Lich Lord, Chapter 126 (Patreon)

I sat in my room. It was still a part of the dungeon even though I was no longer the dungeon boss. Being here still gave me some minor benefits, one of which was the simple fact that I was as safe here as I would be just about any place else. Kellnock would let nothing get to me.

Across my legs lay Mercry. My connection was so deep with the weapon that it didn’t even feel like a foreign object was touching my body, this was simply another part of me. I wore simple robes rather than my powerful Thanatrith armor. It was a pain to take the armor on and off, but after spending several days in it I decided I didn’t want to always be wearing armor. It was uncomfortable, especially now that I had flesh on my body, even if it was emaciated.

I was focusing my mind inwards, a process identical to what one goes through with soul compression. My trait remembrance of the soul meant I did not have to do soul compression again, it automatically completed. Which was nice. Soul compression was a pain, especially if you messed it up and had to regain levels to try again. It did mean I hadn’t gained the stat multiplier for having stat points over a value of 100, but that was okay. My old multipliers were bigger than what I would have gained anyway. I was curious what would happen when my level was equal to what I once had been at, and the trait went away.

However, I still needed to refine my death core. Since I hadn’t gone through the process before, it wasn’t automatically completed. Before starting the process, I had absorbed enough death cores to bring me above a base value of 200. I had been very close, and if it behaved like stat points did, bringing it above 200 would be a nice boost.

The process of refining the death core was fairly straightforward. Vito had explained it to me before he left. Normally, you would have to do both soul compression and core refinement at the same time. Not having to do so made the process that much easier

Focusing on meditation I was able to picture my core and directly access it. I then pulled all of the death energy out of my core, but not out of my control, urging it into a miasma around me. I condensed that miasma down until it became a sphere of highly condensed energy.

I then pulled a stream of energy out of that sphere and ran it back down to my core. Wherever the stream touched the core, it refined. That began the cycle. I ran a constant stream of energy in and out of my core in loops refining every part of it as I slowly worked the energy through the core. The process was exhausting. The mental control was akin to the amount of effort it took for me to control large numbers of undead with precision.

With the refinement process finally done, I channeled the energy back into the core and opened my eyes. No prompts waited for me, but that was okay. I knew where I could find the information I wanted, I pulled up my character sheet, going through my stat sheet first. There weren’t any level gains since I last looked, but I was certain there must be some changes.

Character Soul Level: 101

Name: Ezekiel Verniac

Race: Human Lich

Unspent Stat Points:

Spent Stat Point: 505

5 Stat Points per level

Health: 1528

Health Regeneration: 54.49/sec

Death Energy: 2596

Death Energy Regeneration Tier 1: 57.7/sec

Death Energy Tier 2 Storage Capacity: 1

Mana: 1705

Mana Regeneration: 51.56/sec

Carrying lbs.: 2314.07

Stats:

Intelligence: 190 [multiplier: 1.311] [40 from gear]

Spirit: 134 [multiplier: 1.23]

Vitality: 119 [multiplier: 1.15]

Resilience: 116 [multiplier: 1.15]

Death Core Tier 1: 218

Death Core Tier 2: 1 [multiplier: 1.21]

Agility: 115 [multiplier: 1.1]

Dexterity: 89 [multiplier: 1.21]

Experience: 20,136 of 103,015

There weren’t very many changes, but what was there was interesting. The tier information about the death cores was new. Was also interesting that the tier 2 death energy did not have a regeneration rate, only a capacity. My stat screen was different than it would’ve been normally. Even discounting the death core which replaced my strength and endurance stats. Now that I’d passed level 100, I should have a compressed stats score—it’s where the multipliers came from. But I didn’t have one, and was beginning to suspect when I passed the level I’d been before, I was going to have some hard adjustments as my body reset to the correct system.

It was interesting that the tier 2 death core didn’t show a fractional number. I assume that would be explained in my character sheet. I was glad to have taken the time to get my tier 1 death core beyond level 200, it would make a large difference in the long run. I moved on to my character sheet to see what had changed there.

Character traits:

Remembrance of the Soul

Your soul remembers a time in which it was much more powerful. When you reach soul compression, it will be automatically completed for you as your soul regains its strength. You will also gain experience 10% faster.

Precognition

Evolved from repairing mindscape from Time Warped Status. Can sense slightly into the future.

Magically gifted:

You learn magic faster.

Essence Merged Weapon

You have formed such a deep connection with your weapon, Mercry, that it is now an extension of you as much as your arm. Your base control, skill, and ability with the weapon is greatly enhanced. If separated from you, the weapon will return given time.

Lichdom:

Enhanced magical senses

Undead resilience

Death Core Tier 2

You retain your tier 1 death core, but it no longer increases with your level. Its level as been divided by 1000 and serves as a multiplier increasing the level of your tier 2 death core. You can still increase the level of your tier 1 death core, but this will not increase your multiplier. The level of your tier 2 death core will always round down to the nearest whole number, a partial death core level has no effect on you. Your tier 2 death core gains in level as you increase in level, it can also be increased by absorbed other tier 2 death cores, and no longer by absorbing a lower tier death core.

