I picked a guard that was a tad bit older than the rest, and I hoped his gray hairs were signs of his experience. “How are things here with the demons?”

Of course, before my question, I had to cast Sopor on the guards responsible for alerting others. The man whom I spoke to was shocked to see me, but he regained his composure rather quickly, unlike his younger and more impetuous coworkers. “Never thought I’d see the likes of a lich in my older days.”

“Never thought I’d become one either,” I said and shrugged. “Now, regarding the demons…”

He sighed. “Same old, same old. Haven’t had a demon attack in decades. See down there,” he pointed at the black mist on the surface of the ocean, “the miasma ensures us humans can’t invade them, and this wall,” he shifted his feet a little to gesture to it, “ensures they can’t invade us.”

“I see.” I forgot about the miasma. Will it affect me? As I thought about it, an illuminated arrow hit my Mana Shield. Because of the light it gave off, I knew it was a skill, a pretty strong one at that. “Looks like I’m not welcomed. Thank you for the information.”

I teleported back on Dreadhoof who levitated in the skies above, recast my stealth spells, and continued onto Nemus. The place was dark, and the miasma blotted out the sunlight. It was definitely thicker in the skies than it was on the ground. Most of their lands were barren, and black, like it was cursed. Their buildings in towns were of a strange, spiky architecture that focused more on building up rather than outward. So, they appeared to prefer towers instead of flats.

Ayana sat in the front on Dreadhoof and directed him through Nemus. Even flying through the miasma, I didn’t feel like it affected me, perhaps because I was in lich form. Every few minutes, I’d hear screaming, shrill and shudder-inducing. In places like villages, I’d see many demons using their own nails and clawing at themselves, as if inflicted by an unseen agony. Fresh blood wasn’t a rare sight. What the fuck is this? It felt like hell without the flames and lava.

Finally, we arrived at a particularly strange place and Ayana made Dreadhoof land. There was a thin barrier of sorts that encompassed a forest. Ayana put her hand on it, then on me, and after that, we could enter. On entering, many buildings appeared out of thin air. Every demon I saw thereafter had the Darkviper tattoo on them, so I knew I was in their territory. The deeper in we got, the more the miasma cleared up, and the more we’d see taller, bigger, and fancier towers.

We arrived at a square in a rather large town, bordering on the size of a city. “Here we are.” Ayana dismounted, so I did the same. We went up the stairs, and the door to the tower was kindly opened for us by a demon with the mannerisms of a butler.

Inside was lit with green Dawnlight spells, and instead of going upward, we entered a secret passageway and went down instead. After a few floors, we came across a large double door with the Darkviper symbol on it. “Master is inside. I cannot accompany you any farther.”

Oh? “I see. Then, my thanks for your guidance, Queen Ayana.”

She nodded and returned upstairs. I knocked and entered. The inside was well-lit in the same green hue from the Dawnlights on the ceiling. The place felt more like an office than anything else.

“Ah, finally, I have the pleasure of meeting Lich God Deidre in person,” an enticing voice echoed, but I saw no one. “Please, have a seat.” A chair next to a desk suddenly turned.

I took the invitation and had a seat. An image appeared in my peripheral. She wore a long satin dress that hugged her body perfectly and had a slit at the side that started from her thighs. It was green, of course, with black flower designs on it. She was sexy, sure, but what surprised me the most was her leathery wings and two horns curling along the sides of her head. This is what the fuck I’m talking about! This is some classic fantasy shit right here! I wonder if… Just as I thought about it, I noticed a whiplike tail curl about behind her. Yes!

“You flatter me. Am I right to assume you’re the master of the Darkviper?” I rested the Scepter of the Lich God on my lap.

“Yes, that is correct.” She walked and aligned herself directly in front of me, then she kneeled.

Okay, wasn’t expecting that.

“I am Lilith Darkviper, master of the Darkviper clan. It is beyond words how much of an honor it is to be in your presence, Lich God. I pray my subordinates have treated you with the prestige deserving of one such as yourself.” She didn’t even look me in the eyes while she said those things. Her head remained down, a completely submissive move.

“Rise, master of the Darkviper. I am not your king. Why all the theatrics?” I asked.

“There is one rule,” she stood up, “that never changes – survival of the fittest. The weak die, the strong live. As such, I wish to align myself with the strong and ensure my clan’s survival by offering our services to you.”

Hmm, seems fair. “There are other clans. Why is it that only the Darkviper has reached out to me? And please, sit as well.”

“The Demon King Fyren, and his other clans, are not versed in gathering intelligence like the Darkviper. We know many secrets. They may know of the legendary Lich God, but they have no real understanding of what makes you a fearsome existence.”

So basically, they just don’t know who they’re dealing with. Alright. “And why am I here? Why offer your services to me? What do you want in return?”

Her jaw quivered. “I wish to become the demon queen through usurpation.”