Chapter 8 - Blackened Bones
The next morning Bel woke as his stomach growled. It felt like it was eating his insides. He had been hungry before he fell asleep but Ignatius's lesson and soothing voice had rocked him right off to dreamland.
He opened one of his new ration packs, and he understood why these were rated good. There was more food and it was delicious. Soft bread like it was made an hour earlier, the sausages were seasoned and made from pork and beef this time. The fruit was delicious as well. He just hoped that the packs stayed fresh. The poorer packs seemed to be able to last for several weeks, he hoped these did too.
After breakfast he summoned his minions again, this time he summoned one tank and two blades. They all materialized and he almost buckled from the pressure. They all stared at him with their eerie green eyes.
They were also sturdier and had more defined features, making them look more individual. His skill increases showed a big difference from before. Another new thing was that all three of them had boots and greaves on, the tank in dark green metal reaching above its knees, and the two fighters had leather boots and smaller plated studded greaves in a deep blue.
“Ignatius, why are my minions armored like that?” Bel asked over his shoulder as he meditated on his mana.
“Your minions are affected by your experiences, that is why you can't summon any amalgamation of a creature, it must be of something you’ve killed or raised. The equipment follows similar rules, if you have equipped or owned it, you can give it or a similarity of it to your minions. Your Class is of a dual path, meaning you focus both on summoning and fighting, giving you a terrible lead on other awakened. You have been handed quite an advantage, sir. It almost feels desi...” Ignatius suddenly went silent.
Bel looked back at him but the skull just floated there as if nothing had happened. Bel didn’t comment on the slip. Instead, he got to his feet and put the boots and greaves on. The boots went on quite easily but the greaves were harder. Luckily they were magical and when he figured out how they worked they formed and adjusted themselves perfectly to his body.
He was about to check his status when he remembered that he had learned two new skills and that he had had another skill evolution. Deciding to test Bone Storm out first he cast it. The mana in his core surged outwards in a halo surrounding him, within the storm he stood perfectly fine, but around him slivers of bone swirled, creating a storm of death that would ripe anyone that got close to pieces.
With a thought, he pulled a few pieces to his hand and shaped them into a blade again. The action was almost seamless and so natural. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the shards flying away from him pelting the wall on the other side of the cavern. The only downside seemed to be the giant drain on his mana. It cost almost a third of his mana to summon the storm, but it was easier to shape and throw it around.
"Ignatius, Skill evolutions, go." Bel said as he looked at the skull.
"They depend on several factors, they can only happen at the evolution levels and the skill must have been used frequently and in dangerous situations. Still, it is rare to have had two skill evolutions already. Not also because your leveling speeds are insane at the moment." Ignatius bobbled up and down excitedly.
After this he moved on to his new abilities, he wanted to get to his free attribute points after that. There was just so much to do.
He looked forward to this next skill. Activating Necrotic Bolt a green burning flame appeared in his hand, the size of a tennis ball. He threw it at the far wall again and before it hit, he summoned another one above his head and sent it forward with a thought, testing if he could do both. The cost was much cheaper than what Bone Spear had been as well.
The two bolts hit the far wall with a satisfying explosion of green flames that started to eat into the wall before going out a few seconds later.
“I can get used to this.” He said to no one.
The last skill he was a little unsure about. He had a Blade come over and then he activated Imbue Undead on it. The skeleton started to glow with a green light but other than that nothing happened, it just stood there. Bel thought for a moment and then he called the other Blade over and had them race as fast as they could to the wall and back. The imbued one won easily, moving much more fluently and with more power.
The skill made the summons stronger it seemed. Then something happened that he didn’t anticipate. A spike of pain lanced through his head as the imbued blade crumbled into green dust. The skill that enhanched the skeleton also burned it up. The increased strength came with a cost and the sudden death of the skeleton hurt Bel's mind. When a normal summon died he felt it like a part of him went missing or the pressure on his shoulders lessened. This skill came with a cost, a cost he needed to plan for lest he was taken off guard by the pain at the wrong moment.
