To be honest, I was not expecting that Ian's party would ask me, Irene, and even Lanka to meet with them at the cemetery. But when they briefly explained their encounter with the Lich, I was... Well, to be honest, I was calm. For the last month, I have heard enough tragedies and horror stories that I had a pretty clear picture of the world. We stood in the cemetery with Amber and Luna, who had decided to join us as well. We chatted with Lanka, who explained to us in excitement about the guild’s plans to send mining teams to the caves of the Avalon. After just a few moments, Ian and the Flower Girls arrived. Thor was walking near the wagon they travelled in, and I began to wonder why.
"It's good to see you back." I smiled at them.
"Well..." Ian sighed and smiled flatly towards us, as his gaze stopped on Luna. "My Queens, Lady Lanka and Lady...?"
Ian glanced at Luna and stood frozen in shock when he saw her fox tail and ears. Luna warmly smiled at him, which terrified him even more.
"I... I..." He stuttered and looked at me, terrified.
"Right. Let me introduce you to my third Queen. Ian, Rose, Lilly, and Iris, this is Queen Luna. She is my wife and your Queen. And she is a Kitsune."
Ian nodded and took a deep breath to calm himself. He looked at the Flower Girls, who were as shocked as he was. After a few long moments, Ian finally calmed down.
"Lady Luna, it's an honour to meet you. But I don't know how to say this... But..." He just lifted his arm, and from his pouch of holding, he took out the mummified remains of a Kitsune.
I watched with a dropped jaw, but a sudden scream of Stella pierced the air. I turned, seeing her flying at full speed towards us as she continued to shout.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" she screamed and landed between us and the Kitsune's body. "A terrible curse has been placed on this corpse! Where are my Fairies?! Are they blind?"
Stella, breathing heavily, quickly raised a barrier despite her exhaustion and swiftly moved away. I looked at her in silence, and she, catching my gaze, took a deep breath before she started to explain.
"When Ian took out this body, every single alert just blazed, my King! I don't even know what it is, but just by standing here, I feel a very dark curse employed on her body..."
"She is suffering!" Luna screamed, pointing at the body. She started to move closer but was held back by Stella. "Her soul is still trapped in this dead body, forced by some unholy power to remain here! Please... Help her."
"Identify!" Yelled Stella, still holding Luna as she gasped in fear. "In the King's name!"
Stella swiftly turned around and snatched Luna. She flew a few dozen metres away, keeping herself between Luna and the Kitsune's body. After landing, she deployed a very impressive and intricate barrier. We moved closer to them, gazing at the very strange spectacle with mixed feelings. But when I saw big tears in Luna's eyes, I looked at my scion with gratitude.
"What is that curse?" I asked briefly.
"If any woman touches that body, the soul trapped inside will take over the unfortunate person. But if Lady Luna moved any closer, that curse would destroy her soul to make room for the one trapped in that mummy. It's specially made to target any Kitsune to take over their bodies." Stella looked with fear at the corpse, shivering in dread.
Before I could say anything, Irene raised her arm, and golden lights and glitter filled the air around us. Magic pressure, like a hammer, fell from the sky, enveloping everything around us in violent gusts. Multiple magic circles opened above the Kitsune's body, one over another, reaching a few dozen metres up in the sky. A soft and warm golden light pierced the sky, illuminating the body. Irene changed as well; she was glowing with golden light, and her blue eyes changed into two points of golden glittering light. Her long black hair rose into the air as if gravity no longer affected it, slowly changing colour to dark gold.
"Dispelling Purification," Irene said calmly. A shining bright ray of golden light hit the ground, shaking it slightly. Immediately after the ray struck, we saw a black-haired Kitsune girl's ghost, sitting on the mummy with a happy and relieved smile.
"Thank you..." We heard her voice, like a whisper from afar, and the ghost flew towards the sky.
