Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 132 (Patreon)

For many of us, Sir Patrick Stewart and the crew of the Enterprise D were our introduction to Star Trek, and to science fiction in general. For all his greatness as an actor, he was an even better man, and the world is poorer for his passing. Rest in Peace, Mon Capitaine.

No, I am not ok. Death and I need to have a 'conversation'.

Chapter 132 – Dragon

The morning of 27th Telvast, I spent the morning with my pets, enjoying the festivities. But I did not have time to play all day. Lunch found my party meeting General Helecan and his retinue outside the walls of the city, in clearing just off the road half and hour’s ride from the city gates.

In the four days and nights since I’d met with General Helecan at his manor, he had managed to find someone who could summon an angel, and bind them as a familiar. Once he was certain his inner circle was not under the effects of the Soulslave Ritual, he had summoned one of his commanders from the field. Partially to ensure that he was also free from the ritual, but also so he could take command of the undead dragon I promised him.

The [Create Undead] spell had more options in it than simply choosing what manner of undead creature you would call to serve you. That was, of course, the simplified version of it, and the one that most casters bothered with, since the idea of creating undead for someone else to use was foreign to most necromancers. However, if you used another person’s blood as an additional reagent during the casting, the newly created undead would be bound to them, instead.

But that was not enough. Since this undead dragon would be going to the commander of a fort, it necessarily followed that control of the dragon should be transferred, when command transferred. To accomplish this, an item was used as the additional reagent, instead. In this case, a torc that would be worn around the neck served as the reagent. The wearer of the torc would be the only one who could command or control the undead dragon.

Naturally, we could not perform this kind of ritual inside the General’s manor in the High City. Even if there was a ritual space in the building large enough for the dragon, there was no way that we would be able fit through the doors. And, honestly, creating undead of any sort within the city limits was not a great idea, even if we had received permission from the King. An undead dragon would be even more disruptive, just by its very nature. Which is why we were in the clearing.

Patrick Stewart

Human Male

Level 30 Bard / Commander

Titles: Wise One, Natural Leader, Captain

Most of the General’s retinue was familiar to me, but there was one newcomer, the commander of the fort who would be controlling the dragon. Captain Stewart was an older man, who did not hide his bald head, which made the white hair around the sides, cut short, look even more dignified. He was not a musclebound fighter, but more the type who was equally at home wielding a blade as he was a basinet. A warrior-poet, according to the General, and one much beloved by his people at the Frostspire Bastion, where he held the pass and kept the Eclanans from finding an easy path behind his lines.

I looked the man over, appraisingly. If he wasn’t already pledged to the General, I would have considered poaching him for my own forces. A Bard as a commander, with the Natural Leader title? He would be a force multiplier on the battlefield, keeping the soldiers in line, even through long, boring watches, or when under heavy fire. Such men were worth their weight in gold.

But that was neither here nor there. I pulled the dragon skeleton from my inventory, and laid it out on the ground in the center of the clearing, and placed the torc upon the dragon’s skull, so that it would complete the binding. As I prepared to cast the spell, however, I noticed that another option opened up.

“General,” I called out, “it looks as though the Voice of the World has more offerings for us in how this undead will be made. There’s an option for adding elemental effects into the creature’s nature.”

The General’s eyes went wide, obviously seeing the significance. “Then, the magic which animates the creature will allow it a semblance of its breath weapon in life, and the chance that it will have immunities based on the element?”

“Exactly. However, the element must be one the caster has access to. Of the elements I can command, and considering that your foes are most likely to be the Theocracy and their pawns, I would suggest you choose Radiance, the advanced form of Holy magic. Even angels, though they are immune to Holy, are not immune to Radiance. And if the undead dragon ends up being immune to Radiance, they would also be immune to Holy damage, which would allow them to shrug off many of the attacks the Eclanan priests and paladins would bring to bear against the undead.”

Captain Stewart grinned wolfishly, and said, “To say nothing of the mental blow of seeing an undead of any form wielding their precious Radiance. It would make the zealots livid to see such a thing. In their efforts to bring down the ‘abomination’, they would waste whole armies against the walls of the Frostspire Bastion. They would not be able to help themselves.”

General Helecan’s smile was cold, and his eyes were full of wrath. I knew that his country had been overrun by the Eclanans, before Dacora united surrounding kingdoms to oppose the Theocracy, but it was clear that he had lost people to the Theocracy, and the elf had a long memory for grudges. Just the kind of person I wanted as an ally, not an enemy.

“Radiance it is, then. And I shall have to arrange appropriate recompense for you, Baroness Pureheart. This is a weapon that will change the course of battle in the North, I am sure of it.”

