Norman had time until Eugene awoke after his change, so he tried to arrange the area to make himself look more intimidating. He thought it wouldn’t hurt to help him pull off this next bit. After a while, Norman rearranged the seating again, realizing that trying to look intimidating against Eugene wasn’t going to work for him. Instead, Norman went for laid back and unconcerned. Since this was Norman’s default state, he could pull it off much easier. He needed Eugene to be off balance second-guessing himself.
What Norman was about to do was a huge risk and could easily result in his death. But this was a risk Norman was willing to take. It didn’t help his nerves any though as he had to keep wiping his sweat-slicked hands off on his shorts while waiting for Eugene to awaken.
Even though it was a risk, if Norman pulled it off, it would be a huge win for him, and a huge blow to Sin. That is if it worked. On the flip side, if this plan didn’t work in his favor, well, there was always plan B. While it would be a waste of Eugene’s talents, Norman wasn’t about to throw away a perfectly good body.
When Eugene finally awoke, Norman was sitting on a chair made of boxes that gave him a slight height advantage without making him look comically ridiculous like with his first attempt.
Norman cleared his throat, getting Eugene’s attention.
Eugene’s head whipped toward the noise and Norman saw the man’s eyes narrow. But the man scanned the room before speaking. “I see your new friends are gone. If you let me out of this cage, I will make your death quick and painless.”
Norman shrugged, “doors unlocked.” The bait was planted. What would he do?
He saw surprise, then suspicion in Eugene’s eyes at that statement. Eugene placed his hand on the door but paused, not opening it.
Norman had to try hard not to sag with relief. While he was ready for the man to burst out of the cage and attack him, he had hoped the man had a level head. His initial gamble had paid off. The man was cautious, Norman could work with that.
“What's the catch?” Eugene growled.
Norman smiled. “I knew you were a smart man, there is a catch. But how about you come out here and sit so we can have a proper discussion? Talking to you through a cage isn’t very civil, wouldn’t you agree?”
Eugene still hesitated for a bit longer. Norman could see the desire to rush out and end Norman’s miserable life in his eyes but Eugene schooled his desire well. That didn’t mean everything Eugene did was controlled. Norman watched the man’s knuckles go white as he gripped the bar of the cage. Norman could hear them creak under the strain but they didn’t give.
‘What the hell is that cage made of?’ Norman asked himself. He had seen Eugene’s strength and speed, no normal metal would have stood up to him for long.
Eventually, Eugene opened the cage door and stepped out. After glancing around the warehouse – probably looking for a hidden Grobert – he took a seat across from Norman.
The power dynamic was obvious in the seating arrangement, with Eugene looking like a scolded toddler being talked down to by a teacher.
Norman had to work overtime to hide his nerves.
The man across from him was a killer and if he wanted to end Norman’s life, there probably wasn’t much Norman could do about that. That didn’t mean Norman had left anything to chance. He had plenty of countermeasures in place to hopefully stop Eugene from killing him, but there was always a chance that they could fail.
“You best start explaining why I shouldn’t just kill you and be on my way.”
Straight to the point, Norman could respect that.
Norman laughed, not that he found this experience comical, he just needed something to break the tension. “Eugene, I have bested you twice already. What makes you think I couldn’t do it a third time? But let's forget that for now. Have you noticed anything… different since you woke up?”
Eugene snarled at Norman but nodded stiffly. “I’m like that damn gron.”
“Excelent observation, yes. Do you know what that means though?”
“Quit playing these stupid games and just spit it out!” Eugene roared.
Somehow, Norman managed to suppress the urge to flinch. He instead rolled his eyes at Eugene’s outburst.
“Very well. You’re dead.”
“What? Is that supposed to be a threat?” The man started to rise from his crate.
Norman remained calm and just shook his head. “Check your pulse.” Norman waited while the man stuck two fingers next to his neck.
“What have you done to me?” the man demanded.
Norman plastered what he thought of as a maniacal smile on his face before leaning forward. “I killed you!”
“If I’m already dead, then there is nothing stopping me from killing you.” The statement was met by Eugene shooting to his feet.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Norman said, casually leaning back in his chair and pulling a knife out. Norman slashed the knife across his arm, severing the tendons at the elbow. A similar cut appeared on Eugene’s remaining arm, causing it to fall uselessly by his side.
The man looked shocked as his arm hung there, while Norman quickly sucked down a healing potion before the blood loss became too much. The demonstration had been necessary, but holy hell had that hurt. At least the pain wasn’t as bad as when he overdosed on magical powder. Norman had to thank that experience for putting pain into perspective for him.
