^^ Uriah ^^

Unsurprisingly, -to me at least,- the Mage didn't last out the night. Somehow, without the guards noticing, he managed to choke himself out, dying in his sleep. The current debate was what to do with his body.

"-traditions are important, I agree, but this guy was a Rogue Necromancer! Burying him has got to be the stupidest idea ever, does it not?!?" Luna shouted, and the delegate from the capital, (a ferret-like little man who secretly ogled Rhea's chest any time he though no one would notice,) sighed.

"Healer Luna, I appreciate that fact, but the laws of the collective are clear, and the matter is considered closed! He died in the watch of a clan of the Collective, -and there'll be a hearing as to why you kept him in an unauthorized location without notifying the Council, don't mistake that,- and is therefore to be treated with the proper last rites afforded to all people, regardless of criminal status or manner of death, and then buried in the Field of Lost Souls." He clasped his hands together and nodded in the silence, as mentioning a Hearing had shut her up very quickly.

"And he'll be surrounded by hundreds of other dead people he can turn into zombies when he inevitably rises up? Great idea, except it isn't." I snorted.

He glanced at me distastefully. "Be that as it may, the law of the Collective is Clear-"

"Except that this Clan isn't a member of the Collective at all?" I raised an eyebrow as he gasped, reaching for a wand on his belt.

Kindle and Luna both moved forward with a flicker of speed, suddenly standing between me and the man, and Luna turned to look at me over her shoulder. "Explain?" She asked quietly.

"No one has come to finalize anything. I haven't even paid any Taxes, because no one has come for them. We've asked to join, but we haven't received a reply." I shrugged.

They relaxed slowly, and stepped away, though Kindle slowly pulled her spear off her back and simply stared at him until he released the wand. The two guards behind him seemed casual, unbothered, as they stood by and waited for orders. I got the impression they were on Kindle's Level, and everyone present (except Rhea and the others,) knew it very well.

"As I was saying, he 'died' in my underground Mushroom Farm; it was the only place that was secure enough to hold a mage, here, in case you didn't notice. As such, I say burn him or feed him to the Crystal Heart, because if you put a necromancer in a Boneyard, you're asking for all sorts of trouble." I air-quoted the word 'died', but he seemed confused by the gesture, not understanding its purpose.

He tapped his foot for a moment, thinking deeply about the subject, and we waited for about a minute for him to reach a decision. "Alright, I'll get your clan approved, and then he'll have been on Collective hands!" He pulled out a communicator Stone, and Luna perked up as he began to walk a bit away from us for privacy.

"Why are you so set on-" Luna began suspiciously, but I smiled and grabbed her shoulder gently.

"I want to see who he calls." I explained, and her eyes widened in understanding, before she gritted her teeth at the thought of allowing a traitor to exist, or maybe that she hadn't figured it out before me.

Kindle frowned slowly, and cast a small spell behind her back, and suddenly we could all hear both Sides of the communique, which we apparently couldn't before. His was apparently a private phone, which I'd love to get my hands on for all sorts of fun... 'Focus, Theo!' I shook myself, listening carefully.

"Chief Faunus, I need approval for a Clan to join the Collective, the Children of the Half Mountain?"

"What? Why? They already requested acceptance, and we've been debating it strenuously. Their arrival was quite debilitating to our various political stratagems... we maintained good relations with the other Artists, before that clusterfuck happened at the beginning of winter, but these new ones haven't made any effort to leave their little mountain, hoarding their inventions and not exporting anything... hmm? what do you want? Ah dammit, I'm busy!!! Later!!! Now, tell me why you need approvals?" The other end seemed irritated and busy, but not decidedly sinister. He sounded like a normal senator.

Luna had stiffened when the name was mentioned, and slowly relaxed, but her spine turned to solid iron at the next words.

"The mage that was sent was unsuccessful, Chieftain, and is now dead, but I can't move him to the field of Lost Souls, because he died in their hands... if you accept them into the Collective, I have the authority to do so."

"Hold on a little longer..." I murmured to Luna, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Unsuccessful? Really? I thought the Skeleton would work... did we at least intercept any of their work that he sent to his master before expiring temporarily?" The other man sighed in irritation, as if his dog had stolen his shoe, not an assassin had died.

"No, Chieftain. His first target was apparently the golem schematics from 'Theodora', the Pink Giant, but... she nearly beat him to death with her bare hands, apparently. He was only barely alive, and so didn't have any way of speaking and saying anything he shouldn't have."

"Hmm... some blood must flow for grass to grow, I suppose. I'll sign the papers. Have him in Avaldi's designated spot before sundown tomorrow, or he'll wake up prematurely, and we'll be even deeper in the hole."

"Understood, Chieftain." The Stone turned off, and Kindle's spell ended abruptly as he walked back over to us, and cleared his throat. "Well! My Chieftain has agreed to expedite your acceptance into the Collective- Hey, Wait, what are you-" his own guards, who'd heard everything we had, grabbed him and started putting chains on him.

