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Im gonna guess alive and he will be saved by black magic somehow???

I really don't see Karic messing with the dark magic anymore after this. I could be wrong, but it seems like he would learn his lesson that some magic is not just a tool to be used.

In the universe of the Mice Templar, what one would consider to be "black magic" is called "Death Magic."

Death Magic harnesses power from death itself, from the taking of a life, typically in a ritualistic fashion, and binds that energy—life essence—to an object, often the bones of the deceased. This introduces a wide variety of "powers" to the one who bound the energy; by powers, these are means by which natural laws can be overcome by an energy that transcend the physical universe (or our perception of it). This power was first introduced in Volume I #2/3, when Pilot used the bones of a mouse to commune with the spirit of deceased rats to discover how they had died. One can surmise that Pilot most likely killed the mouse to imbue their bones with this power. Later, in Vol. I #4/5, Pilot sprinkled the bones with Karic's fresh blood to part the barley wheat stalks of the Fields of Gold and create a pathway to the Great Ash Tree.

The hut of the mysterious druid-witch Black Anaius is filled with bones and skinned mouse hides, and her fearful legend in mice culture is that she preys upon mice children. The power she harnesses appears to extend her life, connects her will to her physical home (making it a living entity unto itself), and allows her spirit to commune with ancient spirits consigned to the Outer Darkness, whereby she serves as a vessel of Donas the Nathair's defiant spirit on Earth.

The order of Druid Priests who manipulate King Icarus also use Death Magic to assert their will over the kingdom. Yet they have discovered several hurdles in their path to dominion. The druids could control the king, and thereby use his power—his royal authority—to enslave the land. But once King Icarus fled to his tower, the druid control over even the capital city started slipping. They seek communion with Donas the Nathair, yet desire to control that ancient evil for their own purposes. Thus, their doorway to the Outer Darkness remains closed. The secret of Black Anaius that they will not accept is that she has surrendered herself to darkness; Anaius is the agent of Donas in the world...while the druids seek Donas's power to exert their own will. Donas does not comply with their wishes. The druids believed that the sacrifice to the Serpent god of King Icarus at the Feast of Samhain would open the pathway to Donas, but that effort was thwarted by Karic in the finale of Volume II, Destiny.

Conversely, Templar swords are imbued with power only in the act of a willing, chosen self-sacrifice.

This occurred in Volume I, #1/2, when Templar warrior Deishun gave his life in battle to protect the innocents of Cricket's Glen. And again, in Vol. II, #7, when Draicus took the stinger of the Scorpion god in place of Cassius.

The swords of fallen Templar are of great value to the druids, who calculate the sacrificial power of a "given life" to be more potent than that of a "taken life." Thus is the true explanation for the rat raids upon mice villages: to obtain the swords of exiled Templar; the prisoners, slaves and sacrifices they capture are just an added bonus.

What made Karic's actions at the conclusion of Volume II, Destiny so audacious, is that he used the "holy power" of a Templar blade—Draicus's sword—to subdue a diabhlun devil (the accursed spirit of an ancient Nathair) who animated the body of the Zombie cat, and took it into battle to thwart the druids and King Icarus, save his beloved family from sacrificial death, and through this action created a legend that will change his world beyond all the machinations of any power broker in the Dark Lands, be they the king, druids, bats, priests, Templar.


...Yet it was the evil spirit Donas who actually prophesied at the conclusion of Volume I, The Prophecy, that the "Legend of Karic" would be his sword, his vengeance upon Lord Wotan, and all creation, for banishing him and his fellow defiant Nathair into the Outer Darkness.

Thus, would any reader really want Cassius to be saved by black magic?

I know what I'm doing tonight after reading that Bryan!!

I'm reading the whole thing again!

And no I for one would rather see Cassius die, than be saved by Death Magic.

Oh wait!! So if Cassius dies protecting Karic, his power would pass to Karic's sword?!?! Or am I confused.

And are the levels of power based on the sacrifice? If that were true, and Karic was able to recover, and have the Cassius' sacrifice sword...

my mind is racing right now. Must compose thoughts.

ED!

I'll be honest and say I had not thought of that as an outcome...
Yet your logic is sound.

Cassius's death in a sacrificial cause would imbue his own swords with the power of that act.

But what will happen?
That remains the question.

I can't wait to find out. But thinking about the possibilities!!

If it were to happen where Karic got the sacrifice swords of Cassius. He would truly be a force to be reckoned with in the Dark Realms. Would his time with Cassius be enough to sway him from abusing the power that he would have? Would he even listen to counsel anymore? Pilot decieved him and he ended up paying for listening to him, Cassius was his best friend and mentor but he died trying to protect him. So would Karic even allow another to get close to him?

I know this is total speculation...but man the things that are possible with this story are amazing. I can't wait to read how it all plays out, I have complete faith that it will be fantastic!

Another thought I just had!

What is Cassius is dead. And his sacrifice power goes to his swords. But Karic doesn't get them. The rats find him and bring him and the swords back to Tosk. Now Tosk has Cassius' blades!

Does the extra power in the blades only work for Templar or would Tosk have it?!?!