The next morning marked the third day. The fated day, Jeze reflected wondering why she was nervous. It’s not like she has never been in a fight before. Plus, we won’t be facing the Lich, Right? she comforted herself. Just his minions, whomever they may be. With a small sense of dread, she recalled that the Lich could adapt a new form with a phylactery gem. She shook her head, there was no use worrying over things that were out of her control.

  “Where are we fighting?” Jeze asked Grifus.

  The two were leaving the mess hall and headed toward the library to meet Lady Kalina.

  “I do not know who or what our adversaries are. Nor, do I know where we will engage them. All I know is that it needs to happen today,” Grifus answered.

  Jeze arched an eyebrow. “That’s not very helpful!”

  “Communing with the One Goddess is no simple feat, but she tells me what I need to know, and that is enough,” the old man responded.

  The two entered the library, where they found Lady Kalina meditating at her table. She sat in the same spot for nearly three full days! Jeze was impressed with her discipline. The undead lady did not need to eat, and the Soul energy she consumed earlier was enough. Maybe that was why she stayed in one spot the whole time? To conserve her energy. Lady Kalina opened her eyes upon their arrival.

  “Grifus does not know who, what, or even where we will fight our mysterious adversaries,” Jeze told her.

  Lady Kalina and Grifus shared a look and she responded, “Everything will work out as long as we remain diligent and strong.”

  Jeze scowled, “What in the hells is that supposed to mean?”

  Grifus chuckled. “It means we must have faith.”

  “I prefer thinking and planning,” Jeze retorted as she sat on the table next to Kalina. “What do we know? If it is the Lich, then I’m guessing some sort of undead, right?”

  “Most likely vampires,” Kalina observed.

  Jeze perked up. This was information she could work with! Not blind faith. “What makes you think that?”

  Kalina shrugged. “The Lich escaped the 5th floor with Vampires.”

  Jeze nodded. “Okay, but why here in Giblet?”

  “The Lich knows my vendetta and that I will be coming after him,” Kalina replied.

  “Vengeance is the act of turning anger in on yourself,” Grifus quoted.

  Jeze rolled her eyes. “Proverbs will not help.”

  “No, Grifus is correct. I am cursed with rage, and if I carry out this vengeance of mine, it will only result in tragedy,” Kalina said.

  “Fine, not vengeance. The Lich is an evil that must be stopped,” Jeze said, punching her fist into her other hand.

  Lady Kalina gave a weak smile.

  Jeze continued, “Okay, we know that the Lich escaped with vampires. What now? He would station them at every major city to look for us? Why?”

  “He knows that I want vengeance and that I will come after him,” Kalina stated a second time.

  “Oh, that’s right, and that you will bring me as bait because I have the Hold Core,” Jeze stated.

  Kalina nodded.

  “Sounds like we are doing exactly what he wants!” Jeze cried.

  Grifus smiled. “It is a delicate dance, but you are forgetting something. It is best to know what motivates him. What does he want?”

  “How in the hells would I know that?” Jeze snapped.

  Lady Kalina tapped her chin. “We know some things. The necropolis trapped souls from this realm based upon the burial practices we observed.”

  Jeze perked up, and she added, “He also had some dealings with the Fiends, and he is connected to the Wandering Spire somehow. Do you suppose he was an Adventurer?”

  “There you go, now you have a basis to do some research,” Grifus said.

  “Do we have time for this?!?” Jeze cried.

  “Giblet is not without its defenses,” Kalina stated.

  Grifus nodded. “As we speak I have agents scouting the town, the taverns, and the surrounding countryside.”

  Jeze narrowed her eyes. “This is a training academy, and by agents, do you mean kids?”

  “Prospect-ranked adventurers,” Grifus corrected.

  “You are putting them in danger,” the teenager observed.

  “They wish to be adventurers. Danger comes with the territory. Besides, this is good training for them,” the old man responded.

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  “Many of them are your age. By the Great Mother Jeze! I think you forget that you are still a child,” Kalina said, throwing up her arms.

  Jeze growled, “I’m Adventurer ranked. I’m not a child.”

  “You can be both at the same time. Just like a mother bear can be both gentle and fierce,” Grifus observed.

  “Are you calling me a mother bear?” Jeze hissed.

  “Enough of this! Let’s do some research!” Kalina snapped.

  Jeze glanced around and wondered, “Is this library sufficient? Shouldn’t we head to a major city?”

  Grifus chuckled. “We are a respected academy, and families from all over the world send their children here to be trained as adventurers.”

  “So?” Jeze retorted.

  “Those same families provide us with books. Our prestigious alumni continue to donate money and resources to us,” Grifus said.

  “It’s true. I have donated several tomes that I have discovered in my travels to this very library,” Kalina pointed out.

  Grifus loudly clapped his hands and a dozen academy students filed into the library.

  “Were they waiting outside the entire time?” Jeze wondered.

  The old man nodded with a twinkle in his eye. The academy students arranged themselves around their tables. “What do we know about the Lich?” He asked.

  Jeze sighed and responded, “He alluded that he was several hundred years old.”

  “Good. Do we have an exact number?” Grifus asked.

  Kalina answered, “I estimated the oldest tomb to be three hundred years old, but I was not able to see the entire necropolis.”