"Wait, guys, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but wait... Who's Avaldi?" I asked the weasel, and watched his eyes go round as he realized we'd heard the call, both sides of it. "I advise you tell me, because, let's be honest, your clan is about to get wrecked with the consequences of your actions... I mean, Eight Blessed Artists, Two Blessed Healers, all murdered on your orders? Two sets of assassins sent to murder their successors and steal their work? You're gonna need to spread the blame reeeeeal thin, giving a share out to everyone involved in order to ensure that you survive, you know what I'm saying? That's the goal, after all, isn't it: Survival? Maybe a little Profit, once they're all gone?" I explained calmly, and I saw his gaze turn from panic to cold calculation slowly, but surely.

"I suppose... if it was clear I had no part in any of that dastardly business, I'd be happy to say things I've heard, and who I heard say them?" he spoke slowly.

"That's the Spirit! So, who's Avaldi?" I asked, as the two guards slowly unchained him, looking at me curiously.

He rubbed his wrists, and cleared his throat. "Well, I believe you're referring to Chieftain Avaldi, a very influential individual in the Collective. She has recently been interested in the acquisition of the magical tools that Okul the Blessed Smith had created, the Thunder Spitters..."

"Interesting, and so she'd be the one directly responsible for the death of Okul and the other Artists, three months past? Not your Chieftain, surely?" I sat him down and set a cup of tea in front of him, sitting across from him calmly.

"Why thank you, and that would be correct... though, in the spirit of honesty, and to honor our newfound understanding, I would admit that my Chieftain mentioned a seriously pricy investment in an Adamantite Golem he'd lent her, one that had been very badly planned, and was a great loss." He nodded serenely.

"Ahh... yes, I remember the scenario. Terrible business, that, using an innocent golem to attack our village! Quite Criminal, really." I sighed daintily, and sipped my coffee quietly, ignoring the stares of everyone who was confused by my actions.

"Indeed, quite criminal... but, she has many connections, and has never failed him before... now our clan is faced with a deficit of 3,000 gold pieces, for the first time in our history! We simply must make up our losses, and my Chieftain has only a few options, you see." He sighed dramatically.

"Mm... 3,000 gold pieces, you say? How rude of her! Why, he ought to expose her wrongdoings before the Collective and demand compensation for such an egregious misuse of his allocated funds and equipment!" I gasped softly.

He nodded seriously. "Yes, I thought the same, and even said so, but he has decided that her Political Clout, combined with that of her other allies, far outweighs his own, so he followed her little plan, trying to recoup his losses..."

"A noble thought, but surely doomed to fail, without the Necromancer in place?" I tsked sadly.

"Yes, quite so; you see, she has the idea that claiming control of the Collective by way of fear would allow her to become an Empress, like that of the Fallen Dynasties of a few centuries ago, when our ancestors were younger and more cowardly... but without her little army of the Dead, she will be a very small woman in a very large room, making a very large speech to a very small crowd... I imagine my Chieftain can claim his innocence at such a time as when she is immediately captured." He nodded.

"Or, considering his multitude of failings, it may be best to replace him with someone... smarter?" I smiled at him over the rim of my glass, sipping the coffee inside to hide my smirk at his immediate look of self-importance.

"Yes... I imagine that would be very wise. Very wise indeed, Lady Theodora." He smiled greasily, and stood up. "Well, I must be off to handle this rotten business... I imagine you may do as you like with the Necromancer. Good day."

He began walking away, and I waved away the two arch-hunters who moved to stop him. "Let him go. He's got a job to do, after all... and the information in his head is far too valuable to warrant you breaking it open." I spoke softly as he waved a wand and teleported away.

"I don't understand? You're just... letting him go?!? Tell me you have a plan? Please?" Kindle asked, confused.

"Of course I do! Part of it requires you and anyone else that can kill large numbers of undead quietly going to these 'Fields of Lost Souls', and waiting there, discretely. If anything undead happens, kill it... Again. Also, I want to know how many other people were buried there recently, within the last few days, and those bodies exhumed and examined for necromantic whateverthefuck." I explained casually.

She nodded slowly. "Okay... just to clarify so you're clear, the Field of Lost Souls is half a mile wide and long, and there's some 10,000 graves there?" She informed me slowly, and grimaced at my incredulous stare.

"He wouldn't have enough power to raise that many, right? So there's got to be several dozen more, yes?" I clarified with Luna.

"Well... it really depends on the scenario? This isn't the first time someone's tried to take over the Collective, but using an army of dead... interesting choice. She's got to have a lot of allies for such a thing..." she hummed concernedly.

"Focus, darling, I'll have that handled in short order. Army of Dead: How?" I gripped her shoulders and turned her to face me fully.

She nodded swiftly. "Right! Uhm... you'd need acolytes of Yeera, lots of them? Afterlife is her thing, so screwing with it would require her power. Or simply five Necromancers, spread across the Field? The sacred number and their combined power would probably be enough to raise a few thousand skeletons each? They're pretty weak individually, but that's most of the field, if not all of it?"

