Sitting atop his stool, The Lich pulled out the cork of the mana potion. Tipping it, he poured the blue substance down the gullet of his deathly pale throat. The elixir surged throughout his body, giving him a euphoric high that settled his mind.

Every potion is made with ingredients that have been influenced by magic through a process called enchanting. By enchanting the ingredients, it allows for certain effects that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. For a mana potion, the ingredients must be heavily doused in an enchantment to be able to refill one’s “mana pool”, which many claim wasn’t supposed to exist within living beings. While mana is the primary energy for using magic, it is not solely bound to that purpose, and it is widely believed that mana is the energy in which all creatures use to survive.

As he came down from his high, The Lich proceeded to take a few of the potions and stuff them into his cloak, at which they vanished into the darkness as if they never existed in the first place. The ones that remained in the crate were hidden beneath a few loose floorboards in the cabin.

After the run-in with that giant, he had decided that he would investigate a bit more after he was finished collecting a dragon’s soul. It continued to perplex him how a human could instill so much fear into him that he reacted with an immediate attack. He hadn’t felt such a feeling since… Well, he couldn’t quite remember.

With all of the preparations finished, The Lich was ready to begin his journey. From his cabin, he began to move West. His pace was steady and he was determined to continue without stopping until he reached the town that was around one-third of the way to The Forest of Mythos.

Deep inside the canopy of the trees, unseen by many, sat a pair of eyes that glowed a deep orange. These eyes protruded through the thick leaves to keep a keen watch on The Lich.

“It’s on the move, sir,” The deep and raspy voice of the eyes spoke.

“Follow it. We can’t have our pet escaping, now can we?” A different and disembodied voice responded from the unknown.

“Yes sir.”

“And remember Aborsphinx, under no circumstances are you to kill it, you understand?”

“Yes, I do.”

The Behemoth sat at the bar of the nearly empty tavern, pouring ale through an open hatch at the front of his helmet. Beside him sat a young female, no older than twenty. She wore a nice dress with floral prints dotting its surface and her hair was a deep unnatural black. Her amber eyes glanced towards the giant before she began to speak:

“So… Could you tell me about this job again?”

The Behemoth placed his mug on the counter before responding, “You’ve heard about this Lich creature before, haven’t you?”

“Briefly, however I don’t dare associate myself with such disgusting vermin,” she said, condescension filling every bit of her voice.

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“Mhm, well your job is to kill it.”

“What? It is?”

“Yes… You actually read the flier, didn’t you?”

“Oh lord no, I saw the reward, and since I am in need of money, I didn’t hesitate to seek you out.”

The Behemoth chuckled slightly.

“So, will you do it?”

The expression of the young girl turned sour as she looked towards The Behemoth with offense.

“You want me to hunt down and kill that thing?”

Without another need for a response, she stood up from the stool and strolled towards the door of the tavern.

“I know who you are,” The Behemoth said through sips of his drink.

The lady halted, her hand only inches away from the door knob.

The Behemoth continued, “You’re The Skinless, correct?”

“Close, actually I am her sister.”

“You killed her, making that title now yours. Although that’s besides the point, you have a pretty large bounty on your head, don’t you?”

“As expected from such a disgrace. Are you really going to resort to this just to get me to kill one pathetic monster?” She turned, staring at the back of The Behemoth with an icy cold look.

“No, in fact, I’ll double the reward. I also know why you’re so desperate for money, you want to continue your little experiments, don’t you?”

The Skinless couldn’t help holding back the smile that stretched abnormally from ear to ear, revealing a set of spiky teeth. She covered her mouth in an attempt to hide it, but it still peeked through nonetheless.

“Well aren’t you just so generous,” she commented. “Alright, I’ll bite, where is this so-called Lich residing?”

The Lich watched as the sun began to set behind the mountains, dying the sky a bright orange. Even though nighttime was right around the corner, he refused to stop. He was inexhaustible, and the only worry he had to deal with was his body deteriorating at a faster rate, which could be caused by over exertion. Thankfully, the mana potion he had a while ago helped keep the deterioration at bay.

For a few more days and nights, The Lich continued on his journey with few issues. The only incident being a pack of wolves that ambushed him, however he was able to easily dominate them with strength alone. On the fourth day, as the sun began to rise, he climbed up and over a hill. At its crest, he could see the town he had been traveling so many days for.

The village was much more developed and larger than the one he lived near. The walls were much taller and appeared to be stronger, on the inside were many well built and intricately designed buildings that sat atop a paved cobblestone floor.

Surprisingly, there was absolutely no trouble with the guards. They didn’t even ask him to reveal his face or identity, and instead just let him in nonchalantly. It was a very different experience for The Lich, and one would think that such a courtesy was pleasant, but for some strange reason he despised it with his whole being. He much preferred the experience he got at the village he lived near.

The mana potion he had drunk a few days prior had worn off, and he could feel the strain he was putting on his body. He needed a place to stay and rest while his body recovered. While he didn’t really want to, he had to locate an inn, as staying in any other place could put unnecessary strain on his body. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a single copper coin to his name.