The Quest for Arsenal
The Lich's resolve was unshaken as he ventured deeper into the heart of the Drusken Forest. His mission was clear—to acquire three essential weapons that would augment his newfound powers. These weapons would be his means of asserting dominance in the unforgiving solar system, and he was determined to find them.
His first destination was a cache of Golden Age technology hidden within the forest's depths. Guardians before him had scavenged remnants of humanity's lost era, seeking weapons of immense power. The Lich knew that if such treasures existed within the forest, he would uncover them.
Guided by an instinctual connection to the Djuin, the Lich combed through the dense undergrowth. The forest seemed to whisper secrets from the past, urging him forward. He knew that his path was guided by more than just chance.
As he journeyed deeper, the Lich stumbled upon a concealed entrance, hidden beneath layers of foliage and roots. With a surge of strength, he forced open the sealed doors and stepped into the hidden chamber beyond.
Inside, an array of long-forgotten weapons greeted his searching eyes. Each one was a testament to humanity's ingenuity, but he sought something specific—a weapon that would serve as his primary choice. His gaze fell upon a hand cannon, its design adorned with ancient runes, dormant yet resonant with potential.
The hand cannon, unlike the other weapons, emitted no visible power, but it gave off a peculiar resonance that resonated with the Lich's understanding of chaos. The runes inscribed upon it seemed to beckon him, offering a unique connection to the Djuin.
With a deep breath, the Lich infused a single point of chaos into the hand cannon. The first rune at the barrel lit up with a medium-powered red glow, and he knew he had harnessed its power. A pull of the trigger sent a crimson blast surging forth, impacting a nearby wall and sprouting red, flesh-like vines upon contact—a display of its otherworldly abilities.
The hand cannon had become his energy weapon, a testament to his growing command over the Djuin. It would serve as a deadly tool in the battles that lay ahead.
However, the Lich's quest was far from complete. He needed both a primary and a power weapon to complete his arsenal. As he left the hidden vault behind, he knew that his path would take him to other corners of the forest, where even greater challenges and treasures awaited.
His journey was not just about acquiring weapons; it was a quest for power, mastery, and the relentless pursuit of his destiny as a Lich.
With his newfound energy weapon in hand, the Lich ventured deeper into the Drusken Forest, his steps echoing with determination. The runes upon the hand cannon pulsed with anticipation, a silent reminder of the resonance he had forged with the Djuin.
As he walked, he couldn't help but wonder what other secrets the forest held, and what trials awaited him in the pursuit of his ultimate power and unlimited alchemical and djuin related knowledge.
With his newfound energy weapon, the crimson hand cannon, humming with untapped potential at his side, the Lich continued his journey through the Drusken Forest. His next objective was to secure a primary weapon, something that would serve as his mainstay in the battles to come.
Guided by the forest's unspoken wisdom and the ever-present resonance of the Djuin, the Lich's path led him deeper into the heart of the forest. His thoughts focused on his next goal—a weapon that would complement his arsenal and grant him the versatility needed to confront the challenges ahead.
As he ventured further into the lush and mystical landscape, his senses heightened, and his awareness of the Djuin's presence grew. It was as if the forest itself acknowledged his quest and whispered secrets of the past to aid him in his search.
After hours of exploration, he came upon a place of profound significance—a hidden tower nestled amidst the trees, its presence obscured by the ancient forest. Inside, he discovered a treasure trove of Golden Age relics, each waiting to be claimed.
An orb surrounded by a green hue lay on a table along with several other items. A book emitting purple light floated as he neared the table. It was noticebly bound by two golden chains.
His eyes wayvered at the thought of what would happen if he had attempted to release the floating book from its restraints. A shiver crept up on his spine forcing his eyes to shift to another relic. An hour glass filled with the ocean. Waves as torrid and violent as the oceans of Titan were rampaging. His heart pounded and just as his hand made slight movement, indicating his sudden captivation and interest the final relic emit a crimson hue that overshadowed all the relic present.
