'~I didn't answer your original question did I? So to summon undead the mage has to use incantation, it's a prayer to a god, but in reality they are just using commands, that are set by gods. That's why it's summoning, because mage gives enough mana to execute the command and gets the ready result. Those incantation based spells have set value of mana and set effects. An Expert and a Master level mages, using the same command will use the same amount of mana and get the same result, even if Master mage has 100 times more mana and a lot more knowledge.

Those commands are just one of the ways for gods, to have more influence and control over the world. They can grant those they favor a strong incantation and make them stronger. Also they have their own system, to make incantations equally strong for various elements, as to not have an advantage over each other. But it all matters for those under the sage level. Once someone reaches sage level, no incantation will help their enemies, or at least gods haven't given such a powerful ones yet.

Lich incantation spell is Master-Grandmaster level, it summons an undead mage, and yes, they don't have a core, they use their summoner's core to draw mana through the connection established by the spell. Those summoned liches are Expert-Master level, depending on the summoner's own level. To use such a spell without incantation, to rise a lich yourself without god's help, one would need to have extremely high level of understanding in more than a one field. Even creating a link to send mana and control the puppet will take a lot of knowledge and mastery. You can already see the advantages of those commands.

But I told all of these, because although a summoned lich, if summoner was Kaster, should be Master level, but you are not summoned, but risen lich. He just raised an empty body without any link. Actually he could use parts of the incantation, to give something else from the summoning lich spell, because I clearly see him using incantation, but it wasn't the complete one, he just used a little of everything. So I'm not sure what else he gave you. He could send some of his memories, or something else. So I can't tell what you are exactly~' (Spirit)

'~I haven't noticed any memories, but I noticed, that my emotions seems more different. I feel a hunger for battle, or more precisely for slaughter, I feel excited every time I think of how the villagers die, instead of feeling sad, sorry or at least guilty for not being able to help them. I don't know what to think of this~' (Anubis)

'~Hmmm, I'm not sure why didn't he gave his own memories, probably because they wouldn't be much of a help for you anyway. I can tell that you have some racial traits of undead, maybe he wanted to give you the lich's innate understanding of death magic, so he used only the part of the incantation responsible for that, and you are suffering side effects now, or it can as well be something else, it's hard to tell, you are the first lich with a soul and only he himself know what parts he added in your creation. You can only find it by yourself with time.

As for the emotions, it's just because your soul isn't powerful enough. When your soul strengthens, you will have a better control over yourself. And before that happens, I'd advise you to use your experience from your previous life to make decisions.~' (Spirit)

Using experience from my previous life, it makes sense I guess. What would do previous me in this situation?

I think I'd check the elves first, making sure they are safe, while being very excited to meet a real elf, and then I'd try to save as many villagers as I can.

'~How high are my chances against those bandits?~' (Anubis)

'~Hard to tell, your body is created by a Grandmaster, so it won't be easy to damage, even for a B rank adventurer, but only if you can use mana to infuse your bones. Originally a Master level summoned lich would be able to fight a group of A ranked adventurers, if he uses the advantages of a mage, he will even have a chance to kill them. But you don't have spells, that any lich should have after a summoning. So it all depends on what Kaster gave you, if you are able to use the mana, to strengthen your body, you will have high chances, depending on your swordsmanship.

And if you find a way to cast a spell, you can take care of them without much problem.~' (Spirit)

(AN:

Mage and spell ranks: Beginner -> Inter -> Advanced -> Expert -> Master -> Grandmaster -> Sage

Adventurer ranks: E -> D -> C -> B -> A -> S -> SS -> SSS)

So all I need is to heroically charge in and save everyone in the last moment like in some manga? I have to practice channeling the mana at least, if I won't even be able to strengthen my body, I will just go to my death. And I'm not really confident in my swordsmanship, so my goal will be to remember a spell, if there even is one left by Kaster.

'~How much distance is there to elves and villagers?~' (Anubis)

'~You are very close, 5 minute or so, and until the villagers, it's 10 more minutes. I'll talk to the elf and tell her about your approach~' (Spirit)

Nodding, I kept running in elves direction and trying to use my spiritual energy to guide the mana, whatever it should mean... And the fact that I'm running isn't helping at all.

