Heather the Necromancer

Book 6: Chapter 15: The work Advances

Are you sure youre doing this right? Quinny asked as she, Breanne, and Umtha leaned over Heathers interface.

I have never built a city before, Heather exclaimed and studied the options for the hundredth time. They had been working on this for hours, with all five women struggling over the various details. Everyone had some idea of how it should look, and those opinions started to conflict minutes after they started.

Maybe it would be easier to create the building first, then worry about all the details? Breanne suggested.

Are you even sure you are building it on the right spot? Umtha asked.

That's it, I am submitting the changes I have, and if it blows up something, Frank can fix it, Heather exclaimed and pushed the submit button.

All five women looked up as a four-story building of dark wood and stone brick appeared on the corner of the plaza. Large banners hung from the slate roof showing the unicorn symbol of Gwen's kingdom over a crossed sword and staff on a bag of gold. This was Paradise City's adventurer's guild, and it was named the heroes hall. It would hopefully become a hub for players and act as an effective way to steer them to prepared adventures.

Well, you did place it on the right spot, Umtha said.

Why would you think it was the wrong spot? Heather asked.

You didnt even know what corner of the plaza this was, Umtha said defensively.

That's because the goblin-made roads don't appear properly on the map, Heather insisted as Umtha threw up her hands in defeat. She sighed and suggested they go inside and see if everything had appeared as they had planned it.

The oak double doors were over three meters tall and opened into a vast hall lined with long tables and benches. There was a back area with a generic statue of a unicorn where smaller round tables could be found. This space was designed by Frank and acted as a mead hall, where a meal could be purchased cheaply. The grand hall went up two floors so that it was ringed by a balcony. At the far end was a counter where a lovely woman with rabbit ears waited to serve adventurers.

You are sure she needed to be a rabbit? Heather asked as they moved into the room.

Are you kidding? Quinny laughed. The guild master is always a rabbit person in the anime. People would be disappointed if you made her any other race.

If you say so, Heather said as she looked over all the finely carved dark woods of the railings and stairs. Even the long tables were ornate with long green runners featuring the guild logo. The walls were hung with animal heads, weapons, and more banners meant to look heroic. There was a large message board to one side of the counter where notices for adventures would be posted.

Good morning, adventurers! the rabbit woman called as they approached. Have you come to seek a quest?

She doesnt know who we are? Breanne asked as they drew closer.

I thought I had that set, Heather grumbled and opened her panel again. I am not even sure where the option is. It took me hours to set up Monica, and this woman is far more complex. I don't have a default profile for a guild master of an adventurers guild, so I have to build it from scratch. She went into the settings for known entities and added them one by one before hitting submit. The woman they had named Tash blinked, then smiled widely as an ear twitched.

Oh, hello, Princess Hannah, she said cheerfully. I am honored you have come to our humble guild. She smiled and clasped her hands as if genuinely excited to see them.

Hmm, I liked her better when she didnt know who we were, Breanne said as the womans cheery nature grated on her.

I will tone down her enthusiasm, Heather agreed but decided to look into it later. They went to the message board that dominated a wall and provided space for a hundred postings. Quinny wanted to try and post a small fetch quest she had prepared and took up a piece of paper on the table below the board. She opened her interface and went over the details before submitting them as a physical copy. Magically the writing appeared on the paper, using a fancy font that looked like it had been done with an ink pen. She then used a pin to post it on the board before going to Tash.

Do you have any quests available? Quinny asked.

We have one quest that is suitable for you, Tash replied with a nod. The guild has a request for ten spectral mushrooms that can be found in the haunted forest. Gather the mushrooms and bring them back for a small reward.

Mushrooms? Heather asked as she was surprised it wasnt a quest to kill zombies.

Chandice wants the mushrooms, Quinny explained. This way, we can get players to pick them for her.

Shouldnt she post that quest for herself? Breanne asked. I bet she could use this board to gather all sorts of ingredients.

Hmm, I might use it for the same thing, Heather said as she considered the possibilities. She could easily make bone golems if she had players collecting bones for her. There were also the flowers in Quinny's forest that she wanted to study, and she suspected Chandice could help her with that. Frank had a few adventures in mind to send players into his tunnels in search of items he placed there.

