The First Lich Lord

Chapter 103

Salty air blew in through the open door as we stood just inside the landing room of the stairs. Over the last several days, the three of us had been grinding nonstop. We cleared another six floors of the ziggurat, all of us rapidly growing in strength. Since passing through the miciliums floor, the monsters had become stronger, rewarding us with much more experience.

With Vito securing my phylactery, I had an assurance that even if I died, I would be brought back. He would do whatever it took. Maxwell had the Altar of Creation, though we could not get to it on our own at the moment. Vtio could always retrieve Maxwell if it came to it. The only one who had any real worry about death was Raven, but she was as fearless as ever.

My growth in power was also shown by how much my body was now covered by thin, black muscles. The fibers and threads had woven themselves together into solid mats. Even though I was still horrific to look at, that thought was long from my mind as I stood in that room, finding the wind blowing through the tunnel refreshing. I truly knew it was, and not because Maxwell or Raven told me. On some level, I could sense it with my own body. This was new evidence of my progression.

I couldnt smell or taste yet, but it was the first indication Id had without needing to use magic. As I had grown a level, I poured the majority of my stat points into my intelligence and spirit scores. Though I did add a few to agility and dexterity, since agility was useful in combat, and dexterity made intricate magic easier to cast and build.

Instead of raising a mass horde of the undead, I focused on keeping our group small with more powerful individual monsters and constructs. The volanswhich Raven named Vlad, having decided it was going to be one of her petshad been sent back up above a few floors ago due to its lack of growth in power.

The mobile cannon had not grown in power, though I found a blood crystal I adapted and install inside of the construct in one of the cavities left open. It wouldnt directly increase the power of the construct but allowed it to fire more rounds. It still hit like a truck, and most creatures could not withstand a critical shot.

The flesh horror on the other hand had grown so far, I was pretty certain it was no longer a mindless creature or construct, but that was just a suspicion. It kept pace with the three of us as wed grown in level. My control over it was still strong, but its growth was alarming for many reasons.

It had a ravenous appetite and physically looked different than it had before. In fact, it was no longer even labeled as flesh horror. It was twice as big as it had been at when it started, which judging by the number of things it consumed, I thought it should be even bigger. The mouth was now full of pitch-black teeth and used a highly caustic necrotic poison

Its bulk blocked a large section of the door we need to pass through to move on. Normally a creature its size wouldve had difficulty navigating some of the narrow floors we had been on. But it was able to move its body almost like it were liquid. Rippling muscles twisting and turning as easily as a ribbon caught in the wind. I pulled up its description.

Hungry Horror

Undead Abomination

Level: 76

Originally Created by: Ezekiel Vernizac

This was once a flesh golem but was given a stomach and the ability to grow by its foolish creator. Imbued by some of the nature of its original creator, a Lich, its victims will sometimes generate death cores. Though as it has grown further away from its original creation, this ability has faded. However, the time in which it has had this ability, it has killed a large number of creatures and consumed most, resulting in a constant supply of death energy. This has allowed its own core to grow in power.

Its all but immune to bludgeoning damage, and highly resistant to most forms of physical harm, it has used the best qualities of many of its victims to strengthen its weaknesses. It is also immune to death magic and all related magics, along with being highly resistant to blood magic and all related magics due to a steady diet of blood magic infused creatures.

It has a ravenous hunger that drives it to consume all it can. The poison left behind by its claws and bite will also turn those infected into the undead when they die either by disease or other means.

It was one level higher than I was, which was alarming. If it got too much stronger than me, I would struggle to maintain control. The description was also a little disconcerting, it straight up called me an idiot for giving it a stomach. How was I supposed to know that would happen? I just needed to stay ahead of it as far as levels went.

The front line of our group consisted of the abomination, and two other fast-moving insect creatures that were a cross between a praying mantis and an ant. Like I said before, using insects can be difficult for necromancers, especially at low levels, but after seeing the effect of these nasty little fighters, Id taken the time to reanimate them. I had gotten around the lack of internals by stuffing them full of flesh from creatures from the previous floor.

The mantis-like creatures came up to about chest height on me and crawled over the top of the abomination to support it and prevent us from being flanked. As needed, I could join the front line. Along with the cannon, I added one other creature to our back line. It was another construct I had mostly made out of bone.

It had four legs, and though I could create constructs with two legs, it took up processing power in the nexus that controlled it, which I didnt want to devote to the task, balance was a bitch. Instead of another cannon, this one had a humanoid torso with one of its arms being a large and thick bow strung with tendons.

I didnt know what the draw weight of the bow was, but with the bone arrows I created for it enhanced with eldritch and death magic, it could pierce an arrow through three inches of stone. Uninterestingly it was named a bone archer, and while it was technically stronger than the cannon, the cannons could still hit harder.

