[Chapter 1: Road Trip]
There were 18 people in the room; Pyke and the council, the great beasts, Zesshi and Brain. Normally, going to Re-Estize wouldn't warrant more than one or two of them, but apparently this time Pyke had something more planned. "Alright." he began, "Some of us are going to Re-Estize, the guaranteed ones are myself, Lilith and Winston. However, we will be travelling along three different routes and each of us will take up to three other people with us. It'll be a race, something to make the trip more exciting, but no teleportation and no going above the speed of a sleipnir. Understood?"
Everyone gathered nodded, "In that case, I'll pick first." He looked upon the crowd and wondered who would benefit him the most in travelling through the kingdom, settling on a certain swordsman, "Brain! You're with me."
The swordsman moved forth and clasped Pyke by his forearm, "Good choice!" he simply said, moving behind his employer. He was chosen for his vast knowledge of the main roads of Re-Estize from his time as a bandit.
Next was Lillith's turn, "Jericho!" she called out. The demonologist appeared behind her in an instant, his ability to destroy large swaths of land would undoubtedly help with any obstacles they would encounter.
Finally it was Winston's turn, "Lucius!" he said, and the favoured political duo of the Swimming City was once again reunited.
This cycle continued until the teams were full. With Pyke were Brain, Zesshi and Cirina. Brain was an obvious choice for his knowledge if underrated due to the reluctance of taking him over one of their siblings in the cases of Lillith and Winston. The reasoning for taking Zesshi was that she should learn how the courts look if she was going to be the elf queen one day. Finally, Cirina's ability to commune with elementals and spirits would give them more favourable conditions. They would be travelling along the same road Pyke took with Gazef, that being the mostly paved one from E-Rantel.
Lilith's team consisted of Jericho, Valodan and Cophi. Jericho's destructive ability was top notch and his ability to summon demons would most definitely come in handy. Valodan knew their route, as he was in charge of the forest and they were going to travel through the Great Forest of Tob. Cophi meanwhile would be able to assume an appropriate shape for any situation.
Winston's team was made up of Lucius, Galakrond and Hycarius. Lucius and Winston always had a certain rapport and their combined brain power would surely be able to overcome any difficulties. Galakrond and Hycarius meanwhile covered both angles of the draconic spectrum, ground and water, and their true forms would be able to clear the way of nearly anything.
And so three magnificent carriages left E-Rantel only to find that much more than a simple race awaited them.
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Pyke's ride in the carriage was… enjoyable, albeit he spent a chunk of it teaching Zesshi sign language, given that she was eager to understand their latest companion. It was a skill he mastered early on in his career, like most assassins and mercenaries do, since it lets one communicate silently. Cirina could very well use [Message] and she did, but it was still more inconvenient than one would expect and so she refrained from using it too liberally.
This was one of those rare times he was glad his mentor in the Oldest World was so strict and drilled all such knowledge into him. Lessons with beatings, while not healthy, were hide to forget. Of course he didn't beat Zesshi, as tempted as he was sometimes since her impulsive nature was even worse than his own. Just getting into the carriage was time consuming because she gawked at all the unfamiliar stalls and wanted to sample everything, fully knowing she'd be disappointed in comparison to the Swimming City. 'Lily must be rubbing off on her… I guess this is what happens when you introduce a weapon to a new world and tell it to become a person.' he thought to himself.
The road to Re-Estize from E-Rantel was paved for most of the way, given that it was in the king's, now queen's, domain. In fact, the initiative was even put forth by Renner when she was a princess and now she did good on it as queen, maintaining the road. It wasn't as clean or uniform as those in Baharuth, but it was a start. There still was no uniform way of processing the stones or even marking the path the road would go, causing it to be irregular and bumpy. Either way, most folk were the simple kind and appreciated the luxury when it was compared to the alternative, that being dirt, rocks and Gods know what else.
This road would take them through various cities, albeit they would not stay there and rely instead on Pyke' skills and inventory to supply them; this was after all a race. When it came to sheer distance, this was the medium length path out of the three and most likely the slowest due to traffic. It would take them through E-Pespel and then north to the capital. As long as the traffic was manageable and the kelpies maintained speed they would arrive in roughly three or four days.
Pyke turned to his blue-haired companion, "You think we'll win this?" he asked.
Brain turned to look out the window and saw the ground going past faster than any other carriage could manage, while the inside still didn't wobble, "The others are too risky, hell, this one is risky. Travel in general ain't too safe, I should know since I made it that way. These streets are loosely patrolled, but going through the forest and near the mountains? Even if those fights only last a few seconds, those still are seconds they're not moving at top speed."
Cirina signed towards him, her eyes betraying a hint of worry. Brain turned towards Pyke, "What'd she say?" he asked.
"She says not to underestimate Jericho and I agree with her. For all I know he'll burn the forest to the ground just to win. Actually, wait, I need to send him a message specifically forbidding that in any way, shape or form." Pyke put two fingers to his temple and narrowed his eyes, returning back to normal after a few seconds.
After several more hours of mindless drivel and a few naps from the two passengers who needed to sleep, their time in the carriage amounted to around two days of travel. They were making good time as E-Pespel was only an hour or so away. It was now the middle of the night and the circadian rhythms of both Brain and Zesshi were all out of whack, as it often happened during long trips.
The moon was bright and the sky was cloudless, a sign that Cirina's communion with the elementals was a success. Suddenly however a light impact hit the left side of the carriage and astonished voices rose up in response. It most likely was some sort of low tier spell that bounced off of the superior magical defences that enveloped the carriage. Pyke made a fist of his right hand, prompting the kelpie to stop, and turned to Brain.
"Don't tell me these are some of your past friends?" he asked. Bandits were a common occurrence, but most would attack isolated roads; it was only Brain's band that was bold enough to attack this one so often.
"I'm pretty sure you killed all of them the first time we met and they weren't friends of mine, just acquaintances." the swordsman answered. His life was based on the pursuit of strength and it only happened that mercenary work and the bandit lifestyle was what he needed to improve.
