Why was I here? The very thought of Aeris and our awkward beginning brought a smile to my face. But she was gone and far out of reach. That too was Lilith’s doing. This wretched succubus queen had sent me on this quest for my own good, but that simply wasn’t the truth. She needed me to grow in power because the stronger I became the more mana she could leech from me. It was the same for all the rest. We weren’t her children as she was so inclined to call us. We were property.
With Mana Sight at maximum power, I visualized the steps I had to take. I cast off all uncertainty. My Crimson Incubus Form melted away, as did my Rog Form and the Metalized layer over my skeletal armor. The only part of my Ascended Form that remained was my mind so that I could keep channeling Master Mind Buff. It cost more in a partial Form to keep my maximum mana in check, but I only needed a few seconds.
The world blossomed as Light Vision illuminated the world around me. The bone shackles protecting my arm fell away and they gleamed in Solar strength. No, I wouldn’t use my go-to Form Crimson Incubus this time. To give it everything, I needed to use the Form that allowed me to use my Solar Magic at full power. In less than a breath, my Light Mana surged into the palm of my hand. There was too much of it to remain in such a limited space.
It was as if the compressed photons of my arm, or whatever my Vessel of Light body was truly made of, joined with my mana, becoming one. As Laser ignited, the beam that burst forth was faster than my eyes could follow. I saw the Metal Dragon beginning to move. Mana Sight and the monster’s drowsiness made it look like it was moving in slow motion. Compared to the speed of Light, I guess it was. The massive creature that could so easily end me didn’t have the chance to react before a hole opened up in its scaly side.
I knew my Solar Magic was powerful, especially in Solar Mage Form, but I couldn’t believe what was happening. Not only had I punctured deep into the mountain of metallic flesh, but it happened instantly. It was as if someone had taken a hollow pipe the size of a telephone pole and impaled the dragon straight through. Light Vision mixed with Mana Sight allowed me to see through my beam of light that held steady even after it punched right through the dragon and into the base of the stairs leading up to the Metal Vein. The gaping wound was so wide I could have climbed inside it.
Time Crawl wound everything to a stop. In the midst of the hole, the dragon’s Dark Core floated directly in Laser’s path but remained unscathed. It was like a black hole amid the sun. A spot of tarnish, of rot and ruin, that couldn’t be cleansed with Solar alone. My conversations with Amilia and all I had learned up to this point had prepared me to know what to do.
Time Crawl ended and Vessel of Light dimmed. It was as simple as shifting my weight from one foot to the other as my body changed, and Life Aspect awakened. Channeling mana to Laser was exponentially faster than any of my other magic, but I still couldn’t funnel 5,000,000 MP into it in the space of a single moment. Instead of being measured in seconds, it was broken up into fractions. My beam of Solar Light was still active, but the moment I switched to my Life Aspect Form a burst of Life Magic erupted from the center of my being and out the palm of my hand to join behind Laser.
It happened so fast I couldn’t rightly say that I’d truly changed to my Life Aspect Form entirely—only long enough to access the burst of Life Magic. At the same moment, I’d returned to Solar Mage. The change back was as instinctual as it was intentional. There was no gap between the burst of Life Magic and Laser. My Solar Magic’s burst was like wind to a kite. It propelled my Life Magic forward faster than it could ever travel on its own until it plunged into the Metal Dragon’s side, striking its Dark Magic Core. A moment later, I became aware of being gravely close to Mana Sickness and cut all the mana from my spell.
I felt a brief moment of nausea, but it felt distant in my Solar Form. I recovered mana so quickly now that it only lasted a second.
It was as if the Metal Dragon knew its life was ending. One moment it was lying down, the next it was running at me and the ground shook beneath its feet. It made it halfway before it began to falter. Tipping to the side, its eyes rolled back into its head. Seeing that its momentum wouldn’t be stopped before reaching me, I jumped back, high into the air. In Vessel of Light Form, I weighed 70% less, which showed as I flew back. My Incubus wings sprouted from my back as I climbed and I soon stabilized.
