Chapter 517 - Tension (Patreon)

Zeke was tense.

Under the silvery light of the full moon, the city was eerily deserted.  Every footfall echoed heavily in the empty streets, bouncing from one building to the next, with little to obscure its path.  Behind him, the army followed silently, clearly feeling the same trepidation that enveloped Zeke’s mind. 

“Where did they all go?” he wondered inwardly. 

“I think you know,” Eveline answered.

Indeed, he had his suspicions, though he was hesitant to give them voice.  The notion that every person in Darukar – save for the ones who were following him – had succumbed to the control of a necromancer was more than a little disturbing.  It was made even more so because he knew what they had been.  Zeke had only gotten a bare glimpse of the city before they’d chased him away, but he had seen enough to recognize that, despite their nature and appearance, the undead living in the city – and in El’kireth as a whole – were just people living their lives. 

And now they had almost certainly been transformed into mindless zombies. 

Could someone exercise such power over the living?  Perhaps not.  There was a reason that necromancers were so reviled.  Even in Hell, where torture and enslavement were common practices, necromancers were kill-on-sight. 

“I hate to be the one to point this out, but you do know this is at least partially your fault, right?” Eveline asked.

“How so?”

“Do you really think that, if Adontis hadn’t been distracted by your war, they would have let this happen?” she asked.  “They would have sent every powerful warrior they had into El’kireth.  They probably would have brought their allies along as well.  Those knights of the Radiant Host would certainly have pitched in.”

Zeke shook his head at the unintended consequences of his actions.  Certainly, he’d never meant to clear the way for a necromantic takeover of Darukar, but it seemed that his war – as justifiable as it was – had done just that.  Still, he had difficulty regretting his actions.  After all, he’d set tens of thousands of slaves free, and on top of that, he’d had little choice in the matter.  They had been the first to attack him. 

“That’s true.  But you did sort of invade their lands,” Eveline pointed out.  “They had every right to rebuff your advance.”

“It was just me and a few others,” Zeke said.  They’d meant to sneak through Adontis on their way to the Kingdom of El’kireth when they’d been accosted by a group of Knights of Adontis.  That had kicked off the war that had ended with the total destruction of that kingdom’s power structure.  “But I get what you’re saying.  Without me, maybe none of this happens.”

“But look on the bright side,” Eveline said.  “You have a perfect opportunity to gain a level or two.  Necromancers are powerful, and they’re certainly nuisances.  But much of their strength is tied up in their ability to control large numbers of undead.  Because of that, they have few personal defenses.  You couldn’t ask for a better situation to kill a high level foe.”

Zeke didn’t respond to that.  Instead, he continued on, paying close attention to his surroundings.  The eeriness of the city didn’t fade, but he grew more accustomed to the emptiness.  Meanwhile, he sent his scouts out to ensure that it was as it appeared at first glance.  Talia, in particular, covered a lot of ground, and she reported back that the population of the city had abandoned it. 

Gradually, they made their way through the deserted city, and with every step, Zeke’s trepidation grew.  Every time he saw an empty store, a completely abandoned market stall, or various discarded detritus, he felt a pang of regret.  Still, he pushed past those feelings, and eventually, he found his destination.

And his quarry. 

Tens – perhaps even hundreds – of thousands of zombies were clustered amidst a collection of mausoleums, gravestones, and elaborate tombs.  According to Talia and her undead companions, the graveyard was a place of reverence among their people.  A source of densely death-attuned mana that contributed to the overall ambiance of the city.  There were bodies interred within the space – after all, even undead could be killed – but it drew most of its power from the symbolism of the place.  Even looking upon it sent a chill up Zeke’s spine.

And the chill turned into something far more impactful as he gazed at the collection of undead. 

However, his reaction was nothing compared to Talia’s.  In a rare show of emotion, she clenched her fists, practically shaking with anger.  So, he tore his eyes from the mass of undead, glanced in her direction, and asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

“No.  I am not okay.”

He knew from his undead allies’ explanations that they were functionally immune to the call of a necromancer.  The vitality they’d absorbed during the inoculation process made for impenetrable protection.  Yet, nothing could shield them from the sight of so many of their people having been enslaved, of seeing their natures fundamentally changed.  It was abominable.

“This cannot stand,” said Adriel from nearby.  Zeke saw that the vampiric woman wore a stoic expression, but he could infer that she was no less furious.  “They must all be destroyed.  The necromancer must be slain.”

“That may prove much more difficult than the last time,” Eveline pointed out. 

“What? Why?” Zeke asked inwardly.

“Two reasons.  First, you can’t just use [Wrath of Annihilation].”

“Again I ask – why not?”

“Are you certain the other necromancer is in there?” she asked.  “More, can you guarantee your skill will kill them?  If not, you’ll need to spend days digging through rubble.  What happens if you don’t find them?  You’ll have wasted all that time, letting them escape.  No – you need to lay eyes on them so you can ensure their death.”

That made sense, so Zeke asked, “And the second reason?”

“We may be dealing with a lich.  Perhaps more than one.”

“What’s the difference?” Zeke asked.

“A lich walks the line between the living and the dead,” she said.  “They are neither alive nor truly undead.  As such, they are incredibly difficult to kill.”

“In what way?” was Zeke’s next question. 