It appears to be working, Umtha said as she looked around.

No goblin quests you want to post? Heather asked with a nudge.

I don't know what I would ask players to do, Umtha replied, looking as if she was thinking. I will give it some thought.

I want to build a bunch of quests, Quinny said and looked at Breanne. Didnt you want to send players to find a missing boat and learn what happened to the players?

I am still working out the details, Breanne replied, explaining that she needed a good reward for the adventure.

How are we going to finance all these rewards? Quinny asked as she sat at a table.

Heather sat beside her and explained how they would fund most of it. NPC merchants could sell some of what was collected, and players paid a small fee to join the guild. There were additional funds collected by selling food and drinks to hungry adventurers. Beyond that, there was a tax on player shops, rents collected for properties, and the gold they got when a player died in their areas. All of this should outpace the rewards being dished out, providing a sort of economy for the land. That brought up what the land would do about income, and Heather didn't really have an idea.

Heather thought they could export rare magical ingredients they had in abundance, like bone powder or grave mold, but Frank had another idea. He wanted to push the goblin quarter of the city and the things they could make. They were the only city in the known world that had a large population of friendly goblins. They would be the largest source of goblin weapons, tools, and trinkets, making them quite valuable. Heather couldn't disagree with his point, and thinking about it gave her a good idea.

Umtha, why dont you make an adventure to destroy a rogue goblin machine, Heather suggested.

A goblin machine? Umtha repeated.

Yeah, Heather said as she started to work out the details. What if we say the goblins created some robot labor that you use to build tunnels or something? One of them went haywire and is running wild in some areas. Players have to fight their way to it, then kill it and bring back some part of it for the reward.

That sounds cool, Quinny interjected as Breanne and Umtha sat at the table with them.

I suppose I could do something like that, Umtha agreed. Maybe I could use some old mines as a small adventure and send players in to stop the machines.

See, this is going to be fun, Heather said and waved to Tash. Bring us the meal of the day.

Right away! the woman called and rushed off to fetch the meals.

So, how much more of the city do you plan to build today? Breanne asked.

The roads are done, and Frank has the goblins building the outer walls, Heather said as she considered the options. We're not going to build the gate to mother's city until we're done building here. So I guess I will assign more districts and start fleshing them out.

Is the goblin area ready? Umtha asked. I have several players from your world that are interested in building.

Well, send them to the city, Heather said as Tash returned and set down a tray with five bowls of stew.

Here you go. Compliments of the house, she said with a big smile and hurried away.

Umm, what is it? Heather asked as she leaned over the steaming bowl.

Oh, goodness, Breanne groaned. Its rabbit stew.

Rabbit stew? Heather choked and looked at Tash. Alright, I see I have to customize the menu too. I don't care if it's a cheap meal. We aren't serving Rabbit stew at the guild run by a rabbit woman.

After a few corrections, they headed out, walking down streets that contained a few generic buildings done in her fancy style. Heather tried to use the default designs, but they made the city look dreary with muted colors and gray walls. She assumed this was what most cities of this kind would have looked like, but she wanted something more. Hours had been spent with Frank and the others modifying the default appearances to include white stone, marble, or colored brick. Where wood was used, it was often carved to show repeating patterns. Roofs were wooden shingle or slate, with a few capped in copper being planned. The biggest change was the inclusion of graceful arches, spires, and stained glass. Flower boxes were added to many windows, and houses that once sat directly on streets now sat back far enough for planters or tiny strips of yard. This would allow Heather to add a lot of flowers and plants to the city, adding much-needed color. Main roads were extra wide so she could put larger planters in them and smaller roads often had round plazas or small garden squares to break them up.

It was all coming together but going much more slowly than anticipated. Even Gwen was surprised by how much Heather was tweaking the default options. She often visited to check on progress and make recommendations to the style. Thanks to Gwen, brick walls often had mosaics, and the streets were lit by fancy magical lights resembling metal flowers whose petals opened to contain a magical ball of light. Water canals crossed by ornate bridges separated several quarters of the city. The water was tinted to give it a rich blue color and flowed slowly out of the city, where it passed through meandering brooks to the distant lake. She was careful to make sure one of these canals ran by the goblin district so they could make use of water wheels for power.

