The skeleton knight’s arm snapped up, deflecting Noah’s piercing spear. It shot off its arm, and smashed into its shoulder. Sparks flew, but it wasn’t enough to deal with the monster. It was strong, that much Noah could feel as the recoil bounced back into his arm.

Dodging an incoming swing, the air tumbled, but he managed to make some distance. He shifted around the skeleton until he was facing its back.

“I’ll attack from the back while you have the front!” Noah shouted to the bat creature.

He had no idea if the beast understood his human words, but it was intelligent. The wolf-bat hybrid attacked, and so did Noah. Together, they assaulted the skeleton at the same time.

It was clear the skeleton had learned something from Noah’s first attack as it placed most of its attention on the bat. It stung his pride a little, but he preferred it that way.

His empowered spear smashed into its back, stumbling it a little–but that was it. It used the forward momentum to step in front, and swung its axe in a devastating arc toward the beast.

Air tumbled, dust swirled as the axe made contact against the beast's flesh.

Screeching in bloodlust, it conjured a blade of pure air, and slammed it into the skeleton knight. A large slice embedded into its stalwart bones, but that was it.

It was the same for Noah; he couldn’t deal much damage to the undead. His spear was for finding weaknesses, for piercing flesh. Against an enemy that just relied on its tough bones, Noah found his attacks lacking in effect.

So he switched weapons. From his spear, to the mace. It would put him in more danger because of the lack of reach, but if he didn’t defeat the skeleton quickly, it would kill his only form of defence–the bat creature.

Noah used the moment the skeleton was attacking to unleash [Overpower]. The muscles in his body strained as he smashed the mace at the monster's spine. Crack. The sound echoed throughout the cave.

The skeletons head snapped back, turning to him with embers glowing a frightening light. It hurt.

Then came a blast of pure air. However, this one felt different. The energy within the air crashed, and Noah could instantly tell that it belonged to Expansion. Not given the chance to revel in the fact that a monster could cultivate Expansion, the attack landed against the skeleton.

This time, it wasn’t a blade–it was a hammer. It collided against the skeleton knight’s body. Bone splintered, scattering to the floor. The surface of his natural defence cracked.

It copied me. Noah thought, but his heart tightened.

A cataclysmic roar split out of the skeletons mouth. Noah didn’t know how the monster was able to make such a noise, but he bit his tongue, awakening himself from the stunning sound. Hairs rose at the nape of his neck.

Noah flung himself to the ground as something tore passed his arm. A thick cut cleaved his flesh. Blood spilled as he quickly ducked behind a large stalactite–only for the earth to be sundered in a split second.

The force slammed him into the ground. Taking a sharp breath, he scrambled to move again but the skeleton was already upon him. It had entered a rage induced state, but given that the light in its eyes was dwindling, Noah could only guess that it was expending a lot of energy to move as it was. A guess that Noah couldn’t act upon.

Thankfully, the bat decided to give him a helping hand. Another forceful blast of Expansion smashed the skeleton backwards, granting Noah the reprieve he desperately needed.

Recovering, Noah stood side by side with the wolf-bat. Only now did he realise the state the monster was in. The skeleton knight had cleaved huge gashes into its flesh, and its wings were beyond salvaging. Rattan, like an umbrella that had suffered a blade storm–they hung loosely to the side of its body.

If Noah was a vet, he’d imagine the beast didn’t have long to live. Realising the situation he was in, they both charged forward. They had to defeat the enemy in front of them quickly. Before either of them succumbed to wounds.

Both human and beast worked together to defeat the skeleton knight. The bat would stumble the monster, allowing Noah to get a hit in before dodging the incoming swings from the knight.

The fight turned as soon as Noah smashed its legs into pieces. With only one leg left, the fight turned into a slaughter.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

You defeated a - Level 48 Skeleton Knight.

| Extra experience gained from fighting a higher levelled monster!

You have Levelled up!

| Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 41 -> Noah ( Phantom Lancer ) level 43

Krall, the Scourge of the Jungle has levelled up.

| Krall level 41 -> Krall level 43

Noah stood panting. He was surprised that Krall received the experience from his kill, but since they were considered one, it wasn’t that much of a shock to him.

