Daughter of Death - A Necromantic LitRPG

A weight was lifted from Lieze’s shoulders. Somehow, against all odds - against the wills of the Gods themselves, even, she had won. Every Scion had fallen by her hand, and all that remained was to take the final step. She waited for the fire to dwindle and approached Kesset’s corpse. An ichorous mixture of blood and liquefied viscera leaked steadily from his mouth. Though she couldn’t be certain, Lieze imagined his eyes bulging and seeking still. She peeled his long, twiggy arm from the floor and turned it over to see a gemstone fused to its palm. Having failed to satisfy the Gods, the unerring force keeping it attached to the Head Shaman had weakened, and all it took was a firm pull from Lieze to tear it off.

She would have spent more time basking in her victory if circumstances allowed, but the battle beyond the palace’s walls was still raging on in the distance. She could feel the waves of necromantic sorcery pulsing through her skull. She would not be returning, hands extended, with the spoils of her victory on that day, for she knew that as soon as the gemstone was incorporated, the beginning of the end would begin.

“Hm…” All of a sudden, she found herself hesitant. Misplaced. With the power to end the world in her grasp, she only just then recognised the weight of her own responsibility, “...I suppose I’ll never be more ready than I am now.”

Carefully, she brought the gemstone towards her own, shivering as it melted and dissolved into the palm of her hand. The Elven thralls and Fudge awaited their next orders with infallible obedience, unaware that they had already played their part in the cosmic events to come.

Divine Providence Accepted

Calibrating Subject [Lieze Sokalar]

Please Wait…

I am the One who wears every mask.

I am comedy. I am tragedy.

If thou seekest power, then become one with my chaos.

In the name of Salvation…

Scion [Kes’axumagnulet-En’budla’Akzhem-Yaan’mus’Kes’axucenarek] Incorporated

Current Scion Level - 6

Heavenly Favour Learned - [Peerless Metamorphosis]

WARNING!

ABILITIES LOST:

[Heavenly Favour - Peerless Metamorphosis]

Heavenly Favour Learned - [Rapturous Detonation]

Another Heavenly Favour. She didn’t bother taking a look at its description, knowing full-well she’d never get the chance to use it. A thought drumming at the back of her skull wondered just how powerful she could have become if the Order’s crusade was allowed to continue unabated. She may have conquered the entire world - perhaps even worlds beyond her own. The temptation of limitless power was swaying, but Lieze couldn’t bear to betray her own expectations. Now that the final Scion was dead, she thought, it wouldn’t matter whether she wished to remain or not.

As soon as the final gemstone was in her possession, a deafening claxon assaulted her ears. Something tore in the air, and with it arrived a terrible, screeching wail, as if reality itself was being rent asunder. Lieze turned her head to spot a rift splitting the air just a few metres away, encircled with bands of lightning which lashed out at the floor. The sudden light forced her to look away, but soon, the portal stabilised, and it remained there - hovering, shimmering, inviting her into its threshold.

“...I suppose this must be the Sages’ doing.” She muttered, “Not sure how confident I am about stepping through a random portal, but I suppose there’s no other choice…”

She could feel the hairs on her scalp tingling with activity as she drew close. Holding out an arm to test the proverbial waters, she felt a shock coursing through her flesh when her fingers grazed the rift’s surface, dipping beneath its rippling folds like a disturbed pond. Then, after taking a preparatory breath, she placed one foot ahead and into the threshold.

Being teleported, as it turned out, wasn’t nearly as convenient or instantaneous as she would have imagined. Beyond the rift’s surface was a world she had never seen before - beyond the astral sea and beyond the limitations of the material plane, where colours and shapes collided to form impossible fractals surging out from nothingness. It was not the stress-free experience of Lieze’s circlet, but a chaotic crossing through a realm that would surely draw all those who coveted it towards madness.

Then, as if her visit to the world-between-worlds was unwelcome, she was deposited - unceremoniously - onto a perfectly white plane, left only with the beginnings of a killer headache from the trip.

She recognised her location immediately. Her first trip to the Light in Chains’ celestial prison was woefully short, but rather memorable - if only because it featured exactly one point of interest. Above her, pushed indeterminately into the distance, was the spherical form of the gaoled God, now with only a single, enormous chain struggling to contain its glory.