Zesshi rubbed her eyes as she awoke from her nap, "Mmm, what's going on out there…?" she asked, still groggy. Surprisingly despite her more sensitive hearing, the girl was a heavy sleeper, not being bothered by Pyke and Brain conversing.
"Seems someone has had the bright idea to attack us." Pyke answered, opening the door and stepping outside. His stature was intimidating to most, but when it was followed by a teenage girl dressed in cute winter clothing it made for quite the mixed impression. Better yet, the appearance of the infamous Brain Unglaus and a half elf wielding a scythe came as even more of a shock.
Their assailants were a group of twenty men dressed in and armed with surprisingly decent gear. It was uniformly dyed black, which meant that they were either backed by someone with enough capital and resources to pay for high quality armor commissions, had those resources themselves or used magical dye that was rather expensive.
Long knives were their choice weapons, alongside a staff for two magic casters in the group. The knives were the distinct color of mithril albeit without the glow that would indicate the presence of enchantments. Pyke stood there for a second, the Eight Fingers were under his control and all dissenting elements were already purged so it couldn't be them. He was travelling via the expected route to meet nobles and just like that he came to the most obvious conclusion, this was a noble's private force that was sent out to try and kill him. It was as desperate as it was futile and Pyke was not going to waste his limitless energy on dealing with such pathetic whelps.
The faces of his adversaries were still shrouded in darkness, but he'd rather see the faces of the men who'd try to take his life. He turned to Cirina, "Some light." he simply said. With a flick of the girl's wrist the two magic casters were lit ablaze, massive pillars of fire consuming them and going far into the night sky.
Pyke quickly identified their leader, a man who seemed to be in his mid twenties, with a magical ring that none of the others possessed. He looked at his other two companions, "Well? Go. Have fun. Stretch your legs, it's been a long ride." The leader was already bound by watery tentacles as Pyke silently cast a spell, saving the man from a bloodthirsty half elf and a swordsman who was eager to test out his new weapon.
Brain engaged the one who he identified by stance to be the deadliest, eager to test both his skills and equipment. He didn't have his freshly made combat armour on him, instead preferring a more comfortable garb, but he wasn't planning on being hit in the first place. He drew his katana with blinding speed even without the help of martial arts and began his duel with the man.
As expected, it was brief. A living legend such as himself would not be bested by a noble's dog. The would-be assassin was kept on the defensive as Brain toyed with him, testing out different grips and moves with his blade, getting used to the weight. Even if a blade felt perfect there still was a learning curve to using a newer weapon, muscle memory came with experience and was reprogrammed the same way it was gained.
His opponents mithril knives were no match and once Brain found the duel to be boring he activated one of his favourite arts and the one he was arguably most proud of, "[Martial Art: Godflash]!" To the man it looked as if nothing happened, until his head rolled from his shoulders, his consciousness flickering out right as his mind processes what happened. The cut was so clean, the spinal cord offering no resistance against the adamantite masterpiece, that there was no blood left on it. He sheathed it and looked around only to find corpses.
Zesshi rushed forward and cleaved through the last man standing, armour or no it was no match for her beloved "Patricide" and death came swiftly for her opponent. She looked at her clothing and found it to be soaked with blood. Instantly her mood was ruined since these were her nice clothes that Vacuus sewed in anticipation of her going out eventually. Before she could take out her frustration on the corpse in front of her by hacking it into pieces Pyke threw a scroll at her, one that contained the utility spell [Clean]. She used it and in an instant she felt refreshed, her clothing as clean as when it was initially created.
Now it was Brain's turn to be irritated, "You could have left some for me! I may not be as strong as you, but I still need some decent practice and random thugs aren't a good recipe for it!" he said.
Zesshi stuck his tongue at him, which caused Brain to grumble further, "More than a century old half elf my ass! Fucking teenagers… You need to learn some respect ya know?!"
The killing machine in the body of a teenager merely crossed her arms and pouted, "I just wanted to go back to sleep quickly! Also da-, I mean, Pyke brought chocolate milk for the trip and these guys stood between me and it." she said, briefly covering her mouth and reddening at the embarrassing slip up; although the now visible tips of her ears still betrayed her true emotions.
Pyke ignored their childish squabbling and moved ahead, towards the bound leader. He cancelled his spell and let him fall to the ground. Instead of begging for mercy or trying to fight, or doing whatever one would anticipate him to do, he instead brought his ring to his mouth, kissed it, and collapsed, dead.
The Ripper looked at the ring and appraised it with a spell, "Enchanted with preservation and coated with poison? Interesting trick, certainly useful. I remember when my employers made me do this with teeth. But to do it with no hesitation, huh? This one must have been loyal to his cause. Shame he doesn't know who he's up against." he motioned with his head towards the body and Cirina took the hint.
She waved her hand and cast the spell [Beckon Spirit] which could bring the spirits of the dead back to life and was mostly a flavour spell that added a bit of extra lore or some benefits in specific quests. Knowing the devs it was probably used to unlock a path to a horribly obscure and dangerous area that possessed a disgustingly broken World Item, but it was too late to ponder it now.
The man's spirit returned, but before it could lash out in anger or attempt to return to its eternal rest Cirina cast yet another spell. This time it was [Shamanic Authority] and it let shamans dominate any spirits of a lower level than themselves. There was a version of this spell for almost every race category, whether it be undead, demon or otherwise, and it proved to be extremely hated by players, as if they didn't have the necessary mind control resistance a dungeon or raid boss could turn them against their own comrades until they were killed.
And now the spirit stood motionless, it's see-through, pale-blue body illuminated by the moonlight. "Who sent you?" asked Pyke, cutting to the heart of the matter.
"The noble and royal factions." the spirit answered.
Pyke tapped his foot impatiently, "Specifics, names, details and so on. Which noble's private militia did you belong to?"
"Marquis Pespea." it said, its voice emotionless, but face strained as it was stripped of its autonomy. Not only to die, but to be forced to betray his master after death? Fate was indeed the cruellest of mistresses.
