Eternal Rest

Bones emerged from the clearing in front of the cave, a large lance manifesting beside him. Contrary to expectations, the injured troll didn’t retaliate but turned around and fled deeper into the cave. Stupefied, Bones ran after him a few seconds later.

Bones observed the troll entering the cavern at the deep end of the cave. He ceased his pursuit, slowing to a walking speed and quietly following through a crevice into the cavern and down a gently sloping tunnel. The ground beneath was damp, rocky, and adorned with moss-covered walls. Occasional droplets echoed in the tunnel, dripping from the ceiling.

"This tunnel is too narrow to fight a troll. It would be bad for both of us," Bones mused, realizing the unexpected behavior of the creature. "I should revise the information I read about trolls. They didn't seem as solitary, and signs of intelligence are clear."

As he continued down the tunnel, the only sounds accompanied him were the droplets and the clanking of his boots. The tunnels' acoustics reassured him; he doubted anyone could ambush him without warning. In less than a minute, he spotted the exit after a bend. Approaching it, he found a large cavern with cracks in the ceiling allowing dim light to filter through. A natural bridge extended across the cavern, leading to another tunnel on the opposite side.

Peering down from the bridge, Bones saw darkness stretching deeper than his senses could detect. Looking ahead, he proceeded halfway across the bridge when he sensed a projectile hurtling toward him. Sidestepping a thrown rock, he noticed the troll, the one with white eyes, picking up another. Bones frowned, realizing the troll was manipulating the earth, empowering the rocks.

As Bones dodged successive projectiles, he retreated to the start of the bridge. After carefully analyzing the situation, he noticed the troll increasing the size of the rocks. "Earth manipulation? Empowerment?" he pondered, considering the possibilities.

Taking a deep breath, Bones decided to opt for quantity over quality. He stepped onto the bridge, and broke into a run while summoning normal-sized bone lances. The troll responded in kind, both sides flinging projectiles at each other. Collisions ensued, rocks shattered, bones splintered, and shrapnel scattered around. Undeterred, Bones advanced with each exchange. Seeing his determination, the troll eventually retreated, allowing Bones to reach the other side.

With a concealed smirk, Bones entered the tunnel. Was the troll a coward or bait? Regardless, he followed in its footsteps, losing sight of the creature soon after. In the depths underground, he encountered oversized insects and larvae, all oblivious to his presence. This was the second cavern he found empty, the first having the troll with its rock-flinging tactics. Traces of a makeshift camp hinted at the troll's presence, featuring utensils crafted from wood and bones, along with unidentified remains. "Where are they? Outside?" He pondered, realizing the distinction between mountain trolls and the cave troll he pursued.

Bones, finding nothing of value in the cavern, approached what seemed like the entrance to another tunnel. However, in his peripheral vision, he detected another hidden entrance.

“Oh?” Intrigued, he turned and discovered the narrow entrance hidden in the rocky walls of the cavern. Piquing his interest, he approached and entered, disappearing behind a wall. This new tunnel wasn't as wide, high, or long as the previous ones. After a half a minute of walking, he found himself at the edge of a cliff overlooking what looked like a tribe? A village? A commune of trolls or whatever it was called, down below. There were roughly twenty of them, more or less, busy with various tasks, from hitting rocks with pickaxes to fetching water from a nearby underground source.

Some trolls seemed to be on the lookout, and one, bigger and meaner than the others, appeared to supervise, munching on smaller rocks. A foreman, perhaps, overseeing their activities. Deciding there was nothing of interest here, Bones turned back and retraced his steps, finding himself back in a previous cavern. He went through the other tunnel where steps led downstairs. Carefully and slowly, he descended.

The darkness of the tunnels didn't impede Bones mana vision and thanks to his senses he had no problem going down a hundred or so steps made of stone. At the bottom was an entrance to the ever expanding cavern he saw from above. No other way around it? So be it. With a crouch and head low, he entered and immediately stuck to the walls. He circled the area, avoiding notice from any troll that may look and come his way. Such a shame, so much experience… but it’s too risky. Better be alive than dead...ah? *chuckles*

He wasn't that interested in what trolls were doing to stay and observe. His immediate attention after entering a cavern was to find an exit. From above, he saw the exit but down here it was a bit difficult to orient himself. Besides, from down here, he could see another exit in the opposite direction. Choose, the left side full of trolls or the right side full of trolls…shaking his head from his musings, he proceeded to the left exit of the cavern. There were plenty of rocks and boulders to sneak behind and with a little bit of luck on his side, he reached the exit.

After entering a new tunnel, he heard steps echoing deep down in the tunnel. He wouldn't be alone in the tunnel this time. He started walking faster towards the source of the sound, but still mindful not to make too much noise. If there was going to be a fight, he wanted to distance himself from the cavern as much as he could and not to draw attention by fighting. Sounds were louder and he could make out at least two different sources of sound. A few steps later and he saw the sources when he stepped out behind a bend. Two trolls, slowly walking towards him, too lost in grunts and hand gestures to notice him. One had to go down immediately!

Bones, determined to end the encounter swiftly, drew deeply from his mana, empowering the two lances he summoned. Before the trolls could react to the subtle mana disturbance ahead of them, the lances were already flying. In an instant, one pierced the large head of the troll, while the other grazed the cheek of the second, tearing away a sizable chunk of flesh.

