The Sleeping Citadel: Gray Magic

Blame it on the Necromage

AN: Originally posted 1/1/2020. Reposted 2/29/2024.

"Oh suuuuure! Blame it on the Necromage!" Sonorhc muttered. She could feel every eye in the room on her. And every eye was filled with curiosity, or disgust. It made her skin crawl, but every time she tried to catch one of those eyes, they would immediately look away.

"Cowards," Sonorhc rolled her eyes. She wished they would either be more subtle about it, or just own up to it, rather than do this awkward middle-ground dance. Even though she'd been formally invited to this party, the stares were a dead giveaway (pun intended) that she wasn't welcome.

"I don't even know why I accepted!" she huffed, crossing her arms and pouting like a child. This party sucked! The only attendees were stuffy old fuddy-duddies! They were bureaucrats with big wallets and even bigger egos. At the same time, their brains and hearts were nearly nonexistent. They were the type of people to follow tradition purely for tradition's sake, even if that tradition was outdated or harmful. They were also the type to believe that they were always right, so any chance at talking them out of things was basically a default failure. They were lost in their own heads, lost in their own little worlds, and they refused to give any chances to anything new, even if it might've been beneficial.

This party was proof of that. It had gone well so far, but everyone could feel the tension crackling in the air. Sonorhc had done nothing wrong, but because of her status as a Necromage, that was enough to put her on all of their watchlists. They claimed they wanted her there, for the diversity and inclusivity, but they were treating her as if she'd already killed someone. Did they not realize she had morals?!

"This isn't "Carrie", or "Frozen", or "Harry Potter", or "X-Men"!" she continued to grumble. "I do have self-control!" The others seemed to think she was only a breath away from killing them all, or raising an undead army. Were they really that stupid?! Didn't they know how much effort it took to use her power? She could never accidentally lose control and kill an entire room full of people, her magic just didn't work like that. Maybe the media liked the trope of a magical meltdown, but real magic was much harder to use than that.

What also annoyed her was the fact that she didn't even look weird. She wore a plain, simple, modest, yellow dress. And that had been a very intentional decision, wearing something that made her look sweet, bright, beautiful and innocent. She'd done it to calm everyone's nerves. But they were still looking at her as if she'd shown up looking like the Grim Reaper. Idiots! Didn't they know that that was just a stereotype? And no one, not even Necromages, actually wore that kind of stuff, unless they were trying to be ironic.

Sure, Sonorhc did typically wear dark clothing, but it was like a "black shorts and a black tee" sort of thing. She certainly wasn't running around looking like a plague doctor or Satanic cult leader! And only sometimes would she break out the real gothic wear. Although Reaper actually owned a plague mask, though every time she wore it, there was a high chance of her nearly poking someone's eye out. Sonorhc had lost count of how many times she'd been slapped in the face by that big beak.

But even once the partygoers finally started talking to her, their conversation wasn't the best. In fact, one of them even dared to imply that all Necromages were drawn to death because they were murderous, even if they didn't realize it yet. In his eyes, people only became Necromages to find a sanctioned way to act out their deepest, darkest fetishes.

"Oh! But of course I didn't mean you!" he said patronizingly when he caught Sonorhc's offended scowl.

"Sure," she rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "You know, for a guy who claims to be so heroic and noble, you sure are an airheaded jerk!"

The whole table gasped in horror. If all eyes hadn't been on her before, they were now! But for once, she was too mad to care.

"What?!" the young man whispered dangerously.

"You judge me before you even know me!" Sonorhc snapped back. "You cite all these horrible stereotypes but have nothing to back them up! You claim to be good and kind, but you are cruel and shallow. You claim to be smart, but you have no idea what you're talking about. And if you try to say this was just a joke, it's not funny! And if you think it is, you need to reevaluate. You aren't as charming as you like to think!"

For a few minutes, Sonorhc and the others argued back and forth until Sonorhc finally slammed her hands down on the table.

"You are right that Necromages can lose control," she growled warningly. "But our magic is impossible to wield without the utmost control. So you needn't worry about an accidental or emotional outburst that will destroy this entire restaurant. No, what you need to fear is a controlled, methodical and intentional revenge..." Then, she brought the whole dining hall to life.

Suddenly, chickens, crabs and lobsters began to walk again, hopping right up off their plates and attacking their would-be eaters.

"HOLY SWEET MOTHER OF ALL!" One elderly man fell out of his seat as his crab tried to crawl up his arm to pinch him. All around them, other food began to resurrect, rising straight off of plates and grills, and coming out of pots and pans and ovens.

Sonorhc gave a small, mad cackle as the food came back to life and sent the dining hall into chaos. Fish began to flop around, chickens hobbled awkwardly as their body parts reattached. Even things like salad and bread came back to life, growing and sprouting while the patrons panicked. Sonorhc made sure no one was actually hurt, but they were all scared to death as their food came back to terrorize them.

"Blame it on the Necromage," Sonorhc giggled sweetly as she set a few lobsters chasing after their would-be eaters, snapping their claws.

"Mercy me!" One lady shrilled as a nearby chicken began to kick her with its bony leg.

"Get it off me! GET IT OFF ME!" A young man panicked as a crab pinched down hard on his ankle.

"Oh, my heavens!" An elderly woman nearly fainted as her turkey began to reassemble itself only to slap her with its own drumstick.

"Jesus! What the-?!" Another girl hopped up as her salad suddenly started growing vines.

Sonorhc watched the chaos unfold, laughing merrily. She was the only one untouched by the rogue food, and if anyone tried to come near her, the food would instantly come to her aid and fight them off again. It was hysterical! And it wasn't until every last patron had fled that Sonorhc ceased her magic, all the food instantly dropping dead where it stood.

"I love being a Necromage!" she sighed in satisfaction as she sauntered over to a "re-dead" steak. With a smile, she found some gravy and had herself a nice, quiet, peaceful, lovely little meal. The entire hall was hers, and it felt so nice! Now, she didn't have people staring at her or breathing down her neck every two seconds. And the food was delicious! Now she could properly dig in, no one around to judge her anymore.

There were still bits of food all over the floors, walls and even ceiling, but Sonorhc ignored it. She also ignored all the shattered plates and glasses, and the silverware that was scattered all over the room. She could get the mess later. For now, she was just going to enjoy herself. That's what this dinner party was supposed to be for, after all, right?

"At least now the people won't be laughing anymore!" she smiled to herself as she reclined in a chair, feet on the table as she stuffed her face. There was no more need for manners tonight. Now, she could truly have some fun! Sometimes, being a Necromage really had its perks!

AN: I just thought it would be funny to see a Necromage use their powers to terrorize a dinner party.