They stirred at first light, not a good night’s sleep. They had hunkered down and remained vigilant two resting two awake. It was not such a good strategy to keep everyone rested. It meant that half there fighting strength was always ready. David felt his hand was back, despite a few odd twitches. He had switched back to his dominant hand, he was more than ready to fight. They looked around the cave that they had sheltered in. There were no obvious tracks present around its outskirts.

Martin looked with his monocle Vivian looked with her golem eye scanning about. Alice tried her magic and Martin held his holy symbol. Nothing could be felt close to their location, they ate a quick breakfast of salted and dried rations. They stashed their mundane belongings in the back of the cave to keep them dry high up on a shelf of rock.

looking about they found nothing had changed above ground. The lich probably had enough of a connection to determine how quickly their forces had been destroyed. They were probably hunkering down preparing for battle in the tight confines of their lair. This was fine with the group, in the tight confines of the tunnels below they could concentrate their efforts. Where the lich's forces could only present a few opponents against them at one time.

David lit a torch and wedged it on his shield Alice had her ring of light. Vivian's golem eye could work in the dark. So could Martins monocle as he found out, not that it was completely dark. There were occasional purple spirit lamps created by the use of some small creature’s spirit bound to maintain the enchantment. Something that needed light to see still called this place home. The lich probably had a few necromancer apprentices, or a few still living servants to deal with more complicated tasks.

There was one central tunnel that sloped down, the walls had been braced in places with freshly cut timber, the lumber taken from the trade guild. Before the lich had settled this might have been a mine of some sort. Running a hand along the wall Martin thought he saw small amounts of coal, that would fit just about right. They went deeper in, there was an abandoned side tunnel judging from the footprints and dust on the floor. The forces that had formed the counterattack against them must have been waiting hear, ready to be deployed to defend the lich's fortress. There were a few extra beams of timber stored to the side, possibly to shore up any damage to the tunnels.

Moving down further there were a handful of skeleton spiders. Not the skeletal remains of giant spiders, but constructs in the shape of spiders. Made from whatever assortment of bones a necromancer could lay their hands on a practice piece. They were smashed inside of a minute by David with Martin lending some assistance with his mallet. They were probably not meant as serious guards. But the lich would know when they were destroyed. Moving further down there were a few iron man traps spread across the floor. David considered them contemptible by any standard. He took a few bones from the bone spiders remains and simply activated the traps without any harm.

David was about to take another step when Alice reacted, “stop I can sense … something a spell on the floor, the … obvious traps were a distraction”. Alice reached forwards with her hand sensing something. She picked up one of the bear traps and threw it at a spot on the floor. There was a blast of purple necromantic energy. The iron trap flew into the air then landed with a thud, purple flames clinging to it. Alice prodded the trap with the end of her staff. “It’s a spell called a necro mine not, the most powerful in the world but dam irritating”. They moved more cautiously forwards; Martin could deactivate some with his holy symbol pressed against the spell. It would unravel the nefarious magic. Alice went the simple route of throwing chucks or rock at them from a safe distance.

They got a bit further along the corridor to find what looked like a small pile of bones. They were more cautious. Alice examined the pile of bones, “everyone back up … this is a more powerful trap spell … called skeleton hand”. David wondered, “what happens the hand grabs you”? “No watch, Vivian can you trigger … it with an arrow”. They got ten feet further back, Vivian sent a cheap arrow flying at the trap.

As soon as it was activated the skeleton hand thrust out of the floor, by about a foot and a half. It was gripping a pile of bones the entire thing exploded showering fragments of bone over the entire area. They worked their way through a half dozen more of these irritating traps to get to a corridor. There was a spell barrier a wall of purple energy, maintained by several trapped spirits in an alter nearby behind the barrier. They could see another and another behind that, four in total. The force that could smash the lich's army's above ground. Would possibly not have the magical expertise to get through this series of barriers below ground.

Alice focused on the first barrier; she could see there were twelve spells maintaining it. The spells seemed to float about inside the barriers surface, unseen to anyone but a skilled mage. They were lines of thought intent wrapped together bound in place by the alter behind the barrier. Martin had dealt with these before, Alice simply pointed to a spot and Martin held his holy symbol on it the spell would unravel, and the barrier would lose power.

They quickly dismantled the first barrier as soon as it flickered and shattered Martin was upon the alters that powered it. He pressed his holy symbol to the alter “purify”. The profane alter cracked and the magic the lich used cracked and was destroyed. David and Vivian kept an eye out for anything else as Martin and Alice dismantled each subsequent barrier and the alters that sustained them. So that the magic could not reactivate like a trapped door behind them.

