The First Lich Lord
Chapter 124

“I think I prefer your zombies to the possessed creatures we were fighting out there,” Rhea said when we reached the forge floor.

As we’d traveled down the ziggurat, I had explained what the fighting had been like, and she said they’d encountered some of the same creatures out in the camp.

“At least my zombies are good honest undead,” I chuckled. “Not some weird combination of other universal magic and a dead body.”

Friar Brown and Vito, who never ventured far from the friar, were inspecting the forge. They had been for several minutes, and finally Friar Brown came back. “You did an excellent job in repurposing this forge. You are right, there is no way it can ever be returned. Have you been able to use it?”

“We have. In fact, I’ve found something out that I should tell you before we ventured deeper.” I explained the history of Mercy. At first Friar Brown looked angry, but when he let me finish explaining, and I handed him the book from the soul weaver, he nodded.

“I told you if it turned out that weapon of yours was one of those living blood weapons, I would be forced to destroy it. But it appears that whoever this soul weaver was, was very skilled and repurposed it. I see no need for its destruction now.”

I sighed in relief. “Then let us continue deeper. Most of the text down there is in a different language, but we have a translation dictionary.”

“Worry not, I can read that accursed language,” Friar Brown assured me.

I was worried that on the archive floor it would take Friar Brown a long time to sift through the information. But it didn’t. He knew exactly what he was searching for and even had a spell that helped him search for it. The number of times I remember being lost in libraries trying to replace a book made me very envious of that spell. Unfortunately, he did replace the information we had been worried was here. A single black book covered in bloodred runes.

“This means we need to make sure this place is very well guarded,” Friar Brown said.

I glanced at Vito. “I wonder if he can help?” Vito looked at me in confusion for a moment, then to Friar Brown in understanding. The vampire glared at the friar, but that didn’t stop me.

“Help with what?” Friar Brown asked.

“Let me show you the next floor, and then we can have that discussion,” I said, leading the way to the next set of stairs.

***

“I do have to say this is probably one of the only times I’ve ever worked with a holy man in creating a super duper powerful undead monster,” Damien said, his voice emanating from the body of a zombie.

Friar Brown had known a way to bring the mental assistant onto this plane, at least for a temporary time. Vito had been working on something, but he’d lacked all the required ingredients.

“This will be a first for me as well,” Friar Brown said. “On top of that, we’re working with the skeletal remains of the Nephelium, whatever we create would be a real monster for sure.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Vito asked skeptically.

“Of course,” Friar Brown shrugged. “Rhea may not understand—” Rhea had left with Raven, Maxwell, and Tyler, not wanting any part of what was about to happen. “But truth be told, in reality, purity is not as traditionally good as one might think. Like I told Ezekiel long ago, pure black is just as pure as pure white.”

“We’re going to leave philosophical discussions about the morality of your souls for later,” Damien interjected. “I don’t have a lot of time in this body after all.”

“How do we create a monster powerful enough to protect this dungeon without it being strong enough to break from my control?” I asked Damien.

“Well, judging by the power of this fellow,” Damien indicated Friar Brown with a nod, “and the power of the individual that grabbed you, who was likely in the high-level 100s, probably right up against the second soul compression, I would say to be safe you should have a creature at least in the 200 range.”

“What?” I was completely floored. “There is no way I can maintain control over that.”

“Normally I would agree, but you have a lot of things going for you.” Damien shrugged.

“There is no way Ezekiel can create that,” Vito shook his head.

“You would be right, normally,” Damien laughed. “But you have me helping you. I may not bring to bear much power, but with my skill and access to the power between the three of you, there should be no problem. Though the friar’s power is going to be trickier to work with.”

“I am not sure level 200 will be enough in the long run,” Friar Brown said. “As far as my power goes, if I can provide you pure dark mana, can you use it yourself?”

“I get to use you like a mana battery?” Damien’s zombie tried to smile, and we all winced as part of the cheek fell off. “That would work great. It might not be much to work with, but it will be enough. As far as levels go, don’t worry about that. We’re going to bind this creature to Ezekiel through the dungeon. That will both strengthen his control over it and allow it to continue to grow in strength based on Ezekiel’s own level.”

“How will Ezekiel prevent it from breaking free of his control?” Vito asked. “It will be nearly twice his level, and the difference between level 100 and level 101 alone is big as far as power goes.”

“That is where you come in,” Damien said. “You and Ezekiel have a fairly profound bond, through that bond, I am going to make sure this creature knows that you would support Ezekiel if it ever tried to rebel. That should be enough to prevent it from ever trying, at least until Ezekiel is more powerful than it.”

