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Plugged In: I got Isekai'd into a Sexbot (Now I Must Save The World)-Chapter 71: The Keeper of the Mountain
Chapter 71: The Keeper of the Mountain
The chamber grows cold.
Magic crackles through the air like a silent scream as the skeletal figure creaks upright on its throne of bones. Flames flicker wildly in the wall sconces, casting long, twitching shadows across the cracked stone floor. The lich rolls his head in a slow, grinding circle, bones popping, eyes glowing with a hateful light. His skull tilts downward.
And he sees them.
A breathless second passes.
Then...
"RUUUUN!" Penelo shrieks.
The team bolts for the door in unison. Boots slap against stone. Pip whirls to scoop up Ka’Lula, who’s frozen in shock, but before they make it three steps...
THUD.
The giant doors slam shut. A locking click echoes through the chamber.
Veena spins, energy igniting across her body. Horns flaring with violet fire. "SHIELD!"
She throws up a dome of magical force, wrapping the team in shimmering light. Vuvi presses close behind her, gripping the Boombuster, and Penelo curls into a whimpering ball near Pip’s legs.
The lich chuckles. A slow, deep sound like boulders grinding together underwater.
He lifts one bony finger.
Pop.
The shield shatters like glass.
Veena gasps, and lifts off the ground.
Her body stretches taut like a puppet yanked by invisible strings, and she dangles upside down, arms limp, eyes rolling.
"Childish," the lich says, voice dry as desert wind. "Don’t waste my time."
Pip lets out a furious whistle. His chassis glows. Combat protocols activate. Magical pistons hiss, gears spinning beneath his skin as he readies a full assault.
"No!" Vuvi grabs his wrist. "Stop! Pip, no! That’s a Lich!"
He pauses, optics locked onto her panicked expression.
"I’ve read about them," she whispers. "My mother killed one once... it was one of the hardest fights of her life. We don’t stand a chance."
Pip’s glow dims slightly. He lowers his arms, beeping with reluctant worry.
Veena dangles above them, hair falling like a curtain. "Actually," she says cheerfully, "this is surprisingly comfortable."
Vuvi steps forward, hands raised in peace, trying to speak...
The lich twirls a finger. Vuvi gasps, mouth suddenly fusing shut with a soundless slap. She lifts off the ground, flailing, and joins Veena in the air, now hanging beside her.
"Guess we’re bunkmates," Veena says with a shrug.
Her mouth seals too.
The lich grumbles, rubbing his jaw with one long finger. "Children. How did you make it through my forest? No one gets in. Not without dragon fire."
Penelo’s eyes widen. Her ears twitch.
Ka’Lula.
She spins, grabbing the dragon-kin girl and pulling her down behind a stone pillar.
"Shhh!" she hisses. "He’s after dragons. I know it!"
Ka’Lula blinks, wings twitching nervously. "I don’t think—"
"Just hide!" Penelo shoves her flat against the stone.
Sera moves to the front, armor clanking. She drops to one knee and presses her forehead to the floor in an overly dramatic bow.
"Oh great and terrifying Lord of Bones," she proclaims, "we beg your forgiveness for disturbing your sacred slumber. We are but humble adventurers, lost and wayward, who accidentally stumbled upon your domain—"
"Spare me," the lich mutters.
Sera peeks up. "Pardon?"
"You lie." The lich rises slowly, towering higher, shadows writhing around him. "I am the Keeper of the Mountain. I was tasked with protecting the treasure sealed within. For two hundred years, I have watched, waited, kept vigil in the dark. That forest? Mine. That bramble wall? Mine. Nothing lives that passes it. Only fire... only dragon flame could have—"
His eyes narrow.
He flicks a finger.
Sera screams as she flies through the air, joins the suspended cluster beside Vuvi and Veena, and immediately goes silent, mouth sealing like the others.
Penelo whimpers. Ka’Lula shakes in fear.
Pip steps forward, alone, standing firm despite the overwhelming magic around him. His chassis hums softly. He lifts a hand and beeps defiantly.
The lich blinks.
He squints. "...What are you?"
Pip poses—one arm up, one hand on his hip, stance proud.
"BEE-doop!"
The lich lets out a surprised snort. "By the Abyss... the toys these days." He chuckles, long and dry. "You’re no construct. You’re something else."
He lifts his hand and flicks it again. Pip rockets through the air like a golden cannonball. Just before impact, he freezes mid-air—suspended inches from the lich’s face.
The skull leans forward, eye sockets glowing brighter. He sniffs.
Then he moans.
"Oh... oh, my bones. Divine magic. Pure, unmarred... untouched. So rare. So delicious..."
He places one giant hand over Pip’s chest and slides the gleaming bot up to his face, sniffing again like a man inspecting a rare bottle of wine.
"Oh yes," he purrs. "This is real. This is blessed."
The floating women groan in muffled outrage, but their bodies remain locked in place. Penelo watches helplessly. Ka’Lula curls tighter behind her.
Then—
Penelo blinks.
Stands.
Straightens her back. Her ears snap to attention. Her nose twitches.
"No," she growls. "That’s my prince."
The lich pauses, brow lifting.
He turns slightly.
Penelo points a finger at him. "You put. Him. Down."
Ka’Lula, shaking behind her, watches in awe.
Then she hops up too, puffs her cheeks, spreads her wings and mimics Penelo’s pose.
"You leave my Pip alone!" she squeaks.
The lich snarls, eyes blazing. Magic erupts from his form in black crackling arcs. He whips toward Ka’Lula, towering over her.
She squeals, dives behind Penelo, who stands firm despite visibly quivering.
The lich steps forward—his massive form shrinks in a flash of black mist, condensing into a humanoid frame. Still skeletal. Still terrifying.
Now standing inches from Penelo and Ka’Lula.
They freeze.
He tilts his head.
"You smell... different," he whispers.
Ka’Lula whimpers. "I—I didn’t mean it. I was just copying the bunny!"
Penelo flinches. "Hey!"
The lich leans in close, inspecting Ka’Lula’s face.
Then—
He gasps.
His jaw drops.
And with a clatter of bones and robes, he collapses backward onto the stone floor, landing with a loud THUD that echoes through the chamber.
Everyone stares.
The lich throws his head back—
And starts laughing.
Not chuckling. Not cackling.
Screaming. Howling.
Laughter echoes like thunder, rolling off the stone walls. The very ceiling trembles from his mirth.
Ka’Lula, through sniffles, peeks over Penelo’s shoulder. "Wh-what’s happening?"
The lich curls up on the floor, still laughing, hands over his eye sockets.
"You finally came!" he roars. "After two hundred bloody years... you finally came!"
Everyone is too stunned to speak.
"Thank the gods," the lich groans. "I can finally leave this damn mountain!"
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