Lieze pushed back the dull pain in her head whenever she looked at it and attempted to discern any kind of information. Too far away to conceivably read, the deity’s statistics expanded to cover her field of vision.

???

Level ??? Celestial

HP - 1.922168e+20 / 1.922168e+20 MP - 1.7683945e+22 / 1.7683945e+22

BODY - N/A MIND - N/A SOUL - N/A

“You will discern very little from analysing those whose capabilities are beyond your ability to understand.”

When Lieze lowered her gaze, she was surrounded. Not by enemies, but by sixteen ephemeral figures encircling her position. Of their faces, only two were recognisable - the twin Sages she had already made contact with once before on her journey.

“Oh. You’ve all appeared. I suppose I should be honoured.” She said, “I don’t see any numbers over your heads, though. Aren’t you supposed to be Gods yourselves? Or something very similar?”

“Our corporeal form resides elsewhere. This particular interdiction is nothing more than a projection of our combined wills across time and space.” When the Sages answered, their voices were conjoined. Lieze wasn’t sure which of them to look towards, “The classical deities are forbidden from entering this space, but as recent ascendants, we are bound by no such laws. With that said, bringing you here was a task that required considerable effort on our part.”

“I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain.” She launched straight into the heart of the matter, “The Scions are dead. This wicked ‘game’ ordained by the Gods had reached its conclusion, but I have no intention of satisfying my bargain with the Blackbriar.”

“Yes… you proved yourself a more capable candidate than our calculations could have ever predicted.” The Sages replied, “The rightful Scion is gifted with the ability to usher in their patron deity’s reign. Thus shall follow an age of renowned prosperity - or despair, depending on the victor.”

“I already know this.” Lieze crossed her arms, “What would interest me is how exactly the Gods came to hold dominion over our world. Magic is a primordial force which existed long before our time, and during the development of our cultures, it was believed to be nothing more than an extension of divinity. But what I’ve learned about the Gods - and how you speak of them - seems to imply that’s not entirely true.”

At her request, hundreds of rifts identical to the one she’d stepped through ripped open within the bare, pearlescent space. Within their shimmering basins, she could spot suggestions of civilisation, culture, war, and faith; grand cities constructed within enormous, subterranean chambers, their enigmatic leaders, and wielders of fabled sorcery devastating entire armies. Like animated paintings, they cycled through scenes of peace and carnage alike, creating a tapestry of unknown history.

“It cannot be said where the masters of this world originated from.” The Sages began, “As is suggested by history, they may very well be divine beings. But their origins may just as easily be nestled within the stars themselves. Grand, incomprehensible creatures from a region of deep space? The last survivors of an ancient, starborne civilisation? Even in our ascended state, the answer has proven elusive. Only one thing is for certain: they are powerful. So powerful, in fact, that an act of rebellion from any one of their kind is a sin punishable by eternal solitude.”

Lieze looked towards the Light in Chains. As she’d learned during her second visit to a Sage’s tower, the gemstones of the Scions had been carved from its prismatic flesh and used to impart strength upon those whom the Gods had declared their champions. Those lost scraps of deific flesh trembled with power still, eager to return to their rightful place.

“If the Gods are so keen on exerting their influence over the world, then why bother with this ‘trial’ to begin with?” She asked, “Can’t they just… fight to decide the victor?”

“A battle between two such beings - never mind all of them - would no doubt have catastrophic implications for this planet’s survival.” The Sages answered, “Faith is their driving force. It sustains them as food and water sustains man. As such, this world is of significant importance to their survival.”

“-But the Light in Chains has no interest in survival.” Lieze closed her eyes, “Releasing it from this prison will trigger a celestial conflict all but guaranteed to wipe the cosmos clean. But if that’s the case, why haven’t the previous Scions managed to free it?”

“Only those basking in the presence of this extra-dimensional prison may commune with the Light in Chains.” They explained, “The sole purpose of our ascension to the realm of divinity was to gain access to this realm. We then left evidence of our passing so that a prospective and worthy Scion would learn of our mission to eliminate the forces that bind this world to its endless wheel. Lieze Sokalar - you are that Scion.”

