The First Lich Lord - Chapter 189

Flying through the air, I noticed the murder holes above the gate spewing out holy fire. A moment before the flames reached me, I was shrouded in necromantic energy. Mercy hit the gate. My momentum allowed the needle-sharp tip to just barely penetrate the magically reinforced steel gate.

It wasn’t very deep, but that was all it took. No spell had been cast on Mercy, just huge amounts of eldritch power pumped into it. Now all of that power channeled through Mercy and into the gate.

In that instant, Mercy quit glowing and my momentum carried me to the gate where I landed on it and kicked myself back. Mercy came with me. I landed back on the ground where Shadow was waiting for me. Leaping up onto his back I looked at the gate. Cracks of power were rapidly spreading out. There was a thrumming sound.

“Get back!” I yelled just as Othniel yelled the same.

We raced back as the eldritch power tore the gate apart in an explosion that shook the ground. Not only had the holy magic in the gate been torn apart, but it had destabilized the entire magical matrix. The uncontrolled explosion sent chunks of the gatehouse flying upward. We circled our mounts and then charged back towards it.

The concussive explosion was what we needed to avoid. Though purple eldritch magic was still racing through the area, it would not harm us. Maxwell had only barely caught up. A dome of eldritch power formed around him since he would be the most affected.

We raced through the storm of eldritch power, bursting through the other side where there was a formation of soldiers waiting for us, spears lowered. Then leaping past us, the giants arrived.

The hulking forms kicked soldiers aside like they were kicking rocks down the beach. The juggernauts tore soldiers and buildings apart alike. Arriving on the heels of the giants were the flesh horrors. They wheeled around and scaled the walls. Their malleable forms allowed them to scale in places others could not.

The gatehouse collapsed to the ground. I was worried that would be a barrier, but I shouldn’t have been. It was a pile of rubble the undead poured over the top of.

Tellkin’s first objective was to set up a foothold inside the city. If we were going to fight our way for every meter of the city, we needed a fortification. One of the things Raven had scouted was where the nearest temple was.

I led the Dread Thirteen towards the temple Raven had found. It wasn’t to Olattee, but to a god of healing of some kind. I expected stepping foot in the temple to hurt me, but it didn’t. I guessed it hadn’t when I attacked the temple to Olattee, but for some reason, a healing god seemed like it should hurt.

We came across the brawling zombies and blood zombies. There was a skirmish taking place outside of the temple. What soldiers were in sight weren’t even trying to contain it, I suppose they didn’t care. Zombies on both sides wore what looked like civilian garb, though much of it was shredded to the point that it was nothing more than bits of fabric in most some cases.

I exerted my will over the zombies as we charged into the fray. The blood zombies of course I could not control, but they were not strong either. We blew through them, wiping the blood zombies out as most of the zombies under my control stayed out of our way. We rushed into the temple.

I was unsurprised to find the temple already sacked. The alters to the god had been destroyed and the bodies of the clergy littered the floor. They looked to have been dead for a while. No doubt when the mask came off, every temple that did not fall in line had been destroyed.

Tola cast a mass raise undead on all of the bodies, no point in wasting them. Outside, we found that the blood zombies we killed had quickly rose, coming back on my side. The few remaining had been overwhelmed, now nothing but regular zombies stood outside the temple.

It didn’t take long for the army to arrive. Already the ranks were swelling as zombies killing under the control of Shad’ehki’s banner, which interestingly when I saw it had a pair of large raven’s sitting on the top bar.

Freya’s litter entered the square, accompanied by a large group of priests and clerics, and Tellkin who arrived bot far behind her. They made straight for the temple. The opposing side had a general wandering around, but I lost sight of him.

Tellkin reappeared next to Freya’s litter, his great sword clashing with a man in white armor. The paladin had been trying to use one of his movement abilities to crush Freya, but Tellkin had used one of his own abilities to stop the man. I managed to get a brief scan.

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Knight Paladin General of Olattee

Level: 215

The knight paladin generals, instead of devoting themselves fully to their god, have devoted themselves in a different way. They had become the leaders of men in the service of their god. While lacking the sheer power of a true paladin, the forces they command are loyal and will not fail so long as they stand at their helm.

The paladins of Olattee are powerful. The god of purity is very picky about who he elevates and allows to take the oath to become a paladin, first requiring them to spend years in service and have taken a prior oath to him. The result is their faith and power are amplified.