Feeling like he had a better grip on his new skills he moved on to his attributes.
He could clear the 20 barriers with four of his attributes by using 11 points which made him happy, a boost that great would surely come in handy. He allocated two points to intelligence, one point to constitution, and four points to both strength and dexterity. He steeled himself for the influx but nothing happened. Bel felt something, of course, his muscle shifting somewhat, growing and shrinking in places and his mind a little clearer than before, but no wave of euphoria.
“Ignatius, what just happened?” Bel was dumbfounded.
“What do you mean sir? You allocated your attributes I see, going for a balanced build I presume.” The skull floated over slowly.
“Yes, but I didn’t get that extra kick and growth I did when they hit ten?”
“That is because the next threshold for advancement is at 25, sir. The rank system applies to attributes and skills as well, first advancement is at 10 then 25, 75, 101, 201, 451, and finally 999. This means you aren't Bronze ranked in anything yet. Also, before you ask, no the boost from items does not affect the change to your body or skills if an item gives skill points.” Bel felt like he wanted to hit himself, he assumed he knew the system and it bit him in the ass, he even had someone with the knowledge to ask about it but he went on ahead like an idiot instead because he didn't listen to his answer from before.
“Next time Ignatius, if you think I'm about to even imagine doing something stupid or dangerous, please let me know.” The skull didn’t respond but Bel felt the smugness coming off of it. He threw the last four points into willpower and then summoned a full complement of troops again; his gains made his pool 7 now so the last point went to a regular skeleton tank to cover his sword arm. He checked his status one last time.
Name: Bel - Bringer of the Apocalypse
Class: Necro-lord (Path of the Summoning Warrior – Death Specialization)
Tempering: Tin (Untempered)
Level: 10
Unassigned points: 0
Wealth: 120 Copper Coins, 18 Silver Coins
Rations: 44 Rations (Good)
Items: Boots of the Necro-Lord Tin Rank - +1 Willpower
Greaves of the Necro-Lord Tin Rank - +1 Willpower
Attributes:
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 20
Intelligence: 20
Willpower: 39 + 2
Skills:
Deathless Gaze level 6
Bone Storm level 14
Summon Lesser Undead level 15
Bone Shaping level 11
Life transference level 5
Identify level 5
Necrotic Bolt Level 1
Imbue Undead Level 1
Meditation (Active) - Tin Rank
Blades – Basic (Passive)
Shields – Basic (Passive)
Summoning Pool 7/7
Permanent Summons:
Ignatius Pennyfeather the Third – Servitor Flameskull
Traits:
Apocalyptic Being - +1 to all attributes/level
System Breaker – You ignore the rules of the Gods
Avatar of Death and Destruction - +3 Free attributes/level
Determined - +5 Willpower
15 minutes later he stood at the top of the stairs again. Looking over the platform he saw that not much had changed, except for the blood and rat bodies being gone. Focusing on a part of the platform he made a plan. He would position the tank a few steps behind and between two larger boulders, forcing the enemy to funnel through them, the blades would take up positions on the sides and he would rain down death from behind the line, as usual, any mobs that made their way around the boulders would meet either a blade or a bolt to the face.
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He sent the minions forward and they managed to get into position before the first Trog saw them. The froglike war cry started up and they charged the tank. The slaughter began anew. The Trogs were stronger than the rats in every way, but so were Bel and his minions now, he just needed to make sure he could get to safety when the difficulty ramped up.
The first monsters reached the tank and were stopped dead in their track, a Trog dying outright from the force of hitting the shield with its head.
Bel started to throw out Necrotic Bolts and everything went well, the Trogs dying in droves. They managed to kill all but three of the enemy when something shifted. A surge of mana around him made Bel react, jumping backward. From the dark ceiling, a large Trog dropped.
