The First Lich Lord

My skills with using the forge had grown. Though I was far from an expert, and I couldnt approach taking the forge to the limits of its abilitieseven to this day I dont know that I canI thought I was ready to build something I wanted for myself.

I had several piles of prepared materials. Everything from thorium, a metal well suited to death and eldritch magic Vito had sent me, that had been seeped in eldritch fire, to bones so infused with death magic that they appeared as black as obsidian, and several death cores.

Thanks for waiting for me, my lord, Vito said, joining me at the anvil. Id sent word that I was about to attempt this forging, knowing he wanted to learn how to use the anvil. Also, his skill with ritual magic would be a great boon.

Actually, I have two projects, theres another I want to try after this, I explained. That one I will really need your help on if I understand what I need to do correctly.

Of course, my lord, Vito said. He produced a stack of folded black material from his storage device. This should work for what you described. He proceeded to set out several other items I requested he bring, all of which were ingredients for the forging process.

Let us get underway then, I said, picking up the ritual hammer. Now that the dungeon was established, Vito could come and go as he pleased, though it was best he stayed out of any fighting involved in the dungeon.

At my words, Maxwell started to play a soft melody to help with focus and crafting from farther away. He now had his conductor controlling several different relatively advanced undead, which were all playing instruments made of bone and sinew.

Vito acted as my assistant, providing materials and tools as I worked. He also would occasionally adjust the rituals I was laying down, improving their efficiency. If he was the one forging the item, it would no doubt be quite a bit more powerful, but in all likelihood it would not be something I could use. The power would be too much for me to handle and cause all sorts of issues.

I started with probably a dozen large shoulder bones. The ritual hammer smoothed them out and fused them together perfectly. Soon the shape of the bone was gone completely, and reduced to nothing more than a smooth slab of black bone. I reshaped it forming the large parts of a breastplate.

On a stand next to me was a laid out diagram of the armor we were building, based off another armor Id found described in the archives. I worked through each piece with meticulous care. The armor Bith had given me was great, but my power had increased much since then and as my body had gained flesh the need for resistance to bludgeoning damage had lessened.

This armor would be more focused on amplifying my power as a necromancer and a striker type melee fighter. The other major difference was that this would be a complete set of plate, from my feet clear up to my head.

When each section of the armor was done, I handed it over to Vito. At his workbench, each of the pieces were laid out, and hed first sketch, then carve the runes and diagrams of a ritual circle. From a small kiln, Vito would scoop out liquid thorium. The thorium was so infused with eldritch magic that it was no longer pure silver, instead, it was a metallic eldritch purple.

With careful and steady hands, Vito filled each of the diagrams he created, wiping away any overflow of the liquid metal. He then used some of his own magic to cool the metal, solidifying it. Once he was done the pieces were stored on a rack near where I worked.

The speed at which the forge allowed us to work was far greater than anything that wouldve been possible back on Earth, but the process still took many hours. The forge burned with constant light as I pulled out different pieces of bones and other materials that had been placed in there to allow them to become malleable.

Once all of the armored sections were done, I began to connect them together. The joints were made with the material Vito had brought to me, a soft velvety leather, reinforced with carefully forged links of bone. Despite its softness, cutting and forming it proved difficult. Even with the fires of the forge having been used to make it more malleable.

I didnt need large amounts of leather, just enough to make the joints run smoothly. The left over was perfect for the other use I had planned. The interior of the armor was lined with densely packed material from the micilium floor. It had something similar to the density of cork but with the softness of a memory foam bed. It made the perfect lining. fre(e)novelkiss.com

As I connected and finished each piece, they were assembled onto a mannequin by Vito. The helmet was simple, with a visor with narrow slits for the eyes that could be completely retracted about the head. When it was completed, I took the rest of the leather and tossed it in the forge just long enough to make it easier to form.

I then worked with Vito to make a cloak. We shaped the cloak so that it had pointed shoulders and would fall down to just above my ankles, no point in it getting in the way. The hood was simple, but deep. The entire cloak was trimmed with a dark eldritch purple. Vito then worked with it on the enchanting table for several minutes. The runic patterns Vito embedded into the cloak were made from a dark purple stain so dark it was barely distinguishable from the black fabric.

The cloak was then flung over the armor stand where it attached by clasps on the shoulder pauldrons I had left there for this exact reason. The two of us stepped back as I let go of control of the forge, the task was finished.

