As the boss encounter progressed into its second stage, the Widow Queen, deprived of half her legs, compensated by taking to the air. She launched web projectiles in a spiraling pattern, ensnaring the walls, ceiling, and corners of the hall with thick, sticky threads.
Bones watched in awe as the Widow suspended herself in midair, emitting a long, almost silent hiss. From every crevice and crack in the walls, hundreds of fist-sized spiders emerged, flooding the hall. With a quick command, Bones directed Skully to maneuver around the hall, attempting to reach the Widow while evading the onslaught of spiderlings.
Skully followed his command, skillfully navigating through the swarm of spiders. However, despite his efforts, he was eventually overwhelmed, surrounded by the relentless horde. Bones observed with annoyance as the spiders engulfed his golem, inundating him with their numbers.
Bones swiftly altered his golem's course, redirecting him toward himself instead of the Widow Queen. With a determined effort, Skully obeyed, pushing through the swarm of spiders until he reached Bones. As he drew near, Bones unleashed a fully powered Mana Blast, propelling Skully backward with tremendous force. The blast slammed Skully into the wall, scattering the remaining spiders that clung to his back. Despite the impact, Skully maintained his grip on his spear, his torn leather armor bearing witness to the fierce encounter.
Meanwhile, Bones shifted his attention back to the Widow Queen, unleashing another Mana Blast to repel the encroaching spiders. The force of the blast scattered the arachnids, reducing them to a pulp under its powerful impact.
Enraged by the destruction of her offspring, the Widow Queen emitted a furious wail that reverberated through the hall. Yet, to Bones' surprise, neither he nor Skully seemed affected by the high-pitched sound or the mental assault it implied.
"This didn't happen during our dungeon run with the dwarves. By this point, we had already dispatched the boss. Could it be that Skully and I are taking too long?"
Bones noticed something strange happening around him. All the spiderlings' blood began to move, coalescing into green blobs before levitating toward the suspended Widow. Bones didn't interrupt the process but continued to watch in amazement. He had never witnessed anything like it before.
"Is the queen going to…"
Just as he thought, the Widow started absorbing the liquid blobs, and her missing legs began to regrow at an accelerated rate.
"Oh no you don't!"
Bones summoned four Bone Lances and began to wave his arms in a motion to attack. He commanded Skully to rush under the queen and unleash havoc upon her. Before Skully reached the boss, Bones unleashed a barrage of attacks. The Widow raised her intact legs to shield against the projectiles while Skully slipped under her and, as directed by Bones, went berserk.
The Widow screeched and recoiled from the attack. Instinctively, she lowered her legs to shield her abdomen while forcefully knocking Skully away. Bones seized the opportunity he had been waiting for. With grand and sweeping movements of his hands, he guided and unleashed a precise barrage of attacks, aiming for the Widow's vital points such as her neck and eyes.
In the brief span of two seconds, a dozen projectiles found their mark as the Queen swayed from the impact, still suspended in the air. The damage was devastating; Bones was certain of it. The Widow was on her last legs, so to speak, but Bones knew the battle wasn't over yet. She still clung to a thread of life, and at this juncture, she was most dangerous.
Skully and Bones backed away as the Widow dropped to the ground, her massive body stirring up dust upon impact. Bones observed her motionless form from a distance, hesitant to approach. Thick threads still anchored her to the walls, and he remained vigilant for any potential danger. Thus, he instructed Skully to cautiously investigate the Queen.
Skully approached the Queen tentatively, prodding her as if seeking directions. In an instant, the Queen seized Skully's body and yanked herself back into the air, leaving her abdomen detached on the ground. Bones watched the surreal scene unfold, silently grateful for his undead nature, because, well, screw this situation.
The Widow sank her teeth into Skully's head, attempting to absorb vitality from the empty-headed golem to no avail.
"Damnit, Skully!" Bones yelled, though he knew it wasn't Skully's fault. Still, the damage to the golem was accumulating, and the thought of all the repairs he would have to make after the fight made Bones wince. Hastily, he opened his inventory and began to search, stopping at the item he needed.
With a swift motion, he retrieved the adventurer's necessities kit and hurled it onto the ground. He couldn't recall when he acquired the basic kit, but he was grateful to have it now.
Kneeling down, he rummaged through the contents: a backpacking tent, a sleeping bag, and a torch. He seized the torch, igniting it before tossing it under the Widow, where her detached abdomen lay.
Bones took a gamble, hoping that the acid produced by the spider glands was flammable. His risk paid off as the abdomen combusted suddenly, and the flames swiftly engulfed the Queen and Skully in a blaze.
As the Widow released Skully, he plummeted to the ground while she screeched and thrashed in the air. Bones dashed toward Skully, scooping him up and rolling away, anticipating the Widow's descent. He turned back just in time to hear multiple dings echoing in his head.
The Widow hung motionless from her web in the center of the hall, her body now charred to a crisp. With a final, lifeless slump, she too plummeted to the ground. Bones released his grip on Skully, allowing him to collapse, and approached the singed corpse of the Queen. Kneeling beside her, he extracted a medium mana stone from her chest.
sigh “In the end, no mana core…”
He hadn't expected a mana core, knowing the slim chances of its drop, but he still felt a pang of disappointment. He would have to rely on an upcoming heist to acquire one. Bones proceeded to loot the shell parts of the Widow's carapace along with a piece of steel spider silk. Some of the shell parts were singed from the fire, while others were completely ruined.