Irene's spell, however, was still in effect. The mummy rose into the air, floating about one and a half metres above the ground. The armour the mummy wore started dripping with a black ooze that vaporised before it could touch the ground. The golden light began banishing everything evil and dark from the body. Irene shined brilliantly from the golden glitter and mana rays that had enveloped her like a brightly shining flame. Her long dress rippled behind her, blown by the wind-like magic pressure that had engulfed everyone. Slowly, the Kitsune’s body descended to the ground. Irene slowly lost her golden aura and returned gradually to her normal colours, taking time to fix her dress.
"Stella?" Irene continued to hold her golden barrier around the mummy.
"I... I think it's safe now, my Queen." Stella was in shock after Irene's power display.
I was, as well. I had not seen Amber's or Irene's power in action so far... except for a few lesser spells, and that time Irene saved Amber. But this spell was insane… and she used five thousand mana points to cast it. I doubted that anyone else, except maybe Amber and Luna in the future, in this world, was capable of casting such an incredible spell. Luna gazed at Irene with eyes wide open in awe, while Lanka appeared incredibly proud. But why? Was it because Irene was the Saintess of the same God she was a priestess herself?
"I have a feeling that I know what your report might entail. Do you have any more bodies, or can we bury her and sit somewhere to listen to your report? I have a feeling it may be entertaining..." I said slowly, looking at a very nervous Ian.
"Well... About that..."
•••
With sorrow and anger, I looked at the rows of corpses. Stella judged them safe and took Ian and the Flower Girls to the specially prepared room in the Magic Tower in order to inspect all the other things they found in the Lich’s lair. She was going to make sure no more curses or traps were placed on those items. Amber took Luna away, who, after attending Katia's funeral in the cemetery, was very drained. Irene, Lanka, and I stayed behind, trying to give these people a proper burial.
"They are all humans," I said after walking and inspecting every single recognizable body.
"Yes..." Irene was nervous a bit and pointed at one of the fresher bodies. "Theon, this woman was an incredibly powerful wizard and yet I can't see any proper equipment on her."
I looked at the body with little understanding. The remains Irene was pointing at wore a smart suit and a handbag. She looked like she was dressed to go to a coffee shop or her daily work in a corporation... Wait a fucking moment! I crouched near the body and opened her purse, finding an ID card inside.
"My God..." I mumbled under my nose, looking at a photo of a woman who was called Natalie Smith.
I put her ID card on her body and quickly started searching the other bodies for their ID cards. I found twenty-six ID cards, all issued between 1990 and 2156 from all over my previous world. My hands shook in anger. Thor was afraid I would be angry at Ian for killing that Lich. He was just partly right. I'm angry he killed that motherfucker so quickly...
… Wait...
I looked at the jar containing the ashes of the Lich. I grabbed it, and still furious, I moved to the unconsecrated part of the graveyard, right in the middle of the crossroads. With a flick of my hand, I made a deep hole, where I tossed the jar. I made sure to seal it properly so nothing could break the glass, and then I buried it. On top of it, I placed a single black tile to forever mark the place.
I felt the soul of the Lich screaming in terror as my dungeon powers ripped it from whatever afterlife it was to serve me in an unending mana production. I felt its dread and silent pleas for mercy, but I suppressed it with callousness and without compassion. No mercy for you... While I don't think the slavers deserve such a fate, for him, there would be no mercy. I silenced his soul, ripping it to silent shreds and pinning it to its ashes. I felt a tremendous influx of mana, confirming that Res'zeal was sealed. I took a deep breath to calm myself. After that, I returned to the cemetery, slowly looking at the bodies of the children of Earth, abducted and mercilessly killed by the Lich. The Lich who once was like them, taken from the Earth to this world...
"Theon?" Irene looked at me, surprised by my outburst. Lanka hid behind her, but she wanted to get out of my way more than she was scared.
"It's fine now... In that jar are the ashes that were left after that Lich." I wasn't able to look at them at first, but then I pursed my lips and looked straight into Irene's worried eyes. "A simple death was a punishment too light for what he did. No. I buried him at the crossroads so his soul would never rest in peace. His soul will be forever enthralled to serve me for what he did..."
