Chapter 52
The sliding of a bolt pulled me out of my meditation. My mana pool was almost depleted and the meditative trance Id been in was only to increase my mana regeneration, else I would have run out. I was exhausted. Though I was used to my mana pool being reduced thanks to the illusion spell, this was different. It was constantly draining away, and for the last three hours, Id been in a constant battle to keep from running out of mana.
Mathis spoke, It is morning. I hope your night has been enlightening.
I assure you it has, I said just loud enough for him to hear.
I crawled out of the cell and was escorted from the temple by Father Mathis and a pair of acolytes. They pulled Maxwell out of his cell, and from the blank look in his eyes I could tell hed logged off. Father Mathis angrily muttered about bound souls vacating their bodies. NPCs had gotten more self-aware in the last year, but seeing one bitch about somebody logging off was disconcerting.
We leave in two hours, Mathis snapped as he shoved us out of the temple. Make sure you are back.
I caught Maxwells avatar and made sure it didnt fall down the temple stairs. As soon as we were out of the temple, I felt whatever Ekwin had done to my soul end, and my illusion spell returned to normal. I sighed in relief when my mana stopped depleting. Looking around the town square I saw the player Id seen yesterday, Tyler, talking with his troops.
Tyler caught me staring and moved in my direction. I hear youve been to this enclave. I didnt answer, just kept moving, more focused on guiding Maxwells avatar. So, youll be guiding us there, I take it? I still didnt answer, heading straight for the docks. Dont ignore me you stupid NPC! Tylers tone changed.
Look, I snapped. Has it ever occurred to you that the reason we didnt say anything about the enclave is that theyre no threat to Omark. Mathis is just a power-mad tyrant.
I see now why you spent the night in the repentance cells. Tyler was clearly into the role he was playing. All sinners must atone. This enclave is like a cancer, if not treated now it will grow and threaten all. For the glory of Olattee we must remove this great evil!
As Tyler began to rant about the virtues of his quest, I rolled my eyes and walked away.
I guided Maxwell into my canoe and began to paddle across the lake.
What did I miss? Maxwell suddenly asked, having logged back in.
Not much. The expedition leaves in a couple of hours and we need to go with them.
Why are we going up the lake then? And how are youyou okay? I logged off because I was too pissed. Was certain I would come back and find out theyd discovered your secret.
Why did you log back in?
I was hoping I could escape and make my way to your phylactery before they found it. I was hoping I could disappear with it so you had a chance to come back. Maxwell picked up an ore and started rowing.
A surge of gratitude hit me. Thank you. In reality, it cost him little, he was a player, but it mattered a lot that hed been willing to try. Were heading back to my cabin to gather something before we leave.
What? And you still havent said how you survived.
Its hard to explain, but the simple answer is divine intervention. I told him about the message at the back of the book, but left out the part about the Oath.
With the two of us working together, it took around an hour to reach my cabin. The current was quite strong today. That didnt give me much time, but the trip down the lake was always quicker.
Maxwell followed me into the forest near my cabin and watched as I reached into a hollow tree. I pulled out a sack full of death cores.
I take it you arent planning on hiding much longer? Maxwell asked.
No. I pulled half a dozen of the larger cores out, then I shoved my hand down into the bag and absorbed every core in the bag at once.
The smooth, hard cores broke down into black mist and I was temporarily engulfed by a maelstrom of death energy, my illusion spell broken as the energy filled my body.
Id collected a large supply of death cores in the year Id been there. Most were from weak creatures, but a few had been from much more powerful monsters.
A moment later, I could see through the haze of magic. My skeletal body was now covered in pitch-black, thin muscles.
You look terrifying. Maxwell took a step back in surprise. Like an emaciated zombie, without skin.
Examining what I could of my body, I couldnt help but agree. I wonder if Mathis detected that. I hadnt expected such a large release of death energy.
I hope not, Maxwell said. That would sure complicate things.
I felt powerful. I opened my character sheet to see how much my own death core had grown.
Character Soul Level: 51
Name: Ezekiel Verniac
Race: Human Lich
Unspent Stat Points: 0
Spent Stat Point: 255
5 Stat Points per level
Health: 1138
Health Regeneration: 31.125/sec
Death Energy: 1143
Death Energy Regeneration: 22.425/sec
Mana: 329
Mana Regeneration: 12.252/sec
Carrying lbs.: 1120.75
Stats:
Intelligence: 45 [multiplier:1.311]
Spirit: 31 [multiplier:1.23]
Vitality: 98 [multiplier:1.15]
Resilience: 52 [multiplier:1.15]
Death Core: 110
Agility: 66 [multiplier:1.1]
Dexterity: 426 [multiplier:1.21]
Experience: 110.1 of 36421.3
My death core had grown considerably, reminding me just how powerful being a Lich was. I didnt know the difference between death energy and stamina, but was all but certain I could use death energy for more than just running. This was something Id been purposely not learning about, and now I was regretting my stupidity.
