Professor Neshal

**Neshal** was an Archmage of the Griffon Kingdom, a Master Warden, Professor of Warden Magic from Earth Griffon Academy, and a member of the Kulah expedition.

## Abilities

Neshal owned a **Crown Staff** made of a branch of the world tree that had a mana flow similar to Adamant, with several purple mana crystals embedded on its sides. On its top, there was a diamond-shaped purple mana crystal the size of a fist, surrounded by smaller crystals of the same shape, giving it the appearance of a crown. Neshal's mana was gathered inside the main gemstone after being amplified by the smaller crystals along the way, allowing her to cast spells beyond her actual capabilities.

## Background

The expedition discovers Odi language markings leading to a set of giant gates that are the entrance to Kulah. High Command orders the expedition to continue and seal all communications with the outside, with Phloria taking command as the highest ranked officer.

After Quylla uncovers the secret behind the Odi array on Kulah's city gates, Professor Neshal helps identify its weak spot. Neshal and most of the other Professors argue to preserve the gates' protective array for knowledge but Phloria and Commander Berion override them. Upon entering the city, they are attacked by a fungal creature. Professor Syndra's assistant Calil foolishly uses a fire magic spell that detonates and spreads the creature's spores, infecting and killing several Professors and assistants while wounding the rest.

Afterwards, several succumb to their wounds. Phloria opts to save Professors Gaakhu, Ellkas, and Neshal over Professors Phesta and Syndra due to Lith, Phloria, and Morok lacking sufficient vitality to heal all of them. Berion orders the expedition to search Kulah, only leaving after making sure nothing left can endanger the Kingdom. The Professors sober up a little with the near-death experiences and loss of their colleagues. Yondra, Ellkas, and Gaakhu share their knowledge of golems and the Odi language.

The expedition splits up into two groups to explore the buildings, with Gaakhu, Neshal, Morok, and Phloria's soldiers Jerth and Helion consisting of the second group. Morok's group comes across a room filled with cursed object weapons, a Forgemastering lab, blacksmith workshop, the Main Office, and an Armory. They inadvertently activate a group of prototype Flesh Golems that chase the group and trigger the general alarm, waking Kulah from its slumber. Morok's group rendezvouses with Lith's group with the golems on their trail. The two groups Blink back to the camp, where they manage to destroy the creatures' power cores. Neshal manages to destroy three of the four with her arrays.

Neshal explains to Phloria and Lith about ancient runes when they discover them in the tunnel walls where the Teks attacked. Later, as the expedition explores half of Kulah, they come across the headquarters with a Nightmare Safe. Neshal and Yondra help unlock the safe, discovering countless reports, a key card, and a metal key.

Neshal surmises that the rest of Kulah is void of Meat Factories aside from the experimental Tek magical beast one because they were all moved underground. The expedition accesses the underground facility using the elevator in the headquarters building, inadvertently awakening the remaining Odi from their slumber deep underground. The world energy from the geyser is converted into a black miasma that devours all living life in the city and the crystal mine tunnels, forcing the Assistants and soldiers left in the camp to Warp into the elevator with the rest of the expedition.

The Odi lure the expedition to the Living Quarters, where they set loose a small army of completed Flesh Golems that kidnap the Assistants and Phloria's soldiers. Lith and Quylla manage to destroying several before the remainder of the expedition is forced to Warp back to the lobby. The Odi conduct another ambush, capturing Yondra, Ellkas, and Gaakhu. Despite having exhausted herself casting an Air and Earth Blocking array simultaneously, Neshal manages to kill three Golems before collapsing.

When Morok, Quylla, and Neshal recover, the remaining party explores the corridors searching for a way to the lower floors. The Golems ambush them again, and Neshal is killed before the others can save her, though she manages to kill the Golem by detonating all her magical items.

## Quotes

* *"Is this how you freed the fungus creature? I swear, if we make it back to the surface, the title of my report will be: 'Odi, the dumbest geniuses ever'...Just the thought of wasting a single brain cell to solve such a moronic device might have given me a stroke."* (Chapter 654)
* *"Oh, well. I've lived long enough."* (Chapter 699)

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 706
2. ↑ Chapter 661
3. ↑ Chapter 663
4. ↑ Chapter 637
5. ↑ Chapter 644
6. ↑ Chapter 644
7. ↑ Chapter 649
8. ↑ Chapter 652
9. ↑ Chapter 654
10. ↑ Chapter 657
11. ↑ Chapter 663
12. ↑ Chapter 666
13. ↑ Chapter 685
14. ↑ Chapter 688
15. ↑ Chapter 692
16. ↑ Chapter 699
17. ↑ Chapter 703