"Okay. So, question; what's the consensus on my plan to simple burn all the bodies in that graveyard? Is there any attachment to the body, seeing as you have actual proof that the soul has left it and now it's just some rotting meat?" I asked callously.

"Theodora!" Rhea gasped incredulously at the question and chided me uselessly.

"I will not back down from this; caring for bodies and graves are a waste of space and time, and it only serves as a memorandum for the family, which can be just as easily done with a personal shrine in your home, not a plot of land for them to rot in for no reason except to feed the worms!" I frowned at her.

"Uhm... we don't let bodies rot? We plant fruit trees above the bodies of our Honored dead. As for the Dishonorable dead, such as violent criminals, rapists and murderers and the like, -as rare as they are, some do manage to break the laws,- they are buried in the Field of Lost Souls, a wasteland of sand and dust between the capital and the ocean, where nothing but Ghost Grass grows. And it would take too long to dig up all the bodies, even if the council would agree to such a thing." Luna shook her head.

"Interesting burial traditions... and we'll workshop that part of the solve after I have more information. So, someone bring me the Necromancer. Medea, have you finished a second revolver?" I asked quickly.

She nodded and handed me another revolver, (properly safe, this time,) along with its ammunition. "Uhm... the Stun feature could be reversed to wake him up prematurely? If he's just under the effects of a spell?" She commented slowly.

"Good idea, dear, I'll try that." I patted her cheek and walked out, towards the crystal heart tower. Not too long after that, the mage we had as a guard, the one Kindle had hired, slowly brought out the body, floating it alongside him without touching it.

It was placed next to me on the ground, and I hummed, examining him in the light of day. "Keep that grip you have on him... just so you can lift him when I tell you to, and keep his hands where you can see them; I can't have him doing magic." I explained, and the mage nodded. "What's your name, by the way darling? I feel terribly rude for not asking?"

He cleared his throat, and spoke softly. "Uriah, lady Theodora."

"Uriah... beautiful name, darling. Now settle your grip, because he's probably going to wake up when I do this." I turned the cylinder of the revolver to the barrel labeled 'Suspendisse', (because Medea was a nerd who knew Latin, though I couldn't really say anything about that, I suppose,) while he nodded and reapplied his magical grip on the cadaver.

I placed the gun against the cadaver's heart, and pulled the trigger, watching the cobalt blue magic circle appear on his chest and pulse softly for a moment, before fading.

A few seconds later, the corpse moved, and slowly stretched his body like he'd woken up from a long sleep, yawning loudly. "Alright... let's cause some havoc..." he muttered, and reached upwards, only to pause and look around in confusion.

"Hello lovely." I smiled, and once I had his attention, and recognition sparked in his eyes, I hauled off and decked him across the face.

Uriah yelped as his spell was broken, recasting it quickly and picking the necromancer up from the ground where the blow had tossed him like a leaf. "Outside impacts break this spell, Lady Theodora, please restrain yourself?" He asked politely.

"Maybe. So, Necromancer, how you holding up? Avaldi hasn't sent you any new orders that I'm aware of, but, who cares, right? You're just one of a few other necromancers and disciples, a cog in the machine... ah, I guess you wouldn't get that reference..." I hummed, giving him time to get his wits about him.

"How- who told you any of that? There's no way you heard that kind of stuff... not from me, right? You didn't interrogate my dead body, right?!?" He asked incessantly.

"I have my ways. Anywho! Here's the situation; you are arguably Dead, according to the Laws of Combat, so I'm going to feed you to the Crystal Heart of a HoneyPot, where you will be dissolved and devoured by slime and acid and all-around bad stuff, if you don't make yourself useful to me. Ways of doing so include information about your boss and all her mutinous friends, information about where the other necromancers in the Field of Lost Souls are going to be placed, and what part stealing our inventions from us and killing us was going to play in that scenario. If you refuse, as you are arguably deceased, I can and will remove parts of your body, until you comply." I pointed my knife at his groin casually, staring him down.

He gulped slowly, and began to seriously consider his options.

"And to help you consider your options, Chief Faunus's aide and Chief Faunus himself have already turned on Avaldi, and are feeding all the information they know to the Collective in a pathetic, blind attempt at escaping their incumbent punishment. So, everything those cowards know is already soon to be public knowledge, including your actions as an assassin, skirting the Laws of Combat with the use of a Skeleton to Assassinate people, as it was considered a Monster. Very smart, by the way, I was quite impressed, if it wasn't for its murderous intent towards me." I nodded calmly, and sheathed my knife as I saw his intent turn towards survival, not secrets.

"Well... thanks, I guess? It was my best work, that skeleton. Several years of feeding it mana to strengthen it. The ones in the graveyard will be less than useless, but numbers do work, when they're numbers that big..." he hummed.

"Yes, but that's in two days, so if we destroy them now, then Avaldi's little plan fails just like it will already, with the added benefits of you having four fewer rivals in the Necromancy circles, as well as not ruining a very good source of Skeletons for your research and work, while I have several fewer enemies in the Collective. It is a Win-Win situation, yes?" I smiled.

"Yes... I suppose you're right, aren't you?" He chuckled softly.