As the doors were pushed open an icy draft splashed over him, and he shivered. Liam's green skin goose fleshed from the sudden chill. It was incredible how things could feel so real. His pounding heart was fighting the knowledge this was just a game.

A group of undead creatures came into view as the adventures charged inside. Two [Undead Knights] advanced on the intruders. Beneath each rusted visor eldritch light flared. The guards moved to bar passage into the rest of the room. In the cold darkness outside Liam watched and scratched his nose. As much as he disliked them, he admitted his tormentors were quite good at this. The fighters met the charge soaking up the damage. The wizard in blue robes was doing something in the back of the group. Suddenly the ground was covered in a yellow oily substance making the skeletons slip. Armor and bony bodies hit the ground. The next instant the entire area was aflame including the mobs. That's when Liam caught sight of the decayed lich in all its glory. His name too glowed brilliantly red. [Lich Mothau] raised his bony hands, fingers moving in a strange pattern. A speck of void appeared in the middle of the adventurers. It exploded outward casting the space into complete darkness. All the torches and even the mage-light were extinguished. From his place Liam heard the startled curses.

"How do you like that?" He asked in a whisper. Liam had been spending more than an hour in the pitch black. His eyes were accustomed to the lack of light. A human body came into sight with a mage light sparking back into life. The wizard had the presence of mind to step back out of the field.

"Charge inside!" Someone in the group called. Liam wondered how large the spell area was. Probably it only filled the doorway entrance. The wizard quickly cast a new spell surrounding his body in a shimmering aura. Then he ducked his head and ran into the darkness. Now there wasn't anything to see. Turning Liam glanced around checking if any mobs had wandered nearby. A pair of bright eldritch embers flashed in the distance. Something was being attracted by the fighting which left Liam in a tight spot. Those green eyes seemed to have an uncanny ability to see in the dark. That probably explained why that undead caster had used the darkness spell.

"Fucker, you killed Doug!" Someone bellowed inside.

Liam moved closer to the double doors. A green energy bolt suddenly shot from the darkness nearly hitting him. Only the fact he was hiding next to the stone door had saved him. A few seconds later a path of ice raced out of the boss room. Liam's feet froze to the floor, and a health bar appeared in the corner of his vision. It flashed orange, then red, before stopping with a few slivers of life left. The attack hadn't been painful but he felt his feet tingling like crazy. Ice crystals were gluing his feet to the floor, so Liam couldn't move them in the slightest.

"Ha Lich! What the hell are you doing?" Someone shouted from inside. Liam wondered that as well. Both spells had come damn close to hitting him. He'd almost died from being on the edge of that last one. "Yeah, yeah take it." Someone new shouted. Another bolt of green energy splashed against the door near Liam. If he didn't know better, he'd say the Lich was trying very hard to kill him. Maybe Liam looked like an easy target to the monster.

"Flame Tongue," A voice said from inside followed by the darkness spell suddenly failing. Liam peered cautiously around the door. Four of the five adventurers were standing next to the Lich's body. A wicked rusty longsword impaled the body of Doug's thief. Nearby, a fallen torch lay on the floor. Liam didn't feel much pity for the man/woman.

"Well the experience was good, and this ring the Lich dropped is pretty kick ass." The wizard said raising a hand to admire his new jewelry.

"Doug's gonna have to roll another thief though, that sucks," Cole said from near a knight's corpse. He hefted a rusty two handed sword free before dropping the loot into his inventory.

"Why don't we just bring his corpse back to town for a rezz?" Another asked.

"Fuck that. The temple charges a thousand gold for a resurrection. It'll be faster if Doug just makes a new character." Cole replied and knelt next to the rogue.

"Has anyone seen Jelly?" Cole asked after a second.

"Not since the first floor."

"Me either."

Liam ducked back behind the door and prayed that wandering skeleton didn't get any closer. It was moving back and forth in the darkness. Inside the room, he could hear them rummaging about looting the bodies. Slowly the ice covering his feet melted away. He lifted a foot experimentally flexing his ankle. Crystal shards flaked to the ground leaving a puddle of water. At least now he could move again.

