Coincidences 9
A monster and its pet gno were walking along an old dirt path. Theyd been heading northwest along the Sawblade Mountains just as the divine revelation said. Of course, Boxxy refused to outright believe Fizzy would suddenly know where they were. Scared of incurring the monsters wrath, she ca up with so bullshit excuse like being able to sll the undead from afar. The Mimic apparently found it plausible enough, seeing as how it decided to humor the gno.
That, however, was several days ago, and the Mimic was starting to seriously doubt whether this pint-sized Paladin was telling the truth. While its true that mimics were a species of monster with a great deal of patience, it was still feeling agitated at having wasted so much ti on this little adventure. That ti limit on its all-important quest was seriously starting to worry it. Its brief interaction with that Goddess of Probability gave it the distinct impression that she was an extrely fickle deity. Clarice could easily get bored with Boxxy at any given mont.
Granted, the two of them didnt spend all that ti simply walking.
Fizzy had already reached Level 25 and was currently honing her Paladin Skills, while Boxxy was already Level 46. The next Rank Up was within reach and was bound to be a tasty thing. But again, it felt rushed at the unknowable deadline. Worthy prey had been growing thin as of late and it had to share the XP with the pink-haired gno, so its Level gains were not as quick as they could be. There was also the matter of the Shapeshift Skill. While it was currently at Level 9, which was a good thing, it was getting harder and harder to gain proficiency in it. The Mimic Job was going to hit Level 50 well before that Skill got to 10, and it needed both to Rank Up.
However, it would seem the reason for the lack of prey around this neck of the woods had revealed itself. They were indeed getting closer to sothing foul, as evidenced by their environnt. The rocky terrain around them adopted a much more barren look. Well, more barren than usual. While the vegetation on this rocky mountain was always sparse, it was much worse in this area. The grass and bushes were dried up, and the few pine trees around were reduced to nothing but bare, rotten trunks. A significant number of them had fallen over, unable to bear their own weight. The soil itself seed to be dying out and the faint stench of rot wafted on the breeze.
This phenonon. known as the Blight, was strongly associated with the presence of undead. Whether the Blight caused the dead to rise or whether the undead spread the Blight through their presence was largely a mystery, but they both seed to grow in equal asure if left unchecked. There was a very real example of what would happen if it were left to grow out of control. The continent to the far northeast, a landmass forrly known as Percepeia, was wholly consud by this supernatural disease. It was a place that was so thick with the undead, that the very air itself seed to spread death and decay.
However, that did not happen overnight. While Blight was dangerous, it spread slowly. It had taken over a century for it to cover the entire continent that was now known as the Deadlands. This particular patch of Blighted mountain terrain had probably been here for a few years, possibly decades, so it was still relatively simple for the Empire to heal its lands. Priests and Paladins would purify the soil, water and air while Shamans and Druids aided in the environnts recovery. It would also demand a regint of soldiers to wipe out the undead that dwelled here.
As for the reason the Lodrak Empire had not moved to handle this yet, they simply didnt know about it yet. Even if it was reported, it would take a long while before they could address it. After all, the Arcaneum currently had its hands full dealing with the aftermath of the Calamity. While the Blight could be called a disease that was dangerous if left to fester, the Calamitys side effects were more like a poison that had to be dealt with quickly. It as a matter of priority - they just did not possess the manpower to deal with both situations at once.
And they needed the manpower, for subduing a Blight was no easy task. The thousands of undead beasts that walked these lands were sure to attempt and repel any nosy living beings that dared show their faces around here. The zombified and skeletal monsters that dwelled around here would never tire or grow hungry. And while their intelligence would deteriorate after rising from the dead, their instincts and strength were left mostly intact. They could also keep fighting without feeling pain or fear, making them much more dangerous than when they were alive.
That is, unless one happened to be proficient in Holy Magic.
Holy Light! chanted Fizzy.
A bright yellow-green light enveloped the Zombie Troll she and Boxxy had co across. Black smoke ca out of its body as bits of its rotten flesh turned to dust. A significant chunk of its torso and thighs disappeared, causing its left leg to snap off. The undead monster then fell over like a stack of bricks.
Your holy magic has purified the undead. Target HP -367.
Your target has been weakened for 6 seconds.
It wasnt quite dead though. It still kept crawling towards Fizzy, pulling itself along the ground with its arms, though it was much more sluggish than before.
Holy Light!
The second Spell caused the monsters right arm and shoulder to vanish much like its leg, but its still kept crawling at her. As expected of a monster that fought literally to the last.
Holy Light!
The third one did the trick, completing the large ape-like zombies transformation into a smoldering pile of white ash.
