I stared back at the skeleton, dumbfounded at its violent action like it was totally unexpected. My head rung from getting slammed into the wall, and I just goggled at the thing.

It had seven eyes, looking out at me, it made the room bright enough to look at it properly. Like its head was one large torch, or rather its multiple heads. Seven humanoid skulls were fused together, with bits of jaw fused to make one big bone. It was like one big lumpy skull made out of itty bity normal skulls.

Its arms, just like the skull were made of multiple sets, contorted into one. Bits of bone at its thick shoulder held together the stumpy mass where a bicep should be, bending bones like a bow held taught folded out above and below it. I could see it was hollow on the inside, little flat bits with other bones connecting the tube to the fist that had hit me.

At first glance, it had more in common with some kind of war machine than a normal skeleton. Its chest was like a knight’s breast plate, not ribs but big heavy bone plates formed from multiple partially overlapped rib cages.

It was at a second glance I noticed it was shaped more like a wall than a humanoid. Several sets of pelvises giving it a rectangular profile rather than that of a living creature.

It was simultaneously a mockery of the living form, and something utterly unlike it, like a bone ballista.

Its arm began to retract. The slats of bone connecting its fist and its arm proper began to tense, tugged by wriggling bone, and folding around little pivots. Each slat retracts into its hollow arms.

I looked at it in total incomprehension, fascinated and horrified as its big, blocky, thirty fingered fist retracted, and its other arm raised to point at me.

My swimmy head felt slow, almost surreally as it happened. My body was heavy as an anvil.

I didn’t even blink as I watched it level its arm, moving only its legs and elbow.

A tiny part in the back of my head must have still been on the clock because it screamed in urgency, for me to move, to run the hell away.

I watched as the little flexy bow bits started to release out of the corner of my eye.

I managed to flop to the side as the second fist hit where I had been sitting. Rolling a few times until I wanted to vomit, and I stared at the spot it hit. Shattered bits of stone clanked into the ground where the fist had left a good dent in it.

My mind rolled, different parts yelling out to do different things. A few parts tried to get me to scream but all I got out was a moaned, “Uhha.” Another more successful part got me to roll onto my front so I can stand.

It was wobbly but the screaming part of my brain agreed with the running bit and with the grace of all the gods and their servants I stood.

Then I slipped a little and put my weight on the wall so my legs could catch up to the distant idea that was standing.

Why does my head hurt so much… and why do I feel sick?

I put the shovel down to the ground and held it like a walking stick, metal bit down like an oar. I started to stumble walk away. I felt like I was falling but in a zig zag, to the shovel then the wall. It made me want to hurl, but I could hear the shrieking of the fist pulling back in and the thing moving, each horrible sound an accompaniment to the painful, agonizing cry.

There were many senses engaged as I tried to pay attention to the arm. A click like a hammer blow in the tunnel, the rush as it started to move, the light clacks of the bone slats being pulled out by the fist.

I leaned into the zag, when I should have zigged, and the stone slammed near me, bits of the floor turned to shrapnel and were thrown from the impact of its blow.

My confused mind ran without input from me, driving me forward without thought. My head was aching with the motion, but I kept doing it.

Zig, Zag, Zig, Zig, Zag, Zag, almost falling as I tried to brace myself on a wall that was, in fact, a shovel.

When did that get there, where did the wall go? Oh, it’s there.

My shovel plinked as I moved, the sound too close. It reminded me, if only abstractly, of the broken stones.

All I have to do is get to the ladder, and it won’t be able to get out.

My mind, fuzzy and numbed, revolved to a thought, it went back to the stone shattering.

Why am I thinking about stone? Wait, it can break stone…

My brain was practically smoking as it came up with an image of me wiggling up the ladder like a snake, only for the living wall to rip through the ground and be free of this crypt, leaving a way for the other skeletons to run out of. The valley flooding with thousands of flame eyed skeletons doing whatever skeletons will do.

Why am I thinking about this? What’s with the strange visual of them milking a cow, throwing milk around? Hey, are you broken, they're not going to revel, they're going to kill stuff.

My mind corrected the thought, the skeletons still danced around the cow, but this time there were burning buildings around them.

Good job brain, that’s the way to go… Now what was I thinking about again? Oh, yeah, I can’t risk running when this abomination can just rip its way out of the ground.

I could hear the creak of its movement, its fused-looking legs hurtling forward after me.

Ok, it’s chasing, I just can’t lead it to the outside. So… How do I fight it? Do I break the jade or try and break it then the jade? Do I plan to just not get hit and kill it dead, or re dead? Redeadefy?

I could hear it closing in.

Oh man, I am so cooked. I’m so cooked I’m burnt… Well, here goes nothing.

It closes in consistently. Closer and closer.

Wait for it… A little closer.

I hear the click of the arm and throw myself away to the other wall.

It hurts a little bit, but much much less than the fist would. Stone shatters across from me, and I turn to strike. I lean against the wall, letting the solid stone take my weight, and raise the shovel up.