“Sit down, Eugene,” Norman ordered.
Eugene turned back toward Norman. “So, whatever happens to you happens to me? Do you think this will stop me from killing you? I’m fine with dying if it means I can take you with me.”
Norman arched an eyebrow. “Oh, you think death would be my end,” Norman chuckled darkly. “Have you forgotten what I am, Eugene? I am a master of death. I would smile the entire time as you tried to choke the life out of me, only to watch the light fade in your eyes, all for nothing as I would rise again, unharmed. So, sit down. I won’t ask again.”
Eugene hesitated but did eventually sit back down and Norman almost blew his act by exhaling in relief. The hardest part was over. Norman knew that convincing Eugene that any attempt to kill him was pointless was key to further discussions. Now Norman just needed to do the second hardest part by convincing Eugene to switch sides.
Some people might think it was dumb to try and recruit a man that had attempted to kill you only a few days ago, but Norman looked at it differently. Eugene was a soldier, a killer, sure. But he had a set code. He followed orders, even if he didn’t like them. He was also very blunt and forward. Which made him more trustworthy than a certain person Norman was working with at the moment.
“Good. Now, you’re a smart man, Eugene. Can you guess as to why I would make you an undead?”
The man still had a scowl on his face, but he quickly answered. “If I tried to go back to Sin like this, he would view me as a traitor. And even if he didn’t the man would never quite trust me fully.”
Norman clapped his hands and giggled like a madman, really laying the insane Necromancer role on thick. “Yes. Not that he would likely trust you anyway after you failed to kill me, not once, but twice. So I have another offer to make you. Work for me.”
Eugene hacked a big ball of black phlegm onto the floor between them. “And why would I do that? You’re a twisted fuck that gets off on using corpses as your playthings.”
Norman tsked loudly and leaned back in his chair. “Sure I utilize corpses in my magic, so what? How is that any different than utilizing any other resource to your advantage? And I don’t kill unless I have to, unlike Sin… or you,” Norman added pointedly. “You came here to kill me, for what? Revenge? Give me a break. Sin is a petty tyrant playing at being this master tactician. Tell me, Eugene, how did your fight go with Gail?”
Norman was sure if the man still had a heartbeat, his face would have been purple with rage.
“Hmm, not good from what I heard. How many people in your little club died that day? Did Sin so much as bat an eye at the losses? You don’t have to answer that, I can guess that he didn’t. Why be loyal to a man that uses you like a hunting dog and throws you away when you become too much of a threat to him? Because we both know that’s what he did here isn’t it?”
It was obvious when Norman’s words finally broke through to the man as he seemed to deflate.
“And you’re supposed to be any different?” Eugene demanded.
Norman hopped off his crate and walked over to Eugene, holding an open bottle of healing potion for him. “Yes. I won’t use you like some disposable piece on a chess board. All I ask for is your loyalty and trust. The same things you gave Sin. Only I already know you’re dangerous, and that’s why I want you on my side.”
Eugene leaned forward, snatching the bottle between his teeth and sucking down the contents. Getting the Blood Oath spell not to transfer healing effects had taken a bit of tweaking but Norman had figured it out. Eugene’s remaining arm repaired itself and when it was fully healed, his hand shot out and wrapped around Norman’s neck but Eugene didn’t squeeze. Norman didn’t so much as flinch, looking Eugene dead in the eyes.
“I could kill you without hesitation,” Eugene said.
“You could,” Norman replied casually. “But you won’t. I can see that you are curious about my offer.”
The staring contest lasted for another five seconds before Eugene released Norman. “Fine.”
Norman smiled a triumphant smile, then slapped Eugene on his arm. “Good, now follow me, and let's see if we can get that missing arm taken care of.”
Externally, Norman exuded an aura of confidence and assurance, acting as if everything was going to plan. Internally he was a wreck, his guts churned and he wanted to vomit, but he maintained the façade of being a slightly insane master of death.
“What about Sin, he won’t stop coming after you until he knows you’re dead.”
“Bah, Sin isn’t of any concern to me. I suspect that he has enough troubles back home to keep him busy for some time. My guess is he is losing control and the rank and file looked to you for assurance. Why else would he send you here? It gets you out of the way at best, at worst, it gets rid of you completely. That witch Gail is of more concern to me at the moment, but that should sort itself out soon as well.” And that was true for the most part.
