44 Lich

We all got a breather as it looked like the last of the goblins had died. There were bodies strewn about everywhere. I am happy I had help this time. I most likely would have died again…well it's not like I died last time either, but who cares about semantics.

Several players came up to me and started to bombard me with questions. I should have thought this through better when I used my abilities, but I didn't think about it at the time.

"How were you flying with no wings?"

What kind of sword skill lets you shoot out energy beams!"

I tried to placate them by giving them something. I just told them the sword skill I got during a unique quest, which is technically correct. I also told them I learned the psionic skill during a dungeon, which is also technically correct.

They seemed to accept my answers for now as a majority of the players started to loot the battlefield. However, at this moment, a chill crept into the air, sending a shiver up everyone's back. A raspy voice then echoed from somewhere in the distance.

"You fools. You thought you defeated my army but only increased its size. Observe your folly," The disembodied voice exclaimed.

The goblins that we had defeated slowly rose back up, ignoring any wounds or missing body parts. At the same time, a light fog rolled out of the forest, and further in, we could see more zombie-like creatures shamble towards us off in the distance.

"Everyone in the Crimson Starlight guild! Rally on me and build a wall! We are going to give support to miss Grim Reaper," A player in gold-crimson armor shouted. The other players that responded to him charged forward with shields in front as they turned themselves into an offensive wall. I looked around, trying to figure out who this Grim Reaper person was.

"Starfall Scholars rally on me behind Crimson Starlight! Give them ranged support and heals!" A wizardly player shouted to other similar players. Other player guilds quickly adopted identical tactics to face the growing army of zombies.

"Solo players! If you are willing, rally on me, and we will do the same! Tanks protect the backline and form a wall. If you have range, attack from the back, and focus on ranged enemies. Melee DPS, focus on our sides. Don't let the enemies flank us. If anyone needs assistance, call it out. Let's support the Goddess of Destruction over there," A sizeable werewolf-like character dressed in heavy armor named Stockwulf Syndrome shouted to the other players, not in groups.

I saw several other players fly into the sky with me. They were various winged races which was quite a spectacular sight. I did notice one player wearing nothing but a loin cloth and what appears to be a large pot on his head charge into the horde of zombies. He was rolling around and cutting zombies down every time he stood up from a roll, only to repeat his rolling soon after. I think I saw his name as Mr. Tibbs. Sounds familiar, but I ignored it.

I joined in the attack, throwing some firebolts and sword beams out. Soon after, my mind started to comprehend something…more spells, I think? This must be what Leena was talking about with sorcerers learning magic instinctively. The spells began to rapidly form in my mind. I could see the intricacies of how they worked.

I queued up one of the spells I had just learned and launched an undulating, warbling mass of chaotic energy at a nearby zombie. The monster burst into flames as it fell to its knees and died…again. I cast the same spell again, and the zombie froze as it died. The effects confirmed that the spell's damage type was random. It lives up to the name of chaos bolt, for sure.

The next spell I used summoned a ghostly, skeletal hand that latched onto the zombie I targeted. I could see it take damage as parts of it seemed to rot away. It also seemed to hinder its movements as it appeared to be missing with its attacks. With my newfound spells, I started to rain them down as much as my MP would allow. My chaos bolt was the only spell that seemed to be a significant drain. Still, it also looked like it did significantly more damage too.

Looking around the battlefield, I could see the undead slowly decreasing. At this point, I also got the idea to level up my archery some. I could use my psionics to deflect the occasional attack that flew at me. I used my bow to return fire at the small groups of zombies capable of using magic.

About an hour into the battle, the disembodied voice spoke again. "You test my patience. Instead of a quick death, I'll be sure to raise your corpse with your consciousness intact, so you can despair as you have no control over your actions." The raspy voice angrily shouted.

Following the voices declaration, two large zombie creatures, looking like an amalgamation of different bodies fused together, came lumbering out of the fog. Between the two creatures stood a short goblin dressed similarly to a tribal shaman, often seen in documentaries. The skull helmet and the skulls on its staff did wonders for its outfit. Additionally, six larger goblins followed the smaller one.

"Puny humanlings, you no understand power. Lich turn all into undead," One of the giant goblins shouted.

"Yeah, wot he says! Lich more gooder goblin chief. Lich take land of 'umies." Another goblin shouted.

