"Huh?" Noah gazed at the skittish looking skeletal rodent. "What do you mean turning it into a weapon?"

"There are other ways to use our power, aside from raising formidable skeletons to fight for you. I can't say that there is a right, or wrong way, but knowing your options and figuring out for yourself what suits you, can't hurt."

"Alright... so what do I need to do?"

"The critter, release it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that just like you can raise a corpse, you can also release it." Silas' gruff and gravelly voice explained it as though it was a simple matter.

However, the raised dead had clearly possessed some semblance of their old personalities. Steve was stoic and dutiful; Claws was prideful and wild, and this skeletal rodent appeared to be nervous. 'Releasing' means ending it.

'Oh, grow up! It's a monster that would have killed and devoured me. I don't have the luxury of feeling pity towards that... thing.' Noah scolded and steeled himself for what was about to come.

The undead monster glanced at Noah with its glowing eye sockets, before averting its gaze.

'I'm sorry. Rest now.'

Noah dismissed his minion. The shimmering green light emanating from its skull had faded away and the skeleton collapsed on the ground, into a clattering pile of bones.

"Hmmm?" The enormous werehuman stirred from his sleep. "What happened?" The demonic sounding voice of Jeffrey's hybrid form, now sounded groggy.

"Nothing, I just dropped something, sorry. Go back to sleep."

"Oh, okay." Jeffrey turned over and returned to his slumber.

Noah buried the pang of guilt he was feeling over the undead rodent, deep within himself. To have even the slightest chance of returning to The Arc and navigate through the storm of trouble that is Voidstrider, he couldn't afford to feel sentimental over a dead monster.

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

"What now?"

"Now, infuse essence into the bones." Silas' gravelly voice responded.

Noah nodded, then seated himself in front of the pile of bones. Raising one arm, a stream of glowing green mist began to pour out of it and absorb into the heap.

"Good, now use your power to mold the different bones into the shape of a weapon that suits you. The bones of a monster, imbued with essence, are not a flimsy thing."

Noah concentrated on the pile and gingerly grabbed a part of the vertebrae. 'This is the most morbid puzzle I ever tried to solve...'

"You don't need to use your hands." Silas interrupted him. "Once you infuse your essence into a piece, you can control it with your mind."

'Huh...'

Noah's initial attempts at levitating the vertebrae were slow and clumsy, but with practice, he gradually improved. Soon, he found himself able to control not just one, but two bone fragments simultaneously, and then three. Surprisingly, it began to feel strangely intuitive to him.

Next, Noah had to decide on the type of weapon that suited him. Despite the only weapons that Noah had ever used being a drone and a military issued pulse rifle, he had a decent theoretical knowledge of melee weapons, on account of the fantasy genre, virtual games that he used to play. The problem was that Noah was only proficient at using them, in said games.

'Whatever, sitting here and just agonizing over it, won't get me anywhere.'

What ensued was a frustrating cycle of trial and error for Noah, as he experimented with various combinations. It wasn't merely about assembling the bones into a functional shape but also about sculpting them into a weapon that he could wield effectively.

It was late into the night before Noah was somewhat satisfied with the result. His head throbbed due to the strain of relentless focus and exertion that he had poured into his project.

'Better catch some sleep.'

***

"Morning!" The werehuman seemed to be feeling much better. Despite being covered with small nicks and cuts across his tough skin, Jeffrey appeared unbothered. He glanced at the pile of bones that used to be the skeletal rodent but didn't say anything.

Noah, who was chewing on the last remaining portion of monster meat jerky that they had taken with them, appreciated it. "Good morning."

"Sorry about my... eh, flatulence, yesterday." The massive human-shark hybrid giggled.

Noah shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You truly saved my life. Again. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for all of the help you're giving me..."

"Happy to help!"

It was a bit past sunrise, as the odd group packed up their belongings. Claws and Steve were both carrying their backpacks. Meanwhile, Noah approached the pile of bones, channeling his power. With a focused gesture, he beckoned a few skeletal fragments to float towards his outstretched arms. Only Noah could perceive the shimmering green mist enveloping the bones, as the slain rodent's hands had formed into a pair of clawed gauntlets.