—A wand. It was unlike anything he had encountered outside of the Drusken Forest, its design minimalist, resembling a conductor's wand from the golden age when sounds were produced not from gunfire but from the angelic mouths of the civilians they kept guard over, the civilians he used to keep guard over. It was etched with runes along its length of 15 inches. The wand resonated with power, promising untold potential in the hands of its master. It had a curved handle, ensuring a firm grip for the weilder but where the handle ended the long and straight length of the wand began, it 10 runes in total, three on the handle and seven on the length of the wand.
With a sense of anticipation, the Lich grasped the wand, feeling an immediate connection with it. The runes, dormant but brimming with latent energy, seemed to respond to his touch. He knew that this was the primary weapon he had sought. The first rune lit up, a purple hue surrounding it, his heart sank. Purple was the colour tied to the void, his previous subclass. Even though he had spent over 6 years studying its enigma he understood nothing of what he was seeing now, he could have sworn he had seen the wand emit a red hue that to further prove the point overshadowed the floating book that was encased with a purple hue, which was notably now flat on the table, the golden chains now a greyish silver.
With a sense of curiosity and a desire to test his newfound abilities, the Lich made his way back down the spiral stairs belonging to the tower and activated the first rune aiming the tip at a nearby tree. A small red blast erupted from the wand's tip, reminiscent of a normal bullet but in energy form. It smashed against the bark of the tree leaving red smoke from the impact but otherwise the tree was seemingly unharmed.
He continued to experiment with the wand, activating the second rune. To his surprise, crimson flesh-like vines sprouted from the tip of the wand and clasped around the same tree he had aimed at, the vines increased in number as they grew to consume the tree, a red hue erupting from the small space between the tree and the crimson flesh vines. He felt a wave of chaos replenish his reserves at once and soon the tree began to visibly change. The vines had covered the entire tree, making it look like an eldritch horror of sorts, the liches lips trembled for but a second before he regained his senses and knew he was safe as it was his ability after all. A stray thought rushed to his mind though, a rather disturbing one at that.
"I can do the same thing. With my Tendril's Grasp Melee, the similarity is too uncanny to be a coincidence, and the wand produced these things not me, since what it produced seems semi sentient, capable of absorbing and draining life force like me doesn't that also mean someone made this and was aware of djuin in the golden age?"
Even more disturbing was that his hand cannon had the same ability though the flesh vines didnt stay connected to the barrel as they did to the wands tip.
The trees new look began to dissipate as they were absorbed back into the tip of the wand. What was left was a husk of the trees former self, the orb in its centre was gone and the bark he failed to even leave a scorch mark on earlier had completely lost its vitality, it did not look particularly withered per say as the roots were moving underground he could feel it. But the orb it had possessed was gone, and the third rune on his wand had lit up without him providing any further chaos. His inquisitive nature did the math and his mouth hung open in astonishment.
"Those orbs are clusters of Chaos!"
The third rune intrigued him further. With a mere thought, he activated it, causing the poor tree before him to fall once again under the liches evil research and schemes. It was being uprooted, the entire tree, of 6 metres in height and 25 inches in girth was forced away from the ground it had known for its entire existence and forced to float at the tip of the wands aim. A red hue emitting from the entire tree and the tip of his wand. A small weight of maybe 5kg weighed on his armed hand while his body found this weight negligible.
The wand's versatility was becoming apparent, and the Lich knew he had made a significant addition to his arsenal. But there were more runes yet to be unlocked, waiting for him to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Djuin.
The forth and final rune lit up after he had set down the tree once more, its roots immediately digging back through the earth and grounding it firmly. The lich found this rather amusing but decided to focus on the next rune.
As he activated the fourth rune according to his will an almost ethereal energy, red in colour shot from the tip of his wand in front of him. A force field shielded his body from frontal assaults. A wicked smile crossed the lich's face beneath his visor.
"I feel invincible." Were the only words that managed to escape his chaotic mindscape and flow out his mouth in one piece.
