Necromancer Dreams of Mechs Chapter 63: Chapter 69

Read chapter 63 of Necromancer Dreams of Mechs by Magic on NovelPedia.

Chapter 63: The Silent Parade The forest didn’t just feel like a graveyard; it felt like a cathedral dedicated to one. We moved in a tight cluster, enveloped by the rhythmic, synchronized thud of forty pairs of boots hitting the damp earth. The Fleshed Squires didn’t march like soldiers; they moved with a terrifying, mechanical grace, their heavy iron spears and swords resting against waxy, grey shoulders. Vane lumbered behind us, his rusted joints wheezing and groaning like a dying steam engine, while the four Elite Reapers drifted through the trees on our flanks, their tattered cloaks snagging on branches without making a sound. The silence was a physical weight, broken only by Sarah’s occasional sob or the rattling of Lee’s teeth. Nathan, however, was trying. I could feel him looking at me, his eyes searching for the kid he’d played games with back in a world that didn't feel real anymore. “So,” Nathan started, his voice cracking before he cleared his throat. “Is there, uh... a naming convention for the Silent Forty? Or do we just call them 'Unit 1' through 'Unit 40'?” I let out a short, dry breath—a ghost of a laugh. “No naming convention, Nate. These were all people at one point, and they will be again soon—or as close to it as possible. I just haven’t had time to figure out how to give them back their autonomy yet, but I know it's possible,” I explained, then sighed. “Anyway, I actually made one other friend here. You’d probably like him. He’s the only person in this world who doesn’t treat me like a monster or a god.” Nathan cracked a weak smile, his shoulders dropping just an inch. “The bard? I was watching you two earlier; he seemed nice. That’s... that’s actually kind of cool that you didn’t just go hide in your big house. I’m proud of you, bro.” “Not for a lack of trying, I assure you, but the guy isn’t hard to be around. I kind of like the way he talks. I want to say he feels like a real bard, but that is what he actually is,” I laughed. It felt good to laugh. I squeezed Ciara’s hand, but she remained silent, her gaze fixed on the back of the Squire marching in front of us. “Allen,” Serhii interjected from my right. He wasn't looking at me; he was watching the Squires. His military upbringing was bleeding through his shock. “The discipline. No wasted motion. No drifting in the ranks. How do you command them? Is it a tactical hive-mind, or are you micromanaging their pathfinding?” “It’s not micromanaging,” I said, and as I spoke, the air felt a little colder. “They don't have a hive-mind. They have me, but they still have free will to a point. I just have to adjust them more to get their personalities and mannerisms back. I’m not giving them orders; I’m just... mentally prodding them into motion. They are an extension of my will.” Serhii nodded, taking a sharp, medicinal pull of his vodka. “Smaller frames in the rear ranks,” he noted, his voice turning uncomfortably pragmatic. “Lower center of gravity. Harder to hit in a skirmish. Good for urban scouting.” “Where did you even get that flask from?” I asked with a frown. “Aren’t you only seventeen?” Serhii crooked a smile. “If you can see over the counter, you can have a drink. My father gave me this flask when I was seven, along with my first pistol. It’s basically part of me. And this place... I’m going to need to find a refill soon.” Sarah let out a choked, horrified gasp. She had stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide as she stared at the back of one of the smaller Squires. I knew what she was seeing. In the center of my ranks were the children—the boys and girls I had "brought back" from the floors of my mansion after the Mawspawn attack. “Allen,” Sarah whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of grief and accusation. “That one... the one with the curly hair. He’s just a boy. He can’t be more than twelve. And the girl next to him...” “They’re Fleshed Squires, Sarah,” I said, my voice hardening. “They shouldn’t have died in the first place. NPCs are supposed t