The following week, Jacob worked diligently in his lab. At night, he and Heskell would venture out of the basement in search of materials to add to their steadily growing arsenal of flasks, burners, needles, saws, knives, containers for storing organs and other harvested materials, various parts, alchemical plants, and, most importantly, new subjects of study.

While reinforcing the new base, they waited for Holm's return. By observing the guards in the bakery and using their servants, they knew that the forged servant had not yet been caught. So far, Jacob is pleased with his ingenuity, although he waits more and more impatiently.

At the same time, he tried some new ideas. He was limited due to his lack of demonic blood, as it remained the central catalyst for most demonic rituals and spells. But under the guidance of his grandfather, he learned how to overcome these limitations long ago. At the age of twelve, he was sent alone to the gutter to find a place to build a new laboratory, and he had to build a laboratory with what he found in the gutter. For the first few days, he was overwhelmed until he came up with the idea that in the absence of wood and other building materials, he could hunt for local wildlife and use their bones and skins. Although it was rough and smelled bad, my grandfather was very happy with the result.

Jacob fondly recalls that moment. The compliments he received from his surrogate parents were hard-won, so he cherished them every time.

Suddenly, a commotion upstairs woke him from his fantasy.

"Let go of me, you idiot!" A conceited voice said.

Then there was a commotion, and the unknown thing was coming down the stairs to the basement.

A man in fancy dress is thrown in front of Jakob's workstation, where a semi-dissected cat is lying with its skin pulled apart by a needle nailed to the table.

"Sherlock Holmes". Jacob was both angry and happy about the development. "I told you you you should look at me before you act!"

The servant of the forge stared into his eyes, then looked down as the man slowly rose from the floor. Bone blades and claws leaped out of his right arm, but before he could move, Heskell placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Although Holm is tall, he is still under the towering White.

"Thank you, Heskel. Holm, you can go. Make sure we don't get caught and stay in the bakery until I call you again. ”

"Yes, Lord ......"

When the servant returned upstairs, Jacob looked at the man kneeling in front of him. Although Holm didn't fully understand his instructions, he brought exactly what he was looking for. Despite his arrogant appearance, the man's physique showed untapped acrobatic potential.

"Who are you?" I beg you to let me go!"

Jacob exhaled from his mask, his eyes shining with thought.

He nodded briefly, and instructed Heskell to prepare the question.

After a long period of dissection and disassembly, Jacob was careful not to spoil the excellent sample he was working on, and his final concept took shape in his mind. It never occurred to him to treat the captive man as yet another servant, but to use his physique and natural lightness to help Jacob, using him as a half-living tool. Grandfather was very fond of the repertoire of his self-thinking attached limbs, and Jacob, always an aspiring student, tried to imitate this while still maintaining his talent. After all, the grandfather admired originality and individuality, believing that plagiarism and copying were the death of creativity.

Even before his final idea was formed, he carefully and respectfully spread out the skin that he had deliberately cut and sewed into long sleeves. In it, he arranged the subject's bones in a row, starting with the femur, which is the largest and thickest bone, and continuing down the length of the skin, followed by the smaller bones, and finally all three phalanges of the subject's index finger. After that, he skillfully reconstructed the ligaments between each joint, ensuring minimal rotational stress and maximum flexibility. He was fortunate that his subject was such a perfect specimen, because for a normal torso, the rate of degradation of such a flexible semi-living possession required almost daily maintenance.

He took into account that although Holm did not understand his orders exactly, he did bring him what he needed. As my grandfather used to say, you can't blame the beast for its brutality. Before being conquered, the ability to forge a servant was limited, which meant that an illiterate person became a servant and would always have been. Of course, it is possible to improve the knowledge and understanding of the servant, but the time spent will make it ineffective, since a better object of surrender can be found.

Another option is to insert demonic spirits into their bodies, as they are superhuman beings with infinite intelligence and creativity who will accumulate knowledge and grow on their own. Of course, this trait also makes these servants unpredictable and dangerous, requiring many amulets to limit their freedom. Raleigh, grandfather's demonic servant, is covered from head to toe with runes and symbols, all to prevent him from escaping the bondage of servitude. However, this creature retains much of his independence and personality. The appearance of such a servant frightened Jacob greatly.

After laying the last tendon, Jacob began to insert the muscle. Overall, he was better at splicing flesh than muscle, but with Heskel's supervision, the results were almost perfect. It took almost half an afternoon, but when he finally stitched his work together, he felt a great sense of accomplishment. It's by far his most complex creation, but even though the physical body is complete, it still requires several spells to work.

Jacob stared at the two-and-a-half-meter-long attachment on the workbench, considered the order of the spells he needed, and then began the necromantic resurrection ritual. The new limb does not have veins, as this is not needed for an immortal limb. However, in the future, he considered trying to rebuild this appendage with a fully living brain, heart, and digestive system to keep itself running. Even the grandfather struggled with such a creation, so if he could succeed, he would definitely praise him. That being said, apart from the appendages in front of him, Jacob's knowledge really only extends to modifying and combining living beings and humans, rather than making them from scratch or forcing unnatural life to occur. Such a task requires a level of skill that he does not yet have, but with enough practice and experimentation, anything is possible.

Eventually, he settled on the order of the incantations, beginning with the ritual of longevity, and although it was a common staple in almost every one of his works, he did not need an amalgam hymn for his creations, as Heskell helped ensure that the sutures and gluing of many bone joints were flawless.

