The First Lich Lord

Chapter 7

Thank you, friend, the tank said, still breathing heavy. I would have been a goner if you hadnt interfered.

Startled they hadnt noticed the flash of dark magic, I resisted double checking my illusion. My robes hung loosely, though the dark spell was supposed to give the illusion a certain amount of substance.

I was hunting through the pass when I heard the fight and decided to investigate what was going on, I explained. Didnt expect to find an undead troll up here.

Were adventurers from the fortress of High Pass, one of the rangers said, a female with soft skin and kind eyes.

Is that what that fortress is called? I asked. Someone doesnt have an inventive bone in their body.

The other ranger, a male, chuckled with a shake of his head. Yea, sure. We got an odd one here, dont we. He was clearly addressing the others in his group.

I mean, arent all NPCs a little whack right now? the priest pointed out, then to me, Whats your name? Do you require any healing?

Id forgotten they wouldnt see me as a player. What I didnt know was why they pegged me as an NPC so quickly. Magic started to swirl around the priests hands and I spoke quicklyperhaps a little too quickly. No! Im fine. Not a scratch on me. My name is Ezekiel.

The magic faded from the priest and he eyed me. What are you doing traveling up here by yourself? This pass is dangerous, especially with the fall of the lands on the other side.

Im fleeing that place. Im the only one left alive in my family. I had to escape before the darkness claimed me as well. This was a story Id thought up on the way here, knowing I would probably need one at some point. A simple story about escaping the death of my family was the easiest.

I am so sorry for your loss. The tank patted me on the back. My name is Aaron. We received a warning that there was an undead creature in this area, so we came out here to investigate and found this troll.

Even though I didnt have a stomach, a sinking feeling clutched me right in the gut when he said they were looking for an undead creature. Thankfully the troll had been here. I also wanted to retrieve the death core I hoped was there, but that would raise too many questions.

Its all right. Im just trying to be thankful that Im still alive, I said.

We can help you get to the fortress, the female ranger said. Oh! And my name is Jessica, this is my brother, Nick. She gestured at the other ranger.

You may call me Marcus, the priest said in a pretentious tone that immediately made me want to punch him in the face. I think my friends are being a bit too trusting. I hear the guild who took over that city has been sending spies in our direction. How do we know you arent one of them?

Lay off, Marcus, Aaron said. Why would a spy have come down this valley, let alone help us?

Perhaps to earn our trust so we help them to the fortress? Marcus glared at me. He couldve even created the troll so we would need his help.

He lost his family, and is trying to escape that horrid place, Jessica said compassionately.

Marcus snorted and shook his head. He was right to mistrust me, just not for the reasons he thought. If they knew I was once among the leadership of the guild who destroyed the city, they would no doubt kill me on the spot.

I really was just doing some hunting. But now I see its far too dangerous for me to hunt in this place. Id hoped to be far enough away from all the death that there wouldnt be as many undead, and might even be able to get something to eat.

I dont actually need to eat, though it was a good cover story.

Here, you can have this. Aaron produced half a loaf of bread and handed it to me. I doubt youll find anything worth eating on the side of the pass.

I took the bread, and ravenously tore into it, doing my best to sell the impression that I was a starving NPC escaping the fallen land.

We can get you to the fortress, but we cant help you down the other side, Aaron said. Our job right now is to guard the pass.

Thats fine with me, I said between mouthfuls of bread. I just need to retrieve my pack. I stashed it not far away so it wouldnt slow me down in a fight.

If hes a spy, thats on you, Marcus huffed and headed back down the valley.

Dont mind him, Jessica assured me. Hes a member of the Church of Olattee. While they arent a lot of fun, they are useful to have around.

Youre quite good with that weapon, Aaron said as the rest the group turned to follow Marcus.

I gave him a winning smile, taking in the area. You could really appreciate just how beautiful it was with the water tumbling down from high cliffs into the small clearing. I let out a sigh. I learned how to use it from training with my father. Hed been a royal guard a long time ago.

Is it his weapon? Aaron asked.

Letting out a soft chuckle, I said, No, I dont have it anymore.

I practically heard the quest radar for the party go off around me.

You know what happened to your fathers weapon? Aaron asked.

Trying not to let my mirth show, I spun them a tale about how the weapon was lost while we walked back along the lake. The gist is, several years ago, my father was lured out in the wilds and betrayed by his friends. They left him to fight the great bear by himself, you see. My guess is that weapon is now in an undead bears den.

A smile split Aarons face. Hey guys, I just got a quest to retrieve his weapon.

