"Humanity, ey?"
Skullius suddenly speaking caused a start.
Soidon nodded with a severe expression.
"Yes. Humanity. Every Lich was once a living thing before they submitted to the Eminence of Undeath. I... was a human once," he said, his chest rising proudly for so reason. "Having Undeath burned away... I still don't understand it even now... but life began to bubble through again. Slowly...surely."
Skullius' eyes narrowed.
"Life energy?" he asked.
"Yes, life energy as you know it," Soidon confird, feeling emboldened by Skullius' growing interest. "It was not easy adjusting to what I was back then, but I had to acknowledge that I was changing. I lost control of all my undead - as I'm sure all the other Liches also did following the nding of the Rules. I had to adjust to my changing body. I couldn't call myself invincible anymore. I couldn't discard my body as I could before, because of my phylactery. Over the millennia I've been here, it has rged - bonded, really - with my flesh."
Liches were beings that were capable of preserving the true essences of themselves within objects often kept away from their vessels or bodies - phylacteries. Phylacteries appeared in different forms, but they were the key to destroying Liches in general, though, when a Lich ascended to Divinity, they got more assured forms of existence.
Soidon had kept his phylactery with him. Living in Deadmanland among other Liches who occasionally waged war on each other made him hesitant to keep it sealed within his tower or granted territory.
Skullius' fingers twitched slightly. With the sa unfazed expression, he asked:
"You ntioned that only half of your Undeath powers were blown apart. What of the rest? Do you still have ties to so of your Lich powers?"
Soidon nodded.
"Yes. I was surprised. Even though I've mostly shifted back to a human form, I still have Undeath residing within . I didn't know - despite my revulsion at the sight of anything living – that Undeath and life energy could blend so well, almost as though they are two sides of the sa coin. The more I practised with my powers, the more I realised how I could still do so of the things I had the freedom of doing when I was an Arch-Lich," he said and he glanced back at Erlton. "If you are interested in seeing how—"
"Do you have access to Deadmanland?" Skullius cut across him.
"What?" Soidon said, a bit startled.
"Can you - with sufficient power given to you, that is open a gateway to Deadmanland? I assu that is a privilege of Arch-Liches."
"Well, I..." Soidon hesitated. He noticed Erlton urging him from the corner of his eye. "I believe that question is better answered in show rather than tell. How about I show you where I'm at with that? I have tried re-creating a portal to Deadmanland with the resources here. I'm sure you would be interested in it."
Skullius didn't speak. At first, Soidon thought it was just a montary pause, but when a minute passed in silence, he was compelled to emphasize his points once more.
"The fact that you have interest in Deadmanland tells you desire to rid yourself of the curse you have. You are in so way bonded with the Lich who made you. That much has been clear to for a while. I can show you, perhaps teach you everything I know in case you truly want to-"
"You are mistaken," Skullius said flatly over him. His fingers twitched again.
"What?" Soidon asked and Erlton tensed.
"I have no interest in going back to Deadmanland. I have no interest in Somanda. I have no interest in what you have to show ."
There was a rigid, convincing coldness in Skullius' voice. What he said was exactly what he ant.
This stunned Erlton and Soidon.
'Somanda?' the forr thought with a bit of dread.
"What do you an?" he said to Skullius. "Your soul... I can tell even now that it is
incomplete. Do you not care to get the rest of it back? I can-"
But Soidon was forced to pause. He gaped as he saw sothing unusual happen to Skullius.
The Hybrid Luman's fingers jerked terribly and, in the next instant, his hand shot up toward his throat, seemingly intent on tearing through it!
Skullius casually caught it with his other hand, but his brows creased.
"Again? Give it a rest, Sila," he said testily.
Ashema behind him chuckled. He had seen this happen more than a few tis in the last eight days. It was like Skullius was fighting himself.
The Hybrid Luman clicked his tongue.
While Sila giving up his soul for his sake had been superb for his growth into the Incandescent Stage, the unexpected result, where Sila's consciousness still remained, now as part of Skullius', body was rather dreadful. More than once, when Skullius wasn't expecting it, he'd find that one of his hands attempted to maim him. Thankfully, however much control Sila had, it didn't seem to extend past Skullius' hands.
The Hybrid Luman cast his attention from his now relaxed hand and gazed blankly at Soidon again.
"As I said. I have no interest in whatever you think works best for . I also don't have any intention of leaving this spot, you see. I'm afraid nothing you say or do will make change
my mind," he said.
Soidon was lost for words.
Skullius didn't seem to have much intrigue in him at all despite all that he had said, all that he had revealed.
"What is it that you are waiting for here? Is it sothing to do with your Labyrinth?" Erlton asked with a frown.
Skullius didn't answer imdiately. He considered Erlton for ten seconds that might have ten minutes and then said:
"Soone rather interesting will be coming here shortly. Perhaps not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. He has no choice. If he were the one who you" - he turned to Soidon with a growing, sinister grin - "were sharing your sob story with, perhaps he might have been imnsely intrigued and engaging. Unfortunately, both of you won't get the chance to interact. My goal is him and his goal is . And in the end..."
A dark, disgusting presence wafted out of the Hybrid Luman.
"...only I will be left standing."
...
RRRRRRMBBBBBBLLLL!
The world suddenly rumbled at that mont. It seed to want to tilt and spill everything it bore on its plate, and there was a violent change in the weather from sunny and cool to dark
and humid!
Skullius, Azila, Soidon and Erlton looked upward.
However, Ashema alone looked below.
He shrieked with glee.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAWWWWW! FINALLY!" he cried jubilantly and his entire body was
encased both in darkness and flying blood.
His figure grew to thrice in its original size, and the Carven rose into the sky, a dented look
on his face, arms spread wide.
"LORD BORON IS HERE! MY MASTER IS HERE AT LAST!"
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