I can't see any reason not to level up, other than if I can't find another rabbit. I'll think about that while I use my new found time to learn if I can use the desiccated husk of my first victim.
Looking at the rabbit my jaws still wrapped firmly into its side, I can see the fur is falling off in clumps, 10lbs have turned into maybe 5lbs and that is pure dead weight with no moisture at least as far as I can see.
I remove the rabbit from my mouth, and since I don't have any tools I use the hole I've made as an entry point digging my digits one at a time making the hole larger by the second. Within a few moments the rabbit lays there without skin it's body oddly enough having muscle still even if the lack of moisture normally would result in muscles completely disappearing.
Instead in the place of muscle it has black sinew like fibers, grasping them I'm filled with an understanding. I can tell the information is coming from my bone tool crafting ability. The sinew is exactly that except used solely so that fragile bones won't bend and break as easily during crafting.
Using my new found knowledge I slowly pull the black sinew away from the bones. Leaving me to a disappointing sight, there had to be a loss somewhere to account for the lost weight, and now I can see it, the bones are brittle, flakey, and shriveled leaving them smaller than my individual finger bones. I understand that I could use these to make arrow heads that will break on contact, sending shards of bone hopefully into vital organs.
But as a newly born pessimist I have to point out to myself that as great as that is, I have no idea how to make a bow. The logistics of finding just the right bones to make a bow that wouldn't break in one use is making my head spin. And as if my joke didn't hurt enough my head did in fact spin 360°.
I sat there with a progressively more cold rabbit corpse far longer than I'd like. But eventually I gathered the black sinew and made my way to the rabbit who died earlier, making my way over to the rabbit I dropped the sinew near it and looked at the much smaller rabbit.
This rabbit unlike my victim still had healthy bones, usable bones and now I'm this close to moving up from a potential snack and not a threat to a danger to my enemies and able to get food for myself.
The horn on this one is especially attractive, a stabbing weapon can do far more damage than a slashing one. And due to me not needing to preserve the quality of the meat I could focus more on pure killing power.
Looking at the horn, a long spiraling piece of bone that is white in color, it's only just shorter than my forearm, not including my hand, already I can see some issues with trying to get its horn as a weapon, it has a layer of fatty, light brown fur, in contrast to the darker brown with patches of black of the rest of the body, near the base of the horn. As I feel around the horn I find that the horn doesn't just end there it feels connected to the skull.
With this new finding I know just what I need 'I need a rock.' And for the first time since I became full I used the new found energy to almost fling my body towards a rock near the base of a tree.
The rock has a flat surface, 'I might be able to use it as a table.' Thinking that I lean down grabbing the edges and picking it up. Only to find myself disappointed in that I couldn't pick the rock up; it was just a little too heavy.
'If I leveled up could I get stronger?' Thinking this I navigated towards my profile and mentally clicked the question marked area near the word "level up" and right there was when I suddenly became aware just how empty I as an undead could be. I felt myself almost like a vase getting bigger to make room for more water, but instead the water was going down.
While a good section of my mind was colored white with some horrid type of hunger pain. A part of my mind could tell exactly how long I had before I lost my life to this hunger.
And just as quickly as it came it disappeared. Leaving me a pile of bones, my mind reeling from the pain I found myself wishing I had tear ducts to maybe relive just a bit of this pain. I soon closed my mind to rest, hoping that the pain would go away faster if I did.
Rest can come slowly but it can also come up from the depths of your mind and hit you like a bag of bricks. I had the second one, but unlike what my experience would suggest I was forced awake 'right I can't sleep' at this I steeled my heart for the pain and made my best attempt at standing.
I want to say that I stood smoothly with no issues, but I can tell even if I'm standing my sense of balance is more messed up than I thought possible. Forcing my mind to clamp down on the pain and again come to control my body I realized that I couldn't put my body into auto pilot, and as much pain as this is I know this can't be the worst pain out there.
So I bent down to the rock one again, and tried to lift it. This time I lifted it but found that it was very heavy, the rock extended only around 6 inches into the ground, making the total size the rough equivalent to a dinner plate 10 inches tall.
Slowly I made my way back over to the rabbit who's horn I have deemed the perfect first weapon. I lower the rock to the rabbits skull. Then pick the rock back up intending to let gravity do the "heavy lifting" and faster than the gravity of earth would allow, the rock hit the rabbit's skull almost on point but sliding off the skull into the base of the rabbits horn.
