Chapter 13 – Bone and Marrow at the Gate
Victor ran like a disheveled ostrich after the flying wizard. His Puny feet and legs struggled to navigate the obstacles that came with the ground. Rocky piles and wild grassy thorns of the mountainous wild terrain, pierced and punctured him. As he fled down the mountain path, the speed at which he was traveling downward hurt alot.
“OW!”
-1 HP |
“OW!”
-1 HP |
“OW!”
-1 HP |
It felt like parts of his flesh were being burned off by the velocity at which he was spiraling downwards.
In the process of this predicament his limb manipulation had gone up a level.
Limb manipulation leveled up! Limp manipulation now (lvl4) User obtains a easier understanding of ambidexterity |
It seemed to him, in this world, for his powers to grow beyond eating. Pain equaled progress. He would have to experiment with new situations, repetition would only take him so far.
At the bottom, he did his best attempt at following Faelion to the event of interest. A loud streak of smoke arose above the buildings. The heat had become significantly hotter, which was dangerous for Victor’s gelatinous body. He’d need some kind of protection if he was going to run inside a fire. Hopefully he would not touch it.
He sprinted past fleeing villagers, some were women, some were young children, some were women clinging to their younger children. They all came from the direction of the smoldering building. Many villagers are only freshly awake, unaware of the unfolding chaos.
The few who spotted him in the dark. Were struck between newfound panic, startled by his appearance. Caught themselves indecisive in two positions.
“Fear not, I am with the Wizard faelion!” he had hoped that would clear things up for the moment. He couldn’t afford to stop and reassure them. There simply was no time.
He found himself at a dead end. Turns out following something floating in the sky is not the best way to take directions on the ground. Victor took to climbing some of those buildings. His gummy boot like limbs sticking to the wall. Making a ‘SQUEAK’, everytime he took a step.
Faelion never explained to him how big this ‘village’ was. There were hundreds of people, for medieval standards anyway, that should by no means be a small village. Or did his video game brain screw with him.
From up here he saw the burning building, the watchtower, he had passed earlier yesterday afternoon. A large portion of the village's palisade walls were burned off. He wondered if the chap who greeted him with the crossbow and the nasty words were okay. Not that he would miss him if something had happened to him
Up ahead, Civilians and guards alike scrambled in every direction attempting to fan out and smother the flame. The fire spread rapidly by the minute as wood was abundant in the village .He saw guards forming a loose formation, clashing with an invading crowd of soldiers The invaders he couldn’t probably tell from here. They Seemed strangely pale and thin, almost bony.
The flying wizard looked upon Victor, gesturing to him to follow along.
“Come follow me Victor, the Village militia will know you stand with me.”
So much for friendly greetings
He tailed Faelion, and retracted his awkward limbs. And sprouted arms again. His Gladius equipped in one hand. And used a bucket he swiped off the ground as a makeshift shield.
Wooden Bucket equipped +5 percent defensive bonus |
He would have to use what he could get.
As he got closer. It was clear as crystal now. His enemies were undead, and an army of roaming skeletons. Each carrying a different weapon set. Axes and bows, a few carried explosive balls in the hands. String of fuses sticking out of the spherical construct.
“Make Way!”
The Militia dispersed by retreating as defensively as possible. Faelion ran straight into the horde, Victor followed in hopes he could help the wizard as much as he could.
The marching legion of the undead centered on the both of them. Victor tried to keep his composure. The urge to run away was still strong as ever.
The wizard summoned a staff into his hands out of thin, a magical grey cloak appearing on him. He raised his arms in the air.
“I smite you. Ashes of the past, with the light of paradise. Begone from the world of the living, you have no power here.”
White light ejected from the sky above, surrounded the entire area. The marching skeletons, fractured into bone dust and collapsing into the ground, leaving only weapons behind. none remained. The sheer amount of bone dust made a thick cloud, obscuring the area.
The light fell on Victor and Faelion as well. touched Victor, bathed him in soothing light.
It was a comforting feeling. Relief washed over him, as if the heavens himself told him, it would be alright.
The damage he had felt earlier from sliding down the mountain pass, had healed up and the pain had disappeared.
HP restored +3 Hp fully restored |
“Is it done?” Victor asked. And yet somehow doubted that it would be true.
“Faelion!Faelion!Faelion!” The militia shouted at the wizard. He waved them off.
Faelion peered behind at the crowd behind him. Something was amiss and he stared among the crowd looking for something, perhaps for someone. He looked in the direction from where the skeletons had come. His head turned like a camera would on an intruder, like he sensed something.
Something was coming, Victor knew that alright.
“Merry! To me!” he shouted aloud as he could in the air.
A gleaming white horse galloped from afar, Faelion leaped on it swiftly.. Offered Victor hand on top. The horse groaned as the slimy ooze sat on it’s saddle.
“Something amiss,” Victor asked
“More then, my captain hasn’t returned yet.” he swore under his breath. "Where is that fucking captain, i can’t command and fight at the same time. These people are simple peasants.” he swore in the air.
Victor thought back to the day he had suffered his death, The roman Militia had survived by forming an impenetrable which was vastly different compared to the disorganized mob that he had seen just now.
“Perhaps force your men to hold the line. Shields on the ground, spears in the backs, arrows on the rooftops.” Victor suggested. Whether it was a good plan or not was irrelevant. At Least Victor thought of one
He got the impression that Faelion may have been a good tactician but not have good foresight for military things. The wizard shouted out his suggestions
“Magnar you are in charge, take the lead. Do as you need to.” It was the person who nearly shot him at the gates.
‘So he is alive after all.’ Victor thought. It was probably no time for grudges
“Every man who holds a shield, form a line around the perimeter. Spearmen at the back guard them with your life. Archers form rank on the rooftops. Aimed for their brittle spines or heads, more will be coming. “
The villagers took to scrambling, Magnar taking charge of the reorganization.
