Man, this chapter became greatly delayed. Throughout this week, I've been sleeping like three times more than normal, because of some medicin I'm taking. But nevertheless, here it is! Chapter 41, ready to go. So are you ready to find out how the battle between Wesley and Archimedes went?

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Chapter 41 - Tome of Demise

My fist clenched hard onto the hilt of my sword, as I was still standing back in the shadows, observing Archimedes who somehow transformed into an undead lich. But it seemed pointless to keep hiding from here on. It was clear, that Archimedes had already detected my presence, and he was facing right towards me. He definitely knew I was there. But it puzzled me that he hadn’t initiated any devastating attacks yet. He was just standing there, staring at me with the weak light glowing in his empty eye sockets. It was necessary for me to remain on guard, because I suspected that a brutal attack could strike me at any moment. I gulped silently, struggling to find the courage required to challenge the lich, being the skeletal remains of Archimedes. My shield was still attached to my back, because no matter what devastating spells he might hurl in my direction, it’ll be too overwhelming for me to block. So my best option was to wield the sword with both hands, making me capable of landing harder blows, which may be required against an opponent like this. I figured that the best strategy here, would be to move fast and strike hard, giving him no chance to conjure any lethal black magic. But to speak the truth, I was shaking with fear. Because this was the first time that I’ve ever been forced to fight a lich. Within the dreadful Necropolis, liches are recognized for being high tiered menaces in the undead forces. It didn’t feel like any of us were ready to face an enemy being this powerful. Especially not me. But there was no turning back from here.

Since he already knew I was here, I decided to step out of my hiding place cautiously, and enter the clearing illuminated by moonlight. Only a fool would turn his back towards a lich, and attempt to flee. It would lead to certain death. But even after I stepped out into the light, he still didn’t move at all, but just stared at me. The ancient book was slowly floating around his body in circles, levitated by dark energy. My body was still shivering in fear. I didn’t know what to expect. My sword was raised high, ready to strike if he attempted to approach me. But nothing happened. It was like he was waiting for me to make the first move. About a minute went by, and then I finally found the courage to take a few steps closer. I suspected that this could provoke him to make a move, but all he did, was crossing his arms. That’s when it occurred to me, he was probably lowering his guard, to make me think that he was vulnerable. And then when I’ve initiated an attack, he’d catch me by surprise, and wipe me out instantly. Unfortunately, I was dangerously low on options in this situation. So I didn’t have much choice but to take the chance and see where it’d lead me. With my teeth clenched, I suddenly charged forward towards the lich, threatening him with a somewhat reckless attack. My sword was raised high above my head, building up strength to deliver a blow, that can destroy in one strike. But only a moment before I was about to strike him down, I stopped the attack instantly, leaving my blade only a few inches away from the lich’s skull. Something didn’t seem right at all. He was still just standing there, doing nothing. Why didn’t he attempt to block the attack or protect himself?

Wesley: Uhm…why are… you not trying to dodge my attack?
Archimedes: Because I knew you’d still be able to tell friend from foe, even if the person’s exterior has been twisted by darkness.
Wesley: Archimedes! This is still you, right?
Archimedes: Yeah. But I’d wish you hadn’t seen me like this.
Paul: Hey, you!
Archimedes: Good gracious. Please stand back…

We were suddenly interrupted, as Paul leapt out of the shadows, equipped with his flail. He must’ve been searching for me, since it’s been taking me so long to locate Archimedes, or perhaps he heard the loud noise connected with the sorcerer’s unholy transformation. And I could see it in his eyes, that he considered the lich an enemy by the first glance. Despite of everything, I really couldn’t blame him, since we’ve been striking down every undead opponent that we’ve encountered so far. Afterall, they were our arch enemies in this dreadful war. But even though Archimedes had transformed into a hideous lich, my intuition told me that the ring-tailed lemur we used to consider an ally, was still present somewhere inside this unholy abomination. Because of this, I wanted to block Paul’s attack and protect Archimedes, in the same manner that I did with Gary back in the desert. But before I was given the chance to do so, the lich pushed me out of the way, and prepared himself for the coming attack. He apparently didn’t want or need protection. Having been shoved aside, I gasped as Paul immediately charged forward and leapt towards Archimedes to attack. The undead lich swiftly positioned himself in a combat stance, and then he stretched his arm out, pointing his skeletal index finger at Paul. A dark purple glow surrounded his finger for a moment, before a small bolt born out of black magic was fired, aimed at Paul stuck in mid air. The bolt moved with the speed of light and struck Paul on his chest, sending him flying backwards, and sliding on the back through the grass and soil. He groaned and squirmed on the ground. But thankfully, Archimedes only put very little power into this attack, making sure that it wouldn’t kill or even hurt the fiery rabbit.

