Baltukhasar - Wasn't Afraid Of Reanimated Corpses

Baltukhasar wasn't afraid of reanimated corpses. He'd been one himself not long ago. Besides, they were in a tomb full of skeletons. The idea that some number of those skeletons might animate in response to an intrusion by the living was hardly surprising. The swirling tower of bones rising in the middle of the chamber was no common twenty-foot tall skeleton, however. For one thing, each bone was a weapon controlled by its own animating spirit.

Each of those spirits pursued the best interests of its master.

Physical swarm mhoddim techniques were a pain.

The phantasmal variety was more common. Why lug a hundred swords to a fight when shadowy conjurations weighed nothing and could still kill? Phantasmal swarms excelled at taking out trash and there was no need for a hundred animating spirits. The magic behind the phantasm simulated as many swords, daggers, or venomous insects as the competence of the practitioner allowed. That number was always much higher than the same practitioner could manage with individual animating spirits.

There was no shame in using illusions. Snowblind Tigress employed them to hide the devastating reality of her wakizashi work. Phantasms had a place on any battlefield. But there were limitations. The magic responsible for manifesting the phantasm simulated the entire spectacle. A single intelligence therefore controlled the entire swarm. Those intelligences were more adept at creating dazzling performances than fighting. 

Physical swarms were another matter.

Each animating spirit acted independently. These spirits were not interested in creating light shows, but in fighting. They fought with skill proportional to the expertise of their summoners. An animated weapon's impact rose in proportion to its size.

Small objects could move fast, however, and fast was a big problem.

By Baltukhasar's count, he and the gigolo monks faced a couple hundred bones. It was much less than the total number available in so many skeletons – but it was a hell of a lot for a physical swarm. Any conjurer who could summon so many animating spirits was bad news – which meant that each individual bone was bad news.

Jian Peak's gigolos recognized the danger too. They formed a defensive circle. Jian Peak was known for flashy techniques. That included phantasmal swarms. Illusions couldn't destroy the animated bones, but they could distract the spirits animating them. Furthermore, the gigolos were not limited to phantasms. Pin Fun transformed his golden sword into a dozen daggers. Their animating spirits understood the situation and formed a screen.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't be enough.

It would also be necessary to deal with the entity controlling the bone swarm. Given the totality of relevant circumstances, Baltukhasar expected that entity to be an ancient and ill-tempered lich. Millennia spent in darkness would have taken a toll on its sanity. That would prevent it from fighting at its best. In all candor, however, its best wouldn't be necessary. The chances were high everyone was going to die. If he was lucky, that included Baltukhasar. If he wasn't lucky, the lich would perform deranged experiments on him for eternity.

Then the King of Hell made a personal appearance.

Baltukhasar's mortal mind could not grasp the implications. Hell King Hades was a handsome fellow in ornate dragon scale armor. Baltukhasar's mind focused on a single scale. It was more relatable than a god. To study only the inscriptions on that single scale would take a lifetime. That was less relatable. There was nothing for Baltukhasar to do in this situation but await judgment.

Less willing to be judged, the lich screamed.

It was the type of scream that could kill – but it didn't last long enough to cause serious injury. Chains of golden light erupted from the ground, wrapped the lich and its swarm, and yanked them into the earth. What happened next was difficult for Baltukhasar to describe. Hell King Hades appeared to converse with an unseen entity. Except Baltukhasar could almost see it. It was a lumpy butterfly made of silver light. 

Were angels real? Were they short and wide?

No. It was three separate entities resembling children.

Baltukhasar's supernatural senses heard strange sounds, then silence. The silence remained. Hell King Hades and the children vanished. Baltukhasar and the gigolo monks stood in an empty chamber. It felt less malignant than before. The lanterns were brighter.

"All the bones are gone," said Pin Fun.

It wasn't just the bones which were part of the swarm that got pulled into Hell. Profitably, their jewelry remained behind. That was very generous of Hell King Hades. Baltukhasar scrambled up to one of the balconies and investigated its alcove. The gigolos leapt up after him. Baltukhasar placed a hand on an empty shelf. The scrolls were gone. They had not become dust, but had vanished completely.

"We should search this place to be sure," he said. "But I think that what the Count of Arlu was hoping to find has been destroyed."

Pin Fun used invisible fingers to lift a silver amulet decorated with sapphires.

"It wasn't the jewelry?" he asked.

"The jewelry is exquisite," said the Incense Master. "But were there scrolls here?"

Baltukhasar nodded.

"If the King of Hell decided to take those scrolls with him," said the Incense Master, "they would have been uniquely valuable. But would possessing them have been a good idea?"

"I doubt the Count of Arlu knew what he was looking for," said Baltukhasar, "other than it contained terrible secrets of some unspecified nature and he wanted them."

The Incense Master picked up another piece of exquisite jewelry.

"This is the best outcome," he said. "We haven't come into possession of a cursed library containing terrible secrets of some unspecified nature. But the Count of Arlu won't know that – and we do have bling."

The gigolos tried some bling on – and went in search of more.

Baltukhasar went in search of hidden alcoves he might have missed. The first time through the chamber, his senses were not at their best. Back to its usual strength, his hearing occasionally caught childish giggles and scampering feet. The after images of running children occasionally flashed across the sides of his eyes.

At first Baltukhasar thought the children had died in the chamber. But the bones previously present were more mature. The youngest would have been at least mid-teens. Furthermore, Baltukhasar saw as many girls as boys, whereas all the skeletons had been male.

While he hadn't literally seen every skeleton, he had seen enough.

If the children had been present when the tomb was sealed and silent, even with his diminished senses Baltukhasar would have caught hints of their presence. They arrived after the tomb had been opened. The appearance of Hell King Hades would catch the attention of nearby ghosts. Baltukhasar considered it more likely the ghosts would flee rather than investigate. But the appearance of Hell King Hades and the children were necessarily related.

Baltukhasar stopped looking for hidden chambers, and started looking for areas where the children concentrated. They were most interested in Pin Fun. That was not entirely illogical. He was pretty in a way children would like – and he was carrying a big gold sword.

"Pin Fun?" asked Baltukhasar. "Can you think of any reason why you would be surrounded by the ghosts of a hundred little children?"

Pin Fun blinked several times.

"I'm cute," he said.

"I thought of that," said Baltukhasar. "In fact, do children often address you as 'Cute Boy?'"

"I don't often hang out with children," said Pin Fun. "The only little kid I've seen recently was Iba Algi. But… she did address me as 'Cute Boy!' Are you saying Iba Algi and Nin are here?"

The little ghosts cheered so much, in their excitement, a few manifested enough to be briefly seen. The gigolo monks thought that was amazing.

It became a virtuous circle of revelatory excitement.

"If I'm not mistaken," said Baltukhasar, "one of the most dangerous people in the world saved us from a certain, and certainly unpleasant, death by summoning the King of Hell."

"How would one of the most dangerous people in the world do that?" asked the Incense Master.

"If I knew," said Baltukhasar, "I would also be one of the most dangerous people in the world."

"Am I really that cute?" asked Pin Fun.

"I would advise against relying on the Princess," said Baltukhasar. "I suspect she will only save you from something which prevents you from becoming a ghost."

Baltukhasar was informed by giggling whispers that becoming a vampire was also acceptable.

"Or a vampire," Baltukhasar clarified. "Which seems like your most probable fate."