Chapter 987: An Unemployed Lich.
Chapter 987: An Unemployed Lich.
What is the reaction of an average awakened being when a monster, especially those written about in myths and famous stories as immensely evil beings appears in front of you? Furthermore, what of when the said being is encased in what most assume is an evil energy?
The answer is pretty simple, it’s hostility. Ryan and Howard immediately jump from their seats and brandish their weapons, Amanda does the same, instead going behind them and clasping her hands together, in the midst of preparing a spell.
Only Alan remains seated, finding the situation funny at the very least. He lets out a faint whistle, calming his three musketeers as he recognizes the new arrival.
’Great Lich.’
A body of pristine white bones, hidden behind an intricate purple robe. Deep blue flames burn in the eye sockets, functioning as visual organs to see the world like most people do, but in terms of energy as well. The bones rattle beneath the robe, as the teeth clack together in amusement.
"Always the same reaction."
Jyle Hikkins appears in the meeting room, with his original form. No longer donning his ’old’ skin. It confuses, or rather, terrifies not only the members of the Association, but the existing lords of the city as well. As far as they knew, he never appears like this. Never.
He never shows his normal form, one of a lich that has abandoned his humanity in search for eternal life and supremacy over magic. Instead, he opts to wear his original skin over his body.
Both sights are disturbing, but since it has been so long since Jyle ever appeared as a Lich, the Lords are terrified down to their bones. They anxiously look at each other, exchanging dozens of messages with their eyes before the lich cackles once more.
"Why the anxiety? We are in the presence of royalty! KEKE!"
He laughs, as Alan raises his brows. It was obvious he was referring to Alan, but why, and more importantly, how? He knew he hadn’t boasted about being the Prince of Death to anybody other than his party, and he didn’t think they would go telling everybody about it.
As his three musketeers turned to look at him, Alan merely shrugged his shoulders at them, forcing them to sit down afterwards by controlling the space around them with mana. He rolled his eyes as the top dog, or rather, top lich of Sacramento took his seat.
He clasped his hands together, surveying the room with the fire in his eye sockets as he said.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Can we get this meeting started?"
With that, he clacked his teeth once more and leaned back into his chair. The sound of his bones rattling against one another was eerie, to say the least. With a cough, one of the two demons, the imp, gathered the attention of everybody but Alan and Jyle, who kept staring at one another.
The ’meeting’ was merely centered around asking questions of their stay in the city, and while his three musketeers had originally wanted to complain about their accommodations, Jyle’s presence kept them in check.
It was the same case with the lords of the city as well, everyone was nervous as the two SSS-ranks had a silent stare down. Little did they know, both were growing bored of the meeting and were simply analyzing each others mana. Jyle was doing it to get a better grasp on Alan’s strength, while Alan did to understand the affinity of Death better.
Both of them had zoned out from the meeting, not paying attention to much else. The talks between Alan’s three musketeers and the lords of the city were straightforward. The lords refused to acknowledge their complaints about accommodations, saying that their rooms were better than ’most’, while the rest of the discussion centered around Harrison’s letter to the city.
The meeting was quick, probably because everyone was sweating buckets in the presence of two SSS-rank beings silently measuring each other, and thus, when the talks were complete, the lords wasted no time in leaving the room, sweating profusely.
Alan’s three musketeers looked at him for a brief second, before leaving as well, making sure the two SSS-ranks stayed.
Alan was the first to speak, putting his feet up on the table and assuming a more relaxing position before asking for confirmation.
"Let me guess, you called this meeting to just to talk with me in private?"
Jyle chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he affirmed.
"Yes, although I am surprised it went this smoothly."
He didn’t mind Alan’s posture, and leaned back into his own chair before asking.
"Do you have any idea why I wanted this?"
After a bit of deliberation, Alan shook his head. He was clueless as to why Jyle wanted to talk with him privately. Perhaps he would threaten him? Harrison had included that Alan would drop a meteor or two on the city if they betrayed. Besides that, Alan was curious about the mention of ’royalty’.
"Well, first of all, I wanted to talk with you, get a feel for you. What kind of person you are, and what kind of person Arken molded you to be. Second of all, I want to make a deal."
Alan perked up at the mention of his master and the deal Jyle wanted to make. He waited for the skeleton to continue.
"First of all, I’m amazed you didn’t have a ’significant’ reaction to my experience. In fact, I’m shocked that you didn’t have a reaction at all. That’s a first for me."
Alan didn’t say anything, merely shrugging his shoulders. He was a Dragon, God Beast, and Void spawn, his innate pride made it certain he would have no reaction, although, even if he didn’t have it, Alan would have most widened his eyes a little in surprise.
His memories were full of many species, and the fact that he had Ariel’s blood flowing in his veins made him far more accepting of the Undead and other similar creatures.
"Arken and I go back a while, and our encounters have been... bad, to say the very least. I was of the opinion that you would attack me the moment you saw me, my apologies for considering you the same as your master."
Alan offered a nod, certain that Arken would have already jumped at the lich in front of him with the determination to kill. Arken simply didn’t like demonic or undead species at all. In fact, he loathed all monsters.
"So, now that you know I’m not like my master, what deal were you talking about?"
Jyle chuckled at Alan’s urgency, and explained.
"Before I begin, Do you have any idea why I dared to rebel against the demonic forces occupying the city?"
Alan tilted his head, confused at the sudden history question. How would he have any idea of events that transpired before his birth? Furthermore, he wasn’t the best in class. Alan slept through most of the history classes he attended at Shield.
Jyle, aware that Alan wouldn’t have an answer began to explain.
"At that time, the demons were... Supreme, to say the least. At that time, they were a force that was godly, one you could not stand up against. They were already ravaging at the world, and most at Sacramento thought they were lucky they could still live, despite the harsh conditions.
I was the same, however, you could say I had a fortunate encounter, you could say... I was lucky."
He took a deep breath, as strange as it was in the body of a lich and continued.
"The Demons in Sacramento forced us, talented awakened at the time to clear dungeons for loot. It was a different kind of hell, it was a game for the demons. They would bet on who would survive and who would die. One thing we had going for us, however, was that we were allowed to keep whatever rewards the dungeon would give in order to increase our worth in their eyes."
He chuckled, recalling parts of his past.
"Most found amazing weapons, and other such things, even skill books, adding to their immediate combat potential. However, even with all that, we couldn’t fight and win against the demons. We were kept hungry, and deprived of mana.
I entered a dungeon filled with undead, and when me and my group appeared to be the first ones to clear it, we also got a reward."
"One that turned you into a Lich?"
Alan asked, curious. If that was the case, then Jyle had gotten extremely lucky. A dungeon, or rather The Weave, doesn’t give such a reward normally.
Jyle shook his head.
"No, it was something far more mundane, in the eyes of the normal people. While the dungeon gave everyone else awesome weapons and potions, skill books, I got... a book. A normal book. A thick tome that was the start of my path. The tome that led me into becoming a lich."
Jyle gestured to his side, causing a maid to appear out of the shadows. Alan always knew she was there, and was kind of jealous he didn’t have a shadow maid.
"Annie, if you would."
The maid nodded to her master, and walked towards Alan, taking out a thick tome from her spatial inventory and handed it over to Alan.
Alan grabbed it, and when his eyes landed on the cover, he let out another whistle as he exclaimed.
"Lucky bastard."
Jyle chuckled when he heard it, and nodded.
"Indeed, lucky bastard indeed."