{Error 2212}

 

{Failure to Wipe Memory}

 

{Error 8829}

 

{Generating Character Sheet}

 

{14%... 42%... 66%... 99%... 100%}

 

{Waiting…}

 

{Approval Granted}

 

[Welcome Morgan Maddock]

 

I didn't have time to process the mental interface I was witnessing, my weightlessness or the roar in my ears before I found myself slamming into something hard. Pain radiated through me as I blinked my eyes open trying to adjust to the dark environment around me. I gently shifted, noting nothing but general soreness though my relief was quickly overshadowed by the fact I was butt naked on a pile of rubble.

 

I pushed myself up slowly and winced, my mind felt foggy but as far as I could tell I was ok. The smell of sulphur lingered in the air and the stone brick room I was in looked as if a bomb had gone off. On second thought, something definitely exploded. And… so did someone.

 

Past the smoking books, rubble and destroyed furniture and leaning against the wall was a corpse. He was wrapped in black robes and smoking vaguely, the smell of sizzling flesh made me feel somewhat nauseous. Covering my nose I looked around for something to wear.

 

Stepping over a shattered vase I crouched down and picked up a strange object. It was a metal frame dodecahedron which seemed to once have been sealed with glass. The flickering orange light that floated within seemed to be sputtering out. Whatever the hell this was, it seemed otherworldly and possibly the center of the explosion.

 

I put it down as I noticed the normal flames that were beginning to form and as quickly as I could headed for the wooden stairs.

 

“Fuck,” I hissed when a sharp piece of metal sliced at my thigh while I tried to avoid debris. It was a large gash yet the pain was quick to fade and as I pressed my hand to the wound I realized I wasn't bleeding. I pulled my hand away and paused to inspect more closely, the brownish-black smear raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Blood shouldn't be black.

 

I hopped up the stairs and opened the large wooden door hoping to find better light yet stumbled to a halt at the sight of the small medieval tower I was somehow in. Panic bubbled within me as I realized just how out of my depth I was.

 

The last thing I could remember before finding myself here was… his blank face, the searing pain in my abdomen and all that blood, that very red blood. I glanced back at my thigh now with the light of the lamps that lined the wall of the hall. My skin was worryingly pale, almost a sickly gray and the damn blackness underneath in the gash was just as concerning. I didn't have time to take in my strange environment, something was seriously wrong.

 

As I looked around for clothing or an exit of some kind I nervously ran my hand through my… green hair? My chin-length black hair was now instead a mix of vibrant and dark green. At a loss, I pushed open the first door I came across. It was a fully furnished study lined with books and a fireplace. Or at least fully furnished for several hundred years ago.

 

This had to be some strange recreation of a medieval keep but it looked unnervingly real. I wasn't an expert on the medieval era, my love of history focused on older periods like ancient Rome but I was familiar enough to know this was fairly accurate if not a little… fantastical. Then again what did I know, I was a barista who had too much time on her hands.

 

As I entered the study the fireplace flickered to life and the lanterns lit as if someone had flicked a light switch.

 

“Thank God,” I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed the closet that seemed to hold several robes and garments. I quickly got dressed, painfully aware of the growing fire in the basement. Nothing fit quite right but a pair of green pants and a black cloak covered most of me while I managed to wrap my chest in cloth. The leather shoes I found were far too big but would stay on at least. The piece de resistance however was the massive dark green witch hat I managed to find buried in the back. Despite everything going on, I had to admit, I looked quite intimidating even in the clothes of a dead man.

 

I started to smell smoke and as much as I wanted to look around I had to get out of there. I scurried out of the study, the lights extinguishing just as magically as they had lit. I spared no time heading down the curving hall which entered a much more grand entry room. I was on the lookout for a phone but I didn't see a single piece of modern technology and my unease was growing. I needed to get to a hospital before whatever was going on got worse, I was already feeling… fine?

 

I should not be feeling fine. I was panicked but I should have been in pain, my lungs should have burned, I should feel sweaty and exhausted, too hot and cold at the same time. Except beyond my emotions, I felt… nothing.

 

I marched forward and pushed the large front doors open to see a forest and road beyond. I glanced behind me to see smoke beginning to build and knew I had no choice but to venture forth. As I stepped out of the keep and began to walk away I glanced behind me and froze. There was no grand tower or castle, there was just a small medieval farming hut. I had to be losing my mind.

 

Stunned, I walked back and pushed open the door only to find the grand entryway I had left from now beginning to burn. There was an entire castle somehow inside this hut, like some kind of interdimensional space. A real-world Tardis. Except nothing about this felt like the real world anymore.

 

“What the fuck is going on?” I said shakily as I backed away from the door.

 

An interface suddenly popped into my mind, just like that vague memory of a welcome message. It seemed like the interface of a computer, except it seemed to be me.