Landing chin first, the dragon crashed with the sound of a crumbling mountain and its head and neck crumpled under the weight of its body. It didn’t seem real, but it was dead, and I had the popups to prove it. Draining the Metal monster proved impossible.
Even after seeing what my Light Magic could do against armies of undead, this didn’t make sense. My power had shaken me then, and it shook me again. The difference this time was that I’d already faced the unbelievable before, and I knew I’d been wrong. It did make sense. I’d just been unwilling to believe it.
I heard the lich’s voice. “Do you finally see?”
I turned to see him hovering there a few feet away.
“Lord Darius was arrogant to think he could defeat the Succubi’s Head Mistress, but he wasn’t an utter fool,” Shamash continued. “Once you reach a certain level of power, which is now within your grasp, the right circumstances make the impossible possible. You will likely never see a dormant vampire, but, if you are bold, you will succeed. Your only hope is to attack first. Any one of them will be able to kill you just as easily as you can kill them. But kill them you will. Scores of them you will crush beneath your feet, and if you can somehow manage to survive long enough, you will become the very thing they fear the most.”
“Which is…” I replied.
“Light. You will become a light that they can’t extinguish.”
“You speak as if I’m going there to never return. I thought you said this will only take months.”
“Perhaps. But if you want to survive, rid your mind of going there just to finish your quest as soon as possible. The Vampire is the most dangerous race in the Underworld. Your chances are slim at best of ever coming back.”
As I looked away to consider his words, his power ruptured like a geyser, and he uncloaked his true form at the same time. The complexity of his body’s mana assaulted my senses the moment before his gaze found me. It was like being thrust through, but I sensed what was really happening. He’d cast Forced Learn. His voice sounded from inside me.
“Don’t fear and think through your responses. I will hear them. Don’t say them aloud. You can force me out at any time, but first, you must listen. This is the only way I can speak to you without Lilith eavesdropping. You hide your hatred for her well. If you go to the Vampire simply to complete her quest then it may be possible for us to return in a few months. But, just as the Vampire presents a great danger, so do they present a great opportunity. An opportunity that I believe you were born to exploit. If you are wise and play the long game, you could feed on them just as they have fed on your race for countless ages. There are millions of vampires, Elorion. Enough lesser nobles and small houses for you to slowly chip away at without causing much of a stir.”
Protesting was easy enough. All I had to do was think it. “You’re talking about abandoning my friends.”
“No. If you’re in the Vampire’s realm, even Lilith would think twice about coming after you. I’m not talking about abandoning your friends, I’m talking about saving them. In time, your power could rival the Head Mistress herself.”
“Let’s say I do as you’ve said, and the vampires don’t catch on and kill me. How long are we talking?”
“Centuries.”
Even though his consciousness was currently inside me, I could help but shake my head. “I can’t wait that long.”
“If you take risks, it could be sooner. We still have time, so think about it. Lilith sends you to fetch trinkets and pester her enemies, but she also sends you to the richest possible environment for your personal progression. She knows this and expects you to benefit from it. What she doesn’t
expect is for you to stay.”
“Is defeating her even possible? Even if I was as powerful as she was, she’d be collecting mana from me, so wouldn’t she always have an advantage?”
“As innovative as her little mana catch is, it has its limits. To fully utilize what it’s capable of, she’d need to cast it on a mass of people, not just a few.”
“Wait. If it’s more efficient on large numbers, does that mean…”
“She’s going to capture more humans, yes.”
“How many?”
“Thousands.”
“Then why bother making us level up?”
“If I had to guess, there are two reasons. She probably needs you to reach a certain level to get the most out of your mana catch. After that, any additional levels you gain would have diminishing returns. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t another benefit in raising your level.”
“She’s building an army?”