"The youngling thinks he could stop me? Hmm, but why?" wondered Pyke out loud. That one wasn't particularly remarkable. He was connected to the throne via one of the daughters of the former king, but he didn't seem like one with ambitions for the throne.
The spirit remained quiet, but Brain came to the rescue, "Probably because he blames you for putting Renner on the throne." Indeed, the ascension of the first queen of Re-Estize was both a historical and controversial topic.
"And how is putting Renner on the throne a bad thing for the kingdom?" Pyke asked. The Golden Princess, as diabolical as she was, was loved by the people and of royal blood; in theory none but the noble faction should have had problems with her.
"She's a woman and you know how the nobles are with their traditions and their lineages and whatever else." Queens were an uncommon sight in the world, despite the existence of Draudillion and Calca. Draudillion was unique due to her lineage and Calca was an exception among exceptions, having advisors that actually managed to outwit the nobles. Well, one advisor that could do that and a brother who recognized who would be the better ruler.
Pyke heaved a heavy sigh, "By the deep… I fucking hate nobles. At least this gives me an excuse to gut one more." He turned to Zesshi, "You'll get to see how to properly kill a noble. It's a step down from the king, but it's an important life skill. Speaking of killing that noble, doesn't he live in E-Pespel for most of the year?"
Zesshi and Brain looked at each other dumbfounded, such knowledge being entirely foreign to them and the beatings offered by Lily being much more preferable when compared to the mental abuse called Winston's lengthy reports. Thankfully Cirina was not useless and actually did pay attention to the reports labelled "IMPORTANT NOBLES: A GUIDE FOR THE FIELD TRIP. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF OUR LORD-FATHER READ THIS"
She nodded in the affirmative and signed, "He should be there when we arrive in an hour. It'll still be dark. He was meant to set out to the royal court in the morning" And so Pyke pushed the three of them back into the carriage, speeding off and arriving at the city after an hour. Security was lax, as expected of the kingdom and they made it in with no issues. Next came the fun part, that being the actual murder.
For this, Cirina summoned up some clouds with the help of wind elementals and the night became black as death, not a single shred of moonlight penetrating the sky. The magical lighting wouldn't do the guards any favours as any self respecting assassin would travel via rooftops rather than the streets.
Zesshi had the pleasure of accompanying him since, in Pyke's words, she was "as subtle as a battering ram." Which to be fair was true, after all what use was stealth when she'd never met anyone strong enough to stop her? They jumped across rooftops, finally making it to the mansion that overlooked the entire city, given that it was on a hill and thus elevated several dozen meters over the rest of the area.
Pyke took out his harpoon and slid it in the crack between the closed window and wood beneath it, cutting apart the lock with one swift motion. They stepped through and to their surprise instantly found themselves in the room of the Marquis, said noble currently staring at them from underneath his concubine. It seems that the duo of assassins were too preoccupied with sneaking to notice the action that was going down in the bedroom they were breaking into.
Pyke turned to Zesshi as he unfurled and used a scroll containing an area of effect [Silence] spell, "Lesson one, only leave convenient witnesses. This is not a convenient witness." Before the woman could process the words that were said and scream or beg, the Ripper pointed at her, "[Drown]" In an instant her lungs filled with water to the point of bursting, a thundering crack echoing throughout the room but not beyond it.
"W-w-wait! I can pay! I can give you anything!" cried out the Marquis as he slid beneath the covers to hide himself, desperate to salvage the situation and his dignity at least slightly. Of course it was already too late for him and he would soon become another victim of Renner's manipulation. Oh how easy it was to anger her dearest older sister and talk her husband into sending assassins at the most powerful being this world had yet seen.
Zesshi stepped forward and readied her scythe as Pyke ignored the man, "I've heard that a million times. Now, remember Zesshi, just half way through the Adam's apple." The scythe was swung and the characteristic spraying of pressurized blood gushing from an artery could be heard. They grabbed the head and moved on, leaving behind two corpses that would be found by a soon very traumatised maid. And for once the rumours would be accurate, this dead noble was certainly the Ripper's handiwork…
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Lilith, Valodan, Cophi and Jericho were going to take a shortcut through the Great Forest of Tob, courtesy of the multitude of roads that were rapidly being built there. Most of the tribes in the forest were now interconnected and some demihumans even moved to Carne following news that goblins live there. Construction in general went smoothly, thanks to both the delegation of elder liches and the tireless nature of skeletons.
Skeletons, despite possessing no muscle, had surprising strength that came from the negative energy that fueled them. Of course not only the undead participated in the construction. Some of the more curious demihumans, such as naga or hobgoblins, were learning on site and becoming apprentices under various elder liches, their fear of the undead being surprisingly scarce after a few weeks of exposure to them.
More muscular and less intelligent species, such as ogres, were also put to work. The average mental capability of beings such as these was low, however barter was still a concept they understood and employing them proved easy. Their muscular strength was much greater than a human's and simple tasks such as clearing trees were easy for them.
Valodan held little affinity for the denizens besides their usefulness, but his skilful delegation caused the previously impassable forest that was previously the domain of only demihumans and heteromorphs to now be rather simple to traverse through. Undoubtedly this will prove to be a boon once human merchants rid themselves of their biases in several decades, but what were several decades to immortal beings?
They passed the lizardmen village and Carne on their way, but didn't stop; there was a race to be won after all. Jericho constantly sent out shadow demons up ahead to clear out anything that may be problematic, however the troublesome species that often wandered onto the roads, such as giant spiders, were either herded away by the druids or already pushed to the brink of extinction by the usual patrolling sentries.
Pyke's future domain looked rather peaceful, however they soon left the woodlands and entered the land of Re-Estize, on their way to E-Raebel. This was a city just to the east of the capital, from where they could travel down a paved road and hopefully end up being there first. There may not have been a prize for coming first, however pride was a prize in and of itself.
