The First Lich Lord

Chapter 31

The winter had been cold. Though with my undead nature, it didnt affect me as much. I kept the warm fire burning most nights, and when a knock rapped on my door, I tossed a piece of wood on the coals. I looked out the window, peering at the snow-covered valley and frozen lake. Snowshoe tracks led across the lake and up to my house.

Opening the door, a man dressed in a burqa, a large brimmed hat, and a lute strapped to his back gave a nod. Greetings. Beautiful morning, he said in a cheerful voice.

Please, come inside. I stepped out of the doorway, closing the outside cold away once he was inside. Though they say winter is over, its still awfully cold out there. I was just getting my fire going this morning.

Thank you. The man had an easy smile that twinkled into his bright green eyes. He had pale skin, and when he took off his hat, a head of messy red hair was revealed. My names Maxwell, Maxwell Cromwell. He gave a small bow. You must be Ezekiel. Rhea told me to come talk to you.

A surge of happiness swept through me at hearing Rheas name. It took a moment to tamp it down. Ilore had recently repaired the emotion in my mindscape and I was still dealing with the effects of having it returned to me. There was a strained imbalance from the lack of other emotions, forcing me to do my best to completely suppress it. Fortunately, it was a skill I was good atsuppressing how I feltmy old job hadnt been a nurturing place. You learned quick to keep emotions tamped down.

Maxwell, its nice to meet you. What does the priestess want?

She said that even in the cold of winter you can be of great help to the temple and are quite familiar with the mountains, Maxwell said, glancing at the smoldering fire. He produced a flute. Here, Ill get that going. He played a quick upbeat tone, and a streak of fire flew from the end of the flute into the wood.

Impressive. Youre a bard, then? I asked. It made sense, what with the lute and all.

Maxwell shot me a questioning look before shrugging, and muttered, NPCs really up in weird of late Yes, Im a bard.

Why exactly do you need my help exploring mountains?

Rhea said she detected an evil living somewhere in these passesnot like the one she said you dealt with beforebut an evil monster whos taken up residence, Maxwell said.

I hoped my look of alarm didnt show, wondering if she detected my phylactery. I can help you look for it. You know where to begin?

Vaguely, Maxwell shrugged. She said it was located a few valleys over from here.

I let out a soft breath of relief. That likely meant it wasnt my phylactery, though there was a chance it was related. Of course I can help. Im always happy to help Olattee.

Maxwell snorted. Olattee is overrated.

I chuckled. Dont let Rhea hear you say that. Shell tan your hide.

So Ive heard, Maxwell said, holding his hands out to the fire. How soon can you leave?

The door pushed open, and Raven walked in, eyeing Maxwell. I can go anytime, I said, then to Raven, You good to hold down the fort for a while?

Raven stretched and yawned before hopping up on my bed. She met my gaze and blinked slowly, her indication of yes.

Is that a lynx? Maxwell asked in surprise.

Yes, it is. Her name is Raven. I saved her from a bad situation and she followed me home.

Thats super cool, Maxwell said, cautiously reaching out to pet Raven. She regarded him, and after a moment, started purring.

Let me just grab my snowshoes. Id purchased them during the first snow at Rheas suggestion, and I was glad for it. In the dead of winter, the snow had gotten really deep, and had been almost impossible to move around without them.

When both Maxwell and I were ready, we bundled up our gear and wrapped ourselves in thick burqas before heading out into the cold.

Will Raven be fine by herself? Maxwell asked.

Dont worry, I assured him. She knows how to get the door open on her own, and Ive even seen her feed the fire when it gets low.

Smart cat, Maxwell said.

Following Maxwells lead, we trudged up the valley. I was worried when he stopped briefly and looked up toward the small branching valley where my phylactery was hidden. After consulting a map, he shook his head and we continued up the main valley. Trudging through the deep snow, we chatted quietly. Maxwell was a pleasant man, and we quickly became friends.

How long have you been playing? I asked, not really thinking about the implications of such a question.

Maxwell stopped and gave me an odd look. What do you mean, playing?

You know, how long have you been a player of World of Magic? I gestured to the pristine, snow-covered valley. The world were in.

Maxwell was quite baffled by my question. It was no wonder whyhe thought I was an NPC.

Before I could open mouth to further clarify, Maxwell shrugged with a laugh. I know NPCs have gone wild as of late, but youre seriously something else.

And what if I told you I wasnt an NPC? I asked carefully.