After every fight, we would try to retrieve as many arrows as we could find, but I could always replenish the meter and a half long shaft with bones retrieved from bodies after the fight. I didnt let any of the bodies go to waste and continued to create occasional porters of different types. They were in a constant stream of retrieving bodies and taking them to the upper floors. They were storing them on the large biome floor, some used as food for the creatures there and some for materials for later.

The miciliums that were not in their reproductive cycle were doing their best to tend the floor, but the environment was dangerous for them. That being said, during my last visit I could see some of them already beginning to adapt. In particular, Michaels previously redcap had already darkened quite a bit while the spots were beginning to take on a purple hue.

Lets see what awaits us, Maxwell said.

One of the creatures that had joined us was a creation Vito helped me with, due to a request from Maxwell. The technical abilities to create it were still outside of my capabilities, so we had gotten Vito to help. Now Maxwell had an undead assistant who he said was aiding him control his music. I hadnt had the time to study it, but the last floor had felt different with Maxwells music being quite a bit more effective than before.

So, Max, whats up with the conductor? I asked, nodding at the advanced specialized living dead. Technically it wasnt living dead yet, since it wasnt self-aware, but I was certain that would rapidly come. Vito had even tailored it with a suit and gray wig.

As Ive increased my power, Ive started to reach the limit of what I can physically manage, even with the superhuman state of our bodies, Maxwell explained. He helps me manage that.

He really is like a conductor then? I noted, and gave a mental order for my creations to move out.

Yes, very much so. For now he just helps control the nodes. I could even give him an instrument. Maxwell was already plugging away at a tune, a few nodes floating around him. The conductor was watching them and making gestures at them with a stick made of black wood. Eventually Ill be able to have him theoretically control other musicians in a band or orchestra type setup. It should really amplify my power.

We definitely did not create him with that ability, I said, thinking over the process.

Thats okay though. That side of it comes from my abilities, like Im distributing my skills with music to people in my orchestra.

What would happen if you got a full orchestra, like what they would have back on Earth, I asked, and played that death lullaby song?

I honestly dont know. Only recently did I start to realize I could do this. Maxwell shrugged. Best guess is it would amplify both the power and range. Who knows, maybe I could kill an entire city for you.

Did that once, I chuckled darkly. Not a bad way to power a ritual. If he was right, people were greatly underestimating what a bard could do. They might not be your standard adventuring type, but set up in the way Maxwell was progressing, they could be WMDsweapons of mass destruction.

Raven was scouting ahead, her abilities with dark magic had excelled rapidly under Vitos tutelage. She was now nearly undetectable whenever she wanted to be. I had expected this floor to contain monsters in the interior, which was full of what appeared to be old, abandoned workshops, warehouses, and other such buildings. But wed discovered nothing.

That changed when we stepped through an archway out onto the docks. It had not even been clear when I had first seen the harbor, but it was as if a wedge had been carved out of the ziggurat and the harbor was placed in it. Part of the harbor was covered by an overhang from the top floor supported by a massive sweeping arch, after the top floors disappeared, the harbor opened up to the outside world looking out onto the ocean. It was a dark cloudy night, but even still I could see countless shapes moving along in the darkness, climbing and jumping into the water with periodic splashes.

Theres a lot of them, Raven whispered from above us, crouched on a ledge above the door. Ive been watching for a while, whatever they are, most reside in the water. I have a feeling once the fighting starts, they will come rushing out of the water towards us. We best make sure were set up and ready, else we get overwhelmed.

What are they? Maxwell asked.

Some kind of humanoid, Raven said. Theyre built like humans, but their skin is bluish, and they have fins and what appears to be gills along the neck.

Merfolk, I said. But I thought they were normally sentient and not just creatures.

I wouldnt know, Raven said. From the way they interact and move around, theyre definitely not a civilized race at least. If anything, they must be some kind of savage tribe.

You think you can retrieve one for me so we can get a better look? I asked.

Of course. Raven jumped off the ledge and stealthily raced out along the dock.

True to her word, it did not take long for her to come back dragging an unconscious merman. I studied it for a long moment before I got a read on the creature.

Blood Swimmer Merman

Level: 72

These merfolk have taken up residence in what they thought was a sheltered safe harbor. Unfortunately for them, the water was tainted with blood magic, though it was subtle enough that they did not realize it until it was too late. Their society devolved into a brutal animalistic society as their bodies and minds were corrupted by blood magic. Barely more than animals now, these merfolk are highly territorial and often raid hunting down both other local merfolk and unsuspecting fishermen.

Well, Maxwell shrugged after I relayed the description. It sounds like exterminating them will be a public service.

I smiled. I cant help but agree.

I know a place we can set up, Raven said. We should avoid going out on the piers, that would be a death trap as they could surround is easily.