Although Norman wasn’t certain if Sin actually had issues in his organization or why he chose to send Eugene after him. Norman just mentioned it so he could add another wedge between the pair. The fact that Eugene believed it, meant Norman probably wasn’t far from the truth though.
Eugene paused at hearing the witch's name. “You are going to kill Gail?”
“Me, no,” Norman chuckled, “I just gave someone with a grudge bigger than mine enough agency to deal with the problem themself.” He hoped Brigette was capable of delivering the death blow to Gail, anyone capable of knocking Sin down a peg and running him out of a city was not someone Norman had the capability of dealing with himself. At least not yet.
Over the next hour, Norman got the big man up to speed on what he was planning. Then he sent him off into the body storage area with a diagram of the Stasis spell and enough bones to store nearly two-hundred bodies, telling him to focus on non-gron or any enhanced humans he came across. Anyone with the spell and the proper ingredients could work the spell, making it redundant for Norman to be there.
He would have gone himself if he hadn’t just received a text from the President that a site large enough for Norman’s next magic circle was ready.
Getting Eugene on his side was a big win for Norman. One he planned on keeping quiet from a certain alphabet soup agent.
Eugene was far more trustworthy than Toby, even without the Blood Oath spell keeping him in line. Plus Norman was sure Eugene would come around to seeing the advantages of his new condition, unlike Toby. Then there was Grobert, Norman was sure Grobert could keep Eugene from doing anything stupid.
That left only one more issue to deal with before Norman left this god-awful town and it was something Norman had been looking forward to for some time.
It was a shame that the fire mage would have to die though, he would have made a fantastic undead minion. But Eugene had told Norman about the man, and he did not sound like the type of man that could be reasoned with or controlled. According to Eugene, the man got his jollies off on watching people die slowly and painfully as he immolated them from the extremities inward. Norman shuddered at that, wondering why Eugene thought that type of man was a good person to work with.
Then again, when trying to kill someone you thought of as a monster, it was best to involve another monster. Norman still wasn’t sure why he had such a bad reputation. He had only personally killed one man so far, not including turning people undead. And that was a reflex for survival, not like he went out of his way to find the man.
All of those thoughts went away as Norman entered the new building. The President said the mage would remain sedated for a few hours, but the President wouldn’t be here to assist if anything went sideways. That should be more than enough time though as Norman hurried inside.
Norman had time until Eugene awoke after his change, so he tried to arrange the area to make himself look more intimidating. He thought it wouldn’t hurt to help him pull off this next bit. After a while, Norman rearranged the seating again, realizing that trying to look intimidating against Eugene wasn’t going to work for him. Instead, Norman went for laid back and unconcerned. Since this was Norman’s default state, he could pull it off much easier. He needed Eugene to be off balance second-guessing himself.
What Norman was about to do was a huge risk and could easily result in his death. But this was a risk Norman was willing to take. It didn’t help his nerves any though as he had to keep wiping his sweat-slicked hands off on his shorts while waiting for Eugene to awaken.
Even though it was a risk, if Norman pulled it off, it would be a huge win for him, and a huge blow to Sin. That is if it worked. On the flip side, if this plan didn’t work in his favor, well, there was always plan B. While it would be a waste of Eugene’s talents, Norman wasn’t about to throw away a perfectly good body.
When Eugene finally awoke, Norman was sitting on a chair made of boxes that gave him a slight height advantage without making him look comically ridiculous like with his first attempt.
Norman cleared his throat, getting Eugene’s attention.
Eugene’s head whipped toward the noise and Norman saw the man’s eyes narrow. But the man scanned the room before speaking. “I see your new friends are gone. If you let me out of this cage, I will make your death quick and painless.”
Norman shrugged, “doors unlocked.” The bait was planted. What would he do?
He saw surprise, then suspicion in Eugene’s eyes at that statement. Eugene placed his hand on the door but paused, not opening it.
Norman had to try hard not to sag with relief. While he was ready for the man to burst out of the cage and attack him, he had hoped the man had a level head. His initial gamble had paid off. The man was cautious, Norman could work with that.
“What's the catch?” Eugene growled.
Norman smiled. “I knew you were a smart man, there is a catch. But how about you come out here and sit so we can have a proper discussion? Talking to you through a cage isn’t very civil, wouldn’t you agree?”
Eugene still hesitated for a bit longer. Norman could see the desire to rush out and end Norman’s miserable life in his eyes but Eugene schooled his desire well. That didn’t mean everything Eugene did was controlled. Norman watched the man’s knuckles go white as he gripped the bar of the cage. Norman could hear them creak under the strain but they didn’t give.