 

Name:  Morgan Maddock	Age: 23	Race:  Lich	Class:  Lich (Level 1)
Strength: C	Dexterity: B	Intelligence: S	Charisma: C

Racial Skills: [Undeath], [Fires of the Soul], [Book of the Dead]

 

It was a character sheet, like out of a role-playing game. I suddenly wished I had gone to a few more games of Dungeons and Dragons in high school because I was not feeling any more confident in my situation. It seemed like an accurate representation of me or at least an accurate representation of how I saw myself.

 

The term lich seemed vaguely familiar, I remembered some illustration of some ugly skeletal creature wielding magic. At the very least I still had skin on my bones even if I looked a little more… dead.

 

I focused back on the forest around me, everything looked vaguely recognizable. There were plenty of trees though none I could name. Then with the house that was bigger on the inside and this ingrained interface, this did not seem like earth. Wherever I was I was definitely in over my head. Especially since I presumably could gain levels… There were probably things that had to be killed to do so, the image of a world filled with monsters was… nerve-wracking.

 

I only knew enough to know that I didn't know enough. If I had known I would have ended up in a world based on video games and movies I would have focused on that rather than ancient mythology and warfare. A loud pop made me jump and I turned to see the hut quickly being engulfed in flames. With no other options and nothing but the clothes on my back, I turned and began to walk down the dirt road leading further into the forests.

 

As I walked I kept a careful eye out for anything besides trees however it quickly became apparent that there wouldn't be anything else for a while. I checked my wound only to find it in the same condition, at the very least it still wasn't bleeding and didn't look worse. Didn't my character sheet mention something about undeath? No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than my question was answered.

 

[Undeath]

Your soul is bound to your body even in death. You do not need to eat, sleep, drink or breathe and can shrug off lethal injuries. However, you possess a corpse-like complexion and your body does not heal on its own, normal healing magic will not work on you. You are immune to magic that would control or turn undead as well as poison and disease. You do not age and continue to exist as you are unless destroyed. Additionally undead see you as one of them and will not attack you unless provoked.

 

I had to reread that a second time to be sure and only after checking my pulse did I realize it was the truth. My heart wasn't even beating. It also explained my physical changes, except for the hair, which didn't make any sense. I wasn't sure how I was going to survive if I never healed from my injuries. Not to mention the skill implied I was immortal, now was not the time to think about that too much.

 

I also couldn’t help but notice that my race and class were both listed as lich which seemed weird. If it had been accurate it should have been human and barista, yet it wasn’t. I couldn’t imagine what human could be as a class which meant I had no idea what this hybrid lich race and class meant. As I said, way in over my head.

 

[Fires of the Soul]

You gain the ability to see the residue left behind by a soul. Deceased creatures leave behind soul embers which you can collect. The number of soul embers left by a creature fades over time. Collecting soul embers grants an experience boost and serves a vital role in creating undead life.

 

For whatever reason “soul embers” reminded me of that strange flickering orange flame I had seen within the dodecahedron, except I was pretty sure that had never been alive. I was finding answers but just as many more questions. This just gave me access to a new resource to manage, I could only hope it would have a valuable use later on.

 

[Undeath] would ensure I didn't starve but without the ability to heal myself, I had another serious problem not to mention the fact I had no way to kill anything. Neither of these racial skills seemed to let me do anything. If I had been smart I would have grabbed a weapon before I had abandoned the keep. Crossing my fingers I investigated my last skill.

 

[Book of the Dead]

You are a maker of undead and thus gain access to a magical tome, the Book of the Dead. This book not only catalogues the undead creatures to learn about and encounter but also allows you to concentrate soul embers into a corpse to give it artificial life and track your undead. These independent undead creatures are loyal extensions of your will.

You may create a zombie or skeletal version of the creature whose corpse you infuse with artificial life. Skeletons are cheaper while zombies retain the ability to use the skills the creature had in life and are a bit more intelligent. The more powerful the creature you are attempting to animate the greater the cost in soul embers.

 

Necromancy… I could use necromancy. Commanding minions would certainly make killing things much easier except I still needed to get the ball rolling somehow. None of this seemed real, creating undead monsters, collecting the souls of the dead… it was all so magical. Then again so was a hut bigger inside than out. I was in decent shape but a skilled warrior I was not, however, if I could be a tactician maybe I had a shot of survival in this world after all.

 

Curious about this book and now somehow ingrained with the knowledge of how to do so I plucked it from the air. The Book of the Dead was a thick green book with golden trimmings, it was far less intimidating than the name made it sound. Flipping it open I found it empty beyond some kind of binding seal that included my name written in blood. Well… at least I wouldn't lose it. The index was almost entirely blank as well and flipping to the back of the book I found the only other filled-in page which simply said that I had no souls in my possession or any soul embers. Still, this was something and I could work with it. I dismissed the book back into the ether and now with more determination than I previously had I marched forward.