Nearby, a shield crafted from the carapace and a pair of leggings lay next to a pile of ash that had been the spider's abdomen not even a minute ago. Bones picked up and stored the shield before examining the thick, hairy leggings.
"They... they look like giant spider's legs! I'm starting to understand why people craft gear based on drops like these!"
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
After looting the Widow's body, Bones turned his attention to Skully. He prioritized looting the body first, knowing that Skully would require sustained attention for an extended period. Approaching the singed and damaged golem, which stood motionless, awaiting further instructions, Bones issued a command.
"Kneel," he ordered, and Skully complied. Leaning over the skull, Bones observed the spot where the Widow had struck the core with her jaws. He extended his hand through the hole and felt for the golem's core, identifying it. With a curse, he grabbed the core and forcefully extracted it from Skully's head, severing the connection between the core and the skeleton.
Examining the golem's core, Bones noted that it appeared intact but drained of mana. He stored it in his inventory for recharging and glanced back at Skully. The golem would have to wait a bit longer; there were important notifications that Bones needed to address first.
Level up!
Congratulations, you have gained a level 31 in Bonemancer Adept class
“Level up in a class as expected!”
Congratulation, your skill Bone Armor has reached level 20
Upgrades available: 2
Synergy between Bone Armor and Mend Bones detected
Bone Armor > Bone Aura
Bone Armor > Hulking Armor
“Two upgrades available? Surprising!”
Bone Aura [passive] - Permanently wraps a thin layer of hardened armor around the user and grants the ability to repair the damage over time.
The rate at which the armor mends depends on the level of Mend Bones skill and is not affected by attributes.
Levels in Bone Aura Increase the effectiveness of armor and the rate at which the armor repairs. The armor is affected by the Calcium Carbonate skill.
Mana cost is removed
Hulking Armor [active] - Grants the ability to exponentially increase defense by temporarily boosting the armor mass. The armor is affected by the Calcium Carbonate skill. Ability can be empowered, further increasing the effects of armor and Calcium Carbonate skill at increased mana cost.
Effectiveness and duration of armor increases with levels in Hulking Armor.
Bones paced back and forth, weighing his options carefully. He was torn between two upgrades: Bone Aura, which would provide constant protection, and Hulking Armor, offering higher defense. The allure of increased defense was undeniable, especially considering the potential to further enhance it with empowerment and his racial skill's scaling with vitality.
While Hulking Armor seemed like the more immediately beneficial choice, Bones hesitated. He recognized the importance of Bone Aura for his future plans and the versatility it offered, particularly the ability to maintain full effectiveness of Mend Bones. Despite the temptation, Bones ultimately chose to stick with his original plan, believing it would yield greater benefits in the long term.
Are you sure you want to upgrade Bone Armor > Bone Aura?
Yes/No?
Bones accepted the upgrade, feeling the changes take hold. As he removed his equipment, he extended his hand and watched as a thin layer of bone manifested, wrapping itself over his hand and then spreading across his body. The transformation took only a minute, but when it was complete, he observed the changes.
The new armor was smooth and slightly thinner than his previous Bone Armor, yet he could sense its increased sturdiness and defensive capabilities. It hugged his bones tightly, resembling a second skin over his skeleton, its creamy-white hue reminiscent of ivory. Despite maintaining his thin skeletal frame, Bones prioritized function over appearance. As long as the new layer provided protection and facilitated better equipment fitting, he was content.
"Alright," Bones said, turning to Skully, "-it's your turn now!"
He circled the golem, closely inspecting the damage. Numerous bones needed repair, but fortunately, his proficiency in Bone Shaping and Manipulation had improved. However, he knew that the gear and core would take time to recover, a reality he accepted. Bones retrieved his engraving tools and began meticulously working on the bones. While he had bones of the correct size and shape, they required engraving, a task that occupied the remainder of the day.
Once finished, Bones allowed the Create Bone Golem skill and system to work their magic, effortlessly replacing the damaged bones. Though he didn't fully understand how all the bones seamlessly "clicked" together, he was grateful to have one less worry on his mind.
Skully was now set and ready to become operational again, but Bones couldn't help but notice that the golem’s core was... half empty or half full, as he liked to think. It seemed the core took longer to recharge than the equipment needed repairing. Or perhaps it was because the golem's core had that much more mana capacity?
Regardless, Bones decided to linger a bit longer and wait for the golem's core to recharge. Unable to enter meditation anymore, he retrieved his engraving tools once more and began working on the next step of his plan to strengthen himself.
"If I'm not mistaken, just like the first time I tried to modify my bones, this will be painful… extremely painful!"
Bones had this idea that to compensate for the lack of body enhancement or reinforcement, he would engrave and eventually inscribe runes on his own bones. He had tested if engraving bones worked by constructing the golem with engraved bones, and it had proven successful.
The difference in the golem's fighting potential with and without engraved bones was significant, but after infusing his golem with the golem's core, that disparity became worlds apart! Now, his golem could actually fight on par with monsters of his level, despite its own level still being too low for such adversaries.
Bones started small, engraving the bones of his fingers, and he was right—the pain was excruciating! As he chipped away at his bony digits, making incisions on the sides, after an hour, he had to take a break.
grooaan "Gods…fucking…”
Gritting his teeth, the pain began to affect the precision of his work. Despite the agony, he pressed on, completing only his thumb before moving on to his index finger. But soon, he had to halt. What he was doing felt like self-mutilation, yet he refused to give up. Dismissing the red flashing warning notification, he steeled himself for what lay ahead. Once the pain subsided, he resumed his work...