‘What the hell is that cage made of?’ Norman asked himself. He had seen Eugene’s strength and speed, no normal metal would have stood up to him for long.
Eventually, Eugene opened the cage door and stepped out. After glancing around the warehouse – probably looking for a hidden Grobert – he took a seat across from Norman.
The power dynamic was obvious in the seating arrangement, with Eugene looking like a scolded toddler being talked down to by a teacher.
Norman had to work overtime to hide his nerves.
The man across from him was a killer and if he wanted to end Norman’s life, there probably wasn’t much Norman could do about that. That didn’t mean Norman had left anything to chance. He had plenty of countermeasures in place to hopefully stop Eugene from killing him, but there was always a chance that they could fail.
“You best start explaining why I shouldn’t just kill you and be on my way.”
Straight to the point, Norman could respect that.
Norman laughed, not that he found this experience comical, he just needed something to break the tension. “Eugene, I have bested you twice already. What makes you think I couldn’t do it a third time? But let's forget that for now. Have you noticed anything… different since you woke up?”
Eugene snarled at Norman but nodded stiffly. “I’m like that damn gron.”
“Excelent observation, yes. Do you know what that means though?”
“Quit playing these stupid games and just spit it out!” Eugene roared.
Somehow, Norman managed to suppress the urge to flinch. He instead rolled his eyes at Eugene’s outburst.
“Very well. You’re dead.”
“What? Is that supposed to be a threat?” The man started to rise from his crate.
Norman remained calm and just shook his head. “Check your pulse.” Norman waited while the man stuck two fingers next to his neck.
“What have you done to me?” the man demanded.
Norman plastered what he thought of as a maniacal smile on his face before leaning forward. “I killed you!”
“If I’m already dead, then there is nothing stopping me from killing you.” The statement was met by Eugene shooting to his feet.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Norman said, casually leaning back in his chair and pulling a knife out. Norman slashed the knife across his arm, severing the tendons at the elbow. A similar cut appeared on Eugene’s remaining arm, causing it to fall uselessly by his side.
The man looked shocked as his arm hung there, while Norman quickly sucked down a healing potion before the blood loss became too much. The demonstration had been necessary, but holy hell had that hurt. At least the pain wasn’t as bad as when he overdosed on magical powder. Norman had to thank that experience for putting pain into perspective for him.
“Sit down, Eugene,” Norman ordered.
Eugene turned back toward Norman. “So, whatever happens to you happens to me? Do you think this will stop me from killing you? I’m fine with dying if it means I can take you with me.”
Norman arched an eyebrow. “Oh, you think death would be my end,” Norman chuckled darkly. “Have you forgotten what I am, Eugene? I am a master of death. I would smile the entire time as you tried to choke the life out of me, only to watch the light fade in your eyes, all for nothing as I would rise again, unharmed. So, sit down. I won’t ask again.”
Eugene hesitated but did eventually sit back down and Norman almost blew his act by exhaling in relief. The hardest part was over. Norman knew that convincing Eugene that any attempt to kill him was pointless was key to further discussions. Now Norman just needed to do the second hardest part by convincing Eugene to switch sides.
Some people might think it was dumb to try and recruit a man that had attempted to kill you only a few days ago, but Norman looked at it differently. Eugene was a soldier, a killer, sure. But he had a set code. He followed orders, even if he didn’t like them. He was also very blunt and forward. Which made him more trustworthy than a certain person Norman was working with at the moment.
“Good. Now, you’re a smart man, Eugene. Can you guess as to why I would make you an undead?”
The man still had a scowl on his face, but he quickly answered. “If I tried to go back to Sin like this, he would view me as a traitor. And even if he didn’t the man would never quite trust me fully.”
Norman clapped his hands and giggled like a madman, really laying the insane Necromancer role on thick. “Yes. Not that he would likely trust you anyway after you failed to kill me, not once, but twice. So I have another offer to make you. Work for me.”
Eugene hacked a big ball of black phlegm onto the floor between them. “And why would I do that? You’re a twisted fuck that gets off on using corpses as your playthings.”
Norman tsked loudly and leaned back in his chair. “Sure I utilize corpses in my magic, so what? How is that any different than utilizing any other resource to your advantage? And I don’t kill unless I have to, unlike Sin… or you,” Norman added pointedly. “You came here to kill me, for what? Revenge? Give me a break. Sin is a petty tyrant playing at being this master tactician. Tell me, Eugene, how did your fight go with Gail?”
