Juana Underwood rode in her covered wagon down the animal trail. It was just big enough to fit them. The wagon was pulled by a pair of skeletal horses. The rickety thing would bounce whenever it hit a mound of dirt. It was said this used to be a regular road, but that was long since passed.
"They really need to fix this blasted road," Juana complained. She wore a blue gown with a matching cape, her green skirt having gotten wrapped around her legs a bit with all the bouncing.
"And just who is going to bother maintaining this old thing? Aren't we off the main road?" Ness Simms spoke with her usual condescending tone as she looked up from her book. She was a neko dressed in an old maid uniform. Around her neck was a leather collar, small engravings inscribed on the metalwork.
"Well, they should mend it now. Soon it will get lots of traffic."
"Oh, I'm sure they will get right on that." Ness rolled her eyes, looking back at the pages.
This wagon was one of a larger caravan. However, Juana and Ness were the only breathing members of this group. The rest were dead, stripped of their flesh and blood for quite some time. Behind them were more wagons pulled by skeletons. Behind them were even more skeletons on foot. Juana had been unable to acquire enough wagons for everything, so when the time came to move out of her home in the forest, she packed up what she could and left the rest to be carried by the horde of the undead.
Juana is a necromancer. She had spent a few years looting battlefields for bones and weapons. Everything of use, she squirreled away in her cave. However, it had now gotten too crowded in there and it was time to move on.
Ness was also something Juana had picked up. The woman was a much better cook then Juana was, so she kept her around. One such as her couldn't be bothered to cook her own meals, after all.
In time, they had gotten to where they were going. They exited the forest and came out into the clearing. Before them were the ruins of an old village, stone foundations marking where houses used to be. Juana never learned the name of this village; she hadn't bothered to ask the dead. What was important was not the name, but the castle that still stood tall.
"We're here." The wagon soon came to a stop in front of the gates. The skeletal ogres dropped their cargo and moved in front to clear what was left of the wooden doorway.
"Charming." Ness closed her book and looked at the dilapidated fortress. "I would say you should ask for your money back, but I know you didn't pay anything for it."
"It just needs a bit of work and it will be worthy of one such as I." Juana stepped out of the wagon, stretching her legs before taking her staff and walking through the open gate.
"I'd say it's already worthy of you." Ness hopped out a minute later. She stepped aside for the skeleton wolves to run by. "Well, I can't imagine it has a usable kitchen."
"Then you best fix that,” Juana remarked, looking back at Ness before entering the courtyard. It was full of weeds and even a few randomly placed trees. "From the looks of it, the walls are still sturdy. That said, it should still work well as a defendable location. It's settled: from this day forth, this shall be known as Castle Underwood."
One of the ogres pulled its arm from its socket as it tried to open the main door to the castle. It picked it up and popped it back into place. While the other door seemed to have been busted down, this one appeared to be in relatively good shape.
The other skeletons started bringing the caravan into the courtyard. They pulled the wagons to the side and started piling up the boxes and chests.
Ness walked into the castle, then quickly ran out. "Looks like someone’s already in there."
"Who dares intrude on my domain?" Juana struck the ground with her staff. A number of skeletons, including the ogres, dropped what they were doing and ran inside the castle. She followed behind them.
It was dark inside, the only visible light coming from the broken windows. However, she could see mushroom-like monsters inside. They were about three to four feet tall. They were sluggish at first, but soon started waddling over to the skeletons.
"Looks like I will have to do some house cleaning after all." Juana raised her staff and summoned blue lighting, striking the mushroom monsters, killing three of them.
The skeletons started fighting right after that initial blast. They had the numbers and their queen had the power. They started brawling, the human-sized skeletons slashing with their rusted swords, the ogres knocking them around, and the wolves ripping them apart.
The mushrooms were durable at least; being bashed about didn't stop them. Being dismembered or fried, on the other hand, seemed to detrimental to their health. After a few minutes, they cleared the room.
Ness poked her head through the door. "Are they dead?"
"Yes, they're dead. The blasted things don't even have bones. I can't make use of them." Juana snapped her fingers. Her minions started clearing away the remains, but a few stood by.
"I see this place isn't as deserted as you though it was." Ness sighed as she walked back into the hallway. She started to look around. "There’s dust and spiderwebs everywhere."
"I guess you have a lot of cleaning to do, then."
"Oh, give me a break. This place is freaking huge. It will take me forever to clean it by myself." Ness opened a door and looked inside. "That's not it." She closed it and moved onto the next door.
"I will get the skeletons to do something, but for now we should..."
"Ahhh!" Ness screamed and jumped back. A blue naga leapt out of the door she just opened. She missed the neko and turned around for another go.
Juana lifted her arm, pointing her ring at the monster. A blast of light shot from it, striking the foe before she could get off the ground again. The color drained from her body starting at the chest as she slowed to a stop.
"Well isn't this a treat." Juana walked over to the marble form of latest adversary. "Hmmm, the pose is a bit awkward. I guess we can work on that."
Ness gasped. "You're not going to wake her up, are you?"