I turn the shovel towards the upper arm, [Rapid action] slamming the shovel edge down on the outstretched arm twice. It bites into the bone, then up again before cleaving back into it. It bites in a good inch or so on the second swing, but that isn’t enough to stop it from punching me, especially not with its second arm that comes up right next to me.

The impact catches me square in the side, and I can feel it crunch me. I can feel the impact go through me before I fall over, pulling the spade out of its arm and hitting my head again.

Before I can even blink, I’m dead, drifting down into the dark. I wasn’t flexing my skill, not trying to hold myself to life, so down I went until I rested there fully encompassed and heard the voice.

…

“You have Died

[Saint of Death] Has absorbed [Disembodied Soul Level 6] experience earned.

[Green thumb] has gained a level, and is now level 10!

Congratulations, you are now level 14!

Congratulations, [Green thumb] has reached its level 10 Milestone, you gain +1 wisdom per level.”

…

“Oh, I levelled up, I wond…”

I felt a sensation like blinking that disrupted my thoughts. It felt like when you fall asleep while blinking, only to wake up again.

“What was that?”

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

…

“[Green thumb] has gained the skill [Aura of Renewal].

Congratulations, your level is high enough for [Green thumb] to undergo class evolution.

Would you like to evolve your class?”

…

“Um not right now, I’m kind of in a fight.”

…

“Fantastic, you are currently under the effects of the skill [True Immortality].

You are being returned to your body.

See you soon, little Psychopomp.”

…

"Wait, what, what do you know about…"

I couldn’t finish as the fabric gathered around me and catapulted me up and into my body. The voice had felt smug that time.

My eyes snapped open. My body mends itself, bones and innards getting back to the right position. My eyes looked around; the wall of bone was facing away from me. Its ribs had a second pair of ribs on the back, they folded backwards, towards the front of the brute.

I could have run, it didn’t know I was there, it just shambled away. But a tiny glint in the low light caught my eye, and checking it with my skills gave me what I thought it was. A slip of jade, the size of a fingernail, rested against the double backward ribs, right where its shoulder blades met the spine.

I could run, but I could kill it by breaking its jade. And I don’t want to just let them go.

I waited a few seconds, letting my heavily tenderized meat and bone stop aching.

On the plus side, I am no longer concussed, further on the plus side, I’m a little bit stronger.

I got up and slunk over to the skeleton, readying my spade; I got up to it, into range for a strike and swung for the jade.

It gave way with a satisfying noise like shattering glass, and I hoped up to the free soul.

“Thank you, very warm…”

The monster's shrill scream of pain was violent, it felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart. It was a horrible physical thing. Its normal, comparatively droning scream took precedence, and it started to move.

Its movements had slowed even further; its legs wobbled as if it could not stay upright. An extra set of legs detached, sliding across the floor until it stood on four legs.

It started to turn around, like a dog or cat, more of a circle than a twist.

I reach into the bag and fumble for the chips.

I can get a few. I can come back stronger even if I die, and I don’t think I can get through its back plates right now.

My fingers grasp onto one of the tiny chips, I put some effort into breaking it, I can feel the snap more than I can hear it.

I watch the skeleton turn, waiting to strike, while it's vulnerable.

It manages to turn sideways in the cramped stone corridor, scraping its way around, but it’s vulnerable. I move in and grab hold of my shovel with both hands, before swinging it like a halberd at its arm. It slammed down, edge first, straight into its arm, or more specifically, right down on the little bow-like protrusion on the top of its arm, and for the kicks of it, I repeated it, slamming down into the back bit, hoping to hit something in the bulky arm.

Bits of the bow, previously held in tension, spat forward into the air and the funny looking funny bone splintered into a small plume of debris.

The second hit may or may not have done something. I could hear a slight click in the arm. But I had no idea what it had done.

I went back to breaking slips, holding my shovel in one hand and waiting for the other arm to clear the wall.

I managed to grab two more of the tiny jade bits and snap them, feeling the cool rush as the spirits rushed up my arms and into me. The souls were crisp feeling, and their words were calming.

It comes free of the wall, brushing its left limb out from the wall and rotating fully forward, I go to strike but only hit the thick bone arm, not the softer bow bit.

I scrabbled away, crossing erratically backwards and forwards until I found a bend and ducked down it. Pulling myself into a nook and waiting for it.

Sneaky Kobold plan part two, its part one, but where I break its arm instead of its head.

I can hear it move closer, the clatter and screech giving me a good distance.

Where are its jade bits? If I know where to hit, I can take it down.

I felt it out through the wall and got three pings in roughly the place I expected the skeleton to be.

Two in the lower area one up towards the neck area, I don’t think I can get them through the plate… But if it was on its back maybe. The legs then, I’ll get it off balance. If I get it on its back, I’m golden.

It keeps coming but it takes forever. I wait for its clunking footsteps to get to me.

Any moment now.

I see the tip of its arm reach past me, and I can feel myself grinning.

Come on, big thing, a few more… Now.

I practically hurl the shovel as I bring it down on the arm, once, twice, both in the same place as the other. The bent bow-shaped bone sprays into bits. The creature did not react, but that didn’t mean I could stay where I was.