*creek* my dear that was a shockingly loud noise I can't help but wonder if more than the horn broke. After thinking that I force my body to move quickly picking up the rock so as to not put more weight onto the horn. I set the rock directly behind me.
Then finding myself shy at the idea of my weapon being broken I slowly turn around freezing as I see the horn only having a hairline fracture through the bottom of the horn. I can't stop my hand from grasping right above the fracture, and pushing in the opposite direction of the fracture hoping to make it larger.
Open seeing no result from that, I start to wiggle it back and forth, if memory serves I'm almost treating it like a tooth, and soon enough I feel a pop from the inside of the horn.
Then from my skill on crafting with bone, comes the information that some animals grow layers of bone around their horns and the like. And if you can do so, you need to do so, then you can remove the bones in layers. I remember this began putting more gusto and elbow grease into taking off the top layer only of the horn.
And almost like the horn wasn't a weapon for murder that was moments ago connected to another thing, I find in my hands a hollow horn about as long as my forearm 'if I learn how to make poison I can do some serious damage'
And to make light of my struggle, 23 hours remaining on the timer. 'I've been sitting here for an hour!' Gritting my teeth I reach to the side of the rabbit and grab some of the sinew, I begin the process of wrapping the bottom of my "shortsword" so that it won't go flying out of my hand.
I stand and start to plan 'I need food and, I need to figure out if staying here for a bit longer and trying to make a different weapon, or reinforce my current one, would be better for my survival.' Well actions speak louder than thoughts, so rather than wondering I turn my life detection on, 'so that's what leveling abilities does' previously with this turned on my vision was limited to what I could see, as in my natural eyesight but I can see through objects and living things are highlighted, but now it was at least 1.5 times larger. And now after fighting the rabbit I can see their outline, leading me to be able to tell that there are 2 of them at the edge of my vision.
Taking the skeleton version of a deep breath I look towards the rabbit and the resources that I can use from it.... Okay so as annoying as it is I might not have had to break off the horn, as I was messing with my skill, and removing bones, cataloging their uses, I was also trying to keep an eye on the two rabbits that were further away from me. I really didn't want to run out of mana so I was trying to see if I could find where my mana is stored. I followed the line of warmth in my eyes when the ability is being used, and found a pearl of energy with a smaller one inside of it.
This led me to trying to use magic when I was using the ability to craft and I quite literally melted the bone down to a liquid, more of a putty but I can tell that the bone became stronger. So I went over to the first rabbit and after combining the two bone putties I was able to craft a small square of bone that I can put my hand into. Also known as a shield, I tried my luck with the horns as well but found that I don't have a high enough level of crafting, or I don't have enough MP to do anything with them.
So instead I made a pole out of bone, it is only slightly longer than 3ft. And attached the brittle of the two rabbits horns to it using the sinew, so now I have a shield, a "shortsword" and a spear of sorts. 'Can't be more ready than this' 20 hours remaining on the counter that message has grown from very worrying to one of the most annoying things I have any memory of, considering I have the same count down going in the back of my head down to the second.
'Those two rabbits seem to have separated from each other meaning I'll have an easier time getting my food' and after 3 hours I finally start making my way towards the only rabbit I can see. As I make my way over there I find that since I no longer have to rush towards food like the first time hunting I can take just a little longer to examine the surroundings. The first thing I decide to look at is the trees, and while they seem to be the same species that I would have found on my home of earth, I would never see the types of trees all in one place.
As in you I can see a redwood tree in the distance surrounded by a very large specimen of a birch tree. I can also see no leaves on the ground meaning that either the trees don't lose their leaves in winter, or there is an incredibly diligent clean up crew, ants and other bugs, and someone save my soul if it's the second one considering how large and admittedly dangerous a flipping rabbit is in this new world.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Even if the distance to my new prey is farther I'm making good progress, in fact I'll be able to travel almost twice the distance in the same time as previously. And that was me furiously dashing towards anything I thought I could kill now I'm walking and enjoying... What happened to the noise? I force myself to stop and turn on my life detect using what I learned earlier today to spin my head around far more slowly this time.
I can't see a single living thing for the entire range of sight. Now as dumb as I might be I truly can't allow myself to ignore this, what could this be. looking through my memories of video games, as they seem the most relatable here. I soon find something that would have made my blood run cold, if I had any, some high level monsters can turn invisible from player detection abilities.
I want this to be the case where some low level enemies use similar abilities to hide so they can even stand a chance at attacking players, but just the general lack of anything else wanting to be in the area is daming enough evidence for me to want to figure out a way to prepare.