So, another year then? Breanne asked as they walked down the smooth stone road admiring the houses.

Don't be sarcastic, Heather said and took them toward the ring that acted as the park. Once I have the default patterns tweaked, it will go much faster.

Frank has all the sewers, and lower tunnels dug already, Quinny said as they rounded a corner to see colorful trees. I was down there yesterday; he wants to put low-level trash mobs in it for new players to fight.

Frank is loving this, Heather said with a gentle nod. I knew he liked to build things, but I had no idea it meant this much to him. Why didnt he pick a class that could do this from the start?

He did, Breanne replied. The grave dancer can build a necropolis, a graveyard city every bit as large as this one with enough points.

Yeah, but. Heather began, then trailed off. She realized she had never truly understood the scope of Frank's dream or how important it had been to him. Of course, she hadn't. She was focused on getting out when he first told her about it. She hadn't paid any real attention to his plans beyond a few details and noting his boyish enthusiasm. Now that she thought back on it, building things was something Frank really wanted to do, and now he had a whole kingdom to do it with.

You just realized how important this is to him, didnt you? Breanne asked.

Oh, I am such a bad wife! Heather cried and hid her face in her hands. He told me a dozen times, and I never understood it.

Hey, you cant beat yourself up about that, Quinny said and put her arm around Heathers waist. You were in shock at being brought here against your will and focused on finding a way out.

Its still no excuse, Heather replied. Frank is important to me, and I need to pay more attention to him.

Speaking of your husband, where is her? Breanne asked as they entered the garden.

Last I saw him, he was in the tunnels, Quinny said, pointing down a brick path in the trees. There is a mausoleum entrance to them just down there.

Surely that was hours ago, Breanne suggested as they walked down the path admiring the trees. The forest was mixed with dark and colorful trees interspersed with thick hedges of flowers. Heather wanted to create little isolated pockets where a statue or fountain might be found. Right now, all they had were little pockets of graveyard, and one came into view just around a bend. It was almost as small as Frank's original yard, and it brought back memories of when they first met. Thirty tombstones were arranged around a white marble mausoleum whose metal doors were wide open. Even from the path, they could see the steps down and a light coming from below.

Quinny led the way saying she had been down here already, and brought them to a tunnel of stone bricks and ornate archways. Heather was amazed that the tunnels were so finely crafted, considering Frank had been planning to use ghouls to do most of the digging. She knew he was going to spend some points down here, but this looked like a hall in a castle.

This is more advanced than I expected, Breanne said as she mirrored Heathers thoughts.

The goblins have been helping him, Umtha said and wrung her hands. And I gave him a bunch of my points.

You gave him points? Heather asked and turned about to stare at Umtha. Why?

I wanted to, Umtha said and twisted nervously. I like him. He has such a vision for building tunnels that I just wanted him to have what he wanted.

Oh, Heather said and stepped to Umtha to take her hand. I understand, she added and held the womans hand as they looked down two tunnels. Which way?

I dunno, Quinny said with a shrug before pointing down a tunnel. He was that way earlier.

Then we go that way, Heather suggested and walked up, grateful that the tunnels all had lanterns suspended from chains to provide illumination. The hall went into a rectangular room with pillars along the walls separating long dark recesses.

What are these for? Heather asked as she peered into one.

Bodies, Quinny replied and pointed out how this was a type of burial chamber, and the recesses were for coffins or mummified bodies to be placed in.

That's interesting, Heather said and moved to the only hall out of the room. She took one step into the hall and stopped as she had a thought. There was a swishing noise as something swung past her face, and a moment later, the brim of her yellow sunhat fell to the floor.

Heather! Breanne cried and pulled her back. Are you alright?

Heather was dumbstruck and could only feel at the front of her hat to detect the clean slice.

My hat? she finally mumbled and looked down to see the portion that had been sliced off.

A blade swung down from the ceiling when you tried to enter the hall, Breanne explained. You are lucky you paused to look back, or it might have hit you square in the head.

That was a trap? Heather stammered and took her hat off to examine it. And my sunhat is ruined!

