Chapter 480 - Down The Lich Hole
A note at the end of the chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kellen and Nagh.
Their appearances gave off the vibe of common travelers who were on the road for months, after all, a few in this world were capable of utilizing magical methods to travels in insane speed like a certain Jon Dare.
Those two traveled across the continent crossing mountains and rivers to track an item of absolute importance to Kellen, the mystic Imperial. During their journey, they came across all sorts of oddities.
The item they are after was an Elder Scroll. None knew much about those mysterious artifacts but a few with a certain skill that allows them to look into the Elder Scrolls without being blinded, those of course are the members of the Ancestor Moth Cult, the ones known as the Moth Priests.
Kellen was a Moth Priest.
His journey started ages ago when he left the Imperial City as a Moth Acolyte not long after the Great War. Just like his colleagues, he was sent to investigate and retrieve any Elder Scroll from the ones that mysteriously disappeared from the Imperial Library prior to the Great War. So far, his mission was fruitful-ish.
Those who acquired the Elder Scrolls won't possibly just hand them back to the Moth Priests. That's why many priests had to find alternatives and Kellen's alternative was Nagh, a professional Khajiit explorer.
Throughout the years, the pair managed to "retrieve" some Elder Scrolls but life took its toll on the two partners giving them the airs of vagrants thus it was hard to distinguish Kellen as a member of a very esteemed order form a bigger or distinguish Nagh as a professional explorer from a thief.
As of late, the two were chasing an Elder Scroll that fell in the hands of a Nord Thane almost a year ago but once they reached a place called Winterhold in the far snow wastes of Skyrim, they were chased away by the Thane's wife whose eyes glowed as red as the moon Masser.
Later that year, an Elder Scroll was stolen from Wayrest and arrived someplace in Hammerfell in the hands of a Daedric Cult, that's why the two were infiltrating this place with all chaos breaking loose above ground.
Stupidity was it or courage, Kellen's duty to gather the Elder Scrolls and Nagh's addiction to risks and exploration led the two into one of the most dangerous places on Nirn yet…
"... It is awfully peaceful." Nagh couldn't help but comment about the situation.
"It is indeed. Something is not right. We should secure our retreat." Kellen said.
"This one agrees."
The two turned back to see their escape route but as they reached the place they entered from, the road was blocked by some rubble that appeared without any notice.
Things were more serious than they could imagine.
Meanwhile, in another place, Jon was consumed in playing the role of a thief on the easy settings. He wasn't discovered as there was no chance someone with his resources and cheats can be discovered in the first place, even the magic he was casting needed a very sober Arch Wizard to trace a hint of it so for now, all was good.
But Jon made a discovery.
All the Cultists of Clavicus Vile in these tunnels were Vampires. Underground, there were loads of human victims used as livestock for those vampires. They were blinded and brainwashed to act like herds of animals which made Jon pour his anger on the first vampires he came across ripping them apart with his bare hands.
After cleaning behind himself (hiding the bodies in the Cube), Jon decided to take a different approach to this situation. Out of mercy, he wanted to end the lives of those brainwashed people but knowing that they would power the Soul Snare instead, Jon left them be. He rather targeted the vampires with a weapon they never faced before.
One vampire was patrolling a tunnel ran into Jon without noticing him only to get himself pinned to the ground with Jon above him. Jon cut his own hand and let his blood flow in the mouth of that vampire. The vampire smirked out of feeling the power come back to him but in the next instant, all control was lost.
The vampire; which is a being with a grim soul, a body that feasts on blood, and eyes that can control its victims; is now under the control of the species that was always its prey.
Jon's blood was special, it was higher than any blood for it was refined by Magicka and Life Energy especially with Jon gaining the power of the [Eternal Flesh] that makes his body never age from the raw vigor it possesses.
He then stood up and the vampire followed him like a meek servant. Jon checked his Blood Thrall to make sure it is under his full control.
"How many dickheads in this den other than you?"
"A few dozens of the Maroni Clan of Vampires, the Worm Cult stay above ground but they guard the treasure room with us?"
