The grandiose door swung open, the age of the door showing, as it slowly creaked open. Exposing the far too elegant and luxurious interior. A massive chandelier cast of pure gold, hanged precariously from the ceiling. Several dozen fire burning candles, layed on a multitude of furniture. Every piece of furniture as extravagant as the chandelier, tables lined with gold, masterwork art pieces framed in frames that could only be described as perfection incarnate. All culminating in a staggering staircase, leading up to a higher floor.

The slow reveal of the interior left Sev's eyes both an appreciation for the ever-growing treasury of Lucius and a well-kept envy. Unlike Nora, her eyes only briefly paused over the extravagance. Herself having become dulled to such displays of wealth. Her only thoughts being on how such lofty collection, in her words, was a waste of a fortune.

As Nora entered, a series of rattling noises echoed the second floor of the building. The rattling noise continued to grow until, two skeletons in their loud and inelegant moves, rushed down the staircase, fumbling and falling part way down the staircase. Completing their folly in a pile of bones, scattered at the foot of the larger-than-life staircase.

"I see that Scraps and Brook are still alive, alive-ish, well alive enough" the pile of bones reminding Sev of some of his younger years. "Come on you two, don't be so impolite, this is Nora"

The rough pile of bones started to shimmer, slowly reforming them into the two skeletons that Nora had seen running down the staircase previously.

"Nora here is my inheritor, treat her and you would treat me" Sev spoke slowly, ensuring the two buffoonish skeletons understood.

"Sev, how do I tell them apart? Which is Scraps, and which is Brook?"

"It doesn't really matter, they're always together so they've both been Scraps and they've both been Brook. It just matters which is closer..."

Lucius, who had been awkwardly standing beside Sev, completely mute and confused finally spoke out, "They listen to you instantly, but after 40 years they haven't followed a single one of my commands! Those ungrateful bastards!"

"Don't blame them, they're kinda slow on the uptake..." Sev spoke, trying to be the kind voice for the two skeletons, "Nora you see, these two skeletons aren't like any other. They were the result of one of my more curious experiments. Unlike traditional summoned skeletons, who have their consciousness and life-energy centralized and contained within their skulls, these two were manually, and painstakingly created by hand, several dozen miniature arrays within their bones spread their consciousness and life-energy throughout their entire body. Storing the consciousness and life-energy in such a manner caused them to be extremely difficult to permanently injure while slowing down their mental prowess..."

Sighing, in memories of days long past, "For some reason or another, I could never destroy them. Something about my first original creation brought a sense of... well I don't know... maybe fatherly attachment?"

"Yeah, that same 'fatherly attachment' is why I've been stuck with them for the larger part of 35 years!" Lucius' internal displeasure rearing its head.

Instinctually, Sev smacked Lucius in the back of the head. "Don't be so rude to Scraps and Brook!"

-

Great Mage Mirlie and Sev had now been travelling on the road for what Mirlie considered far too long. Her initial anger had cooled off, her hope to save face rested of the cultivation manual which Nora had gifted Percy, the so-called, 'Tempering by a Thousand Cuts'.

Ever since she had a change of heart, the ride had been going a lot smoother. Great Mage Mirlie had even begun to give some pointers in the ways of the Mage to Percy. His real age shining through as he attempted to absorb all the new information.

Or at least everything had been going smoother until Great Mage Mirlie's gaze shifted violently, peering out the window.

"Stop the carriage!"

The coachman who had been driving the academy provided carriage immediately halted at the instruction of Great Mage Mirlie.

Great Mage Mirlie hastily jumped out of the carriage, unveiling a staff Percy had yet to see. The seemingly out of nowhere staff materializing from a bland metallic ring on her hand.

The staff itself standing nearly two heads taller than Great Mage Mirlie. The towering staff possessing the appearance of a large branch with a large green emerald at its head.

At the appearance of the staff, Percy couldn't help but be curious, "Great Mage Mirlie, what's with-"

"Not Now! There's a time for questions and there's a time for action. Ask me later, we've got some unexpected friends!"

A fair way down the road, a man dressed head-to-toe in a black robe, mounted on a large wolf was charging his way towards them. As the man neared, Great Mage Mirlie's vigilance skyrocketed. She could sense an uncontrollable bloodlust from the man. Something far more akin to a berserk state than to malintent.

