Necromancer Dreams of Mechs Chapter 32: Chapter 38

Read chapter 32 of Necromancer Dreams of Mechs by Magic on NovelPedia.

Chapter 32: Good Usually Came With the Bad Another piece of my soul seemed to click into place as I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. The stench of sweat and fear, the chattering of teeth, the whispered prayers to any god that might listen—I drank it all in like a man sipping from the second oasis of his life. Not as dazzling as the first, no, but still an invigorating taste, unmatched by any other experience. This was hardly my first time dealing with pompous fools who thought themselves better than others—whether of their own race or of another. Nobility. I hated them, deeply. That hatred came from the world before this one—foster care, predators feeding on children’s misery, governments that fattened themselves on corruption. Abuse of power, greed, exploitation… all of it had shaped my life, and not in any way that could be called good. I’d learned that power always had a cost. Even well-meaning leaders fell, corrupted or manipulated. Countless stories echoed this lesson: dreamers trying to change the world, only to end up dead, or watching everything they loved burned to ash. And I had more personal examples than I cared to count. So yes—nobles, even in games, were the perfect embodiment of everything I despised in humanity. But they were also reliable sources of conflict. And conflict meant experience. Reputation. Progress. Best of all? No guilt. “Well, well. Looks like the captain’s finally sniffed out a prize worth barking at.” The voice drifted from a wagon behind the noble line, lilting and amused. I couldn’t help but grin. A plume of color bobbed into view, followed by a figure stepping down lightly, almost theatrically. The feather in his cap was a dead giveaway. “A real Chosen?” the man asked, eyes alight with mischief. “Well, strike me with a rusty lute—I thought your kind would be too busy diving into treasure hoards or slaying dragons. Or has dungeon work fallen out of fashion now that the world’s still… loading?” The captain’s lips tightened into a thin line. I sized the newcomer up. Level 90, flamboyant, and clearly lacking any sense of self-preservation. But unlike the captain, he hadn’t called me a monster. And he knew what I was. I decided to hold judgment—for now. His attire was a patchwork of styles but all in shades of green, an ensemble that should have been an eyesore. Instead, it somehow radiated charisma, as if chaos itself had been sewn into fashion. The feather in his cap swayed as he strolled forward, giving one of my Decaying Squires a casual poke in the rotting flesh of its shoulder before shuddering dramatically. Then he turned to me, smiling, and thrust out a hand. I hesitated, then clasped it. “The name’s Alric,” he said in a singsong lilt. “Our dear captain’s just being cautious, you see—cautious and a pompous ass, but you can’t beat it out of his kind. Protecting his house is his duty, but me? I’m more interested in you, great one. You’re one of the Chosen, pulled in too early, and here I am—alive, somehow. Stuck in a loop, dancing the same steps every day, only to die before the curtain fell. And then—suddenly—the music stopped.” The guards flinched at his words. Even the captain’s expression faltered. “What did you just say?” the captain hissed, hand on his sword. Alric only smiled, tilting his head. “That we’re all going to die. Or… maybe not. Care to wager which?” He flicked his eyes toward me with a grin, inviting me into his dark joke. I raised an eyebrow. “Are you a bard?” “Aye,” Alric replied, smirking. “One who sings of tragedy, drinks with devils, and laughs at his own funeral. A man who appreciates another story or song?” I nodded. He might be dangerous, but he’d be useful. A bard who spread tales was worth his weight in gold—or bodies. Alric leaned in, waving a hand in front of my face. “Hellooo? Did I just break the great Necromancer? Should I fetch glue?” I blinked and shook my head. “No, just… thinking. It's hard to keep up with everything.” He gave me a knowing nod. “Fair.