### The Entity ###
Frail met the curious eyes of creatures peeking into his domain. Most cast a passing glance at the mouth of his domain, some squinted and attempted to sneak their heads in, only to whimper and flee. The majority possessed familiar features—quadrupeds with long tails and sheen-black coating, crescent fangs, and sharp, glinting claws—whilst others appeared alien, the lurchers being one of the primary examples.
He hadn’t considered it before, but wildlife thrived beyond the scope of grubs and goblins. The cave werewolf he’d slain was one of those foreign denizens, sleeping in a place it thought safe.
Witnessing the starry skies and cold night reminded Frail of Harkon’s words.
Explore.
The rules dictated Domain Lords must stay within their domain… but the messages never said anything about his lesser constructs, aside from those birthed from his Domain Lord’s skill. What if he dispatched five—maybe six of his constructs to hunt random critters for essence? Grasping the geography around him would be a nice bonus.
However, this idea came with downsides. The domain stat buff to all his constructs did not extend outside the confines of his stuffy domain—resulting in dramatically weaker skeletons. Next, if any invader bared their fangs while some of his forces roamed the wilderness, Frail would have fewer constructs to work with.
I’ll think of that later. He stowed that idea. His essence would find better use elsewhere.
Frail had a mind to update his constructs and purchase a few upgrades. Six skeleton warriors or archers would set him back by 1800 essences—a steep price, 300 more if he chose to remove the final wanderer.
Exploration also brought the skeletal rogue to the forefront of his deliberations. Clad in the shroud of night, they served as fantastic scouts in his future exploratory endeavors. It rang well in his thoughts initially, but then Frail must divide his essences to upgrade three different constructs—a choice only those rich with essence could realize—and even then, it might not be a great idea.
Focus on what I have right now—frail thought. So, focus, he did.
He refunded the remaining skeletal wanderer to homogenize his constructs line-up.
[You refunded 50 essences.]
Frail filled the rest of his slots with actual constructs.
[You spent 2100 essences.]
[You have 2470 essences remaining.]
Four warriors and three archers stepped into his domain. Sixteen total constructs watched him with their empty glares, ready for Frail’s commands. Next… upgrades.
[Construct upgrade menu]
[Select which construct to upgrade:]
<table style="border-style: solid" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
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<td style="vertical-align: top" width="100%">
Skeleton Archer upgrades - Tier 1 - Current level: 1
</td>
</tr>
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Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 2. Costs: 500 essences. Raises level by 1.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Ability upgrade - Acid arrow - 2 - Reduces attack count necessary to 4. Acid deals more damage. Costs: 800 essences. Raises level by 2.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
New ability - Speed draw - Increases attack rate by 30%, arrows deal extra 15% damage for 15 seconds. Costs: 1000 essences. Raises level by 3. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Gains +4 Dexterity, +2 Strength upon purchase.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Upgraded weapons(1) - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs’ weapons. Next level; provides +3 strength, +5 dexterity. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Upgraded armors(1) - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs’ armor. Next level; provides +5 resilience, +4 resistance. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-style: solid" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
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<td style="vertical-align: top" width="100%">
Skeleton Warrior upgrades - Tier 1 - Current level: 1
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 2. Costs: 500 essences. Raises level by 1.
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
Ability upgrade - Bone’s bulwark - 2 - Increases physical resistance by 5% and reduces further blunt damage penalty by 5%. Costs: 800 essences. Raises level by 2.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
New ability - Wrath - Buffs strength and dexterity by 30% for 10 seconds. Costs: 1000 essences. Raises level by 3. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Gains +3 strength, +3 resilience upon purchase.
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
Upgraded Weapons - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs’ weapons. Next level; provides +2 dexterity, + 6 strength. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Upgraded armors - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs’ armor. Next level; provides +5 resilience, +4 resistance. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Both new abilities—Wrath and Speed draw—drew his immediate attention. Fantastic self-buffs that dramatically raised their damage. These came with short cooldowns, long uptimes, and extra attributes as the cherry on top. Their prices stung, though. 2000 essences would slash his essences to a paltry 470 after all was said and done.
Yet their benefits far, far outweighed their price. Not only would these skills be helpful in defenses, but they would also aid in Frail’s ensuing attempts at reaching the outside world.
[You spent 2000 essences.]
[You have 470 essences remaining.]
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The bones of his constructs rattled as they shivered from receiving their upgrades. Frail spotted the growth in their bone size—the warrior appeared taller and brusque, whilst the archers’ limbs elongated, allowing them to draw their bows further. It could be a product of his imagination, a placebo of having purchased their respective upgrades.
He opened their status page.
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Construct - Skeleton Archer(Longbow) | Combatant | Tier - 1
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<td style="vertical-align: top" width="33.3333%">
Construct Level: 4
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<td style="vertical-align: top" width="33.3333%">
Integrity: 100%
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top" width="33.3333%">
Type: Undead
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top" colspan="3">
Attributes
</td>
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Strength: 12
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Dexterity: 12
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Resilience: 6
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
Resistance: 3
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Magic: -
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top"> </td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top" colspan="3">
Traits / Skills
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
Skeletal Body
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Undead Veil
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Acid arrow
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Speed draw
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top"> </td>
<td style="vertical-align: top"> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="border-style: solid" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
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Construct - Skeleton Warrior (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 1
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top" width="33.3333%">
Construct Level: 4
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top" width="33.3333%">
Integrity: 100%
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top" width="33.3333%">
Type: Undead
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top" colspan="3">
Attributes
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Strength: 13
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Dexterity: 3
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Resilience: 11
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
Resistance: 6
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Magic: -
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top"> </td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top" colspan="3">
Traits / Skills
</td>
</tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
Skeletal Body
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Undead Veil
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top">
Bone’s bulwark
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
Wrath
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top"> </td>
<td style="vertical-align: top"> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
[Active skills detected on constructs.]