“Yes, yes. Just another piece in this very large, very complicated game of yours.” She nodded along with their nods, “Now tell me - how exactly is this going to end? Are you going to use the power of the Scions to destroy this reality as you promised, or is this conversation just a preamble before you inform me in no uncertain terms that you planned on betraying me from the very beginning?”

For the first time, she was met with silence from the Sages. That single instant of hesitation on their side told her all she needed to know - not that she hadn’t been prepared for it all along.

“...For the sake of celestial conservation, we omitted certain details of our arrangement.” They continued, “It may be considered prudent to destroy the Gods to prevent their influence from affecting the world’s future, but releasing the Light in Chains would have far-reaching consequences for the stability of this reality.”

Lieze sighed, “-So you misled me.”

“Your aid was central to our plans. We had no other choice.”

“Out with it, then. Tell me your grand scheme to right the inherent wrongs of this plane.”

Another portal opened next to her. Beyond it, she could see one of the circular chambers hidden beneath the Sage’s towers. Considering the intact state of its foci, it had to be one she had never visited.

“You are familiar with the beacons we constructed. These functioned as powerful magical devices capable of circumventing the pact binding we celestial beings to inaction.” They explained, “That is to say - they allow us a modicum of influence within the mortal world. Two were destroyed as a result of the mana required to remain in contact with you. Though you did not witness it, another was sacrificed to bring you here. Thirteen of these beacons remain across the continent.”

A cluster of portals appeared to display the beacons in sequence, three of which were devoid of the crystals used to channel power from the heavens.

“And?” Lieze asked, “I assume they serve some other purpose?”

“Truthfully, the beacons have a secondary function.” The Sages continued, “With the power of the Godflesh you have gathered over the course of your crusade, we may inherit the position of the world’s custodians. With our influence uncontested, we plan to use the beacons as foci for a powerful spell capable of dominating and controlling the Light in Chains.”

“Of course.” Lieze couldn’t bring herself to sound particularly upset, “I should have figured something like this would happen all along.”

“We do not intend to perpetuate the cycle of Scions. With the Light in Chains under our control, the celestial power balance will be tilted in our favour. The Gods are fickle and reluctant to ally with one-another. Chaos shall dominate their ranks while we and the Light in Chains systematically uproot their corrupt system.”

“And at the end, the only ‘God’ left standing will be you.” Lieze summarised, “I understand. Very cunning. But my intention was to destroy not only every God, but reality itself. I don’t suppose you plan on honouring that agreement?”

“Naturally, the world must remain as it is.” Her answer arrived immediately, spoken in perfect unison, “The Light of Chains will be disposed of following its service, to prevent another celestial catastrophe from occurring.”

“I see…” She nodded, “I’m not sure I can tolerate that.”

“Regretfully, we never intended for you to have a choice in the matter, Lieze Sokalar.” Every ethereal pair of eyes was locked upon her, “You have the choice of handing over your perfected gemstone willingly. We would be willing to return you to your comrades’ side if you display obedience.”

“Obedience…” Lieze repeated, “I hate that word.”

She lifted her hand, exposing the gemstone embedded in her palm.

“When last we spoke, you told me that this stone was carved from the Light in Chains’ flesh.” She said, “I thought that was very interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I just had to entertain a foolish idea of mine. If it just so happened that my benefactors planned on betraying me… why not have a backup plan, just in case? That was my thinking, anyway.”

“Bluffing will not save you.” The Sages replied, “We are unable to harm you beyond exceptional circumstances of faith, as dictated by the pact to which all deific beings are bound. But this plane is devoid of life, and you will inevitably perish of dehydration. You cannot emerge victorious from this encounter, Lieze Sokalar.”

She wasn’t listening to them anymore. Her gaze was focused on the notification sprawling across her field of view - a spell she concocted many moons ago, just before the Order breached into Akzhem.

Technique Summary

Name: [Infectious Implantation] Type: [Active]

Description - By implanting a compatible piece of reanimated flesh onto a living subject, the subject in question will undergo a quick and efficient transformation into an undead thrall. When reanimated in this manner, the thrall’s level is equal to their level while alive, ignoring any bonuses from the caster’s [Necromancy] skills.