The fight would have been a hell of a lot easier if his tamed companion was with him. He brought him a considerable amount of strength. If he had to guess by how much, then it was most likely double. More than that, perhaps.

He had to rely on hitting where the bat had already injured it. Making use of the compromised bones.

Speaking of. Noah turned to the wolf-bat. It was whimpering, limping. Red splashed from its wounds as it neared the golden egg buried within the corpses.

It nudged the egg with its nose. The shell twitched.

Noah was about to move toward the skeleton when the monster turned its attention to him, then nudged the egg once more.

Does it want me to come over? Noah hesitated. Just because the beast was wounded, didn’t mean that it was powerless. If it wanted to fight him, it would.

Taking a breath, he approached, guard raised.

However, unlike him, the monster didn’t have the same reservations as he did. As if the monster was already at the entrance of death's door.

It looked at him. Gaze filled with apprehension, and helplessness. Does it want me to take the egg?

Hands twitching, he found the courage, and reached for the egg. His nerves calmed when the wolf-bat gazed at him, but then it moved. Noah flinched his hand back as the monster collapsed on the floor. Eyes half shut.

Noah grabbed a health potion and hesitated. If he used it, and it recovered, would it kill him? However, thoughts to his second mount flashed in his mind.

He had fought alongside the monster in order to protect its offspring. Surely the Taming process would be eased if that was the case?

The monster was powerful and intelligent. Just the fact that it was able to cultivate a Shard was enough to prove that fact. Along with its body focusing on speed, and being able to fly on top of its natural bonuses of dark sight, and other characteristics of a bat made it a dream companion for Noah.

Thinking it through, Noah placed the Uncommon potion back in his pack, and instead, pulled out a Rare one. It stung, but the gamble was well worth it. If it worked.

Noah approached the wounded creature bottle in hand. “Drink it, it will restore your wounds.”

Its wet nose glanced across the cork. Slowly pinching it, Noah pulled it out as the sweet scent of the magnificent potion wafted into its nose. Then came its long tongue. It lapped up the liquid within, but Noah frowned.

Its wounds weren't healing like he expected.

In a few moments, it had finished the contents within. The monster was hopeful seeing Noah’s eyes, but then hope turned into mulch. It shook its head and refocused its muddled gaze onto the egg. It didn’t work.

Shit. Noah thought. An entire Rare potion had gone to waste.

But those thoughts vanished as he gazed into the monster's loving eyes. They were no different to when he watched the way Mile’s mother looked at her son. Gentle, nurturing love.

The monster's head lurched forward. Something crawled out its throat, and shot out its mouth. Like a waterfall, vivid red liquid splashed the golden egg.

Noah was repulsed, but the egg didn’t seem to feel the same way. The liquid from the high grade potion seeped into the shell. Slowly, the liquid was entirely absorbed, only for the egg to shake with a vibrancy that Noah thought it was about to awaken.

The parent’s lips curled. Happy. But it was never meant to witness its child hatch. Heart rate slipping, eyes closing, the beast didn’t have the strength to continue on.

Silence pervaded the cave and Noah was left alone with himself, and the egg.

Noah let out a forlorn sigh. Had the monster decided to ignore healing its wounds to grant the egg the properties of the healing potion, or could it not absorb the treasured liquid?

It worked for Krall, but maybe that’s because he was considered his pet? Noah didn’t know the reason. All he knew was that he was now responsible for the egg.

If the parent deemed him worthy, then it was only right he take responsibility and become… a parent. God it felt wrong, but out of sadness for the parent, he grabbed hold of the egg. He just hoped it would emerge soon.

The child of a tiger wouldn’t become a donkey–right?

That’s what Noah hoped as he moved the egg from his warm embrace, to his pack. He made sure to keep it close to him in case it did actually need his body heat.

Next up was an experiment. He grabbed hold of the previous skeleton core he had received when he first arrived in this dungeon, and let the Energy within enter him. Immediately, he could see the Expansion Energy gather into his container, repairing it at a visible rate.

It was as he thought. He turned his attention to the wolf-bat. You don’t want to watch this next part. Noah grabbed hold of his blade and aimed it at the monster’s skull.

If it was anything like the undead, it would hold a powerful Expansion core. Something he needed if he wanted to breathe in more of the Energy.

To survive, to repair his core before going further, he needed to do it.