Turning off my life detect ability as that clearly isn't helping and it uses too much mana for me to keep using if it doesn't help. I try to open my profile without opening it as that would block a good portion of my vision, all while keeping my head on a constant 360° spin. I could see a few things of note right off the bat
(this is for viewer benefit, our skelly buddy is reading this without seeing the large text window).
Name: N/A
Race: lowest undead Lv1, skeleton variant, LF 0/250_H20.M30.S24_ MP 100/140
Str- 11(+0)
Con -
Wis 16(+3)
Int 18(+4)
Dex 12(+1)
Cha -
Free points 3
Abilities: Life detection-5/10, Bone tool use-0/20, Bone tool craft-3/5, Mana use-2/???, Observe-0/???
(Profile end, for people who like to skip these).
Well I'll be, I can use mana, finally an answer if it's magic or mana, and I got a new skill that I really wasn't trying to get. 'Oh wait that means I can get new skills!' Lets see one part of me wants to try using observe to see if that gives me any new information, but I have no evidence that the thing probably hunting me down even exists on the material plane, let alone able to be "observed" by my low level having self.
My stats also went up drastically, and what are free points? I assume that means that I get those every level, they also seem to be the same number as my Int bonus, 'but what can I use them on? Or even use them?' Considering that I've been standing here for well over two minutes I'm just going to have to hope, pray, and cross whatever I can get away with that the big scary thing is far away and is just that scary, 'or has lost interest in me.'
I stopped spinning my head, the sudden stop would have badly damaged something if I was alive, and began making my way towards a creature other than rabbits, I think I've had enough rabbit hunting for now. The life force I'm seeing can only be slightly larger than the rabbits it seems to be a bright orange with black marks, if I was a betting man and I'm really getting the idea that I am, then I would bet that whatever it is it's sick, hurt, or both, please let it be both.
Leaving the thicket of assorted trees, with a speed only available with decently long legs and motivation to not die without even knowing why. Soon my pace began slowing down, as the feeling of dread began retreating as I left the area, this is being the perfect time to notice that all along the trees near where I had just been bore very similar marks on them deep gashes, as deep as I could stick my arm in and a little more. They were in groups of six, five main claws and, something I'd assume is this creature’s equivalent to a dew claw.
I had entered this territory, that's why there wasn't anything near there they knew better, unlike me, that was most likely the only reason why I'm not re-dead. Some animals wouldn't kill other animals the first time they intruded, as they would soon kill or drive out all the prey that they needed if they did. And I just blew my one chance with whatever that was.
'As much as I find it useless for myself, I can't help but be thankful for honor, or whatever I can call that.' Deciding hanging out right outside of that things domain would be a bad idea, I resume my march towards the creature that caught my attention. And as much as my speed might be impressive considering my lack of muscles to assist me.
I'm definitely not able to outrun the falling sun. As I begin cresting the top of a large hill my eyes are drawn to the sun seeing it's slow descent from evening into dusk, I stood there letting my mind race with wild ideas for the future, I felt like a person again, like a kid... A kid who needs to kill something rather post haste lest he dies probably leaving a pile of dust in my place.
I feel refreshed, the fear from earlier no longer clouding my mind, I don't want that thing to continue it's reign of terror, that's my place not some animal. Chuckling at myself for thinking like that but still knowing that I was as serious as I am dead. I turn from the coming dusk into the full light of the rising moon, this time not getting lost in the sight, the night is when things fail to see the morning. Night is not something I will take for granted, already one being has lost it's life to sustain me 'how many more will I kill by the time the morning rises?'
After walking my way down the hill I soon saw the back of my first victim of this hunt, while the rabbits looked almost believable in being living beings of our world, this thing was almost as tall as me no fur and it's almost pink skin is stretched taught by its many bones. I can't tell if this thing is starving or if the beast naturally looks like this, but what I can tell for sure is that I've never been so tempted to rush head first into danger, so many bones even from where I'm now I can tell that the bones in this thing are far higher quality than the rabbits.
I wonder what this thing is even? The beast’s lumbering walk betrayed its agility under that mass of muscle, it walked like a gorilla who had been trained for years to be able to move as swiftly and quietly as possible. As I observed the beast I remembered one of my new skills, observe, I channel my mana into my eyes while chanting “observe” a short while later I felt no difference so I continued watching the hulking mass.