As they completed the destruction of the last barrier the first real stirrings of defence occurred. A section of wall collapsed revealing a chamber beyond. A skeletal knight with mace and axe charged forwards, two dozen skeletal spear men behind him. The reaction was immediate David lobbed a clay pot full of oil into the middle of the formation. Martin followed it up with a small thermite charge and Alice with a couple of fire balls. The skeleton knight staggered forwards only for Vivian's power shot to shatter what was left, a quick check revealed nothing left from there bombardment, the confined space concentrated the destructive force. The path split into a T junction they turned right.

They appeared to be inside some sort of coal mine, mindless skeleton workers hacked away at the sides with rusted bent pickaxes. They were not particularly strong on fast but persistent. Once a lump of coal was hacked away from the wall into a cart it would go. There were about a dozen zombified donkeys pulling the mine carts. All told there were four dozen skeleton miners they were almost completely oblivious to the group of adventurers. David tested a theory; he swung his sword down onto one of the miners, it collapsed into a pile of bone with no reaction from the rest.

Vivian targeted one with an iron broad head arrow the skull shattered, and the miner unravelled. Martin held his holy symbol up to one miner it slowed, and its movements became jerky, then the spell holding it together unravelled, it tipped forward against a wall then fell to pieces. Alice targeted one with a low-level fire bite spell. The skeleton was engulfed with flame then collapsed, the magic fire burning away the spell animating it.

Martin looked about, “this must have been a coal mine, perhaps the lich took it over after a cave in or it was abandoned. What could they be doing with the coal”? Alice examined a lump of coal it was perfectly mundane “they might need the … coal for something or they … trade it with someone else”. They set about slowly and systematically dismantling the mining operation, even down to the zombified donkeys. They double checked the area, there was a foreman's office set up in one corner of the mine next to a store of cut lumber for bracing tunnels, with a few spare picks and a mine cart.

There were the remains of a mine foreman not just the animated skeleton but the spirit as well. Pulled back to the land of the living bound to his bones. He was busy hiding behind his desk, he took one look at the sadistic hatred in Martins eyes and backed further into a corner. Martin looked at him coldly, “You have thought spectre, do you have speech what can you tell me of your master”? The ghostly visage of the man superimposed on his animated bones shrunk back with fear.

“look I was a miner hear then the place collapsed, then I was somewhere else, and something pulled me back. I was given orders and workers and that's all that I have been doing, all I remember doing”. Martin read him like a book, “you don't want to be sent back do you”? The response was slow and hesitant, “I was not a good man in life”. Martin held his holy symbol forwards, “I don't need the details”.

The mine foreman shrieked as Martin held him down with one hand and pushed his holy symbol onto the skeleton. The necromantic spells unravelled causing considerable pain and torment to the undead, “don't, no I won’t go back to the demons don't...”. Martin shrugged as the bones stopped struggling. The spirit seemed to flicker then was sucked downwards, with a high-pitched wailing shriek of despair.

Vivian twitched and looked at Martin, “keep it together that was ...”, “I just sent him back to the eternal reward that his actions in life granted him”. Martin fixed the group with his eyes they couldn't see his face under the mask he wore. Which was probably a good thing, “dose anyone honestly think that there was anything worth saving in whatever was left of that man”? No one answered no one wanted to answer that particular question, so they just pushed on. They began to hear the sharp slow clink of metal on metal.

They progressed on there was a workshop buried deep in the earth, some great fissure leading up into the ceiling and beyond. The smoke and fumes from the workers travelled up there. There were a dozen skeletal crafts men not particularly skilled. They mindlessly worked away at their assigned tasks. They each had four arms three one side one other side one to hold the object with tongs three to work it. They still barely had the skill level of an apprentice craftsman. They had buckets of iron ore and slowly smelt it down into ingots.

These ingots were used to make weapons arrow heads. The basic bosses and grips for shields, all the basic weapons that the skeletons that they had already destroyed had been wielding. There was no foreman nothing of value to be gained so they set about destroying the lich's production infrastructure. They destroyed the skeleton craftsmen who didn't even acknowledge that they were being attacked. A couple of skeletal warriors with maces were summoned from an adjacent chamber when they began their attack, but they were cut down very quickly.