Lilith sat in the spacious carriage and overlooked the map alongside Valodan and Cophi. The general was plotting an optimal route using various tools from his transformed hands. This map was rather detailed, probably the most detailed in existence. At first summons with high stealth were sent out to all the major countries in the region to copy their maps.
Maps in a setting such as this, with limited technology and magic, were as useful as military equipment if not more. A great general with a detailed map could win a battle against vastly disproportionate odds. Once the maps were copied and assembled they were cross referenced in order to maximize their accuracy. To no one's surprise, the maps were vastly inaccurate, outdated and only showed human dominated areas; forests and such being left out almost entirely.
Still, they served as a sufficient baseline and the gaps were filled in by the endless efforts of both the observatory overlord wisemen that dealt with the general topography and summons that scoured the ground in order to not miss minute details such as ancient ruins or tunnels.
Alas no such things were revealed and the landscapes seemed to be rather mundane. Whatever civilizations, if any, existed where the kingdom and empire now stood then they were long gone, any trace of it wiped from the planet by an angered Dragon Lord, the elements or something else entirely.
Suddenly Jericho jumped in through the open window, as before he was sitting on top of the carriage previously and enjoying the breeze that by most standards would knock him off and lead to a rather brutal fall. "It seems we have an unwanted welcome party waiting around halfway to E-Raebel. They've got dark hoods that are torn, shitty wands and are overall not very inviting. Any suggestions?"
Valodan looked up at him, "Any idea who they are? And more importantly, how did they find us?" he asked, perplexed. As any good carriage, the ones of the Swimming City were protected against magic both offensive and divinative. So far there was not a human they have met that could pierce those anti-divination defences, never mind the ones that the people in the carriage enveloped themselves in.
"Analysis: Given the circumstances and reported appearances, the group is presumed to be Zurrernorn. Possibilities of being found include but are not limited to: luck or Jericho telling an outside party of the route." said Cophi.
Lilith looked at her demonologist brother, "I'm sure the second one isn't true, right?" she asked, her voice sickly sweet and a bright smile plastered on her face. It would have been mesmerizing, if only the one it was targeted at didn't know her true nature.
"Haha, yea." he said, "I'm guessing they just got lucky. I still don't know why they would come after us, they're supposed to be secretive. That guy in E-Rantel I killed was apparently pretty high up there."
Cophi spoke up once again, "There exists the possibility that a member of the organization has learnt of Jericho's necromantic abilities and has sought him out for some purpose."
Lilith once again looked at her brother, "You didn't happen to perform parlour tricks concerning undead to impress insects in E-Rantel, did you, dear brother?"
To this Jericho took offense, "I need not seek validation from lower beings! Who do you take me for?! The only powerful undead I summoned in that city was Thanatos and I immediately sent him to Valodan afterwards."
"Are you sure one of the disciples or cultists did not survive your massacre? Humans can be surprisingly resilient and determined, particularly in such cases." said Valodan. Humans were a weak species, they still managed to survive via determination and ingenuity. The chances that one could survive what some presumed to be a fatal wound was never zero.
The demonologist shook his head, "We were very thorough with Keno. Those bugs may be as determined as they want, but several crystalline spears directly through the vital organs are lethal. Not to mention that I doubt ashes can talk in this world, much less so when I took their souls as well! Even if, and this is a big if, they had someone capable of using Tier 5 holy magic in a necromantic cult, they still wouldn't be able to do anything."
"The individual known as Keno Fasris Invern may be the source of the leak." interjected Cophi. She didn't have anything against the lower being and accused her without a hint of emotion in her voice, either positive or negative. She was merely stating how such an inferior creature may be the root of their issue.
"Doubt that. She's undead so mind magic wouldn't work and I've kept a close eye on her. Well, since speculation isn't doing us a lot of good, how about we just ask the men of the hour when we arrive? Don't you always insist on primary sources, Valodan?" said Jericho.
The general nodded and the carriage moved forth at the maximum allowed speed. Clouds were nowhere to be seen and the moon illuminated the area as they slowed down. The four of them looked outside through the windows as the figures came into view after an hour of travel. One of the cultists tried to stop the carriage by getting in front of it and scaring the disguised kelpie into stopping, only that due to its nature as a kelpie it instead trampled him.
He was dead when the hoof hit his head, crushing it under the weight. The carriage then experienced its first bump as the body was a substantial enough obstacle that the enchantments put onto the carriage could not cancel it out completely. Thankfully the area inside was spacious enough to not have Valodan hit his head on the ceiling.
Following this incident the carriage stopped and the four of them went out. Most likely expecting easy prey, the cultists did not expect what looked like an experienced magic caster and a massive man with weird augmentations. While they were stunned by their appearance Jericho took control of the situation, summoning an Elder Lich. Shocked gasps answered his demonstrations of power and the cultists knelt. Most of them were trembling at the thought that they encountered a legendary necromancer that could very well be the mysterious leader of Zurrenorn.
One who's robe was in slightly better condition stepped forward and bowed deeply, "S-sir, are you one of our own? Perhaps o-one of the leading disciples?" he asked, his voice trembling. The identity of these leading disciples was, in all cases now that Khajit was gone, shrouded in complete mystery; not to mention the leader who nobody besides the disciples knew the identity of.
One thing these disciples however had in common was power. Given that the cult was divided and the enclaves mostly worked on their own, thus the way to recognize such a disciple was their necromantic ability. The creation of an elder lich was definitely something that qualified one for that position.
The other three looked at him and nodded, silently telling him to go along with it. "I am. Who has ordered you to attack my carriage? Rituals won't do themselves and I have a capital to be at!" he said, faking irritation.
"M-my lord, another of the disciples arrived at our enclave today and told us to prey on any nearby carriages as they needed fresh bodies. Would you like to be taken to them?" the apprentice necromancer asked in as polite a tone as he could muster. Offending an apprentice was a quick way to be turned into a simple skeleton, rather than ascending into a lich like most wanted.
