“The inn manager left with his wife, leaving their rabbit who had gotten infected behind, but luckily for us they left it chained up in the stable so it wouldn't spread the disease onto the rest of us.”
An excerpt from the logbook comes to mind, and as anger starts to replace my horror at the sight before me, I take notice of the slight differences in this skeleton than the ones that roamed freely around town. While humanlike overall, the skull of the being in front of me is slightly deformed from what I'm used to, having the openings for the ear canal further back and larger overall, as well as a lack of canines and a pair of prominent incisors larger than the rest of the teeth right in front on the top row. Other than the differences in skull shape, the overall skeleton looks the same as any other human besides a series of small bones extending from the tailbone, making up a small bone tail that is currently wagging furiously, and feet almost twice as large as normal.
With the remains in front of my eyes, the realization crashes into my brain. I hadn't considered it before because I lived in a world filled with humans back on Earth, but if Dharta can have Demons and Monsters, why wouldn't there be other species as well. Meaning, when Douglas mentioned a rabbit, he wasn't talking about some pet, but the person before me. And he, she, or whatever they were before death was most definitely a person, as I pull up a skill description to confirm my fears.
[Eyes Of Aspirations]:
An inspection-type skill, this skill allows the user to gain basic information on something when they focus on it, with the additional effect of being able to obtain information on a sentient being's current immediate desire in addition to their available basic information.
“Obtain information on a sentient being,” that's what I thought. Fuck.
The reason I always got “Not Applicable” when I scanned the skeletons before was because they didn't actually have any sentience. I'm not sure if they act on instinct or are completely mindless, but that doesn't matter as much to the current situation. Not counting the ones with silver eyes, as I am pretty sure that they are being controlled by whoever Rusalka is, based on what the Icy skeleton said whilst choking me out, this is probably the first sentient being I've used [Eyes Of Aspirations] on. Granted, this is all guesswork on my part, but my skill’s description as well as the fact that this skeleton in front of me also has the glowing eyes of the smarter skeletons, albeit in a different color, leads me to believe that the writhing skeleton in front of me still has a person inhabiting it. Sticking to this, I proceed towards my next course of action, trying to communicate with them.
“Hello, can you understand me? My name is Chloe, and I just want to help. I promise I'm not here to hurt you.”
But, it seems as though my words fall on deaf ears as the skeleton continues to try and rush at me, the chains connected to their collar keeping them in place as they reach out towards me with both arms while gnashing their teeth. I then remember how [Eyes Of Aspirations] said that they are a {Wrathful Skeleton Of A Tortured Soul}, so they most likely are stuck in a state of wrath. I mean, I would be eternally pissed too if my captors back on Earth chained me up in some shed and left me there to rot from disease. But what can I do to help? I really don't want to kill them if I don't have to.
As I stand there thinking of a solution, an idea comes to mind that is probably stupid and reckless of me, but as I don't really have anything else to try due to my lack of magical skeleton knowledge, I might as well give it a try anyways. I start to slowly walk towards the tortured soul, keeping an eye on its arms while I put my own pair up in a ready position. Once I am close enough, I wait for an opportunity, and once I spot one, I snatch the skeleton’s arms by what would be their wrists, and start pouring a huge dosage of [Restful Touch] as quickly as I can. Before I even have enough time to tell if it's working though, they wrench me to the side, throwing me to the ground, before they pounce on top of me whilst wailing on me furiously.
Not wanting to give up just yet, I bring up my bracers to protect my face from the swinging arms, and begin to wrap my tail tightly around one of their legs so I can continue to use [Restful Touch] on them. I try to pull them off of me with my tail, but the leg barely budges before the skeleton brings it back into position, continuing to straddle me and beat down on my arms, which are starting to hurt more and more even with the leather protection. Having another idea, I try to activate [Tail Whip] while my tail is still wrapped around the leg, and thankfully it gives me enough force to pull them off of me, at which I swiftly reverse our positions, getting on top of them and pinning the skeleton’s arms down before they can get back up.
