Hungry Necromancer

Chapter 2: Survive (P2)

I read list after list of information on the many classes I could choose from. Pyromancy, it seemed, was a specialization under the subclass of Evocation, I read extensively on Evocation seeing as it's the class this body is most familiar with, but at early levels, it had no skills strong enough to get me out of this mess.

Hot touch? Torch? Electrocute? Blind? Completely useless spells to me and I had no means to level up faster or contact the Lesser God of Burning that made the last owner of this body so powerful.

I kept looking for the best subclass, Divination was completely useless as well, I didn't need to perform magic to know if I didn't get out of here, I'd be dead.

Conjuration was brilliant, although, I'd have to grind all the way to level ten before I got to summon a demon from the underworld to break through those rocks, although I've always wanted a snake as a familiar, seemed I could get one in the early stages as well as summon all sorts of animals at later stages, I'd be a verified princess if I went with it.

All that remained was Enchantment, Illusionism and Necromancy.

I couldn't be an enchanter because it all the spells had conditions to be cast in, and chances are, I'd have to make those conditions myselfNo.

As an illusionist however, I could disguise myself as anything and even turn myself invisible at early levels but I quickly note how it makes no mention of being able to break open walls.

That narrowed down my list to two subclasses, Necromancy and Conjuration.

Necromancy spoke for itself, at level one I instantly gain access to a spell that summoned souls and could possess animals and low-level monsters. Would be easy levelling and hunting.

The fact that I'd have to hunt that bear and many more beasts like it before exploring the cave hadn't escaped me. I eliminated subclasses based on a simple question; How do I kill a giant bear with this at level one?

Evocation? Level one spells required that I touch my target, no ranged attacks.

Divination was still useless. Enchantment could get me killed if the conditions weren't met, wouldn't want to throw a calm spell and get a notification that the bear is a level too strong for me, however cool it was, I couldn't risk my life on it.

Illusionism? Well I still had to kill it and I didn't exactly place a lot of faith in my sword swings, if I mess up and fail to kill it in one strike

And now I'm left with Necromancy, Conjuration and an empty stomach.

But it's an easy choice, Necromancy gave me more protection in the long run, way more than being a princess would, especially since conjuring demons had the risk of the spell failing and letting the demon do as it pleases, usually to the caster.

Necromancy has its own risks of course, but they were far more appealing than being eaten by a fiend.

With the decision made and a plan formulated, all that remained was to test it. I acknowledge Necromancy as my new subclass.

[Warlock-Necromancer Subclass Acknowledged]

[New Spells Unlocked]

Sense Death

Animate Animal

Summon Spirit

Raise the Dead

Undead Servant

Death Grip

Soul Drain

Aura of Death

Vampiric Dagger

Create Undead

Create Guardian

Create White

"That's a lot of spells" I mutter as the list went on and on and on. "Aren't I just level one?" I call up my status screen, I'd learned that simply thinking of it brings it up.

Indeed, I was still just a level one Warlock, but hovering over the little asterisks my level showed me that I'd somehow gotten the 30 overall levels the owner of this body had accumulated whilst practicing Evocation. This put a smile on my face.

This meant that the moment I chose Necromancy, all the experience accumulated in this body from evocation was transferred to Necromancy, unlocking spells up to level 20. I could get out of here now.

I hurry off to the blockage and prepare myself according to the instructions of the spell I was about to unleash on the wall of rumble; Create Undead.

As luck would have it, there were two perfect skeletons waiting to be used for this spell.

It would turn them into a ghoul under my command, ghouls were generally stronger than zombies and skeletons, they can easily take apart the wall if I commanded them to, and I intend to do so.

I get to the skeletons and harness the intoxicating blue ethereal power that came from within me into my hands. With it smoking lightly in my hands I experience what it's like to be a game character with magic, the mana twirls around my fingers, waiting to be formed into the spell and unleashed.

