The woman laying on his operating table screamed in pain as Arther cut into her abdomen with his knife. His fingers, long since decayed to bone, were swift and sure as the lich opened her womb. He reached inside her body and pulled out a small baby.
“A girl.” His two toned voice spoke. “Alive.”
“Thank the gods.” The woman panted. “Was the project a success?”
Arther turned the baby around to show her mother. The small child was holding an ephemeral ball in it’s arms.
“It would appear so.” He said. “However, it looks like you won’t survive. She took too much from you.”
The woman nodded tiredly.
“Do you want me to convert you?” Arther asked as he cleaned the baby with a wet cloth. “I understand children need their mothers.”
The woman coughed up blood trying to answer. “Would I be the same?”
“At best you would be similar, but muted. It has so far proven impossible to perfectly recreate the emotional systems. Moreover, your case is unique and I’m not sure even my power would be able to bring you back with any level of intelligence. Frankly, I’m surprised you lived this long without any mental degeneration.”
“I want to protect my baby.” She breathed. “But not as a monster. Give her my glasses. My husband had enchantments put on them for protection and health.”
“As you wish. I do appreciate your contribution to the cause.” Arther said. “I will make sure your soul finds peace in the afterlife.”
“I’ll find my own way. Involve my husband. I did this for him.” She struggled to say. “Protect my daughter.” She finished with her last breath.
A skeleton appeared with white clothe and covered the corpse almost immediately. “Save the glasses, and bring them to the sterile room” the lich ordered before leaving the skeleton crew to clean up the operation chamber and prepare the body for burial. Instead he took the baby, still quiet but looking intently at him, down a dusty and cobwebbed hallway. His boots, barely staying together, stomped on stairs as his long jacket waved from the wind passing through his rib cage. A sturdy door opened before him and the lich continued past two undead orc guards down an equally unkempt hallway to another set of stairs. These were also protected by a pair of armed and armored undead trolls. They stood unmoving as their master stomped up the stairs to an open space. There were multiple doors on every wall, and the lich strode resolutely to the cleanest looking one. With his free hand he pushed it open, revealing a clean, white room, not a spot of dust or cobweb inside the space. The only furniture was a crib, covered in magic circles and glyphs.
Arther carefully placed the baby inside the crib with her unprotected soul still in her grasp. The moment his hand left the basket space, the child froze in place. Once free of the child, Arther pulled a notebook from one of the pockets in his coat and began to take notes.
“Project 71554, so far a success.” He said to himself. “Host did not survive the birth, but provided some protection. The child seems healthy despite at least some portion of it’s soul existing outside the body. I’ll need to place it in something to create it’s first phylactery.”
The lich stopped writing for a moment to stare at the child in her crib, blue orbs in his eye sockets examining the still form.
“I need to find a way to keep it alive.”
“Master Nightweaver” a ghoul spoke from the door. “It is time to head to the quarterly gathering of masters.”
A sigh rattled the lich’s jaw. “Send a representative. I have nothing to report, and I care not for the living.”
“As you wish-”
“Wait.” Arther interrupted the hunched over zombie. “Do you know if my infernal grandfather will be there?”
“I understand he will be, Master Nightweaver.”
“He has raised children before. I will ask him to assist.” The lich said to himself. “Go get my clean robes and meet me at the door.”
“As you wish, Master.”
The lich’s eyes scanned the newborn one last time in the stasis enchanted crib before leaving the room. He made his way toward the front of his home, where the ghoul stood with folded robes raised in his arms. Arther shrugged off the lab coat, which was immediately picked up and folded by another ghoul, before grabbing and putting on the thicker robes. He tied a sash above his hip bones to partially close the garment on his body, and lifted the hood up to further hide his lack of skin.
Dressed for public, the lich left his home and walked through a decrepit courtyard to the front gate. On the other side, the city was bustling and alive. With a snap of his bony fingers a small single person carriage drove up, pulled by large undead horse. A clean and dressed zombie sat atop it with the reins. Arther left his property and got into the carriage, which had no windows.
“To the tower.” He ordered his minion, before feeling the vehicle start forward. But for one short stop, the carriage maintained a steady pace until the undead servant opened the door to reveal a tall, smooth, tower reaching above the cloud lines. Mages of all kinds, administrators, and businessmen of all stripes were moving to and from the huge building. With a bony grimace, Arther joined the throng. Few gave him a second glance as he ascended the stairway, eschewing the enchanted stairs that moved on their own.
