Blood splattered against the grainy stone walls.
[Greater Ogre] Defeated
41xp rewarded
The beast's ribcage was visible through a cavity in its chest a few seconds before it slumped lifelessly to the floor. The labyrinth's newly-painted walls roiled with terrible life as blood was reabsorbed into Lieze's Bag of Holding.
Lieze's MP - 1,935 / 1,935
Not a moment later, the crystal atop her focus gleamed with fluorescent light, commanding the beast's corpse to rise once more as an undead thrall. A handful of Gravewalkers had been lost while tussling with the Ogre, but its raw strength more than made up for the sacrifice.
Lieze's expedition into the newly-discovered dungeon had led her seven layers deep into the labyrinth. While it began much the same as her previous delve, the ruin's architecture had begun to deteriorate the lower she descended, with clusters of moss emerging from gaps in the walls and entire passageways blocked off by collapsed brickwork.
She examined the procession of thralls following her obediently through the dungeon. An enthusiastic collection of monsters had been added to her ranks, ranging from giant spiders to mobile, carnivorous plants. She couldn't afford to be picky - especially not when her army was in dire need of some variety.
While Drayya was scouring their current floor for magical items, Lieze made smart use of her thralls to activate and neutralise any traps awaiting eager adventurers. The undead were conveniently immune to the effects of toxic fumes, making them ideal bait to coax out any gas traps. Lieze took careful note of the fact that certain traps had been conjoined into even deadlier arrangements as she descended into the dungeon. That labyrinth in particular seemed to favour a classic combination of pitfalls and moving walls.
Every so often, another monster would poke its head around a corner to see what the fuss was all about. Those with the slightest inkling of intelligence were smart enough to turn tail as soon as they spotted the tide of undead scouring through the passageways, while those dominated by animalistic instinct found their threat displays woefully ineffective against the mindless horde.
"Sometimes I find myself wishing I was slightly more proficient at close range combat…" Lieze sighed as she waited for her thralls to devour yet another troublesome beast, "I can't help but think that these labyrinths weren't designed to accommodate necromancers…"
Not that she had any right to complain. To someone with the privilege of sitting back and watching her minions do all the work, dungeons may as well have been free sources of experience.
Battle Report:
Greater Ogre (x3)
Venomous Duskcrawler (x5)
Mankiller Bud (x5)
Total XP Earned - 555
Based on her observation of Sokalar's necromancy, Lieze was led to believe that [Master Necromancy] was the final and most powerful evolution of her natural ability to raise corpses. Not only could she perform the task at a low cost, but the resultant thrall would be incredibly powerful compared to its living predecessor.
She hadn't glanced at her statistics for a good while, so she gave them a quick scan.
Lieze Sokalar
Level 44 Necromancer
HP - 354/354 MP - 1,935/1,935
EXP - 4,056/10,500
BODY - 4 MIND - 35 SOUL - 5
Skills and Features - Master Necromancy (lvl. 1) / Necromantic Alchemy (lvl. 8) / Identify
Most commoners were lucky to scrape the surface of level [5]. Those who committed to the life of a warrior could eventually train their bodies up to the point of level [10] with basic training. Battle-hardened monster hunters and dungeon delvers usually sat around the [20] mark. Anything higher than [25] marked someone of notable talent and dedication.
Was Sokalar the most powerful opponent she would ever face? If so, her conquest of the world would only be a matter of time. But there still remained the problem of the Scions.
"Every Scion is attuned to a particular school of magic…" She muttered, "That would mean there are seven in total."
Necromancy, divination, restoration, abjuration, evocation, transmutation, and enchantment. Of those seven, four had been assimilated by Lieze, leaving three Scions unaccounted for. Three Scions with her powers. Three Scions who, at that moment in time, were most likely completing quests and seeking experience just as she was.
"My victory won't be assured unless I manage to incorporate the powers of every Scion…" She placed a hand to her chin, "But who could they be? Assuming they can all be found on this continent, they're most likely Dwarven or Elvish…"
She brute-forced her way through the dungeons while considering her possibilities, raising thralls and activating traps wherever she roamed. Occasionally, a rusted metal door would bar the entrance into a treasure room. She overcame such obstacles quickly and without grace, commanding her Gravewalkers to launch themselves at the doors until one or the other gave way.
To her endless gratitude, the treasures of that particular dungeon were more rewarding than the set of magical, antique teapots she'd pilfered from the previous delve.
Her first find was what appeared to be a mundane stone disc engraved with esoteric runes.
Disc of Scrying
Artefact (Uncommon)
Description - Placing a strand of hair or a nail onto this disc will allow one usage of the [Scrying] spell targeted at the owner of the article in question. When [Scrying] is used in this manner, the spell lasts for [1] minute instead of [10]. The same nail or strand of hair cannot be used more than once, and [6] hours must pass before the spell can be used on an individual who has already been targeted by the spell.
"A useful magical item?" Lieze blinked, "I was starting to think they simply didn't exist."