Fr’ll Troglodyte Chieftan (Elite) Level 10
Bel narrowed his eyes; a sense of calm and steely determination ran through him. Then he charged the large Troglodyte. It was twice as tall and wide as the others. A blue complexion to his skin instead of the dull grey of the others.
The Trog was holding a massive club of bone and stone which it swung against the charging Bel. Bel knew without a doubt that he would break every bone in his body if the club hit him. With a speed and strength he never had before he changed directions mid-step and the club came so close that he stumbled from the rush of air. Without pausing he stabbed forward his bone sword hitting the Chieftain in the side but it didn’t penetrate far due to the creature's hard skin and muscles.
“Damn it. I need a better weapon.” He had shaped the sword with his increased skill levels but the thing was still bone.
“Behind you master!” Ignatius was floating above the battlefield, keeping an eye out.
Bel ducked without thinking and a small club passed above his head. Bel swung around kicking out with a leg sweeper and his greaves hit a Troglodyte in the side, the force so great it crushed its ribs. The creature croaked in pain before being run through from behind by a bladed arm of a skeleton.
Sensing a disturbance behind him Bel threw himself to the side just as an enormous club hit the dead Troglodyte and skeleton head-on, pulverizing them both. A splattering of gore hit Bel but he ignored it, instead summoning a green ball of flame, and throwing it at the Chieftan's face. The thing screamed in pain dropping its club and patting its face. Bel didn’t have any sympathy for the creature, he stabbed forward and his sword once more slid into the creature's gut a few centimeters. He then did something he had just thought about and not tested yet, he activated Life Transference through the weapon and it worked, the blade glowed green and the flesh around the tip started to rot and die. He sighed with relief that it worked.
A rejuvenating wave of energy streamed into Bel and the creature went mad from pain. It started to blindly swing its large arms. But while it was strong, it was slow and Bel avoided him. He pulled his minions away as well as they were about to charge the blind creature.
The creature was madly swinging and hitting boulders and stalactites while Bel bombarded the thing with Necrotic Bolts until it finally fell to its knees half its upper torso burned to the bone. Bel was breathing heavily almost half his mana gone. He knew he didn’t have any time for respite so he summoned a new bladed skeleton, then he dismissed the regular skeleton and used his summoning skill for something new. He used it on the Chieftain, not expecting it to work, but it did. The hollow eyes of the large Troglodyte started to glow and it stood back up with twitching movements that smoothed out as it kept going. It took up position next to him. He had just summoned his first zombie creature.
It was then that he noticed the pressure on his shoulders, the weight of his summons. It was greater than he had ever felt before, he was sweating from the effort to keep control. Checking his status, he saw the problem.
Summoning Pool 9/7
Damn, why did he think raising a zombie of an elite creature would cost one or two slots only.
“Sorry sir, I didn’t get a chance to warn you. You are quite reckless if I may humbly and with great pain, say so, sir.” Bel ignored the smug skull and tried to de-summon the creature, but he couldn’t. It took all his great willpower just to keep control, it wanted to break free, and so did the skeletons. He considered retreating to the safe zone and then letting go, cutting his losses but the dungeon didn’t give him the chance.
A howling erupted around him as giant creatures of fur, teeth, and claws jumped from the abyss below, landing on the platform.
Werewolf (Healthy) – Level 15
“Crap” Bel immediately sent his summons forward, and luckily, they obeyed, all but the zombie that is. It stood rooted next to him, its eyes never leaving his face.
“So that’s how you want to play this do you?” Bel growled. Then he let go of the zombie who immediately lunged for Bel. But Bel was prepared. Digging deep within he pulled forth a Bone Storm. The bone slivers exploded outwards, shredding the zombie in half and continuing outwards stopping a pair of werewolves that just broke through the skeleton line.
Bel screamed in rage and pushed the skill to its limit the mass of bones swirling outwards killing and maiming indiscriminately his skeletons were ripped to shreds along with the majority of the werewolves. The wolfs were tougher than the foe before them and they had an insane regeneration, he saw several wolves healing the damage as it accumulated but they couldn’t stand up to the constant barrage and soon fell.
