[Hollow King] Chapter 5: The Adventurer (Patreon)

Lucas had never seen a man tremble at the mere sight of him.

I know I'm a towering skeleton, but he's really that scared of me? I'm only level two and almost out of mana. He could probably tackle me to the ground and easily smash me to pieces with his sword.

Lucas paused.

Hold on, I sense no power humming through him. Does that mean he can't use magic? If so, does that mean he also can't sense my lack of magic either?

Lucas looked down at the black tablet that clearly spelled out how weak he was. Before the man saw the truth, Lucas reached forward with an exaggerated motion and covered it from the man's view with his rotten black sleeve.

I must be the first Elder Lich in history to be this weak. The black tablet said Elder Liches were formed when a mage of exceptional power bound their soul to their own remains. By that logic, an Elder Lich can't be weak.

"W-What is an undead doing here?" the man stammered, stepping back out of the room and waving the torch like a weapon. Which it kind of was, as it burned unusually bright in his vision.

The status page did say I was weak to fire.

"S-Stay back," the man yelled as he fumbled to pull something out of his pocket. It was a small stone statue, and it shone with holy light. While the fire felt necessary to avoid, the statue felt dangerous.

The man clutched the statue and held it up as if he were warding off a vampire with a holy cross.

"D-Don't you dare come closer, undead, or I'll use this to vanquish you!" he yelled, but his wavering voice betrayed his fear.

Despite how dangerous the statue feels to me, the man still seems to believe he's at a disadvantage. Otherwise, he would have used it already instead of threatening me.

Lucas decided to push his advantage.

"Goblin, grab him," Lucas commanded, and a sliver of mana left him. His undead jerked into action and rounded the table. The man yelped the moment it crawled on all fours into the torchlight.

"You're a Lich?!" the man yelled in surprise as he tried to keep the approaching goblin at bay with his torch.

Lucas watched the man struggle in silence, his gaze cold and analytical. His focus was entirely on the holy statue.

Why isn't he using it to stop my goblin? Is it a one-time use, so he's saving it for me? Or perhaps it is too valuable to waste?

The man dropped his torch to the ground, making it flicker and nearly go out. He stepped back and drew his sword with a scrape of steel on leather. The blade was notched and dull, but it was still a sword. The man grunted as he struck his undead minion in the skull, sending it clattering back against the stone until it stopped against the table.

Surprisingly, Lucas could still feel his connection to the undead, so it hadn't been destroyed—but it showed the man was willing to fight back. Lucas leaned over the table, mana crackling angrily through his bones and lighting up the markings with violet light.

"Kill him," Lucas coldly commanded his undead without a shred of remorse.

The goblin skeleton lurched into motion, its claws clattering on the stone as it crawled forward.

The man's eyes widened as he realized the futility of his resistance.

"Please, call off your undead minion!" the man begged, his back pressed against the wall. "I apologize, Lich! I-I have a family! Please spare me!"

"Lich? I'm an Elder Lich," Lucas corrected him. His ancient-sounding voice echoed from his skull in the same language as the man's. The process was intuitive, and likely thanks to his inheritance.

The man has a family and no longer seems like a threat. Lucas sighed. Perhaps ordering my minion to kill him was a step too far. I'm almost surprised at how easily I did that.

"Surrender that statue and your sword. Then, we may talk."

The man nodded profusely and dropped the statue and sword at his feet.

"Retrieve the statue and sword," Lucas commanded his undead in Goblinese. It did as commanded, picked up the statue and dragged the sword over with its teeth. Lucas's gaze was focused on the statue the whole time. It flared with holy light in his vision, but it didn't seem dangerous for an undead to handle. Still, he let his minion hold it for now.

Lucas settled his hollow gaze on the now unarmed intruder.

"First question," Lucas said, picking up the hefty sword and setting it on the table. "What are you doing here in my home?" His hollow gaze landed on the sack. "To loot my belongings, perhaps?"

"I-I wouldn't dare." The man dropped his sack, letting its contents spill onto the ground. Lucas noted a thick climbing rope, a waterskin, some dirty clothes, and three strips of unidentifiable dried meat. "See? This is all I have."

This man really fit the description of a poor adventurer, Lucas thought, almost feeling bad for him. His boots were caked with mud, and a cut on the back of his hand was still bleeding.

"I did try to take some books," the man admitted as Lucas glanced at him. "But the preservation wards are inactive, so they turned to dust the moment I touched them. I'm so sorry—"

"Preservation wards?" Lucas asked, but the man mistook it for him musing aloud and simply nodded. Which was good, as any Elder Lich would know about wards. "Ahem. Did you notice any other wards out of order?"

"I'm not a mage, so I can't be sure," the man said cautiously, as if it were a test. "But this tomb isn't on any maps of the local area. Whatever ward was obscuring it from the outside may have failed too."

"Is that so..." Lucas would investigate that when he didn't have someone watching him. The black tablet had mentioned his inheritance included an affinity for Runecraft. Was that the school of magic used to make and maintain these wards? I suppose I will find out later, but for now I have more pressing questions...

"You still didn't answer me. Why are you here if not in search of riches?"

The man gulped. "I..." he started, but then seemed to lose his words.

Lucas waited patiently, his heavy gaze seemingly compelling the man to continue.

"Truthfully, my town has been facing a crisis over the last week." The man looked to the floor. "An undead crisis, to be specific. The dead have been rising from their graves and attacking us in the night. They trample our fields, scare off our livestock, and bang on our doors"

A week? Lucas considered the implications. Isn't that around when I arrived in this world, and he says his town is facing a problem with the undead? Did my awakening cause it? Surely not. I'm only level two and haven't even left the tomb yet.

