Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 65

Chapter 65 – Pests

With Magehallow being so close to the site of a former undead dungeon, it perhaps wasn’t all that surprising that there was a larger proportion of necromancers and related classes and professions in town than you would find in Windwater. Of course, magic-users in general were more common here, than in my barony, which tended more towards outdoorsy types when talking about those who actually went fighting. Naturally, most of them were lower level than we were, with some of the strongest topping out in the 30s, maybe getting up to level 40 if they were like Guildmaster Roland.

One way this benefitted us, at the moment, was that it made ritual supplies much cheaper. Sure, necromantic rituals had different requirements than, say, a diviner’s ritual, or a priest’s ritual, but there were still some common elements, which brought down the overall costs for ritual materials outside the field of Necromancy. Wardstones, in particular, were very affordable, since any ritual needed a ward to help keep out unwanted influence or prying eyes.

The other nice benefit of having plenty of people who worked with the undead was in having undead minions, and related gear, available for purchase. Magehallow had very few living draft animals for a population its size, and fewer were available for sale. There were plenty of horses for riding, as well as different types of livestock for eating, but the local solution for needing a creature to pull a plow, or a wagon? Raise the horse that died last winter, or get together the bones of the cow you slaughtered for meat and put them back to work.

There were advantages to this setup, of course. Undead draft animals were unnaturally strong, and they did not feel pain or fatigue. This meant that they could keep going long after a living creature would have collapsed from exhaustion. They also did not need to eat or drink, which made their upkeep much easier. Most farmers in the area carried a wand or other item charged with the [Inflict Wounds] spell, allowing them to heal any damage to their undead, even if they weren’t a priest or similar class. There were undead oxen which had been plowing the same plot of land for generations, at this point.

Ox Skull Talisman (Team)

Type

Tool

Rank

Common

Price

1000 gp

Weight

0 kg

This pendant, formed in the shape of an ox skull, allows the user to summon a pair of Level 10 Skeletal Oxen that will faithfully work for up to twelve hours. While summoned, the Skeletal Oxen reserve 5% of the user’s maximum MP and SP. The Skeletal Oxen reduce all damage taken by an amount equal to the reserved MP, and their physical attributes are increased by (reserved SP divided by 3)

One local Necromancer/Enchanter had even come up with a nifty magic item, the [Ox Skull Talisman]. The item came in two forms: single, and team. The first obviously summoned a single undead ox, while the second summoned a pair. I picked up the team version, since it would work better for the wagon I picked up. Well, given my stats, the single Skeletal Ox would probably be able to haul the wagon easily enough, but that was besides the point.

Mount Storage Orb

Type

Tool

Rank

Common

Price

50 gp

Weight

0 kg

This orb, 7 cm in diameter, is an understated boon to adventurers everywhere. It allows the user to store one horse or other creature used as a mount, keeping them safely in stasis while stored. When resummoned, the mount is fully fed and rested. Keeping a creature stored for more than one month not recommended.

When I noticed these beauties, I had to pick up one for each of us. The fact that it invoked memories of that game which people were crazy about for a while was secondary to the utility it provided. The stables available outside the Necropolis of Akkras was an exception, not the rule, from what I knew of this world. More than one team of adventurers had left their mounts outside a dungeon or ruin, and emerged only to find that they’d run afoul of local predators, were stolen by opportunistic bandits, or had simply wandered off, and were forced to walk back to civilization. Not an ideal state of affairs, especially if you had a lot of loot with you. And most adventuring teams didn’t have extra people that they could spare to watch over the mounts.

The [Mount Storage Orb] changed that dynamic. Allowing a team to safely store their mounts meant that they could go into a dangerous situation, or traverse areas unsuitable for a horse, without simply abandoning a faithful steed. While I didn’t exactly have any deep emotional connection to the horses we’d been riding this whole time, I wasn’t about to turn down a way to make my life easier.

Collapsable Wagon

Type

Tool

Rank

Common

Price

1000 gp

Weight

1 kg

This wooden box weigh 1 kg in its dormant state. However, when activated, it unfolds out to become a covered wagon weighing 590 kg and capable of carrying up to 5450 kg when fully loaded. When unfolded, the wagon requires a team of two draft animals to pull it.

The [Collapsable Wagon] was basically one of those Conestoga wagons from the Oregon Trail game that everybody of a certain age had played at least once. At 3.5 meters long and 1.25 meters across, it was big enough that six could sit inside it easily enough, with room for two more up front, driving the thing. Not something that our party could exactly sleep in, but we had the [Spiritual Retreat] for that.

There was a reason I wanted the wagon, of course. First off, a group traveling on horseback screamed ‘adventurers’ and ‘money’. And while I wasn’t adverse to cleaning up the roads, one bandit ambush at a time, the problem was that looking like a group of potentially powerful adventurers was that people were more likely to start with powerful attacks, to try and disable as many of us as possible from the start. The horses weren’t nearly as strong as we were, so that was officially a problem.

On the other hand, a lone wagon pulled by Skeletal Oxen was not nearly as flashy, especially in these parts. Sure, it spoke of a reasonable amount of money, likely either a traveling merchant or a family moving from place to place, but adventurers and nobles weren’t the type to do that, for the most part. So, any bandits would be more willing to get in close before starting trouble, instead of leading with the equivalent of an artillery strike.

