I might just make camp right here, once night comes around. There already is a fireplace after all. And this entrance hall isn''t all cluttered up with broken furniture either. It still won''t exactly be comfortable, but it probably will beat sleeping out in the open.


    First I have to finish my exploration though. There still is at least one more undead abomination at large in the tower after all. I really don''t feel like being strangled in my sleep by the damned thing. Nope, no getting killed in my sleep the first night after being reincarnated into a new world. No, no way!


    I lick my lips, take a deep breath and return to the stairwell to descend further. If I''m not mistaken the floor with the skeleton I accidentally alerted to my presence should be right below. I''ll have to be careful.


    Slow and steady, watching my every step, I make my way down. It feels like my great care is paying dividends once more. Despite the lack of a level up notification I''m pretty sure that my [Stealth] skill improves a little. It seems my progress is slowing down a little after all. I guess it is to be expected.


    From down below I can already hear the agitated skeleton. It must still be clawing at the window opening where it spotted me. That is both bad and good. It is bad because it means that the undead is already alert. It is good because its attention is focused the wrong way. Maybe I can get the drop on it despite my earlier blunder.


    I''m already halfway across the trashed room, when the cursed thing wises up to my presence, as I stub a toe against some of the smashed furniture. I refrain from cursing out loud, but the faint noise of moving detritus is already enough to give me away.


    Again the decrepit skeleton proves surprisingly nimble for something missing legs. In fact it startles me bad enough to make me miss with my clumsy swing, as it hurls itself my way.


    The fact that it is missing legs is what probably saves me at first. I don''t get away unscathed though. The fingers, or rather claws, of the damned thing tear into my pants and dig into my flesh painfully as it starts to climb up my body with teeth bared.


    [*Ding!* You have been wounded! Health reduced by 2!]


    Well, it could be worse for sure. It still is far from pleasant anyway. It''s not all bad though, as I receive another notification.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Clothes has leveled up to level 2!]


    I just wish I could improve my armor skill, if you can call it that, without taking damage. The worst part though is, that I can''t easily hit it with my sword while it is clinging to me like this. Considering my clumsy swings I''m more likely to accidentally kill myself than this undead pest, if I were to try.


    I try something else. I grab the old skeleton''s neck, first with one hand and then with the other too, after I drop the sword. The cursed thing is surprisingly strong. I just barely manage to wrest it away from me, bit by bit. Ever so slowly I gain the upper hand.


    As I stumble around, taking care not to trip over anything and possibly skewer myself on my own sword, I make my way towards one of the walls. As I reach my goal I smash the bony pest against the rock with all the force I can muster.


    [*Ding!* Hit! Decrepit Skeleton''s Health reduced by 12!]


    It turns out this isn''t enough to kill the damned skeleton. Damn, it isn''t even fazed, like a living opponent would be. I''m rewarded with a different kind of notification though.


    [*Ding!* You have unlocked the Brawling general skill at Level 1!]


    Good. Very good even! I decide to give my new skill a proper workout right away. Without delay I smash my opponent against the wall once more.


    [*Ding!* Hit! Decrepit Skeleton''s Health reduced by 13!]


    [*Ding!* Your skill Brawling has leveled up to level 2!]


    Sadly it''s still not enough to rid myself of this clingy pest. It''s claws are still digging into my flesh, while I prepare to deliver another blow.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    [*Ding!* You have been wounded! Health reduced by 1!]


    [*Ding!* Your skill Clothes has leveled up to level 3!]


    I barely pay these notifications any heed. Instead I bash the back of the skeleton''s empty skull against the wall again.


    [*Ding!* Hit! Decrepit Skeleton''s Health reduced by 14!]


    [*Ding!* You have defeated a Decrepit Skeleton!]


    [*Ding!* Your skill Brawling has leveled up to level 3!]


    The bones of my stubborn opponent clatter to the ground, as the magical powers animating them fade together with the ominous glow in its otherwise empty eye sockets. Damn it, how can a dead thing cling to life stubborn like that?


    I stagger back a step and suck in a deep breath to calm my fluttering nerves. Then I take a moment to check myself over. The wounds I suffered at the hands of my opponent are barely worth mentioning. These are scratches at worst. I just hope they don''t get infected.


    I swallow hard. That would be bad. I don''t have any magic or potions or even herbs after all. If I were to contract anything it might very well be the death of me if I''m unlucky.


    Barring that though, the tears in my clothes pain me more than the actual scratches I suffered. Damn it! I don''t have a change of clothes and I don''t have any tools to mend the ones I wear either. If this keeps up I''ll be wearing rags before long. That doesn''t sound fun.


