"A rift?!" exclaid Seth as he saw where Kazuki was leading him.
Without a word, the hoplite lifted the skull of his enemy and brought it down onto the rift. The result was imdiate.
It vibrated strongly, as if he had placed an ingot on a circular saw. It took Seth less than a second to start screaming. Kazuki took it as a good sign. His bones were not invincible. When the spear isn't enough, get a bigger one.
The necromancer fought like a devil, but Kazuki-Knightmare's strength was far superior.
"SStop this," Seth yelled as a cracking sound echoed.
Kazuki halted the tornt to inspect the damage. Cracks had appeared at the back of the skull. Even Tier 2 bones couldn't withstand the damage inflicted by a spatial anomaly.
"What's the deal?" Kazuki asked, turning Seth's face towards him.
"The deal?" said Seth, a bit stunned.
"You asked to stop killing you. So, I suppose you want to offer sothing to appease my anger?"
Seth opened his mouth, incredulous. "I..."
"Nothing?" Kazuki inquired, bringing the skull closer to the rift.
The necromancer's spasms startled Kazuki. Finally, Seth burst out laughing.
"Very well, destroy this bag of bones. But beware of my vengeance," he threatened. "I know where you live now, and not all your companions are as tough as you are..."
Kazuki-Knightmare gave a semblance of a smile. It was a superfluous expression for his semi-artificial consciousness, but it sent a ssage: I do not fear you. This wasn't entirely true, as he didn't want to be responsible for another attack on Priam's loved ones, but showing weakness to a psychopath was a bad idea.
"You're implying that this set of bones is replaceable and that might be true. But you arent doing it, so it must co at a cost." Seth would surely struggle to find a body as exceptional. There were undoubtedly many bones hiding in the forest, but few would be suitable for a humanoid.
"You don't want to pay that price. Right now, most of my strength is used to control these bones. Without this hindrance, I could crush you," the necromancer threatened.
Kazuki smiled coldly. "You could try."
...
The two adversaries locked eyes for a few seconds before Kazuki's hand approached the rift. He had the upper hand and intended to use it.
"You lunatic! What do you want?"
"That's the problem," the hoplite replied. "I want a lot of things, but I'm not sure you have much to offer ."
Seth snorted. "This forest holds treasures, and I know it better than anyone."
Kazuki shook his head, thinking of Dishnu. "I highly doubt that."
"Oh, you've t the tree-fucker," Seth grimaced. "I can see much farther than him. A freebie: we're on a massive floating island."
Kazuki-Knightmare analyzed the information offered by Seth. If he was telling the truth, then he could indeed see far. Kazuki had been alone for a month and had never reached or even glimpsed the limits of the forest. Of course, the necromancer could also be lying, and he had no way of knowing.
He needed to test him.
"In that direction, there's a particular clearing. It's about..." Kazuki paused. Every civilization had different units of asurent. Alain had shown him what a ter corresponded to, but Kazuki didn't really know the unit of length used by Seth.
"Almost twenty tis farther than from here to your base, there's a clearing with a snake skeleton," Seth added. "Certainly a specin endowed with a powerful poison because no tree grows within thirty ters."
Seth was right. If the necromancer wasn't reading his mind, then he had truly managed to map out a gigantic area.
"How many rivals are there?" Kazuki asked.
"Why should I answer your questions?"
"So I don't kill you."
"I'm already dead," laughed Seth. The insanity in his voice made Kazuki uncomfortable. Negotiating with a madman was impossible.
"Answer five of my questions, and I'll let you go. Even if you get new bones, rebuilding your body can't be easy."
The sentence made Seth think and Kazuki smiled. The necromancer did have a weakness.
"... One, and no attack or pursuit against ."
"Two, and I can retaliate if I feel you're about to harm ."
"Deal. Swear it."
Kazuki squinted. It seed too easy. He'd taken an oath to always tell the truth, but Seth couldn't know that. Unless a broken oath gives him power over ?
"I swear it under the condition that you answer to the best of your ability and without lying to my next two questions."
"I swear on the Necromoon to answer to the best of my ability and without lying to your next two questions," declared Seth.
Kazuki prepared to object when a presence descended. The aura of the Necromoon engulfed Seth before vanishing. Instinctively, Kazuki knew that Seth would lose all free will if he broke his oath. The Necromoon wasn't as neutral as the System.
"Give a mont to think," Kazuki said. Many questions could be interesting, but the first one seed obvious.
"I want a report as detailed as possible on the Necromoon."
Seth sighed.
"I have more conjectures than confird facts," the necromancer warned. His voice seed clearer, showing a conscious effort to be honest. "It's a supre being or what's left of one. I'm not talking about one of those minor or major gods so of our kind worships now. I'm talking about a being almost on par with one of the Seven."
Kazuki nodded. According to the System, the Necromoon was in competition with one of the Seven for control of 'Soul'. Only an almost omnipotent being could enter that race.
"The Necromoon influences the living and the dead," Seth continued, glancing quickly at the rift centiters from his face. "The weaker the mind and soul, the more intense their influence. If it becos too intense... You beco their slave."
"You didn't tell how to fight against them," Kazuki noted.
Seth gave him a contemptuous look. "Fight against a moon powerful enough to face the Concepts? I didn't think you were that foolish."
"I don't think you're doing your best to answer." the hoplite replied, a cold glint in his eyes.
"... The influence of the Necromoon is particularly strong on the dead and the weak-willed. Strengthen your vitality and will, avoid direct contamination, and thank the System for its intervention. Without it, you'd already be an undead. Finally, you have a little over six days to prepare for its arrival. I know nothing more."
Since the event hadn't yet started, the information was still limited. Kazuki hadn't learned much, but he knew the most important thing: he needed more power.
"Second question: I want your best map, annotated with all points of interest: resources, monsters, rivals,... Everything."
Seth looked at him, and for a mont, Kazuki thought he might refuse. After all, it wasn't exactly a question. It didn't matter. If he refused to answer, Kazuki was willing to wait. Priam would arrive soon enough, and he hadn't promised anything. Seth would die.
Finally, the necromancer summoned a shadow that took the form of a topographic map. About fifty markers appeared, including their current position and that of Log-rhythm. Comparing the distance between these two positions, Kazuki got an idea of the actual size of the mapped area. The map was almost twenty tis larger than his own.
And if it was to be believed, they were indeed on a giant floating island.
Kazuki stood up and released his opponent. "You may leave."
Seth dusted off his pants - the only garnt he had left - before giving Kazuki a smile.
"See you Kazuki."
Without another word, Seth disappeared into a shadow. Kazuki waited a mont before smiling. Seth had destroyed the wooden twig infused with his Spear Mastery.
But he hadn't gotten rid of the nanobots that had infiltrated his flesh.
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