Norman was sure if the man still had a heartbeat, his face would have been purple with rage.
“Hmm, not good from what I heard. How many people in your little club died that day? Did Sin so much as bat an eye at the losses? You don’t have to answer that, I can guess that he didn’t. Why be loyal to a man that uses you like a hunting dog and throws you away when you become too much of a threat to him? Because we both know that’s what he did here isn’t it?”
It was obvious when Norman’s words finally broke through to the man as he seemed to deflate.
“And you’re supposed to be any different?” Eugene demanded.
Norman hopped off his crate and walked over to Eugene, holding an open bottle of healing potion for him. “Yes. I won’t use you like some disposable piece on a chess board. All I ask for is your loyalty and trust. The same things you gave Sin. Only I already know you’re dangerous, and that’s why I want you on my side.”
Eugene leaned forward, snatching the bottle between his teeth and sucking down the contents. Getting the Blood Oath spell not to transfer healing effects had taken a bit of tweaking but Norman had figured it out. Eugene’s remaining arm repaired itself and when it was fully healed, his hand shot out and wrapped around Norman’s neck but Eugene didn’t squeeze. Norman didn’t so much as flinch, looking Eugene dead in the eyes.
“I could kill you without hesitation,” Eugene said.
“You could,” Norman replied casually. “But you won’t. I can see that you are curious about my offer.”
The staring contest lasted for another five seconds before Eugene released Norman. “Fine.”
Norman smiled a triumphant smile, then slapped Eugene on his arm. “Good, now follow me, and let's see if we can get that missing arm taken care of.”
Externally, Norman exuded an aura of confidence and assurance, acting as if everything was going to plan. Internally he was a wreck, his guts churned and he wanted to vomit, but he maintained the façade of being a slightly insane master of death.
“What about Sin, he won’t stop coming after you until he knows you’re dead.”
“Bah, Sin isn’t of any concern to me. I suspect that he has enough troubles back home to keep him busy for some time. My guess is he is losing control and the rank and file looked to you for assurance. Why else would he send you here? It gets you out of the way at best, at worst, it gets rid of you completely. That witch Gail is of more concern to me at the moment, but that should sort itself out soon as well.” And that was true for the most part.
Although Norman wasn’t certain if Sin actually had issues in his organization or why he chose to send Eugene after him. Norman just mentioned it so he could add another wedge between the pair. The fact that Eugene believed it, meant Norman probably wasn’t far from the truth though.
Eugene paused at hearing the witch's name. “You are going to kill Gail?”
“Me, no,” Norman chuckled, “I just gave someone with a grudge bigger than mine enough agency to deal with the problem themself.” He hoped Brigette was capable of delivering the death blow to Gail, anyone capable of knocking Sin down a peg and running him out of a city was not someone Norman had the capability of dealing with himself. At least not yet.
Over the next hour, Norman got the big man up to speed on what he was planning. Then he sent him off into the body storage area with a diagram of the Stasis spell and enough bones to store nearly two-hundred bodies, telling him to focus on non-gron or any enhanced humans he came across. Anyone with the spell and the proper ingredients could work the spell, making it redundant for Norman to be there.
He would have gone himself if he hadn’t just received a text from the President that a site large enough for Norman’s next magic circle was ready.
Getting Eugene on his side was a big win for Norman. One he planned on keeping quiet from a certain alphabet soup agent.
Eugene was far more trustworthy than Toby, even without the Blood Oath spell keeping him in line. Plus Norman was sure Eugene would come around to seeing the advantages of his new condition, unlike Toby. Then there was Grobert, Norman was sure Grobert could keep Eugene from doing anything stupid.
That left only one more issue to deal with before Norman left this god-awful town and it was something Norman had been looking forward to for some time.
It was a shame that the fire mage would have to die though, he would have made a fantastic undead minion. But Eugene had told Norman about the man, and he did not sound like the type of man that could be reasoned with or controlled. According to Eugene, the man got his jollies off on watching people die slowly and painfully as he immolated them from the extremities inward. Norman shuddered at that, wondering why Eugene thought that type of man was a good person to work with.
Then again, when trying to kill someone you thought of as a monster, it was best to involve another monster. Norman still wasn’t sure why he had such a bad reputation. He had only personally killed one man so far, not including turning people undead. And that was a reflex for survival, not like he went out of his way to find the man.
All of those thoughts went away as Norman entered the new building. The President said the mage would remain sedated for a few hours, but the President wouldn’t be here to assist if anything went sideways. That should be more than enough time though as Norman hurried inside.