I swore internally, the players were supposed to be dealing with this guy. Both the knight paladin general and Tellkin wielded great swords. Tellkin’s was black and was made out of bone while the paladin’s was pure white.

In some ways they were a perfect match for each other, neither exclusively focused on their own personal power, instead being leaders. I did not know what all of Tellkin’s oath’s work, or the extent of his power. But it became clear who held the upper hand.

The paladin unleashed powerful blows that exploded with magic. Despite being in heavy armor, Tellkin fought with fluid power. He was deliberate and limited in his attacks, but his skill with the blade was superior to the paladin’s.

I thought the knight paladin general would flee. After the first exchange of blows and his magic rolling off Tellkin like water on a rock, he was heavily outmatched. I doubted Tellkin could put him down fast, but he would in time. Then a column of knights, paladin knights, clerics, inquisitors, and acolytes stormed into the square. The grave guard stood in their way with lowered pikes.

I was just about to order the Dread Thirteen to charge when Freya came past in her litter. “Tellkin can handle this,” she said. “You are a strike force, go hunting.”

Maxwell was remaining behind and would catch up eventually. He was already setting up a stage on the footsteps of the temple.

As we raced away, the lyrics from “Bodies” by Drowning Pool thundered out over the city. One of the things the players had provided was the magical equivalent of loudspeakers. Maxwell had been very happy with the gift, and they said they just wanted more music. I didn’t know how far his harmonic music would be amplified by the speakers, but I was pretty certain it could be heard far and wide.

There were three temples to Olattee scattered throughout the holy city. The main temple, known as the altar of purity, was at the exact center of the city. The temple itself was a fortress, stronger than most keeps.

Our first target was the nearest of the secondary temples to Olattee. Freya explained that we needed to neutralize those temples. They provided power to the main temple which would further strengthen their defenses. Ideally the temples would be claimed by a rival god, or even a neutral god.

The thirteen of us charged down the road. As we went, we cut down soldiers, blood zombies, and acolytes alike. In the square before the temple to Olattee, we met high resistance. It had been fortified against the zombie outbreak. Our mounts leapt over the barricades, and Raven was already diving into my shadow to wreak havoc.

We of course had been seen coming, so they were ready for us. Eldritch lightning crackled from both me and Othniel as the Dread Thirteen dispersed throughout the square.

Gideon, Shamgar, Othniel, Tola, Izban, Jiar, and E’lon stayed with me, the tanks protecting us as we worked our magics, and E’lon let loose a steady stream of precision attacks. The rest of the Dread Thirteen were more mobile. The tactic we took caught them by surprise. And by the time they recovered, it was too late.

I released a wave of death energy in a spell that enhanced all undead a huge amount for a short time period. Tola and Izban raised every single fallen foe. There were powerful fighters there, though none of them more powerful than any one of us. If a cleric didn’t go down as easily as they should, they were targeted by spells from Othniel and Jiar along with arrows from E’lon.

With the chaos of fighting in the square, I departed from the central group. I charged towards the temple. A figure stepped out on the top, someone I recognized. Theonis, also known as Archbishop Theonis, sneered at me. “So, the Lich has come to play. I guess you want a repeat.”

I sneered right back. “Except this time I’m going to gut you like the pig you are.” I managed to scan him and hoped I hadn’t bitten off more than I could chew.

High Inquisitor of Olattee

Level: 211

High inquisitors of Olattee have walked the path of righteous purity throughout their entire lives, burning out and destroying all that is impure. Their powers allowed them to seek out and destroy all that stands before their god.

High Inquisitor of Olattee are powerful servants of the god of purity. Their very presence causes the impure to quail before them as their souls are judged.

Theonis lunged, but I was slightly faster. Despite not being past level 150 yet, I was far stronger than I had been last time. The enchantments of my armor were already speeding me up, burning through mana in my armor and death energy flowing through my body further amplified my speed and strength.

The inquisitor clerics were a hybrid melee fighter type, and Theonis was a pure inquisitor. His aura alone tore at me, the pressure of his very existence pushing on my soul.

We had targeted this temple specifically because I wanted a rematch. Friar Brown had questioned if I could take on Theonis, but he didn’t know what I did.

The high inquisitor came at me, chains erupting from the ground and spiraling through the air to grab me. He was trying to repeat what he’d done the last time. I was ready for it.