Soon after, the giant goblins and the two hulking monstrosities charged into battle. The Crimson Starlight guild, I think they were called, buckled under the onslaught of the attack. I flew down to them, landed next to two of the larger goblins, and used another new spell I had learned. Tendrils of dark energy erupted from my body, latching onto the goblins. In the places where the tendrils grabbed, I could see the flesh start to decay and rot away. Since they were ensnared by my spell, it also hampered their movements making their attacks less effective.

I look over to another goblin and forcefully drive psionic energy into its mind causing it to shout in pain. I then follow up with another spell. I start to whisper a discordant melody, which I recognized as Elder Speech, towards the goblin.

"AAAAAHHH! T-the darkness…it has eyes! STOP STARING AT ME!" the goblin shouted as it started to run away. Although it didn't get very far, as its head eventually exploded.

I noticed some other players nearby flinch after seeing the damage I caused. Some of them whisper something about not getting on my bad side. Eventually, a path opened up to the leader, the goblin shaman creature. I caught eyes with the big werewolf player. He nodded to me and motioned to the leader.

We both charged toward the goblin, using my psionics to mitigate its spell damage. My mana was incredibly low, just enough for a couple spells. Sickening greenish energy lashed out from my hand, hitting the creature in the chest. It was staggering, with some white foam forming on the corners of its mouth.

As we closed in, I drew my sword and charged some electricity in my hand. Once in range, I slammed my palm into its chest, discharging the gathered energy into the creature. The current surged through its body, stunning it for a moment, but that was all we needed as Stockwulf Syndrome, and I hacked away at it with our swords. It didn't take long before the goblin died, and the remaining zombies fell once he did.

At first, I was annoyed with Eri when she issued that quest, but I have to admit that it was fun teaming up with the other players. Seeing the guild coordination and even seeing the solo players temporarily join into a semblance of a cohesive order made me realize there was more to this game. Besides the, you know, impending doom of realism in the future.

All the players took a break to catch their breath, and we got a notification.

[Lich, the goblin necromancer, has been defeated.]

"So you mean this entire time, it was just some dumbass goblin named Lich. Not an actual Lich itself? I've been scammed! Give me back my hype," one player yelled. Several other players moaned in agreement. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself after finding out that Eri trolled the other players, not just me. At least I can continue with the escort.

"Hey, my name is Lloyd. I saw your battle earlier, and I was impressed. Your build confuses me as you seem to go for a bit of everything, but it seems to work for you. You don't seem incredibly tanky, but you can join our sister guild, the Starfall Scholars." Said the leader of the Crimson Starlight.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline. I already have a guild I am going to join." I responded politely.

"That's a shame, but I respect your decision. I can tell you are one of the top players just from how you fight, so if you don't mind, I'd like to add you as a friend. It's always good to have connections, and I hope they can benefit both of us." Lloyd responded.

"I, too, would like to add you as a friend. I am not in a guild, but I am a top solo player. It was fun fighting by your side in this battle. I hope in the future, if you don't mind, I'd like to PvP with you at some point. By the way, the name is Stockwulf Syndrome, but you can call me either Wulf or Syndrome." The Large werewolf player stated.

"I don't mind adding you as friends. You all seem nice enough. Let's do our best in the future." I respond back. We then add each other as friends and go our separate ways. I find Leena and Eri and join up with them.

"Very impressive! I saw you using a variety of spells. Looks like you learned your starting set of sorcerer spells. It's a shame that instead of an Arch Lich, it was just some goblin playing wanna-be necromancer." Leena excitedly said, although slightly dejected at the end.

"Thanks. I have one concern, though. It seems like I learned more spells than I should. What's up with that." I asked Leena.

"The amount you learned was normal for a sorcerer. To explain further, people born with a bloodline most often do not unlock their potential until they dabble in magic. Since you learned the fire bolt spell, by using it, you then started to unlock your bloodline, learning spells it contains."

"Those who are not born with a bloodline can still get one. It is just done specially, usually by rituals. Since they unlock a bloodline artificially, they gain immediate access to its benefits. Both methods gain about the same amount of spells starting off. Each bloodline does offer different perks, though. Some are good for healing, and others may change your appearance slightly." Leena explained.

"Ok, thanks. I think I understand a bit better. So, by using magic, I'll learn more spells instinctively granted by my bloodline?" I asked Leena.

"Yes. It's the same for both a natural and artificially gained bloodline. Once unlocked, you will slowly learn what it offers you."

"Thanks. We will rest for a moment and then continue to the city." I said as I plopped down on the ground.