Despite the reason and urgency of their visit to Terminus, nobody in any of the three parties begrudged or complained about the two hours they spent in preparation. The time helped Seena’s party fully recover from the beating they’d taken at the Raze’s hand. That wasn’t why nobody urged them to ignore the plight of the city and its residents, though.

  What they were doing, it just felt right. So often, they used their power for destruction—admittedly, the members hunting Cinder-Blokes were still doing that—and it was a nice chance to use their might for something else. Something nobody else had the ability to do. The people of Trevallen had suffered for longer than Hiral could even imagine, and they were going to end that torment.

  While others worked on collecting the elemental cores that would be needed to feed the newly awakened—and starving—undead, and others gently moved bodies to communal locations, Hiral was by far the busiest. In his eyes, he had two main tasks. Very important ones at that. The first, of course, was to assist Li’l Ur prepare the Urn of Ur’Thul to catalyze the mass resurrection.

  With Seena and Nivian at their side, the former Progenitor and the future Edict crafted runic circle after circle, each one rising further and further into the air above the platform where the Fountain lay. One after the other, the floating—and slightly rotating—rings of runic equations brought light to the dark city for the first time in millennia. After the first funnel was crafted, composed of nine layers of concentric rings, Hiral moved his attention to the communal gathering sites.

  There, bodies were placed around elemental cores, the energy of them radiating like what would—hopefully—be the most tantalizing of meals. Above each of those locations, another funnel of runic circles took shape, though this time with the smallest at the top, and the largest at the bottom. After the first location was set up, it became the work of Hiral’s clones to erect dozens more.

  Through it all, Hiral weaved in a touch of Nivian’s energy via Empower and Connection. Every newly awakened undead would hold a spark of the Death Knight within them. Li’l Ur assured everybody the undead would naturally bow to the most powerful undead in their presence, a natural instinct he had programmed in. Something the little lich had said, though, about Nivian being a patriarch had struck a chord with Hiral.

  It didn’t just need to be about strength. Nivian had promised to protect these people, and the man did not swear that lightly. They deserved to know they would be looked out for, and Hiral’s small addition to the working would ensure that happened. Their natural undead instinct may make them bow, while Hiral’s added touch would also make them feel connected.

  With the other funnel-circles being created by clones constantly leaping out of him in the dozens practically on instinct, Hiral moved to the second thing he needed to do. When Nivian and Li’l Ur activated the Urn of Ur’Thul, that was going to be a humongous release of power. One the Raze would likely notice. Even if they were too stoned to really care, their Endless may decide to make an appearance.

  Hiral was confident if it came to another fight, the party could escape again, but that would leave the city at their mercy. Something the constructs didn’t seem to have. So, Hiral needed to make it so the Raze and their Endless didn’t notice what was about to happen there.

  This need had him move to the roof of the cavern that housed Trevallen—clones still spawning from him to rain down on the city—with Hundred Handed sketching runes directly into the stone. He could probably just outright hide the energy release from the Urn with a series of Runes of Decrease and Energy. Enough of those would make it so that any extra energy that passed through the stone and made it to the surface would barely be a whisp.

  That just seemed like a waste. If there was extra energy not getting pulled directly through the funnels and pushed into the new undead, couldn’t he use it for something? The answer to that was a resounding yes. Of course he’d use it for something!

  Instead of Decrease, Hiral started with Absorption and Energy. This wouldn’t stream all the energy directly into him—A good way to explode—but instead into the runes he inscribed. From there, a few runic equations consisting of Increase, Restoration, Connection, Expansion, Dreaming, Rejection, Compression, and Sealing would do the trick. Any excess energy that made it to the ceiling would get absorbed, magnified, and spit back out by the runes to add fuel to the power of the rebirth.

  Hrm.

  A few additions of Separation and some more Dreaming—reinforced by Eclipse—would help Ur’s plan of remove the memories of the trauma, though he went light on that part. The last thing Hiral wanted was to remove more than that.

  Looking at the circle of equations glowing in the roof itself—above a city itself shining like an endless swarm of fireflies had taken it as their home—Hiral nodded. It would work. He just needed about a hundred more of them to encompass the entire cavern.

  Better get started.

  Envisioning the new equations he’d need to load his next set of clones with, Hiral took a deep breath—the Edicts around him pulsing with their support—then breathed out. With the exhalation, a new swarm of clones joined those already raining out of him. Instead of falling toward the city, though, these new clones raced along the ceiling like an expanding coat of glowing paint.

  In their wake—and their explosions—new etchings were left in the stone. Each glowing with a touch of Hiral’s power, the second, massive runic working took shape. Even with his clone army, it took almost an hour for him to fill the massive cavern, but by the time he was done, it looked like the others had finished their tasks as well.

