Chapter 110: The Lich
Langston paced back and forth, his gauntlet sparking with uneven flashes as his thoughts churned. The cold, sterile glow of the monitor still displayed the Enclave logo, its sharp lines and mechanical precision mocking him. His chest tightened, and his breaths came sharp and shallow. This wasn't just some rogue faction or misunderstanding. This was deliberate. The Enclave, the organization he'd devoted his life to, the people he had trusted to safeguard humanity through logic and innovation... were responsible for untold suffering. Their hands were steeped in blood.
He slammed his fist against the console, the dull clang echoing through the ruined lab. "Traitors," he spat, his voice trembling with rage. "They're traitors to humanity! All that talk about protecting people, about advancing civilization… it was all a lie!"
Scotty leaned against a shattered piece of machinery, his fiery saber extinguished but ready at his side. He watched Langston carefully, his usual smirk replaced with a rare seriousness. "Langston," he said, his voice calm but firm, "you've got to keep it together. This isn't the time to lose your head."
Langston turned on him, his eyes blazing. "Keep it together? Do you even understand what this means? The Enclave is working with monsters. They're complicit in… in this!" He gestured wildly at the destruction around them, the shattered vats and chemical-stained floors. "How many people have died because of what they've done? How many more will suffer?"
Sasha stepped forward, her hands glowing with the fading energy of a purification spell she had cast to clear the air. "Langston," she said softly, "you're right to be angry. But Scotty's right too. We need to focus. There's still a core to deal with, and if we don't stop it, more people will die."
Langston's shoulders heaved as he struggled to steady his breathing. He looked away, his gaze falling to the wreckage at his feet. For a moment, his fury faltered, replaced by something heavier. Regret. Betrayal. "I thought I was making a difference," he murmured. "I thought I was helping humanity. Instead, I… I was part of this."
Euphrates, who had been quietly observing from the edge of the room, finally spoke. "You can still make a difference," she said, her voice uncharacteristically warm. "You can't change the past, but you can choose what you do next. Right now, we need you."
Langston straightened, his Technomancer's Gauntlet clicking quietly as he flexed his fingers. The anger didn't leave him, but it sharpened into something else. Resolve. "You're right," he said, his voice practically a snarl, and full of fury. "I'm going to clean up this mess. And Hell will freeze over before I trust anything the Enclave ever does."
Scotty's smirk returned as he pushed off the machinery and ignited his saber. "That's the spirit. Let's show this core what happens when you mess with us."
Sasha nodded, her green eyes glowing faintly as she readied her spells, while Euphrates summoned a swirling orb of water with sharp focus. Together, they turned toward the corridor leading deeper into the facility.
Langston stepped forward, his gauntlet crackling with arcs of golden energy. "No more half-measures."
After walking through eerie, dimly lit corridors for what felt like an eternity, Langston finally came to a halt. Before him loomed a massive iron door, its surface rusted in some places but solidly barred from the other side. The halls they had passed through weren't quiet; patrolling Cu Sith had emerged from the shadows, but Langston vented his seething rage on each one, dispatching them with cold efficiency. Nothing survived his relentless forward march.
Langston turned to the others, his expression grim as he gestured to the barred door.
Without a word, he pointed to Scotty, who nodded in understanding.
Scotty stepped forward, unsheathing his fiery saber. He filled the blade with his fire element mana, cranking the heat to its maximum setting. The blade glowed brighter, shifting from orange to blinding white, the air around it rippling with intense heat.
Scotty grinned with pleasure, as he sank the molten-hot blade into the iron door, hissing and screeching as the exotic metal struck through the iron like a knife through butter. "This reminds me of something," Sasha whispered, leaning toward Euphrates. "A movie I saw… Star Battles?" Euphrates' eyes widened, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh my gosh, you're right. Those movies get into men's brains, and they don't even realize they're just enacting their deepest fantasies," she said, rolling her eyes.
Sasha stifled a giggle, her shoulders shaking slightly as she watched Scotty, oblivious to the commentary.
With one final, deliberate stroke, Scotty completed the circle.
He stepped back, deactivating the saber and admiring his work with a satisfied grin. "Now that," he said, turning to the group, "is how you open a door."
