"You all have a lot of explaining to do," Sabrina said, arms crossed in front of her chest. She floated towards the three skeletons, her wings flapping ever-so-slightly. The wind produced by the flapping of her wings brushed the faces of the skeletons, causing them to flinch. "First," she gestured at the cave walls. "We should talk somewhere with some adequate lighting."
Aurelius and his two new companions followed Sabrina to the exterior of the cave.
"We should be able to speak properly now," Edward whispered to Aurelius. "The cave's strong mana energy was blocking our voices, but we should be fine now." Aurelius nodded.
For the first time in a while, he could breathe in the fresh scent of the outside world. They were hedged in by curtains of trees, a forest that was unable to be penetrated by the naked eye. Light shone from the two glowing spheres in the sky, one larger than the other. The heavens were a baby blue, tinted with a sprinkle of pink. A kakkaa could be heard from a distance, possibly from some avian species, a noise that startled Thomas and elicited a chuckle from Edward. It seemed as if the purple mist that blocked off the cave entrance had noise-silencing properties.
Sabrina inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with air. "So? Where were we?" Edward and Thomas looked at Aurelius expectantly. After all, he was the one who broached the plan to ambush a, for all they knew, fictitious wind mage at the front of the cave. He sighed.
Before he could speak, a garbled set of noises escaped from the shadowy forest. The four of them turned to its source, and a red-orange humanoid creature appeared, with beady yellow eyes and sporting a protruding belly. A smaller beast with a similar build stood by his side, though green in skin color and wielding a machete disproportionately large for his size. He had a massive nose that occasionally bumped with the crudely forged weapon. Even Aurelius could tell this was a goblin. Then, would the red-orange creature be a hobgoblin?
Aurelius stiffened, not ready for another battle. However, the three by his side were abnormally calm. Noticing his confusion, Edward leaned in and whispered to him.
"We don't usually mess with hobgoblins, but Tusk is one of the more, for lack of a better term, peaceful hobgoblins among the goblinkin." Edward's face became stoic. "But make sure not to get on his bad side; hobgoblins have historically always been war-loving folk." Aurelius gave a slight nod.
"Why didn't they come to help when the humans attacked?" he asked.
"Well," Edward started. "They aren't exactly allies either. We're business partners, trading the small mana shards we find in the cave for food for the master. She finds that mana stones help her recovery much faster than mana shards, so it isn't a problem." The leather-wearing skeleton frowned. "They probably sensed that the wind mage we ambushed was bursting at the seams with mana and chose to avoid him."
The hobgoblin, Tusk, walked over to Sabrina, completely ignoring the three skeletons at her side.
"Sabrina," Tusk roared. "Sorry for not coming sooner; we were awfully busy with our own problems."
Aurelius expected a fight to occur, but Sabrina coolly nodded.
"Forget about it," she said, a symbol of cordiality. "It was handled fine, though I did lose six of my skeletons."
Tusk laughed loudly. "Surely you jest. They are monsters that can be easily replaced by a mage of your caliber. Come, we will have a feast in celebration of your victory."
Sabrina pursed her lips at his words but recovered quickly. "Very well, though I must leave soon after." She pursued Tusk into the woods and made a motion that signaled the three skeletons to follow. The goblin formerly at Tusk's side glared at the three of them before chasing after his hobgoblin master.
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After maybe an hour or so, Aurelius and his two skeleton companions came upon a quaint village bordered by a river on one side and a hilly arrangement of rocks on the other. The village looked like a peasant town from the medieval era and only served to remind Aurelius that he was no longer on Earth. Goblins with many shades of green played in the river and only paused to take a glance at the skeletons distracting them from their fun. It appeared as if skeletons appearing from the woods were normal for them, as they quickly looked away and continued playing their game.
"I've never seen so many of the little shites in one place," Thomas muttered, wonder in its face. Edward smacked it on the cranium.
"You don't call goblins 'little shites' in front of a hobgoblin," Edward remarked. "Unless you want to get your skull stomped in."
They followed Sabrina and Tusk to a marketplace of sorts, with exotic fruits and vegetables lining the wooden shelves of the stalls. The little goblin by Tusk's side had already left somewhere, possibly to go play. Some of the food was wriggling around, evoking disgust from Aurelius. He had never eaten anything that continued to move after death, and he hoped that he wouldn't have to anytime soon.
In the corner of Aurelius's eye, he noticed another hobgoblin, the first one after Tusk. This goblinoid boasted crimson red for his skin and was practicing swings with a sword that possessed a metallic sheen. He was well-defined, carrying muscular arms that moved with a robotic consistency with each swing.
"Raiden," Tusk said, noticing Aurelius staring at the muscular hobgoblin. "He is my brother and someone who assists me in managing this village. Though, he is usually on duty as a warrior in Maglubiyet the Mighty One's army." Aurelius nodded, pretending to know who Maglubiyet is.