A wailing grunt filled the tunnel, blending with gurgling and choking noises that transformed into a rage-filled growl echoing through the corridor. "Shit!" Bones exclaimed, casting a barrage of lances to silence the troll. The tunnel fell silent again, but not for long. A distant roar grew louder as it echoed down the tunnel. Bones stood still for a moment, gears in his head turning but yielding nothing. "Shit!" he cursed again and started running. The distant stomps of troll feet echoed, but Bones needed to get away quickly. He anticipated another cavern at the tunnel's end, and he was faster than his pursuers.

Distant roars indicated that the trolls had likely seen their fallen comrades, and the sound of stomps quickened. "Not good! Not good…" Bones muttered, then breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the light at the tunnel's end. Reaching it, he found a hall larger than any cave he'd seen, and a ceiling adorned with sparkling crystals illuminating the area in dim light. Wide stairs with torches lined the way down, leading to a pathway with pillars stretching hundreds of meters until reaching a pyramid. "What is this?" Bones questioned himself.

As he took in the sights, more questions surfaced. Dozens of trolls were in front of the great pyramid, barely visible due to their skin's color matching the stone. They appeared to be kneeling, but to whom? Bones gazed up the pyramid, freezing as his eyes reached the top. On a throne sat a figure, a troll unlike any he had encountered. Darker and bulkier, its piercing eyes locked onto Bones.

His soul stirred, mana in turmoil, and an indescribable sense of danger enveloped him. No thoughts came to mind, just an overwhelming feeling of impending doom. The troll's fiery eyes bore into him as Bones stepped back into the tunnel's darkness. A ding sounded in his mind, but he paid it no attention. Stepping back enough to lose sight of the troll, he snapped out of his daze as incoming sounds echoed louder and louder behind him. He turned around, filled with rage and shame for running away.

Taking a step forward, it felt as if he were floating. He raised a hand, summoning a pristine white lance, longer and sturdier than a normal one. Flicking his wrist, the lance zoomed in on a troll appearing behind a bend, pierced through and disappearing behind it. Bones summoned more with each step, dispatching trolls that appeared in his line of sight. The tunnel became crowded with trolls and corpses, some attempting to flee but facing a futile endeavor. As the lances overflowed with mana, his core strained and started overloading. Suddenly, a loud boom echoed from the front, heralding the appearance of the largest, meanest-looking troll wielding a massive stone mace.

This troll roared, stepping over fallen comrades until it reached the front. Roaring again, it taunted Bones with gestures, who remained silent. The gaze of the troll king sitting on a throne still lingered on his mind. He raised his hand and summoned a Bone Lance, empowering it until cracks started forming. The troll welcomed the attack but froze as Bones, after stepping back, rotated his waist and punched the lance's blunt side. The impact released a shockwave of mana, sending the lance rocketing through the air, the big troll and every other troll standing in the line behind it, and embedding itself in the tunnel wall, cracking it like spider webs.

The remaining trolls were visibly shaken, whether due to rage or fear, Bones couldn't discern. They hesitated to advance, so Bones took the initiative, stepping forward. The trolls started mingling, pushing each other, their grunts growing louder. As both sides prepared to attack, a snort resonated through the hall and down the tunnel, vibrating the strong walls. Trolls froze, and Bones turned, looking in the direction of the hall. After a few seconds, he resumed his path down the tunnel, and the trolls parted ways for him to pass.

Bones reflected on the intense experience, feeling mentally drained from the ordeal. On the verge of collapse due to his overloaded core, he summoned great mental fortitude and continued down the tunnel. Returning to one of the empty caverns he had passed, he looked up at the crystal-lit ceiling. Plunging bone after bone into the wall, he climbed to the top. Utilizing weapons looted from his inventory, he embedded them into the walls, creating a makeshift platform to lay on and enter Eternal Rest for a recharge.

While not the epitome of comfort, as a skeleton, he wasn't seeking it. Lying on his back against the flat sides of the weapons, his senses slowly faded into nothingness as he entered Eternal Rest, a dreamless sleep that felt like a second but turned out to be an entire day. As his vision returned, his senses detected figures below. He didn’t move or react. His mind felt sluggish and it took a moment to process everything that happened before Eternal Rest. After a minute, recollection hit him, and he sat up, cross-legged, observing the three trolls below. Simultaneously, he called up his status.

“Status.”

Status

Attributes

Name: Bones

Race: Undead Skeleton lvl 17

Class: Bonemancer lvl 23

Profession: ???

Hp - 370 (3.7 hp/s)

Mp - 510 (19.1 mp/s

Sta - ∞

STR: 21

AGI: 5

END: 5

VIT: 37

INT: 51

WIS: 14

Free points:

A cascade of notifications greeted Bones upon awakening. Skimming through the experience gained, he honed in on the more critical updates. His Bone Manipulation had reached level 20, upgrading to advanced mastery. This advancement reduced the mana cost of manipulation, facilitated easier bone control, and enhanced the damage and cast speed of bone-related skills. Despite anticipating something extraordinary, the upgrade seemed rather standard. A fleeting sense of disappointment washed over him but quickly dissipated.