The skeleton continues to struggle, and chomps up at me the best they can with their teeth, but I manage to stay out of reach, and pump it full of relaxation from my hands and tail. At first, it doesn't look like it is working, but after ten to fifteen seconds of continuous usage, the skeleton’s thrashing begins to weaken and it becomes more lethargic. Seeing that my plan might actually work, I begin to smile a little.
“Hopefully you will calm down enough that I can communicate with you somewhat.”
I mount the skeleton for a couple minutes as I try to calm them down, and eventually, as it stops struggling entirely and its furious red eyes dim down to small, marble-sized pricks of light, I try to speak with them once more.
“Now that you seem to have calmed down, can I ask if you can understand what I am saying? Can you speak?”
After a pause, the skeleton opens their mouth, working their jaw, before… nothing. For a few seconds, the skeleton opens and closes their mouth, but no sound escapes their non-existent lips. They seem confused as to why they can't speak, but seeing that they are trying to talk with me reassures me anyways, so I get off of them and get to my feet. The skeleton just lies there, dumbfounded, and I reach out my arm to help them up. They continue to just lie on their back, looking up to me, for a few moments, before finally lifting up their arm to grasp mine. But before they reach it, the bony arm comes into their view and they jerk back, sitting up abruptly and staring at the skeletal appendage.
“Oh, did you not realize you were a skeleton?”
The skeleton slowly shakes their head back and forth while their red orbs stay locked to their arm. Awkwardly standing there, I think of what to say to them, and just end up saying what first comes to mind.
“Uhm Hi, I'm Chloe. I said this earlier, but I don't think you heard me. I'm new to town, I guess you could say. Kinda just ended up here and have been fighting off skeletons all day.”
The skeleton flinches back at that, and I soon realize my stupidity at mentioning fighting skeletons, so I quickly apologize.
“Oh sorry, I don't mean you, I mean well, uh, ones that can't think. Well there were a few with silver flame eyes that might be controlled by someone so maybe that counts as them being able to think, but I don't know. I meant to say I have been attacked by skeletons all day while I have been looking around and I have been defending myself. I'm rambling, aren't I? Well, you get what I'm saying? Right?”
I turn to see the skeleton sitting there, a hand over their mouth as their shoulders tremble, and I realize that they are soundlessly laughing at me. I start to chuckle a little as well, glad to have some semblance of lightheartedness come out of my current situation. Letting a few moments pass in this comfortable atmosphere, I decide to get back on track and ask some more questions.
“So, I don't know how exactly to put this, but uhm, I don't want to keep thinking of you as ‘the skeleton,’ so could you give me your name? You can write it out in the dirt if you want? I should be able to read it.”
They droop a little at that before shaking their head in a “no” gesture.
“Do you not want to tell me? Well that's fine I guess but-”
The skeleton cuts me off by waving their arms back and forth, and once I stop speaking, they look around the room a bit before starting to do a series of gestures. They first pick up one of the broken bones and start scribbling gibberish in the dirt before crossing their arms in an “X” shape in front of them. They then point at themself and do a shrugging motion before slumping slightly. I'm not sure if I understood fully, but I think what they meant to say was that they don't know how to write and they don't know their name. Well shit, I guess that makes some sense. The only reason I knew how to read and write back on Earth was because of what I learned at the orphanage before I was sold off, but at least I still knew my name. Does that mean the skeleton has been a slave for as long as they remember? Now I feel bad for asking, but I still need to figure out what to call them.
“Well, I don't know if this rude or racist or whatever, but the guard captain’s log called you a rabbit, and uhm, I haven't ever seen your species before so that is all I have to go off of, so uh, would it be fine if I called you Thumper? It's the name of a rabbit from a story back in my homeland? I can think of something else if you want.”