They continued walking and found themselves in a dining hall.
"This is where we will feast," Tusk traced the horizon of tables with an arm. "Come back when night falls, all of you." He suddenly clapped, a boom erupting from the meeting point of his two palms. "I repeat, we will feast!" he shouted, a smile on his face.
He shooed everyone out of the dining hall, and they went their separate ways, stalling for time so that night would come a little sooner. Aurelius noticed some goblin children playing with a beast that had the head and body of a lion, wings of a dragon, and a tail that resembled a scorpion's. It was a small creature, only reaching half the height of a goblin child's, but it had a menacing aura.
"Hey, um," Aurelius hesitated, not wanting to seem too unknowledgeable about this world. "Could you tell me the name of that creature?" He pointed at the lion-dragon-scorpion amalgamation.
"You don't even know what a manticore is?" the child's face twisted into a wry smile. "Bet you didn't even know that we have to release them when they grow up, so they don't kill you." His emphasis on killing was meant to scare Aurelius, but the expressionless skeleton remained unfazed. The manticore snarled.
"Thanks for the information, kid." Aurelius thrust out his curled-up hand, expecting a fist bump. The goblin child tilted his head in confusion. The transmigrator quickly withdrew his hand and awkwardly chuckled. "Never mind. My name's Aurelius. What's yours?"
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"Gobi," the child replied. "I didn't know skeletons had names."
"They do now," Aurelius affirmed.
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The night was suffused with the fragrant scent of cooked food. Aurelius had spent most of his time meeting the locals and getting to know them. Not all took so kindly to skeletons, and many refused to speak to him or made it clear that he wasn't welcome. He had swallowed his pride and decided to not cause any trouble, as it would surely get Sabrina and the two other skeletons in trouble, something he couldn't afford at the moment. Truthfully, Aurelius did see the merit of keeping them around, in a utilitarian sense. They were vital tools that helped him stay alive.
The howling of wolves broke his train of thought. This feast was a very much-needed break for him, and he would enjoy it while he could. It seemed that skeletons didn't need to eat but would benefit from an energy boost if they decided to. And so eat, Aurelius did.
After the festive occasion was over and enough goblins indulged themselves in food and wine, the skeletons slept with Sabrina in a small tent set up on the outskirts of the village. Aurelius guessed that Sabrina tactically placed the tent here to avoid dealing with any nuisances when they left the next day. The chirping of crickets lulled Aurelius into a deep sleep.
The next day came, and the four wanderers gave a succinct goodbye before rushing to move to the East, where Edward said another mana stone cave was located. It seemed that Sabrina, as powerful as she was, was still not at full strength. They started briskly walking to their designated location, with Edward serving as the guide. He appeared to have an eidetic memory as he effortlessly told the crew where to head to.
It crossed Aurelius's mind that Sabrina seemed to have forgotten about the whole situation in the cave. It seemed odd that she very quickly accepted him into her skeleton party, though he guessed it was probably due to a feeling of desperation. He had noticed that she was a convalescent and someone who pretended to be stronger than they actually were. If she was so powerful, she would have stronger creatures protecting her and not have to mine for mana stones.
Instead, she had settled for eight weak skeletons.
Evening came abruptly, with Thomas helping Sabrina set up the tents while Edward and Aurelius looked for materials to build a fireplace with.
"It was ingenious," Edward said, while strolling with Aurelius.
"Hmm?" Aurelius wondered what Edward was referring to.
"Your plan, it was ingenious," the skeleton turned to look at Aurelius. "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but I appreciate you for protecting the master." Aurelius smiled, an idea popping up in his head.
"Do you want to guess how we say thanks where I come from?" he asked.
Edward looked bemused, with one finger on its chin. "I'm guessing you don't smack each other on the head?"
Aurelius curled up his bony hand into a fist and put it in front of Edward. "Follow me." Edward followed.
"Now we bump them together," Aurelius said.
Clak.
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Several days passed idly by, with only the change in terrain telling the four that they've progressed.
"We're almost there!" Edward shouted, several paces ahead of them. The leather-bound skeleton had settled into the role of a navigator and skillfully maneuvered around the places filled with the most monsters. They had seen manticores, wild goblins, and other such dangerous beasts.
The night was once more on the verge of coming, and Aurelius appreciated the night sky for a moment. The two moons, one larger than the other, looked like two glowing circles. The distant, opalescent stars displayed the full range of the color spectrum, a sight that stunned the transmigrator. He suddenly felt exceedingly drowsy and fell into a slumber.
Aurelius woke up and found himself squeezed by a sturdy rope that prickled his bones. He yelped. Where was he? What happened to Thomas, Edward, and Sabrina?
"Simmer down back there, will you?" a man behind him said. Aurelius noticed that this man was carrying him like a backpack, the rope tied around his waist.
"What happened to Sabr—the master?" Aurelius asked, a hint of panic in his voice.