He spent some time practicing with the wand, fine-tuning his control over its abilities. His maximum chaos remained at 40, with the energy hand cannon consuming a portion of it. As he fired shots from the wand, he noticed that the chaos was not depleted but remained constant, allowing him to use its energy without diminishing his pool of power. He experimented for a time and came to a rather likable conclusion. The hand cannon is more powerful in terms of blast power and because of that it uses a single point of chaos per shot, while the wand will take that one point and use it to keep the rune activated long enough to fire 5 shots. "Incredible, i wish i had learned more from ikora when i was still a guardian of the tower and a member of the vanguard."
A pensive sigh was all that escaped his mouth while he continued to practice with his wand and hand cannon, alternating between the two at the walls of the golden age tower.
The wand became an extension of himself, a tool of destruction and manipulation, and the Lich felt a sense of invigoration as he wielded its power. With his energy hand cannon and the versatile wand by his side, he was one step closer to unlocking his true potential as a Lich.
The mysteries of the Drusken Forest and the secrets of the Djuin beckoned him onward. The forest whispered promises of even greater power and knowledge, and the Lich was determined to seize them all.
As he continued his journey through the forest, he couldn't help but smile beneath his visor. The path of the Lich was one of relentless pursuit, growth, and the unwavering quest for supremacy. And he was ready to embrace it, chaos and all.
As the Lich journeyed deeper into the heart of the Drusken Forest, his focus remained fixed on his quest for weaponry. The forest's secrets beckoned him forward, and he was determined to uncover its hidden treasures.
Along the way, he kept an eye out for more than just weapons. The forest was teeming with unique herbs, their alchemical properties promising potent elixirs and brews. The Lich carefully gathered them, knowing that they would prove valuable in his journey.
As he ventured further into the forest's depths, he stumbled upon a peculiar sight—a twisted, undead creature ensnared in a state of perpetual torment. Its mournful cries echoed through the woodland, stirring his curiosity.
With a confident flick of his wrist, the Lich decided to put his newfound powers to the test. "Tendril grasp!" he declared.
[-4] HP
[-3] CP
The undead creature's agony-filled cries filled the air as sinister tendrils emerged from the Lich's hand, reaching toward the suffering being. However, his attempt to bend the creature to his will met with failure. It writhed and resisted his control, slipping free from his grasp.
The Lich looked through his visor and saw a counter for his chaos had appeared. It showed him that after absorbing the undeads life force he had gained 3 chaos points and a stack of invigoration was added to his current 14 stacks. The higher it got the more natural strength he would have and the longer he would live for.
A frown began to linger though. He had failed to turn the undead into a Djinn. This humbling experience reinforced the notion that his journey was one of growth and development. But a glint of frustration was clouding his mind.
The forest, it seemed, was guiding him, testing his resolve and providing glimpses of his untapped potential. But a new tone of anger had arisen within the lich. He hated being left in the dark and right now the forest seemed to have taken his interaction with it for granted.
His pursuit was not solely about acquiring weapons but also about unlocking the mysteries of his own abilities. After collecting a few herbs for later use he made his way north. he was now maybe three hours from the tower he attained his wand from so now he was sure he was getting close to another piece of golden age technology. Not just because of thee distance but also he could hear a humming sound from within his chest resonating and humming in harmony with something a little to the north. His line of sight told him it was just more forest but he took the initiative and dived in.
Sprinting at full speed towards the humming sound he spoke multiple times on his way.
"Tendril Grasp!"
"Fleshbind!"
His right hand shot a cluster of tendrils at a group of 5 deer, all of which were grabbed instantly and lifted into the air where they would be drained of their life force and chaos while his left hand took hold of three bigger deer, these ones had the antlers that came with those shiny little crystals.
[-4] HP
[-4] CP
[-4] HP
[-4] CP
[-
...
After the initial shock of how powerful his abilities were he started to feel a little different than usual. His body felt not just stronger but also relieved of a lot of stress that had built up, after all though his class was a lich he was still just an awoken man with no paracausal powers outside what his class and subclass offered.