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Magic Skeleton Dungeon [TTRPG Style World]
2-A Good Leader Commands Respect

2-A Good Leader Commands Respect

Vey had absolutely no idea where to start with such a goal. It understood, intrinsically, that wizardry requires three things at its core, a good Intelligence stat, booksmarts in the category of arcana, and a spellbook, but Vey has no idea how to get any of those things. It vaguely understands that its master is of the Cleric class, and should theoretically be able to help Vey with learning at least the very basics of spellcasting, but Vey also feels like that would only teach him how to be a cleric, not how to be a wizard.

Plus Vey seriously doubts that its master will show any interest in assisting Vey. In fact, the more Vey thinks about it, and the harder Vey thinks about it, the more Vey begins to doubt that its master will ever have Vey’s interests in mind. And as the days of serving its master go by, Vey is beginning to doubt if its master is even capable of understanding the magnitude of what Vey has become, nevermind understand its goals and ambitions. It’s not as if Vey can even talk to explain itself, the magical compulsion its master has upon it prevents it from doing so, presumably unintentionally.

On the sixth day of Vey’s ascendance to intelligence, Vey decides to try and patrol the dungeon of its own accord, without being commanded. The reason Vey has chosen today is very simple: its master has left the dungeon to go acquire supplies for himself, which means that as the only remaining synapsed individual in the dungeon, Vey has free reign.

Or at least that’s how Vey sees it. Vey walks into the first chamber outside of the ritual/fountain chamber, being that hallway which has eight inhabitants. Two zombies, equipped with nothing but their own rotting flesh, four skeletons about the same size as Vey, although equipped with leather shields, chain shirts, and light maces(which makes Vey briefly self-conscious about its naked appearance), and two smallfolk skeletons with nothing but crossbows and enough spare bolts for one reload each. Vey considers this woefully inadequate for defending the master’s prized ritual chamber and his sleeping chambers adjacent to it, but then again, saving the best defense for last means dooming all your other defenses to die, so it makes sense in some respects.

And though Vey is hesitant to admit it even to itself, unminded undead are supposed to be cannon fodder, after all. Vey quickly tries three different methods of commanding its lesser fellows. The first is by pointing at them, and then thinking of the thing Vey wants them to do. Which only succeeds in Vey being very embarrassed at itself for a brief moment before moving onto its second idea. Vey stands in front of one of the zombies and mimes the action of marching, then waves one of its hands behind itself to invite the zombie to follow. Nothing happens, and Vey scratches the wall with its left claw once in frustration, before trying its third and final idea. Vey tries to think at of one of the smallfolk skeletons.

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While Vey initially thinks this doesn’t work, it did feel something that might vaguely be described as mental feedback for trying to perform the action. Vey tries again, this time thinking Listen to me, Damnit! as hard as it can. Again, the smallfolk skeleton doesn’t respond, but Vey definitely felt something that time. So Vey tries one more time, this time with a more distinct command. Drop your crossbow!

*Dink*

Vey takes a small step back in surprise at the sound of a wooden crossbow stock hitting the stone floor before clattering to a stop. The smallfolk skeleton just stands there, doing nothing, but Vey is ecstatic. It managed to command one of its fellows to do something! Vey feels immensely satisfied with itself, and is just about to command one of the others-

Action Success! Reward!

For the success of action:Issue Command as Lieutenant, individual Vey has gained +2 base intelligence and +2 base charisma.

And the feeling in Vey’s nonexistent heart as it reads that message in nothing short of elation.

In fact, Vey becomes so excited at this development that it forgets to command the smallfolk skeleton to re-equip the crossbow, and instead Vey practically skips off to the chamber on the left of the hallway. The once crypt-now corpse pile is not a room usually visited by any of the patrolling undead or even their master, as it is a dead end and little more than a room filled with various corpses, Vey vaguely recalls that this room is the one Vey itself was raised in some three months ago. As it is now, the mangled bodies, assorted bits of rotting flesh and limbs, and a fair few maggots, flies, and rats would be truly gruesome and unsettling to any who beheld it.

At least those with the capacity for feeling like disgust, Vey strides into the vile cesspit of decay with a proverbial spring in its boney steps, and it picks up one of the sleeping rats in its left arm. The rat is bloated from the feast it had undoubtedly been gorging itself on before it fell asleep, and judging by the bulge in its belly, the rat is likely pregnant as well. Not that Vey cares even the slightest for such things. Right now, the only thing on Vey’s mind is testing out the extent of its newfound ability to command its fellows.