Chapter 86
I kept my eyes on Rhea as we stood between our two forces. I had enough space and troops with me that this could turn ugly if things didnt work out.
Theres something very wrong about this place, I said quietly.
I know, Rhea whispered.
Why dont we work together and root out whatever is here and then sort out what comes next. I smiled, having recast my illusion spell. It just made conversing with her far easier when she wasnt constantly reminded that I was a Lich.
I dont know, Zeke. Rhea gave me a very hard look. Youre still a monster. You have killed people who follow my god and now destroyed a temple.
Two things, I protested. One, that was hardly a temple, two, it was your spell that destroyed the temple, not mine.
Only after you desecrated the corpses of the long dead, she snapped.
You say desecrated, I say repurposed, to-may-to, to-mah-to. I snorted. Besides, didnt something strike you as strange about those priests? Since when do members of Olattee wear black robes?
They are members of a small sect of the church. Rhea glared at me for my flippant response. Many dont like them, though I try to keep an open mind. They walk a different path of purity than the rest.
Friar Brown said something about there being multiple paths, I said. He said I was walking my own path and that in its own way it could be pure as well, just different.
I cannot believe he let you get away! Maybe hes as blind as all the elders say he is. Rhea shook her head then looked around the room. There were broken bodies scattered on the floor, my spell had run out of power before it finished raising all of the available corpses.
I remained silent, letting her think. The last thing I wanted to do was fight. But I had grown to know Rhea in my time in Omark, she was fair, if hot-blooded at times. Something about this fight unnerved her, I could see it. I wondered if she had the same sense of wrongness that I got. It was too hard to try and explain what it meant that they were from another universe, even though the NPCs were very much awake now, that concept was still difficult.
She understood that Maxwell was a player, and that I was not quite the same as either her or Maxwell. This also is just not the place for a conversation that involved. Rhea let out a long sigh and glanced to tunnels.
Ill make you a deal. You send your horde in the one on the left, Ill send my troops down the one on the right. Then you, me, Max, and Tyler will go down the middle. You remember Tyler? Right?
I winced. Yeah. I doubt he is likely to forget me either.
Oh no, he is most definitely not likely to ever forget you. Rhea glared at me. He told me what you did. You sacrificed him, and yet you claim not to be evil.
Hey, he killed my cat! And hes a player, its not like I could really sacrifice him, I protested, but part of me wondered if that statement was even true anymore. But I accept your offer.
In the confined space it would definitely give the advantage to Rhea and Tyler if it came to a fight, but I had my own tricks as well. There were a few grumbled protests, but the furious glare she directed at those troops silenced them.
Once her troops were on the move, I gave a mental order and commanded the zombies to head for the left tunnel. I directed one of the most still intact black-and-white zombie creatures to come over to me. Rhea was instantly on edge as the towering creature approached. Im not planning anything. I just have to create a controller for the horde, since Im not going with them.
Oh, I see, Rhea said. To my surprise, I thought I heard a hint of interest in her voice, and when I turned, she was watching me with rapt attention. She quickly looked away, but I could feel her gaze back on me as soon as I returned my attention to my minions.
I placed a hand on his chest and channeled death magic laced with death energy into it and proceeded to upgrade it. I had an excess of death energy at the moment, none of the creatures I created needed the death cores, so Id claimed them. This meant their longevity would be limited, but that didnt matter. I produced the core from the bag at my hip and pushed it into the center of the zombie.
The magic coursing through the zombie refined and strengthened its muscles, even as the death core further attuned its body to death magic. I rebuilt channels that emulated the courses its own magic used to flow through. I wasnt certain what abilities it would get, but it would get some magical abilities similar to what it once had. Where the most work went however was into the mind of the creature.
Controller zombies were someplace between mindless undead in the living dead. They were far better at controlling zombie hordes than even most living dead were, but at the same time they were not as independent as living dead. Fortunately, I remembered quite clearly what it took to create the controllers. Creating advanced controllers was far more involved, but I didnt need an advanced controller to control fifty simple zombies, a regular controller worked just fine.