The traps are not set to detect us yet, Umtha said. We should probably go back up.

Heather felt her eye twitching as she turned the damaged hat over in her hands. In a fit of anger, she stamped and foot and screamed, so her voice echoed from the walls.

Frank!

Minutes later, a shadow moved down the hall, and they heard the heavy steps of something massive approaching. When he rounded the corner, Heather was holding the brim of her hat in a clenched fist.

Heather? he asked with a surprised look on his ghoulish face. What are you doing down here, and what happened to your hat?

I came to see what you were up to, Heather insisted and waved the yellow shred in his face. But my husband didnt set the traps to detect allies!

Ohhh, he said and scratched at his head. I must have forgotten with how busy I was.

You forgot to prevent your traps from killing your wife? Heather growled.

I was working really hard, Frank replied. I have all the sewers and the lower dungeon tunnels done.

Are they safe for me to enter? Heather asked as she folded her arms and tapped a foot.

Umm, no, he replied as he clawed at the floor nervously. She could see he was upset with what happened and didn't know how to fix it. Her hat would mend on its own after a night of hanging in the wardrobe, so nothing was lost. She knew he would never have done this intentionally, and confronting him like this was only putting him on the spot. She tossed the scrap aside before going to his arms to hug him.

Its alright, she sighed. I forgive you.

Youre not mad at me? he asked as his arms went around her.

I was upset, but I understand you would never mean to harm me, Heather replied as she leaned against his cold chest.

Let me fix the dungeon to recognize you, and then I want to show you around, Frank said eagerly and stepped back to use his kingdom heart. He tapped at some options, then declared the way safe and invited them to follow. He took them down a maze of tunnels that were mostly sewers with a recessed channel of flowing water. He described how all RPGs had sewers under the major cities, and players would expect to be able to hunt in them. He added rats, sewer snakes, a subterranean variety of giant crab, and something called a lurker. It was a bat-like monster that would flatten itself on the ceiling and then drop on unsuspecting foes. In the waterways, players could encounter a giant snail with a unique variety called Brine biter. Heather didn't understand how dangerous a snail was until she saw one. They were three feet tall and moved with surprising speed. They could spit a mucus ball that made the floors slippery and then race across that mucus with ease. They delivered a bite, as well as able to cause slight corrosive damage. They weren't meant to be a deadly threat, just a nuisance, and Frank planned to add a quest to the adventurers guild to kill them. When slain, they would all drop a hardened snail's charm that could be turned in for a reward.

Heather was amazed at the complexity of the sewer tunnels and how they spread across what would be the whole expanse of the city. Several times they arrived at great round chambers where the intersecting halls spilled to a pool below. Frank had placed two murk hunters in the dungeon that randomly spawned in any of the eight pools like this one. These creatures were essentially freshwater octopuses with ten arms that would reach out to pull players from the walkways. So long as nobody ventured down the steps to the pools, they were safe, and the guild would warn players not to go near them. However, there would be a reward for killing them and bringing back their ink sacs, as these were good for making enchanted inks to create scrolls. Frank set them to a one-week plus a random one to seven days respawn. He didn't want players farming them, and once an area was cleared out, he wanted it to stay safe for a little while.

He took them down a flight of steps built around one of the pools to a sturdy wooden door that looked aged and perhaps a bit rotten. Frank said he wanted it to look like a door in the sewers would look, and it opened to reveal a square cut stone corridor. This was one of the three dungeons under the city, all of which would have different dangers and rewards.

This particular dungeon was the one he wanted Heather to see because it had a necromancer theme. It was filled with undead, from skeletal rats to lesser ghouls deeper in. Frank showed them how the danger slowly increased as players pushed deeper into the lair. There were cells for prisoners and workrooms strewn with bones and tools as if somebody had been studying the bodies. Skeletons and zombies were encountered in packs all over the place, but one zombie was special. His name was rotten, and he had three arms on a frame that looked like five bodies sewn together. He was the target of one of the quests, as players had to locate the unholy experiment and destroy it. The main goal was the NPC necromancer located in a study well in the back.