I sighed, but Irene just nodded, almost happily upon hearing this. Lanka came out from her hiding spot behind Irene, slowly nodding her head in agreement.
"This once, I think I can agree that such an unimaginable fate is a fitting punishment, Theon." Irene was angry as well, seeing so many bodies and having in memory the trap placed on Katia's body. "That poor Kitsune never wanted him to make that curse. He was twisted and evil. I'm so glad Ian killed him... it… back then."
"My Lord... Did you know anyone...it killed?" Lanka asked in concern while hugging her staff nervously.
"No, Lanka, I didn't. But I know they were defenceless. I saw the horror painted on their faces. I can only imagine how terrifyingly they were killed." I sighed and created gravestones with the names and dates of birth of these people.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
I have spent a few hours preparing graves in the designated part of the cemetery, where they would rest forever, so far away from their homes. Behind me followed Irene and Lanka, who said their prayers for the killed humans, pleading to Eriar to help them pass to the afterlife. After each prayer, I felt each tormented soul leave their remains behind, passing from this plane with gratitude. It was hard at the beginning to see their twisted faces, frozen forever in horror and most probably begging for mercy. But with each buried body, I received incredible amounts of mana, as if these souls wanted to thank me for freeing them. Fifty-one new graves now silently stood in this new section of the cemetery, a section for other-worlders like me. Fifty graves for the people I found the ID cards of, and one, much bigger, where we entombed the remains of another one hundred sixteen nameless victims of the Lich. One hundred sixteen individuals, whose bodies had crumbled so much already, we couldn't give them individual graves. But we felt their souls passing away with gratitude, leaving us with the feeling of completing an extremely good deed.
I felt a strong presence behind me, and when I turned around, I saw a shadowy figure a few steps behind me. It was a man in rags, holding onto a cane, whose loose hair and rags were blown by the soft surrounding wind. He looked at me, but I couldn't see his face.
"Thank you, a Hero of Eriar..." he spoke to me. His voice was faint and distant, as if it was carried by the wind. "Thank you for destroying my poor and stupid Hero..."
"Who are you?" I asked, raising my hand to cover Irene and Lanka, who seem to not see the man.
"Once I was a God... But I lost and my own Hero turned on me. But you made all things right! You quenched and vanquished the darkness that held me..." With each word, he changed from a beggar to something else.
His rags transformed into dark green robes and I could now see his eyes. They were a deep, green-blue, and they looked at me while a whirlwind of power stirred the air. The entity was getting stronger and stronger. Irene and Lanka squealed suddenly, startled by the presence of the shadowy man, but I looked at him without fear. He was powerful, but right now I was not restricted by the lack of mana, either.
"MY NAME IS ZEPHYR!" His voice rolled with wind and clashed upon me like a hammer, but I was unfazed. This was not malicious force, but simply a display of power. "I'M THE GOD OF THE EASTERN WIND! THANK YOU HERO FOR RELEASING ME!"
"Stop showing off. I'm not in the mood for any bullshit like this," I sighed, lowering my hand.
"Oh... Sorry." He smiled awkwardly, taking off his hat.
He now looked like a young, well-built man wearing a green doublet and yellow-green pants, with a guitar on his back. But his face was... Hold up. A goatee, long hair, a frivolous look, with a guitar on his back... I sighed and raised my hand, once again protecting Irene and Lanka. He was a bard. I only can hope he was not a meme bard... He must have seen my judging look, because he raised his both hands in a defensive gesture.
"Whoa! Hero of Eriar, I mean no harm and I will definitely won't dare to cross Eriar by seducing his Priestess or, more so, his Saintess! No, no, no! God's word!"