    Finally I look around to take in the rest of the room as I cross it to pick my sword back up. This room too is a total mess. The scattered remnants of the skeleton now added to the rest don''t exactly make it better either. I''ll have to do some serious cleaning before any of these rooms will be serviceable again.


    That will have to wait though since I''m not done exploring yet. The stairs still descend further after all. I''m a little reluctant to follow them, since it is incredibly dark down there though. It isn''t exactly well lit up here either, but down there it is actually completely dark. This is a little troublesome.


    I''ll need a light source. My brows furrow. Or should I try to change myself into some kind of creature that can see in the dark? The idea is not without merit. Too bad that I have no idea how to do it since I don''t know any creatures that can see in the dark. Not yet anyway.


    My brows furrow again. Or does the Forest Lynx count? It might, but [Change Shape] only allows me to take humanoid shapes as far as I can tell. I give it a try anyway, but the result is as expected. The skill refuses to even activate. Well, at least this little experiment hasn''t cost me any Mana.


    I let out a sigh. I really need a light source to explore further. I glance back into the room and let my gaze linger first on the broken furniture then on the rags the skeleton has been wearing. Can it be this simple? Could I possibly fashion a torch from this trash?


    I walk back into the room and go through the detritus once more. My search yields a reasonably seized piece of dry wood. It is a little longer than my forearm and it''s dry and should thus burn well enough. Yes, this will do nicely. I grab the rags that once probably were clothes too. I don''t wrap them around the stick right away though. No, I have something else in mind first.


    I return to the floor with the entrance door, the bloody orcish graffiti and the fireplace. I rub the rags into the charred remains of the old fire, covering them in coal dust. I can only hope that this will help. Once I''m done I tear the rags into thin strips and tie them around the wood.


    It almost looks like a torch now, but I''m still not satisfied. I look around and a grin spreads across my lips as I spot what I''m looking for. Sadly it isn''t enough to earn me another increase for the [Spot] skill. I''m pretty sure I''m close though.


    Without any further delay I use the improvised torch to gather plenty of old cobwebs, sending a number of creepy crawlies scuttling away in the process. I wrap those cobwebs around the rest for good measure. This will have to do. I doubt that I''ll be able to craft anything better anytime soon. Not with the things available to me here.


    [*Ding!* You have unlocked the Survival general skill at Level 1!]


    I blink at the sudden divine whisper. It isn''t what I was aiming for, but I certainly won''t turn a gift down. It probably will come in handy before long.


    Before I try to light it, I decide to focus my attention on the makeshift torch and trigger the [Identify] skill, just to be safe. A little of my Mana drains away and a moment later I''m rewarded with a divine whisper enlightening me about the nature of the item I just crafted.


    [Improvised Torch (Wood, Common) – A basic, improvised torch fashioned from whatever was at hand. It can be used as an improvised weapon too. Category: Melee Weapon/Club, Attack-Power: 5]


    I blink in surprise. Not too shabby. Sure, it could be better, but the way it looks to me I did my best with what I have available. Anyway, it is time to resume my exploration!


    I head back down and once I reach the last landing before the stairwell descends into darkness I pause to light the torch. That sounds easier than it is. Starting a fire with flint and steel turns out to be rather frustrating. Probably because I have no practice whatsoever. I keep at it though and my patience pays off, as eventually the spiderwebs wrapped around the rest catch on fire.


    My makeshift torch doesn''t exactly provide a lot of light, but it is the best I have right now, thus I get going again, descending carefully and quietly, one step at a time, wielding my sword in one hand and the torch in the other.


    I pass several alcoves in the walls along the stairwell. In the past they may have served as some kind of storage. It is pretty cool down here, as the warmth of the sun above is far away. Yes, some kind of cold storage sounds plausible. Now though the shelving in these alcoves is smashed up, like all the other furnishings in the tower.


    Just a few steps later I come to a dead stop. It seems the stairs continue at least a little further, but I''m not quite sure. It is hard to tell, as the rest, beginning with the step below the one I''m standing on, is flooded.


    I crouch and bring down the torch a little lower, but it doesn''t help much. It looks like the stairs continue a bit further at the very least, but I still can''t make out what is beyond.


    Is this the result of some kind of accident? A cave in maybe? Or is it due to neglect? Maybe there was some kind of pump that would get rid of the water in the past? Or is it intentional? This could be very well the tower''s water source after all.


    I simply have no way to tell. In the end I sigh, get up and retreat back upwards. If I really want to make this tower my home I have to do some cleaning after all. There is no way around that.