Langston raised an eyebrow but said nothing, gesturing for him to finish the job.
Scotty obliged, giving the newly carved section of the door a solid kick. It fell inward with a loud clang, the edges glowing faintly from the heat.
Euphrates shook her head, muttering, "Men."
Sasha crossed her arms with a small smirk. She totally agreed.
"Let's go," Langston said sharply, his weapon crackling with barely contained electricity that matched his current mood.
The door groaned open. Cold air spilled out, carrying smoke and the tang of old magic.
Inside the newly opened chamber, they stepped into a massive dome-shaped cavern. The walls shimmered with magical auras, casting eerie, flickering lights that danced across the jagged surfaces. Shadows shifted unnaturally, and the air buzzed with the hum of latent energy. In the center of the cavern stood the Sanctum Core, an immense crystalline structure glowing an intense red. Its surface shimmered with a defensive fire aura that pulsed in rhythm with the ambient energy of the room.
The group froze for a moment, taking in the sight.
Within the core, a face hovered. The visage was gaunt, skeletal, and sickly, like the disembodied head of a ghost trapped within the fiery crystal. Its glowing orange eyes burned with hatred, and its thin, spectral lips twisted into a snarl.
The cavern reverberated as the crystal spoke, its deep voice echoing ominously. "Intruders! Flee from here! I'll consume your souls for my sustenance!"
Scotty padded forward, unbothered by the threat. "I've heard better threats from newborn kittens. Come on, you can do better."
Langston followed beside him, his expression cold and unyielding. "You followed the wrong master," he said, his voice sharp. "I'm here to fix that."
"You'll fix NOTHING!" the Sanctum Core screamed. Its voice reverberated through the cavern, shaking the ground beneath them.
The walls and ceiling quaked, loose stones falling as the oppressive presence of the core grew heavier. The fiery aura around the crystal flared violently, illuminating the cavern in flashes of red and orange.
The head within the core twisted to face Langston directly, its glowing eyes narrowing. "Your pathetic defiance will end here. You cannot fathom the power I wield."
Langston's gauntlet crackled as he stepped forward, electricity arcing between his fingers. "We'll see about that."
The wires of the Technomancer Gauntlet began to spin rapidly as he held forward his fist.
He activated the electromagnetic shield function. He had tested this enough to disrupt spellwork. Just in time too, as a fireball unexpectedly erupted overhead.
Langston absorbed most of the fire, only taking some minor heat, into the whirling wires. This energy was deconstructed and channeled into the gauntlet to fuel its efforts.
Scotty is nearly completely immune to fire, thanks to mastering the element himself. But his clothing wasn't. He patted parts of his shirt, and fanned away some smoke.
Euphrates' quick reaction time saved Sasha from horrible burns, by immediately conjuring a wall of water to block the fire's progress to her and Sasha. The water of the wall steamed and hissed, but it did not permit the fire through.
Langston searched for the culprit and found it, high up on the western wall of the structure, waiting and hovering among the rocks in the ceiling, like an angry ghost. It was a skeletal figure, with desiccated flesh, like an animated skeleton, or a mummy without his wrappings. It had glowing yellow orbs for eyes and waved its hands around as it tried to call forth more magic to attack with.
It was Sasha who struck first this time, recognizing the creature as another undead.
She summoned forth her attack spell. She pulled forth the element of life, pulling its warming and ticklish magic to her fingertips. Her fingers glowed green and released four separate rays at a time, striking the lich all over its torso. The green lasers of mana were infused with powerful killing intent.
The lich laughed hauntingly into the chamber, unnerving the bold team.
The searing green beams tore into the skeleton monster, known as a lich, and blew off chunks of bone and sinew, only enraged it.
Langston couldn't get close enough to the lich as the creature floated high above them, casting spells and raining fire down. He growled in frustration, his gauntlet sparking as he prepared for the next attack.
Scotty, however, took a step forward, his expression calm and focused. With a flick of his wrist, he activated his fire spell—the same one he had used against the vampire.
Super-heated plasma bullets formed at the tip of his fiery saber, glowing white-hot before he launched them in rapid succession. All three shots streaked through the cavern, leaving bright trails of heat in their wake as they zeroed in on the lich.