The wizard gruntled in pain. Leaning down on the horse.
“Fuck…”
‘What’s wrong.” Victor asked. Victor felt powerless if he was a little stronger; perhaps he could have properly taken charge of the situation.
“The curse ... .causes excruciating pain whenever I use a high-level spell, never mind the power i can’t use.’ he dismissed it, sat upright again. Staff drawn.” No matter.”
Victor could hear soft galloping coming from the forest line, bone saw dust cleared up and he could clearly see the figure. A deathly visage, hollow and devoid of flesh, blood red eyes. Donned in pitch black armor and a giant sword held in one hand. A skeleton man with a horse as shiny and devoid of flesh as him. He approached the two.
“Faelion the wise, Faelion wizard of the peasant folk. Faelion tree fucker.” The skeleton knight spat. “And little Victor, of course stuck in a monster’s body.”
How did he know
“What is you want devil, The souls of innocent children’s to torture, were you perhpas satisfied in life. So you choose to harass the living in undeath.”
The skullman laughed.
“And yet, I'm not the one who has cheated death. It’s you interlopers. You ruin this world, it was better before the first of you set foot on this soil. I know what you two are.”
Shivers went down victor’s body, whatever this was. It meant that more people could be observing him from somewhere. Deciding what to do with him, how to play with him.
The nymph words in his mind again.
“You cling to the past too much, bone man, what is your name?” Faelion requested.
“My name is irrelevant, my master’s however is very important. My master Cenere the eternal sends his regards and comes with an offer of peace.”
Cenere, Victor had heard the term before. When he left the cave system, he came in search of a route to the nearest town. He saw the name on a sign post. Cenere something something.
‘A tomb!?’
“And here I thought you were scourge risen from the grave, but no just some necromancer’s toy soldier.” The wizard scoffed. “There will be no negotiation with walking calcium. Get lost.”
“Ah but my master has an offer for you. He can lift the curse on you Faelion, you need only swear allegiance to him.”
“Tempting, but I very much prefer being alive.” Faelion smiled at the offer.
The skeleton night fell in a fit of laughter again.
“No matter, you’re daughter will do, my master has big plans for her.”
And the smile vanished from his mouth. It was one thing to threaten one's life and was wholly another thing to threaten his family.
“And you Victor, I have an even greater offer for you,” the knight's attention stuck on ooze body. “My master can make you whole again, your original body back from the dead. You can be human again. You could have all the power you want, do whatever you want. You only need to serve.”
Victor was by no means that idiotic, this necromancer would use him, like rolled up toilet paper.
What was it with the evil types trying to convince people to join their charade? They got scammed and now they were looking for more losers to join.
“He has been watching you Victor, ever since you fell into that nymph’s backyard, ever since you ate from her forbidden fruit. There are consequences to your actions Victor. You can’t just defile the world and expect zero consequences.”
Faelion eyed Victor, as if victor did not wholly tell the truth of his coming here. Victor did his best to pretend he didn’t care.
Victor was tired of this. He wanted nothing more than to be human again. There were too many voices telling him what to do. He wanted to decide for himself.
There were the damned men that Marcus told him about. Marek and Faelions distrust for them bugged him out, The nymphs offer, and now this Cenere. Then there was the predicament of being trapped in this body itself. It was painful to endure sometimes. Would it be better to end himself or to live it out persecuted as a monster.. To spare the suffering and pain that would be inflicted on this journey.
He wanted to decide for himself. He hadn’t had a real moment of respite, since reincarnation he needed to think for himself properly alone. Therefore he couldn’t allow these monsters to get what they want.
“You know nothing, your master knows nothing, ” Victor hopped down the horse. Gladius drawn and bucket shield sloshing against his oozy body. He pointed the sword at the skull knight. “A quarter pounder with cheese is what I want! A good fucking game to pass the time! Good ol popcorn flick to watch! Does your master have that?”
The skull knight was in confusion. He didn’t seem to recognize any of the meanings Victor was uttering.
“No… then fuck off!”
The villagers cheered after him. “Fuck off!!!” “Fuck off!!!” “Fuck off!!!”
Faelion smiled at the slime.
“Some people never seem to learn, you could impale them with sticks three lives over and they wouldn’t learn a thing,” The skull knight shook his head. "I'll just have to drag your corpses to my master myself.”
The skull knight raised his sword up into the air as if signaling something. The forest seemed to tremble as the marching of hundreds of footsteps could be heard. Another army of skeletons and a larger host this time. They moved and stopped behind the skull knight.
“Any last words Wizard, and…human snot”
They stared at him. Victor did his best to morph his awkward hands and flipped off the skull knight.
“I will handle him Victor. You cut down any who breaks through, defend the villagers.”
The wizard and the skull knight clashed with each other. Staff meeting sword in a fierce battle, The skeletons moved onwards. An army of unliving automatons preparing to slaughter an entire people.
Victor hurried towards the back of the line, The guardsmen awkwardly letting him through. Staring at him.
“So are you a familiar or something? Someone had asked him.” he did not reply. He found it incredibly rude that they considered him, Faelion’s glorified pet.
Magnar approached him.
Took the bucket from his hands, and offered him a shield,
“Take this slime boy, you’ll need it.”
Wooden round Shield acquired +20 percent defense bonus |
AN: I don't know why my dumbass decided to write the battle of helm's deep here. Was meant to be a smaller scaled battle but wrote myself into a corner. At any rate exp goodness is around the corner, you might even see him evolve within the week. That's If I'm not distracted too occupied by living life. I felt for sometime, that my character has very little agency, that he just goes wherever he is taken. I will attempt to move him forward towards his motivations. Thank you for reading