61 Securing the Loot

Standing back up, Marcus was smiling, as he looked around at everyone. They were still stunned by what had just happened, needing a moment to process what was going on. After a few moments of awkward silence, Zanir questioned him.

Hearing the story firsthand, he was told how a tragedy occurred in the cave about three hundred years ago. A greedy pirate captain sealed his entire crew in the cave, due to paranoid delusions that they would betray him. This was the focal point that saturated the area in negative energy. As the men cursed and raged, their intense hatred and malice steeped inside the cave.

By itself, the act wouldn't have generated anything spectacular. What it did, however, was create the perfect type of environment for a budding necromancer. About two hundred and fifty years ago, Marcus had a string of bad luck. Being framed by his best friend, then betrayed by the entire Mage association, left him without many options.

Stealing several forbidden tomes from the archives, he escaped into the wilderness, wandering to the brink of starvation. It was during his final moments, that he began to hear dark voices, whispering directly into his conscience. While most people would try desperately to avoid something like that, he knew it was his final opportunity.

Reaching the sealed cave, Marcus discovered it was open, and the voices were getting louder as he entered. Sealing the entrance back up, he entered the depths of the cave. Urging him to complete the ritual, the angry spirit's voices kept rising in a crescendo. Chanting the final ritual, he invoked the forbidden necromantic arts.

Trading his very life and humanity away, he was granted immortality. Marcus figured that he could take as long as he needed, building up his power base and researching spells. Unfortunately, life always finds a way. Before long, he was beset by nosy adventurers, before finally being locked down in isolation by the Rangers.

Weakening over the remaining century or so, he whittled away to the point that he was barely able to hold on. Zanir was correct, in guessing that he had tried to group the zombies for an ambush. He was also able to confirm that the four ghouls were indeed his trump card. Having confirmed what was going on, he asked if Marcus could point out what was in the cave.

"Hmm, there are a few things that the pirates left. Swords and gold and the like, things that never interested me. Ah! There's my old Phylactery, that could be useful. There's also a few volumes on the art of Necromancy, as well as my research."

Seeming to hear only what the want, the nearby troops all chanted in unison.

"Treasure and Loot! Treasure and Loot!"

Knowing that there was some treasure to be had, everyone was naturally excited. Heading back to the cave, they found the undead still guarding the entrance. The area had started turning back to normal, but it would still take time for nature to heal the land back to its original condition.

With Marcus' help, they were able to quickly find several chests, that had been buried underneath the soil. Opening them up, his men found that most of them simply contained gold coins and a few gemstones. The men were happy, rolling the coins through their fingers and flipping them in the air, but Zanir was actually a little disappointed.

There was already plenty of coins in the spatial world, so he kept an eye out for the interesting things. A few regular weapons were retrieved, though they were forged from exotic metals, which would help the system make improvements to the alloys used.

Disappointed again, he grabbed the last weapon, a plain looking one-handed axe. Absorbing it, he found that it was anything but ordinary.

[Material analyzed:

Name: Axe

Type: Gravity (Returning)

Rating: Level 5

Description: This axe was forged centuries ago by a primitive tribe. Caught in an accidental explosion of mana, during the enchanting process, it began reacting in strange ways. When thrown, the weapon generates a unique magnetic field, returning to its wielder.]

Playing around with the axe, Zanir found that he could manipulate it using his ability. Floating around him, the axe danced and swirled, as he commanded it. Flinging the axe, it would fly through the air, rotating in a circular motion. Reaching the end of the throw, it seemed to defy physics, as it floated directly back to him, hovering like an orbital.

The only downside was that he couldn't enchant other weapons with the gravity effect. He would also have to avoid any terrible axe related puns. After a few minutes of horsing around, they went into Marcus' hidden lair.

If he had to describe the lair in a single word, he would call it cozy. The small, somewhat cramped side cave had been decorated with several colorful rugs. Various bookshelves lined the back wall, each mismatched, differing in size and color. There wasn't a bed anywhere, one of the men asked about it.

"Where did you sleep?"

"I never feel fatigue, that is to say, I don't get tired."

Not knowing how to respond, the nervous guard was let off the hook, as anonymous heckler called out from the back.

"Guess we know who's on night watch from now on!"

Everyone had a laugh, as they moved through their now practiced motions. Absorbing a small area was now a trivial task to them. Since he was able to, Zanir took the entire room for Marcus, bringing it into the spatial world. The last part was the old Phlactery, a conch shell that was a dark black color. Dirty and covered in grime, the shell smelled foul.

Holding his breath, he moved in to absorb it quickly.

[Material analyzed:

Name: Phylactery

Type: Conch of Betrayal (empty)

Rating: Level 1

Description: Betrayed by their captain and left for dead, the Razorclaw pirates hatred and despair steeped inside their tomb, settling into this ordinary conch shell. The sacrifice of Marcus' life turned it into a spiritual vessel.]

With the second mission finally complete, he heard the system go off, as expected.

*Ding*

[Sidequest complete.]

What he did not expect, however, was the subsequent prompt.

[Bonus round activated. Host will be transported to a world with excess energy. The time limit for this round is thirty minutes.]