I stepped out and behind the horror before going back in to reach my target. It’s legs.

It had four of them, where the other sets were, I had no idea, but if it was balancing on four limbs, I could take advantage of it.

I stepped in before striking the left leg twice. Bits of bone broke, but it was good enough. It wobbled, not quite falling over from the damaged leg, so I gave it a second broken leg, smashing the bone. Its wobble went from, ‘Phew, almost tripped,’ to ‘I stubbed my toe,’ and it started to fall backward, right onto me.

I swerved to the side, but it was too little, too late. It fell inexorably, its chunky body smashing me flat to the stone and I died. Again.

…

“You have Died.

[Saint of Death] Has absorbed [Disembodied Soul Level 5] experience earned.

[Saint of Death] Has absorbed [Disembodied Soul Level 5] experience earned.

[Saint of Death] Has absorbed [Disembodied Soul Level 6] experience earned.

[Saint of Death] Has absorbed [Disembodied Soul Level 8] experience earned.

[Saint of Death] Has absorbed [Disembodied Soul Level 6] experience earned.

[Saint of Death] Has absorbed [Disembodied Soul Level 10] experience earned.

[Ditchdigger] has gained a level, and is now level 19!

[Green thumb] has banked its experience.

Congratulations, you are now level 15!”

…

That feeling of blinking overcame me again as I listened to the voice.

Wow that’s… kind of a lot of levels.

…

“[Ditchdigger] has gained the skill [Aura of Soil].

Congratulations, your level is high enough for [Green thumb] to undergo class evolution.

Would you like to evolve your class?”

…

“No, I am still in a fight.”

…

“Fantastic you are currently under the effects of the skill [True Immortality].

You are being returned to your body.

See you little one.”

…

“What the hells is that feeling?”

…

“Not telling.”

…

It replied to me again, I wish whatever it was would answer instead of just teasing me. Instead, I got catapulted to my body, slamming into the flattened form. It took longer this time to fix the damage substantially more than prior times. It was also terribly painful.

“Fuck.” I yelled once it was done, and I could pay attention to things other than my body, like shouting profanity, which is always a win.

Now where is it?

I looked both ways and couldn’t see it, but I could hear it. There was a scraping noise coming from the way we had come.

I got up with my shovel, I tiredly trudged towards the sound.

Ten feet down the hall, the still fallen construct was dragging its self-down the corridor. I walked up to it, and it turned its eyes to me, its flames showed no sign of fear or pain, they showed nothing. It didn’t look all that scary anymore, still horrible, but not scary.

It looks more like some kind of turtle than a monster, but I can’t let it go now.

I walked up to it and stared up into its ribs, three little nobs of bone sat inside. I moved my shovel horizontally and slammed them, each of the lower boney protrusions cracking before giving way, snaping the jade with the shovel was no effort at all.

The second of the lower jade slips broke just as quickly as the first. But the third was too far to reach. I climbed up onto the fused pelvis before slamming my shovel down on the fused breastbone. It took twenty strikes to break out enough to get to the topmost slip. The skeleton wailed once, twice, then the slip broke, and its eyes flickered out, collapsing to the ground. The last soul was free, so I walked over to it, the two other souls moved to me, climbing up my legs and into me. It made me almost fall over.

They thanked me, disappearing shortly after, each voice small like the first.

The last soul did not move; it just sat there. Unlike the other small flames, it was white at the edges, the multicoloured light barely present at its core. It looked more like an aurora than fire. It wisped slightly like the fog but was otherwise entirely still.

I reached out to it, picked it up, and it spoke in the voice of a very tired man.

“Saved them, my kids, thank you.”

“It’s no problem, sleep now. They are safe.” I told him.

It tried to tell me something else, but it couldn’t quite get it out. Instead, it sunk into my arms and up to my chest.

Each of the souls had been terribly cold, but this one was something else. It was freezing as the soul passed through me, and when it had gone down to wherever it was now it left behind a terrible chill and exhaustion.

I can’t rest here; I need to get back up. I can come back later, but I’m finishing my other business.

Slowly, I forced myself to stand, and with my spade in one hand, I trudged back to the entrance. I didn’t come across any skeletons, though distantly, I could just hear them, so I picked up the pace.

I’m done fighting skeletons today; I can just fight them later.

I got back to the entrance and made my way to the ladder when I stopped and looked to the side. There lay the spade, my spade now. I had cuddled that spade for literal millennia, and I didn’t feel like just leaving it behind now that I could move it. I secured the new shovel on my back before grabbing the other shovel and looping it onto my front.

Come on, cuddle buddy, let's get out of this hole.

I climbed up, I could hear the distant screeches of the skeletons, they were closer now, but the ladder was short, it only took a few seconds before I closed the hatch and held it down. The screaming skeleton fiesta returned but dispersed just as quickly. The plucking feeling was less of a nuisance; compared to before it was nothing, compared to just the hulking skeletal abomination it was nothing.

I let go of the lid and stood once they had left, the shovels clunking against me as I did. I turned to the old church and got ready to finish what I had come here for.

“I’m coming for you Kindly, I’m coming.”