Lich for Hire

Deep beneath the sea, there was only darkness.

A ghost ship, overgrown with seaweed and barnacles, cruised along the ocean floor, crushing sand beneath its hull and trailing vast clouds of silt in its wake.

Pale spirits drifted across the vessel, their cold glow illuminating the surrounding waters.

Ambrose stood upon the deck, admiring the rare spectacle of the deep.

After so many years in this world, this was his first descent into the ocean depths. Truly, there was ever more to learn in life—though in his case, he continued learning even after death. Who would have thought that becoming undead would allow him to witness even more extraordinary sights?

For now, Ambrose had switched back to his skeletal body. The sensation of seawater flowing through the gaps in his bones was oddly pleasant. The only problem was that this body felt far too weak.

Mithril was durable, but a mithril-forged magical automaton was not waterproof.

Seawater contained salt, and salt corroded metal components. Pitted, uneven gears were fatal to machinery.

The archives of Alkhemia did contain designs for submersible constructs, but unfortunately, the model Ambrose possessed was not one such.