Chapter 105: A New Set (P2)

While I wondered where the hell my spirit companion Anselm could have possibly wandered off to, Leon, Matthias and I chat it up as we walk to towards the walls of their city, Frozia.

I'm not at all sure how I got here still, I can remember bits and pieces but not the whole thing. I especially remember the fight, it was a tough one, which made me resort to using my own soul as a weapon to kill the Gamma in the end.

Despite how tough it was to kill the first, I actively look forward to the ease of killing the remaining two, the skills I've unlocked present me with a variety of attacks the Cult has yet to be victim to.

Coupled with my normal attacks I'm sure to have an easy time.

What bothers me now is the newly unlocked skill; Soul Manipulation. I'm absolutely certain it has something to do with me using my own soul as a weapon. Although, I'm not sure what happens with it now.

The name of the skill speaks for itself pretty easily too; it plainly calculates my proficiency at manipulating Souls. 

The wording of this makes me think that incident with Anselm has a bit to do with this skill. I'm not sure if at the time I intuitively tapped into it before I even officially got the skill from the system, or if I needed to do something like that before the system considered gifting me the skill.

I'm confused but that's nothing new.

With a sigh I tune back into what Leon and Matthias are talking about, the latter being far too relaxed for someone escorting a Necromancer into his city.

"Why are you so relaxed? And I'm sure the Synagogues propaganda has nothing to do with it."

He saw me fighting with the Cult, as far as I can tell, I'm pretty scary to watch while going all out. The effects of my spells make me look like the one that's going to win no matter the circumstance.

So, despite being far more powerful than this Mayor and all his men, I'm not exactly comfortable with how comfortable he is walking me into his city, something smells fishy.

He shrugs, "Honestly, I'm really grateful that you're nothing like the Synagogue's propaganda tells. And as you can see, we really need a strong Mage to clear the Cultists that surround us, they're the boots on our neck, I've been forced into a very tough position before your arrival."

"So, you're saying you want to pay me to slay your enemies? And you're only calm because you're grateful."

It still sounds fishy.

"There's also the fact that you knew my sister, even though I shamelessly did nothing for her when she was cast out so long ago, I'm glad she had someone fighting by her side until the end, even if it was a Necromage."

I let a silence come over us. Neither of us say anything after that, until we finally reach the end of the bloody trail we've been invertedly following.

There's a body lying in the snow, it's long bled out and the cold has turned it blue. Looking at it however, puts a bitter taste in my mouth. 

I'm suddenly washed over by a sensation of chewing a rubber like substance that squirts out a metallic tasting liquid. I barely keep myself from gagging.

"Ah yes," Matthias starts, "You did kill some of my guards."

"I don't remember that."

"And according to reports you were eating their flesh and muttering some nonsense." Leon says, his voice unsteady and his feet set to run.

"Yeah, I thought my mouth tasted weird."

"Ah…do Necromage's always fight like this?" Matthias asks, the caution back in his voice.

"No, this was…wrong. There's was something wrong with me."

"So this doesn't happen often then." Leon asks. "Or is it something to do with evil daemons?"

"I thought you knew that was propaganda."

"Forgive me for being cautious." His hand is on the hilt of his blade now.

I scoff, nearly laughing, "Your blade won't help you much against me, Warrior."

"You haven't seen a blade as sharp as mine, daemon!" he unsheathes the blade and it does something normal blades don't. It ignites, there's a cold blue flame wafting off of it now.

"I'll admit, I haven't seen that before. Is that…enchanted?" It has to be, enchantments are the technology of this world, "Hm…no matter, if you take another step you'll die."

A look of shock and terror crosses Matthias face and I smirk, he's watched me battle, he knows I'm not bluffing.

I've regained enough mana for several Death Grips and with my proficiency with the spell it'd be Childs play to get one on the defiant Warrior and cast Soul Drain through Death Grip. Double casting the two spells has proved exceptionally useful.