Shortly after the last skeleton workman fell to David's blade the level up hit. From all the creatures they had been destroying they had gained a single level. Alice advanced to level 71 she remembered the skeletal marshal attacking her. She invested learning a spell that could keep opponents at bay knocking them back, she learnt the basic version of tracking kinetic strike. David reached level 67 gaining the second level of the defensive ability, protect allies. Making him that more aware of the team around him. Vivian reached level 69 raising the level of her strike through target as high as it would go to level 8. Martin reached level 78 pushing his pistol skills up to level 16.

The lich has possibly pulled back their forces to some inner sanctum and was waiting allowing the adventures to run riot. They ate a quick meal in the workshop then started to clear the area. Gathering up all the bones using the mine-carts even the remains from the bone spiders. They shovelled them into the forges as a sort of cremation, Martin said a few prayers for the departed as they cleared the floor. It would be an excellent trap if when they went further into the fortress the skeletons behind them reanimated and attacked from the rear, bit by bit they would pick away at the lich's fortress.

Past the forge they found themselves heading down a tunnel that bent around in a U shape as it headed downwards, there were a few of the spirit lights illuminating the tunnel. Alice stopped them as they encountered some more necro mines and skeleton hand traps. They activated some from a safe distance disarmed some or dispelled the rest. They found themselves slowly moving into a large natural cavern, the perfect place for an ambush. Vivian's artificial eye scanned around the cavern there were tunnels high up and tunnels low down. She could hear a rattling the lich must have something prepared for them.

Towards the other side of the room was a large crystal getting on for four feet tall. It was purple and glowed brightly with a purple light. It reminded Alice of a fortification beckon, something a lich could use to keep their creations held together. This one was different it was larger for a start and it seemed to have several souls trapped inside it. There were magical reinforcements like a lich's phylactery. The defenders of this place made their presence known. The lich might have cleared out a nest of rat men at one point in the past, the zombified remains of dozens and dozens of giant rat men wielding crude spears and clubs emerged.

Martin looked at the group as their opponents lumbered forwards. Alice shouted to the group “we have to destroy the crystal … or we don't go any further I can … sense It I ned to get close”. Martin held out his holy symbol, “thy will be done” he looked at it for a split second “she's right”.

Alice cast a few protective spells on herself, bonus vitality physical shield. David threw a flask of oil into the largest concentration and Alice ignited it with a fire ball. Vivian pulled out a bundle of iron arrows and started to fire off one after another. Martin emptied his pistols into the approaching horde each shot removing a head. The purple crystal glowed and the zombified rat-men that fell slowly started to get back up. Martin shot at the purple crystal with his weapon the lionhearts hammer. The round barely scratched the outside of the crystal and the crystal started to repair itself.

Dozens more zombified rat men and a few zombified terror rat men wearing crude armour stumbled into the room. The corpses that fell to the floor slowly regenerated and got back up again, David swung away at the hordes while they bunched together back to back slowly moving towards the crystal. Martin had his holy symbol at the ready “field of wrath, holy aura” the thickest part of the zombie horde was struck and wavered. Any zombies that got too close started to smoke as the holy energy unravelled them, only for them to get up again as Martin moved away. Alice threw one fire ball after another at the zombies, she concentrated her fire balls on clearing a path in front of them to the crystal.

The tunnels leading to the top of the chamber drew the party's attention at the sound of hundreds of skittering feet. Seventy or eighty zombified spiders started to drop down onto the cave, floor they were two to four feet across numbers but not very powerful. They climbed over the zombified rat men trying to get to the party. Martin summoned an ability “pillar of fire, circle of consecration”. The holy sphere of light burned all the pillar of fire that popped into existence didn't just remain in one spot. Martin sent it backwards and forwards across the thickest part of the advancing hoard, directed as he pointed his holy symbol.

The fire fully consumed many of the bodies, but more spiders arrived and those only slightly damaged healed. Alice switched to using her acid strike spells, they were potent enough to overwhelm the enemies dissolving them not leaving enough to be put back together. But the numbers were a problem.

The party continued to move towards the crystal hundreds of little foot long zombie spiders lurched from the tunnels their numbers were choking. Hulking were-rats zombified remains joined the press surging forwards to add that extra bit of pressure. Martin worked to undo the undead, “hallowed earth, sphere of consecration, circle of consecration”. His holy symbol glowed and the undead fell before him only to start rising again. David hacked them in half the two pieces would slowly knit together. Vivian was starting to run low on her basic arrows and had to switch it up every pull off the bow sent an arrow travelling through one target after another. Until it hit wall or floor. Alice switched to using her kinetic strike spell pushing the mass of zombies back as step by step the group moved towards the crystal.