The first bullet struck the creature square in the chest, sending cracks rippling through its exposed ribcage.
The second followed quickly, blasting away part of its shoulder.
The third shot missed, hitting the rocky wall behind it and causing small fragments to rain down.
While Scotty fired, Euphrates was already in motion. She summoned globes of purified water, hurling them with precision at the lich.
The water splashed harmlessly against its undead frame, but the real damage was to the boulder it perched on. The water seeped into cracks and eroded the packed dirt surrounding it, weakening the foundation.
Bit by bit, the boulder began to shift.
The lich laughed mockingly, its hollow voice echoing off the chamber walls. "Your feeble tricks will accomplish nothing!" it sneered.
But Euphrates smirked, noticing the boulder's precarious tilt. "Keep it up!" she called to the others. "The foundation is giving way!"
The lich flailed as its perch collapsed, its skeletal frame floating unsteadily as it descended toward the floor. "You dare to defy me?!" it screeched, its fiery aura flaring wildly as it tried to regain control.
"Get ready," Langston barked, his voice sharp. "It's coming down!"
The lich descended gracefully, its skeletal frame floating as if carried by unseen hands. Though its perch had crumbled, it did not panic. Instead, it radiated an aura of unbreakable death, the fiery glow of its aura burning brighter. The skeletal figure's hollow eyes glared at them with renewed hatred, its presence filled the cavern with an oppressive energy.
Just as the lich's bony feet hovered inches above the ground, Langston stepped forward, his gauntlet sparking violently, arcs of golden lightning coursing along its wires.
Without hesitation, he thrust his bare hand toward the lich, and chains of raw lightning erupted from his palm. The high voltage tendrils of energy coiled around the lich, binding its tattered robes and gaunt frame tightly to the ground.
The lich howled in defiance, its voice reverberating through the chamber.
The chains seared its ancient garments, filling the air with the acrid smell of burning cloth and charred bone.
Langston gritted his teeth, his face twisted with effort as he poured more power into the gauntlet, ensuring the chains held firm. The energy surged, locking the lich to the floor in a cage of electrified restraint.
"Stay down," Langston snarled, his voice filled with righteous fury. "You're not going anywhere."
The lich wouldn't die. It roared in anger, straining against the crackling lightning chains binding it to the floor.
Langston's gauntlet pulsed with energy as he poured his mana into keeping the creature restrained. The team stared, confused. It shouldn't have survived this long.
Sasha stepped forward, her hands glowing as she summoned her life magic. "Let me try something," she said, her tone steady but urgent.
Sasha pressed her hands forward and pushed life magic into Langston's spell. The chains flared bright green.
The lich shrieked, its bones trembling under the assault, but it still refused to fall.
That's when Euphrates noticed it. The face in the crystal core. It hovered, spinning wildly inside the red crystal, laughing maniacally. Its mouth moved rapidly, yelling something unintelligible. The floating head seemed aware of her gaze and twisted to lock its glowing orange eyes on her, mocking her with its eerie grin.
Langston saw Euphrates stiffen, her pulse quickening
Chapter 110: The Lich
Langston paced back and forth, his gauntlet sparking with uneven flashes as his thoughts churned. The cold, sterile glow of the monitor still displayed the Enclave logo, its sharp lines and mechanical precision mocking him. His chest tightened, and his breaths came sharp and shallow. This wasn't just some rogue faction or misunderstanding. This was deliberate. The Enclave—the organization he'd devoted his life to, the people he had trusted to safeguard humanity through logic and innovation—were responsible for untold suffering. Their hands were steeped in blood.
He slammed his fist against the console, the dull clang echoing through the ruined lab. "Traitors," he spat, his voice trembling with rage. "They're traitors to humanity! All that talk about protecting people, about advancing civilization… it was all a lie!"
Scotty leaned against a shattered piece of machinery, his fiery saber extinguished but ready at his side. He watched Langston carefully, his usual smirk replaced with a rare seriousness. "Langston," he said, his voice calm but firm, "you've got to keep it together. This isn't the time to lose your head."