Inside the tower, he followed a familiar path through corridors that all looked the same until he stopped at a door that appeared like any other. With a deep, unnecessary, breath he opened it to find a large room.
The centerpiece was a large round table, whereupon several witches and wizards sat. Others stood around talking amicably with each other.
Arther found his grandfather speaking with a blond witch. They were both smiling as the woman was telling his not distant enough relative something. The lich walked up to them and waited for her to finish the story.
“And then Alice finally rolled over all by herself. I’m so proud.” The woman was finishing.
Arther’s grandfather was smiling before he noticed him, and when he did, his grin became even larger.
“Sorry Jessica. As enthralling as new baby stories are, it isn’t often my grandson comes to see me.”
“Of course, I understand.” Jessica said, nodding. “I’ll talk to you after the meeting.”
“Do not call me that, Koza.” Arther said as soon as the blond witch was out of range.
“Why not? It’s true. Not including the generation skip.” Koza answered. “But enough of the same old conversation. I was certain you’d send the same well dressed zombie to report nothing has changed amongst local necromancers. What brings you here, and to me?”
“One of my experiments finally bore fruit. However, having not been among the living for quite some time, I am inexperienced in what I should do so that it doesn’t go to waste.”
“Have you adopted a child?” Koza asked, shocked. “You know the tower doesn’t approve of using necromancy on minors.”
“I would rather not elaborate here. But yes, a child is involved, and I… need your assistance.” The lich said through gritted teeth.
Koza looked around the room. “If a child is involved with you, I would rather not wait until the meeting is over to find out more. Luckily it looks like Etna is here; she can cover for the warlocks. Let’s skip this.”
“I appreciate your expedience, if not your lack of trust. I have never harmed a child.” Arther said, walking with his grandfather towards the exit.
“And yet you are asking me for assistance with one.” Koza said jovially as he waved to someone entering the room. “Let’s get a portal. It’s much too long to walk, and I know your personal carriage couldn’t fit us both.”
The two masters walked through the towers halls, taking a route away from the entrance and instead up several flights.
“Why do you insist on walking up stairs?” Koza asked when they climbed the last set.
“I will not use your enchantments for my convenience.” Arther responded.
The warlock grunted before entering into a new room, of similar size to the one they’d left. Several desks were placed about in haphazard order. Witches and wizards of several races sat at them processing paperwork.
“Master Koza, shouldn't you be at the quarterly meeting?” a gnome asked from nearby.
“Etna is there. I’ll connect with her later.” The warlock answered with a dismissive hand wave. “My grandson needs my help, and as rare as that is I had to assist. Could we get a portal to his home?”
The gnome looked at the lich blandly, not a speck of skin on his bones underneath his robes.
“Of course. Can I get your address?”
Arther gave it, and both masters watched as the gnome drew glyphs upon a door shaped design on the nearby wall. Water seemed to pour from the top to the bottom as soon as she finished writing the last one. The two wizards walked through it, immediately appearing on the street outside the lich’s residence.
“If children are involved, I should summon Angela.” Koza said suddenly. “I should have called her before we used the portal.”
The warlock pulled a rolled up cloth from his robes and placed it on the ground, showing a complex spell form. It glowed as the warlock activated it, and a succubus rose from the ground to stand before them. She wore the conservative clothes of a librarian, with a book in one hand and half moon glasses on her nose.
“Master Koza I was just sorting your library after the mess your apprentices made of it.” She pouted sternly. Then she noticed the lich.
“Good Afternoon, Arther.”
“And to you, Ms. Angela.” The lich said automatically. “Would a succubus know how to deal with children?”
Angela raised an eyebrow at the lich. “First of all, Arther, that was very rude. You know very well I am capable of raising children. Secondly, Koza, why are we outside Arther's manor, talking about children?”
The warlock shrugged. “Ask him.”
“Follow me, and I will show you.”
The lich allowed the two to enter his demesne, leading them through the courtyard and into the home.
“I certainly hope you don’t have children living here. It is filthy.” Angela sniffed at the dust and cobwebs.
Arther pulled a notebook from his robes and noted the comment down as they ascended creaking stairs to the large space of the second floor. He led them to the cleanest door and opened it to reveal the sterile room decorated with the sole crib.