"By all means, lead the way. It has been long since I have met with my fellow disciples." The group moved forth and entered a small cave that was nearby. The entrance was tight for Valodan, but he made it through either way. Inside the cave space turned out to be abundant, the area illuminated by rocks imbued with a [Light] utility spell.
Usually torches would be used, but necromancers in Zurrernorn sought to be undead, rather than just plainly dead and so they didn't risk lighting fires in the cave if they didn't know how the airflow would work out. After being led through various corridors and tunnels, while carefully avoiding the traps pointed out by their guide, they made it to a room in which a crudely made, stone, round table stood.
In an instant Jericho turned his hand towards the nervous apprentice and cast a spell, "[Vermillion Nova]." Before the poor sod could process the words he was already ash and the floor where he once stood was now melted. Of course the one at the front of the table didn't let this go unnoticed.
Sat there was a lich, but not just a lich, not even an elder lich. This one radiated more power, albeit it was still miniscule when compared to those in front of him. Before that one could act Cophi seemed to have dissolved into a shadow, much like shadow demons could. It looked like she glided across the floor and appeared below the lich.
A mass of shadows covered in eyes burst from the floor and devoured the undead. All that stood there now was the eerie figure that was Cophi's true form. She stood there motionless for a few seconds, regaining her elf form that served as her disguise, and then spoke up, "Assimilation and analysis complete. This undead's species was a night lich. It is one step further on the evolutionary ladder from the elder lich, however still much below the overlord race." she said.
"This one could cast up to Tier 6 and seemed to be one of the main leaders of Zurrernorn from the shadows. His main organization seemed to be called Corpus of the Abyss, which consists of other night liches of similar power. The creation of a greater doppelganger who could mimic the aforementioned night lich is available. Shall I proceed?"
The other three looked at each as this new ability of their companion was revealed and Lillith took the lead, "Do it. If we can map out not only Zurrernorn but this other group as well then all the better. Do you need gold for the summon?" she asked. There were plenty of scrolls and books for summoning various monsters in the library of the Swimming City, anything from a level 5 elemental to a level 85 angel. The reason these weren't used all at once was because their uses was limited by gold and they had more than enough force anyway.
Cophi shook her head and instead extended her hand. A black drop fell from her finger and from it formed the night lich, indistinguishable from the one that was previously there. "I can summon greater doppelgangers by myself. This one knows its objective. Is there any other information you would find to be of use?"
There was of course one big one that came to the forefront, "Who's the leader of this little cult? We know it comes from the Theocracy, but who's the current leader? Another lich of some sort?" asked Jericho. Liches were known not only for their power, but also for being some of the few undead that maintained a high level of cognition and often subjected under undead.
The angler shark scanned the consumed memories and came up with a blank, "It appears this one did not know the identity of the leader. His manipulation of the cult was vast, but he only knew the leader as "C." It appears he had met them at one point, however did not see the face. I can confirm the individual who leads Zurrernorn is alive as the undead detected positive energy, however appearance and gender cannot be determined. At the very least they are humanoid or can assume a humanoid shape. The use of the spell [False Data: Life], a modified equivalent, an item and other such possibilities, may not be excluded from the pool of scenarios at this time."
"Hmm, perhaps we should apply that level of secrecy, rather than invite lower lifeforms to engage with our secretive plans." Lilith said, while glaring daggers at Valodan. It's not that she distrusted humans, no, she despised them as lower lifeforms that shouldn't be privy to their plans. In her mind, the only ones worthy of their plans were her fellow creations, even Renner being kept in the dark.
"Oh shut it, sister. Enri is as loyal as any of us and there is no need to worry. Not like you do not do it with that gilded snake in the Valencia Palace." answered the general. Renner was dangerous, even by guardian standards, and the debate whether she should be killed off was still raging among the council.
"You know just as well as I that once the contract is sealed there will be no way for that girl to get out of it. It is a full proof plan, unlike your little pet." she jabbed back.
The two were about to physically start butting heads with each other and start arguing further, however Jericho stepped in and pushed them apart, "You can deal with this squabbling when I'm not here. Anything else that could be valuable, Cophi?" he asked.
She tilted her head and scanned through the information obtained once more. It was a simple process given that her mental computing power was vast, but sorting through several decades for most humans, and over a century in this case, still took either a bit of time or a bit of concentration. Her anatomy was rather strange as well, seeming to be a mix between a shadow demon, a slime and a greater doppelganger. Alas, it was convenient and brought forth results.
"I am able to compile a list of nobles associated with the cult. The use of this however is questionable as they are minor nobles and will be purged once father takes power. A secondary purpose is also available. The consumed subject was a fresh specimen, only 159 years old, however his travel data may prove useful. Do you want me to illustrate it?" she said, taking out her own copy of the local map alongside blank paper that she used as an extension.
The others shrugged, by now the race was already lost and securing more benefits for their father took priority anyway. Her hand moved at blistering speed while holding the pencil given to her by Valodan. In her mind she scanned all the maps the night lich had ever seen and all the sights during his travels. The result was extensive, going well beyond the beastman kingdom that was to the southeast of E-Rantel and past the Draconic Kingdom.
Valodan looked at it with stars in his eyes as his future conquests were practically handed to him. Lillith didn't share the same excitement, "Past the beastmen are more beastmen? Wonderful. Wait, why did you mark this entire area with a skull?" she asked, circling what seemed to be a barren wasteland with her index finger.
"According to the memories of the night lich and information he had gathered from those in the Corpus of the Abyss, this entire area is considered inhospitable and contains only undead. In the past this area was much larger however other nations eventually reclaimed it. Some of them are even human dominated." Cophi answered.
"Wait, say that again. This area used to be all undead and this still is?" asked Jericho, a sense of urgency and glee in his voice.
"According to the memories of the night lich and information he had gathered from those in the Corpus of the Abyss, this entire area is considered inhospitable and contains only undead. In the past this area was much larger however other nations eventually reclaimed it. Some of them are even human dominated." repeated Cophi.
"Something on your mind, brother?" asked Lillith, her voice betraying a hint of surprise that he would actually have something worthwhile to say about a place so far away.