"Not yet. It will take a lot of work to make her sexy, and I fear I will need my energy for other matters. For now, we will just stick her in a corner and get to her later." Juana eyed Ness as she started moving again. "Ness, stop looking for the kitchen. For now just wait outside... in the courtyard. I'm going to clear out the squatters."
"Finally. This place is starting to stress me out." Ness briskly walked outside. She slipped past the skeletons filing in.
Juana waved her hand over the blue gem in her wand. There were too many skeletons to manage in here. She ordered a number of them to patrol the perimeter. Others gathered in the courtyard. She took a sizable group with her. They then started to look around her new home.
***
It had been over two weeks since they have moved into Castle Underwood. They found a number of monsters and vermin the first three days. They camped in the courtyard at night. Now, the monsters seemed to be wiped out, though the castle was still full of pests.
They had found the kitchen. As predicted, it was hardly in working condition. It was full of grime and cobwebs, most of the tools were rusted, and there was no water. At least the stove's fire crystals still worked.
Juana walked down a hallway followed by a few bone heads. She had only been down the way once or twice before during her search of the castle. She found broken glass on the floor. "Tch…" she grimaced. "Such a damned mess." She aimed her staff at the shards. With a phrase, they shot up into the air and landed in the window. The edges fused together as the frame came back into place. Chipped pieces of stone also returned to their proper place.
There was more rubble just beyond it. Chunks were missing from a stone pillar, claw marks were dug out of the wall, and more windows were broken. She repeated the phrase and the stone and glass flew up, the stone returning to the gaps and the glass returning to the window.
She soon found a staircase, with chunks of wood scattered next to it. Soon, they too flew up into the air, reforming into a hand rail. However, as soon as she relaxed her magic, some of the balusters fell back to the floor. She walked over and picked one up, looking at the decayed end. "Shoot. Rotten." She tossed it to the side and sighed. "Looks like I'm going to need to get that one replaced."
"There you are. I've been looking for you!" Ness ran in from a connecting hallway.
Juana looked back at her. "That's different. Normally, I have to look for you."
"We have an issue now. I've taken stock of our food supply. We’ve run out of rice and fish. There’s only about half a pound of dried meat left. The bread is long gone, even the stale stuff. My vegetable garden won't be ready any time soon, and the apple tree has been picked clean."
"So we're out of food?"
"Don't be so relaxed about this! You're stupid skeletons can't catch fish for crap! They only sometimes bring back some meat. Seriously, I would be better off with pot hawk!" Ness started yelling. "We only have enough left for a few days."
"Shut up!" Ness clamped her mouth shut at Juana's command. She let out a sigh. "I'm sure food won't be an issue. There are a few villages around here. I'm sure they have some extra they can spare. Why do you care so much?"
"Because I'll starve if we have nothing! I don't care about you, but I'll need to eat!" Ness folded her arms and pouted.
"It's about time I paid the villagers a visit anyway." Juana turned and started walking away.
"Oh, and see if they have any ever-frozen ice as well. We need some for the ice box."
Juana turned back. "And when I get back we will have a chat about you telling me what to do." She lifted up Ness' chin with the tip of her staff.
Ness gulped.
Juana walked outside and climbed into her wagon. "I should have a royal carriage," she sighed. Soon, the skeleton horses started to pull it. They set out to Giha village, a human settlement and the closest village to Castle Underwood. There was a path, but it was full of weeds. A detachment of skeleton soldiers followed, as well as one of the ogres.
Giha soon came into sight. It was surrounded by a wooden fence, with a number of wooden buildings with straw roofs visible on the other side. A number of people were walking around, going about their day. There were fields of crops off to one side, while the other had few pens with live stock.
A pair of guards were standing watch. Both of them were dressed in leather, using pole arms. The were chatting, but they soon spotted Juana. One ran into the village while the other held his ground.
Juana halted the wagon. "Stand aside. I wish to enter."
The man gripped the wooden shaft. "Who are you?"
"I am Queen Juana Underwood. I wish to speak to your chief. Now stand aside."
More villagers ran up. In addition to the guard from before, there were now more armed guards. They wore leather armor, but some had chain mail. They had a mix of copper swords and pole arms.
"Are any of you the chief?"
"What business do you have here?" shouted one of the new guards.
Juana stepped out of the wagon. She struck the ground with her staff. "I grow tired of this. Bring out your chief. I wish acquire food and labor."
The guards looked at the skeletons. There were six of them in total, far less then her entourage. "What about those things?"
"Think of them as my royal guard." Juana moved closer, the skeletons also advancing. "Now bring out your chief or I will come to him."
After a moment longer, an older man approached the gate. "I am Chief Erdem. What is this about?" He clearly didn't like the look of the skeletons.
"Finally. Now we're getting somewhere. I am Queen Juana Underwood. I require food and drink for my castle, as well as labor for its restoration. In exchange, I will allow you the honor of joining my kingdom."
Erdem sighed. "I'm afraid I simply can't agree to those terms. If you wish to buy supplies, or offer something to trade at least, then we might be able to come to an arrangement."