Scrying was a powerful and expensive divination spell, allowing the caster to see the world through the eyes of their target for a limited time. It would be an invaluable tool of reconnaissance for her invasion of the Dwarven Mountains.
"Lieze!"
An excited voice tore through her scab-infested followers. Drayya emerged from a gap between two Gravewalkers hauling a strange jug in both hands - a sandy, disc-shaped ceramic with spokes sticking out from the wide lip.
"Take a look at this!" She exclaimed, "I'm not sure what it is, but I found it in a chest!"
Lieze tilted her head, "What makes you think it's anything special?"
"Just look at it! Who would ever create something so ugly if it wasn't magical?"
Questionable judgement aside, Lieze only needed to invoke her [Identify] ability to learn that Drayya's hunch wasn't unfounded.
Melting Jug
Artefact (Uncommon)
Description - Any magical item placed within this jug will be reduced to a crystallised compound of its base reagents. Using alchemy, these crystals can be recycled into magical items of similar rarity.
"Hm…" Lieze took the item when offered, surprised at how weighty it was, "This would be useful if we had an alchemist within the Order…"
"Can't you do anything with it?" Drayya wondered.
"My knowledge of alchemy is mostly contained to the kind involving corpses." She replied, "Marché has the most comprehensive understanding of it between us, but not enough to make use of an item like this."
"Well…" She paused, "Why can't you learn it yourself?"
"That's quite the undertaking."
"We've got months to spare, haven't we?" Drayya shrugged her shoulders, "What better time to start than now? You already understand the fundamentals from necromancy."
Why couldn't she learn?
It was a question that could have been brushed off with a dismissive answer, but the more Lieze lingered on it, the better of an idea it became. What was stopping her? She'd worked herself into the belief that any knowledge short of what the scale was willing to part with was pointless. What if she wanted to pursue something on her own initiative?
New Quest Received!
'A New Hobby' - Develop a novice's understanding of alchemy
Reward - 2,000xp
"...Perhaps." Lieze feigned disinterest as her eyes glazed over the notification, "It's not as if we're lacking in equipment or information at the moment."
The dungeon took precedence. She was keen to reach the sanctum - and whatever treasure was being held by its guardian.
New Quest Received!
'Second Delve' - Defeat the monster at the dungeon's lowest layer
Reward - 6,000xp
"How deep do you suppose this dungeon is?" Lieze asked.
"Who can say?" Drayya wondered, "I've heard of dungeons that span hundreds of layers. As far as I'm concerned, the deeper, the better. We'll be able to continue for as long as we source fresh corpses to reinforce our ranks."
"-Assuming the sanctum guardian doesn't pose too much of a threat."
"You can summon castle-sized Flesh Golems out of thin air, and you're worried about a measly guardian?" She blinked, "Sometimes I wonder if you really understand your own strength."
"What if there's not enough space to summon one?" Lieze asked.
"That didn't stop you from putting a great bloody hole in the castle's roof, did it?" Drayya smirked, "I wonder what would happen if you summoned one right here?"
'Chaos' was the answer. Chaos too great and terrible to comprehend. Lieze could imagine the Flesh Golem spawning from its summoning circle only to bring the entire dungeon down as it plummeted through the layers, crushing all manner of monsters and landing directly into the sanctum.
Drayya met her gaze, only for Lieze to avert her eyes.
"...Oh no." She shook her head, "Don't even think about it. It was merely a joke, and not a terribly funny one, either."
Lieze imagined the tedium of progressing through those identical corridors, butchering and raising the same monsters for hours on end while plundering chests for worthless magical items. It would be meticulous, certainly, but boring as all sin.
"...Get all of these thralls out of the way." She commanded, "We're taking the fast way down."
Drayya resisted the urge to protest. The determination in Lieze's voice was the real thing, and she knew better than to try and change the girl's mind. With some difficulty, their thralls were guided to a quiet corner of the dungeon while Lieze decided on the most devastating spot to unleash chaos upon the dungeon.
"The last sanctum we visited was almost exactly in the centre…" She thought out loud, "If I released a Flesh Golem here, it would cause the floor to collapse into the next layer…"
It was impossible to gauge the precise level of destruction, but Lieze was at the very least 50% certain that retreating to the outer walls of the dungeon would guarantee her survival. If the guardian in the sanctum was killed, she would be able to use the teleportation circle to escape back to the surface before the entire labyrinth collapsed onto her head.
"...Well, I'll figure out the specifics when the time comes."
Resigning herself to fate's whims, she invoked the power of her [Heavenly Favours]
[Summon Supreme Flesh Golem] Activated
Remaining Heavenly Favours - 3
She had mere seconds to retreat while the darkening summoning circle spiralled out. By the time she had rounded the nearest corner, a cacophony of crumbling stone was already kicking mounds of dust from the dungeon architecture. In the next moment, there was a great tremor that threatened to knock Lieze off her feet, followed by the architecture of the dungeon itself beginning to wane and dislodge.
"Hm…" She could barely hear her own thoughts over the noise, "I may have underestimated the damage this kind of decision could cause…"
There was nothing for it. All she could do was run.