Lich Encounter: Part 4

I stared silently at the floor as Lani carried me through the eerie, echoing passageways. My illumination spell was starting to dim, but it wasn't like I needed it anymore as escape from her icy grip was impossible. I closed my eyes in despair, knowing that I would soon be reunited with Alyssa, and subject to whatever perverted punishment she was cooking up for my attempt at escaping her. All I could hear was the ragged sound of my own breathing and the heavy sound of Lani's boots on the stone floor.

"Still feelin' down, darlin'?" Lani suddenly asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"What do you think?" I bitterly replied. What did she expect? I was being dragged back to some dead pervert who surely would never allow me to see the light of day again. Was I expected to just get over this?

"Aw, come on now, you have it good" the Ghoul responded quickly. "The boss is real good with that eromancy magic. She's a Lich, right? It's pretty much her thing. I bet she does stuff to you that no livin' girl ever could."

I felt my face burn in shame as I silently agreed. While it was true that a human woman would be incapable of inflicting such intense pleasure, my main complaint was that I had no choice in the matter. Good sex was not satisfactory compensation for having to spend the rest of my life trapped in a cold, lonely tomb with only a few undead for company. I also resented only being seen as a plaything or test subject by an insane mage who thought I would be won over through sex alone. Thinking about it, my main issue was consent, or the lack thereof.

"Heh. I thought that'd shut you up. I heard you squealin' last night, 'bet everyone down here did." Lani teased with a slight laugh. "Ain't nothin' to be embarrassed about now. We all have needs, but you Order types are too stuck up to admit it. You gotta loosen up a bit and enjoy yourself."

Wait. She heard me when...

I just hung there, glad that the light was finally dying so I could pretend the dark was swallowing me up. It was embarrassing enough when I thought only Alyssa was listening, but knowing that her servants could hear me in my shame was just too much.

Lani must have sensed my discomfort "I told you there's nothin' to feel ashamed of. You and the Boss are married, it's only natural to want to fuck each others brains out. What ain't natural is repressing it all."

Ugh, I needed to take my mind off this. Besides, I had questions: "Hey, uh, Lani?" I began

"Yeah?"

"Ross was using a divine weapon when he fought you, right? And when we met you had a stab wound on your chest."

"Yeah, it hurt like a bitch." The Ghoul grumbled. "It wasn't very gentlemanly of him to stab a lady like that, I only wanted to show him a good time. Still might if the Boss left anything of him." I heard a faint giggle.

"How are you still moving, then? Divine weapons destroy the undead, but you regenerated like it was just a regular injury."

"Like I'd know. Maybe the Boss is just that good at necromancy? Why don't you just ask her?"

I suppose I shouldn't have expected much. Lani was just a servant of the Lich, it wasn't like she'd know much about the magic that bound her to this place. Time to ask something else, then.

"Did you see another Paladin about? There were two with me."

The Ghoul thought for a short while. "Hmm... no, just that one cutie. I didn't see anyone else."

"I see..." No news on Kyle, then. That left two possibilities: either he was hiding somewhere in the catacombs and planning something, or he had fled. Not a fitting action for a Paladin, but I couldn't say that I blamed him if this was his decision, considering what he was up against. The dimming light orb finally faded to nothing, and I was left blind, accompanied only by the echoing noise of the Ghoul's footsteps.

"I guess you can't see now, huh?" Lani asked, sounding concerned. "Don't worry, darlin', we're almost there." I briefly considered casting the spell again, or even using that rudimentary healing spell on Lani that I had learned for emergencies. I read that healing spells were damaging or at least painful to the undead, but I quickly dismissed the idea. There was no point in wasting my energy on casting either of the spells; sight was unnecessary whilst I was being carried, and a barely noticeable healing spell would have no effect on an undead that appeared to be immune to divine weapons. I already had already angered one monster, it would be best to avoid repeating my mistake.

"Here we are!" Lani chimed, and I felt my stomach tense up. I could faintly make out bookshelves on the walls in a faint orange glow, and realized that we were standing back in Alyssa's chambers.

"I told you that I was not to be disturbed." Alyssa's voice held its usual calm, but there was also anger in there.

"Sorry Boss!" Lani cheerfully replied, seemingly unconcerned with her master's displeasure. "I know I messed up earlier, but look what I have!" She gently put me back on my feet, facing the Lich. The candles from this morning were still bathing the room in a gentle, warm light, illuminating the three of us. I noticed that Alyssa's cloak was more tattered before, and her body had several fading wounds across it. She pointed to something laying on the floor, and my heart shuddered when I noticed that it was Ross.

"You let THAT into my chamber to attack both my husband and myself." Alyssa slowly approached the Ghoul. I noticed a gash on the side of her face closing up rapidly until not a trace of any injury remained. "Your incompetence could have cost me my husband, Lani." Alyssa glared right into the Ghoul's face. "And that would have cost YOU dearly."