Heather was shocked to think they could create NPC necromancers when the class was outlawed. She reasoned that the NPCs wouldn't engage in research or work the same kind of magic as the player ones, but still, there had to be some misgivings about using them. She shared her concern, and Frank paused to reconsider his choice, looking a bit disappointed.

Oh, please dont be upset, Heather begged. You have done an amazing job with all this.

I will say he has, Breanne agreed as they passed into a room with chains hanging from one wall. This is almost like wandering into a horror movie.

I don't think people will think anything of an NPC necromancer, Quinny said. If anything, you're encouraging players to kill him. That should make people feel good about it.

It still might cause people to ask questions, Umtha said. What if the only reason you can place a necromancer is because Heather is one? If that's the case, anyone who understands that will know somebody in your family is a necromancer.

That would be an issue, Heather agreed. But plenty of other classes can do this sort of thing, and I know a quick way to find out. She held up her arm and spoke to her tattoo, asking her panel to tell her all the classes that could make undead constructs like the zombie. It listed off a few, like witch doctor and reanimator, but the best name that came up was a mad scientist.

Yeah, put a mad scientist down here, Quinny urged. You can link the quest to the goblins like he's stealing things from their shops to aid in his work.

I guess I could do that, Frank agreed.

I could add a goblin quest to recover stolen items, Umtha offered. I will think of some goblin things a mad scientist would like to use, and you can hide them in this dungeon.

With the tense moment over, Frank went on to show them more, slipping into that boy who wanted to build a magical world. Heather liked him like this because it meant he was happy and looking forward to better things. For the next hour, he showed them a dozen rooms and explained all the features of secret tunnels, hidden treasures, and clever traps. He had put an amazing amount of thought into it, and she told him so as they returned to the surface. This time they came out of a tower on a fork in the street and walked out the gate to be greeted by a familiar face.

Frank, Heather! Jaina called and waved from where she stood with Gisley and a tall human man with wavy dark hair. He smiled a bit like Finneous did but wore finely trimmed leather armor and an assortment of knives and daggers. The women wore nothing but slave collars and leather straps on their wrists and ankles, causing Frank immediately look away.

Jaina! Quinny cried and ran up to hug her.

Oh, how is my favorite little zombie girl? Jaina asked as she returned the hug.

I am wonderful, Quinny replied and stepped back, only to sweep Gisley into a hug.

Umm, hi, Heather said as she walked up and tried not to notice the women were naked. What brings you to our work in progress? She did her best to focus on Jaina's eyes, but in truth, it was Quinny who was making her the most upset. She was supposed to be Heather's girlfriend. So why was she kissing Gisley like that?

It looks like you have a lot of it done, Jaina replied as she looked around. But the castle isnt even started?

We are debating the design, Frank said as he tried to keep his eyes on the man.

I see, Jaina replied as Gisley and Quinny shared a quick kiss. I would like you all to meet our dear friend, Santos, the rogue guild leader.

Hello, I'm Hannah, and this is my husband, Frank, Heather said before introducing Breanne, Umtha, and Quinny, who was still in Gisley's arms. The moment was awkward as Quinny was far more fixated on the woman in her arms until Breanne stepped in to put a stop to it.

Will you stop molesting the fairy, Breanne demanded as she took Quinny by the wrist and pulled her away.

I dont mind, Gisley said with a broad smile but allowed Quinny to go.

Is there something we can do for you? Heather asked to change the focus back to Jaina. She was thankful for Breannes quick decision but made a mental note to deal with Quinny later.

Actually, there is something you could do for me, Jaina said and gestured to the man at her side. Santos lost his lair a while back because he was helping us. He has been without a home for quite a while now, but unfortunately, most cities already have a thieves guild.

Heather wasnt sure where Jaina was going with this until the woman came right out and asked if Santos could recreate his guild in the tunnels under their city. He would need them to give him access to a region of the land and perhaps a structure on the surface to be a safe house and hidden entrance.

Do we want thieves running around our city? Heather asked as she looked at Frank.

They are going to do that anyway, Frank said. But this way, we know who controls the local guild, and if there are any problems, we know who to talk to.

I assure you my rogues won't cause you any harm, Santos said. And, of course, you can call on us whenever you need something taken care of quietly.