It was more likely a coincidence. Unless an Elder Lich's presence was enough to rally the dead to rise, the town was likely facing some kind of necromancer, or possibly another Lich.

"Why have the dead been rising?" Lucas asked.

"Our Dawnkeeper passed away from old age a month ago," the man answered after a pause. "But his wards should have maintained the consecrated ground until the Zenith could send a new Dawnkeeper. I came out here to investigate one of the ward stones and noticed your tomb atop the mountain."

Lucas didn't know what a Dawnkeeper was or who the Zenith were, but he could guess, given they dealt with warding off the dead and maintaining consecrated ground. If the Zenith are an organization resembling the church in this world, then the Dawnkeepers must be their priests. His gaze dropped to the black tablet he was hiding from view.

[Weaknesses: Holy Magic, Soul Magic, Fire Magic, Consecrated Ground]

Yeah, the Zenith is going to be bad news for me.

"How long until the Zenith sends a new Dawnkeeper?"

"I don't know," the man replied.

"Really?" Lucas said, staring at him. That was probably a lie, as admitting to an Elder Lich when a Dawnkeeper would arrive didn't sound like a smart thing to do. The man simply nodded, so Lucas moved on. "It's been a while since I went outside. Does the Zenith still have a negative view of Liches?"

It was a guess, but it sounded like something a native of this world would ask.

The man looked at him weirdly. "Of course, they live to extinguish the Fallen from this world. Though they have a peace treaty with Isolde Varrenhal, as far as I know."

Lucas remembered that name from the Rime Codex. Isolde Varrenhal said her master was Au, the one I want to find to discuss spatial magic. So she is out there somewhere. But why would he mention the Zenith having a peace treaty with her, unless...

"Isolde Varrenhal became a Lich?"

"Yes, but I don't know anything about it," the man insisted, his unease obvious as he kept glancing down the corridor. Lucas could tell he was debating whether to run.

"Relax," Lucas said as smoothly as he could. "I won't hurt you so long as you answer my questions."

"And what about after that?" the man said nervously. "It's not like you can let me leave."

"Why not?" Lucas asked, though he could guess the reason why.

If the Zenith having a pact with Isolde Varrenhal was something worth noting, it meant they wouldn't tolerate the undead. If this man was allowed to leave, he could report Lucas's existence to the Zenith and have him hunted down.

The problem is if he bolts for the exit, I don't have the speed, strength, or magic to stop him. That will expose how truly weak I am. But letting him leave freely shows my goodwill and, hopefully, makes him think I don't fear the Zenith. I am supposed to be a powerful Elder Lich after all.

"Because..." the man swallowed. "Never mind."

"I don't mean you or anyone else any harm," Lucas said honestly. "If you extend courtesy to me, I will return it. Now, be honest with me, what is the general populace's opinion on Liches and Elder Liches currently?"

It was obvious the undead were despised, but what about more sentient undead like him and Isolde Varrenhal? If she had a peace treaty, could he have one too?

The man snorted, as if it were a stupid question. "Liches are feared. I mean, who wouldn't be scared of an emotionless Archmage who gave up their humanity in exchange for eternal life? Not to mention countless Liches have gone insane and razed towns. But... Elder Liches are a little more respected, I suppose."

His eyes darted down the corridor again.

Lucas sighed.

"What is your name?"

The man stared at him. "Are you going to use it to curse me?"

Lucas chuckled. "No, no. I'm just curious."

"It's... Kyle."

"Well, Kyle, it was nice meeting you." Lucas gestured down the corridor. "If you don't want to stay any longer, you're free to leave."

"Really?"

"Yes, I won't hold you here. But wait a moment." Lucas picked up the sword, finding it surprisingly heavy, and, while ignoring Kyle's nervous expression, handed it to his goblin. "Give him the sword and trinket back."

Kyle seemed flustered as the undead that had been trying to kill him earlier crawled over to him and dropped them at his feet. He quickly grabbed the sword and hesitantly sheathed it, but he kept the statue tight in his hand.

Lucas was silently hoping he hadn't made a mistake.

"Why?" Kyle said, not leaving.

"You're questioning why I've returned your items?" Lucas pondered for a moment. "Well... I suppose I have a distaste for those who steal, and you said your town is being attacked by undead? It sounds like you need the sword and that holy trinket more than I do. Now go," Lucas said, waving him away. "Before I grow impatient."

Truthfully, he could feel mana draining from the black tablet, and he wanted a chance to read everything before it disappeared.

Kyle bowed deeply at the waist. "Thank you, Elder Lich. I will be going now." Gathering the rest of his stuff in a hurry, he turned and sprinted down the corridor like his life depended on it.

Lucas heard him leave, and once the echo of footsteps faded, he collapsed against the table.

That was a close one. Lucas shuddered. And now I have a whole load of problems to worry about with Kyle gone. If he tells the Zenith about me, I'm done for. Though he did mention the town still doesn't have a Dawnkeeper, even though the undead have terrorized them for a week without intervention. That means this area is a backwater and not the Zenith's top priority.

Lucas clenched his fist against the black tablet.

So long as Kyle keeps his mouth shut, I should have time to increase my Soul Level and learn some magic to defend myself. I should also look into fixing those wards he mentioned.

There was so much to do, and time was no longer on his side.

His gaze settled back on the black tablet, only to see the markings around it had dulled and the silver letters were faded. He could still read a faded imprint of his status, but focusing on each option gave him no new information.

Lucas sighed.

"I don't have mana spare to power it up again." He glanced at his undead minion and cut the connection to save mana. It fell where it stood, like a puppet with its strings cut. "I'll return to searching the library while waiting for my mana to recover. Then... I'll have to leave the tomb to level up."