"You mean that sorceress? She'll probably end up in a whorehouse, staying in shackles for the rest of her godforsaken life. We struck gold this time; it's a damn good thing we listened to that hobgoblin," he said, not paying much attention.
Hobgoblin?
"Is the hobgoblin named Tusk?" Aurelius wondered.
"Nope. Raiden." The man tilted his head slightly back, revealing ears that pointed sharply near the top. An elf. "Why do you care so much, anyway? You'll always be a slave no matter where you go."
Aurelius recalled what the wind mage named Erik had said. Something about him being a level 1 entity that will always be treated as a stepping stone.
"Are skeletons really so weak?" Aurelius was genuinely curious.
"Are you kidding?" the elf sounded incredulous. "Skeletons have no affinity for magic or martial skill, which means it's plain impossible for them to improve themselves physically or magically. They're born with what they've got, and that's it. It takes a pretty weak person to lose to a skeleton."
Aurelius thought about this for a minute. He had managed to defeat the wind mage with ambush tactics, so he wondered if it was possible to win over stronger enemies using numbers and strategy. Though, the wind mage probably didn't possess any of this "martial skill" that the elf was talking about, so he was probably physically weak.
A city walled off with a barrier of stone came into view.
"We're here," the elf sighed, putting the skeleton down. "Thanks for keeping me company."
Aurelius nodded, not sure what to make of the kidnapper.
"Levi!" a big hobgoblin came out of the city gate. "Seems that this is the last of the skeletons, eh?"
"Yes, sir," the elf responded. The hobgoblin had an effortless gait to his stride and, along with his gigantic body, had an all-too-human face that could compete with several of Earth's supermodels in looks.
"Why are elves working with hobgoblins?" Aurelius asked.
The hobgoblin glared at the outsider. "Did I say you could speak?" He thrust his fist towards the skeleton, then all went black.
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Aurelius awoke to the sound of chanting. He was covered with chains and was unable to harm himself or anybody else who might wander in. The damp coldness of the floor caused him to shiver, his bones feeling frostbitten. Though it was dark, he could make out metal bars in his surroundings, creating a makeshift cage around him. The bars didn't reach all the way up to the ceiling, but he supposed the guards felt that the chains were enough for him. And they were right. No matter how much he struggled, he was unable to break free from the well-crafted material.
Crying and occasionally some manic screaming could be heard throughout the prison. Aurelius noticed someone close to him who appeared to have a tiger's head and a humanoid body. They seemed unnaturally unfazed by the entire situation, causing Aurelius's curiosity to pique.
"Hello?" Aurelius asked, wondering if they were awake. His chains rattled against his body.
"What do you want?" she had a feminine voice heavily coated with exasperation. "Yes, this is a dungeon, and yes you will die. That's all you really need to know."
"Why are we in a dungeon?"
"You didn't notice when you came in?" she looked up at him. "I guess you were the skeleton that was knocked out. We're fighting in a coliseum. Don't die too fast." She hung her head, clearly exhausted.
Aurelius didn't want to bother her any further and decided to wait for his turn. He didn't know how potent his regression ability was, nor did he know what time it would return him to, but what he did know was that he was unable to die in his current situation, whether he wanted to or not.
He slowly drifted to sleep.
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Bang! Bang! Bang!
Aurelius jolted awake, woken up by the clanging of steel against the metal bars.
"You're the new skeleton?" the goblin guard scowled at him. "You're going up against a water mage. The young little brat decided to anger some people he shouldn't have. Scrawny little human." He used a key hanging on his belt to unchain the sleepy skeleton. He grabbed Aurelius by the shoulder and shoved him forward, dagger at his back. "Don't even bother resisting."
"I won't," Aurelius admitted.
They walked to an iron door, and the goblin unlocked it while carefully keeping watch of Aurelius. On the other side, the skeleton was blinded by the light that had been withheld from him when he was in the dark and dilapidated dungeon. Crowds cheered from the sidelines, barbarically pounding their chests and yelling profanities. The goblin closed the door behind him, and Aurelius was left alone.
The giant hobgoblin that had been talking to the elf was sitting on a dingy throne.
"We will start the fight between the water mage, Kai, and a string of skeletons! How many will he defeat this time before he runs out of mana?!" the hobgoblin screamed. The person across from Aurelius looked washed and well-fed, making it clear who was favored to win in this fight.
"Start!"
An icicle suddenly came into view, and Aurelius reflexively tried to sidestep it. It hit his shoulder, causing several bones to explode and radiated intense pain where he had been injured. He screamed and fell on the sandy ground.
Kai walked over to him and stood above him, hands on his hips.
"Another easy win," he said. An icicle formed in his hand, and he threw it towards the pathetic skeleton twitching on the ground.
"Return."
Aurelius was in the dungeon. A woman with a tiger's head sat near him. This was too familiar....
"You're the new skeleton?" the goblin guard scowled at him.