Bel's mana ran out and the mana fatigue hit him like a sledgehammer. The few remaining werewolves go to their feet. Their reflective eyes watched him as they breathed heavily from exhaustion a plum of smoke coming from their muzzles. There were four of them, tall and full of muscles, their dark grey furs matted with blood. The rage rolling off them was like a heat wave. They charged him, their bodies moved at incredible speeds, but Bel could follow them. He wasn’t an economics student from Sweden anymore. He was stronger, faster and he had magic for fuck's sake.
Gripping his shield, he steadied his feet. He dropped his sword and coated his hand with Life Transference, the mana he drew from around him, the pain of overdrawing evident again. When the first wolf lunged at him with a powerful punch, he met the creature head-on, fist to fist. The power of its blow was enough to send a small shockwave from the point of impact. Both Bel and the wolf howled in pain as their hands broke and bones shattered. The wolf gripped his hand as the hand stopped healing and instead started to wither.
Bel's hand regrew with impressive speed, almost as quickly as the werewolves, but he didn’t let the immense pain show on his face. The life he stole from the werewolf was infused by its natural regeneration, forcing his body to act out of its nature.
Stepping forward he threw another green glowing haymaker hitting the werewolf on the jaw, causing half its face to explode and the rest to melt off. The three wolfs coming up behind paused at the scene, their former rage-filled howls dimmed in surprise and a little fear. Bel kept up his momentum and threw himself forward and the three woke from their stupor.
The fight was intense, the wolfs gnawing and slashing Bel to the bone several times over but he kept healing himself and inflicting small wounds upon the werewolves. Wounds that kept adding up while he kept growing stronger. His mind was assaulted by the pain and pleasure of being ripped apart and then healed by the life force of a powerful creature. God, he hated this skill, but he would use it.
A few hours or perhaps minutes later the last werewolf lay melting in a puddle of its flesh. Bel didn’t even stop to think about his next move. His body was full of energy but his mind was exhausted and his overdrawing on mana had caused a crack to form within the pool inside of him. He didn’t know how he knew but he moved over to the club of the Chieftan, a club almost as large as him and he gripped it and started spinning it, around and around it went, then he released it at the image that Ignatius had just sent him.
The gigantic werewolf Lord landed at the edge of the platform opposite him and threw its head back to let loose a magnificent howl. But instead of a howl a yelp of surprise came from the wolf as the several hundred-kilogram club, hit him square in the chest, caving it in, blood shooting everywhere, coloring the white fur pink. Had the wolf had more time he might have been able to survive but instead it fumbled and fell back over the edge, missing it as it tried to flail and get a grip with its claws. Its fearful howl soon echoed from the depths as it kept falling, growing dimmer and dimmer before finally being cut off completely.
Bel ignored the howls and was about to turn back and head up the stairs when Ignatius flew down in front of his face.
“Master, follow me.” He said to the empty face of Bel, the shellshocked man following without thinking. Stumbling across the broken battlefield, they reached the other stairs. Bel started to ascend the stairs but his feet barely worked. Reaching the top of the stairs he stumbled inside and saw a fire burning next to a pond of water, he sat down next to the fire head between his legs.
“Listen to me Bel. I know you are tired and hurting right now but you will hurt your foundation if you don’t fix it right now. Do exactly what I say. Start by meditating and bringing the mana to your skin. But do not under any circumstance pull it inside your core. Do you hear me?” Ignatius was floating before him, the fire of his skull all Bel could see.
Bel heard him but it was hard to focus on what he was saying. The words finally made their way through and he closed his eyes and tried to relax. It was the hardest thing he had ever done so far. His emotions were in turmoil, he was covered in blood and fur, and his insides were burning like he had drunk acid. He could both see and feel his core, the pool of dark mist and he could see the cracks running through it. They were painful to look at like his entire being was damaged down to his soul because the core was him and he was his core.
