After a couple more weeks of grinding, I had raised my level to 44 and was now at the bottleneck of my next class skill. Milo had raised his level to 29 and was also stuck. So we decided we’d head out to the next mini-boss area to finally level up again. Milo led the way with his troops surrounding us and Vaeda flying up ahead. Every so often we’d use Eye in the Sky so I could see if we were going the right direction. Luckily we were as I spotted what looked to be some skeletal mages hustling about. I called Vaeda back and began to discuss a game plan with Milo.

We decided we’d try my tried and true method of luring one undead away to test its capabilities. Vaeda attracted its attention and it followed him over to the small outcrop of trees my minions and I were waiting in. It stumbles in and I finally get a better look at it. It’s taller than my Skeletal Grunts, but it looks more malnourished. It is wearing a tattered cloak but no armor and is holding a gnarled wooden staff. Milo orders The Horde to attack and the skeleton summons a huge fireball the size of a softball and fired it into The Horde. It exploded on contact with them and took out three of my minions instantly.

Well shit, that was bad.

I yelled at Milo to tell The Horde to back off while I cast Control Undead on the mage. Black smoke pours out of my left hand encasing the mage in it. While this is happening though it manages to fire off another fireball straight up in the air, alerting the other mages around us. I fire a Frost Shard at its legs freezing it in place as my skill finally takes control of it.

Host successfully controlled undead.

Skeletal Mage: The long ranged spellcasters in the Lich's army of undead. They can cast the skill Fireball. LVL 44 Cost 60 CTRL & 100 Mana

I include the mage as part of The Horde and now Milo has it towards the back with me as he organizes The Horde into a shieldwall and we get ready for the incoming wave of attackers. I activate Cloak Of Shadows before the fight begins and Vaeda takes flight to hide in the trees. Through the clearing where we all are, comes five other Skeletal Mages. I fire a Black Ice Shard at them and manage to hit one in the head killing it instantly. Lucky shot, I’ll take it though. That’s when they begin their bombardment of the shieldwall. It’s holding for now but the shields are going to get blown to bits very quickly. I start sneaking around to get behind the undead when Vaeda begins to pelt them with Frost Shards. The shards go ripping through them and freezing almost everything they shoot into. By the time they’ve noticed the threat above them, The Horde is upon them slashing them with swords and smashing them with maces. These undead seem to be a higher level but physically weaker than the Draugrs from before.

Host has defeated enemy in combat (x1)

Experience awarded.

Minor Soul absorbed (x1)

Host’s minion has defeated an enemy in combat (x4)

Experience awarded.

Minor soul absorbed (x4)

LVL UP

Congratulations to host for reaching level 45

The host may now select a new class skill.

Would the host like to look at available skills?

“Not now”

Time to find a new base of operations out here to start planning our attack on the next mini-boss.

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We walked over towards where the mages had been and found a house that was rotting but had a large backyard with a fence around so no one would know we were there. Once we got inside, Milo had two undead at the front and back door and the other seven undead were patrolling outside the housekeeping watch. I sat down in what looked to be a living room on a couch that looked like it hadn’t been used in a hundred years. The whole room probably smelled like mold and mildew but my nose long ago stopped working in this place. I asked Vaeda to go find me some food and decided it was time to check my new class skills.

“System show me my class skill options”

Flesh Rend Rare Active Allows the host to change flesh anyway they see fit. Activates on touch. Cost: Varies Control Blood Rare Active Allows the host to manipulate blood like water and has a variety of uses. Activates on touch. Cost: Varies Bone Bending Rare Active Allows the host to fully control bones and change their shape, size, and density however they'd like. Activates on touch. Cost: Varies

Holy hell these are amazing. And all of them would be extremely useful. With Control Blood I’d be able to stop myself from leaking blood if I get hurt. With Flesh Rend I’d be able to change what I look like and even could close wounds as I get them making me almost invincible. Then there's Bone Bending which just sounds rad as hell and would let me possibly create my own undead. I’m torn because if I had all of them I could probably create life or close to it. Still, after thinking about it for a little bit, my choice is obvious.

I select Bone Bending and the knowledge of how to use it flows into my brain. In fact, this skill will solve plenty of problems I currently have. I can use this to craft that body for Xeaos as well as customizing Milo a bit more and making The Horde more deadly. I told Milo to have The Horde bring me all the bones from the Skeletal Mages we killed. While he was away a mage stumbled upon our abode. I used Control Undead on it, leaving me with now only 90 mana to my name. After they came back and Milo apologized profusely for us being attacked I began to work on Xeaos’ body. I pulled him out of my pocket and set him on the floor as I organized all the bones the best I could.

I mostly divided them into two big piles made up of two smaller piles. The big piles were long bones and short bones and then divided into intact bones and broken bones. I picked up a small finger bone and activated Bone Bending on it and tried to picture in my mind what I wanted it to look like. I imagined the phalanges growing pointed and the metacarpals becoming stronger and denser. When I opened my eyes the bone in my hand had become less of a finger and more of a claw-like appendage. All in all, it had only cost me about 25 mana which would take me a little less than an hour to regenerate. With that out of the way, I began to slowly build a body for Xeaos. I made his bones bigger and slightly denser so they could withstand a hit but also not become too brittle. I condensed the ribs into almost a shield so that when I put the core in there nothing was getting through there. I also gave little spikes all along the vertebrae to make it look even nastier. I combined a ton of bones together constantly figuring out the perfect equilibrium between bone density and structure, without the bones being too easy to fracture. I made the hands have sharp points at the end but still able to hold a weapon, and small spikes on the knuckles in case he doesn't have a weapon. The final touch was the head, I made his teeth pointier and more pronounced so he could even use them offensively and to tie it all together I gave him horns. I know they aren't all that practical but god damn did they look cool.

All told this took me about two weeks of just being holed up in this house while everyone kept me safe only stopping to eat and sleep. When I finally finished I picked up Xeaos’ core and held it over the body and asked him one question.

“Xeaos, does this live up to your standards?”

He cackled and said, “Yes, this is magnificent and a body worthy of a warrior such as myself.”

The core then floated over and flew into the chest cavity where it floated a few seconds before all the bones started coming to life. The eyes of my new creation lit up like Milos did with the black surrounding the gold. He stands up and just now do I realize he towers over all of us at eight feet something tall. The bones start changing to the grey color that they were when we fought him and he kneels down like a knight would, which still puts him at eye level to me, and says:

“I know I may not look like much now, but I was once a mighty warrior and knight fighting for my kingdom and king. I asked for the perfect vessel for me and you have delivered and for that, I shall call you my king from now until forever. I will be your shield and protect you and yours from harm so do I swear on my soul.”

“Rise, my knight, I shall accept your pledge and reply with one of my own; if you will raise your shield for me then I will do all in my power to give you something worth protecting and to give you a home by my side to always return to, for as long as I live.”