He poured a cup of his own blood on the appendage and sang the "Hymn to the Preservation of the Appendage" as he moved along it. He strengthened the bond between them in that appendage, making it regard him as its heart, which must be protected at all costs. Although it had not yet lost its life, it immediately began to twitch and writhe with every tiny impulse he emitted. In his current state, it is likely that this appendage has been used, but this requires a high degree of concentration and mastery, and Jacob wants a tool to help him without his supervision.

Like the Amalgam hymn, the guardian servant hymn was another mantra from grandfather. All of his unique and purposeful spells revolve around a lost magical technique – the Hymn to the Divine Comedy. Songs in ancient languages are long and complex, as opposed to more traditional magical spells, with fairly simple spells and ritual symbols, but they can be easily adapted for a wide variety of purposes. Using them in any combat scenario is a terrible idea, although Grandpa's Hymn contains some very destructive songs such as "Implosion", "Disintegration", "Hymn of Madness", and other songs that Jakob has not yet learned.

He completed his preparations with two necromantic rituals, Iron Blood and Solid Bone. True to their name, they ensure that the skin of the appendages is resistant to damage and that the bones do not break easily. The combination of the two ensured that, if necessary, the new limbs would be very useful in battle if Jacob needed them. Their disadvantages actually only extend to the living, as iron flesh can cause necrosis and tearing of the flesh and skin of the living, while indestructible bones often lead to things like bone spurs, which are painful, and according to my grandfather, a few decades ago, he mistakenly believed that the living could also benefit from necromancy.

After a short break, they ate some baked goods made by Jacob's new servant, and Heskell showed him how to set up the resurrection ritual. This will be his first performance, so he will have to rely on White's extensive knowledge of necromancy.

They had to move many flour bags to create enough space for the hexagonal. Heskel sketched six corners and a line in the middle with dust and charcoal, then he drew first a circle within its boundaries, then the Serpent of Eternity along its inside, and then an appendage rolled up inside another circle, like a giant snake mimicking the images around it.

Although often associated with the skull, the presence that invokes its power in necromancy rituals is the eternal serpent that grows and constantly devours itself. Its continued existence is fundamental to the possibility of immortality and the magic inherent in certain demons. Jacob couldn't fully understand what this kind of thing was, but he never mustered up the courage to ask his grandfather for a deeper explanation.

The Serpent of Eternity is one of the few gods of the heavens who is not a vassal of the Warden. It is its immense power and influence, it stands outside the most powerful entities, and humanity and their planet are nothing more than a speck of dust to them.

Heskeel continued, drawing three words along the circle around the serpent, which in turn surrounded the serpent's appendages. Each one was written in the phonetic dialect of the Necromancy Ritual, from which his grandfather had received many rituals and incantations a long time ago, which he passed on to Jacob, and Heskel naturally absorbed them in his long service to the butcher artisans. He didn't know what his grandfather had paid for it.

The night monster stopped what he was doing, stood up, and pointed to each strange word:

"Servant. Protection. An extension of the self. ”

As far as Jakob knows, Nec

osc

ipt as its shorthand, similar to Chtho

ic Hym

als, because it can be modified to suit very specific tasks, albeit in Nec

oma

In tic rituals, this takes the form of adding block scripts to ritual circles or spell containers. He knew that if he was proficient in writing, he would be able to modify many of the rituals he used most. This is on his list of things he needs to learn, though this list seems to grow exponentially with each new piece of knowledge he acquires.

In Nec

osc

The IBT was followed by the emergence of candles of human fat. These candles, in their pagan nature, are laborious to make, but they contain great magic. Luckily, they had a few ready the week before. Without White telling him, Jacob put one on each corner of the hexagon. At first he thought he needed to light a candle, but Huskell stopped him with a hand.

"Get on your knees. Repeat the mantra. ”

Jacob was a little confused, but still knelt in front of the hexagram in obedience, the sewn apron cushioning his knees on the hard stone floor. Heskeel then took Jacob's hand and placed it on two of the six corners so that the candle was between his thumb and forefinger.

Then the White began to chant, and Jacob repeated it in a hymn fashion. The words meant nothing to him, but he had to read them clearly, and soon the air was filled with potential energy. Suddenly, all six candles lit up a pale flame with a hazy blue edge and pure white inside.

The flame of the menorah grew higher and higher, approaching the ceiling, and then curled inward, like a snake grasping at an appendage still lying inside. Just as Jacob was chanting the last verse, the flames struck the coiled appendage. The flames were gone at once, not even the smoke was gone, and the burnt grease was gone. Soon after, the appendages inside spread out like a fake snake, writhing anxiously, and then slid to where Jacob knelt and coiled around his body.

"It's perfect."

After sewing the new appendage to the back of the flesh apron, he now has a tail to move around, to hand him tools right away, or to help him with whatever he needs. This was undoubtedly the most important thing he ever created, although much of its design was made possible with the help of Heskel.

"What do you think?" As its tail coiled around his waist, he asked Bai Ling, which seemed to be its favorite place to rest when not in use.

Heskel nodded solemnly. "A man is nothing more than a tool on his belt."

It was another of many things grandfather had said, but Jacob knew it was a compliment.

"Now. How about we find a way to get out of this area?"