"Keno told me about this place. Apparently she was a princess and then everyone turned into undead. Didn't expect it to be only a few hundred kilometres away from the beastmen…"
"So what are you getting at Jericho?" asked Valodan, still eyeing the map with barely concealed ecstasy.
"What I'm saying is that if this is the area that is currently all undead then this," he said, pointing at an area a few dozen kilometres in the direction of E-Rantel, "Would be Inveria. This means that whatever kingdom is here are either usurpers or the wrong person is on the throne."
Valodan rubbed his chin, "So it won't be a conventional war at the beginning, but a war of succession instead? I wonder if father thought of all of this already."
Lilith grabbed the map and put it in her inventory, "Probably, no matter how much he gives away of himself to create us we still can't match him. His brilliance aside, let us move and get to Re-Estize. Jericho, get us out of this cave."
He obliged, casting a mass teleportation spell that put them right outside of the cave and followed up with something that had a bit more destructive capability, "[Widen Magic: Cry of the Banshee]." A painful wail rang out through the night and all life was expunged from the cave, leaving behind nought but corpses. Naturally, the guardians were immune to the instant death effect and ignored it. The doppelganger night lich was sent on its way and the group returned to their carriage, spirits lifted by the fact that even if they didn't win the race, they would at least bring something worthwhile
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The Azerlisia Mountains. As mountains should be, they were tall and imposing, not to mention hard to traverse, and thus acted as the natural border between the empire and Re-Estize. The mountain range went from a bit north of E-Rantel all the way to the north where there was a rather substantial sea. The route Winston and his merry band were taking was from a purely geographical perspective, the longest. However the lack of traffic could let it edge out against its mainstream counterpart.
Initially they would travel along the reaches of the mountains, along the mountains using the abandoned roads that once seemed to be heavily utilized. Now they were in disarray, bumpy and less stable than even those in the nobles' domains of the kingdom, but they were serviceable nonetheless. From there they would move west alongside minor trade routes before arriving in the capital.
Still, the majority of their time would be spent on the roads alongside the mountains. The prevailing theory for their existence among the denizens of the swimming city was that these came from previously existing trade routes with the dwarves that lived inside the mountains. Lucius apparently saw a runecrafted blade that piqued his interest when he visited the empire and the merchant to whom the martial lord belonged.
Later on perhaps they would investigate them, as what kind of world domination would it be if they left an entire mountain range untouched, but for now more important tasks lay ahead. Not to mention that the mountains were a pain to traverse, never mind actually find an entrance to a possibly lost kingdom. Indeed, the mountains were harsh, with snow and wind that dissuaded many would-be explorers and caused the list of species that lived in the area to be rather limited.
Giant eagles and massive, furry herbivores known as Nuk, along with some minor critters, were what you could expect on the surface on the mountain. Of course, they were by no means apex predators in the region, for there existed still a race that ruled the region. That would be frost giants. In general they were around six meters tall, with pale, blue skin and white hair. Naturally they possessed immense amounts of muscle and resistance to frost.
Their only rivals were the supposed frost dragons that lived in the area, although those were just rumours, a sort of urban legend among both the human nations and the tribes of the Great Forest of Tob. However for those in the carriage they would be nothing more than overgrown lizards. Not every dragon had the potential to become a dragon lord in more than name.
Without a proper test subject the great geniuses of the Swimming City could do little but speculate. Thanks to spying on foreign affairs it appears that the only true Dragon Lord in the region was the Platinum Dragon Lord, the rest of the council merely being relatively old dragons. Draudillion was obviously an interesting case, but useless for this case study. The lingering question was, did Wild Magic access come purely from genetics or was there another factor to it? Finding more dragons would help them answer that question.
Other interesting subjects for such a study were of course Galakrond and Hycarius, both being notable representatives of draconic entities and now they felt like they were being interrogated. "So are you sure you can't use Wild Magic all of a sudden?" asked Winston, poking Galakrond's bicep.
The dragon in disguise pushed his less physically endowed brother away and sighed, "No I cannot. Why would I? We've heard of impressive dragons that can't and a monarch that isn't even a dragonoid that can."
Lucius rubbed his chin, "Hmm… Perhaps that power can be transmitted via bodily fluids and not only genetics? Hycarius, how do you feel about getting a wife or husband?"
The aquatic dragon hybrid spit his drink out of the thankfully open window and pounded his chest several time, "What the fuck, Lucius? You can't just ask me somethin' like that! We don't even know of any female Dragon Lords and I only swing one way! Actually, I don't even swing at all! I am an eldritch horror from the depths for fuck's sake!" he yelled, his speech being the least formal of all his siblings, besides Lily.
Winston chuckled, "Say whatever you want. Lillius, in theory, is sentient mist and yet he swings omnidirectionally. Not to mention that even with his ridiculous standards he called Draudillion rather pretty. I will definitely send you on a diplomatic mission there." As the three bantered and Lucius wholeheartedly was planning out a way to grant his brothers access to Wild Magic, Hycarius suddenly stiffened and sniffed at the air.
He looked at Galakrond, "Draconic blood. In front of our path. Seems… bit young although I can tell it's of the frost variety. There's not a lot of it so I can't be sure though. Ya feel anythin' in front of us?"
Galakrond closed his eyes for a second, "Mm, yes. Like you said, it appears to be a young, frost one. Should be on our path. I'd rather not waste this opportunity, but the signal is strong, it shouldn't die before we arrive."
A real smile blossomed on Lucius' face, one not made exclusively for a diplomatic purpose, but a genuine one at the idea that a suitable test subject has been found. Unfortunately, with him weren't like minded men of science looking to experiment, but compassionate souls that were more likely to help the beast. Still, perhaps this encounter wouldn't be totally useless.
As the carriage made its way around the corner, it encountered an issue. It appears an avalanche, most likely a man made one, pushed a heavy amount of snow onto the road. In an instant Winston leaned out the window and pointed his revolver at the mound. "[Skill: Incendiary Round]." Thankfully remembering to swap to normal bullets beforehand, the shot travelled through the snow and got itself embedded in the ground, melting everything around, which included both the snow and a bit of the stone.