When I was done, I pulled out another death core and absorbed it to restore the energy I used up. I directed my new controller to take control of the horde and lead them down the tunnel. The zombie strode off. No longer did it shamble, its strides long and graceful. I even saw it using its wings to quicken its step to catch up with its new charges.
Is that Tyler? Maxwell asked as he joined me.
I followed his gaze and saw a figure in gleaming armor striding toward me. His helmet was off, and a scowl creased his face.
Sure is, I said. Did not expect to ever see him again.
Max, Rhea smiled at him. Its good to see you, Im sorry it cant be as friends.
It doesnt have to be this way, Maxwell sighed. Just let us leave. We dont even want to stay, we want to get out of the kingdom.
I cant do that. Rhea turned her back on him. Tyler, you remember these two right?
I do, he said stiffly before directly addressing me. I dont believe for one moment youre from Earth. That was just a ploy to buy you time.
I dont know what to tell you, man, I shrugged. Im from Earth, but you wont believe anything I tell you, so I wont bother saying any more than that.
In an awkward, strained silence, the four of us headed for the central tunnel. I could sense my zombies. They were far enough away that if something went sideways it was doubtful they would get to me in time.
Tyler and I made up the front line, backed up by Rhea and Maxwell. My force barrier had recharged, and Maxwell had his. I still had a distant headache, having gone through so much mana meant the lingering effects of mana deprivation took longer to fade.
Rhea generated light and I was surprised to see that they werent just stone tunnels, they were hallways made of quarried gray stone. The hall had several staircases about every twenty meters. On each staircase near the middle there was either a statue or some piece of art in an alcove.
Something about these looks familiar, I muttered, looking at a painting.
Theyre Rhea trailed off as she stopped and looked at it as well. This makes no sense.
What are they? I asked.
You would find similar things in a regular temple to Olattee, Rhea whispered.
No. Tyler squinted at the picture. You must be wrong. Because that would mean whatever those creatures were they were brought here by whoever inhabits this place.
Maxwell exchanged a knowing look with Tyler. No doubt Tyler also had some quest that mentioned the creatures from another universe.
Im afraid so. Rhea looked very concerned. I dont want that to be true anymore than you do, but theres something so wrong with this place.
The hallway led to a chamber with large stone doors covered in carved images. To the right and left, another hallway spread out, and I could sense my zombies, they were fighting something, but I couldnt tell what.
The carvings covering the door depicted holy men in robes supplicating themselves at some altar. I recognized the symbol for Olattee on the robes and staffs held by the men and women.
Well I guess that confirms it, I said. Whoever these black robed priests are they are both a part of Olattee and working with something that does not belong in this universe.
Tyler, ever true to his role-play, placed both his hands on the big stone doors and pushed them open from the middle of the arch. As the stone doors opened, a massive chamber was revealed on the other side. The chamber was divided into sections, and pillars rose into the air, supporting a stone roof far above. Sconces situated along the walls and pillars burned with white fire that lit the room in stark contrast. I could see what looked like deep trenches in the floor, separating each section of the room with stony bridges arching over the top.
We followed Tyler inside, and men in black robes stood waiting for us. Some held staves similar to Rheas, while others wielded shields and bladed weapons.
What are you doing? Rhea demanded. Consorting with such creatures as those. She gestured to the black-and-white forms standing farther back in the room.
We are serving the will of Olattee, silly priestess, the man wearing the most elaborate black robes emblazoned with platinum white threading in holy patterns of Olattee said. We are the side of Olattee that hides in the shadows and carries out his will. And his will is for us to reach across the Plains of Eternity to summon a being that will purge all impurity from this kingdom.
Man, I do love it when the villains explain everything upfront for us. I snorted, trying not to laugh. Even though you NPCs have woken up, you still have some of the funniest tropes.
I guess theres no more wondering, Maxwell joined in a flippant tone. Both Rhea and the high priest, or whatever he was, were stunned and looking at me in surprise. We found the bad guys, lets just kill them and get it over with.
I struck first. I didnt want a dialogue of Rhea trying to convince them theyre wrong, and them trying to convince her to join their side, and blah-blah-blah.
We would just end up fighting anyways, except that route wouldve taken another five or ten minutes. I was either going to die here, or somehow find a way to survive, and I just wanted to get it over with.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