About an hour after I'd woken up, I looked in my book and realized my pet lich had been trying to contact me for the past two hours. I summoned her and asked her, "What's going on I was sleeping."
"He's dead… oh…" she noticed I was not alone in bed.
"Oh, you want me to make him an undead too?"
"No, I just wanted you to know I didn't kill him, and he never said anything. When you didn't reply I started shouting louder."
"Ah… is that it?"
"Well… yes."
"Then I'm going back to sleep don't go anywhere."
I buried my face in [best girl]'s hair and went back to sleep only to be awoken two hours later when she woke up to find herself in my arms reeking of alcohol with a barely clothed lich watching us sleep. "What happened last night? Who is this girl?"
"I don't remember, she's my pet lich who came to tell me the assassin in the labyrinth is dead."
The bedsheets slipped down to reveal she was only wearing the bottom half of her underwear. She looked like she would have freaked out if not for the headache forcing her to move more slowly. I had already recovered a bit and got up out of bed. "You want me to get you some water? It helps."
"Yeah, just don't look."
"Alright."
I left and brought my pet lich with me as I left the room. I gave her a minute to get dressed to a degree she'd be comfortable with me seeing before nocking on the door and asking if I could come in again. I gave her water; she drank slowly a first but very quickly downed the glass. My pet was still walking behind me. "Is that the girl you said wouldn't put on clothes?"
"The clothes he gave me stank." She interjected
"Those were the only clothes I could get you at the time… barring my clothes of course, I figured you wouldn't want to wear the clothes of the person who caused your death."
"Wait what happened to her clothes?"
"They were burned when she/I died." we both said together. She pondered for a second. "Isn't the sewing club making clothes for homeless people?"
"She's not homeless she lives in my labyrinth."
"But I made a friend in the sewing club who wants a model for her designs." I turned towards my pet.
"Do you want to be a clothing model?"
"I've kinda gotten used to being naked"
"Really?"
We three sat pondering what to do next. "Are you sure you don't want clothes?" [best girl] asked
"I did a while back but I'm fine with just a robe."
"So you're fine with never leaving the labyrinth again?" I asked to aid her argument.
"Am I even going to leave the Labyrinth ever again?"
"It would be cool to have you as a kind of bodyguard I could summon."
"But I might die again."
"You're a lich your body will grow back… or if it's destroyed be replaced." I said.
She sat pondering for a bit before standing as if making a decision, but first looked at me. "I told you before I wouldn't force you to wear clothes if you didn't want to but it's the law if you want to walk around outside."
"Since it's my decision then I might as well get them, I'm probably not going to wear them all the time, but it couldn't hurt to have them."
"Alright then, call up your friend and see if they want to meet her, I'm going to go make breakfast."
As I stood in the kitchen, I made a sudden realization. "This is not my house." We must have gone to her house in the middle of the night. I don't know whose decision that was but I woke up in her house, and then I called my parents at the crack of 1pm in the morning.
'Hey mom, dad, got drunk woke up in my new girlfriend's arms. I'm planning on doing strength training in the labyrinth for a few days with her probably won't be back for a while love you both.' And ended the call.
I started cooking breakfast and once everything was plated there was enough for two people. "What about me?" my pet lich asked.
"You don't need to eat food you're an undead."
"But I'm hungry."
"It's only been what, three days since I revived you? You didn't get hungry earlier?"
"It's been three days?"
"Yeah, you don't tire, hunger, sleep, or have free will. Aren't I just the kindest person for giving you a second chance at life?"
Interrupting our conversation, "can't you make some for her too? I kinda feel bad for her."
"Alright… for you, I'll cook for the lich who needs no sustenance."
So, I made a third plate and set it on the table for her. But before she could sit down to eat I showed her to a mirror. "Oh yeah… I should… probably… wash the… blood… off… I'll be back."