“That’s my thought as well. If we’re right, she must have some plan for how to control so many people, because, unless I’m wrong, she’ll want you all to reach the Mistress level to get the most out of her mana catch magic. The reason the succubi don’t let imps reach the incubus stage is because they become too dangerous to keep around. A level 20,000 human would be many times more dangerous than that.”
“So there has to be something we’re missing?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you helping me like this? Is it because it will extend our contract?”
“Does that surprise you? I will follow whatever you decide, but if you do seek the power to save your friends, how many secrets do you think we’ll come in contact with along the way? If I’m lucky, you might even grow ambitious and eradicate the vampire race. In so doing, you’d become as powerful as any creature in existence.”
“Ambitious… You seem to possess enough ambition for the both of us.”
“I am a lich. Ambition and the lich are synonymous.”
Chapter 29 - Sunburn
A battle cry sounded from the direction of the entrance. The tread of heavy footfalls drove it closer to us, forcing me to turn. I saw Leeman running toward us helmetless like a gleeful maniac. “Well done!” he called as he passed us and ran right up to the fallen dragon.
“Humans are a peculiar species no matter where they’re from,” Shamash stated.
I didn’t contradict him.
Our group gathered before the fallen dragon where Leeman was already poking it with his sword.
“What is it?” Travis said as he watched him.
The Metal Dragon had died with its jaw wedged open. With a sudden shift of his weight, Leeman’s sword-aura intensified as he swung it down from over his shoulder. A single fang the size of my arm was cleaved cleanly at its base and fell to the ground. Stooping to pick it up, Leeman answered Travis by throwing him the fang.
“That’s pure Metal in its most refined state,” the tank of a man said. “This monster’s corpse is worth more than a mountain of gold.” He seemed to remember something and stiffened to face me. Bowing, he said, “This kill is yours. If you are willing to share in this fortune, the Illuminated Cathedral would be happy to pay you handsomely.”
“Of course,” I replied. I planned on taking an arm or its head, but there were tons of the precious material. If it could help buy us some goodwill with the largest human settlement in the Underworld, how could I possibly pass up this chance? “We’ll take a small portion for ourselves and the rest is yours. I’d rather you accept it as a gift than receive payment.”
Leeman and Amilia’s eyes met. They knew what I was doing. It wasn’t the first time I’d told them my intentions of developing a relationship with their people, even if it had to be limited because of the Head Mistress’s watchful eye.
“We will discuss it with the council,” Amilia said. “I’m afraid the decision will be theirs, and they’ll most likely insist on paying you so as not to owe you anything.”
I let her see the appreciation written across my face. “I understand. Telling them should be enough to make my intentions clear.”
“What will you do now?” Travis said, flipping the fang up into the air.
“We will inform our people,” Leeman replied. “It’s our duty to try to dissuade you from obtaining any alignment other than Light, but we understand the need. I also can’t deny having you here while you’re unlocking your First will buy us time to return and bring people to help.”
“Do you have to inform them about us?”
“That too is our duty.”
I interrupted. “What is the chance of them sending a war party to capture us?”
“I promise you that will not happen.”
“Will they stand by your promise?”
“Yes,” Amilia cut in.
“We can’t promise him that,” Leeman argued.
“Yes, we can.”
He stared at her blankly for a moment, then understanding registered. “You plan on telling the Protestants?”
“I do.”
I couldn’t say that I understood their politics, but seeing Leeman silent as he considered her words, it was clear that doing what she said was no small matter. “We’ll be disciplined.”
“We?”
“Do you think I’ll let you take this burden on your own?”
A wave of emotion washed over her. “Thank you.”
“That settles it,” Leeman said, smashing his armored mitts together with a loud clang.
“Wait. I’ve changed my mind,” I said, smirking at the two of them. “I want payment for the Metal Dragon’s corpse, and I will only deal if the two of you are present.”
Seeing their initial shock turn to gratitude was enjoyable. It probably wouldn’t get them entirely out of trouble, but it wouldn’t hurt.