Langston turned on him, his eyes blazing. "Keep it together? Do you even understand what this means? The Enclave is working with monsters. They're complicit in… in this!" He gestured wildly at the destruction around them, the shattered vats and chemical-stained floors. "How many people have died because of what they've done? How many more will suffer?"
Sasha stepped forward, her hands glowing with the fading energy of a purification spell she had cast to clear the air. "Langston," she said softly, "you're right to be angry. But Scotty's right too. We need to focus. There's still a core to deal with, and if we don't stop it, more people will die."
Langston's shoulders heaved as he struggled to steady his breathing. He looked away, his gaze falling to the wreckage at his feet. For a moment, his fury faltered, replaced by something heavier. Regret. Betrayal. "I thought I was making a difference," he murmured. "I thought I was helping humanity. Instead, I… I was part of this."
Euphrates, who had been quietly observing from the edge of the room, finally spoke. "You can still make a difference," she said, her voice uncharacteristically warm. "You can't change the past, but you can choose what you do next. Right now, we need you."
Langston straightened, his Technomancer's Gauntlet clicking quietly as he flexed his fingers. The anger didn't leave him, but it sharpened into something else. Resolve. "You're right," he said, his voice practically a snarl, and full of fury. "I'm going to clean up this mess. And Hell will freeze over before I trust anything the Enclave ever does."
Scotty's smirk returned as he pushed off the machinery and ignited his saber. "That's the spirit. Let's show this core what happens when you mess with us."
Sasha nodded, her green eyes glowing faintly as she readied her spells, while Euphrates summoned a swirling orb of water with sharp focus. Together, they turned toward the corridor leading deeper into the facility.
Langston stepped forward, his gauntlet crackling with arcs of golden energy. "No more half-measures."
After walking through eerie, dimly lit corridors for what felt like an eternity, Langston finally came to a halt. Before him loomed a massive iron door, its surface rusted in some places but solidly barred from the other side. The halls they had passed through weren't quiet; patrolling Cu Sith had emerged from the shadows, but Langston vented his seething rage on each one, dispatching them with cold efficiency. Nothing survived his relentless forward march.
Langston turned to the others, his expression grim as he gestured to the barred door.
Without a word, he pointed to Scotty, who nodded in understanding.
Scotty stepped forward, unsheathing his fiery saber. He filled the blade with his fire element mana, cranking the heat to its maximum setting. The blade glowed brighter, shifting from orange to blinding white, the air around it rippling with intense heat.
Scotty grinned as he sank the molten-hot blade into the iron door, hissing and screeching as the exotic metal struck through the iron like a knife through butter. "This reminds me of something," Sasha whispered, leaning toward Euphrates. "A movie I saw… Star Wars?" Euphrates' eyes widened, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh my gosh, you're right. Those movies get into men's brains, and they don't even realize they're just enacting their deepest fantasies," she said, rolling her eyes.
Sasha stifled a giggle, her shoulders shaking slightly as she watched Scotty, oblivious to the commentary.
With one final, deliberate stroke, Scotty completed the circle.
He stepped back, deactivating the saber and admiring his work with a satisfied grin. "Now that," he said, turning to the group, "is how you open a door."
Langston raised an eyebrow but said nothing, gesturing for him to finish the job.
Scotty obliged, giving the newly carved section of the door a solid kick. It fell inward with a loud clang, the edges glowing faintly from the heat.
Euphrates shook her head, muttering, "Men."
Sasha crossed her arms with a small smirk. She totally agreed.
"Let's go," Langston said sharply, his weapon crackling with barely contained electricity that matched his current mood.
The door groaned open. Cold air spilled out, carrying smoke and the tang of old magic.
Inside the newly opened chamber, they stepped into a massive dome-shaped cavern. The walls shimmered with magical auras, casting eerie, flickering lights that danced across the jagged surfaces. Shadows shifted unnaturally, and the air buzzed with the hum of latent energy. In the center of the cavern stood the Sanctum Core, an immense crystalline structure glowing an intense red. Its surface shimmered with a defensive fire aura that pulsed in rhythm with the ambient energy of the room.
The group froze for a moment, taking in the sight.