It was the same reason why I walked around in a human guise, rather than going wings out, advertising my true nature as a Greater Angelic Succubus. Yes, it made people believe that I was weaker than I was, but that wasn’t nearly as much of a problem as someone who actually knew what I was, and wanted to cause me harm. A normal person would just try and attack me, either directly or indirectly. Someone who knew what I was would bring weapons guaranteed to be deadly to me, and enough force to ensure the kill.

There was also a practical reason for the wagon, beyond just giving us a bit of camouflage on the road. I intended to summon and bind two creatures, adding them to my train. However, it would look very odd if I brought two extra horses with saddles and all, instead of using them as pack horses. That would get more questions than I’d like.

The other problem was that I didn’t know what kind of creature I would get. They might be something reasonable, like an Angel, which would be able to fly along, or ride behind someone. However, they could be something less human-shaped, like a hellhound, which wouldn’t necessarily have the speed or stamina to keep up with horses on a long march. If that happened, then the wagon would be really useful.

With our last purchases made, and mounts safely stored away, I unfolded the wagon to its full form, and summoned the Skeletal Oxen to haul it. None of us had ever harnessed oxen to a wagon before, but the person who sold us the wagon was used to people not automatically knowing such things, so he showed us how to do it properly. Next time, we’d be able to do it ourselves.

“We’re being followed, Mistress. Eight riders behind us, but they aren’t coming closer.”

I smiled at Angelina’s warning, not long after we left the city gates, heading towards the border. “Yes, I expected we would be. Longchaser is too prideful to let that insult slide. However, he also isn’t foolish enough to do anything in a way that will put him at risk.”

“How do you think they’ll try it, Mistress?” Linette asked from up front, where she was driving.

“Well, that depends on how clever our pursuers are, and how much information the Baron shared with them. If they know enough to know that we’ve been through the dungeon, then they may know about the [Spiritual Retreat]. In that case, the best time to strike would be in the morning, as we emerge from the pocket dimension, and have yet to get everything moving. A slightly cleverer attempt would wait for bandits or monsters to attack, and then use that as a diversion to get close enough to launch their own strike. And, of course, there’s always the possibility of the Baron having a diviner keeping watch, to see what we do.”

“So, what are we going to do, Mistress?” Astruth asked, frowning slightly. “I understand that we can’t exactly just turn and attack them, until they do something, since that would give anyone watching a reason to send enforcers after us, but I don’t like the ide of just letting the other guy choose when and where things go down.”

“Angelina, you took some time to look at the maps of the nearby area. Are there any ruins nearby? Or places that an alchemist might venture to gather materials?”

“Yes, actually. There’s the ruins of an old temple to Lilelin, the former Succubus Queen, half a day’s ride from Magehallow. The former hero, Mighell Brightsoul, before he became Darksoul the Betrayer, cast down the temple during his journey, but the foundations remain. No one has tried rebuilding on the site, but about once or twice a year something or someone moves in, and starts to build power until a quest comes through the Adventurer’s Guild to clear the place out.”

“Oh, excellent. And there should be room to conduct our rituals there. Get up front, and guide Linette to the place, dear. in the meantime, let’s see if I can’t get a bit more information on these people.”

We changed positions, and I took up a spot at the rear of the wagon, looking out the back. Just as Angelina said, there were eight riders there, leisurely following after us. Thankfully, the limits on my [Telepathy] was not so much distance but line of sight, and the road we were on was fairly straight, for the time being. Which meant I could potentially get the details on these fools before they ever came close to us.

My mind stretched out, and touched the mind of the one in front. A woman’s mind, from the ‘taste’ of it. Settling down, into her subconscious, I whispered a few questions, to try and nudge the woman into thinking about it. Her name was Edelin, and she was a Rogue, the leader of this group of ‘adventurers’ who operated more like bandits. They had been paid to try and catch me and slap a [Slave Collar] on me, or drive me to another group of theirs, waiting near the village of Dirthill. While it hadn’t been directly said that the Baron was behind this little play, she thought it was likely, since they’d gotten jobs from him before, even though they’d never been in the same room with him. Nothing that could tie him to their actions, should they get caught. But it was more than enough for me to confirm my suspicions.

The [Slave Collar] angle was interesting, though. Technically, putting a collar on me would give the owner possession of not just me, but my pets, and they could petition the king to take over the rulership of Windwater Barony. Amongst other things. I was disinclined to allow that to happen, however, and Astruth’s point about seizing the initiative was a good one. Fortunately, I was beyond overpowered, at this point.

For starters, I hit my entire group with [Scry Shield]. No Diviner was going to be looking in on us unless they had a (Level + WIS) higher than 859, which was my current (Level + CHA). In this country? Fat chance.

Thankfully, while many of my low-level spells had short ranges, in return for their cheap cost, my higher-level spells had ranges based on my CHA and my Level. I could reach out and touch all of them with my magic. [Purge Purity] got rid of some of their protections, including any birth control protections they might have. [Alter Memory] gave them an image of me reading from a grimoire, suggesting that these spells were not something I had on my own. [Dreams of Corruption] would lead them down a trail of debauchery. [Spellblock], [Skillblock], and [Babble] made them unable to use spells or skills, and cursed them so that they couldn’t speak coherently. And then [Unholy Orgy] topped it off. Everyone affected got the unquenchable desire to have sex with the other creatures affected by the spell, and it wouldn’t wear off for the next thirty-six hours or so, since I paid double the cost to use [Spellmight] on it. Oh, and the horses were included in that final spell.