Now was not the time to worry about the wasted energy and feeling sorry for myself. I collected the death cores Id set aside and headed back for the canoe. I rebuilt my illusion spell as we walked, noticing it took more mana to cast this time, and I wondered why. My guess was that it was having a harder time masking my more powerful death core.
So, what exactly is the plan? Maxwell asked as we sped back down the lake.
I dont know. But I refuse to let them destroy the enclave.
***
When we returned to the village, Tyler and Mathis were organizing a column of knights and clerics for the journey. You, Tyler said when he saw Maxwell. Did you find any shrines or alters near this den of evil?
No. Maxwell didnt elaborate.
Mathis walked over and looked Maxwell in the eye. A golden light filled the air around them. Say that again.
Maxwell was visibly unnerved. No, we did not find a shrine or alter.
Father Mathiss eyes narrowed and he sneered, lifting his chin so he looked down his nose at Maxwell. Hes lying.
At a nod from Mathis, a knight stepped forward and slammed a gauntleted fist into Maxwells stomach. As Maxwell folded under the blow, the knight rammed a metal-clad knee up into his face, snapping his head back up. Mathis held out a hand and the knight stopped.
Looking around at the gathered villagers, Mathis spoke in a self-righteous tone, This is what people who lie to Olattee deserve. His attention returned to Maxwell. Now, would you like to try that again?
I caught Maxwells stunned gaze and nodded. It did no good for him to resist. We found two, Maxwell gasped. The first is an altar about a day away from the enclave. The second shrine is in the enclave.
Perfect! Mathis smiled hungrily. We can surprise them by attacking from the shrine.
That wont work, Tyler said. The system wont let us teleport in and attackit has some way of detecting intent. Its one thing for a small group of players, but we cant just transport everyone there and attack. Bad things tend to happen to the people whove tried that.
How can you move troops around like that? Maxwell asked, trying not to look like he was hurting.
Its a skill commanders sometimes get, Tyler explained. Quite costly to do, since you need to pay an enhanced fee for each soldier included in the group. Its normally only used to avoid hard terrain, like these mountains.
You need to be the one who initiates the travel then? Maxwell asked.
Yep, Tyler confirmed. Ill need you to take me there so I can travel back and bring the rest. You should bring your NPC friend with us.
If an NPC was working with you, you could take them through the fast travel network for a cost. Though wed found a fair number of alters, I was unsure about using them in my current state as neither player or NPC. Seeing as we didnt have a choice, I realized we should have tested this before.
I shrugged and followed Maxwell and Tyler to the Shrine of Creation at the edge of town. Maxwell gave me a worried look as he placed his hand on the altar. There was a flash, and suddenly I found myself in the mountains. Nothing happened. And just like so many things, I was again reminded of how dense Id been.
Tyler vanished, and we stepped away from the altar.
Thank you for putting up with me, I said to Maxwell. I have been an outright idiot about a lot of things.
No worries, man. Maxwell patted me on the back. You had a lot on your plate.
I was about to respond when I felt a warning from Damien. A moment later, a powerful emotion came rushing back to merage.
Maxwell had become accustomed to the signs of when I was struggling with a new emotion, and guided me away from the altar. I seethed internally, my thoughts on a pinwheel about what we were helping them do. Fortunately, I had a lot of practice in mastering these emotions, and after a few minutes, I was feeling better.
Around that time, Tyler appeared with knights and clerics, all crowding around the altar. Another surge of anger hit me, but I stamped it down. I was thankful for the timing of the emotion returning. It would have been much harder to deal with if they had all been here when it happened.
Under the watchful gaze of Father Mathis, Maxwell and I led the way to the enclave. I wanted so badly to send a warning, but saw no way we could pull that off. We had to rely on the defenses of the enclave, which were formidable, to stop the fanatics at our back.
After crossing through most of the valley of the tall trees, Father Mathis insisted we camp for the rest of the day and night. Wed told them we were only a few hours from the hidden entrance, but Father Mathis wanted the troops rested for the fight tomorrow.
The night was peaceful, until it was broken by the howl of a dire wolf.
Id been meditating near the campfire at the center of camp, and in an instant, I was on my feet looking out into the darkness. I was able to see the incoming dire wolves even before the sentries. I almost shouted a warning, then decided against it.
Instead, I sat back down next to the fire and watched the flames dance as the screaming started. Maxwell joined me a few moments later.
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