Within the core, a face hovered. The visage was gaunt, skeletal, and sickly, like the disembodied head of a ghost trapped within the fiery crystal. Its glowing orange eyes burned with hatred, and its thin, spectral lips twisted into a snarl.
The cavern reverberated as the crystal spoke, its deep voice echoing ominously. "Intruders! Flee from here! I'll consume your souls for my sustenance!"
Scotty padded forward, unbothered by the threat. "I've heard better threats from newborn kittens. Come on, you can do better."
Langston followed beside him, his expression cold and unyielding. "You followed the wrong master," he said, his voice sharp. "I'm here to fix that."
"You'll fix NOTHING!" the Sanctum Core screamed. Its voice reverberated through the cavern, shaking the ground beneath them.
The walls and ceiling quaked, loose stones falling as the oppressive presence of the core grew heavier. The fiery aura around the crystal flared violently, illuminating the cavern in flashes of red and orange.
The head within the core twisted to face Langston directly, its glowing eyes narrowing. "Your pathetic defiance will end here. You cannot fathom the power I wield."
Langston's gauntlet crackled as he stepped forward, electricity arcing between his fingers. "We'll see about that."
The wires of the Technomancer Gauntlet began to spin rapidly as he held forward his fist.
He activated the electromagnetic shield—tested enough to disrupt spellwork. Just in time too, as a fireball erupted overhead.
Langston absorbed most of the fire, only taking some minor heat, into the whirling wires which were deconstructed and channeled into the gauntlet anew.
Scotty is nearly completely immune to fire, thanks to mastering the element himself.
Euphrates' quick reaction time saved Sasha from horrible burns, by immediately conjuring a wall of water to block the fire's progress to her and Sasha. The water of the wall steamed and hissed, but it did not permit the fire through.
Langston searched for the culprit and found it, high up on the western wall of the structure, waiting and hovering among the rocks in the ceiling, like an angry ghost. It was a skeletal figure, with desiccated flesh, like an animated skeleton, or a mummy without his wrappings. It had glowing yellow orbs for eyes and waved its hands around as it tried to call forth more magic to attack with.
It was Sasha who struck first this time, recognizing the creature as another undead.
She summoned forth her attack spell. She pulled forth the element of life, pulling its warming and ticklish magic to her fingertips. Her fingers glowed green and released four separate rays at a time, striking the lich all over its torso. The green lasers of mana were infused with powerful killing intent.
The lich laughed hauntingly into the chamber, unnerving the bold team.
The searing green beams tore into the skeleton monster, known as a lich, and blew off chunks of bone and sinew, only enraged it.
Langston couldn't get close enough to the lich as the creature floated high above them, casting spells and raining fire down. He growled in frustration, his gauntlet sparking as he prepared for the next attack.
Scotty, however, took a step forward, his expression calm and focused. With a flick of his wrist, he activated his fire spell—the same one he had used against the vampire.
Super-heated plasma bullets formed at the tip of his fiery saber, glowing white-hot before he launched them in rapid succession. All three shots streaked through the cavern, leaving bright trails of heat in their wake as they zeroed in on the lich.
The first bullet struck the creature square in the chest, sending cracks rippling through its exposed ribcage.
The second followed quickly, blasting away part of its shoulder.
The third shot missed, hitting the rocky wall behind it and causing small fragments to rain down.
While Scotty fired, Euphrates was already in motion. She summoned globes of purified water, hurling them with precision at the lich.
The water splashed harmlessly against its undead frame, but the real damage was to the boulder it perched on. The water seeped into cracks and eroded the packed dirt surrounding it, weakening the foundation.
Bit by bit, the boulder began to shift.
The lich laughed mockingly, its hollow voice echoing off the chamber walls. "Your feeble tricks will accomplish nothing!" it sneered.
But Euphrates smirked, noticing the boulder's precarious tilt. "Keep it up!" she called to the others. "The foundation is giving way!"
The lich flailed as its perch collapsed, its skeletal frame floating unsteadily as it descended toward the floor. "You dare to defy me?!" it screeched, its fiery aura flaring wildly as it tried to regain control.
"Get ready," Langston barked, his voice sharp. "It's coming down!"