I-I-I-I did it! scread Fizzy.
This was her first ti fighting sothing undead and it was a huge success. It didnt even get a chance to get near her. As expected, using a monsters elental weakness against it was scarily effective.
Boxxy! Look! she yelled while pointing at the trolls remains. I did it! I-
Shut up and help, stupid thing!
... Oh, right! Im on my way!
She took out and gripped her oversized wrench and ran towards where Boxxy was currently fighting 5 more of those things. In her excitent she completely forgot that they ran into a group of zombies. She may have taken one of them down, but the Mimic was currently busy fighting the others. They had surrounded it on all sides, but the strangely agile spider chest was hopping all over the place, easily avoiding their clumsy attempts to claw and bite at it.
Just because it could easily outheal the damage didnt an it wanted to get hit on purpose.
The gno approached the scuffle and chanted her next Spell.
Consecrate!
A ring of holy energy spread out from beneath Boxxy. It seeped into the soil beneath its feet, causing a gentle light to seep out from between the cracks in the dried up soil within a radius of 8 ters. This temporary holy ground would serve to slowly heal both Fizzy and the Mimic while simultaneously purifying and weakening the undead that were caught up in it. Boxxy took advantage of its enemies sudden loss of speed and swiftly went about beheading them while Fizzy crushed their kneecaps and pumled their heads. The two of them managed to clean up the remaining undead before the 12-second effect of the Consecrate Spell faded.
Fizzy, said the Mimic.
Hiii!
Having been nad directly, the gno let out a high-pitched scream.
W-w-what is it, B-B-Boxxy?
Good job.
Her presence here turned that fight into a piece of cake, as expected of the anti-undead specialist. Granted, Boxxy wouldve been able to handle those things on its own, but it would have taken much longer. The Mimic was well aware that undead usually road in large packs, and had prepared itself for a constant fight until the lich it was hunting finally showed up. Therefore, making sure its victories were fast and efficient was a must-have. Well, that was why it made sure she trained up her Skills and Spells.
No hesitation or fear, just like monster, it added.
However, the old Fizzy would have undoubtedly been incapacitated by fear. Montary weaknesses like that were deadly when fighting monsters. Thats the main reason it spent so much ti thoroughly educating the naive gno, beating the fear and hesitation out of her.
Good job, it repeated.
Th-thanks Boxxy! she replied with a quivering smile.
Well, the training worked, though perhaps not in the way the Mimic imagined it. Cornie Fizzlesprocket was still very much a scaredy cat, and was practically shaking in her boots the entire ti, though not because of so silly zombies. She was scared shitless that she might displease the Mimic if she perford poorly. That chest-shaped mass of murder was far more terrifying. The fact that she didnt disappoint Boxxy and wouldnt get beaten today was the best news she couldve hoped for.
Where to now?asked the Mimic.
...
Fizzys weak smile disappeared in an instant as panic gripped her. She had no idea where to go from here. Her tired green eyes surveyed the surroundings in a panic and spotted sothing on the horizon.
There! she shouted while pointing in the distance. Theres a wuh-wuh-white tower over there! The li- lich is probably inside!
Boxxy traced her finger and did indeed spot a tall, pearly-white structure in the far distance, on top of a mountain ridge and surrounded by gray, Blighted land on all sides. It was so far away that it looked smaller than a grain of rice from this distance. It would be impossible to pick out against the horizon if the gno didnt point it out. The only reason she saw it in the first place was due to her well-developed Perception (PER) Attribute.
I see. Okay. Lets go.
The gno let out a relieved sigh and followed after the Mimic. She offered a silent prayer to her God as thanks that the Mimic bought her wild guess. Well, it wasnt a completely ungrounded theory. There was nothing but barren, dead land for kiloters around and a lich is supposed to be a powerful being. It made sense that it would want to hole up sowhere like a tower.
The two of them kept walking for hours, just as they had been for the past 3 weeks. Except that the rate at which fights broke out was much higher. They had to fight off an average of 4 packs of zombified or skeletonized beasts every hour. Fizzys much higher END Attribute allowed her to keep marching onward without getting too exhausted, though. She also learned that using Holy Light as a source of damage just wasnt worth it. It was far more efficient to just use Consecrate to weaken the undead, shatter their kneecaps and then smash their heads in once they had fallen over.
However, another enemy reared its head as they made their way into the heart of this dead land.
Your body has been weakened by Blight. Automatic HP recovery has been reduced by 2.6 per second.