The skeleton, or rather Thumper, nods their head in agreement, and as if realizing something, they reach up their hands and rub against the spot where ears most likely came from on their skull. Before they can get down again, I try to reassure Thumper.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Hey, I know it might be a bit disorientating to get used to, but I think you'll be fine in your new body. Take it from me, I'm apparently a demon now even though I used to be a human.”
At that statement, Thumper’s eyes start to grow larger a bit as they ball their hands into fists, but before they go any further than that they make a breathing motion and calm back down, eyes shrinking back down to a marble size. It took me a second to figure out why they got mad all of the sudden, but the fact that pretty much all the skeletons I fought looked like normal human skeletons till now most likely meant that humans were the ones who enslaved Thumper, and I just said I used to be one. Great, I need to stop sticking my foot in my mouth. Before I can say anything, Thumper stands up and rests a hand on my arm and just nods at me reassuringly. It's this standing motion that brings the jingling chains connected to their collar back to my attention.
“Oh! Sorry, I forgot, I can try and help you out of that collar. I have a key ring back up in the inn and it might-”
Before I can finish my sentence, I'm cut off again as Thumper shakes their head sadly, before turning side to side to give me a good look at the collar, the collar that just so happens to be seamless other than the D shaped ring connected to the chain. Well shit, it must have been made by magic or something, the description did mention something about inscriptions after all.
“Well, I'll just break the chain, or the wooden beam the chain is attached to, I've got an axe to chop it with after all.”
I reach down to unsheathe the tool, but Thumper places their hand over my hand, and when I look at them, they are shaking their head slowly once more. They then bring a hand to their ribcage before looking up and pointing with their other hand straight up. I look up to the ceiling seeing nothing, and when I glance back down, my confusion must have shown on my face as Thumper begins gesturing once more. This time, they wave their hand all around at the destroyed skeleton parts, then points to themself, and then points upwards once again, before pointing towards me and then my axe.
I realize their meaning, even if I don't want to.
They want to die, to go up to heaven or whatever their afterlife other than this is.
And Thumper wants me to do it.
“No… I can’t. This is different than when the skeletons were just mindless monsters. I…I don't want to murder you.”
Thumper just stares at me resolutely, and again points at the axe at my side before gesturing at themself again.
“There has to be another way! We can find a way to help you together!”
I scream out this time, but once again, Thumper just shakes their head. They walk up to me, grabbing my trembling hands into their own, and just stares into my eyes with their glowing orbs of light. I start to tear up, memories of another flashing into my mind. A girl with light blond hair to her shoulders, kind green eyes, a wide smile across her face. The same girl, a couple years older, with dark circles under her eyes, but still smiling at me as we talk. Those same kind eyes, empty, as she hangs in the air of a dark, lifeless room.
“Please… don't make me.”
Thumper takes my hand and guides it to the axe, but I jerk out of the gentle grip. I start breathing heavily, eyes blurring from the tears falling down my face, but I resolve myself.
“If…if this is truly what you want. I can try and find a way to turn you back to normal, just please stop me from doing this.”
Thumper shakes their head solemnly, a slight jingle coming from the chain that must have been their prison for years in this tortuous existence.
“Fine. But I will make this as painless as possible for you.”
I approach Thumper and bring my hands up to where their face would be, cupping the sides like I would if they had skin. I start to think about using [Light Of Justice] in a form as powerful as possible for me, so that I can end the life of numerous injustices inflicted upon them as painlessly and swiftly as possible. As the light starts to swiftly build on my hands, I whisper out one last time to Thumper.
“I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you sooner.”
I ignored the increasing amount of pain coming from my arms as I stared into Thumper’s face, and as the glow in Thumper’s eyes started to fade with the rest of their skull, a smile that I had to have imagined through bleary eyes appeared on their face.
Thumper’s skull-less body crashes to the ground, the accursed collar falling off of the unimpeded neck. I fall to my knees along with it, balling up as I continue to cry. A message soon appears.
