Before Rooster could mention common hot springs etiquette Lich immediately jumped in bloody clothes and all.
"Hey you are suppose to shower off first!" Rooster berated Lich while following the right steps posted in a small hut that seem to have popped up out of nowhere.
"If I believed showering off would clean the stench of rotted flesh i might of. But let's be real with each other...wait, quick question. Is the water meant to melt my clothes off?"
Hearing the quick change of topic Rooster looked over at Lich and his face went blank. The water around Lich was bubbling and seemed to be attacking the filth on the clothes.
But it seemed to be a lost cause so the water started to devour it instead.
"I'm not in any pain or anything. Well the flowery smell is burning my nostrils but at least I can smell something good now."
After half an hour of standing outside of the hot spring, Rooster noticed the bubbles finally died down around Lich. "I guess it is safe to get in now." As Rooster got in bubbles formed around him as well but they weren't as active as the one's that surround Lich.
As they sat there without talking, Lich decided to ask where they were heading next. But before they could voice off the question Roosters tablet went off.
DING
Rooster read the notification. Then asked in a nervous voice "Hey, after we soak for a bit want to go to a maze?"
Lich smiled. "Sure I love mazes. But i'm hungry so lets go after we eat." After Lich was done talking bento's on a floating table appeared in front of both of them.
Instead of being happy for the food Lich and Rooster got a chill in their spine and looked around. After not finding anyone Rooster spoke in a spooked voice, "Wow the service here is.. convenient. I didn't even have to use the comm device." Looking at the food provided Lich said in a low voice, "Yeah they even knew what I wanted. Even included grapefruit mead..."
...
Dried and in a new outfit Lich and Rooster were on their way to a maze.
"So what type of maze are we going to? Have you been through it before, if so, do not spoil it cause that takes away all the fun." Lich asked the quiet Rooster.
"Well this is the first time they allowed entry into the place, but rumors state it lets you come back to life. Though, if you ask those people where they heard it from, they don't remember."
...
At the entrance of the maze there was a long line. As they were about to head to the back of the line someone called out to them. "Is that you Sir Lich?"
A giant of a man fully decked out in plate armor, looking to be 3 meters tall, jogged up to them. As soon as he reached them he took off his helmet and got down on a knee and spoke. "We heard of your arrival and we opened the maze as stated in our records. Please follow me with your servant. You do not need to wait in line with the rest of these unworthy side characters."
Lich and Rooster followed the man while silently thinking to themselves.
'Huh so there are people who call strangers side characters.'
'I am not a servant..'
After they stepped in the people at the front started to complain.
"Hey why do they get to skip the line?! What is so special about those losers!" Before the people behind this man verbally agreed with him, his body swelled to 3 times his size and popped.
"For the people who agree with him go to the back of the line. Unless you want to lose all progress made this stage." Many people frighten to lose progress raced to the back to try to get in front of the others.
...
"First the people at the hot springs and now the guards at the maze. I did not know you were so lovable. I guess that is your gold finger haha. Huh, but I only find you okay I am not fanatic like them." Rooster joked with Lich. But inside felt weird. The guards he knew would kill people for any small break of the rules. Now they treat Lich like he is the boss's son or something.
"So is there any danger in the maze we should worry about?" As soon as Lich voiced that question out loud Rooster stopped walking and squatted holding his head. "Shit, I could of gathered info from those guards while they were swooning over you! But since they did not warn you, it should be fine."
"..."
".."
"Lich?"
Standing up and looking behind him, Rooster notice Lich was nowhere in site. Before he could freak out and search for Lich, fireworks went off around him as a door of light opened in front of him.
[CONGRATS Rooster! For Being The First Person To Advance To server 10000. You Earned 100 Trillion Drachma.]
...
"Hello? Rooster you there?"
Walking in the dark Lich was trying to find a way back to Rooster. "How in the hell did I fall upward and end up in this place?" While blindly walking Lich ended up walking in to the wall. Annoyed Lich decided to kick the wall. "F*ck."
After turning around, unbeknownst to Lich a string appeared in front of Lich's foot. Walking forward Lich ended up tripping over it and smashing their face into the floor.
"..."
"..."
Blood slowly seeped out from where Lich's face landed.
Stepping out of the shadows was a old man. If Lich was conscious, Lich would of saw this was the old man who freed them out of the facility.
"I could of just knocked Lich out with a sleep Law. You didn't have to concuss the poor thing."
Out of Lich's back rose Travis who was pretending to be asleep. Then instead of explaining himself he just shrugged his shoulders.
"..."
"..."
The old man cleared his throat. "Never mind. Sigh. Are you sure you want this? I can just unbind you from Lich and you can get a brand new start and live. You could even be Lich's friend and help them along."
Finally talking,Travis snorted. "I'm not doing this to help him. I just want to die and stop existing, is it so hard? And if he ends up getting all my powers in the process I guess good for him."
Smirking the old man pulled out a coin. Similar in size to the 10000 leg coin Travis was sealed in. "The power in here compared to you, is like a universe compared to a speck of dust. All that will be left of you will be your reflexes."
Feeling underestimated Travis yelled back, " HA! Back in the day I remember you and your kind running away crapping yourself's whenever I showed myself. Well besides that one freak but that doesn't matter. Nothing you make will ever be stronger then me."
"But it should matter since him and all his belongings are stored in here." As soon as the old man finished his sentence Travis hissed and jumped on the ceiling, spider legs coming out of his back.
"That freak let you turn him into a system?! I knew he was bat shit crazy!"
"Calm down. He cannot hear you as he is resting for the moment. Also why does it matter? I thought you wanted to die?"
"Exactly! TO DIE! I heard the corpses of his that he sent my way. Even when I crushed them and tried to extinguish their souls they kept coming back screaming."
"It is fine, the coin is set to fuse all the souls and items to the kid. You will be recycled and maybe become the kids pet since the spiders collected were of a slight lower quality then you. However it will be painful for you since you will be erased by something that can erase the one you call a freak."
Jumping back down on top of Lich's passed out body Travis sighed. "Just hurry up and end me. I am way too stressed to keep this up."
Flipping the coin onto Lich the old man sighed. "Goodbye, last monster of server 0."
Flipping off the old man, Travis said with a smile "Goodbye, creator of PATH and LAW perverted old man."
...
I swore I heard some one laughing just now. Where am I? Why is it so gray here? Oh and I guess my biggest worry is why I am surrounded by millions of people in cultist robes and some guy who keeps smiling at me...
...
"Welcome to my universe. Well after today it will be yours. My name is Vel, But you can just call me Ancestor. The first and only person of the Lich pathway. You will be the second. Rejoice and let us fuse into your soul."
After Vel was done talking everyone and everything broke down into a gray mist and rushed into Lich's body.
[Ding System Update]
[Goodnight]