  Dropping back down to the platform where the Fountain resided, Hiral rejoined Seena, Li’l Ur, and Nivian. Ilrolik had joined them at some point, while the rest of the three parties were spread out amongst the city. Even with every safeguard they’d put in place, there was always the chance one—or more—of the newly awakened undead would go after the blue flame within one of their neighbours instead of the elemental cores. With S-Rank bodies and power, the party would hopefully be able to intervene before things went too far.

  “Done?” Seena asked him.

  “As done as I can be, I think,” Hiral said. “Ur, how’s it looking?”

  Li’l Ur scanned the numerous runic circles hovering above every section of the city, then looked to the work Hiral had inscribed into the roof itself. “At this point,” Li’l Ur said. “The Hunger will always be part of the undead, especially the newly awakened. Seeing what you did here, though, if I had you back when I began the process, I am left to wonder if we couldn’t have made it perfect. Could we have removed the curse of The Hunger all together?

  “Your skills with the runes are truly magnificent.”

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  “Thanks, Ur,” Hiral said. “I’ve had some good teachers.”

  “Then it’s almost time to get going,” Seena said.

  “Before that,” Ilrolik said. “I know my group joined a little late, but something never got explained to me. What happens after all these people wake up as undead? After the elemental-core snacks. Do we leave them here while we go deal with the Raze?”

  “They go back to Genesis,” Nivian said. “To the Trevallen there. We’ll work out the logistics of them living there—or moving on—after we finish on Terminus.”

  Ilrolik nodded and crossed her arms. “Great. Great. Just one question. How do we get an entire city full of people to Genesis? It’s not like any of the Black Gates are particularly close.”

  “Through Designation: the Fountain,” one of the PIMP constructs said.

  “Pardon?” Nivian said.

  “Having spent the last three hours in close proximity to the Fountain, we have established a solid connection with our main processors back on Genesis,” a second of the three PIMP constructs said. “It has not aided us in our virtual battle with the PIMP of Terminus, but there is a connection. A path the people of this world could take, if they so chose.”

  “Then there’s your answer,” Nivian said to Ilrolik, while pointing at the PIMP.

  “Did you know about the path, Nivian?” Hiral said.

  “First I’ve heard of it.”

  “Then how were you planning to get them back to Genesis? You know, we never actually talked about it, but I figured you had a plan.”

  “I trusted you or Seeyela would figure out a way,” Nivian said.

  “… that we would figure out a way?” Hiral said after a three-second-long pause.

  “You’re the teleportation experts,” Nivian said. “I knew I could count on you, even though it looks like I don’t have to.”

  “That’s probably for the best,” Hiral said. “Cause moving an entire city of people isn’t a small job.”

  Nivian patted him on the shoulder. “You would’ve come up with something. Now, you just have to figure out how to get them through the Pilgrims’ realm and back to Genesis along the path the PIMP just told us about.”

  “Again… me?”

  “Or Seeyela,” Nivian said with a shrug.

  “You going to be the one to tell her that?”

  “Hells no. I’ll have a whole new race of undead I need to focus on. I’ll leave that to you.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Seena said, looping an arm through Hiral’s. “Make sure she doesn’t kill you for giving her an impossible task.”

  “I’m still not sure how this ended up being my job,” Hiral said.

  In response, Seena just pointed to the constellations of runic circles hanging over the city. “Who else would get stuck with it? I’m sure Seeyela will help you figure something out. Between the two of you, you’ll get it all sorted out in no time.”

  “She was already grumbling about working with the Urn of Ur’Thul,” Hiral said.

  “Her Insatiable ability was surprisingly similar to how my Urn works,” Li’l Ur said. “They will work exceptionally well together in helping the souls pass through the Urn to be reborn. It took a bit of tweaking so she didn’t accidentally suck the entire city inside…”

  “That was a possibility?” Hiral said.

  “Oh, definitely,” Li’l Ur said with a nod. “The Urn is not just a repository for souls or energy. It has much of my once-great army stored within it. It would happily consume this whole city—possibly the whole world—if we let it. And, if we paid its price.”

  “That’s only mildly terrifying,” Seena said.

  “Have no fear, Mistress, even my Urn would not be able to hold something so large for long. Hrm, unless we were to put it inside your sister’s Insatiable…? The ability has so many features in common with the Urn, I believe it could extend the temporal limitations associated with extreme mass. It could be fascinating to experiment with…”

  “Maaaaaybe,” Seena interrupted. “Let’s not experiment with the Undead Urn eating worlds?”

  “Not until you need it, Mistress,” Li’l Ur said with a sagely nod.

  “I’ll set you up with Gauto when we get back,” Hiral said to the little lich. Then, he turned his attention to the party leader with the surprised look on her face. “For purely theoretical discussion. Gauto would love to have that conversation.”