"Nice! Where is the treasure room?"
"Two levels underground."
"What is guarding it?"
"Ten Elder Vampires, Three flying skulls, some undead?
"What on Nirn is a flying skull?" Jon didn't remember anything of the sort.
It didn't matter anyway so he gave the vampire the last order.
"Go bring me two of your vampire friends."
With that, the vampire turned around and walked in the tunnel. Jon hid around a nearby corner while displaying what the vampire is seeing on a System Screen through the [Beacon Rune] he left on him. A minute later, the vampire came with two others.
"Hey, wait up. Who wants to see us?" One of the two Vampires following the one Jon enthralled kept nagging.
"He is here." The thrall vampire said.
"Who?"
"Him."
"Who is that? What's his name?"
"I don't know."
"The fuc…"
"No need to talk to him too much, he won't answer you anyway." Jon came out of the shadows. "Restrain that one."
Without introductions, Jon leaped onto one of the vampires while the other one was restrained by the thrall vampire. It didn't take much for Jon to enthrall the other two after making sure that no sounds escape with a [Muffle Circle] he lied around.
Now, he had three thrall vampires on his side.
"Okay, dickheads. Bring me your friends."
***
How many liters of blood did he spend on those vampires? The answer was "not much". Jon's blood is too potent for them to the point where a few drops were enough to control a lesser vampire. Judging from what he knew, he now controls almost eight-tenths of the vampires.
It wasn't a big number but can still overthrow the others, Jon couldn't risk facing the vampires and killing them in a direct combat else when Clavicus Vile claim their souls, he would surely see that his treasury was compromised.
And now for the grand finale, infighting between vampires which is not anything strange in Daedric communities at all but rather something highly encouraged.
Jon's Thrall Vampires were unleashed like feral beasts on the Higher Vampires and a senseless fight started. Jon was standing on the sidelines watching how it all unfolds and even took the chance to trap some souls for the purpose of not leaking anything important to the Clavicus Vile.
In less than one hour, all the tunnels were controlled by the Thrall Vampires. Jon gave them a final order to go to their coffins and sleep early like good little boys.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Kellen and the Khajiit Nagh took notice of the situation. They have explored three levels underground till now and found them completely clean. At the final level, there were traces of battle but no bodies were found.
"This is wrong. This one says we should leave." Nagh said while analyzing the place around him.
"Be my guest. Whoever locked us down here made sure we have no choice but to move forward." Kellen said.
The situation only required advancing at the moment but it wasn't long until the two finally came across someone.
It was a Khajiit, ginger furred, tall, and completely donned in black. If that was not an evil cultist then by no means he is anything else. The good thing is that he didn't notice them.
The two understood that it would be best if they didn't attract the attention of that person and rather kept watching from the back. At least they could figure out the situation first.
On the other hand, Jon didn't mind some audience and advanced forward until he reached a gate. It was a large gate sealed by some kinds of roots and have many Dead Signals behind it. This was without a doubt the treasure room.
Even if the gate needs to be opened with some sort of a password or a sophisticated ritual, Jon has the master key to all lockable/unlockable things on Tamriel, the key that clicks, the [Skeleton Key].
*Click*
"Knew it."
The key was hidden under [Greed] so no one gets to find out about it and was hidden back at the Cube once again. With that, Jon pushed the gate open and walked in.
"Well well well, what do we have here?"
Jon walked in the room in front of him seeing mounds upon mounds of gold just lying around, there were weapons, accessories, books, gemstones and a whole lot of things over here and there. This treasure room would out the wealthiest of merchants to shame no matter how he looks at it.
But Jon had an immunity to the glamorous gems and the shining coins, little can attract a man like him with pockets as deep as his thus his eyes spotted the trick in the scenery right away.
The chains of [Ahzidal's Evil Fists] were loosened all of a sudden then got imbued by Jon's Magicka and in the following second, they were on a white Ashen Flame that consumed even the ground touched by the flame.
*Crackle* *Crackle*
Jon waved his arms with the chains on them and they danced like snakes of flame around him.
