted teeth. Even without Lilith’s input, the old mage was beginning to understand why the Empire valued this boy. He could actually craft spatial rings! To hell with it—what level of alchemist was he? The old mage could hardly imagine.

Once his composure returned, the old mage focused back on the corpse. "I can revive it now. If you want it to be more powerful, the rest is up to you."

Huey casually took out a handful of magical gems and placed them in Ashlin's hand. "Pick what you need."

Poor Ashlin had never seen such a lavish display; the pile of shimmering gems dazzled his eyes. "My god, you are wealthier than a kingdom."

Huey seemed not to hear the exclamation, his mind fixed on how to reinforce the beast's combat prowess. He brought out his crucible, stirring rods, and various materials from his ring, beginning to brew potions on the spot. Ashlin watched as Huey added substances he had never seen before into the crucible, his eyes filled with such wonder that he completely forgot his own work. "What are these materials? I mean... what are you brewing?"

"Some rather uncommon things. Didn't you say the bones needed alchemical reinforcement? I am concocting a substance that will turn the bones into a material harder than metal. I call it Metal Extraction Fluid. It helps me synthesize special metals. I just happened to learn this formula, so I'm testing it out."

A potion that helps synthesize special metals? Ashlin felt faint. He had heard rumors of such inventions from centuries ago, but the alchemy had long been lost. Yet, it was reappearing before his eyes—and being used just to reinforce the bones of a rat-beast. It was... incredibly extravagant.

Ashlin gritted his teeth. "I meant that ordinary reinforcing agents would suffice."

"I prefer to use the best," Huey replied coldly.

The potion was soon finished—a blue, paste-like substance. Huey poured it into a small bowl, dipped a brush into it, and asked, "Should I do this now, or after you are finished?"

"Either is fine," Ashlin replied blankly.

"Then I shall do it now. I doubt it will be so cooperative once it comes back to life."

"Perhaps..." Ashlin gulped.

Huey used the brush to apply the blue paste evenly over every inch of the rat-beast's skeleton. As the substance adhered, it seeped into the bone, shimmering with a ghostly blue light under the sun. Once finished, Huey asked, "I recall that undead creatures lack memory. Do they have intelligence?"

"They do not, but they retain their combat instincts from life. The higher the intelligence of the creature, the more formidable those instincts are."

"Excellent." Huey took another object from his ring. Before Ashlin could respond, Huey continued, "This is a Soul Bead, used in flesh golems and troll-god constructs. I believe I can install a soul-power source. This will grant it higher intelligence—the ability to understand rather than just blindly obey commands. I don't think this is too difficult, is it? We’ll give it a dual-core." Huey used a modern term that vividly painted his vision for the future. "I require this Soul Bead to be removable so that when I don't need it, I can store it in my ring. And when I take it out, I can re-install it. Any problems?"

Ashlin stared at the bead and swallowed hard. "It's difficult, but not impossible."

To Huey, the Soul Bead was trivial; on Purgatory Island, flesh golems were sent to the Empire every month, and Soul Beads were common items. However, he had once again overlooked that this was not Purgatory Island. Poor Ashlin had never imagined Huey would produce so many things for a single undead rat: a handful of magical gems, metal extraction fluid, a Soul Bead—these were all priceless. Not to mention the spatial ring. Heaven only knew what else was inside.

Ashlin felt an urge to throttle the boy. If the cold, dead body of the rat-beast didn't remind him that this youth was not to be trifled with—and was only going to become more dangerous—he might not have been able to restrain his impulses.

Even so, Huey Glaire still felt dissatisfied.

"Currently, it has sufficient hardness, agility, intelligence, and offensive power to be an expert in close combat and ambushes. I happen to be lacking such a helper. So, what else needs to be strengthened?" Huey pondered.

After a moment, he clapped his hands. "Right, I can add some mechanisms. This will give it ranged attack capabilities. We can coat them in poison. Since it's an undead creature, it has no life energy and no heartbeat; it should be able to approach enemies in the shadows with ease. Trigger the mechanism, release the toxic projectile, then use its speed to close the distance and sweep the enemy with its sharp tail... Yes, I can modify the tail. It should be sharper—thirteen segments, like a chain-blade or a flexible saw. When it sweeps, it could cut an enemy in two. Even if it doesn't kill them, it would tear away a massive chunk of flesh. And I'll sharpen its teeth and claws. It will be an autonomous, magical weapon. I can even engrave arrays on it to make it stronger and truly indestructible..."

Huey grew excited, forgetting Ashlin entirely. When he finally stopped and looked at the necromancer, he found the man looking completely stunned.

"What's wrong?" Huey asked, confused.

Ashlin tremblingly replied, "Mr. Glaire, I must admit, you may not be the most powerful or the wealthiest alchemist in the world, but you are surely the most terrifying and vicious one. My god, you are building a super-killing machine."

"Exactly, Mr. Ashlin. That is precisely what I want," Huey Glaire replied coldly.

As night fell, the preparations for the spell were complete. In the dim light, Ashlin began to chant:

"Power of the dead, will of the soul, wandering the black earth, drifting through the blood-red sky... Rise, undead!"

A white light gathered in Ashlin's palms, drifted into the air, and slowly settled into the magical gem serving as the core. The gem, embedded in the rat-beast's skull, absorbed the necromantic energy, which then spread throughout the skeleton. A ghostly gray-white light flickered over the bones before fading. At the same time, Huey Glaire cast a soul spell, using elemental vibration to activate the embedded Soul Bead.

A flash of soul energy ignited in the rat-beast's empty sockets. Controlled by an invisible force, the creature stood up.

Ashlin shouted, "In the name of the God of the Underworld, Huey Glaire..."

Huey quickly pricked his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the beast's skull, which was immediately absorbed.

"...from this moment, you are its master."

The rat-beast bowed its two skeletal limbs before Huey. The blue-tinted bones appeared eerie under the moonlight. Huey said with satisfaction:

"Very good. From today on, you are my servant. My will is your destiny."

The undead rat-beast bared its sharp, jagged teeth at Huey in response.