“Then let it be so,” I nodded, once, and turned back to the skeleton and began channeling my mana into the spellwork. “[Create Undead].”

I could tell that the spell was limited in two ways. Firstly, the base level and tier of the undead created was fixed by the lower of the creature’s level in life, or the caster’s current level. Ilbanth the Firelord had been Level 10 in Tier 2, while I was Level 11 in Tier 2, so there wasn’t much difference, there. The second restriction, however, was that the resulting undead, while not mindless, did not possess any of the classes, professions, and skills it did in life, which was more problematic. Instead, the caster chose an ‘archetype’, based on the creature’s nature and abilities, and the Voice of the World filled in skills to fit.

Base Undead: Greater Skeleton

Base Creature: Lesser Dragon

Element Chosen: Radiance

Choose Archetype:

Radiant Ravager – Infuses skeleton with Radiance, and chooses skills to enhance physical body and breath weapon, but ignores spellcasting abilities.

Radiant Dracomage – Infuses skeleton with increased magical ability, allowing them to cast Radiance-based spells with high proficiency.

There were only two choices for Greater Skeleton version of a Lesser Dragon, which was not terribly surprising. Stripping the flesh eliminated many of the weaknesses other undead had, but it also limited what the undead could do. That was the balancing act. As for my choice, I went with the Ravager, because the physicality and potent breath weapon of an undead dragon were worth more than the spells they could cast.

Flames the color of Radiance sprang up over the dragon skeleton. The flames were hot enough that everyone could feel them, but they did not burn the bones, or even scorch the grass beneath them. Instead, the Radiance was infusing the bones, and aiding in the process of animating them. And then, the bones began to move.

Do you wish to name the created undead?

Yes / No

“Arise, Talydran, the Radiant Destroyer!”

Talydran, the Radiant Destroyer

Greater Lesser Radiance Dragon Skeleton

Level 10 Radiant Ravager

Talydran rose to his full height, and flames of holy light burned across his undead bones. That same light filled the spaces in his wings where skin would have once helped keep the dragon aloft in flight, and those flames burned where the dragon’s eyes once were. And then, the undead dragon roared, the aura of its Frightful Presence ability forcing anyone below Tier 2 to take a knee or stumble backwards from the weight of it.

I picked up the torc from where it had fallen, and placed it around Captain Stewart’s neck as he forced himself to his feet. “His name is Talydran. Command him, Captain, and let it know friend from foe.”

Captain Stewart rose to his full height, and looked Talydran in the eye, and said, “Hold, Talydran! These people are allies, and you shall treat them as such!”

That was enough. With those here declared as friendly, the Frightful Presence, which applied to all enemies of the dragon, no longer held sway over the General and his retinue. As they rose to their feet, the General nodded once. “It seems I have chosen well in who should hold the dragon’s leash. Captain Stewart, your job remains the same as it was before. Keep safe the pass your fortress commands, and ensure that the Eclanans cannot sneak behind our lines.”

I cleared my throat, and said, “I should add that you may start to see more traders begin moving through the pass from Shadescar to the Northern Reaches. While the former Baron Longchaser was too caught up in grubbing for every coin he could squeeze out of people, the new Baron is looking to mend fences and build bridges, as it were. And the adventurers who had been idler than usual following the collapse of the Necropolis dungeon will soon be put to work clearing the northern road of bandits, so that trade can flow once more.”

General Helecan chuckled at that. “Why do I have the feeling that you were somehow involved in the young Baron’s decision to spend coin, which his family is already short on, thanks to their butler stealing most of their treasury, on reopening a ‘dead’ trade road?”

I laughed, and waved it off. “Oh, if I had any influence on the situation, it was in setting the conditions that led to him making the choice, if that. This is not so much a secret as it is something that would be problematic if misused, but the elder Longchaser had a grimoire in his possession that spoke of how to create dungeons through ritual magic. The young Baron decided that the best source for the sacrifices necessary to create such a thing would be to round up bandits, who already face the death penalty for their crimes. And, since it was already custom in the barony to feed those who had been sentenced to death to the dungeon, back when the Necropolis was still standing, it would only be fitting to have them be used to birth a new dungeon.”

“Making it so that scum who weakened the barony will help strengthen it in death,” Helecan nodded. “I approve.”

Captain Stewart nodded, as well. “They had their chance to live good lives, and chose otherwise. They shall be remembered as such, no matter what their deaths bring. What we leave behind is not as important as how we’ve lived. After all, we’re only mortal.”

I chuckled at that. “Speak for yourself, Captain. I plan to live forever.”