"Create Undead." As I utter the spells name the colour of mana twirling in my hand's changes to a cold green that bears the strangest feelings of sleep and death.

I shoot the green mana like a bolt at the skeletons, it makes contact with both and seeps into their bones, causing them to shiver and shake.

The skeletons wobble to their feet, picking up their weapons as they do. I feel a sense of pride and relief wash over me, the irony that the dead would preserve my life was not lost on me. They groan as skin and muscle begin to take form around their bones. I grin, excited to see my ghoulish creation.

The joy and pride that built up in my chest disappeared alongside the explosion of bones and arrows.

"What the fuck?" I breathe, having barely shielded myself from a flying tibia.

An alert pops into my view, explaining my failure.

[Attempt Unsuccessful]

[Warlock Class Proficiency-0]

[Necromancy Class Proficiency-0]

[Increase Proficiency.]

"I have to be good at magic before doing magic? Who would have thought?" I sigh, dropping to the floor, hungrier now that most of my mana was spent on a failed spell. "What do I do now?"

I needed to attain proficiency with the magic I was practicing before trying anything major, it made no difference that I had the knowledge of the spells, if I wasn't able to perform them successfully, I'd be trapped here until I become bones.

Limited as it was this was never my experience with RPG games. Perhaps I should have given more time to RPG and less to Grand Strategy? Well, given the situation I'm in now, it's all easy to say in hindsight.

A thought strikes me. If I needed to be proficient in magic then all I had to do was practice.

Am I getting dumber?

It seemed pretty obvious, again, in hindsight. Perhaps I wasn't thinking as fast paced as usual because I'm starving. I jump to my feet and take a look at my spell list again.

[Spell List]

Name Level Proficiency Progress

Sense Death 1 0 0%

Summon Spirit 1 0 0%

Death Grip 1 0 0%

Animate Animal 1 0 0%

Soul Drain 1 0 0%

Undead Servant 1 0 0%

Create Undead 1 0 0%

There were a few spells I could try with my limited mana, I had enough faith that they wouldn't fail horribly seeing as how simple they are to execute and their results were quite boring, expected nothing more from a level one spell.

I gather mana into my eyes, not nearly as much as I'd gathered in my hands for Create Undead. I enjoy the intoxicating feeling of mana so close to my head and utter out the name of the spell, "Sense Death."

This time my mana didn't turn green, instead it reserved its blue and granted me a wide berth of spiritual viewing.

I can see the skeletons buried underneath the ground, I can see the zombies that dragged themselves over the floor a few meters away from where I found the bear, I can see life being drained from the living, I observed a creatures death and it's undeath as it's spirt floats up and is dispersed by a foreign force so powerful it knocks the mana out of my eyes, blinding me from its actions.

"Ugh, what was that?" I rub the smoke of mana out of my eyes and try shaking my head clear. There's a notification waiting for me when I open them again.

[Sense Death Has Been Interrupted by Foreign Forces]

[Sense Death Proficiency- 1%]

"Perfect!" it was working, soon I'd increase my range and proficiency as well. I gather the mana again and call out the spell, "Sense Death."

Once more I'm granted a view into a spiritual realm, a realm where I only saw Death and those about to be dead, I'm a bit nervous to encounter those foreign forces-whatever they were- again but I press on, if only for a chance at leaving this cave.

I open my eyes and waiting in front of me, floating in my face rather smugly is the spirit of a man. He has dirt brown hair and the beginnings of a beard cover his rather youthful face, the most distinctly obvious thing about him however was the way his body had a certain transparent feel to it.

Frightened by the see-through man in my face, I stumble back with a welp, "Who are you!"

His lips move, he'd heard me ask the question but his response was what I couldn't put together. "What? I can't hear you." I tell him, he hovers around me circling behind my fallen self and floating over to one of the skeletons. He was one of the poor dead folk I'd tried to revive as a ghoul in my service.

He was a ghost. I was talking to a ghost. Maybe necromancy wasn't such a brilliant idea.