He bowed to me and put his arm over his heart, convincing me that he WAS a meme bard. He saw nothing but scepticism in my eyes, and my slowly rising eyebrow only made him aware of how deeply he had sunk. I sighed powerlessly once again and looked at Irene and Lanka, who looked at the God of the Eastern Wind with undisguised disgust. That reassured me of my guess. He is a fucking meme bard...
"I... Please! Ladies! I wanted to thank you and your Hero! You set me free. I... Ehh. Look." He took out his guitar and shattered it on the ground. "I'm done with who I was. For three thousand years, I had enough time to rethink where I fucked up, all right? I know that my fame so far was one of the reasons why my hero had fallen."
He sighed and kicked the guitar splinters away. I still held my hand up, protecting the women, but I allowed myself to lower my brow. Zephyr sighed and heavily sat down on the ground, gazing up at the sky. He sat there for a while, staring at the clouds floating above us.
"I missed this sight so much..." He looked at me and cleared his throat, standing up slowly. "I can't blame you. You don't trust me, and I know why the Ladies despise me. However, I really want to thank you for setting me free and saving Katia's soul. Good thing you put out Res'zael from his misery and... Oh, myself! Wait. You entombed him in here?!"
"Yeah. Over there." I pointed my finger at the closest crossroads, just where the path leading from the zone gate tower headed inside the graveyard before crossing with a path to the cemetery. "I did something I'm not exactly proud of, but that fucker..."
"Oh… have you buried him in the unconsecrated ground of the dungeon?"
"Yeh..."
"That's good. He could return if not for what you did..." Zephyr relaxed. "Listen, he was an Elder Lich on the brink of becoming something even darker. Don't feel bad for him. No. Just no."
Zephyr stared at me intently while I tried to digest what he just said. But just when I wanted to sigh, he stopped me.
"No, dude! Don't pity him! Seriously! The only good thing that fucker did was treat his Kitsune like a princess!" Zephyr silenced me mercilessly. "Anyway! Here, take these. I can't grant you any of my powers since that's against the rules, but at least I can give you something in return."
"Can you ask Eriar something and bring me his answer?" I asked with hope in my voice, looking at the five books and a metal bar I barely managed to catch.
He didn't respond, and when I raised my head, he was gone... Or I fucking hoped so. When I looked towards Irene and Lanka however, he was standing next to them. That tricky bastard used my distraction! He looked at Lanka with a brazen grin.
"I will punch you in the face..." I promised with a very serious voice.
But Zephyr just laughed and, from his pocket, pulled out something gold and bright. He blew theatrically at whatever he held in his hands, and the gold dust rose and sparkled in the air, blinding us for a moment.
"I can try to ask Eriar anything, my dude. If he replies? No clue, though... Also, please do not hit me in the face! From you, it actually might hurt. Hahaha!" Zephyr flew into the air, laughing earnestly, enjoying his freedom. He flew away on the gentle eastern wind and waved towards us. "How I missed this! But for now, I must vanish from the mortal realms. We will see again soon enough! And oh! You look great now, Saintess! Farewell!"
And just like that, the god-womanizer flew away. I really would punch that divine bard if he dared to touch any woman in Avalon. I sighed, resigned, and thanked a real God that Eriar was my patron. So far, he was the greatest guy… god I had met. I turned my head and saw that he had left a gift for Irene. She glared angrily toward the sky with her eyes squinted, mumbling curses under her breath. But Lanka gazed with her jaw dropped at the same thing I saw immediately.
"Hmmm... It really looks good on you, Irene." I smiled, still a little disturbed by Zephyr.
"What do you mean?" she asked me in surprise.
"You have a Halo, Irene."
"I have... what?" She tilted her head.
A golden ring of shining light was hovering over her head. But when I looked closer, I saw a golden ring with silvery-like edges. Irene looked above her head and gasped, touching it. I identified it, ignoring Lanka's gasps full of awe.
EPIC MYTHICAL grade item.
The Halo is a symbol of purity and sainthood. The One bestowed with a halo is destined to accomplish extraordinary feats. This Halo was bestowed upon the Saintess Irene va'Theon by the Archangel Uriel through the hands of Zephyr.
