The First Lich Lord

Chapter 22

Do you have enough? Damien asked as the last structure disappeared, having sold off any defensive structure too warped to be of use.

Yeah. Took me longer than I thought it would to find the right assistant. Her name is Ilore, a high elf time wizard.

Lets wait to summon her until we get back to your central area, Damien suggested, looking up toward the central island. Its not all that safe out here, so its best to do it someplace were secure.

I couldnt help but agree. Too many monsters wandered this broken place, and most had been terrifying. Wed fought several of the shifting garbage creatures, and avoided far worse horrors. We also found several denizens of the mindscape that escaped being warped and sent them back to safety.

When we touched down in the central clearing, those we found were being comforted by the rest of the survivors with quiet words. They were just portions of my subconscious, but as I watched them, it really felt like a village with the different parts of my subconscious supporting each other.

Opening the menu, I scrolled to the time wizard and used the gathered psionic energy to summon her. As I selected yes, a single note played out across the mindscape. Like a great brass bell had been struck. A door of gray light appeared before me and opened. Through it stepped a beautiful high elf, with fair skin and blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She was dressed in robes decorated with clock faces. Her eyes were violet, and even there, a clock face could be seen, the hands moving across her irises at a slow but inevitable pace.

She blinked, coming into awareness as the door disappeared behind her.

Welcome, I said, stretching out my hand for her to shake.

She recoiled. How dare you summon me! I will not serve an abomination such as yourself.

I was stunned by her reaction, having assumed she would be on my side. Um I summoned you because I need your help.

Why would I help an abomination? Ilore snapped. I can tell what your nature is. Your avatar is even skeletal in your mindscape.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Damien beat me to it. He is not all as he appears to be. Yes, he is a Lich, but take a second to look around.

Ilore glared at Damien. A necromancer is Her words trailed off, her eyes finally taking in the state of the mindscape. What happenedhow is this even possible?

When his soul was brought into this universe, it perceived something it should not have, Damien explained.

There was this place where time seemed to be as variable as any other dimension, I said in a haunted voice, remembering the infinite planes Id seen. If I were to exist in that place, I could have moved through time, as easily as I could sit up or lay down.

As he looked on that place, it warped his mind, Damien explained. I have been trying to contain the beasts that resulted from that, but I dont even know how to handle the stronger ones. He is skeletal because thats all that is left of his avatar. His primary emotions were warped and are no longer truly a part of him.

I see why you summoned me, Ilore said. You were hoping that my understanding of time magic would help deal with the warping of your mindscape.

Indeed, that is the case. I breathed a sigh of relief, as she no longer appeared angry. Once weve fixed it, if you no longer wish to remain with me, I will let you go, but I need your help.

Ilore let out a long sigh. I will help you. This will be quite the puzzle to solve, and will likely teach me more about time magic in the process. Never before have I seen its effects on a mindscape. This goes far beyond any time magic Id ever seen. Its almost like She shuddered, catching sight of something in the distance. You didnt just see time, parts of your mindscape moved in time separate from the rest of you. I will need to investigate more to be certain of that.

Thank you. I looked to Damien, sharing in his relief, then turned back to Ilore. Let me know how I can help.

For now, I just need to investigate, Ilore said.

Let me show you around, Damien offered. Ezekiel, you can return to the real world. It will be a bit before we need you again.

***

I came back to consciousness in my newly built shelter. The sky was lightening overheadhadnt realized Id been in the mindscape so long. Sitting up, I took a look around to reorient myself. My shelter wasnt great, but it would last. Focusing on the roof, I decided my goal for that day should be making it watertight. While I am a Lich, I dont want to get drenched in every rainstorm that rolls through.

Leaving my camp behind, I explore the valley, coming across a stand of birch trees. That gave me an idea. Using animal skins for the roof of my shelter was probably not the greatest solution, but with birch trees, I just might have a better one. Using a small knife Id purchased, I cut a line in the trunk of one of the trees, and with a little work, was able to peel the bark off. Fortunately, it was early enough in the summer that the bark would grow back, and no long-term harm would be done to the tree.

I spent several hours cutting away strips of bark. By the time I was done, I had quite a large bundle, each piece a meter tall and a meter wide. Several of the trees had been big enough that I got two pieces off. Picking up the bundle, I headed back to my camp.

Once back, I used a couple of small saplings, a few nails, and my ax to create a makeshift ladder to reach the top of my temporary structure. Overlapping the bark ensured any water would run off and onto the ground around the hut. Come winter, if I was still living in this, I would need to reinforce the roof to hold the weight of the snow. Happy with the progress, I decide to inspect the spot for my future cabin.

After marking the spot to build my cabin, I set to work. With precise, sharp swings of my ax, coupled with my increased strength, dexterity, and endurance, trees were felled at a rapid pace. I limbed and cut them into usable lengths, my superhuman strength enabling me to stack them into neat piles. It was quite satisfying work, and by the end of the day, I was pleased of how much work had gotten done.

Several days later, Id cleared enough lumber to build my cabin.

Next I tackled setting the foundationthe initial dimensions would be a simple square, ten meters on each side. Having a good footing to build on was important, so I was very careful in my selection on where to break ground. Id picked the spot because there were no large trees that wouldve left stumps behind requiring removal.

Having dug out the site, I used a long level and the straightest log I could find, double and triple checking that the four corners of my foundation were level to each other. The whole process was frustrating, as I had to keep adjusting the corners. The material for the corners of the foundation was several large, flat rocks I found not far away. Carrying them to the site wouldve been impossible without my incredible strength.

Once the foundation was as level as I could make it, it was time move on to the next task. Using a drawknife, a blade with two handles on either side, I began to skin the logs. Once I had a number skinned, I built a fire using the discarded branches from the trees and severely charred the logs to make them more resistant to rot. Cedar was already quite resistant to decay, and I hoped charring the undersides, would make them even more resistant.