“You would dare to insinuate that the one I serve is not a true God! Who do you think you are?”

  “Why don’t you tell me, Lich? You sensed my divinity the moment your consciousness entered this place, did you not? But can you say the same for your God? Do you get the same feel from them that you do from me? Or do you simply follow them because you like the sound of the promises they make? On that note, what have they promised as your reward for bringing them into this world?”

  “They are Gods, of that I am certain. Their aura may not have the same feel as yours does, but they are Gods nonetheless.” Answered the lich after some deliberation.

  “You said they? Do you serve more than one God?”

  “Indeed, though I don’t know how many there are, I have heard the voices of three so far. Sublime, authoritative, and caring are the Gods that I serve. They always want nothing but the best for the people of this world and for me. They are saddened to see the state of this world. The way that the different races bear such hatred for each other, and treat each other so poorly pains them to no end. They feel that all of the races of man are equal, and when they finally gain access to this world, they will ensure that that is exactly how it will be.

  “I see, and have they said how they intend to bring about this equality?”

  “It’s not my place to question the wills of the divine ones. It’s only my duty to do as they say so that they can bring true equality to this world and its people.”

  “These are sounding more and more like the actions of a madman to me!” said Dyyajolies. “You stand before us, having killed hundreds of people, causing them untold suffering before they died, converting their very life essence into power that you send to these Gods of yours, Gods, who I might add, have caused you to give up your humanity to become this abomination to serve them, and somehow you still believe that the tainted energy you have been sending them is going to ensure a more peaceful world?”

  “Peaceful? Whoever said anything about a peaceful world? I said a better world, one in which all people are equal. All are equal in the face of pain and suffering!” shouted the lich, getting more and more animated as he spoke. “The people of this world don’t deserve to have peace. They deserve nothing but suffering, the same suffering that caused me to become what I am today… this unholy abomination, incapable of sleep or peace, forced to walk this world for an eternity bearing a grudge that might not even be my own anymore.”

  “What do you mean by that, Lich? How did you come to be as you are now? Asked Fellaroth.

  “It was so long ago now that I can’t actually remember anymore… but it must have been truly horrible! My kind doesn’t come into existence by chance, you know. It takes a truly tormented and twisted soul to birth a Lich such as I. Untold pain and suffering over a lifetime, and the unwavering desire to make those who caused you pain suffer in ways that they could scarcely imagine… it must have been truly horrible!”

  “So you don’t actually know why you are the way you are?” asked Dyyajolies, pitying the creature before them.

  “Do you remember anything about your life before you became a Lich?” asked Fellaroth.

  “I can recall bits and pieces… it was such a long time ago now. The old Gods were still prevalent in this world, followed and beloved by all. I had been a slave… or perhaps a slave owner… or was it a merchant? A king, maybe… no, I definitely wasn’t a king. I was a person, one who was made to suffer in ways that other people could never truly understand… I must have been, otherwise I wouldn’t have become a Lich…”

  “You’re making less and less sense, Lich. Do you remember so little about your life? About why you persist in this form?” asked Dyyajolies.

  “Of course not! I’ve roamed this world for millennia now; any connection to my life has long since been erased by the passing of time. There would be none in this world today who would even remember that I had existed. And why should I care about what happened to me back then? What I do remember is that amidst the throngs of people who flocked to the churches to worship the old Gods, I alone was given the blessing of hearing the voices of the new Gods… the true Gods. They instructed me in their ways and have guided my actions in this world ever since. They guided me and showed me how to gather more power than I had ever thought possible. They showed me where I could discover the magic that would help bring them into this world, so that they might reward me for all of my devotion. They have always been with me, showing me the path to their salvation.”

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  “The path to their salvation, not the salvation of the people of this world.” Said Fellaroth, attempting to show the Lich the folly of his ways. “This world is a beautiful place, one where people are able to lead amazing lives, love, and feel loved. Raise children, and if they so choose, leave a legacy for others to remember them by. I do agree that there are some people in this world who are tainted by evil thoughts and actions, but that alone does not mean that the entire world should burn because of the actions of so few.”

