Chapter 264 – Time to evacuate.

It has been many days since it stepped foot in this strange location. The beings around it were weak but it still wanted to spend some time examining them. It was a stroke of luck but it found a hidden passage containing strange worm-like creatures. Their nesting ground was transformed into its lair and the bodies that continuously respawned were turned into flaming skeletal minions.

Yet what interested it more were the other beings that rarely came to this place. In contrast to the worms and other dungeon monsters the Lich encountered they varied vastly. Some were large and some were small. Their skeletal structure was different and some of the organs were also rarer than the others which made the monster divide them into groups.

A strange thing happened not soon after it left. Before it wasn’t aware of it but after killing some of the dungeon creatures it had become stronger. There was no prompt or system relaying the information but the Lich certainly knew that it had leveled up. Slowly as its forces grew it was getting stronger, the feeling of making progress was intoxicating, so much that it even forgot about leaving this place for a moment.

Its strengthening drive was interrupted on this faithful day. The strange bags of flesh began to appear less and less until a group of slightly stronger ones came close to its lair. Previously it didn’t even need to come out itself as its large number of minions was enough. Yet this small group proved itself somewhat stronger but not strong enough to escape.

Then a peculiar thing happened, it could feel it. The minion that it left behind in the area it first appeared had been defeated. The link to its minions became weaker but after it died the last thing it saw flashed before its eyes. It was some strange wolf-like creature that it had never seen before and behind it stood a strange armored being.

At first, it only thought it was just a new variant for it to study but it turned out to be much more. This armored being began giving out a unique mana signature that the Lich grew accustomed to, it was the same one as the beam of mana that collided with it. Could this be the source of it all? Could that armored thing be the one that gave it freedom?

It was momentarily stunned as it just continued to focus its mana sense down into the chasm. A light show ensued soon after and the five creatures its minions were contending with did something strange, they jumped down. Did they give up on their lives, it didn’t seem so as they had managed to survive.

This was a chance for the Lich, it needed to find who that person was. It descended down the hole it had previously come out of with the help of the lesser levitation spell. Slowly but surely it arrived at the tunnel and there it could feel the mana pattern it had grown accustomed to.

A strange feeling went through its empty head, the answers that it was looking for could be around the corner. There was a problem, the armored being that was using the strange mana pattern was moving away. Was it aware of its presence and decided to flee?

The Lich grew angry, how could the thing that awoke it deny it? Why would it be unwilling to give it the answers it desired? It wanted to know what this world was and no one would stand in its way of discovering the truth. Without hesitating anymore it stepped forward, quickly it would capture the one that set it free to examine it thoroughly.

Its approach was met by the blue arachnids from before. Their form was slightly different but the spells they produced were similar to the ones it knew. With how much it had studied the mana pattern it was quite easy to disperse the particles before they collided with its own shield made of corrupt energy.

The Lich wanted to stop and examine these spider golems but there was a bigger prize before him. Why should he settle for these empty shells if their creator wasn’t far away from them? It continued to charge while absorbing all the magical explosions that didn’t cause a single point of health to drop.

Finally, it arrived at the mining area to only be confronted by a large energy blast. This one was more similar to the beam that continuously invaded its previous home. It troubled it a bit more but as with all the previous attacks, it was unable to get through its magical defenses. To the Lich’s dismay, a problem arose as the answers it was looking for disappeared behind a secret wall that it was unaware of.

How could it have known that there was another way out of this place? Did the being with the unique mana pattern plan all of this? Was it watching from outside just to mock it? The Lich exploded in anger and charged at the closed passage. Before getting to it, the passage was closed.

This reminded it of the past when it was unable to leave through the hidden opening. Even when it continued to slam its fists and spells on this wall, the damage wasn’t enough to get it through. Some kind of defensive mechanism had been triggered to imbue the rocks with the dungeon’s mana. It was getting through it but the time it would require would be tremendous.

The unique mana pattern and the being that had it vanished from its mana sense. It could not peer through this wall but it couldn’t just give up. What if the armored thing inside was just waiting for it to leave? It needed to continue and get through it but this was not enough. The Lich now knew that there was a possibility of hidden entrances and exits. It was possible for his target to flee while it was spending all of its time here.

For the time being it needed to leave this place but the armored being could appear again. Luckily one of its skills that it had learned after leveling up had just gone off cooldown. Without waiting for another second it pointed out with its staff at an empty area in this mine. There strange green occult symbols started appearing followed by a skeletal shape.

This skill drained a lot of mana reserves but it was something worthwhile. After a minute a skeletal monster appeared without needing a body like the lesser ones. This one was much taller than the rest and its bones were black as obsidian. The horns and animalistic mouth with sharp teeth clearly distinguished it from the others. This superior undead would guard this place while it tended to other things.

With this out of the way the Lich quickly made its way back up the chasm. It had burned through a lot of mana by summoning the superior undead monster but still managed to get back to the original lair.

As it stepped down onto the ledge it was greeted by the mostly mindless minions. The skeletal soldiers spread apart as their master walked toward the hidden lair opening. With a wave of its bone staff, it canceled the illusory spell that no one was able to detect.

This opening had been smaller at the beginning, normally only a large worm could get through. Now on the other hand it was spacious enough for several skeletal warriors to squeeze in without a problem. The Lich’s eyes glowed green once more as it started into the huge open space. There as if waiting for his call a swarm of red glowing eyes followed suit.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

…

“How long have you been hiding this place? Hey, does the city Lord know about this… wait, was it his Idea?”

“You’re asking a lot of questions, now isn’t really the time…”

“Well, sorry for asking so many questions, I’ve just almost died to a tier 3 Lich with a small battalion of skeleton warriors, then I find you sneaking around here…”

“Aye, Ah bet he hud something to do wi’ it!”

“Wedamir, I know that you dislike Wayland but I don’t think that he would be wandering around here if he knew that there was a Lich roaming around.”

Lobelia replied to the angry dwarf that was following behind her. Some time had passed since they escaped into these tunnels. At the moment they were in a large empty chamber that looked like a place fit for a boss. Roland that was guiding them here didn’t say much and only continued to say that they needed to get out first.

He was trying to wrap his head around the thing he had done. The Lich out there was running loose and was clearly not acting like a monster from a dungeon. It was more in line with the free monsters that roamed outside of dungeons. Roland didn’t have enough time to use his analyzing skill but he wouldn’t be surprised if the Lich’s level was higher than before.

While the other continued to ask him questions about this place his mind was elsewhere. Somehow he had to come to terms with his blunder and that he was probably responsible for releasing that monster. Perhaps he couldn’t be totally sure if he was the only reason but all hints pointed his way. If it was true and all of it was his fault then the lives of the people that died to the Lich would be on his conscience.

‘Was I being too greedy?’

“Hey, Wayland, what’s wrong with you?”

“Huh?”

Finally, he turned back toward the five other people that were with him. Lobelia was the one that shouted at him and was about to open the boss’s chamber door and go outside. All of them were looking at him with varied expressions. Armand as always looked ticked off and the dwarf continuously was on his case.