The Peculiar Alchemist

3 || The Ambitious Leader

There were many powerful families pulling the strings, but one family stood above them all holding all the power in their hand. Nobody knew anything about them, nobody could see any of the members until they appear out of nowhere in some event, and Vincent was probably the only living person who came close to unraveling the secret shrouding that family.

Their crest was drawn on many of the books he had stored in his library, a stamp proving their ownership of them. Those books were stolen, and they traversed the world until they found their way to Vincent.

And those books were horrid.

If anyone knew about their existence, they'd either be burned or have their knowledge utilized for something just as sinister as their content. However, Vincent wasn't exactly an innocent man, and he rarely found himself to be bothered with things such as morals, yet he still had his limits.

But the Abbotts did not bother with anything like morals, they only bothered with keeping their secrets and power.

Which is why Vincent found himself making a new friend.

The woman who came to visit him was a terrifying middle-aged woman with eyes filled with ambition and intelligence. Her white hair fell past her shoulders and her grey eyes bore into him as if they knew his darkest secrets. Something about her made her trustworthy and convincing with her words, and he found himself easily allowing her to convince him to form this friendship of theirs.

However, this woman was the leader of a newly-formed cult, and it was nothing decent.

But she found a valuable ally in the wealthy young Vincent, and he found a way to ensure his safety from this dangerous woman and her heinous murderous cult.

Still, they did share a common goal.

"We still don't know anything about the Abbotts." She told him crossing her legs as she took a more relaxed posture in her seat. "I assure you, though, I will stop at nothing to get rid of their sickening presence."

Vincent found himself unsure if he wanted to live in a world controlled by the Abbotts, or by her. Both did not sound like a favorable thing.

"They do have many secrets, but we know for sure that they're hiding this." He told her placing one of the stolen books in front of her. "Do not ask me how I came across these, but I am sure they can tell you a lot about what's being hidden."

The white-haired woman, Briar, reached for the book and found that it had no title telling her of what to expect from its contents. When she opened it, however, she found something so vile and disgusting greeting her sight.

Rituals were horrible on their own. Anyone practicing them would be deemed immoral and shunned by the majority of the population.

The rituals depicted in the book she was holding were nothing as horrible, they were a lot more revolting and appalling. If it was anybody else, they might be feeling nauseous by now.

However, Briar wasn't just anyone. She was uniquely wicked, and a delighted smile formed on her face as she turned the pages.

"Interesting." She breathed out happily absorbing everything she was seeing. The way she behaved should have been disconcerting, but Vincent wasn't one to judge her excitement. He did use the knowledge the book had offered. But then Briar closed the book and finally looked up at him with an elated look on her face. "It seems like our friends share something with us."

"Yes, it seems like they do." He agreed.

Briar titled her head at him with a smile. "Care to share what you know?"

Returning her smile, Vincent walked over to take a seat across from her and looked at her thoughtfully. "First of all, I need your little ghost over there to get out of this room." He pointed somewhere to her left where the ghost of a young man stood, and Vincent could see the way his eyes widened in surprise at being seen.

Briar, however, was unaffected as she waved her hand. "Leave us alone, Sammy."

Unable to argue her command, Sammy left the room going through the door as he did so. Once the room became empty of any spirits, Briar turned to her friend. "Anything else?"

Vincent shook his head. "I am not sure how safe you are, but no matter what, do not let the ghosts know anything important."

It was clear to Vincent that as incredible as her cult was, Briar was clueless to some very important things. "What do you mean?"

"These books were stolen from the Abbotts." He told her knowing that she saw what kind of book it was and the rituals depicted there. The conclusion was easy to make. "If they weren't practicing necromancy, then they're at least extremely well-informed about it. It's best to not let the dead know anything as a precaution."

"But how? They're already-"

"I know. You've been thoughtlessly calling them to you. Your whole cult is." Vincent chuckled resting his cheek on his fist as he gave her an entertained look. There was so much she did not know. "All it takes is one ritual, one drop of blood, and one summoned spirit for me to know just where exactly your cult is located."

That made Briar frown and move in her place in worry. "What are you saying?"

"I am saying that they likely already know all about you and your cult." He told her with a smirk as he watched the horror appear on her face before it gradually became a stony expression. Her lips thinned as she considered what he told her.

Deciding to trust him, Briar's eyes met his as she spoke. "Any suggestions on what I should do?"

"As a fellow necromancer, I suggest you hide as best as you can. Ward off unwanted souls, and make sure you wipe the memory of the ones you summon." He advised her lazily feeling like he was repeating a textbook answer of what he had learned so far. These were things he drilled into his own memory and it enabled him to evade their attention so far. "I also suggest you relocate."

His last suggestion made Briar snort. "Obviously."

Vincent regarded her in a moment of consideration before he made his inquiry about what has been bugging him ever since her visit. "Tell me, why form this cult of yours? What's your goal?"

"As I told you before, I want to get rid of the Abbotts and take their place."

"Hm," Vincent nodded his head not quite sure what to say about this. It was clear that the cult leader was very ambitious, but he was curious as to how far she would go. "I'd like my involvement to not be disclosed to anyone, but what is it you're looking for, really? How may I help?"

This time it was Briar who regarded him in consideration before she spoke. "I plan to resurrect someone from the dead."

That made Vincent sit up in his seat with a scowl on his face, and he shook his head in disapproval. He didn't take her for the sentimental type. "Not that it has never been done before, but they never come back the same. It's better to let your loved one rest."

Briar laughed at this. "Oh, no, you misunderstand. They're currently alive."

"Then why..." It didn't make any sense to him as he looked at her in loss.

"Because my dear friend," She told him with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "I want to kill them and bring them back as my thrall. I plan to enslave them."

That was certainly an interesting idea, but unfortunately Vincent lacked the proper knowledge to be of help. It actually impressed him a little. He's well adept in necromancy, especially for his young age, but he knew that resurrection never went well for anyone who tried it. It always ended in disaster.

Still, he had no doubt in his mind that their answers would be found in one of the books the Abbotts loved to hide from the world and keep to themselves. Yet there's still one question he kept asking himself.

Do they use the knowledge they have stored away, or do they plan to eradicate every living necromancer?

After all, Vincent found his friends to be dwindling steadily in numbers.