[You Are Now In Relative Safety, Rewards From Combat Shall Now Be Distributed]
[You Have Killed {Wrathful Skeleton Of A Tortured Soul: Level 19} And Have Been Granted Experience!]
[For Saving Someone Suffering From An Existence Tortured By Injustice, Your Patron Goddess Iusti Has Granted You Bonus Exp-
“FUCK YOU! I didn't save jack shit! Goddess of Justice my ass! Where were you when they needed it!”
I scream out into the air above me, outraged that I was rewarded for what was a mercy killing at best.
“What did I do to deserve being here? Why couldn't you have saved Thumper sooner? Well!? ANSWER ME! Please…”
I weep as I just kneel on the ground, slamming my aching arms against the ground in rage, ignoring the jolts of pain that accompany each impact. After tiring myself out a little, I just roll up into the fetal position and lie there, letting the minutes pass by. Tears stream down my face, before finally drying up. I'm dizzy from all that happened, and my ears start ringing. Then, My head starts to sting as I start to hear whispered words in a feminine tone appear in my mind, along with what sounds like metal rattling from behind me.
“.et .. C.l..e… G.t .p Ch.o.e… Get up Chloe!”
But I do not heed the warning in time, something grabs me from behind and throws me across the entire stable house, and I tumble outside, rolling for a good few yards before stopping, scrapes covering my body all over, with a small cut in my side where my axe is sheathed starting to bleed a little. I look up to try and see who my assailant is, only to notice that I am surrounded by a thick, chilling mist inhibiting my sight. I scramble up to my feet, looking all around me in a panic, and it's the rattling of metal that warns me of something coming in time to leap to the side as I hear something crash down where I was standing moments before. I didn't get a good look of whatever it was, but the shadow in the mist was as tall as me, but much broader, and carrying what seemed to be a large hammer. I activate [Light Of Justice] on my already burnt fists to try and improve my visibility, and luckily the mist starts to dissipate around the light, but also illuminates the damage I did to them earlier. I wasn't really paying attention too much earlier, but my hands are a worryingly dark shade of purple, almost black, and I decide to move [Light Of Justice] to my tail instead so I don't ruin my hands to the point I can't move them anymore. As I do this, another voice enters my ear, much raspier this time and horrifyingly familiar.
“Tut. Tut. Can’t. Have. That. [Silent Steps].”
Nothing happens at first, but I'm soon punched in the back of my head out of nowhere and sent sprawling. I barely manage to stay conscious as the towering figure from before comes up to me, reaching down and wrapping my tail around its gauntleted hand, and starts dragging me across the ground by it. The figure is covered in rusty plate armor resembling the one in much better condition found inside the barracks, and the other hand that is covered with a leather glove silently hefts a large two-handed warhammer over its shoulder with ease. The most terrifying feature though is the ice covering the rest of its body that still has some decayed flesh on most of its skeletal frame, along with the large silver flames coming from the rusty iron helmets’ visor. I try scrambling up to my feet, but the armored undead just yanks my tail upward, causing me to faceplant into the dirt. Activating [Light Of Justice] on my tail doesn't do anything either, as the undead is completely unbothered, most likely due to the rusty iron gauntlet it's gripping my tail with. I try the [Tail Whip] trick I did earlier to make it lose balance or let go of my tail or something, but it doesn't even budge. I use [Eyes Of Aspirations] on it as I am dragged across the grass and towards the central road.
{Desecrated Guardian Of Littlecreek}
[Current Desire: Not Applicable]
Well, looks like Douglas got what he deserved for screwing over Thumper like that.
While I am pissed about the former guard captain's attitude towards the enslaved Thumper, I realize that I am in deep shit if the top dog of the town is what is dragging me off. Remembering my ill-earned rewards from earlier, I reopen and skim through the messages I've been ignoring till now to see if there is anything that might possibly help me.
[You Have Killed {Wrathful Skeleton Of A Tortured Soul: Level 19} And Have Been Granted Experience!]
