“Those ungrateful dogs bid their time and waited for the moment when I was about to complete the amplification device to enact their plan. Yozmogh attacked me while I was at my weakest, while Dann’Kah used his crystal to redirect the energy from my phylactery to their bodies instead of mine!
“You can imagine the rest.” Zolgrish said. His skeletal body was now complete and he was standing on his own. The lich’s blood core had returned to a normal size, but over half of it was black.
“So, after defeating you, they discovered they shared your limited freedom of movement.” Lith said as Zolgrish nodded in approval.
“It explains why they didn’t leave despite having opened so many exits, but not what they are fighting for nor why they attacked the nearby city alarming the residents.”
“There was never any love between Dann’Kah and Yozmogh, the only thing uniting them was their common enemy: me. Once they discovered how to use my life force to undo the effects of their race’s fall, they wanted to kill each other.
“The first one who dies will be resurrected again, but will lose his grip on my life force, leaving the other one in possession of most of my powers! As for the attacks on the city, the explanation is quite simple. I chose only males as my slaves, to keep their number in check.”
‘Decades of sausage fest! With the monsters’ libido, it’s no wonder they risked going so far despite their weakened state. They must have been looking for females.’ Lith thought.
“Why didn’t Trouble turn into smoke?”
“He wasn’t one of my servants, but one of my lab rats. With three eyes, he was quite a rare specimen, since Balors usually have just one or two. I couldn’t risk his life. I assume Yozmogh didn’t restore his strength because he was one of the few that could leave for good.” Zolgrish said.
“Only a few more questions.” Lith said.
“What are you planning to do? And more importantly, are you willing to compensate me for my troubles?”
“Well, dear Marge, in my weakened state I can take on my minions, but not their generals. As long as the amplifier is active, all the energy coming and going from my phylactery is under their control, while I’m stuck in the condition I was when they overpowered me.
“My plan is to shut down the device, get my strength back, and kill those bastards for good. I just need to touch my phylactery to banish their souls and send them into oblivion! As for your reward…” Zolgrish walked to one of the opened silver doors.
A simple touch of his hand depowered it and another one took it off its hinges. Weakened or not, the lich was still quite powerful.
“Consider this an advance.”
Lith stored the door inside his pocket dimension, nodding in agreement. Yet he had no intention of trusting such a deranged creature. There was no telling what the lich would do once he regained his full powers.
At the same time, turning down his help would have been foolish. Now that Lith knew about his opponents’ limitations, worst case scenario he could always Warp to safety and wait for the army.
The two ringleaders would leave the complex and risk dying by his hand, while the weakened lich wasn’t his match there, let alone if they fought near Jambel, away from the amplifier.
“Where is the device?” Lith asked.
“On the fourth floor, but we better get moving. Without Trouble constantly breaking me apart as a hobby, Dann’Kah and Yozmogh will have already noticed that I’m back at…” Zolgrish waved at himself.
“Let’s call this humiliating, inferior form my peak condition.” He sighed. “As I already told you, Bart, the three of us are linked. They are like dams that prevent the mana from my phylactery from flowing into me.
“I doubt they will come here in person, but their lieutenants are likely to be on their way.”
Lith cursed as he took point, moving towards the stairs.
“Master, Ratpack so happy to see you. Ranger and his bright Lady scary.” The little creature seemed to have gotten his spunk back. He looked at Lith with eyes full of disdain.
“Enough of your nonsense, Ratpack. First, stealth is our best ally. Second, I told you countless times: ghosts don’t exist.”
Lith didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at an undead who didn’t believe in supernatural.
“But master, she right here! She has very long hair, all dressed in gold and with many chains binding her.” He said while pointing the air above Lith’s right shoulder.
‘Can he really see me?’ Solus was astonished. Aside from the chains, the description fitted her.
“Sounds familiar. Can you describe her to me?” Lith never stopped moving, looking left and right with Life Vision to avoid the enemies patrolling the seventh floor.
“She very tall.” Ratpack said.
‘Good news, whatever he sees, it’s not you. You’re many things but tall is not one of them. He’s just delirious.’ Lith thought in relief.
‘You jerk! I’m tall by his standards.’ With her 1.54 meters (5’1″), Solus was way taller than Ratpack who was just 1.3 meters (4’3″).
“Is she this big, with blonde floating hair, and a fat belly?” Lith’s words made Solus swear like an angry truck driver.
‘It’s not my fault if you don’t have any other relevant features!’
“Yes, yes, and Ratpack doesn’t know. Dress cover her.”
‘Okay, now I’m positive he’s delirious.’
‘No, think about it.’ Solus said. ‘I’m in my ring form, so what he sees could be my soul, my real appearance! Ask him about my eyes, my face, everything.’
“Can you describe her to me?” Lith couldn’t refuse her request, even though he found it ridiculous.
“She very ugly.” Ratpack made Solus almost cry.
“She like you. Her brown eyes too big, ears too big, and her face creepy. She looks… kind.” After a while Lith and Solus both realized that Ratpack used himself as a standard, making all humans ugly in his eyes.
When he found even Tista’s hologram disgusting, Solus sighed in relief.
‘This moron can’t distinguish Kamila from the Queen, he’s of no use.’ Lith thought.
Then, he asked him about what kind of dress the bright Lady was wearing and if her chains had anything unusual. Both answers surprised Solus and Lith.
According to Ratpack, Solus was wearing a golden roman toga and sandals. It was an attire outdated for centuries, that Lith only knew about from the pictures in Mogar’s history books.
“Chains all unusual.” Ratpack said. “She bound by two kinds of them. One is big and bind Lady to you. Other one is thinner and restrain her. Two thin chains are broken and she keeps hammering a third. Chain makes sparks but hold, so Lady never stops.”
“How many chains are left?” Lith’s mind was spinning at top gear, but the only thing that came to him was the gemstones that appeared on her gauntlet form every time that Solus unlocked a new ability.
She had recently developed a second one of which he had yet to make sense.