"You could consider it your taxes for now."
"We don't pay taxes, at least not to some outsider!" shouted one of the armed guards.
Erdem put his hand on the man's shoulder. "Peace. We only wish to be left alone. We have built lives for ourselves here."
"Well now you can help me build my kingdom. You can start with offerings of food and wine."
"I've had enough of this!" One of the guards slashed a skeleton, breaking it apart. The pieces fell to the ground.
"Looks like a demonstration of my power is in order." Juana snapped her fingers. Her skeletons bared their weapons and charged the group. The fallen one soon pulled itself together and joined in.
The two sides clashed. The skeletons took a few more blows, the pole arms’ superior range initially giving the guards the edge. However, the skeletons didn't fear death and attacked, soon striking the men. The copper sword of one of the men glowed, his chi channeled through it. He slashed through several foes and moved to the ogre.
"Oh, that one has some skills. I can't have that." Juana pointed her ring at the man. She fired a blast of light from it's gem, striking the man in the chest. He locked up, the color draining from his face and spreading to the visible parts of his arms. With in half a minute, he had fully turned to stone, his momentum carrying him forward and forcing him to land in the dirt road.
The ogre stepped over him. It charged the other guards, sweeping it's arm and striking a few. Ogre bones were stronger, and it took more strikes to break it apart. However, in that time, many of the other skeletons were getting back up on their feet.
A guard Juana had lost track of came from her left. She swung her sword at her head.
"Ah!" Juana panicked for a quick moment. Her bracelet shined as a wall of bones rose from the ground, forming a shield. They blocked the sword, causing the woman to fall back. The wall of bones fell as Juana turned. She fired another blast from her ring, striking the guard in the chest as she raised her sword for another try.
The guard halted, her joints locking up. Her skin became smooth and pail. Her eyes became empty orbs as she looked Juana in the eye. The expression on her face froze, her teeth gritted.
Juana turned her attention back at the remaining guards. She quickly counted them just to be sure. Some were down on the ground, but most were still fighting. With a quick phrase, she fired a bolt of blue lighting at the ground. The indirect hit knocked several off their feet. She then fired a blast from her ring at the first one who tried to stand. She struck another on the ground a moment later.
By this point, the villagers had assembled. They bore hoes and pitchforks. Foolishly, they attacked the skeletons, who retaliated.
However, that created an opening. One last guard fought his way though the skeletons as he charged.
A skeleton moved to intercept, more of a distraction really, as Juana aimed her ring. The blast of light struck his arm. The effects weren't as quick this time, locking his arm into place and turning his hand marble white. He let out a grunt and was silent, the marble sliding up his neck and enveloping his face. He fell as the undead minion struck him, but he was already off balance.
Juana conjured a large fireball in the sky. She slammed it down into the ground, creating a shock wave to blow down the villagers. Next, she rained lighting upon them. It was low voltage, but widely spread. "Enough of this pointless fight! I have won! Your guards have been bested!" She fired at the downed guard, turning her to stone. She did the same to a few villagers who still bared their fangs at her. "If you want me to restore any of them, you shall do as I say!" She walked into the village center, her squad surrounding her.
Erdem shouted. "Stand back everyone. We can't win this."
"Finally. Someone being reasonable. As your new sovereign, I have come to collect what I'm owed."
****
It took over an hour of talks, but the chief finally relented and they came to a temporary agreement. The villagers gathered the supplies Juana asked for: Enough food to keep her fed and enough to keep Ness from complaining. Well, at least about food for a while. They handed them over to the skeletons, as well as a keg of beer. They lacked any wine.
The village only had one magic user, a low-level witch who acted as the town healer. As her magic was ill-suited for combat, she had stayed out of the battle. She was now tending to the injured. She seemed to be unable to restore the statues, or was too busy dealing with the others to bother.
Juana stood up from the table. "I will now take my leave of you. On my next visit, you would best be more accommodating."
Erdem held his tongue.
Juana returned to the wagon, looking at the group of statues scattered about. Only one was standing, the guard that almost got the drop on her. The others were unbalanced and would fall over when they tried to stand them. There were three others, villagers from the end of the battle, but their poses were rather awkward.
"Should I try and take them home? I could repose them… No, trying to get that naga to do what I wanted was exhausting enough. Just stick with the one." As the guard seemed to be the best in the group, she leveled her ring at one of the stone villagers. With a blast of light, it restored the old man to the flesh.
"What the!?" He stumbled and almost fell. He then looked around.
"As a token of good faith I will restore a few of you today. Serve me well and I might just restore the rest." Juana revived two more villagers, but left the guards as they were. Well, most of them. "For now I will be taking this one back with me."
The skeletons grabbed the standing statue and loaded her into the back of the wagon next to the food. It was rather cramped in there now.
"But who will protect us now?" A villager looked over the stone forms of their former protectors.
"Fear not, for I am a benevolent queen. I will send some of my forces to defend the village." Juana smirked. She climbed onto the wagon. "Until the next time I grace you with my presence." She rode off, back to Castle Underwood.