She hurried off to the bathroom to wash the blood off her hands and face. She had been torturing a man up until he died after all. I snickered at the absurdity of the situation and she returned to eat her breakfast with us. It was a bit awkward eating breakfast with a beautiful, clothed girl and a not so pretty barely clothed girl. But such is life.
After breakfast I told my new girlfriend my plan for the week off. "I have a spell that can make a day last a year. Anything we do in that day doesn't affect us until after the day is over, it will feel like a year is passing and we can move as fast as if it were. I want you to train me in that one day for the whole year to be strong enough not to be knocked over by a stiff breeze."
"I could do that."
"Great, you mind if we start today?"
"How long does the spell last?"
"A full 28-hour day."
"So, we'll be back around this time tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, I can do that."
So, I grabbed them both and teleported the three of us into a room I'd prepared in advance for the express purpose of getting stronger than time will permit. I asked my pet lich if she wanted to experience the time acceleration as well and she said no. so I left her to wander the labyrinth as she pleased. I was told the friend would want to see her some time next week once school starts back up as she'd accidentally left her sewing things in the clubroom and was too embarrassed to call the school and ask for them back.
That being said I got out my spell focus and cast the spell while holding her hand so she could have time accelerated with me. Once it was done, I saw my pet lich as though she were standing still mid step and said, "well… it looks like it worked. Is there anything else you think this room could need for the year we'll be spending together?"
"How about a place to rest for when we aren't working out?"
"Alrighty then." With a wave of my hand the room expanded, from the back end of the room was brought forth a bed a couch two big fluffy chairs and a grandfather clock to let us know when time ran out. I also made a miniature Ice box and had it generate some food, so we won't starve here. Once the lounge room was completed, I made a mini changing room and set down my shirt. "Why are you disrobing?"
"I figured since we're going to be working on our bodies it would be best if it were easier to move around."
"Oh… right."
For added measure I deactivated my cloaking spell, so my marks were on full display. "No one else will see them down here."
"Right… can you make me some lighter clothes?"
"What did you have in mind?" From the air I produced a blank sheet of paper a pencil and a podium to hold them as she drew. She drew out some simple clothes, not too revealing and I made them for her. She took them into the changing room and came back when she was ready. After that it was off to training.
For the first month together with only her as company if felt weird to be able to do exercise without feeling sore or breathless at all, but I knew all the pain I missed today would accumulate tomorrow. This spell is a real double-edged sword. We actually spent an entire month just doing exercise, we filled the void with conversation here and there and spent the majority of the time just getting closer in general. After the first month I spent about a month training her in a few magic spells I can't seem to live without and learned a bit more abyssal, by next month I'll be conversational in abyssal.
The third month we spent doing exercises we knew would be brutally difficult if we could tire or lose breath right now. Just bouncing around with weights on our backs, the burden palpable but not unbearable. We spent another month sitting directly next to each other eating talking and generally sharing cooking ideas. I'm the kind of person who eats to live, as in I'll eat anything as long as it sustains me, but she seems to have a real passion for food, and I enjoy seeing her happy.
The fifth and sixth months we spent working out while starring into each other's eyes. We can't spar until at least tomorrow I know she'd win easily if I don't have results which I won't have until the year ends.
The seventh month she kissed me, and we got a bit closer still. Not that close but close enough that we didn't need to worry if we saw something or another, we were comfortable enough around each other that we didn't need to stay clothed all the time though after a bit we did see my pet lich just sit and stare at us. Though to her we must seem like a blur to us she seems like a stature to be avoided lest we shatter it with our quick movements. I spent the seventh month teaching her Abyssal so we could share a language few others knew.
The eighth month I gained my Infernal marks… or I would if the spell didn't take forever to cast. We spent the majority of the eighth month reading grimoires and hanging out together. The last four months were spent in intense, constant, movement. Even the spells delayed effects weren't enough to stop the strain we put on ourselves when we pushed ourselves to the absolute limit our bodies could go and on the very last day at the very last hour something donned on me.
The strain of training our muscles is only delayed not cancelled.