Martin aimed for the thickest part of the zombie horde, “field of wrath” everything in front of him fell, “circle of consecration, sphere of consecration” everything around him staggered and desiccated. Only to regenerate and rise again when the effect of the blessing ended. Alice looked at the crystal an acid strike did nothing to it. A fire ball cleared some of the gap between them and the crystal, she had to renew her shield spell. David pushed the mass of zombies back with his shield as spiders tried to crawl over it and rotted rat men thrust with dull spears at him, Vivian had to use her full strength to kick them back to give her room to fire.

Martin expended the last of his area effect blessings, “circle of consecration” it gave them a moments rest bite as they were close to the crystal. It employed several defensive measures a cloud of purple vapour expanded from it to smother the party. A dark purple ooze spread across the floor draining the party's health and causing them to feel the icy grip of death enter their lungs and up through their feet, though Alice was resistant to such magic it still hurt.

Martin had a counter prepared “cleanse air, cleanse soil” and the purple ooze and vapour was gone for the moment Alice used her spell “aura of healing” to put them back on their feet. Alice cast electric strike to clear the few zombie spiders between her and the crystal. She cast a shield spell on Vivian and ran forwards at the crystal, she immediately started to figure a way to undo its magic.

The other three understood that they needed to buy her time to work. Martin had his mallet in hand “litany of blessings” every defensive ability he had activated at once. He struck with his mallet in one hand and his heavy holy symbol in the other wading through the zombies, “pillar of salt” a were-rat crumbled never to rise again, pillar of salt a very large spider joined it. He used everything he had smite, smite , divine retribution , wrath”.

David charged into the zombies ranks not looking to kill but to distract. He was a juggernaut in steel pushing through them slicing and cutting keeping the focus on him. Vivian expended the last of her arrows drew her dagger and plucked a mall formed club up from the floor and kept swinging she took a few wounds, but she had a lot of armour as well. Sensibly she chose the thinnest group of the undead to distract.

Alice concentrated the crystal was almost exactly the same as whatever the thing she had sensed powering the professors craft, perhaps this lich or another like it had made the item. It was a little like the lich's phylactery she had felt before she manipulated the spells unravelling them it was a fairly simple but time-consuming process. The crystal had no additional defensive measures as the spells protecting it from physical harm fell away.

Alice hit it with her acid strike spell part of the crystal melted away this time it was not reforming. She hit it again then with her kinetic strike, she brought the butt of her staff down on it and the crystal shattered with quite a bit of force. Alice's shield spell absorbed the damage and dissipated she was thrown back and ended up ten feet away. There were human souls and spirits freed from the crystal plus many animals that faded.

She was able to watch for a second as some of the souls seemed to be slowly led upwards some were dragged down wards and others seemed to wander off seeking something. She gritted her teeth and fought the urge to reach for her dagger. The reanimated zombies fell as soon as the crystal was shattered, they started to turn to dust as the magic that had been preparing them faded away. Martin exchanged a weary look with Alice then helped her to stand up. Martin used the purify blessing on the remains of the crystal just to be sure. Then divine favour on himself a few times to heal his wounds. Vivian collected her arrows and David was healed up by Alice.

The level up hit again they had crawled a bit further through the lich's defences. She had been scraping the bottom of the barrel with those minions. But combined with the greater fortification beacon they would have sent most opponents fleeing back to the surface. Alice reached level 73 gaining the improved version of her kinetic strike spell. David reached level 68 gaining the third rank of the protect allies skill. Vivian hit level 70 with the class level she was able to train ducal bodyguards who benefited from a slightly higher skill level and an additional rank of the intensive training perk. Martin reached level 79 and gained rank 17 in pistol proficiency.

Vivian scanned around the room nothing else emerged “that was a tough nut to crack how is everyone”. Alice looked strained clinging to her staff “that was a strain I only have the mana in my staff left I could get of four or five fire balls”. Martin shrugged “I still have my chain smite thermite and pistols but everything else is used up”.

“I need to sharpen my sword up a bit I am exhausted and you Vivian”, “I broke a dozen iron arrows, but I can feel my adrenalin reserves are very low”. She didn't have to say anything else they had thrown almost everything that they had at the lich's fortress and only gotten a bit further down. They had cracked some barriers. That would take a lot of effort to replace but ultimately, they had only made small steps towards their final goal and payday.