"Leon!" Matthias finally speaks, "Sheath your blade if you wish to make it back into the city, this man is of no harm to us!"

I'm rather glad he thinks so because I certainly don't believe I can take him on with the current mana I have, maybe is Anselm was here but no. My mana ring is drained entirely and I'm only a quarte full on the tank.

New spells or not, it's a bad idea to take on such a heavily armed Mage, I don't know his rank either, but I'm guessing B-rank.

The rings he wears on his fingers give me a different feel from the single one I can identify, one of them is no doubt a mana ring but that rest…I can't tell.

"Do as your Mayor says, Leon, you're the Marshal, should you really be so fearful?"

Reluctantly, Leon sheathes the flaming blade and straightens up, "I'm sorry my Lord, I have been disgraceful."

Matthias huffs, tired of his subordinate no doubt. "Let's just head back in."

Again, we fall silent as we walk. This time we remain silent until we reach the gates where the guards swiftly fall in place, greeting their Marshal and Mayor as they push open the gates.

The inside of Frozia is nothing like Aste; there's no fountain greeting you upon entrance, no over eager merchants selling their wares on the street side and certainly no children running around.

The buildings in Frozia all have one thing in common with themselves; all of them have chimneys, chimneys that continuously seem to puff out smoke and smog into the air, the city is veritably clouded by the smoke.

Coupled with the white and freezing cold of the snow, Frozia is a rather gloomy place to be.

None of the occupants seem particularly happy about the Mayor's return either, I chuck that up to the fact that they've become sacrifices for the Cult because the Synagogue found House Carbina offensive.

Many of the buildings we pass by seem empty or rather…deserted and business…doesn't seem like a thing here. It honestly feels like Carbina all over again.

Even Spol wasn't this bad.

"Here, get in, we'll travel by carriage from here." Matthias says, ushering me into a slick black and luxurious looking carriage that's pulled by two horses. 

The carriage has no back space of any kind, it's simply just a space to sit while you move, certainly not meant for long distance travel.

But then again, Frozia isn't a large place either. Unlike Aste where you can't see the other end of the wall surrounding the city, Frozia has the walls in clear view.

I'm sure that adds to the sense of imprisonment the people already feel from the Cultists camping outside their walls.

The carriage starts moving soon after everyone get's in. Matthias wistfully looks out the window and says, "Frozia is pretty gloomy isn't it?"

He speaks as though he's long since read my mind. "It isn't the city's fault, there have been a lot of incidents in it's long history. I'm not sure if you know this, most people don't, but it always snows in Frozia. So much that warmth is such a foreign feeling to the people of the city."

I quirk an eyebrow at this, "How is that possible?" I thought it simply snowed because of the cold rainy weather that's turned up all about the place, even as far back as Carbina.

"Anera isn't the only Goddess on the continent…" Leon mutters angrily.

I'm not sure why he's angry but I ask my follow up question anyway, "Are you talking about Vuius, the Goddess of the Elves?"

He snorts, "Vuius? Vuius isn't in this Kingdom, those elves keep dreaming that she's protecting them still but she's left, there are far more elves out there than there are in here. The Elven Kingdoms still live, even though defeated."

How did that happen again? I'm not sure.

"There is a Goddess in the Kingdom though, particularly in Frozia, well, nowhere else truly." Matthias starts, "The Goddess of Winter and Ice, Frozia. Yes, the city is named after her." He snorts at the look on my face.

"I was a believer." Leon groans, "But it seems she has abandoned us…but left her brutal winter behind."

Matthias shrugs, "Many within the walls of Frozia end up converting to her Temple, abandoning Anera. They're adamant that Frozia will redeem them but…nothing of such has happened yet."

"You're talking like Gods interfere in mortal affairs…" I say, "Do they?"

Both Leon and Matthias look at me strangely then look at themselves.

"Where did you say you're from again?"