That is an impressive set, Vito said as he slowly walked around it. Imagine what we can make once we truly master its abilities.

Judging by the power of Mercy, it will be a truly magnificent day when we can replicate items of that kind of quality in power. Maxwells constant symphony cut off, and he soon joined us. I was impressed hed maintained it as long as he did. I touched the armor, a moment later I pulled up a description.

Thanatrith

Plate Armor

Created on a mythical forge the power of this armor is great. It is meant to be worn by not just a practitioner of eldritch magic, but a being of great eldritch power. All else who wear this armor will suffer greatly as the need to power this armor will eat away at them. The bones and death energy used in the creation of this armor allows the wearer to repair damage done to the armor with death energy.

Set 9 of 9

When worn in completion, this set will amplify the effect of each individual piece, along with a once a day ability to create a powerful eldritch undead minion.

1 of 9: Cuirass Enhances physical endurance and provides great protection for the section of the body while still allowing for a high degree of flexibility thanks to the spinal column of a snake integrated into the back. The runes engraved project powerful eldritch barriers that can be activated and deactivated at will. Power is stored within the armor itself, increases with each additional piece.

2 of 9: Pauldrons Enhances physical endurance and provides great protection for the shoulders. The runes engraved upon this section of armor increase the striking power of any blow made from the arms, small usage of mana, storage increases with each additional piece of armor.

3 of 9: Vambrace Provides great protection for the upper and lower arm. The runes engraved increase the speed and power at which the elbow can flex. Requires small amount of mana, stored within armor, increases with each additional piece.

4 of 9: Gauntlets Allow for highly dexterous movement of the fingers while still providing some protection. Runes engraved upon the palm of the armor allow for a short ranged eldritch blast. Number of blast charges based off mana capacity, mana capacity stored within armor increases with each additional piece.

5 of 9: Fauld Provides enhanced physical endurance and great protection for the waist and hips of the wearer. Designed to allow for optimal flexibility while maintaining a high level of protection. The runes in this section provide no additional benefits.

6 of 9: Greaves Provides great protection for the upper and lower arm. The runes engraved increase the speed and power at which the knee can flex. Requires small amount of mana, stored within armor, increases with each additional piece.

7 of 9: Sabatons Provides a great deal of protection for the feet as well as a high degree of comfort, no one likes uncomfortable shoes. For a cost of mana based off distant fallen, the impact force will be redistributed and absorbed. Mana stored within armor, increases with each additional piece.

8 of 9: Helmet Provides a great deal of protection for the head. Helps with concentration and casting spells and wards off some illusions and mental attacks. The visor has been enchanted so that when it is closed it becomes translucent for the wearer.

9 of 9: Cloak Provides a small degree of protection for the wearer. Enchanted to avoid snagging and increases the intimidation factor of the wearer. It can also suppress the aura of the wearer at a cost of mana. When full set is present, the cloak can further veil the wearer in shadows. Ability to suppress aura and hide the wearer in shadows cost mana, mana stored within armor, storage increases with each piece.

Now that you have the whole set, would you like to bind?

Y/N

I couldnt help but smile as I hit Yes, Vito had included that in the process.

You guys actually managed to create an armor set, Maxwell chuckled. I should get you to try making me something.

Its on my list, I agreed with a laugh. But the trick will be making it so it doesnt kill you. Making armor sets meant that each piece of armor had a high amount of synergy with the rest, it was fairly hard to do.

Making this into a set was surprisingly easy, Vito said. It must have to do with the forge. My guess is the eldritch magic is serving to unify the forces involved. He studied the forge for a moment and shook his head. If this is true, then the people who were using this in the past focused too much on making weapons. Even if the magic was different than the blood magic, there should have been the same effect.

I get the impression that the Blood Sultanate was a little more focused on mass murder than it was on trying to protect its people, I said flatly.

What will you do with your old armor? Maxwell asked.

I have an idea, dont worry, it wont go to waste, I assured him.

***

The next ritual was fairly straightforward, and the real reason I needed Vitos help. With information about Mercy from Aarons group and some of the translations from the vault, I had come up with a process to better connect me to Mercy. Our connection was already fairly deep, but I was certain it could be more. From what the book said the soul weaver had changed the weapon quite a bit, most of its power was not accessible like it had been before.