Before the road could entirely melt they travelled onwards, until the ground shook as the body of a dragon fell in front of the carriage, bloodied and bruised. It's scales were blueish, more in parts stained with red or coloured purple due to internal bleeding, but they still were rather beautiful.
The body of the dragon itself was impressive, but not in the traditional way that indicated a dragon's might. A powerful dragon, such as Galakrond, has large parameters in all directions; height, length and width. This one however… was only wide. It could even be called fat. Frost dragons had, as expected of their race, perfect resistance to frost, thus there was no way that it was the result of stockpiling fat for preserving body heat. The species was also not known for hibernation and so the only options were that the dragon in front of them was simply either a glutton or didn't get much exercise.
The four got out of the carriage and immediately looked at the mountains from where the dragon had fallen. Four frost giants made their way into view and pointed at them. They were armed with what you would expect of a rather barbaric species, that being oversized axes, mauls, clubs and so on. Of course giants were smart, as smart as humans and some even more so, however the frost variety tended to be a simple, warmongering population, at least according to YGGDRASIL lore.
A second after they took a step forward they fell, headless. To an observer who was bound by his weakness it looked as if the giants suddenly lost their heads, a glitch in existence where they simply disappeared. However, to those who had strength comparable to the perpetrator they saw Hycarius run up the mountain, an intricate, aquamarine sword in his hand, decapitate the giants and make his way back, all in the span of seconds. Needless to say such speed was impressive, yet the rashness of his actions was not.
"Bit premature, was it not? Perhaps those giants could have provided us with vital information? Youth and their simple minds." reprimanded Lucius, while shaking his head.
"There ain't anythin' they could 'ave told us that he can't." he said, pointing his sword at the dragon that now seemed to be wide awake and staring at the people around him. His instincts however told him that these weren't humans or anything he had read about and their gear seemed to be worth more than all the things he had seen in the past.
One of them took out a gorgeous bottle with red liquid and poured it on his sore body. The odd liquid seemed to be absorbed by his body and he could feel his flesh mending itself, as if his natural regeneration was accelerated to its maximum and beyond. Before he knew it his flesh was whole and he was in peak condition.
"Feeling a bit of sympathy for your long lost, distant, twenty times removed cousin?" asked Hycarius, teasing Galakrond for his sympathy. Lucius approved of the move, a potion is a small price in comparison to a charge of a wand of resurrection.
"Oh shut it. Not like you wouldn't do it if I hadn't." These two were probably the oddest to the young dragon, for they had the distinct feeling of draconic power around them. His father was rather abusive, as dragons tend to be and as such he developed a sort of sixth sense for those around him, but these people were blanks.
Their faces betrayed little no emotion, though the biggest of them all had a hint of pity.
The one dressed in white spoke up, "Dragon. What is your name and why are you here?" He pointed his cane at the young dragon. No aura of power leaked from him, which made him even scarier, as if there was a dam that could burst at any moment.
"I-I'm Hejinmal. A f-frost dragon." Normally such information would be enough to send most people running, adventurer or otherwise, but these people were by no means ordinary. "M-my father, the White Dragon Lord Olasird'arc Haylilyal," the strangers attention notably increased at the mention of his father, "sent me here because well, I don't get out of the house enough and well… I'm a bit fat so he told me to go kill frost giants like my siblings."
The strangers seemed to ignore most of his story and singled in on his father, "And your father, what kind of magic can he use?" once again asked the one in white, his face a mask of basic politeness.
Before the young dragon, who in fact was only around eighty years old, decided to answer, he looked around for the pursuing frost giants. They were the only beings that could fight the frost dragons, their strongest warriors even being a match for his father. The greatest weapon of the dragons was their frost breath, which had absolutely no effect on their greatest competitor in the region.
Frost dragons had very keen senses, eyesight in particular. Hunting in blizzards and in similar conditions against enemies, who often had at least a semblance of strategy, was difficult, particularly due to the fact that frost dragons bordered on being wyverns. They were smaller than their counterparts, less intelligent and more instinctual. Hejinmal was, in fact, an exception as he was more scholarly. His father also was an exception, as dragons often had no familial ties and instead kicked their young out after a few decades.
And his eyesight revealed to him the corpses of the frost giants that were chasing him. For the first time he looked at the armaments of his most recent acquaintances and found that one of them held a blade of unparalleled quality that was stained with the distinct, dark red blood of the aforementioned giants. His already cold blood ran just a little colder.
"H-he can cast up to Tier 3 fire defence spells… I don't know about Wild Magic." It was a natural spell to learn as a single fireball could still be devastating. Not like dragons had to put any effort into learning Tier magic, they simply learnt it as they went and grew. Hejinmal couldn't yet cast magic, but who knows? Perhaps with his extensive reading he would one day be a great draconic mage?
"Tier 3? That ain't worth our time! Let's just finish this whelp off and go! The race is lost, but we can't be too late." said the one holding the sword, putting it on his shoulder. Despite its unimaginable sharpness the clothing of the man didn't give way and there seemed to be no difference for the man between the sharp edge and flat side of the blade.
However the youth was instead ignored, "And where is your father?" asked the one in white, leaning over the still lying dragon. He may have been small for Hejinmal, but his aura at that moment felt massive. This was due to Lucius unleashing a small bit of his aura.
"I-in the former dwarven capital, in the mountains. There's an entrance to the east from here." he said, barely stopping his voice from trembling. The area occupied by the frost dragons formerly belonged to the dwarves, being their capital, but such humanoids could do little against an entire clan of dragons moving in. Of course, the part Hejinmal cared about the most was the large royal library.
"Hmm." The hand of the man disappeared into what seemed to be his pocket, but instead Lucius discreetly opened his inventory and took out a ring. It was, by his standards, a random trinket that held less value than his handkerchief. To the dragon however it was a priceless artifact matched by few, if any, things in his father's hoard.
