The Artificer's True Colors pt1

Cadmus was once considered one of the most prominent and brilliant wizards when he joined the Wizard Academy in Lycia. Working his way through the ranks, he joined the Adventurer's Guild at eighteen and began dungeon diving in as many ruins as he could. He even uncovered a city buried beneath the rubble of Podalia. It was there, where he uncovered sacred manuscripts that allowed him to unravel his unnatural talents to create constructs, golems, and other powerful inventions.

Gradually, he gave up spell-casting for technology. Fusing magic, alchemy, and technology, he became known as a powerful artificer, upgrading his class and everything. The wizards that he had grown and trained with, envied and despised him for that, eventually leading to his seclusion from the outside world.

His story was confided in me by Elektra in the Commander's Inn before our departure, but I paid no attention at the time. All I thought then was that it was some kind of background filler about our leader. All pieces of the puzzle come into place now. His insatiable thirst for power and knowledge made him drank. That's all he cares. Dark and powerful now, he's in command of the undead army and we are at his mercy. I wonder what are his plans for us...

Fortunately, his actions caused a ruckus that has saved the lives of Zoe and Alexander. Their HP bars are below 20%. The rest of their team long lost, their bodies now lying lifeless on the cold wet ground.

"Cadmus, have we won?" Alexander exclaims in a pool of his own blood.

The artificer casts his gaze on him with a sinister smile, "We won? No, I won. You were merely the instruments."

At that moment everything changes. A great tension grows in the air around us. I feel heavy, as if gravity itself has become my enemy. The look in the artificer's eyes says it all. He isn't one of us, he never has been.

"Please, let us go in peace," Zoe begs and whimpers as she stares at her mutilated body.

"I have other things in mind for you," the Artificer licks his lips, "I had you marked since the beginning."

Zoe bursts into tears and Alexander is in a state of panic.

"That's enough!" I shout, staring toward our mad leader. "What's the meaning of this?"

The artificer makes a long reverberating laugh, "You see, I had planned this all along. At the time King Alastor was crowned, I ventured into this deep with my team searching for the lich's phylactery. Instead, we woke him up and caused all this mess. It was impossible for me and my team to defeat him at the time. My entire party perished and I was the only survivor. In a matter of days, the lich and his minions had everyone down here killed and turned into undead minions. I convinced the Lord of Tlos to form an army of mindless adventurers so that I could venture back into this deep, and claim the lich's phylactery, but for my own purposes. The nobles considered the underground as a great threat and quickly helped me gather a great army. To my rotten luck, several high-level adventurers came to our aid from all over the Kingdom. That's why I had to split our forces and thin our army. I didn't want to crush this undead army entirely after we had won. One needs an army to serve him after all. Thanks to your help I managed to make my dream come true."

Your Adventurer's Log has been Updated, my NCI notifies me.

Focusing on the phylactery with my Insight, I'm provided with more information.

Lich's Phylactery. A phylactery stores a part of the lich's life force. Possession of it gives the bearer full control over the lich and its minions. Destroying the phylactery won't destroy the lich as it acts as a respawn and control mechanism.

So if I destroy the ring, the only thing that changes is that Cadmus won't be in control of the lich. The Pearled Ring that Cadmus wears has only 11 HP, and it will be nearly impossible for me to destroy it or take control over it. On the other hand if by some miracle I manage to destroy it, it will act as the perfect distraction to save Zoe. The lich and his minions will attack our former leader.

"So you abandoned all these people down here for your petty desires and even sacrificed the best of adventurers Lycia had to offer," Elektra's lips quiver, her voice cold and her fists clenched.

"A smart plan," Ambrosia comments in cold indifference. "I wonder what vile acts you have in mind from now on," she adds with a sly smile, trying to provoke our former leader even more.

The artificer chokes, then coughs a few times to clear his throat, blushing almost. "You three," he points at Ambrosia, Elektra, and Zoe. "You're strong and you'll prove useful in the forthcoming challenges. I'm sure the Lord of Tlos will try to raid the underground again with an even stronger army. I must be strong and on my guard once this happens."

"That's boring," Ambrosia runs her hands through her hair and cocks a single eyebrow. "I thought you'd have the decency to at least defile us or make us your sex slaves, but guarding you till another army of adventurers raids this place and takes your head? I think I'll pass," she lets out a yawn.

Would she have gone for that? No, probably not, what am I even thinking?

Frozen, the artificer is unable to respond to Ambrosia's rant. I don't know what she's trying to pull here, but he's in a state of dismay, our glorious leader trying to find the words he wants to respond to the insult. Catching him off-guard, Zoe does something unexpected. She casts a Fire Bolt and with laser targeted accuracy, she hits the pearl on the artificer's ring.

Phylactery received a Critical Hit of 10 Points, my NCI informs me, and I notice that 90% of its HP has vanished while several cracks appear on the pearl's surface.

The lich screeches and the deafening sound hits us, forcing us to hold our ears from bleeding. There's sonic damage too and we notice a 2 HP loss on our bar. Zoe and Alexander almost fade, now their HP bar closer to zero than ever before.

"You bitch!" The artificer shouts maddened, his lips quivering from anger.

"I'm sorry," she whimpers and holds her breath trembling.

The artificer's left hand transforms into several tentacles, eight to be precise. Two of them immediately grab Zoe and Alexander and pull them up in the air. Both are too limp to fight or to resist. Several meters above the stone floor, his tentacles lash over the open wounds ferociously. As he continues to squeeze them, clamping down on their ribs, I can hear their bones shatter and bend. Alexander looks like he's in the most pain, limp as he is, his face full of fear and despair. I see his hand trembling as if he is ready to shout one last spell.

The artificer laughs as he throws them hard back down against the concrete, brick wall. Their bones crack and I try to keep my composure. Alexander dies instantly, his head crushed with a hollow splashing sound. Zoe on the other hand is still alive, only 1 HP remaining on her bar. The last precious moments of her life are spent watching the monstrous artificer tearing her apart with his tentacles. Blood streams across the ground and her guts flip out.