The mana swirled around him gathering at his skin, on instinct he was about to breathe in as he gripped the mana with his mind.
“Stop! Keep gathering, you are not done yet.” Ignatius's voice startled him and he eased up on his grip.
It took an excruciating amount of time before Ignatius deemed him ready. He was sweating and shaking from the effort.
“Now pull the mana within, filling your cracks, but do not let even a single speck of mana enter your core before I tell you to. Tell me when you are done.” Bel pulled the mana into the cracks, when the first specks hit he seized up in pain, it was like he was searing a bloody wound on himself except inside his soul. The pain was constant without paus but he managed to fill up the cracks without a single mana getting loose.
“I... am... there.”
“Good, now listen, widen your view, see further, your core is the furthest but what comes after that?” Ignatius's soothing voice helped him focus.
He hadn’t even thought about changing his view, it had been so easy seeing within himself that he thought that was everything to it. Now he willed himself away, trying to see more. It was like ripping a piece of your skin that had been glued to a surface, painful but eventually the sensation loosened and he could see more. His core sat in the middle of his body, both physically and spiritually. From his core tendrils emerged, snaking across his body and connecting to his bones. Then from the bones, they spread to his blood and finally out to his flesh.
“I can see the tendrils, they nurture my bones, then my blood, and finally my flesh, feeding mana to them.”
“Good, now you must finish this exactly as I say or risk harming your advancement or even death. Pull mana to your core, fill it to the brim and keep pulling, but this time, do not let the core overflow instead guide the mana to your bones, saturate them all do not miss even a millimeter of bones. Prepare though, this will hurt just as much as repairing your core did.” Bel almost stopped then and there, the pain still fresh in his mind.
Why was he even trusting this thing? He still didn’t know anything about Ignatius. But it all came down to the fact that he had no idea what he was doing and he needed help. He was completely and utterly helpless and alone at the moment. He remembered that man just before he fell inside the pit, he had kind eyes and a worried expression, perhaps he could help him when he got out of this place. If he ever could leave, and with his humanity intact as well.
He had two options, continue or stop and he couldn’t stop, and if you have two options and take away one, you have no options. He continued and pulled in more mana. It felt heavenly at first, filling his core was getting water after a week in the desert. He drank deeply, a smile touching his face. Then he reached his limit, in the back of his mind he registered that it was deeper than before, then it started to overflow and he guided the mana. He understood why the mana didn’t flow to those places more freely, it was hard to funnel the mana through the pathways and painful as well. The pain wasn’t what he expected it was more uncomfortable than painful, more like a tension in the skin than actually breaking something.
Bel kept pushing the mana towards his bones, the mana spreading evenly throughout his body. Then the first drops of mana hit his bones and he understood the pain part. As soon as the mana touched his bones the bones cracked and splintered. He gritted his teeth so hard he cracked them; he didn’t even notice that pain. The cracks and mana spread throughout his body, wherever it touched it blackened the bones turning them a deep dark purple.
The process took over an hour, an hour of constant bone-breaking pain. His bones finally felt full and saturated. He remembered Ignatius words and made sure that his entire skeleton was infused with the mana, the death mana. He hadn’t even considered if that made any difference. It was too late now anyways.
“I am done. What now?”
“Good now comes something a little unpleasant. First, you must cut off the flow from your core but keep the pathways over. Then you need to ignite the mana that has saturated your body.” Ignatius was oddly sweet in his tone.
“This is going to hurt right?”
“Yes.”
Bel nodded; his eyes still closed. He did as instructed, even if he hadn’t done it before he knew what Ignatius meant. It was like activating a skill but he only activated his mana this time. A spark of mana spread from his core burning through his pathways the pain so brief he almost didn’t feel it because then the pain reached all his bones at the same time. The pain was so intense he passed out. No matter what he did he couldn’t stay awake, the pain was just too intense. It felt good to pass out yet again. He managed to read the last notification.
You have tempered your Bones with Death Mana