***
They left a few hours later after they’d gathered most of the dragon’s fangs and claws. It seemed they planned on making a big entrance. I still wasn’t sure anything they said would keep their council from coming after us, but I did believe them when they said they’d be gone for a full week, and Travis might not take that long to unlock Metal. We still had time to decide if we were going to be here when they got back.
The hole I’d burnt into the rock at the base of the stairs that led up to the Metal Vein was so deep that I couldn’t tell how far down it went. My thinking concerning what my Light Magic was capable of had been thoroughly turned on its head. I had to admit that I’d been relying so much on buffing my physical abilities that I’d neglected my offensive magic. I still believed my approach was often the safest, and wisest, but a sufficiently talented low-level mage was capable of killing opponents many times their level. That was just the reality. Elements and Alignments mattered and could even mean the difference between life and death, but there was also a sense where a mage with unlimited mana was capable of just about anything.
Shamash led Travis and me to the top of the stairs. At the top of the platform, it looked as if there had been an explosion and the Vein had been the point of impact. Ripples were formed in the ore-rich ground and all jagged edges had been brought low. Unlike the other veins we’d seen before, this one was perfectly smooth and stood like a giant bar of Metal bullion. Its aura didn’t carry liquified Metal droplets like orbiting planets, but diamond-like shards.
Standing off to the side, the lich eyed Travis who was captivated by the Metal Vein. “You’ve seen what touching an Aether particle will do to a creature whose body was made up of the same element. It will not be so easy for you. Once you touch it, it will attach to your finger like a parasite, or living poison, and try to convert your flesh to Metal Mana. Your body will fight against the process, but there can be no winner. Your body cannot destroy Aether, but it can adapt. It will break down the Aether into smaller parts and, just as water dilutes a drug, it will dilute the Aether with your blood-mana. After it has saturated your entire body, the real struggle begins. Your blood-mana will at first reject it, but with
enough time, they will merge, unlocking the Metal element inside you.”
“Once I touch it, will I be able to move?” Travis said without removing his eyes from the vein.
“Yes, but because you have limited experience with mana manipulation, you must rely on the exercises I’ve given you. Sitting or lying down and giving the process your full attention is paramount to speeding up the process. Remember, you must relax your body and mind to receive the Aether and not force it back. If it remains inside of you for too long before you can break it down then you could lose a hand or finger. Elorion will be able to repair it for you, but then you’ll have to start all over.”
“Touch it, then get comfortable and let my body do its thing. Got it.”
“Now prepare yourself and approach when you’re ready. Elorion, watch closely.”
I’d never thought of Travis as someone to act first then worry about the consequences later. When he didn’t hesitate to step forward and unceremoniously reached out to touch an Aether particle, I was caught off guard. It probably shouldn’t have surprised me, for he had been thinking about it for weeks now. I almost didn’t have the time to transform into Light Surgeon, but thankfully it was a True Form and I changed almost instantly.
The life tentacles that were my eyes plunged into Travis’s neck like a mosquito’s stinger, but without the pain or damage to his body. His system became known to me in an instant, and instead of trying to grasp the overall picture, I rushed toward his index finger that was about to come in contact with the Aether.
It was almost as if the Aether leaped to attach itself to him when Travis had gotten close enough. It pressed itself into his skin, pushing the mana and blood out of every blood vessel on the tip of his finger. Like the spears of a shield wall, little spikes of Aether extended out. They were like feelers that were checking if it was safe to move further into its new host.
Even as Travis moved to find a place to sit down, I remained in that state with my mana cords attached to his neck. I could see the barrier he naturally created in his figure by concentrating the mana he possessed to block the spread of the Aether. After he sat down, the barrier began to relax. It took time for him to relax enough so that the barrier wasn’t holding the Aether back. Once that had happened, almost as if the Aether had been waiting for it, its little feelers started working overtime.
Underworld - Vampire Gate: A LitRPG Series Page 24