It was a simple ring of fire protection that was around level 30, a golden band with some gaudy designs and a red stone in the middle. He walked up to Hejinmal and put it on his claw, the item adjusting its size appropriately thanks to its magic properties. "Take this as a sign of… gratitude for the information. To collectors of curios and trivia such as us it is worth more than its weight in gold."
The dragon's eyes widened as he stared at the priceless artifact on his claw, "Are you sure? I've never seen anything like it!" It didn't of course help that the main treasures of the former dwarven capital were locked behind a door his father long gave up on trying to open. Still, he read of many legends and this seemed like an item that would be described in some heroic tale.
Winston shook his head, a pleasant smile on his face, "To converse with a dragon and come out of it alive is a once in a lifetime experience, a none in a lifetime experience for most even. Please, by all means be on your way, Sir Hejinmal."
The young dragon nodded and, after saying his final farewells to the travellers, beat his wings and took off. For normal men the wind caused by such an occurrence would knock them over, but as these were not ordinary men their hair was not even touched.
All three of them looked at Lucius since they knew he was not one to give a starving beggar a piece of bread, much less a ring to a dragon. "What's your plan, Lucy? We have a lot of those rings, but you wouldn't give it away without some kind of plan." said Winston.
Lucius turned to Galakrond, "What is it your kind are most well-known for, at least when it comes to behaviour, dear brother?"
The dragon in human form thought for a second, rubbing his chin, and spoke up once it clicked in his head, "Hoarding treasure! Most of us use it for beds, but I don't feel that pull. I doubt sleeping on goblets and such is very comfortable." Hycarius nodded his agreement at the statement, although he did still have an attraction to shiny things.
"So where do you think he'll put the ring?" Lucius asked, a devilish smile replacing the previously kind one, his snake-like tongue briefly visible as he spoke.
"Well, in 'is hoard." replied Hycarius, a simple answer for a simple quandary.
Lucius tapped his cane on the ground and then pointed it at the aquatic dragon knight, "Close, but not quite right. Dragon's are not one for families and it seems this one, while different in his behaviour, is still abusive. Chances are he will either take the ring from his son or his son will offer it as tribute in order to gain preferential treatment."
"So what?" asked Hycarius, still puzzled by the plan.
"It will remain right where the dragon does, which makes the second phase of the plan all the more simple. Surely you didn't think we would leave these mountains alone in the future?" said Lucius, overlooking the mountain range that undoubtedly possessed vast resources his father could utilize.
"Let me guess, a tracking spell on the ring?" asked Winston, his arms crossed and a slight smirk on his face.
Lucius twirled his cane in response, "Precisely. Finding the dwarves or even the dragon would undoubtedly be a painful ordeal, even with vast use of our observatory. Now that won't be necessary. We can track the ring and simply drill through the earth with one spell or another."
It was a simple plan, perhaps it could even be called crude, but if it served its purpose then what did aesthetics matter? Resources that could be gained from just one dragon were impressive, but an entire clan or tribe? A bounty such as this comes along only every few millennia and Lucius was not one to give it up.
Dragon skin could be used for scrolls, even empowering them if the spell corresponded with the skin; teeth and claws could be used for weapons, while the flesh could be given to the chefs for a wonderful dinner. Few creatures in YGGDRASIL were both as deadly and sought after as dragons and not for no reason was slaying a dragon often considered the peak of a hero's lifetime.
Yet these thoughts would have to be put on hold, there was after all a monarch to meet and an army to slaughter…
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The three carriages stopped at the same time and the three groups met outside of the inn Pyke had once stayed in as an adventurer. The race turned out to be a draw, but it turned out that everyone had quite a story to tell. They gathered in one of the rooms they rented, not bothering to choose a specific one since they rented the entire floor as a show of power.
Quickly summoning up chairs, bean bags and so on, they sat together and recounted their tales.
First there came outrage at the idea that their father was attacked by filthy nobles. Surprise from everyone, but Lillith who was supposed to tell her father of Renner's plan, yet didn't because she became too side-tracked with containing the princess' zeal, lest she go overboard and annoy Pyke. Seeing the head of said noble calmed everyone down and some even gave Zesshi some praise, including Winston, which caused her to blush as red as the fire that was burning beneath the hearth.
Second came the tale of necromancers and their organizations. All of those gathered were shocked to find that such lower lifeforms dare stalk the soon to be lands of Pyke. All, besides Galakrond who recently was the one to expel those necromancers from the Great Forest of Tob during a regular patrol alongside the lizardmen. Such information didn't reach the rest of the council because he instead became preoccupied with giving Zaryusu romantic advice about Crush, which flustered him to the point of forgetfullness.
Last was the tale of dragons and devils. The possibility of dragons in the mountains came as a surprise to none, but the idea of meeting them was still surprising; their existence was as of yet unconfirmed. At least that's what most of them thought, given that Cirina, who was well-aware of them thanks to reports from snow elementals and various spirits, was too preoccupied with Lily, since the young guardian was ecstatic at having someone new to play with.
What followed was a lot of barriers being cast, as well as the sounds of weapons clashing, spells flying, objects crashing and yelling. The guardians didn't take well to the misunderstandings and subpar communication, but it was eventually resolved, the room being utterly trashed.
Pyke merely sighed at the sight and reflected on the road trip, 'It was a fun idea…'
(AN: I have returned. The next chapters aren't even started so you'll have to wait, this includes the side story mentioned in the previous chapter's author's note. However I did put my energies towards something productive. On the Overlord Fanfiction Discord in my channel there now exists a pinned message with Pyke's character sheet with a drawing made by it's not a very good drawing, but it is what it is and practice makes perfect, so if you're curious enough to see it or wish to laugh at my pitiful artistic prowess then head over there. Anyway, while I write further perhaps I could interest you in another crossover? This time I recommend [Re: Resolve and Power] by SnowyWolborg. Few Re:Zero Ovelord Crossovers exist, but this one is certainly worthy reading. As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story!)