The lich descended gracefully, its skeletal frame floating as if carried by unseen hands. Though its perch had crumbled, it did not panic. Instead, it radiated an aura of unbreakable death, the fiery glow of its aura burning brighter. The skeletal figure's hollow eyes glared at them with renewed hatred, its presence filled the cavern with an oppressive energy.
Just as the lich's bony feet hovered inches above the ground, Langston stepped forward, his gauntlet sparking violently, arcs of golden lightning coursing along its wires.
Without hesitation, he thrust his bare hand toward the lich, and chains of raw lightning erupted from his palm. The high voltage tendrils of energy coiled around the lich, binding its tattered robes and gaunt frame tightly to the ground.
The lich howled in defiance, its voice reverberating through the chamber.
The chains seared its ancient garments, filling the air with the acrid smell of burning cloth and charred bone.
Langston gritted his teeth, his face twisted with effort as he poured more power into the gauntlet, ensuring the chains held firm. The energy surged, locking the lich to the floor in a cage of electrified restraint.
"Stay down," Langston snarled, his voice filled with righteous fury. "You're not going anywhere."
The lich wouldn't die. It roared in anger, straining against the crackling lightning chains binding it to the floor.
Langston's gauntlet pulsed with energy as he poured his mana into keeping the creature restrained. The team stared, confused. It shouldn't have survived this long.
Sasha stepped forward, her hands glowing as she summoned her life magic. "Let me try something," she said, her tone steady but urgent.
Sasha pressed her hands forward and pushed life magic into Langston's spell. The chains flared bright green.
The lich shrieked, its bones trembling under the assault, but it still refused to fall.
That's when Euphrates noticed it... the face in the crystal core. It hovered, spinning wildly inside the red crystal, laughing maniacally. Its mouth moved rapidly, yelling something unintelligible. The floating head seemed aware of her gaze and twisted to lock its glowing orange eyes on her, mocking her with its eerie grin.
Langston saw Euphrates stiffen, her pulse quickening as if old stories—half-whispered warnings about mages who bound their souls to objects to escape death—surged back.
She pointed at the core, shouting, "Phylactery!"
Langston shot her a brief, distracted glance, sweat dripping down his temple as his arms shook from the strain of maintaining the chains. He clenched his teeth, focusing all his fury into the lightning, trying to crush and electrocute the lich into submission.
But it fought back, clawing at the floor and attempting to free itself.
Euphrates gestured frantically, pointing between the core and the lich. "Langston! The phylactery! It's in the crystal!"
Realization flashed in Langston's eyes. "Ah. So being a wimpy nerd all those years is going to save my life now. Fascinating," he muttered, his voice tinged with grim humor.
He adjusted his stance, tightening his grip on the lightning chains.
With a sharp pull, he yanked the lich off the ground and flung it into the wall. The skeletal figure flew unrestrained, shattering part of its brittle skull on impact. The lich crumpled to the ground, momentarily stunned, so he turned and began to run at the phylactery, extending his gauntlet's wires.
The crystal core went still. Its grin faded, and it waited.
as if old stories—half-whispered warnings about mages who bound their souls to objects to escape death—surged back.
She pointed at the core, shouting, "Phylactery!"
Langston shot her a brief, distracted glance, sweat dripping down his temple as his arms shook from the strain of maintaining the chains. He clenched his teeth, focusing all his fury into the lightning, trying to crush and electrocute the lich into submission.
But it fought back, clawing at the floor and attempting to free itself.
Euphrates gestured frantically, pointing between the core and the lich. "Langston! The phylactery! It's in the crystal!"
Realization flashed in Langston's eyes. "Ah. So being a wimpy nerd all those years is going to save my life now. Fascinating," he muttered, his voice tinged with grim humor.
He adjusted his stance, tightening his grip on the lightning chains.
With a sharp pull, he yanked the lich off the ground and flung it into the wall. The skeletal figure flew unrestrained, shattering part of its brittle skull on impact. The lich crumpled to the ground, momentarily stunned, so he turned and began to run at the phylactery, extending his gauntlet's wires.
The crystal core went still. Its grin faded, and it waited.