She sighed.  “They are rare, but the situation here is unique enough that the presence of a lich makes the most sense,” Eveline explained.  “A normal necromancer merely holds dominion over the undead, controlling and altering them to their needs.  A lich is a necromancer, just like any other, but with one key difference.  Their bodies are merely husks.  Instead, they are creatures of spirit whose consciousnesses inhabit a disposable body.  To kill them, you must find the location of their true form – a receptacle where their spirits are held – and destroy it.”

“That sounds a lot like you.”

“It is not dissimilar, though they inhabit inanimate objects that they call phylacteries,” she stated.  “If we are dealing with a lich, then you will not be able to kill it unless you discover their phylactery.”

That was not an encouraging piece of information.  Depending on how large of an object could function as a phylactery, it could be anywhere – even in a completely different part of the world.

“It won’t be far,” Eveline said.  “Even at the peak, a lich can’t exist more than a mile or two from their phylactery.  However, you should know that killing their body will do nothing, save for forcing them into another body.”

“And you really think we’re dealing with a lich here?” Zeke asked.

She answered immediately, “Yes.”

“You should pretty sure.”

“I wasn’t at first, but I can feel the presence of another mind spirit,” she answered.  “It is subtle – like a fog – but I feel it all the same.”

Zeke set his jaw.  It was just one more challenge amongst many, and though he wanted nothing more than to have a straightforward fight, he couldn’t very well step away from the one he’d found.  The fact was that if he didn’t end the threat posed by the necromancer, then it could easily grow out of control and reach a point where even he couldn’t meet the challenge. 

And Zeke had no intention of abandoning the Eternal Realm as he had the Radiant Isles.

With that in mind, he turned to Silik, who stood on his left, and said, “We must destroy every zombie in this city.  Can you do it?”

“We can,” the kobold general said, slapping his clawed fist against his breastplate.  The other kobolds mimicked his salute, filling the air with a cacophony of thuds. 

Then, Zeke asked Adriel how she wanted to use her own people.  There were far less of them than there were kobolds, though they still made up a sizable force of nearly ten thousand.  It was a sad testament to the dire situation that so few had survived with their minds intact.  Darukar had once housed millions.  Now, the number of sapient undead was tantamount to a rounding error. 

Adriel answered, “We will act as a rapid reaction team, filling any gaps and preventing any escape.  When this day is finished, none of these zombies shall remain.”

He gave her a nod.

Then, without further hesitation, he told Silik to attack.

The graveyard was encircled by a stone wall, but it was no defensive structure.  Instead, the barrier was mostly symbolic, with many points of entry.  So, Silik divided his kobolds into ten companies, each with more than five thousand members.  It made for an impressive force, and they were flanked by much smaller group of a thousand centaurs that would act as skirmishers.  As the kobold army surged through the gaps in the wall, Adriel held her undead back.

Zeke watched as the kobolds advanced, shield to shield and using tactics that reminded him of the Roman legions.  The moment they passed into the graveyard, the zombies took notice and rose to meet them.  They rushed forward, howling in gurgling glee as they crashed into the shield wall. 

But the line did not break.  Nor did it give.  Instead, the frontline kobolds lit up with their self-enhancement, then shoved forward.  The mass of zombies stumbled backward, giving the kobold legionnaires enough room to bring their spears to bear.  They did so with deadly efficiency, cutting down swaths of zombies with every passing second.  And then, they stepped forward as one before repeating the action. 

As they did, Zeke used his twin domains, empowering the nearest of the kobolds as much as he could.  They didn’t need it, as evidenced by the fact that the ones outside of his range advanced almost as easily as the ones affected by [Burden of Sovereignty] and [Aura of Desolation]. 

The battle wore on, and Zeke itched to join his people.  However, even when the line broke and Adriel’s undead were forced to step in to fill the gap, he held back.  Because he wasn’t there to kill zombies.  He needed to save himself for the fight against he necromancer. 

Still, he kept telling himself how easy it would have been to simply use [Wrath of Annihilation] and destroy the entire force of zombies. 

“I think you’re overestimating how much damage the skill will do,” said Eveline.

“You’ve seen it.”

“This entire city is a huge runic enchantment powered by death-attuned mana,” she pointed out.  “It limits skills like yours.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I know it because you know it, Ezekiel,” she said with a sigh.  “Just because you won’t pay attention to the warnings in your mind doesn’t mean that I will ignore them, too.”

Zeke wanted to argue, but instead, he searched his own feelings.  And it didn’t take him long to come to the same conclusion she’d found.  How he’d managed to ignore it for so long was no mystery.  He was too wrapped up in the battle to pay attention to the information provided by his path. 

“It’ll weaken the skill,” he reasoned.

“More like containment.”

“And besides – your people need this.  It’s a perfect opportunity for them to gain levels,” she said.  “Millions of mindless foes, each one with a decent level of power?  Most forces would kill for such an chance.”

Zeke wasn’t so sure about that, but he didn’t argue, largely because Eveline was right.  The kobolds – and all the rest – would gain an incredible amount of kill energy by the time the battle was through.  And given that he had no intention of stopping anytime soon, he hoped their increased progress would be a great boon.

Still, he itched to join the fight. 

So, he felt a thrill of excitement fluttering through his mind when a couple of massive flesh giants burst forth from a particularly opulent tombs. 

“I guess that’s my cue,” Zeke said, finally letting [Titan] transform his body.  The influx of power felt amazing, and he strode forward with eagerness and purpose.