“Wait, if it levels at the same speed as I level, how will that happen? It will start out quite a bit ahead of me?” I asked.

“We’re bending the rules a little bit with this one,” Damien said. “Normally dungeon bosses under the control of a master must be weaker, that’s just how it works. What we’re doing is simply saying that Ezekiel managed to somehow suppress a super powerful monster with the help of an ally to take control of the dungeon. This likely would never actually happen in a real scenario, but it’s the scenario that we’re telling the dungeon is going on. So as time passes, Ezekiel will level significantly faster in comparison to this creature. However, once he passes its level it will begin to level at a regular rate.”

Vito nodded. “Damien, just who are you? You are a master necromancer, clearly, you have huge amounts of experience with controlling dungeons, and you discuss the power Friar Brown and I have like it’s nothing.”

Damien smiled, and his jaw fell off this time—thankfully his voice wasn’t coming from the mouth, a zombie body was just not meant for this kind of power. “I don’t know whether or not you would know me, I don’t know which habitable section we’re in, and I died a long time ago, so a lot of things have changed. Tell me, does the dead continent still exist? If this is even the right section.”

“This is the right section,” Friar Brown said. “It does still exist, though it is not anywhere near us.”

“Good to know.” Damien could no longer try to smile, but the one eye that wasn’t completely burst seemed to sparkle. “I wondered how long my creation would last. That brings back some really fond memories. Good times.”

“I don’t believe you,” Vito said flatly. “There’s no way you’re the one who created the dead continent, that necromancer became a god.”

“Who was then later thrown down by some do goodie paladin and his righteous crusade,” Damien sneered. “But that was a long time ago, we need to focus on right here now. Not sure how much longer this body is going to last.”

The three of us set to work. Friar Brown was not familiar with the rituals we were using, so he mostly just watched. Damien and Vito did most of the work, and I did what I could. Vito was fast; his body completed large chunks of the ritual in the time it took me to do smaller parts. Damien, limited by his body, was not fast, but his skill was beyond any of us. He worked on the inner circle, easily creating rituals far more complex than I could even begin to comprehend.

At the center of the four-layered ritual was the anvil, and on the anvil sat a pile of blackened bones. We’d taken them from the tomb at the center of the Nephelium crypt, the one where the god had been buried. There was a pile of death cores taken from those fighting with the invaders stacked nearby. It wasn’t all of them, but it was the majority.

In another stack was a pile of other needed materials. Everything from crystals to a blacksmith’s hammer engraved with runes glowing with eldritch purple light. I did my best to absorb as much of the process as I could. Perhaps I could make something similar with Vito’s help later.

“Okay,” Damien said when he finished. “Ezekiel, your job is the forge, it is the most important part of this. Without the power of the forge, this is not possible. You need to focus on channeling and controlling the power, while Vito and I do the rest.”

I took a deep breath, even though I didn’t need one. “I’ll do my best. Let’s get this done before your body falls apart.” The magic Friar Brown had used to bring Damien here came at a cost, and that cost was disintegrating the body of the zombie—he’d lost an arm a minute ago.

“One last reminder, this will pull on both of your soul energies,” Damien warned. “Not a lot, this is not a soul created undead, and that’s not something either of you are ready to play with, but it will be noticeable.”

I grunted in acknowledgment, already standing in my position and sinking my mind into my sense of the dungeon, the connection to the forge in the heart of the dungeon becoming more tangible.

Damien and Vito took up positions around the ritual, with Friar Brown standing next to Damien. He was both going to provide mana to Damien and focus on controlling the stability of the spell. Something that purity based magic was highly effective at.

Power flowed out of both Vito and Damien. Vito provided the death magic while Damien channeled dark magic from Friar Brown. I exclusively poured in eldritch power. In comparison to the other two, the power I was putting in was paltry, but eldritch power had a massive potency by itself.

Damien controlled the ritual like a master, and rings began to rise up around the anvil. The connection between me and the dungeon was seized by his spell. I had to focus on maintaining myself as the conduit to channel that power. Dungeon energy flowed through the connection into the spell as the death cores dissolved and the pile of materials was picked up.

I felt the tug on my soul and saw wisps of the etheric energy being pulled out and consumed into the ritual. My focus returned to the dungeon connection, and I was already straining to maintain the massive power. It was using up all of my remaining dungeon energy, including what I had saved for other projects.

I lost track of time, and before I knew it, I felt a new connection form, not between me and the dungeon, but me and the spell. Between the creature and the dungeon core directly. With that part done, the spell began its completion.