Right after having swiftly and effectively knocked Paul out with only a small fragment of his true power, the lich crossed his arms again and calmed down. My eyes were wide open and I had dropped my jaw In shock. This was the first time that I had ever witnessed the power of a lich. It was incredibly discouraging to watch. Because even if Archimedes didn’t want us destroyed, it was inevitable that we’d one day encounter hostile liches that did. It felt like a challenge where it’d be hopeless for any mortal man to expect a victory. If we are destined to face such undead menaces in the future, then we must learn how to destroy them properly, or we’ll suffer a tragic defeat. But only a couple of moments later, we heard something rattle in the leaves, of the nearby trees surrounding the area. Then Zephyr suddenly leapt down from the high treetops and landed inside the clearing, leaving him in a crouching position. He slowly raised his head and let his eyes scroll to scan the situation. At first, he noticed Paul having been knocked out, no longer able to fight. But his eyes grew wide when he noticed me standing close to an undead lich. His confusion was quite comprehensible. Then he slowly rose into a standing position, clinging hard onto the shaft of his giant spear, still stained with blood from the deer he hunted down. During a silent moment, he looked up and down the lich, examining it closely. I was honestly surprised that he didn’t attack right away like Paul did. Instead, he squinted the eyes and stared at Archimedes for a moment.

Zephyr: Why is that bag of bones wearing Archimedes’ garments?
Wesley: This IS Archimedes.
Zephyr: Woah, are you serious?
Wesley: I’m afraid so.
Zephyr: Hey, you! Friend or foe!?
Archimedes: I am not your enemy. Let me return to our camp, and I shall explain the situation. There’ll be quite a lot to say.
Zephyr: Hmm. Alright, I suppose. But don’t you dare pull any tricks on us, or I’ll have you impaled on my spear! You got that?
Archimedes: Yes, I understand. Now lets go.

The following moment, Zephyr disappeared back into the forest with Archimedes, keeping the lich under sharp observation. I was just about to leave myself, but then I heard the sound of Paul groaning, still laying on his back in the grass. Did he really get hit that hard? Nevertheless, I chose to help him back up on his feet and shoulder him back to our camp. The bolt he was struck by was too small to cause any serious damage, but I guess he was shaken by the nasty fall. Once the four of us returned to our camp, things were very close to getting hectic. Because when our female barbarian Raksasha noticed the lich walking by our side, she instantly became enraged, and charged forward to crush him with her gigantic axe. My heart skipped a beat as I saw that vicious behemoth of a woman coming right towards us, and her heavy footsteps send tremors through the ground. Fortunate for us, the shaman had apparently observed us from the treetops, and had realized that the lich was approaching with no hostile intentions. So despite that the situation must’ve confused him, he leapt down from the treetops and blocked Raksasha’s path, ordering her to stop. To my surprise, she listened to the shaman and stopped right in front of him, but still snarling with her intimidating teeth exposed. I’ve noticed that Raksasha has grown a hidden fondness for our slender and wolfish shaman, exposing his rather feminine charm with the brightly pink fur covering his entire body. So I could imagine that only his voice would be able to penetrate her barriers of rage. Taking into consideration how small he was, I admired him for having the guts to stand between Raksasha and her unfortunate victim.