[You can delegate control of active skills to the individual constructs. Set the skill to auto to allow constructs autonomy.]
Manual for now. Frail dismissed the page.
With his essence spent, he willed all his constructs to gather in the fourth room, singling two warriors and three archers. Moonlight streaked past the finger of leaves and the bushes outside, casting solemn rays across the floor. The night was still young, ripe for a quick round of exploration.
The five chosen constructs waddled their way past the narrow passages. The rooms and paths shrunk as the five reached the entrance separating his domain and the forest.
One more step… and I’ll be outside.
Their steps creaked as the bones made contact with the cool soil, and as they peered their skulls outside, the smell of earth and wood grew thick, almost… pungent, even.
The redolence of nature. With an actual observer scanning the surface, the colors and hues of the trees turned crisp, losing the usual blur permeating his limited vision. The swaying leaves, the tiny insects and critters crawling on the bark and the branches, the cold soil squishing under the weight of his constructs, all sensations he had once felt—once… experienced before.
Yet… all was not as it seemed. He noted a warm glow flickering in the distance. Sharp cries of laughter echoed, followed by the gongs and beating of drums, shrieks he’d heard when the goblins attacked.
A goblin camp? He concluded as the skeletons turned toward the source of the orange bloom.
He doubted his odds of defeating an army of goblins beyond the doors of his domain. Not when the threat of a spellcaster loomed in their shadows.
On the other end, the frosty tip of a mountain ascended to the heavens, reaching as far as his skeleton’s scope of vision. An autumn glow of civilization baked its hue into the thin mists. This one wasn’t as boisterous as the other. Frail failed to gauge their distance from a look alone—the source of the light being so far sight couldn’t measure on its own.
To see so many things at once dazed him. It would take hours before he adjusted to the new sensations—to learn which eyes to ignore, which scent to discard. None of his constructs had eyes, yet he saw better than ever. A 20-20 vision, courtesy of the system’s blessings.
Yet… time didn’t slow down to suit Frail’s needs. His skeletons ventured into the woods as a unit, scanning for points of interest. Branches snapped when they encountered hidden animals who scurried upon witnessing the walking dead. Leaves and bushes rustled and swayed.
One of his warrior skeletons stepped on a squishy object—a corpse. Judging from its maggot-ridden surface and its swollen flesh… it would be safe to assume this one had passed for days.
[Drain essence]
[Corpse is too far away from your entity crystal. Drain essence failed.]
By that definition… Raise construct.
The screen told him the same message. Outside, Frail had no access to his abilities.
Growl echoed behind the wall of trees to their right. A monster?
Sliding into view, a dark, quadruped beast stepped closer, sniffing the air as its eyes scanned the surroundings. Its sleek, jet-black fur glinted when rays of the moonlight leaked through the tangle of trees. One pair of crescent fangs—akin to the ones he’d seen prior—flared as it bared its fangs, posing to strike. Its tail twirled, brandishing the bladed end, sharp and fatal.
[Tier 1 Sable-furred Dark beast - elite.]
It drooled upon the sight of meat. The bones obstructed its path toward food.
We’re not so different. Both sides fought for sustenance; the beast craved meat, and Frail craved… essence. He had half a mind to let this creature be, yet… should he triumph over it…
An elite would grant him hundreds of essences.
Stand guard. He told his warriors. He had faced an elite before with lesser units. Arrows…
Bowstrings stretched. The beast pounced. Shields blockaded its assault, their blades pointed at their opponent. Sparks lit up the forest floor when its claws sliced their shields.
Strong. Frail felt the burden from his warriors.
“[Wrath] [Speed draw]”
Green embers burned from the abyss deep within his warrior’s eye sockets. The archer’s bows radiated with a mist of pale gray. A horrific sight—if Frail was but an entity. The volleys spiked in speed as the warriors charged. The beast attempted a retreat. Its tail twirled wildly as it retaliated, battering the wall of bones and iron barricades.
The beast’s speed and ferocity stopped his skeleton’s march as it kept his warriors at a tail’s length. One slash slipped through the underside of the rightmost warrior’s shield, carving into its rusted armor and digging deep enough to reach its ribs. The skeleton never budged—never so much showed hints of pain—and trudged forward.
A tree denied the beast its space. Grim blades carved its flesh apart. The arrows hissed with acid. It turned tail and sought escape, but the sprinkle of acidic arrows deterred that option. Fear flashed in its wavering gaze, its whiskers trembling.
Terror, the skeletons had instilled. Death ensued.
The forest fell silent after Frail silenced its throes with pure force. The chill of night resumed. Gongs and choirs of goblins still rang loud from a distance, acting as if nothing had happened.
Frail recalled the chaos of his first elite kill. He was different then.
And stronger now.
[Three Dungeons have been cleared.]
[The first four parties to clear the dungeons will receive additional rewards.]