"I got Doug's shit, let's bounce," Cole said.

"Why did that pervert make a female?" Another voice asked.

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"So he could fondle himself when we aren't looking," Cole replied toeing the dead woman's body.

"I got something he could fondle."

"Gay!" Cole said laughing. Liam chanced a look around the doorway. All four held something within their hands. The blue crystals glowed as their bodies started to shimmer. A few seconds later they were gone amid a flash of light.

Moments later Liam was thrust into nearly total darkness. The only light was the distant glow of green fire from above. His fear was amplified by the sound of shuffling from behind him. Those bright undead eyes were moving closer. On his hands and knees, he felt his way around the door into the boss chamber. His knee caught on something hard. Liam reached out touching a bone and identifying the remains of one of the guards. He recalled seeing a torch on the ground near Doug's body. Liam could only hope it would work when picked it up. Inch by inch he slid forward feeling his way in the dark. A minute later Liam touched smooth cold flesh. It was a leg he decided as he felt up the clammy stiff skin. They had taken all the equipment which left the corpse wearing just undergarments. Liam tried to remember where the torch had fallen in relation. Moving his hands over the floor he ranged out farther. After a few feet he returned to the corpse to try again. At last, his palm slid over something hard. He thought it was another bone at first, but when he grabbed it, the torch came alive. It spluttered for a few seconds before flaring. Now he could see at least.

The boss room was small but crammed with items. The middle of the chamber was taken up by a throne. It was made entirely of carved human bones. Large ribs jutted from the top of the chair back like spikes. Skulls of the dead covered the surface all eyes pointed out towards the door. Liam circled the throne several times before moving on. Dozens of iron chains hung from the wall or fastened to the ceiling. In two of the irons, a desiccated corpse hung motionless. Captured prisoners that had died before being turned. A sacrificial altar dominated the back wall. Blood holes were carved into the corners of the slab. More chains lay atop haphazardly as if to restrain and dissect the victim alive. Half spent candles were positioned around the chest-high table, none lit.

Next to the preparation table, a stand held a large blackened tome. It lay open halfway to reveal a strange magical script. The glyphs slowly morphed changing shape and appearance, as if to hide the meaning of the page from curious eyes. Reaching out his big hand he touched the page. The second he did the letters stilled and began to glow with a hellish green color. A moment later a pop-up appeared before his face.

[Do you wish to change classes to Necromancer?]

[Beware the class is advanced.]

[Yes]

[No]

"Umm, yes that sounds delicious." He thought to himself. He was a lowly commoner, so of course he wanted to change his class. Liam pushed yes.

[Warning! Your character will become universally hated.]

[Yes]

[No]

"Pfft, story of my life." He muttered hitting yes again, and a thrumming boom sounded. The glowing letters rose from the page pulsing bright green. They started striking Liam, making his skin tingle hotly. Lifting his hands, he watched the flesh flake away like dry dust. His skin and muscles dripped from white bones. With each echoing boom, more glyphs struck him faster and faster about his body. Flesh fell away from his legs, arms, and torso leaving only a skeleton. The pages of the book fluttered wildly before it started floating upward. A cold chill filled his chest as an orange wisp of energy was dragged from him. His health bar dropped to zero leaving him feeling numb all over. Green chains of energy began to stream from the spell-book capturing the orange mote. It was completely encased in magical glyphs before being dragged into the grimoire. The blackened leather tome slammed shut with the last boom. Slowly the book moved towards him hitting Liam in the chest. When he didn't react it rammed into him again. He reached out grasping the item with a skeletal hand. Dumbfounded Liam just stood there holding the book and the flickering torch.

He turned to go but came face to face with an undead skeleton. Those glowing green unblinking eyes were a burning flame. They flickered softly within the dark recesses of its eye sockets. The creature silently stood there looking at him as if it could see into Liam's soul. It didn't attack or react in any way. It stood for all the world as if Liam were not an intruder like he belonged here. Just as Liam was about to leap back, his vision began to fade. The light from the torch grew dim, and the world receded into darkness. In the void, a sentence floated.

[Forced logout, please wait.]