  “The actions of so few? What are you talking about, oh forgotten God? The actions you speak of were carried out by entire nations, not just a handful of people. If it were the will of the few, then why do the many not rise up and put an end to their actions? The answer is because they feel the same way. Humans live short lives and are comparatively weaker than the other races; this has always been the cause of conflicts in this world. The older and stronger races have always looked down on the human race. They have tried killing, enslaving and subjugating them since the very beginning. It is just the way this world works; the strong will always dominate the weak, and I am about to show the strong what true power actually is. When the true Gods enter this world, the stronger races will be as weak and pitiful before these Gods as the humans are before them, and all will know true despair!”

  “We’re wasting our time here, Fellaroth. He doesn’t know anymore about these Gods than he has said.” Said Dyyajolies in a hushed voice.

  “I had hoped to gather some real information about these Gods and who they actually are, but I think you’re right, we’re not going to get anywhere with this.” Answered Fellaroth in the same hushed tone.

  “Oh my, are you done with the niceties now? Have you gotten the information from me that you had hoped to get?” asked the Lich. “Shall we finally get on with the fighting, so that I can get back to finding new people to continue my ritual?” he yelled, as the books that floated around his head began to open. In an instant, magical spells began firing off in rapid succession. Fireballs were followed by spears of ice and shards of rock, while behind Fellaroth and Dyyajolies, the bodies of the dead townspeople began to stir. Using their weapons to deflect the incoming spells, they assessed the area, looking for an opening that might allow them a direct attack on the Lich.

  With the volley of spells coming at them unrelentingly, Fellaroth and Dyyajolies found themselves cornered when they were suddenly assaulted from the rear by a band of rotting assailants. The risen corpses of the people of Cruwshant carried no weapons and moved painfully slowly, but their sheer numbers, combined with the barrage of spells being cast by the Lich, meant that they posed a real threat to the two adventurers who had yet to see them coming.

  “Is there no end to his mana?” yelled Dyyajolies, while doing his best to avoid an ice spear and deflecting a fireball.

  “Liches are being of immense magical power; he should be able to keep this up for quite some time.” Said Fellaroth as out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the approaching horde. Using his shortened spear, Fellaroth deflected one of the incoming shards of ice, redirecting it so that it impaled the head of an undead that was about to attack Dyyajolies from behind. “It looks like he decided to go with a two-pronged attack. Watch your back, we appear to have company.”

  “Why are we playing this game, Fellaroth?” asked Dyyajolies, turning around and slicing clean through three of the approaching undead with a single swing. “You’re a God, are you not? Is it not within your power to put an end to this right now? None of your party is here to see you, and we’re clearly not going to get any worthwhile information from this fool!”

  “Very well!” answered Fellaroth, swinging his spear in a wide arch, slicing every undead behind him in two, leaving their bodies to fall to the ground where they were, before he turned his attention to the Lich, who had not stopped casting spells. “Enough!” he exclaimed as he clicked his fingers, causing the magical tomes that floated around the Lich to burn to ashes before their eyes. In an instant, Fellaroth had appeared in the air with his face mere inches away from the Lich’s. “Who leads this evil religion in this world?” he asked without pause.

  Stunned by the ease with which Fellaroth was able to do away with this undead horde and his magical tomes, the Lich lurched backwards and stammered for a moment. “You truly are a God!... No one leads the religion; the Gods direct it themselves.” He added after some thought.

  “There still has to be a representative in this world, a figurehead, a Pope if you will?” asked Fellaroth, advancing on the Lich.

  “I know of no such being in this world; my Gods need no one to drive their faithful. One need only hear their voice to know the truth!”

  “Then you are no longer of any use to me!” Fellaroth said flatly, as he effortlessly drove his unextended spear up through the head of the Lich. “Take your eternal rest now, Lich. May you find peace in your next life.” He added, pulling his spear from its head, and allowing the lifeless body to drop to the ground.

  “That was pretty cold!” said Dyyajolies, watching the Lich's lifeless body hit the ground.

  “Would you rather I played with him and drew it out as he would have done?”

  “Well, no, but damn, I wasn’t expecting that!”

  “It’s done, we should head to the surface and see what can be done for the survivors.”

  “Very well.” Agreed, Dyyajolies, adding. “You needn’t worry about me telling the others of your divinity, that duty still lies with you.”

  “Thank you!” said Fellaroth, touching down on the ground again, before the two of them started to make their way back to the surface.