Now that your death core has advanced to a tier 2, the potency of your death energy has increased to more effectively work against entities who have passed the first level of soul compression. You also gain the ability to store and refine second tier death energy inside your core. The capacity is based on the level of your core at a one-to-one ratio. You do not naturally generate this higher tier energy.

Innate undeath control

Mindless undead creatures are more easily controlled.

Using the second tier death energy in the creation of a minion gives you the option to add possession ability so that you can possess the creature.

Body of death

Necromantic and death magic are as easy for you to use as breathing once was. You can also innately use first and second degree related magics.

You are truly immune to necromantic and death magic. You also have high resistances to first and second degree related magics.

Soul magic

You have access to soul magic.

Phylactery

If you are slain, you will reincarnate at your phylactery.

Poison immunity

You are immune to all poisons, except for those with a life aspect to them.

Undead strength

Your body is now fueled by death energy. As the power of your core grows, so does your body. By expending second tier death energy you can push your body beyond its normal limits. Warning: This does come with a backlash.

True Undead

The undead have no need for strength or stamina. They are now fueled by death energy. Those stats have been replaced with the death core.

The death core cannot be increased by stat points, it only increases with level and by absorbing death energy.

Along with replacing strength and endurance, the death core also provides an increased potency for death-based spells. However, it prevents the use of all light and life magic.

Dungeon Lord:

Dungeon Lords are the rulers of dungeons. They have either subdued or created dungeon bosses that control and run dungeons. As the Lord of the dungeon, you gain several benefits.

Tithe

As tribute to you, ten percent of all experience and resources gained by your dungeons is set aside for you upon your next visit to the dungeon. This can also be exchanged for other things from the dungeon instead of just taking the experience.

Assistance

When visiting one of your dungeons the dungeon boss will provide assistance to you in what ways it can as long as it does not compromise the safety of the dungeon.

Minions

Your dungeons that can produce minions will do so for you upon request. So long as it does not compromise the safety of the dungeon, they can even provide you armies.

Unique benefits

Your dungeon, Reliquary of the Damned, contains the Death Forge of the Eldritch Tranquil Soul. When visiting the dungeon you will have access to this mythical item, and the help of the elder living dead smith known as Kellnock in any of your projects. He will not take kindly if you monopolize his forge.

Dungeon Energy Siphone

You have the ability to siphon off a small amount of dungeon energy for your own uses. This requires the construction of a dungeon nexus. You do not have a dungeon nexus to bind this to.

I was very interested by the explanations between the different tiers of death cores. In a way it made sense that I did not have a passive generation for the tier 2 energy but did for the tier 1. After all, tier 1 death energy is essentially stamina for us Lichs. I was thankful I’d be able to continue to increase that value, even if it wouldn’t add to my multiplier, Lichs are already very powerful, that would’ve been just ridiculous.

The benefits of being a dungeon Lord were interesting. Access to dungeon energy was tempting, but judging from what Damien said, I doubted the construction of the nexus was something I was even remotely close to being able to do.

The enhancements I gained from advancing my death core to tier 2 were impressive, to say the least. I was excited about the possession ability. Cretainly something I hadn’t expected. Vito should’ve told me about it, but then again, he was a vampire, and I was a Lich. I was also interested to see just what I could do with more powerful death energy. That first meant figuring out how to refine it though.

If the utility from the second tier death energy wasn’t enough to be excited about, the body of death trait was, in some ways, even more important. Innate skill with magic is good, but that took it beyond. I could cast even the most complex death magic spells that would normally push my limits of control with ease.

Overall, I was just stronger. The boost of strength that came from the utilization of the second tier death energy would be interesting. I was uncertain about the backlash though, some experimenting would be required.

Leaving the room, I stepped into a small courtyard Kellnock had constructed, where my room, Raven’s room, Maxwell’s room, and also stables for Raven’s pets were located. Kellnock had only been in charge of the dungeon for a few days, and he was already making large changes. In the courtyard was a pile of bones, also provided by Kellnock. When the incredibly powerful and serious boss of the dungeon showed us the changes he’d made to our living quarters, I got the feeling he wanted us out of the way.

I didn’t blame him. The last thing he wanted was his boss looking over his shoulder while working. I used a simple but powerful undead construct spell to create a four-legged creature. It had long bony legs driven by pure magic. The creature would not last long, but I didn’t need it to, I just needed it to last long enough.

As my creation waited, I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote a quick note to Vito, asking what he knew about the second tier death energy, and attached it to the bone-creature’s back. Then with a mental order I sent it racing away. My creation would find Vito and his growing fortress in Tehomal. All my construct had to do was get there, Vito would then either send his own construct back or come himself.

Vito had left after Friar Brown departed. Though Vito expressed gratitude towards the friar, I got the feeling he still didn’t fully trust him.

With that done, I decided to explore the outside some. Very little out there could hurt me, even with how weak I was at the time. Immunity to death and necrotic magic meant I was basically untouchable by everything there. Unless they had a powerful physical attack, there was nothing they could do against me. Besides, I’d been cooped up in this ziggurat for a while, and was interested to see just how the marsh had changed.