Theres no way the debilitating disease that perated this place wouldnt have an effect on them. Boxxy was fine since it had a high amount of HP recovery to begin with, but Fizzy was not so lucky. Her HP recovery actually went into the negative, aning her body was slowly withering away as ti went on. A flash of Holy Light would alleviate her condition and restore her vitality, but it was a stopgap asure. Using Consecrate would cleanse the land and allow her to recover naturally, but she was constantly on the move and didnt have the MP to keep using that Spell.
The matter of provisions was also a problem. Boxxy was mostly fine since it could take a carcass or two out of its Storage and imdiately gobble it up, but Fizzy had it rough. She was carrying her own food and water, which beca contaminated from the prolonged Blight exposure. The crystal clear water in her waterskin had beco brown and murky, while the dried at she was carrying had gone way beyond bad. It was basically dirt by the ti she took it out of her pack and tried to chow down on it.
It took them the rest of the day to reach their destination, which left the pint-sized Paladin thoroughly exhausted, both physically and ntally. Not only was she denied both rest and sustenance, but she had to help Boxxy fight off at least 200 undead. She dreaded the trip back, but at least took solace in the fact that the Mimic seed to be satisfied with her performance. Well, that only hinged on whether her guess would pan out.
The stone tower ahead of them was about 17 ters high and about 7 ters in diater. It stood on a ridge that made its top the highest point in the entire Blighted area. The setting sun had dyed the brilliantly white bricks in red, highlighting the few tiny windows on its upper floors. Both Fizzy and Boxxy recognized this structure. It looked exactly like the tower back in Erosas courtyard - the sa building where the Mimic had its Jobs stripped from it.
It would appear that the organization known as Arcaneum once held a research outpost of so kind out here. Ruins of a short stone wall could be seen around the tower, as well as what appeared to be the remnants of a few wooden houses and shacks inside it. A part of the courtyard had been separated by what appeared to be a stone fence, probably a place where they grew crops or herbs, maybe even kept farm animals.
Fizzy briefly wondered what the circumstances were. Was the lich perhaps once a magical researcher here? Or did it occupy this place decades ago after stumbling onto it by chance? She then quickly dispersed such pointless thoughts and ntally prepared herself for what was doubtlessly going to be a tough fight.
The monster and the gno slowly approached the tower. They passed through a large gap in the outer wall and approached the entrance that probably once had grand double doors. Such things were washed away by the ravages of ti, however. They drew their weapons and warily entered.
The ground floor was a large open space that had most of the furniture and decorations cleaned out of it. The white stone walls were bare and the wooden floor had nothing on it, save for a few moth-eaten rugs. A large stone staircase was visible way in the back and a few entrances to small side-rooms were lined up on the left side.
*Clank clank clank*
Heavy, tallic footsteps could be heard from the rooms in the back. Fizzy audibly swallowed and readjusted the grip on her improvised mace. Three humanoid figures ca out almost simultaneously and stepped into the fading days light that flooded in from the wide-open entrance. They were all clad head-to-toe in intimidating-looking suits of full plate armor. It was pitch black, spiky and looked to be ancient, rusty and scratched up. However, it still seed thick enough to absorb anything the gnos feeble arms could throw at it. The open-faced helts displayed a trio of thoroughly rotten and half-skeletal faces, making it painfully obvious that these three were undead. Their armants and behavior made it abundantly clear that they were no regular undead, either. The one in the middle bore a huge greatsword that was almost as long as he was tall, while the two on either side of him had large, heavy shields and thick longswords.
These were Death Knights, a type of undead that were normally born from the corpses of skilled warriors and fighters. They sotis appeared in dungeons or places where particularly bloody battles took place, but most of the ti they were created. And indeed, judging from how each of them took steady-looking stances and lined up in a loose formation, they were not mindless corpses that attacked everything on sight. They had a master, an owner.
And it would seem they wanted to personally greet their visitor.
So, youre the one whos been making all that noise out there, hmm?
A cold voice dripping with malice echoed through the old tower. Thats when Fizzy beheld the lich she and Boxxy were looking for all this ti. It walked down the stone staircase in a calm manner. No, thats not quite right. The lich did not walk, it floated. Also, that being was not an it, but quite obviously a she.
The lich had the appearance of a human woman in her early 20s. Her skin was a sickeningly pale purple and her relatively short black hair was tied in twin side tails. The face was surprisingly beautiful, except that he eyes were pitch black, with red dots floating inside them. They seed to size up and lick all over Fizzy as if tasting her. A thick, black tal collar was around her neck, with an odd X-shaped marking at the very front. Imdiately underneath that was a large, diamond-cut red gem that was nestled securely between her massive breasts. Those things looked large enough to compete with a certain succubus. There also a trio of glowing red runes that appeared to be tattooed vertically across her stomach.
As for the reason Fizzy could actually see those, it was because the lich was practically naked.