With the quickly closing distance, Great Mage Mirlie had to make a choice, either to let the distance close further and attempt to reason with the black-robed man or to pre-emptively attack the seemingly hostile man.

She quickly ran the question in her head, weighing the positives and negatives both of the potential outcomes. Her decision was aided when she noticed that the wolf which the man was riding on, had some significant signs of rot and decay, missing fur, blank eyes, exposed muscle. Clearly, the wolf had been raised into some state of undeath.

"Damn it!" having long known the power of those who practice any of the forms of black magic, Great Mage Mirlie, decided that the best course of action was to attempt to finish the black-mage off at a distance before they could begin to create further troubles up at a closer distance.

Great Mage Mirlie, in a burst of power, slammed her staff into the gravel road and piercing the dirt. Instantly, the branch-like staff began to writhe as it came to life and created it's own roots, stabilizing and locking it in place.

"In the name of Scalan, the Lord who granted the first flames," while holding onto the staff, a fury of Great Mage Mirlie's mana was channelled through the rooted staff, forming a red ball of pure flame, hovering precariously above the staff, "grant me your might, for the praise of your flame, for glory of your flame, for destruction by your flame!" with every word the ball of flame reformed into a three meter long spear of fiery fury.

Seeing the progress of the incantation, the black-robed man increased his speed to his maximum. The undead wolf now rushing at full pace towards Great Mage Mirlie.

In a quiet voice, she spoke the last of the incantation, "For those who side with death, grant them life..." with the last word, the spear turned from a pure red flame, into a blossoming blue flame.

With a single powerful motion, Great Mage Mirlie viciously tore the staff from the ground and pointed it towards the black-robed man. Following its instruction, the spear hurtled towards the black-robed man with unimaginable speed. The heat emanating from the spear scorching the ground below it as it soared.

In mere seconds, the spear tore into the black-robed man, the sheer force throwing him off the undead wolf. Only the sound of a brief scream echoed in the surrounding area, before being cut short by the flames completely engulfed the man.

Yet, the wolf kept charging. Completely undisturbed it kept running. "I've been had!"

With the death of the presumed necromancer, the wolf should have returned to its natural death, yet it kept charging. Something was way too off.

Sensing danger, she ran back to the carriage and hoped onto its roof. Wanting to protect the carriage, she created a primitive Level-1 Mana shield to enshroud the carriage, causing a faint blue glow shimmered on the surface of the carriage.

Her actions being proved right, as a nearly a dozen more black-robed individuals appeared in the distance, all riding similarly raised undead wolves.

"Oh fuck..."

-

"Scraps and Brook, could you show Nora to the guestroom? After the long journey, I presumed she'd like to rest. I still have a few details to settle with Lucius..." Sev's eyes immediately sending a shiver down Lucius' spine, "and don't worry, I'll bring the puppies to your room as soon as I'm done..." a devious smile returning to Lucius

The shambling skeletons both latched onto Nora's hands and guided her upstairs. The speed of the skeletons causing Nora to worry, for their past display of agility worried her as the ascended.

As they reached the top of the staircase, Nora saw the true size of the mansion, as the grand hallways stretched into a maze of rooms and further hallways.

Now on flat-ground, and no longer the staircase, the speed of the skeletons only quickened. Somehow managing to stay in one piece, they guided Nora down the maze of hallways and eventually in front of a large wooden door, the dark ash colour, although bleak, showed both elegance and simplicity, in contrast with the front entrance.

Excitedly, Nora opened the door, only to reveal a dark and dusty room. Although the room did not lack exquisite furniture, such as a king-size bed resting in the centre of the room, a large end-table neatly placed to the left of the bed with an ornate clock on top, or the series of abstract paintings on the walls. The furniture took on a far more monotone appearance, compared to the front entrance of the mansion. Appearing in varying shades of black and dark grey.

The darkness further supported by a single candle, already lit on the end-table beside the king-sized bed. While all the other candles strewn around the room remained unlit and lifeless.

When Nora turned to look at Scraps and Brook, they had already fled back down the hallways, presumably making their way to their creator, Sev.

'Well, I guess it's up to me...'

Nora then used the scarce fire element particles in the air to light the remaining candles in the room. Restoring a far more lively look to the room.

Finally, all alone, she hastily jumped onto the bed, 'I hope that Great Mage Mirlie and Percy are having a pleasant time on the way here..."

-

"Why the fuck are there so many wolves!