Death Defiance Activated.
Your recovery is slow.
You cannot see.
Mana Eyes Activated.
You are in a bag.
There are voices.
“I don’t get why we have to bring this crap to Farlen.”
“It’s either him or Zaiyola. Which would you prefer?”
“...I still don’t get why both of us needed to go.”
“Because I don’t trust you not to burn the body to literal ashes before you get there.”
“Oh, come on! It was just a little flame. You didn’t even get any real burns!”
“So, you are telling me you remembered to turn the flamebeltcher off?”
“Of course, I...! Shit. Hold on.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Your body has been reforming while they speak.
The bag is beginning to dampen.
“Ah shit this thing leaking. Is that blood!?”
“See? Clearly, it's magical in nature. Something Farlen would have an easier time handling.”
“Oh gee, a walking skeleton being magic. Who would have guessed?”
‘Sigh’
You continue to reform.
...
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
‘Knock Knock’
“Come in, please.”
“Hey, Farlen, we find something you might like.”
“...If that is another sack of Skull Rats, I believe they are of poor quality.”
“What? No, I- Oh! No, the bleeding isn’t from any Skull Rats, it’s from a Skeleton. That I burned with a flamebeltcher. Not sure if it's still melting or if that’s just the magic in the thing.”
Silence.
“Miss Oriza, I do hope you are not making a habit of desecrating our dead. I believe Mrs. Zaivola would be very much against such a waste of resources. And of all people, I would have thought you would prevent such behavior Mr. Zamong.”
There is blustering and a slap.
“Farlen, we didn’t dig up any graves. We found this Skeleton, walking around by its own power I might add, near our gaud post in the rear of the settlement. We think it’s an Undead of some kind. Possibly a Minion since we didn’t get any XP from killing it.”
A scrape and shuffling steps.
“Put it on the table there.”
You feel a hard surface under you.
The bag is opened.
A gnome is looking at you.
You are still reforming.
“Well, I have to say this is not a standard corpse you have found. Not many humans this far down south.”
“Human? How can you tell?”
“Well, clearly he is not a gnome with the length of these leg bones. Far too tall. Not a hellspawn of any racial lineage since the skull lacks any horns or the remnants of a prehensile tail. The only other races we see down here are the elves or humans. And unless you found the legendary underground elf, a human is the only logical choice.”
Silence
“By the glazed look in your eyes, I believe neither of you much cared. Either way, historical significance aside, I’ll perform the proper investigation to confirm whether or not this is in fact Undead. Regardless of whether or not it is a minion, it is still worth investigating. A necromantic plague or a random necromancer being in a back yard is a danger in either case.”
The gnome leaves your Mana Eyes range.
“Do inform Mrs. Zaivola as soon as you can if you have not already. I believe it is worthy of her attention.”
There is a groaning.
“Please act as the disciplined soldiers I am led to believe you are. Would you prefer she learned later, from someone else, and know you failed to report?”
Grumbling.
“Fine.”
Footsteps and a door opening and closing.
Silence.
You lose vision as the bag is closed around you.
You are carried somewhere.
“I have to be fast or those idiots will get me killed.”
There is the sound of ruffled bottles.
You are dumped out of the bag.
You are still reforming.
Mana Eyes Deactivated.
You can see the gnome bringing the cage.
“It is time for you to hold your side of the bargain, once you get this body”
The gnome opens the cage.
A mass of tentacles reaches out.
The gnome leaves your line of sight.
A door slams.
The tentacles are reaching for you.
You have regained 1 health.
One touches you.
And then the world broke.