From my understanding, when the weapon was originally created it required a soul bond with its wielder for them to gain access to the power stored within. When the soul weaver had worked on the weapon that changed. Much of the power was still there, but it needed a deeper bond than a simple soul bond.

I was uncertain what exactly I would gain from this, and kind of doubted I would get some sort of super weapon. While it was possible for low-level players to wield weapons like that, it always came at a very high cost. While I could manipulate soul energy, I didnt come close to the proficiency Vito had with it. I was still learning how to take my first steps while in comparison Vito had been running marathons for 100 years.

Between this ritual and the armor we had forged, this ritual was simpler and shorter in time and process, but was also far more intricate.

I had been preparing myself as I stood next to the forge while Vito worked on the ritual. Mercy stood in a holder on the other side of the anvil from me. Are you ready, my lord? Vito asked gently as not to break my concentration. This will feel similar to your process of becoming a Lich, but likely far more uncomfortable and potentially more uncomfortable. We are integrating Mercy with you at a very deep level.

Im ready.

Vito stood at the anvil, with me on one side and Mercy on the other. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Power flowed out of him, soul energy that energized the ritual around us. The fact that the ritual was powered by soul energy alone spoke to the power contained within.

He stretched out one hand to me and made a grabbing motion. I let out a gasp as his hand went incorporeal and sunk into me, grabbing my soul like a sheet of fabric. This was far different from how vampires normally functioned, and more like how a soul vampire worked, which was the purpose of the ritual hed created.

Vito turned his attention to Mercy. Instead of his hand sinking into the weapon, energy flowed out of his hand, siphoned from me, and into Mercy. The process of having ones soul energy drained is not pleasant, especially when you are not under the paralytic effects vampires exude.

I did my best to let the energy flow out of me smoothly. Eventually enough had been funneled into Mercy that Vito was able to carefully grab a hold of what passed for the soul of the weapon.

With one hand holding my soul, and the other one holding the soul of Mercy, he physically pulled them together and laid them down on the anvil, overlapping them. As he pulled, my very being was tugged away from my body. Innately I fought to resist it, and if Vito and I had been of similar strength that mightve caused a problem, but we werent. All I got was an annoyed look from Vito.

With one hand he held the strands of soul together on the anvil, and with the other he picked up a specially prepared hammer. It was similar to the ritual hammer, the rituals fueled by soul energy. He brought the hammer down on the strand of my soul.

I ground my teeth and groaned in pain as an ache, very literally soul deep, filled my body. Blow after blow rained down on the anvil. The energy inside the anvil began to respond, sensing the intent. Strands of eldritch power formed within the anvil, lining up to bind together and pull the two strands of our souls into one.

Eldritch magic is one of the few magics that can affect the soul with some degree of ease. I honestly lost track of time. All I knew was the ache was growing and I felt weary, so weary. But suddenly, the tension released and I felt like I was solely within myself again.

I opened my eyes, still aching and tired. But even as I stood there, I became aware of something, another part of me that I hadnt felt before. My eyes rested on Mercy. I didnt even have to will the weapon, it merely floated into the air, doing so as easily as I would lift my arm.

It is done, Vito whispered, visibly exhausted. That went far easier than expected. I think time with you and losing your levels has allowed you two to develop a far deeper bond than we even intended.

What do you mean you two? Raven asked from a safe distance away.

I hadnt even noticed the odd word choice from Vito.

Im not saying Mercy has a soul, Vito said. But it also didnt not have a soul. There was definitely something there, and that something had been shaped by Ezekiel. The only thing I can postulate is that when you both lost all of your levels, some of your power began to seep through.

This is incredible, I whispered, moving Mercy around me, shaping it at will in the air as it spun. Innately I felt my limit of control was around twenty meters, but I could call the weapon to me from much farther away. This is like having another limb.

I would imagine so, Vito nodded. Few things are as bound closely together as you and that weapon are. You likely can use its innate ability with soul energy along with your own magic and soul energy control. Its not some apocalypse weapon like it once was, but if you practice and continue to grow with it, one day it will surpass its former power with ease.

I brought Mercy to my hand and caught it. For now, I think I just need to sleep. freewe(b)novel

Probably a good idea. I used up quite a bit of your soul energy in that process, Vito said. You are not used to that feeling yet, so its understandable that you would be tired.

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