The Nekromancer - 90. Chapter 90

Darkness became light, the lich’s eyes opening into a dark room. His eyes picked up the light from under the door, bathing the entire room in a glow. Jakun was back… and so was his arm.

The amurrun swung his arm around, getting a feel for his new body. Everything seemed to work properly, he just needed to place his spells. This body was nice and fresh, fur and skin unbroken by its death. Opening his phylactery, the lich waited for his illusion to pass, his heart twisting in pain at everything he had lost to get here. Anya and Aofe, both dead by his hand. Undeath wasn’t worth that, but it was too late for the lich to go back. He could only go forward.

Dressing in the fresh robes, Jakun folded his old cloak into the phylactery, calling on his spellbook. He spent the next few hours enchanting his body, casting permanent spells on his flesh to prevent its decay. With luck they would hold and he would inhabit this body for longer than a few weeks.

Jakun pulled out a flask of unholy water, dripping it into a black vial. Murmuring a few words, the lich drank the cursed liquid, eyes widening as his mouth exploded in the most foul taste he’d ever experienced. He gagged as he swallowed, gasping loudly as his lungs filled once more with air. It… it worked… He could taste, could breath, could feel…

A tear fell from the lich’s eye as he knelt before his phylactery. He had a day of this at most, and he was going to make good use of it. Removing the amulet Amnor Sen had left in the box, the catfolk slipped it back over his neck, feeling the cursed object come to life. As his body twisted into that of a wolf, the lich decided he should have looked to see the time of day before putting it on.

It lasted barely an hour before dawn stole the form from him, leaving his pseudoliving body back in cat form. An hour gone, lost, but then, Jakun could always get more of that water for the spell. And if he couldn’t, well, he was good at making spells work without components. Using them just made the casting easier.

Suitably geared, Jakun opened the door to the room, setting his bag over his shoulder. His phylactery was stuck inside, safely hidden from the world until he could return it to Amnor Sen. The paladin had cared for it so far, and Jakun had no reason to believe that wouldn’t continue, so long as he kept himself in check.

He had almost lost his mind, and Jakun knew it. But he felt almost like a normal amurrun with this spell, and it was a refreshing feeling, the catfolk revelling in the fact that no one cringed from him, that his touch no longer spread death and disease. The more he thought about it, the more the catfolk realized, if there was a way to reverse the effects of what he had done to himself, he would gladly do it.

Heading down a flight of stairs, the lich found himself face to… well, chest to face with an angry dwarf.

“Who are you? How did you get into my inn?” the dwarf asked, brandishing an iron skillet in his hand.

“I’m with the cleric and the paladin,” Jakun explained, hoping the two hadn’t left him here.

He scanned the room, his eyes zeroing in on Jeremy’s back.

“Jeremy?”

The cleric turned his head, surprise flicking across his face. He stood up with his beer in hand, leaving a book on the table as he crossed the room.

“Morning Jakun. You’re looking… surprisingly fresh. Less murdery than usual,” he said. “It’s okay Robnok, he’s with us.”

The dwarf grumbled as he returned to his kitchen, leaving the two alone in the tavern.

“Do you think I could get some milk here?” Jakun asked as Jeremy guided him toward the table.

“Maybe, but I thought you couldn’t drink,” Jeremy said.

“I found a way.”

“Is everything okay? It’s only been about five days. Did everything heal properly?”

“Yeah, I’m as good as new,” Jakun said. “What are you reading? Do they have Kellish books here?”

“No, but a simple prayer takes care of that. I can read Taldane just fine if I need to. And, well, I need to,” Jeremy shrugged as Robnok set a mug of milk between them.

Jakun grabbed the cup, taking a deep breath before setting the liquid to his mouth. Rich cream flowed into his mouth, the taste exploding until it covered his entire mouth in a thick covering. The lich closed his eyes, moaning in bliss.

“Gods, the way you act, that’s better than sex,” Jeremy smirked.

“It is better than sex…”

“Really? Damn, that whore in Alkenstar didn’t know what she was doing then. We’ll have to find someone better-”

“No, it’s okay,” Jakun added quickly. “I don’t need to have sex.”

The cleric looked at him dubiously.

“Is it because of your body? Because I bet it would still feel amazing to take a rod up the backside.”

“No, I just… I think you made me believe that it was going to be life changing, but honestly, I can live without it,” Jakun replied.

“Well of course you can live without it, but why would you want to?”

“Honestly? I don’t even have those desires anymore. It leaves me with a lot more time to work. Speaking of which, what do you know about this trial of yours?”

“Um, yeah… about that…”

The cleric fidgeted in his seat, taking a long drink of ale.

“You know, I can wait as long as you need to tell me,” Jakun said. “I quite literally have all the time in the world.”

“It’s… it’s complicated,” Jeremy said. “You know how I said Cayden Cailean took the trial? And passed while drunk out of his mind?”

Jakun nodded slowly.

“Okay, well, here’s the thing. First there’s this chasm you have to cross, that’s bottomless. Like, if you fall, you’ll die of old age before finding the bottom. There’s a theory that your soul will continue falling even after death. And you can’t teleport across either. That kind of magic doesn’t seem to work. And the Starstone Cathedral doesn’t let just anyone in. Beyond that, no one really knows what exactly is in the trial, even here. And it gets worse.”

Jakun frowned slightly, motioning for the cleric to continue. Jeremy took another drink, before setting his empty mug aside.

“You know how Cayden Cailean took the Trial and succeeded? He wasn’t a god when he did it. None of them were, Aroden, Cayden Cailean, Norgerber, and Iomedae… they were all mortals before the Trial. If you fail, you die. But if you succeed… you don’t just get the power of a god, you become a god.”