"Oh come on now, Boss" Lani argued, unafraid. "No harm's been done, I got your husband back, and it looks like you even taught Sir Knight some manners. What's the point in getting all steamed up?"

The Lich glared at Lani for a moment and looked like she was about to say something, but instead stopped and said "I'll deal with you later, I have more important things to attend to." Alyssa dismissed the Ghoul and motioned to Ross. "I have no use for this, so I suppose you can have it if you want."

Lani's face grew into that frightening wide smile again "Thanks Boss!" She licked her lips and bent over Ross "We're gonna have some fun tonight, sweetie!" Despite his heavy armour, she effortlessly tossed the man over her shoulder and left the room. "See you around, darlin'!"

I felt myself beginning to tremble. I was alone with HER again.

"And as for you..." I felt a cold, sharp pain across my face as the chamber echoed with the sound of Alyssa slapping me. "Why did you run? I only wanted to love you!" She actually sounded hurt. "I saw your face when we were experimenting, you experienced pleasure far beyond anything a human could normally achieve, so why?" Alyssa stared mournfully into my eyes.

She looked so upset that I was about to apologize instinctively, but I stopped myself. She was the one in the wrong here: "I missed the sun, Alyssa!" I snapped. "Did you honestly think that I'd be happy trapped in a dark room getting continually raped by some horny corpse? You say you love me, but what do you actually know about me? Barely anything, that's what. The only thing that matters to you is sex."

She just stared silently, thinking for a few seconds. "You misunderstand, Rez. Pleasure is very important to me, and it is to all Mamono, but there really is more to me than that. I've been down here for a very long time, and these urges begin to eat away at you. Of course I'm going to overwhelm the first man I catch with pleasure, I've been aching to do so for so long!" She held my head in her cold hands, her voice getting desperate. "Our experiments aren't only about pleasure, either. My magic is powerful, but it still needs an energy source. Your Spirit Energy allows me to reach my full potential and I never have to worry about running low on magic. You have to understand, Rez, you really do complete me."

She stopped briefly, and seemed to get an idea as a wry smile spread across her face. "If pleasure really isn't enough, then I can offer you so much more! Look around you, Rez. Do you see all these books? There's knowledge in this room that is unavailable anywhere else in the world, magic that could make you rival even the greatest mages. If you wanted, I could even teach you how to use it. How does that sound? You continue to aid me in my research, and I'll give you knowledge in return."

This was unexpected. I thought there was going to be some humiliating punishment for all this, but instead it seemed that my captor was willing to compromise. I still wasn't overly fond of my situation, but it seemed that Alyssa genuinely wanted my company after all, and it was highly unlikely that I would get another opportunity to run away. Even if I did, the undead guards would be back, and there would be Lani to deal with too. The odds were stacked entirely against getting out of here with my current skills, but maybe I could learn something useful in these forbidden tomes. Something that might give me the edge I needed. In the worst case scenario, I would at least gain some interesting knowledge that few would possess. "You know what? Its a deal."

The Lich smiled happily for a brief moment, before quickly changing her expression back to the normal stoic gaze. "Well then..." Alyssa let her hands fall back to her sides, and her voice returned to its usual calm "Ahem... I can forgive you this one transgression, my dear husband, but further escape attempts will not be tolerated!" She walked over to the table where I noticed the old Zipanguize manual was still laying.

I could see where this was going already, and that was fine for now, but I had questions that needed answering. "Before we do anything, I want to ask you a couple of things."

Alyssa stopped thumbing through the book and looked up. "Back to stalling already, are we?"

I shook my head. "No, I really want some answers. Firstly, is Ross going to be OK?"

"He'll be fine, I only paralyzed him with my magic. Lani will most likely take him as a husband now, so I hope he enjoys blowjobs." Alyssa said, with a slightly smug smirk.

"Eh, OK then. Secondly: How are you and your servants able to just shrug off divine weapons? I'm not an expert on the undead, but even I know that's impossible."

Alyssa stood silently holding the book in her hands, before flatly responding "I'm sorry, Rez, but after today I can't trust you with that kind of information. Not yet."

That was fair, I supposed. But still... "Is it something to do with the ancient tome I was sent to collect, The Song of the Dead?"

Alyssa's expression didn't change, but I was certain that I saw one of her eyelids twitch a little at the name. "I told you, we'll discuss this later when I feel that I can trust you some more."

"You promised me knowledge, and this sounds pretty important-"

"Rez, we've both been through a lot today, drop it and we'll talk about it later."

I sighed in defeat. It looked like I wasn't going to get that out of her just yet. I could see where she was coming from, in the last few days I had planned on destroying her Phylactery and tried to escape the tomb. I would have to spend more time around Alyssa to get this information from her, not that I had a choice in this to begin with.

Alyssa buried her head in the book once again "Now, page 48 wasn't it? Oh....yes...!"

Short of Kyle suddenly bursting into the room, it looked like I'd actually have to go through with this...