What, like youre a player? Maxwell gestured for us to continue on, the soft snow crunching underfoot once more. Choosing to spend your time in game homesteading? That doesnt seem likely.

Im not quite a player, I said, coming up beside him.

Ohh, are saying youre a second-chancer then? Thats a little more believable. Though I havent heard of any of the Immortals choosing to live by themselves, so Im not sure I can fully believe you. I think its more likely youre an NPC whos just messing with me.

Im not a second-chancer.

What are you saying you are then? If you arent a player or a second-chance player, Maxwell met my eyes, then you must be an NPC.

What Im trying to say is, I was a regular player, and somehow when I died back on Earth, I ended up here.

Maxwell stopped in his tracks, staring hard at me. Now thats hard to believe. How would that even be possible?

From what I understand, I bound part of my soul here somehow. I let out a sigh. I know how ridiculous that sounds.

Youre right, that does sound ridiculous. That would imply this place is real like the Immortals claim. Ill be honest, I think youre full of shit. I dont know whats been going on with you NPCs these last few months, but your story is just too ridiculous.

How can I convince you that its true? I asked as we hiked.

Thats a hard one, Maxwell chuckled. Could you tell me about where youre supposedly from on Earth?

As we continued to hike, following the frozen, snow-covered stream, I told Maxwell about my old life. It was weird to talk about, lacking emotions like I did. Almost like a dispassionate narration of what my life had been. The only emotion I felt was remembering how much I cared for and missed my sister. I guess that was due to the fact that the emotion of love had been returned. Except, without the context of what else Id been feeling at the time, it didnt seem right.

Maxwell asked all sorts of questions. It was pretty clear he was probing to see if he believed me or not. Eventually we came out of the main valley and up where the mountains made a low shoulder, heading in the opposite direction Id gone to find the goblins. The snow at the top of the pass was deep, and our snowshoes kept us from falling through. The valley on the other side was much higher than the one we left, as we only had to transverse a little way down before coming to its floor.

We cleared the valley and hiked up the other side, crossing over another high pass. The valley on the other side was much bigger than the previous one. We worked our way down, and nearer the bottom the snow became less deep and the tops of bushes poked through.

The sun had started to set, so we decided to camp there. We looked around for a place that would shelter us from the cold and came across a small alcove created by a large rock in the cliff wall. The alcove was full of snow, but it was nothing a bit of digging couldnt alleviate to provide a decent shelter.

Maxwell and I had both brought short shovels on the probability wed have to do this, and we set to work. Once the snow was strategically piled around the alcove, we compacted it to make walls. By the time we were done, wed crafted a cozy little spot tucked behind the boulder against the cliff. It wasnt large, but that was for the better. It would take less heat to keep it warm.

As Maxwell continued to pile snow around our shelter, I foraged for wood to start a fire. Though the snow had covered everything, I was able to find several, buried fallen trees, their shapes creating white mountains in the smooth covering. I dug one out and used a hatchet to cut it into pieces, giving us a decent amount of wood that I carried back to our shelter.

It wasnt dry, obviously, but one of the advantages of being in a world that had magic, was that starting fires in the cold wasnt as hard. I worried Maxwell would freeze in the still brutally cold nights, so I headed back out to gather more.

When I returned with another armful of wood, Maxwell had gotten a fire going and was warning his hands. I made to leave to get a third load when he stopped me.

Ill go get it, he said. I shouldnt just be sitting here taking all the warmth.

While I appreciated his gesture, the sun had set, casting the valley in an ever growing darkness. Its fine. I have excellent night sight.

I headed back out. As I worked on getting the third armful of wood, a roar echoed in the valley. It was loud and intimidating. I looked in the direction it came from and saw nothing. Quickly gathering my load of wood, I headed back to our camp.

Did you hear that? Maxwell asked.

I did. You think its our quarry? I asked, using a waterproof blanket to cover the entrance and trap the heat.

Must be. Without something disturbing the creature, why would it be out wandering with snow still on the ground like this? Maxwell said.

What exactly are we hunting? I asked.

Rhea said a scout had spotted a massive bear, larger than any bear should be, wandering in this area, Maxwell said. Said the bear had a strange glow in its eyes. Itd cornered him, and hed only escaped because he wedged himself between two boulders.

Even in the winter, military scouts were stationed throughout the mountains, watching for anything out of place. I didnt blame them in a world full of magic. It was good to have people watching for dangers before they grew out of control.