With a sombre mood they slowly trudged out of the lich's fortress and back to their hidden camp. nothing had disturbed their rations bedding were all were untouched. The cave was cold, but they didn't dare to light a fire. Alice had an enchantment to take care of her Martin just didn't feel it and the mercenaries had quite thick gambesons.

The lich was still down there deep-down marshalling their forces, ready to fight the party at a place they had prepared. They also had to consider the possibility that the lich had fled considering the way they had cut through all the lich's defences so far. The lich could have assembled its strongest servants its most prized possessions its apprentices and fled into the night. Leaving the rest of its creations to act as a sacrificial rear guard. It was certainly a tactic that vampires had employed in the past. When the vampire hunters had made a concerted effort, to penetrate there most secure fortresses.

They ate their rations and had a good drink from a wine skin. Vivian exited the cave for a moment to compose herself just a pinch of the blue powder to help her centre herself and she was back with the others. “look I know we took a bit of a pounding today, but we have made good progress against the lich, they don't have the barrier spells the fortification crystal. There mine or workshops anymore. That horde of zombie's is destroyed they will not be able to rebuild that easily right Alice”.

Alice looked over to Martin “I don't know exactly ... but it took years maybe even ... a decade to put up what we have knocked down, in the last two days. Can you keep the zealotry under...control? you yourself have criticised others as being stupid for talking rather than acting. we can’t wait for you to spend the extra time to destroy an undead like that, we just need to get it over with and get on”.

“I will grant you it’s a bit petty, but under the right circumstances it could intimidate an opponent”. David was sharpening his sword despite his sheaths self-sharpening enchantment; it had just gotten that blunt from the fight. “This lot can’t be intimidated Martin, keep the zealot act for the thieves guild to get them to spill the beans. But the undead keep on target, if we find any living necromancers maybe it’s different”. Vivian checked over the fletching on her arrows, “how deep do you think that place goes”? Martin rubbed his chin “there were a lot of fresh spoils... err dug up soil and rock. Maybe two or three more levels below the one with the crystal just a guess”.

David sheathed his sword and checked his back up weapon it was hardly used and still sharp, “you think that the lich might have already split”? Alice read over Martins Monster book for something to do, “no look at the ... place, look at what we have seen so far of. This lich she has planted her flag hear. she has declared that this land this place is hers and challenges any to come and take it to make her reconsider. she won’t think about running until it’s too late to do it”.

Vivian used the sharpening stone to put an edge back on some of her cheaper arrows, “What else do you think is down there”? “More high level undead something with physical bulk, you saw how the tunnels had been enlarged and braced with new wood. I think that there are bone golems probably right next to the lich where she can direct them and repair them, where they will be strongest they can be. I don't think we will see any other mounted knights they would have been thrown at us out in the open themselves with the marshal already”, Martin finished and took a swig of tip.

David was a bit sceptical expecting the worst, “this lich is either gone by now, after seeing that skeleton dragon die, or more likely they have everything left pulled back for one big fight, close to their phylactery with dozens of guards high tier guards”. Vivian fiddled with her golem eye, “Should we expect a supreme skill? Martin looked at the contract “This one is apparently a lich under their own power no help, so at the minimum they would be a level 100 necromancer with a necromancy based supreme spell to aid them”.

He sat and thought about it for a minute, “This lich probably has backing from someone else, so do you think there might be a few different forces, maybe a vampire or two to act as a bodyguard”? Alice's hand went to her dagger and she sighed”. “that crystal was so very close to the thing I felt powering the professors craft, he works for the empress of shadows so either this lich dose or she trades with that vampire court”.

Vivian considered there position no back up, “do you think we have to be careful about her calling in assistance”. Martin considered the other intelligence that he had discussed with the witch finder. “it depends on what they send if anything”. David was thinking about financing his next armour upgrade, “this is proving to be quite a tough pay day”. Vivian knew how to keep his attention, “that doesn't matter, we are getting a bonus from the merchants guild to get rid of this lich 300 silver and that's not counting whatever magical items treasure and the like that the lich has down there”, David felt a bit better.

Alice would love to plunder magical items to boost her power, but she had a sneaking suspicion, “Most of what the lich has will probably be necromancy based. nothing we can sell or use”. Martin held out his tinder box “just more kindling for us to destroy”. Vivian dismissed both their scepticism, “we don't know what they have, but some of it is bound to be useful. We will get a good payday one way or another for this contract”. They chose two to stay guard and the other two got some sleep.