  “That’s a start. We are looking for Guild members from three hundred years ago, and we should also look into any research or knowledge on how to create pocket dimensions,” Grifus told the students.

  They nodded and ran off to find books in the library. Jeze had a thought.

  “He went by the name Lev Shubyaton,” she called out.

  “That could be a fake name,” Kalina said.

  “Perhaps, but it is still a clue,” Grifus pointed out.

  Jeze sighed. There is no way we could have done this alone, she reflected to herself and decided to work with the academy students.

  “A few more things. He is a Rune caster that specializes in Necromancy but was quite skilled in several aspects,” Jeze called out while tapping her chin. “Darkness, Force, Fire, Earth, and Mind were the ones I witnessed him using.”

  For the next several hours the academy students buzzed around the library like worker ants and brought forth tomes and books to their table. Jeze, Grifus and Lady Kalina read through them. All of the books were related in some way. One was about how Necromancy was banned by the Guild three hundred years ago due to concerns over an undead army and other unethical practices. But, there was no mention of Lev. There were other names of Rune casters that were arrested for failing to comply with the ban.

  There were also theories on how to create pocket dimensions, but again, nothing that linked to the Lich. All of this interested Jeze, but the connections did not go further. She felt like they were expanding upon a wider puzzle. It was fascinating! The only concern for her was that they were under a time constraint.

  Jeze slammed one tome shut and asked, “Shouldn’t we head out now?”

  Grifus looked up from a book he was reading and glanced outside. “No, my scouts have not reported anything yet.”

  Kalina glanced up while placing her finger along a line of text. “I found something interesting. Here are notes from the Runic Research Division on their findings regarding the Portal aspect. They theorized that they could create a large enough Rune chain that would contain a separate dimension. The challenge was finding a power source to maintain it. Does that sound familiar?”

  Jeze recalled, “The necropolis was unstable, and Lev needed the Hold Core to keep it together. Also, he knew how to deactivate the portals, but he didn’t know how to repurpose them.”

  “The Guild did not discover how to repurpose the portals until later, but I see no mention of Lev in here,” Kalina stated.

  “The time matches, correct?” Grifus asked.

  Kalina flipped the book over to read the front cover and agreed. “Yes, this was dated roughly three hundred years ago.”

  Grifus ordered the academy students to gather all books dated three hundred years ago. Jeze had forgotten her earlier concerns and was excited that they were on to something. Every clue they discovered while adventuring through the necropolis was connected to something in the library. The oldest souls that Lev tricked and trapped were from three hundred years ago. The study of Necromancy and its ban, as well as the current research around pocket dimensions, took place around the same time. Jeze imagined an aspiring and ambitious Rune caster would be invested in those trending practices during that time.

  Grifus spoke up, “I found something that would interest you.”

  The instructor beckoned Jeze and Kalina to come over. The two looked at the lines he pointed at. It described an adventuring party that entered the party. This was no ordinary team, but one that made it to the tenth floor. The only team to have, in fact, completed the Wandering Spire and achieved the fabled gift of Immortality. Jeze’s eyes went wide as she read the names of the members. Among the list was the Immortal Emperor himself, listed on the bottom was Lev Shubuyaton with the designation of Striker and secondary as a Healer.

  “He was a substitute that was added to the team later,” Kalina observed.

  “That explains why there was not much written about him,” Grifus said.

  Jeze read the end of the page. “Lev was listed as missing! He did not exit the Spire with his team.”

  “Was he betrayed and left behind?” Kalina asked.

  “That would explain his anger,” Jeze pointed out.

  Grifus stroked his goatee. “I have another theory.”

  The two ladies and the gathered academy students gave the teacher their full attention.

  “If he was a researcher on pocket dimensions and utilized Necromancy, a Guild forbidden aspect, I think Lev weaseled his way into the Emperor’s team in order to create the necropolis you two visited,” Grifus hypothesized.

  Jeze narrowed her eyes as she reread the page. “That is irrelevant, but there is one thing we can be sure of.”

  Everyone’s attention turned to the teenager.

  “He is going to the Golden Empire. I wager that he is heading toward Capitol City,” she said.

  “Why? That is the heart of the Empire and well guarded,” Kalina pointed out.

  “For an Elite that is nearing Hero rank? One that can raise an undead army?” Jeze asked.

  Grifus tapped his chin and added, “And with the Elites occupied with the Wandering Spire, that leaves the Empire largely unguarded.”

  Kalina objected, “Only Prince Rodger came to the Wandering Spire. His sister and brothers remain. The Lich struggled against Couzart, I doubt that he can contend with multiple Elites at the same time.”

  Grifus smiled. “The other Elites will leave soon. Especially with the knowledge of the Hold Cores you talked about. All this Lich needs to do is wait.”

  Jeze shook her head. “But it’s no secret that he escaped. They would be foolish to leave their main city undefended.”

  Kalina smiled gently at the young girl. “Do not forget what I told you earlier. Elites only think of themselves. You, of all people, should know this.”

  A young man dressed in dark padded armor with a sword at his side ran into the library. He whispered something in Grifus’s ear. The old man nodded and looked up.

  “Two strangers in town were asking about you. It is time that our hunt begins,” Grifus said.