The early morning air on the eerie island still clung with mist as sunlight struggled to break through the overcast sky. Strange vines twisted along blackened trees and grotesque, birdlike creatures cawed in the distance. A sense of dread hung over the place, and yet it was here, in this isolated corner of the world, that Vanthelis Blackthorn found himself reborn anew.
He stood in the center of the mansion's dim hallway, breathing heavily. The orb had confirmed it—his power had awakened. But this wasn't just magic. This was something greater, something terrifying. And it thrilled him.
With a sudden burst of energy, he turned to Ishlar.
"Ishlar! Do we have any gold coins?" he asked, eyes wide with anticipation.
Ishlar blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden question. "Uh... Yes, my lord. There are crates of old coinage in the mansion's warehouse. Why?"
Vanthelis almost laughed. "Lead me there. Quickly. I need to show you something."
Still confused, Ishlar nodded and led the way down a corridor toward the back of the mansion. They passed stone statues cloaked in ivy and storage rooms filled with dust-covered crates. Eventually, they arrived at a heavy wooden door. Ishlar unlocked it and pushed it open.
Inside were piles of crates, some opened and spilling gold coins that shimmered faintly in the faint torchlight.
Vanthelis nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect."
He turned to Ishlar. "Ishlar, my power... I've awakened something. I can build structures. I can summon. Just watch. Let me show you."
With a thought, he brought up the system interface only he could see. Blue ethereal text flickered into existence before his eyes.
WIII System Interface
Build Options:
A. Use 20 Gold to construct a new Necropolis.
B. Use 10 Gold to convert existing structure into a Necropolis.
Vanthelis smiled. He wasn't about to waste the mansion. It was already structurally strong and strategically hidden.
He selected Option B.
The moment he did, the warehouse—and the entire mansion—trembled.
A green glow enveloped the walls. The torches flickered violently as if reacting to some unseen force. The floor rumbled under their feet.
Outside, the mansion's outer shell began to shift. Huge, chitinous claws sprouted from the ground around the building like the legs of a monstrous spider. They curled around the structure, lifting parts of it, anchoring themselves into the corrupted soil.
"What... what is that?!" Ishlar shouted, backing away from the window in disbelief.
"That," Vanthelis said, eyes reflecting the eerie green light, "is my power."
The transformation continued. The once weathered stone walls of the mansion began to shift and stretch, turning a deep obsidian black. Polished steel reinforcements emerged, twisted into monstrous shapes, some resembling warped faces and reaching claws. Hands—human and not—appeared embedded in the outer walls, locked in eternal agony as if they were the very foundation. Iron bars jutted out like bone spurs, reinforcing the edges of the structure.
Windows turned from dusty glass to violet-glowing crystal panes, illuminating the surroundings in a ghostly hue.
It was terrifying.
It was magnificent.
An hour passed before the transformation completed. What once was a noble mansion was now something far more sinister—a structure of both dread and dominion. The first Necropolis.
Vanthelis couldn't stop staring.
It didn't look like something from this world. It looked like a fortress built by the dead for the dead. And yet, it felt... right.
He called up his system interface again.
Necropolis Constructed.
New Units Available: Acolyte (Cost: 1 Gold each)
Current Gold: 90
Additional Structures: Locked.
A small window opened beside the main display, showing a ghostly image of a robed figure holding a staff and glowing with sickly green energy.
Acolyte - "Loyal servants of the dead, these initiates handle the gathering of resources and the summoning of greater buildings."
Vanthelis grinned.
This was just the beginning.
He turned to Ishlar, who still looked stunned. "We start here. This place will become our base. Our stronghold. I don't expect you to understand what this power is or where it came from... but with it, we will rise again."
Ishlar hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Then I will follow you, my lord. To the end."
Outside, the mist crept in closer to the Necropolis, as if drawn by the pulse of dark energy now radiating from it. The mansion was gone. In its place stood the first stronghold of Vanthelis Blackthorn.
And it would not be the last.