As the ritual diagram’s spent themselves, starting on the outside and working in, the figure became clearer. When it was just one ritual spinning around the tall black skeleton, I knew the spell was almost finished. This interior ritual was the one Damien had put the most work into. As it spun, it moved up and down the tall body before encircling the head and shrinking. It vanished inside the skull, and I felt the last dregs of the power of the spell end.

Both Vito and I were exhausted, while Damien and Friar Brown seemed completely unfazed. Admittedly, Damien’s body had now lost a leg and he was balancing on one. As the black skeleton stepped off the anvil in a smooth, almost elegant stride, I focused and pulled up a description. I was momentarily completely floored by what I read.

Kellnock

Elder Living Dead

Level: 203

Kellnock was created by a powerful ritual within the depths of the dungeon at a forge from myth and legend. An elder living dead is a force to be reckoned with. Their bones come from an age passed, and while they do not have memories of that age, their countenance reflects that age. Any a skill they learn they learn rapidly. The elder undead of the world are often considered amongst the greatest craftsman in all of the world.

Special Traits

Purpose Born: Many creatures wander through life not knowing their purpose. This is not true for this being. It was created for a purpose, and though it is not self-aware yet that will come soon. The intent and power of the forging of this creature has affected it, giving it additional traits.

Dungeon Lord: This creature was created to rule over a dungeon, and its connection with the dungeon it was created for is deep. Once established as the new lord of that dungeon, it will become one with the core on a very deep level. This means they will always come back unless the dungeon is destroyed. But it also means that it cannot leave the confines of its dungeon.

Master of the Forge: Integral to the dungeon this creature was created for, is a mighty mythical forge. In the creation process the dungeon itself poured all of the knowledge this new creation would need to work the forge to the extent of its abilities. Once established, it will use the forge to create mighty weapons and expand the dungeon’s power.

Collector of Secrets: Part of the will of the creators in the creation of this creature was for it to guard dark secrets hidden within this place. It will follow that directive and protect the knowledge within, but due to the intelligence of this creature it also now has an urge to collect more secrets.

Divine Materials: The bones used to create this magnificent creature belonged to a god. Though that god has been dead for multiple ages, the divine power of his body remained. This power is not attuned to any one kind of magic, but will be shaped by the environment in which it resides. Every creation of this creature has a 0.001% chance of containing a divine blessing in tuned to the environment in which it was created.

I shared the description with the others, and everyone stood in silence mulling it over. I tested my connection to Kellnock, and felt his eyes fixed on mine. Both of our eyes burned with the same purple eldritch light. His mind was not yet awake, but it would wake eventually. I don’t know what Damien had been, but I trusted his word on that.

Through my link, I did not feel resentment that I was weaker than it, I felt acknowledgment. I wondered how that would change when he became aware of his own being.

“Not the most powerful thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Damien said quietly. “But this is a magnificent creature nonetheless. Power is not everything, and few things have been so intricate. It was like the dungeon wanted this. Not all of it was my ritual.”

“You are appearing quite rough,” Vito pointed out.

“Yes, it’s about time for me to go,” Damien said, turning to Friar Brown. “I don’t know if it’s because I was using your mana, or if it has to do with the connection we have through this body, but I feel like I learned something about you. And through that I can see the path you are walking, even if you cannot yet.”

“What do you mean?” Friar Brown asked.

“I don’t mean to be cryptic, but that is the way of these things,” Damien said, his body rapidly beginning to fall apart. “Think long and hard about where your power comes from, and do not be afraid to take that first step, though it may seem like the end.” Damien’s last words were practically a whisper on the air as his body crumbled.

“Well,” I looked at Friar Brown in confusion, “that was weird.”

Friar Brown did not match my look, instead he had a very deep and contemplative expression.

I turned back to Kellnock and found him standing close to me. He stared down into my eyes, and I could feel his intent. I realized what he wanted. It was why he was created.

I stepped over to the forge and accessed the menu.

Do you wish to hand over the position of dungeon lord to Kellnock? You will still be the master of the dungeon and able to access it, but your direct control over the dungeon will be forfeited to Kellnock. You will lose all of your benefits of being a dungeon boss since you will no longer be a part of the dungeon. In this process, your companions will no longer be considered part of the dungeon, and any minions you choose at this time will remain behind as part of the dungeon.

Y/N

I selected Yes. Then from another menu that was hugely long, I removed all of Raven’s pets and our mounts from the dungeon. Finalizing it, I closed out and I felt the shift. My body weakened, having lost the benefits of being a dungeon boss, and my sense of the dungeon all but vanished. All I could feel was a faint and distant connection to the forge and the heart contained within.

Kellnock turned to his forge and stood in front of it. I was certain he was acclimatizing his body and his senses to that of the dungeon.