This item grants an entire plethora of effects.
Grants +10% HP.
Grants +20% Magic Defence.
Grants skill: Angel's Bolt.
Grants retrospective activation of other set parts effects.
Increases the power of healing spells and effects.
Part of Saintess Set.
This item can be used only by Irene va'Theon.
Set part 2/8
Grants +10% Physical Defence.
"Pfff... All right..." I was rather speechless seeing what Zephyr gave her. "But I'm still going to punch him in the face if he misbehaves, even just a little."
"Oh... My... God..." Lanka sat on the ground, fully realizing what just happened as she started laughing hysterically.
Her laughter was so contagious that Irene started laughing as well, and even I chuckled a little. I stored the other items Zephyr gave me, taking giggling Irene and crying Lanka by their hands. I teleported us from the cemetery. All in all, it was not the greatest place to have a hysterical breakdown.
•••
I teleported us to the war room in the Palace, where the others were already waiting for us. Amber and Luna, in shock, stared at Irene, or more precisely, at her halo. To be honest, everyone was looking at it. While Irene explained what happened to Amber and Luna, I helped Lanka to sit down. I noticed that Rin was already bringing her tea to help her calm down. I sat down on my throne and grinned. Around the large table sat Amber on my right and Irene on my left. Right next to Amber sat Luna, and near Irene was Lanka, who almost panicked when she understood, or overthought where she was sitting. The Flower Girls, Ian, Dahlia, and my Dwarven Master crafters, along with every single other resident, were all now present.
"Hello everyone." I started with a light tone in my voice. "Many things happened recently. But let's start with Ian's report."
"As you wish, your Highness." Ian stood up and fixed his attire. "We embarked on a mission to obtain woolly buffalos for Avalon. We managed to tame forty woolly buffalos in total so far, counting those we brought previously. I think that's enough for now. We also tamed fifty-four ice rabbits, my Lord."
"Ice rabbits?" I blinked a few times, imagining rabbits made from snow or ice.
"Yes, my Lord." Ian went to me with something covered...
Ok, it had to be a cage covered under some dark material. When he lifted it, I saw... A white rabbit. It was big and fluffy. Why ice, though?
"Why it's called an ice rabbit, Ian?" I asked Ian, hearing the excited voices of every single woman in the room.
"Because it's white?" Ian tried to guess. "I have no idea, your Highness."
I clearly surprised him. Luna looked at me strangely with squinted eyes, and she tilted her head. I nodded to Ian, ignoring her inquisitive gaze. He took out a big fluffy rabbit from the cage and gave me it. It was much heavier than it should be and much, much fluffier than I thought possible. It looked at me with its black eyes as if it begged me for mercy. Chill out, fluffy one... I will not throw you into the pot... For now... I focused on him with my powers.
The biggest hare species in the world, adapted for the harsh environment of the northern lands. They are often found during the winter season all across the entire continent of Aderon. They are herbivores that feed on the sparse vegetation of their homeland. It migrates south during the winter in search of easier available food sources outside its normal habitation zone.
To create a hunting node, you need 50 rabbits and 100000 mana.
54/50 Ice Rabbits are available.
Do you want to create a hunting node?
Yes/No
"Excellent work, Ian, Lilly, Rose and Iris! You brought us these creatures that can serve so many purposes, and yes... You are allowed to keep them as pets, but in moderation!" I smiled, creating a hunting node, hoping this one fluffy ball I held in my hands would not disappear. "I placed an Ice Rabbit hunting node in Zone IX. Lanka, when you return home, you can tell the guild that they can hunt them to their heart's content."
"Thank you, my King!" Lanka was thrilled to bring such excellent news to her friends.
Ian bowed with happiness in his eyes that very quickly dimmed when he realised he had to tell me about the death of that Lich. Lilly, Rose, and Iris were happy, however. With a sour face, Ian told everyone about their encounter and fight with Elder Lich.