*Swing* *Swing*
He swung them at the same time against the largest mound of gold and they melted the coins on touch going through the mound and burning what was beneath them.
*SHWAAAA*
Whatever that was, it seemed to have let out its final scream.
"Come out." Jon called.
Jon retreated the chains and waited for the other auras to move and so they did, three flying skulls came out from behind the piles of gold.
"Impossible! He saw through us."
"Can't believe it. Can't be true."
"It is dangerous, we need to summon our best minions."
Odd as it is, three flying Skulls were hovering in the air in front of Jon. Those skulls had gemstones in their eye sockets and seemed as dead as undead.
"How rare!" Jon exclaimed, "Of all things I come across, these are Demiliches."
Demi-Liches are a deteriorated form of Liches, the undead that attained the highest ranking among their kind, the Lichdom. Those Demiliches are Liches that has fallen from grace and got their Phylacteries destroyed but survived thanks to prior preparation. Even though rare to come across, Jon witnessed three of them.
Demiliches may have fallen from grace but they are far from powerless. A Demilich is very resistant to most weapons and magic, and if disturbed, the skull will levitate and suck the souls from nearby living creatures.
"He knows!"
"He knows?"
"He… knows."
The three exclaimed in surprise, questioning and realization respectively.
"Of course, I know. You fucks even feel familiar. Don't tell me you lot were the ones I fought in the Ghost World, weren't there four of you?"
"It… you are…"
"Don't tell me…"
"The Dragon Priest?"
From what Jon said the three Demiliches remembered the event that led to their demise. These were the very same Liches from the Ghost World Jon fought before. The Lich Falkyn and his lackeys.
"Let's see. The Ancient Lich, that's you; two of your three goons, and… the last one, the one I killed with my butt. Where is it?"
"… shit!"
"Keep silent!"
"Quiet!"
The three floating skulls tensed up all of a sudden and looked awkward.
"Could it be that killing Liches with my butt is an endgame for them?" Jon asked.
"..." "..." "..." "..." "..."
"Well, it's a theory worth checking."
Jon was about to take his weapons out but as soon as he moved, one of the Demiliches noticed his movements and opened its mouth casting magic, the void around Jon distorted and a being came force sending an incredibly heavy punch towards Jon.
Jon entered the [Gautfang Stance] and with one palm, he stopped the attacked then with his body, he channeled the power of the impact to his other hand that struck back that being at its abdomen.
A perfect counter!
The being flew away from Jon's side and landed on a pile of gold. It was then when Jon took a good look at the recently summoned undead surrounding him.
"... You've got to be kidding me!"
Not just from one undead but he recognized most of the ones that were summoned.
These were the reanimated zombies of men he once knew.
The former champion of Boethiah, Galam; the two Orcs Labourers of Malacath and Peryite; Minotaurs and Centaurs from the Battle of Forsworn Jon Dare; the Worm Cultists that he killed once he invaded the Ansei Pyramid; but most notably, the fighters from the Imperial Arena he killed by his hands and on top of them, the one he just blew away, Former Grand Champion Darius.
The Worm Cult has collected all those bodies and brought them back for one last round against him.
"God damn you! Now I'm pissed."
Jon stopped the ground and a Dragon roar came from inside his soul through the Aura. He was going to rumble now that things have reached this point. His Astral Energy was called forth and manifested itself in the form of tens of Fire Wyrms (spectral serpentine flame ghosts with dragon heads) swirling around him.
No matter what gold in this treasury, this battle will soon melt it all to the ground.
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[Thank You]
First and foremost, I deeply apologize for the unannounced break that I took. It was important and so I am sharing the news. It has been a long time but I finally got the chance to by a total badass PC for gaming. It took me the past few days to put it all together and it is a dream come true, guys.
But the most important thing to say here is that I would never have done this without your Support. I would have never. This is the novel's money and I will put all the efforts through it in the novel, we wrote almost 500 chapters on Old Laptops, Smartphones and Internet Cafes but this… this is yours as much as it is mine. I am happy but I can't express how happy I am.
Once again, sorry about the unannounced break and to the chapter