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“Inside the crib is the culmination of my research. Her mother died giving birth to her and I need for her to survive for my research. Obviously, I am not well suited to that.” Arther explained as Angela rushed to the crib.
“Why would a mother give you her baby?” Angela asked. “Is that her soul she holding?”
“Her mother was a willing participant in an experiment and the baby is the result. Yes, she is holding some portion of her soul.”
Koza had more sedately wandered over to the crib and was studying the enchantments. “These are pretty powerful stasis enchantments. How old is this baby? Being in stasis too long is not healthy for young humans not used to magic.”
“Barely an hour. I came almost directly to the meeting after her birth.”
“Does she need glasses already?” Angela asked, noticing the pair in the crib.
“They belonged to her mother, and it was her last wish that she have them. Now, enough questions. How do I keep her alive?”
The warlock rubbed his chin. “You’re going to need a lot of things. First and foremost however, is a wet nurse. Children need nutrition only mothers can give. If you get a good wet nurse, they can also act as a mother surrogate. They’ll be able to tell you what else you’d need, things like clothes, diapers, learning toys, and the like.”
“Can I pull her out?” Angela asked.
“You may.” Arther relented. “A wet nurse? Where can I find such a person?”
Angela carefully pulled the little girl from the stasis enchantment. The moment she was out, her eyes began to look around the room until they landed on the succubus. Her grip tightened on the ephemeral cloud in her arms.
“She’s such a good baby.” The demon commented. “It’s OK. I’m not after your soul.”
“I’ll investigate. I’m sure you heard Jessica just had a baby, she will probably know where to look.” Koza answered his grandson. “And better coming from me, than you. I saw you write it down, but you’ll want to clean this place up, and keep it clean. Babies are notoriously susceptible to sickness.”
“Very well. Is there anything else I can do immediately while you assist me with that?” Arther asked.
“We’re taking her with us.” Angela declared. “This is no place for a baby. We’ll bring her back when this place is clean and we have a wet nurse for her.”
The blue flame in one of Arther’s eye sockets flickered.
“We will protect her, do not worry, grandson. I understand how fledgling experiments are like a baby you want to protect. And this one is actually a baby. I’ll make sure Angela documents everything for your review.”
“I need to create a phylactery for her.” Arther finally said, trying to keep the couple from taking his prize. “You both know what the danger of having any part of the soul outside the body.”
Angela pursed her lips. The succubus adjusted the baby to fit in one arm, and pulled out a wand from her skirt. She waved it, and a small glass jar appeared in the air. It floated until the woman pocketed her wand and pulled it from the air. She popped it open with one hand, and put it under the baby’s soul. The little girl’s eyes widened as it slowly lost it’s grasp on the glowing orb. The ephemeral essence filled the jar, and then Angela popped the lid back on. The little girl struggled, grasping for the jar, and it was handed to her, immediately calming her.
“No better immediate, or lasting, protection for a soul then a succubus jar. I’ll even let you keep it when we give her back.” She told the lich. “By the way, what is her name?”
Arther ground his teeth for a moment, unable to argue the point. “Project 71554 is her designation.”
“That is hardly a name for such a cute little girl.”
“How about Lissa?” Koza recommended. “If you rearrange the numbers a little, it looks like that on paper.”
“Much better.” Angela cooed to the little girl. “Baby Lissa Nightweaver. Now, let’s go, Master Koza. Remember, I want your whole house as spotless as this room.” She told the lich.
“It will be done.” Arther said behind gritted teeth. He led them to his front gate and allowed them to leave with his project in their arms. Once they were outside the gate and his barrier spells, he snapped his fingers. Immediately the ghoul from before was next to him.
“What can I do for you master?”
“You will organize every able bodied entity in my demesne to clean the household. To the standard of the sterile room. Immediately.” He ordered. “Then we will need to discuss accommodations for a living person to stay with us for as long as the project requires nourishment and other such things that only the living can provide.”
“As you will, Master.” The ghoul said. It immediately disappeared into the house, leaving Arther to stare out the gate and into the street where people were bustling to and fro.
“One more thing to take care of personally.” He finally said, turning from the street and reentering his home. Skeletons and zombies were busily sweeping and wiping everything down. “I need my lab coat.”