Now that the lich was close enough for Raksasha to examine, she seemed to calm down a little, once she noticed that it was wearing Archimedes’ clothes. She was obviously confused, but she chose to accept a truce for now, and at least listen to the lich’s explanation. Before gathering in the camp, I told them everything that I had witnessed so far, and then I expected Archimedes to take over once we had all settled down. We’ve probably all found that gloomy lemur suspicious from the first day we laid eyes on him, but none of us had anticipated that whatever secrets he was holding back, would be this dark and despicable. Later the same evening, we were all gathered around the bonfire, ready to hear the tale that Archimedes had been reluctant to mention so far. We were sitting in a circle around the dancing flames of the bonfire, but none of us felt secure with sitting close to Archimedes, while he was trapped in the ghastly undead form. Despite that I left my meal in a hurry before I was finished, I had absolutely no appetite left at that point. After the transformation, Archimedes was identical to a walking corpse, animated by black magic. But unlike the other undead freaks we’ve encountered in the past, he didn’t seem to emit the same stench of death. It was like his current form was nothing but an illusion that blurred his true self. But as I was sitting there, looking at the undead sorcerer through the flames in front of me, the view of his skeletal body was enough to make me nauseas. There were traces of grime, on the side of his exposed skull.

Sinqularis: So. I believe that I speak for everyone, when I say that we’d like an explanation to this unexpected incident.
Zephyr: Yeah! How did you turn into such a gross abomination, and if you’re among the undead, why are you not trying to destroy us?
Archimedes: Let’s take one question at the time here. First of all, we’re still on the same side, because I’m not one of them. At least not yet.
Raksasha: What do you mean when you say, “not yet”?
Archimedes: Alright, look. Let me tell you a short story.
Wesley: We’re listening, Archimedes.
Archimedes: Good. Several years ago, back when I was a young apprentice practicing in elemental magic, I was an impatient man who desired to possess powers beyond what any mortal person could fathom. It became an obsession to me, and I grew annoyed with my mentor’s teachings, since he was only capable of passing on knowledge that was already known by many. I sought something stronger. Something dark…
Sinqularis: You speak of black magic, spells of death used by undead.
Archimedes: That is correct. It was a whole new world of darkness to explore. But to do so, I had to obtain the one and only book containing knowledge about black magic. The “Tome of Demise”.

The lich was temporarily interrupted as Zephyr and the shaman gasped simultaneously. They must’ve heard about that book before.

Zephyr: The “Tome of Demise”… That is Lord Zervas’ dark spell book.
Sinqularis: A cursed artifact possessed by evil, which has been created with only one purpose - to destroy everything living. I can imagine that an item of such importance would’ve been heavily guarded.
Archimedes: It was. But since I by no means were powerful enough to fight my way through the lich king’s guards, I sought the legendary master of stealth, who used to be a renown thief.
Wesley: This wouldn’t by any chance be Gary Jenkins?
Archimedes: I see you’ve heard of him.
Wesley: Sure have. He joined our quest back at the beginning, but he disappeared during our journey, and we haven’t seen him since.
Archimedes: Hmm, interesting. Once I found him, he accepted me as his apprentice, and became my mentor. He taught me everything he knows. And after having studied his art of thievery and stealth for nearly a year, I finally embarked on the journey, to obtain the book from Zervas.
Paul: So how exactly did you do this? As we all know, the Necropolis is located in the spiritual realm, where no living person has access to.
Archimedes: This is knowledge that only few mortals possess. But far on top of the glacial mountains to the northeast, there’s a rift between our world and the spiritual realm. A damage between the dimensions. But neither the living nor dead would ever use it, because of the frost.
Paul: But you did?
Archimedes: Yeah. My determination pushed me to endure the heavy frost and make my way to the rift. And once I entered the spiritual realm, I disguised myself as a shady necromancer, cloaked by black robes with a hood. The spiritual realm was swarmed with undead abominations, but I silently blended into the crowd, and snuck into Zervas’ dreadful fortress.
Zephyr: You have guts, I’ll give you that.
Archimedes: In the castle’s dark and dusty library, I found what I was looking for. The notorious “Tome of Demise”. But what I didn’t know, was that any person foolish enough to steal that dark artifact, was destined to be struck by severe damnation. Lord Zervas placed a hideous curse upon the ancient book, that would punish any living person who dared to touch it. And what you see now… is the morbid consequence.