A long, dark blue stretch of cloth that resembled a tattered bandage of so sort was the only thing she was wearing that could be called clothing. It was wrapped diagonally around her breasts, went around her back and down her hips, leaving her shoulders, arms, midriff and most of her breast flesh completely exposed. It securely bound her legs together, leaving her bare-toed feet drifting idly a few centiters off the ground. There was also, technically speaking, the tattered remains of a skirt that drifted around her waist, but it did absolutely nothing to conceal her private place. In fact, the outlines of both her nipples and caltoe could be seen clearly through the long stretch of cloth. There were also a number of thick, ethereal-looking chains floating around her, attached to her iron collar and looped through her arms. They swayed gently as if they were flags in the breeze, letting out an ominous rattling noise as they did so.
What, a gno? she said in a clearly patronizing voice. You cant be serious!
I-I-I-I-Ill have you kn- know! Im a P-P-Paladin! Im not afraid of so stinking undead!
Fizzy attempted to put up a strong front, but she was clearly terrified. The vibes she got from this woman were very bad indeed.
Oh, a Paladin. How droll. Let guess, youre on so sort of righteous mission from God to slay , are you not?
W-Well Youre not wrong
Haah, typical. This is why I never liked you religious types. Always with the-
Sothing tal flashed in the darkened room, behind and above the lichs head, interrupting her rant before it even started.
You have suffered a devastating blow. HP -942.
Your undead constitution has prevented you from being Stunned.
Proficiency level increased. Physical Nullity is now Level 3. END 12.
SHREEEEEEAAAAAAA! she shrieked, clearly in pain.
In the next instant, she turned transparent and flew forward, away from the thing that just stabbed her in the back. Another dagger ca swinging as she retreated, but rely passed harmlessly through her body, as if she were a ghost. She flew forward and passed through her Death Knights, putting them between herself and the enemy she failed to notice. After turning around in midair, she saw her attacker - a simple wooden chest, standing on 8 black spider legs, with two white daggers held in the air by a pair of long, red tongue-tentacles.
Boxxy had activated Stealth and scuttled off to the side the instant it entered the room. Not even Fizzy noticed its disappearance as it got in position to ambush the enemy that would most definitely co. And when she did, it took the opportunity while she was talking to the gno to successfully trigger its Level 9 Assassinate on her. But it failed to take her down in a single blow. And now that the lich was made painfully aware of the presence of another enemy, it was highly unlikely the Mimic would have another chance.
As for the victim herself, her face was marred by an expression of pure rage.
Which then gave way to a look of absolute shock and surprise.
You YOU!
Followed by an even more enraged look.
You, again?! she scread. How many tis?! How many tis do you have to kill before youre satisfied?! You stupid fucking box! This is all-
Holy Light!
AAAAAAAARRGH!
Fizzys magic enveloped the ethereal lich, causing her to scream loud enough to deafen all around her. Her transparent body turned to mist and dispersed in the next instant. The three Death Knights that were lined up and awaiting the order to attack then crumbled to dust, signifying their master had indeed been slain. The tiny Paladin that dealt the killing blow then collapsed on her knees and breathed heavily.
Huff, huff, huff! Yeah! Take that!
She really did not think shed et soone as outwardly terrifying as Boxxy, and yet there she was. The sheer malice coming off from that lich was enough to freeze her dead in her tracks, but the Mimics reappearance broke her out of her stupor. She was able to then take advantage of the distracted lich and finish her off without much of a struggle.
Get up, stated Boxxy, who had walked up to the gno before she noticed.
Ah right! exclaid Fizzy. We should get out of-
Have to find the lich.
... Huh? Wasnt that her?!
Maybe. Maybe not. Quest not done yet.
... Alr- alright, Boxxy. Wh-wh-whatever you say Boxxy!
The thoroughly abused gno didnt even question it. Well, she did have one question though. What or who was it that just bit the big one? And how co she seed to recognize a Mimic?
Uhm B-B-B-Boxxy, did you know th- that woman?
Gnos were curious creatures, and she just couldnt help herself sotis.
Yes.
Still, her question was answered in Boxxys typical fashion. Concisely and to the point, without any additional information.
Who- who was she?
Soone I killed. Long ti ago.
Indeed. This was actually the second ti the Mimic had brought about that womans demise. Granted, the first ti it killed her was so long ago that it felt like an entire lifeti had passed since then. And yet it still rembered her. How could it not? That kill had so rather morable circumstances surrounding it. After all, her body was the last thing it ate before setting out to leave its birthplace behind, at a ti when it was still being influenced by that dungeon.
At a ti when the black-haired Necromancer known as Valeria Vortena was still human.
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