“Let’s go,” I said. “I felt a visitor up above before I handed over control. I don’t think they are hostile.”

The three of us made our way up to the harbor floor where I found Raven, Maxwell, and Rhea talking with a dark skinned man I didn’t know dressed in loose fitting, colorful robes.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“He sailed in on that boat,” Raven said gesturing to a boat dock at a pier. “He said he’s part of the order and was sent here to meet you by Ekwin.”

“Really?” I asked, eyeing the man. I didn’t get a sense from him that he was powerful. “What does the Order of Equinox need?”

“You know, if you just bothered to read that book he gave you, I wouldn’t have had to come here.” The man spoke in a clipped, fairly annoyed tone. He wasn’t weak, I knew that, there was no way he could’ve entered the harbor if he was.

“I feel like you will have much to discuss, and I need to go out and tend to the camp,” Friar Brown said.

“Hold up there, Friar,” the man from the order said. “My name is Elias, and since I was being sent here anyways, I have a message for you. Ekwin says the Pantheon knows and it will not interfere.”

“Truly?” Friar Brown, his lost expression growing even more so.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Rhea asked.

“It means war,” Friar Brown sighed. “It means civil war.”

“Unfortunately, you’re probably right,” Elias said.

“And what is needed of me?” I asked. I had benefited greatly from my membership in the order, but had never done much to fill whatever role I was supposed to.

“The order does not work that way,” Elias said. “Ekwin chooses his members carefully. If you have been chosen personally by him, then your judgment is trusted until it is proven otherwise.”

“Then why are you here?” I asked again.

Elias glared at me. “To tell you two things. One is to read that goddamn book.” I sheepishly looked at my storage bag, I had kind of forgotten the book existed. “And second is to let you know that if you walk down Vindication’s Path, the order will support you. After all, struggles like yours are why we exist.”

Friar Brown and Rhea were looking at me in question. I already knew what I was going to do, and glanced between Vito, Maxwell, and Raven. “I’m going to need an army.”

A smile split Vito’s face. “Ah, yes! Back to the good old days of world domination. I already know where to start, my lord. In fact, I have a whole plan.”

I groaned as I felt Rhea glaring at me, though Friar Brown laughed. “Rhea, cheer up. Our job just became easier, we now have an ally.”

“Yes, an ally who’s going to destroy half the country in the process and turn it into some kind of undead abomination,” Rhea growled.

“Hey, I resemble those remarks,” I said with a smile. “World domination is quite fun.”

***

“Where did you get the army?” Marissa asked as the carriage they were riding pulled into a small town.

“Be patient, that part of the story will come in time,” Ezekiel said, hopping down from the carriage once it pulled to a stop near a stable. He held out a hand to help Marissa down. “No illusions here. You need to get comfortable with what you are. This town is full of odd folk anyways, so you won’t stand out.”

Marissa grimaced but she let the illusion fade, and no sooner did she notice that he was right. Just in the few moments they’d been there, she already saw one person that was clearly a living dead opening a shop.

As they strolled through the small town, Marissa saw more and more people. Many were living dead, some demons, and more were of types she had never seen before. There was a surprising number of adventurers, players, and NPCs alike, all of them quite strong.

“Why so many adventurers?” Marissa asked.

“This is the nearest town to the edge of the Uncharted,” Ezekiel explained. “When Damien created the dead continent, he protected large chunks of the habitable section from the Uncharted. I don’t believe that was his intention, but he did. I elected to do the same in a different region.”

“I didn’t realize people were strong enough to go out there,” Marissa said.

“They often aren’t. Many of these groups are designed, not for engaging, but escaping. The Uncharted is full of all sorts of valuable resources if you can survive. What people don’t realize is how large the step up in difficulty is between what you can encounter in the civilized lands and what’s out there. But that’s not what you should be thinking about. There’s an important thing in my story you should’ve picked up on.”

Marissa thought about it. “The only thing that springs to mind is what you just told me about with this ‘Vindication’s Path,’ but I’m not certain what you mean.”

“That’s it exactly. Vindication of something is the clearing of blame or the justification of something,” Ezekiel said. “I just want to make sure you heard that, I understand it might not yet make sense without the context, but it is important nonetheless.” He gestured where people were gathering at the town square. “Let’s enjoy this day, it’s their feast day, where hunters show off the greatest kills over the last year.”

Marissa continued to think about Ezekiel’s comment on vindication. If this was the second big point, and the first one was redemption’s cost… What would the third be? She thought she might know, or at least have an idea.

Her thoughts were interrupted the closer they came to the town square, and she became fully distracted as the celebrations got underway.