The lich lowered his head and released a very hollow sigh. No one spoke a single word. We just looked at him and thought about the things he had said so far. I wasn’t completely sure if his words could be trusted, but it was certainly a tragic story. Greed never leads to anything rewarding. But despite the stains of disgrace in his past, and what he had become in the present, I couldn’t help it but to feel sorry for him. He really sounded like he was ready to give up all his newfound powers, just to be mortal again.

Archimedes: The curse has linked the dark artifact to my soul. And every single time I cast a spell of black magic, the tome corrupts my soul a little more, until I’ve become completely consumed by darkness. If I don’t lift the curse before that day comes, then I’ll become trapped in this transformation, doomed to be an undead lich forever. By that time, what remains of my consciousness will be gone, and I’ll become yet another relentless undead freak that knows nothing about remorse.
Zephyr: How can this curse be lifted?
Archimedes: There is only one way…
Zephyr: Hmm?
Archimedes: … I must destroy Lord Zervas.
Zephyr: Woah…
Paul: If that’s true, then I’m afraid that things doesn’t bode well for you. I’m certain that you’re very powerful, but Zervas is no pushover.
Archimedes: You speak the truth. His power far exceeds my own. But I embarked on this journey to grab what chance I had left, of having my soul purged of darkness and avoid permanent damnation. Zervas and I have a score to settle. And I’ll get my revenge, or fall trying!

The lich raised his arm and clenched the skeletal fist in front of his face, causing the bony fingers to release a disturbing crackling noise inside the glove. The glowing light in his empty eye sockets seemed to motion like flames, as if they somehow expressed his emotions. But then Paul suddenly remembered a question that arose from last time we camped.

Paul: Hey, uh… back when you ran off in that other forest we camped in, we kinda peeked in that book you took from Zervas. Can you explain to us why all the pages are blank? We didn’t find anything written in it.
Archimedes: The dark secrets of this tome are only visible to he, whose soul is being corrupted by the curse. And once I’ve turned into a lich, I’m only capable of casting spells of darkness written in this book.
Paul: So you’ll be temporarily unable to cast elemental magic?
Archimedes: Precisely. Throughout the years that I’ve been cursed, my dark secret has been well hidden, since I appear as a living person in daylight. But if my body makes contact with a ray of moonlight…
Wesley: …the evil lurking inside you will surface, and transform you into an undead lich.

Archimedes nodded once, and then he suddenly rose from his seat, standing in front of the dancing flames of the bonfire. We all raised our heads and looked at him. Then he asked us all a crucial question.

Archimedes: Look. I don’t blame you, if you feel uncomfortable with me, knowing that I am half undead. But I am going after Zervas. And I’ll destroy him, with or without you. So what say you? Can you look past that my soul is cloaked by darkness, and trust me as an ally?

Without hesitation, I quickly became the first to rise from my seat.

Wesley: Your soul may be corrupted, but deep inside, I still sense you have a ray of light that penetrates the darkness. You have my trust.

Next, the shaman rose from his seat. Zephyr followed a moment later.

Sinqularis: And mine. You’ve proven that your intentions are pure, even if you’ve become another spawn of darkness.
Zephyr: If Sinqularis trust you, so will I.

A dark shadow moved in over the bonfire as Raksasha stood up as well.

Raksasha: Undead or not, you’re still on our side. And we could really use a powerful spell caster like you in our party.

The only guy still sitting down at that point, was Paul. He hesitated. We all turned our heads to look at him, awaiting a response. He sighed, and slowly rose from his seat, not seeming too excited about the idea.

Paul: Well… Alright then. Since everyone else seems to approve, I’ll respect their choice and give you a chance. But don’t waste it.

Being unable to show his appreciation with a smile, the lich bowed his head respectfully, showing gratitude for accepting him in our party. So the decision has been made. Our journey continues, and we’re keeping Archimedes with us, despite of this frightening discovery. Back when Paul and I left the gates of Paravil, I knew this would become a journey with many unusual experiences, waiting for us in the unknown future. But I certainly didn’t expect that we’d one day have a lich as an ally.