  “Ah, the hungry one,” Li’l Ur said. “I look forward to it. He has a sharp mind.”

  “Which leaves us with the actual resurrection of the city to take care of,” Nivian said, bringing everybody back on topic. Speaking into the raid chat, he asked his next question. “Is everybody ready?”

  “SMASH!” Bash said excitedly.

  “No smashing,” Wule predictably responded. “Just make the cores extra delicious looking, okay?”

  “Smash hunger,” Bash said, and Hiral could hear the Troblin nodding even though he was on the far side of the city.

  “Bash’s hammer has a way to make the cores react,” Nivian explained. “He’ll make them more appealing to any nearby, hungry undead.”

  “Rest of us are in place,” Yanily said. “As long as we don’t have too much chaos all over the city, I think we’ve got the biggest gathering points covered. Enough cores here to fill everybody up as well.”

  “The cores won’t push them through Ranks,” Li’l Ur clarified. “They will keep them under control, though. It will buy us the equivalent of a few weeks. Once we’re all back on Genesis, we’ll need a more permanent solution.”

  “One that involves them finding and consuming energy on their own,” Nivian said. “These people may not be fighters, but they’re going to have to learn if they want to survive.”

  “Dungeons will help,” Seena said.

  “Any idea what Rank they are going to wake up as?” Ilrolik said.

  “E-Rank through C-Rank,” Li’l Ur said. “Based on the energy I feel from the bodies left behind. Unlike a normal Possessed, however, they will be able to continue to grow in strength like regular Undead can. Someday, one of them may even reach the same height you all have—S-Rank.”

  “If you’re all here,” the caretaker said, shuffling over carefully. “It must almost be time. Everybody up here is as prepared as they can be. I’m sure all will take the choice offered to them, but I thank you for making sure it is a choice.”

  “Of course, we just need one more person to join us… and there he is,” Nivian said, looking to the stairs where his twin brother climbed onto the platform.

  “The citizens are ready,” Wule said. “There were some small mishaps transporting a few of the bodies—they were in worse shape than you can imagine—but it’ll be worth it.”

  “What do I need to do?” the caretaker said.

  “Stay near me,” Nivian said. “I will draw on the power of the Urn, channel it through me, then into you—connecting my race and yours to both the Urn and the PIMP—then spread it to the rest of the city from there.”

  “There is something you should know,” Li’l Ur spoke up. “Your body will likely change. While some undead retain their current appearance, many others experience a drastic shift. Given the state many of you are currently in, you will be transformed into something more appropriate for your new lives.”

  “Will we still be… us?” the caretaker asked.

  “Yes,” Li’l Ur said. “Your identities will not change, thanks to the efforts of my would-be apprentice. You should retain the core of who you are—once The Hunger is overcome—and it will only be your physical bodies that see a change. Not a detrimental one, I might add.”

  “What will they become?” Seena asked the lich on her shoulder.

  “Even I am not sure,” Li’l Ur admitted. “They are already a unique combination of Pilgrim and human. As Possessed, each body contains two souls, or at least portions of two souls. I have never attempted the process of turning something like that into Undead.”

  “But you’re sure it will work?” Ilrolik said.

  “I am sure,” Li’l Ur said. “Like I am confident the fact that they are two-souled will influence the new form they awaken with. Given my experience, I suspect it will be something only partially corporeal, though they will likely be able to overcome that limitation as they grow in strength.”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” Nivian said, striding over to where the Urn stood on a hastily assembled pedestal. “Is everybody ready?”

  Instead of answering, Li’l Ur floated from where he normally stood at Seena’s shoulder, to hover above his Urn. As soon as he took his position, a cone of blue light erupted from the top of the Urn to envelop him, though it didn’t look like it hurt him at all. Familiar script seared itself into the borders of the blue light as the lich quietly chanted.

  Ten seconds later, he nodded. “Ready,” Li’l Ur said. “Nivian, you will be the conduit between my Urn and the first of this city’s residents to change. The process will use you as a blueprint for the changes it enacts, while binding the city to you as their patriarch. I hope you use this authority better than I did.”

  “I will protect them, not abuse them,” Nivian said.

  “Then you’re already a better patriarch than I was,” Li’l Ur said.

  “Wule” Nivian said, standing in place, but not yet reaching out for the Urn, while the caretaker moved within arm’s length.

  “I’ll help guide the energy,” Wule said, transforming into his Aspect form. “I can already feel it building. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”

  “Just like you always do,” Nivian said, lifting a hand to put it on his twin’s shoulder.

  Wule didn’t say anything to that, though he did nod.

  That done, Nivian stepped back into place.

  “Let’s do this,” he said, reaching out to first grasp the Urn, then the caretaker beside him.

  All at once, everything vanished in cascading sheets of blue fire expanding outward.

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