214 KelThor Citadel (1/2)

”Did you not mention it before? When I set out to do something, I do it,” said Li in his own true form now that they were in the privacy of Ven'thur laboratory. Although it had been torched the last time Li had encountered the lich, it had been restored with some help by Alexei.

”And I am confident this will succeed.”

To a more minimal degree, of course, now that Ven'thur was no longer researching how to create more high undead using live subjects. In fact, most of it was now like a workshop, dedicated for the Lich to show his expert craftsmanship in creating magic weapons like Azhar's bow and, more importantly, to further his research into dimensional magic.

Of course, the lich had not given up on making more high undead, it was just that he felt his services and knowledge were needed elsewhere and, with an eternity of undeath to spend, he had plenty of time to continue his undead research another day.

”I do not mean your confidence in this experiment,” said Ven'thur. ”The girl. Is it right to bring her? Kel'thor Citadel is not a welcoming place for little girls.”

Li looked to Tia, his skeletal head and socketed eyes glowing green as he gazed at her sleeping form on his shoulder. She was leaning on him, more comfortably than she would in his human form because he was a fair bit bigger, and she looked just as at peace with Li's more sinister figure as she was with his human visage.

Tia knew, of course, of Li's true form, and did not consider it a foreign concept. After all, she herself was not using her true form most of the time.

”Trust me, Ven'thur, Tia can handle more than her form would lead you to believe,” said Li.

Ven'thur laughed. ”Oh, I do not mean there will be danger. The citadel has long been dead, and so, I fear it may be far too dreary an environment for a curious young mind.

Though, I suppose you are right that she can handle far more than meets the eye. Considering she does possess some highborn draconic blood.” Ven'thur kept fidgeting with the purple crystal knob. It was meant as a stabilizer for his dimensional magic, sort of like a means to punch in coordinates to accurately zone in his teleportation, though even then, he could teleport only to extremely familiar locations.

”I am actually rather surprised no dragon from Torr Valeris has come curiously sniffing about for her. As obsessed with bloodlines those scaled lot are.”

”I imagine they know she is under the guardianship of a being far beyond them,” said Li.

Ven'thur kept his hand on the knob, and then raised his other hand in front of him. His lavender suit had been replaced with his magical purple robes, and they began to warp and billow around his figure like living fire. ”[Gateway]”

A dark purple fissure in space tore open in front of Ven'thur, slowly growing larger until it could envelop everyone present.

”Then, shall we?” said Ven'thur as he waved to Li, and Li nodded once, following the lich into the portal.

==========================

The moment they stepped into the portal, they were out of it, and it fizzled shut behind them in an instant as Ven'thur wished to save as much mana as he could.

”So this,” said Li as he looked around. ”Is Kel'thor Citadel.”

All around him, spanning into the distance, were massive bookshelves of stone. So tall and numerous were they that their combined structure looked almost like some kind of maze. Many of the stone bookshelves were ornately decorated with carved figures of knights, dragons, undead, flowers, and many, many more objects and beings.

Li realized they were essentially labels for the shelves, indicating what type of books would have been atop the shelves.

However, there were no books. Not a single one lay atop the massive complex of shelves, making them look utterly hollow, like a bare skeleton stripped of its flesh and blood. A heavy silence hung low in the library, mixing with clouds of ashen dust to create a somber, dead mood.

Tia shivered, and she lazily opened one eye. ”Cold,” she said, and Li wrapped a large, branched hand around her, wreathing her in warm leaves. Her eye moved from side to side, and she said, ”Where we?”

”At Kel'thor Citadel, oh sleepy dragon!” said Ven'thur, his excited voice ringing out in dead echoes throughout the massive length of the library. ”Or, more specifically, merely a part of it. The part most familiar to me: the Grand Archives, once manned specifically by yours truly.”

”There is not much left of it,” noted Li solemnly.