[For Saving Someone Suffering From An Existence Tortured By Injustice, Your Patron Goddess Iusti Has Granted You Bonus Experience!]
[{Temiskyr Imp} Has Risen To Level 12! (+1 Recovery +2 Dexterity +1 Magic Power +2 Mana Control +2 Stat Points)]
…
[{Temiskyr Imp} Has Risen To Level 17! (+1 Recovery +2 Dexterity +1 Magic Power +2 Mana Control +2 Stat Points)]
[Skill [Restful Touch] Has Reached Level 7!]
…
[Skill [Restful Touch] Has Reached Level 9!]
…
[Skill [Restful Touch] Has Reached Level 13!]
[Skill [Tail Whip] Has Reached Level 12!]
[Skill [Tail Whip] Has Reached Level 13!]
[Skill [Eyes Of Aspirations] Has Reached Level 8!]
[Skill [Eyes Of Aspirations] Has Reached Level 9!]
[Skill [Enchantment Affinity] Has Reached Level 9!]
…
[Skill [Enchantment Affinity] Has Reached Level 11!]
[Skill [Temptation’s Tongue] Has Reached Level 7!]
[Skill [Temptation’s Tongue] Has Reached Level 8!]
[Skill [Light Of Justice] Has Reached Level 15!]
…
[Skill [Light Of Justice] Has Reached Level 18!]
[Skill [Holy Affinity] Has Reached Level 10!]
…
[Skill [Holy Affinity] Has Reached Level 12!]
[Skill [Brawling] Has Reached Level 10!]
[Skill [Brawling] Has Reached Level 11!]
[Skill [Light Ability] Has Reached Level 5!]
[Due To Increasing {Temiskyr Imp}’s Level, You Have Been Granted The Active {Temiskyr Imp} Skill [Break Enchantment] Level 1!]
[Break Enchantment]:
Imbue mana to disrupt Enchantments on whoever the user makes physical contact with, reducing the effect or breaking it. The user may enhance the effect via prolonged contact. This is a Skill under the (Enchantment) Category.
Well shit, even if the undead captain is being puppeteered by an Enchantment spell or skill, this does me no good as I can't make contact with it due to the armor and ice covering its body. I continue thinking of a way out of the situation, when the rasp of a whisper enters my ear again from an unknown source.
“You. Should. Have. Run. When. You. Had. The. Chance.”
“Now. You. Will. Suffer. In. Agony.”
“Join. Me. In. The. Depths.”
The mist clears slightly, and I look ahead to see that the former guard captain is dragging me towards the river, and I see a gaunt pale woman with bright white hair and desiccated skin walking backwards into the river whilst staring straight at me with hateful, glowing silver eyes. Not magical flames or orbs of light, real eyes.
{Rusalka?: Level ??}
[Current Desire: ??]
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. I don't like where this is going. I gotta get outta here somehow.
The glint of metal to my side reminds me of my axe, and I get an idea I wish I hadn't, but unfortunately might be my only option. I wait for the Rusalka to fully submerge herself into the river, which is honestly closer than I would like as the undead is only a couple of feet from the slope leading down to the river. Really not wanting to drown to death, I take this opportunity to take out my axe, holding it as tight as I can in my burnt hands, dump all of my free stat points into strength, and swing as hard as I can at the appendage entrapping me. My swing is true, the appendage is bisected, and I scream out in pain as my tail begins to spurt blood from the wound I caused, but I scramble to my feet and start running anyways before I can get grabbed again. I sprint down the road as fast as I can in the opposite direction of the bridge where my tormenter resides, but another whisper manages to reach my ears as the armored undead stands there holding my severed tail.
“Run. Insect.”
“Trespass. Again. If. You. Desire. Death.”
Light starts to emit from my stumpy tail as I run, my attempt to close the wound before I bleed too much. I exit Littlecreek from the gate opposite the one I came from, and I continue to run, and run, and run.