After couple of short minutes of running, I could already see a figure leaning on a tree and wolves scattered here and there with blood splattered everywhere, ground, trees, and all of the silhouettes, especially the humanoid one, was practically red. Not that I can distinct the color itself since I see the world in black-and-white in the first place, but the dark color splattered everywhere on her clothes, made it obvious. I called the silhouette 'her', because now I was close enough to make out her features, and she was in a bad shape. Also I could hear the sobs and pleas of a little and frail voice from somewhere near.

Remembering what I was now, I pulled up the hood of Kaster's robe that I was wearing. Even if the Spirit will somehow be able to explain to her why a skeleton tries to help them, we don't have the time. Now that I think about it, I haven't asked Spirit's name. Shouldn't he introduce himself before asking who I am, and I had a lot more important question in my head at the time. I'll have to ask after this is over.

I carefully approached the elf. Her eyes were already unfocused, and I think I could see a spark of hope in her eyes when she noticed me, but she still grabbed the dagger and tried to face me, while grimacing from the painful actions.

"Don't worry, I mean no harm, I'm here to help" (Anubis)

(AN: The text written next isn't made to be understood. You can just consider it gibberish and continue reading. And if someone happens to know russian, or uses translator, understanding the text won't affect the story in any way)

"Моя дочка, она на дереве, пожалуйста помоги ей." Said the elf in some language. Well, it's easy to forget, that you don't know any of languages from this world, when you are using telepathy to talk from the very start. I somehow forgot about the first problem that any 'hero' face when they appear in another world. Probably my concern over my body conditions and emotions had a role in it, but it was really stupid of me. I might look suspicious now, hiding my face and talking in unfamiliar for her language.

But it seems Spirit did a good work in explaining the situation to her, because she was pointing at the nearby tree, where the frail voice was coming from and looking at me expectantly, I didn't need the Spirit's translation to understand what she said. But even then she still looked suspicious of me and I could tell, that she was ready to pounce on me at any moment, but she still understood, that I was her best choice considering the situation.

This will save me from wasting my time and maybe I will be able to save more villagers, if I don't end up suicideing in the process of course.

I climbed the tree very clumsily making clinging sounds from the swords hitting each other and my bare bones, while mother kept talking to the girl on the tree in the unfamiliar for me language. I was glad that it was a night, and the little girl couldn't see my face under the hood's shadow. I'll need a mask for future. I landed with a mess of tears and snob in my arms, and once we touched the ground she threw herself at her mother.

Now that I see her wound and the blood she lost, I know that there is nothing I can do to save her, at least they can be with each other at her last moments, but I can't lose more time on this. I confirmed with the Spirit, that he will be able to scare away any predator close to them, and that there seems to be no bandits going this way, I darted into the forest leaving everything concerning soothing this pair to the Spirit, I'll come back for the girl later.

There is still 10 minutes until I reach them, so I have to try circulating the mana through my core from the surroundings if I want to have a chance at fighting those bandits.

'~Can you give me some hints at drawing the mana? I have trouble even sensing it~' (Anubis)

'~You won't be able to sense the mana until you reach a certain level of soul power anyway, so you better not even try it right now. Honestly speaking it's ridiculous for someone to try to learn the body infusing in 10 minutes, but you have a little chance, if Kaster really gave you some innate knowledge, a lich should have. But he should've limited it, because even with such a low amount, instincts and traits still affect you. It's hard to tell how much time it will take you to learn it. You better be ready to abandon this people, if you won't manage to succeed.~'

After a brief pause he continued '~Try to imagine yourself being surrounded by a vortex, and your core as the center of it. Everything in surroundings keeps rotating and getting sucked into the center. Once you can feel something inside your core, don't be too impatient, it will only hinder your progress, at first try to force everything you feel inside your core into your spine. If you succeed to do so much, I'll tell you what to do next.~' (Spirit, whose name I still don't know)