A skeleton appeared with the garment, and Arther switched from his robes to the plain white long coat. The minion took his robes and left the lich to stride down the nearby stairs to the underground rooms. Windows gave him a view into the various chambers, including where the woman had died giving birth to his project. It was spotless, the body already in a grave in his back yard. Others had various projects in them in different states of progress. Bodies on tables in states of dissection or manipulation.
The end of the hallway was a heavy door with a small barred window. Several locks and chains adorned the side, and Arther took the time to undo each one, both physically and magically. Finally the last one fell away, and he pushed the door open to reveal a dimly lit dungeon. Chains, shackles, and other restraints littered the space. Under a dark blue flame were two men locked to the wall, their hair was a mess, their their shirtless bodies were obviously unwashed.
“Monster!” the smaller man yelled, pulling against the wall. “Where is my wife?”
The larger man just glared at him from underneath his long hair. Arther grinned maliciously at the two men bound before him.
“I find enjoyment these days in two things. The first are my experiments and moving further towards my end goal. Exploring the power of death and undeath, working with gods and souls in my quest for perfect immortality. I love it. I can do things now that even my grandfather couldn’t dream of.” The lich monologued. “The other thing I love is torturing my enemies. Not physically. The body does, without augmentations, have limits. I can only hurt your mortal form so much. But mental pain. Emotional pain. I have found no limit to date.”
“I don’t care about what gets your bones hard.” The small man said. “Give me my weapons so I can kill you, and my wife so we can leave.”
“Relax, Robert.” The second man finally said. “Obviously the lich has plans for us. Villains never monologue without plans.”
“Very wise words, Sam.” Arther nodded as he grabbed an orb from nearby. “I do have plans for you. Which will require that I answer your question, Robert. Your wife is dead. She died giving birth to a child.”
“My wife was barren,” Robert growled. “But she was perfect and I loved her regardless!”
“And she loved you. Enough to want to give you the children you desired. So she looked for a solution. And ultimately found me. Through powerful magic and rituals, she was able to conceive. And unlike her predecessors, she survived the pregnancy long enough to give birth. But the baby took too much from her; her will was strong, but her body was not.”
The lich told the men as the orb began to glow. Others around the room matched its unnatural blue glow. “The child is currently with my grandfather while they find a wet nurse to keep her alive.”
“Lies!”
“Oh, you’ll know the truth of it soon enough. You will be her guardian. She is the culmination of years of research and failed attempts; I can’t lose her. If she grows into what I believe will be her full potential, she will provide the perfect, immortal, flesh and blood body for me to possess.” The orbs stopped increasing in brightness.
“But first you must die.”
Two spell forms appeared near the orb.
“I will kill you!” Robert yelled before a blue flame erupted from one spell form to hit his chest. Immediately he slumped in his shackles.
“Any final words? That was the fifth time I’ve heard that one.” Arther asked Sam.
Sam just shook his head.
“The stoic type. How droll.” Arther commented before treating him the same as Robert.
The lich put the orb between his two bone hands, and new spell forms began to form around it, layer after layer until a large three dimensional spell form surrounded the glowing orbs in the room, mirroring the one in Arther’s hand.
“Activate.”
The spell forms expanded for a moment, and then contracted into the orbs before shooting blue energy into the two dead men. For a moment, nothing happened. Then both men opened their eyes and stared at the lich with glowing blue orbs in black sockets.
“What have you done?” Sam asked.
“You are now quite possibly the strongest undead minions ever created.”
“Why would you do that?” Robert asked, easily pulling his arms from the wall. “Now it will be even easier to kill you.”
“You are welcome to try.” Arther said casually.
Robert lunged at the lich before freezing, hands inches from the lich’s bony neck.
“The same spell that brought you back and increases your powers, also binds you to your master. Which for the moment is me. However, when the child returns I will bind you to her. And you will protect her and help her grow into a powerful vessel.”
“What is to stop us from revealing all this to her when she’s old enough?” Sam asked, casually breaking the shackles keeping him on the wall. “Or killing you when she is our master?”
“To your first question, The same spell used to revive you. All my servants are bound to keep secrets that make them suffer. It brings me great joy. For your second, obviously secondary spells. I’m not a powerful lich for no reason. Now, let’s get you both equipped with arms that will withstand your new power.”