I stumbled in shock. He what? I just made that up! Part of me started to wonder what would happen if they tried to complete it. Would I get labeled as a liar? I mean, it would likely be fun either way.

We retrieved my bag and headed up the pass toward the fortress. We still had a ways to travel, and worked our way over the top of several lesser passes before we started up the final rise.

High Pass Fortress was an impressive piece of fortification. It was built across what was likely one of the only passable breaks in the solid line of snowcapped mountains at the center of this mountain range. It was nestled between two peaks, its thick walls spanning the pass in its entirety.

The fortress walls were multilayered, built to take advantage of the height of the mountain. Each layer had the vantage to fire down toward the empty field spread out before it. Guards hailed the group as they approached the first wall. They presented a pass and were let through. In total, there were three different walls, each higher and thicker than the one before. The final ascent led across barren rock to a compound built at the back. There, a massive keep rose, and behind it a wall of barracks.

I expected the fortress to be blisteringly cold this high up. To my surprise, the stones seemed to radiate heat.

Why do the stones give off warmth? I asked.

It is the holy power of Olattee that gives us warmth, Marcus said pretentiously. The great one personally blessed this fortress, so that the cold would not harm his servants.

Interesting, I said, making a mental note not to touch the stones. I figured if I started to smoke when touching the stone, it might give them a signal that I wasnt exactly who I was claiming to be.

They led me into the barracks but I stopped outside the door. I thank you for bringing me this far, I said. But theres still light in the sky and I want to get as far away from that place as I can. Mostly, I didnt want to go into a barracks made out of holy stones.

No, Marcus said firmly. Id be remiss in my duties if I just let a relative stranger walk away. You could be a spyin fact, I think you are.

Marcus, we owe him, Aaron said.

No, you owe him. It was your life he saved. Marcus practically sneered. Besides, its not like you couldve really died.

You know what, youre a pompous little prick. Aaron got right in Marcus face, and before long, the two of them were yelling at each other.

Jessica shook her head in dismay, shooing me off. It struck me that Aaron had likely started the fight to give me the chance to escape without Marcus seeing me go. Taking the opportunity, I headed off. The guards saw me enter with adventurers, so they didnt question me as I headed toward the back of the compound.

You dont have much daylight left, you sure you want to head out? A guard watching the back of the fort asked when he saw me pass.

Ill be fine, I assured him.

The night didnt bug me, and the darkness in many ways would prove to be my ally. I was likely much more at risk staying in this holy fortress, so I headed off, putting it all behind me.

Night fell as I crossed down the top of the pass and began working my way across the first valley. Being able to see in the dark and having a practically tireless body, meant making great progress through the night.

Once or twice, I felt like I was being followed by something. When I turned, I never saw anything. Fortunately, nothing ever seemed to take a great interest in me, so I was able to continue unhindered.

The sight of creatures stalking me did unnerve me a little, and I made a note not to travel at night any more than I had to.

With that in mind, I found a secluded spot hidden between several large boulders and settled in for the rest of the evening. I fell into a trance-like state that wasnt quite sleep, but still rejuvenated my mind and body.

By the time day broke, I was ready to move. The road soon turned into a large valley that wound its way out of the mountains. At the bottom, homes started to emerge, along with the telltale sign of smoke rising above trees showing cooking fires and places of warmth.

The kingdom of Valdor was built on the Crystal Gulf, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges. One of the first things I did was trade my map of the undead lands for one of the region. The shopkeeper was eager to have it, certain my old map would be of great value to someone. After acquiring the map, I did my best to avoid any settlements larger than small villages.

I was worried my spell wouldnt be good enough to fool everyone. Even when I visited smaller villages, I came in at twilight when the shadows assisted in hiding my true nature.

The village I was heading for, Omark, was the most remote village I could find on the map to lay low. It was nestled deep in the western foothills within one of the more difficult and unpopulated areas compared to the rest of the kingdom. Its jagged terrain, made it unsuitable for large-scale farming. From what I gathered, wool from sheep capable of navigating the foothills with ease was its biggest export.

I didnt dare buy a horse, though I had the money for one. So far, the only people Id seen riding horses were either military or priests of some kind. I did occasionally see players. The fact this area is so desolate made it quite the popular zone for new players to learn the game as they made their way to the kingdom. And those players who posed a threat to me, that were drawn south to fight with the undead lands encroaching on this holy kingdom, were likely to leave regions like I was heading toward alone.

All I had to do was keep my head low and avoid being spotted until I figured out what to do.

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