The rogues also tend to hear about secret plans or plots long before they happen, Jaina added. He could be invaluable as your eyes and ears in the city.

Well, Heather said as she saw no reason to deny the request. Why not? Welcome to the city.

Thank you, Santos said with a curt bow. You won't regret this, and I promise the guild will cause you no trouble. We will do our best to aid you and help deal with problem players. You would be surprised how effectively a dozen rogues are at convincing somebody to play elsewhere.

Heather thanked him for offering to deal with bad players as Frank looked over the city map for a good place to hide the rogue's lair. He asked what kind of building would best suit their needs as a cover for their operations, and Santos suggested a tavern.

Oh, can I be a barmaid? Gisley asked excitedly.

Gisley, do you love being a barmaid that much? Jaina laughed.

I happen to like it, Gisley said defensively and folded her arms. Chandice does too.

I wouldnt mind having her around more often, Santos said with a wink.

You men are terrible, Jaina laughed. But thats ultimately up to Roric. He decides what she can and cant do.

I cant wait to ask him, Gisley added with a bounce on her toes. I hope he lets me do it.

How are you going to prowl the forest and work the tavern? Jaina asked with a serious glare.

I just want to work a couple of days a week, Gisley said. Besides, we all have to work the guild.

Work the guild? Umtha questioned as Heather quickly cut in.

Never mind that! she said and cleared her throat.

Frank used his kingdom heart to show Santos a few locations, and they settled on one near the outer wall across one of the canals. He gave Santos ownership of the land and permission to build a tunnel complex underneath it. Santos wanted it close to the walls so he could build a hidden route out of the city. He thanked them for giving his guild a home and asked if he could begin the work on the tavern right away. Jaina and Gisley went with him, waiving as they headed off to see the plot, leaving Frank staring at two naked rears.

I wonder if they would let me work as a barmaid? Quinny asked once they were gone.

Heather felt a pang of jealousy over that remark and quickly tried to work through it. She knew Quinny was very open about her feelings for people, but the zombie woman was hers. It bothered her that Quinny expressed affection for a woman outside their group, but Heather wondered if she could blame her. After all, Heather had them all on hold, waiting for her to bring them in. Maybe this was just what she needed to realize that this had gone on too long. She couldn't feel jealous when she wasn't providing any emotional stimulus for Quinny or the others. She realized that perhaps it was time to state the truth and bring it out in the open where all of them could acknowledge it.

You, Heather said and turned to face the zombie woman. You owe us an apology.

I owe you an apology for what? Quinny said in surprise.

Heather took a deep breath and walked up to Quinny. This was her chance to put them all on the proper path, and despite her fears, she needed to say it boldly.

You have three girlfriends and a boyfriend already, Heather stated as firmly as possible. And we dont want to see you kissing other girls.

Wait! Quinny said in shock. Do you mean that? Are we finally going to say it out in the open between all of us? Were all dating?

Heather looked to Breanne and Umtha, who didn't oppose the idea causing Quinny to run to Heather and pull her into a hug.

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! Quinny cried as Heather wrapped her up.

Youre sure about this? Breanne asked as Heather looked nervous,

Am I ever sure about anything? Heather replied as Umtha Joined the hug. Breanne joined it a moment later, and the four women squished Quinny between them until Heather looked back.

Where is Frank? she said and noticed him stepping away.

I, uh, should finish the tunnels, he said as the hulking ghoul looked terrified.

Oh no, you don't! she shouted. Do you have any idea how hard that was for me to say? Now, you get over here and hug your women! Heather shouted, causing him to flinch.

I. I mean, do you really mean that? Or. Cause maybe we. Frank said nervously as he played with his claws.

Heather groaned and broke from the hug turning the line of women on him.

Ladies, our boyfriend isnt comfortable with this situation, Heather said. He needs to learn he doesnt have a choice.

Haha! Quinny laughed as they rushed him, piling into his chest until he relented and wrapped his arms around them. It was how it was meant to be, and everyone accepted the new open understanding. From here on out, they were all in a relationship and bound to be married. Heather had only one last hurdle to deal with, and that was what to do about Blackbast.