Then as I was observing for the final minutes before my mana ran out. It came to me, information about the beast things that I had seen and hundreds of ideas about it’s abilities, and as quickly as I saw them they began getting crossed out with detailed reasons why, all of this from what I had observed over the past hour… Wait why hasn’t my timer gone down for a while?
I opened my profile in a rush to see if something had happened. But what I found was definitely a surprise and even a welcome one I wished I would have known this sooner.
Name: N/A
Race: lowest undead Lv1, skeleton variant, LF 0/250_H19.M10.S00_Paused due to night time_ MP 12/140
Str- 11(+0)
Con -
Wis 16(+3)
Int 18(+4)
Dex 12(+1)
Cha -
Free points 3
Abilities: Life detection-6/10, Bone tool use-0/20, Bone tool craft-3/5, Mana use-3/???, Observe-1/???
A few of my skills had leveled with use, a good thing for sure but odd in that I keep discovering new things about my race that I really feel like I should know about. Alas I didn’t know but now I do. Bringing my attention back to looking at this thing I know I’m out classed. But that doesn’t mean I can’t level up a bunch and then come back. And with a plan made I slowly retreated from the beast back into the forest, towards a much more appealing victim.
To make use of the time I had I only paid the barest attention to my surroundings soon reaching my target, and slowing as to not spook it. Leering around a tree I check two things one my mana 50/140, and secondly I check to see if the thing can even be beaten by me, my only response to the second thing would be a resounding yes!
My enemy this time is a squirrel, about 3ft tall, with fur colored an odd grey and brown that I’m sure provides zero camouflage value. Knowing that my main goal is still sleeping I have to get stronger fast, so I charge!
My body clicking towards the grey squirrel alerted it immediately, and I’m fine with that considering what I’ve been through tonight I could really use some stress relief. As I expected the squirrel lived up to the willingness to die factor of other animals in these woods.
Now I have to admit that this is really stupid, charging in with no plan and only the bones off my back to protect me is a good way to die in an embarasing fasion. But honestly after spending the entirety of my new life sneaking and skulking around I really do need to just stretch myself out here and see what I’m made of in the non literal sense.
Seeing as me and the squirrel were almost ontop of eachother, I doubt I’ll have a better time to stab it then right now. My right hand snakes the shortsword towards the critters arm hoping to damage it’s mobility with a slash. The squirrel was not idle in allowing me to strike at it, it’s beady little eyes tracked my weapon even as it jumped to the side of my strike. Leading me to cancel my feint, and lunge with my primarily stabbing weapon towards the still airborne squirrel my weapon soon pierced deep into the arm of the squirrel. I’m forced to drop it though as to not damage it when the squirrel starts freaking out, the added weight of my sword forced the squirrel to accommodate that, and I could see in its eyes just how unwilling it is to die. ‘I know it’s going to run, it can’t turn with that much damage to it’s shoulder but it’s definitely faster than me in going forward, I can’t let you escape.’
I only had to wait a single instant before it attempted to make it’s escape. I know I can’t let it know it’s faster than me. I have to make it believe that it can’t run. I find myself grinning as the squirrel pivoted on it’s bad arm by habit I’m sure, and not being one to miss a golden opportunity I dashed for it’s neck I made it to the squirrel before it had gotten over the pain of its weight on it’s damaged limb. I saw it’s eyes open, , first confusion then fear, followed by anger, and finally realization. Odd that something so simple could show so many emotions.
My hand laches around the back of its neck, forcing my admittedly light weight onto its shoulder, my other arm acting like a hammer I drive my sword deeper into the squirrel. The thrashing of the desperate animal almost forced me off again, and again, and again. Till finally it’s legs give out first the back then the front.
As it lay dying I did my best impression of a vampire and sank my teeth into its side… After sitting on the ground for a minute I have come to the conclusion that while it’s great that I don’t have to worry about my timer while its night, I also seem to enter some sort of feeding craze making me act far more reckless than I normally would.
Well at least I got something from this encounter. First I now know that sitting down recovers MP faster than moving around, and I’ve gained some abilities for my trouble.
Name: N/A
Race: lowest undead Lv1, skeleton variant, LF 50/250, MP 140/140
Str- 12(+1)
Con -
Wis 16(+3)
Int 18(+4)
Dex 13(+1)
Cha -
Free points 3
Abilities: Life detection-6/10, Bone tool use-4/20, Bone tool craft-3/5, Mana use-4/???, Observe-3/???, Grappling-1/10, Bad aura-1/???